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Ringo is outside with Hershey (yesterday's post). He's still standing in the same spot where he'd been set down a couple of minutes ago. He's shivering even though the sun is shining and it's not really that cold out.

When I pet him, he freezes up a bit but then relaxes but doesn't really relax. The snacks don't break the tension. The squeaky toy doesn't break the tension.

Another dog walks by and that gets him moving. He scrambles over and suddenly all is well and he's forgotten whatever anxieties he's had and is checking out the other dog. The other dog eventually continues on its way with his person and Ringo is anxious again but not as much as before. Ringo moves around a bit now. He tries to stay close to Hershey but Hershey wants to be near me so there's that little problem for Ringo.

Eventually, I just pick Ringo up. Hershey gets immediately jealous and wants to be picked up too but right now it's Ringo's turn so I leave Hershey on the ground. Ringo settles into my arms - sort of. He's still not fully relaxed but that's okay. I understand trust is sometimes harder for some dogs. We've only been together a few minutes and he's already come a long way.

I think Ringo will be fine too.






The best way to check on the adoption status of this dog (and other dogs and cats and other small domestic animals) is to visit Toronto Animal Services adoption website or call 416 338 6668 for the Toronto Animal Services South shelter. If the dog is no longer on the TAS adoption website, it's probably because it's been adopted already.



1 Comment to “Ringo - Chihuahua”

  1. Anonymous says:

    ooooh what adorable little dogs! I hope they find a home that wipes away all their fears and brings them comfort at last

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A request

The reason for this blog is to help get specific dogs adopted from TAS but equally important is to try to normalize the idea of shelter dogs being just as good and just as desirable as any other dogs including those which are regularly merchandised by backyard breeders, puppy millers and those few remaining pet store owners who still feel a need to sell live animals. The single greatest stigma shelter animals still face is the belief that shelter animals are substandard animals. Anyone who has had enough experience with shelter animals knows this is untrue but the general public hasn't had the same experiences you've had. They see a nice dog photo in a glossy magazine and too many of them would never think of associating that dog with a dog from a shelter. After all, no one abandons perfectly good dogs, right? Unfortunately, as we all know, perfectly good dogs are abandoned all the time.

The public still too often associates shelter dogs with images of beat up, sick, dirty, severely traumatized animals and while we definitely sometimes see victims such as these, they are certainly not the majority and, regardless, even the most abused animals can very often be saved and made whole again.

Pound Dogs sometimes discusses the sad histories some of the dogs have suffered. For the most part, though, it tries to present the dogs not as victims but as great potential family members. The goal is to raise the profiles of animals in adoption centers so that a potential pet owner sees them as the best choice, not just as the charity choice.

So, here's the favour I'm asking. Whenever you see a dog picture on these pages you think is decent enough, I'd like you to consider sharing it on Facebook or any other social media sites you're using (I know many of you do this already and thank you for that). And when you share it, please mention that the dog in the photo is a shelter dog like so many other shelter dogs waiting for a home. If we can get even five percent of the pet buying public to see shelter dogs differently, to see how beautiful they are and how wonderful they are, and to consider shelter dogs as their first choice for a new family member, we can end the suffering of homeless pets in this country.
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