There's A New Dog In Town

I have been missing PeeWee so much that I considered finding another special needs little dog. I found cute, well socialized small dogs for adoption at the Malone Shelter, but I felt sure they'd quickly find good homes - and heaven knows I didn't need another dog just to have more dogs. Then I discovered Jack, a Pomeranian mix at the Massena Shelter. He'd been picked up on a street by the Animal Control Officer (who he bit) and taken to the Shelter in September. It took until January before they got this little spitfire to the vet for neutering and vaccinations. He sat in his kennel, unadopted, because he'd begin screaming and running in fear if anyone approached him. He bit the dog catcher and one shelter employee, so perhaps they were thinking of Jack The Ripper when they named him Jack:

But one woman at the shelter made friends with Jack, and she introduced me to him. I then introduced Jack to Daphne and Clover. They were instant friends, so I adopted him. He accepted me so quickly that he was crawling onto my lap on the way home. I kept him on a leash at first. After he met Seamus and Fergus, Draco marched up to say howdy. Jack was fine was that:

I let him off the leash and he began to explore the house, peeing on every corner, chair leg and any other vertical surface he passed. I estimated that he was peeing every 10 to 20 seconds:

Jack was a little intimidated by gigantic Seamus, but they soon became friends:

Bramble, normally a dog lover, was not so sure. He stalked him from behind, his tail all brushy:

But Jack was already best friends with Daphne and Clover, so he felt secure. Notice Bramble watching warily from the chair in the background:

Jack's peeing began to slow down as I corrected him and disinfected all his favorite spots. He was making himself at home:

And he followed me around, wherever I went:

"I still don't like him. Harrumph!"

I put scrambled eggs atop their kibble for the first feeding and watched carefully, lest fighting erupt. But all went well, with everyone polite and respectful. And Jack certainly likes scrambled eggs:

He likes to sit in PeeWee's old dog bed beneath my computer when I'm there. That way, he's comfortable and right at my feet:

And he slept on my bed the very first night. He also slept underneath the bed and in PeeWee's old bed at times. Jack made himself part of the family in short order:

North Country Animal Shelter - Part 2

I'd checked out both indoor and outdoor dogs (see yesterday's post) and walked away from the dog building wondering if they had cats:

I stopped along the way to say hello to this tiny dog in a red jacket:

His red friend joined him to bark excitedly. Just then, a woman arrived to let them out and they greeted me with great enthusiasm. It appeared that they were only outdoors briefly for a bit of fresh air. I learned that this pair could only be adopted together:

I walked over to the cat building, which had a sign on the door with the warning to open it cautiously as the cats were not caged:

And indeed they were not. I marveled at how clean everything was and how well all the cats got along. A family was looking for a cat to adopt:

There were cats everywhere and had been given lots of high perches and "highways" to travel:

I didn't notice it until I got home and was editing the photos, but the cat on the right could be a contestant for one of the websites for "Cats That Look Like Hitler" or, as they are sometimes called, "Kitlers:"

This girl had found a cat, about half grown, which was extraordinarily affectionate and she wanted to adopt it. Her mother thought the cat's great friendliness might be annoying. I butted in, saying that was kittenish behavior and if they needed a more staid cat, to choose an adult. Ignoring my advice, they then headed to the building where the younger kittens were kept:

The cats were clean, well cared for and looked mighty contented:

With every color combination I could imagine:

I met the Shelter manager, who introduced me to Stevie, a tiny, blind special pet she kept in her office. He was found, blind and lost, during the winter and, once rescued, became her beloved companion:

I left the shelter with mixed emotions. I hated to see some dogs kept outdoors although they all looked happy, healthy and comfortable. I also worried about the great number of animals they had compared to the miniscule number of adopters looking for pets (only one family on that Saturday afternoon). But I also got a good feeling about the place and found the people warm and caring, the pets clean and well taken care of. I think that if I were to again volunteer at a Shelter, this would be the one:

North Country Animal Shelter - Part 1

I'd intended to pay a visit to the North Country Animal Shelter in the town of Malone, New York for a long time and it finally happened one beautiful Saturday:

There was only enough parking for a few cars and I had to enter through a chain link fence gate with side by side signs which proclaimed both "Open" and "No Admittance." I was a bit intimidated, but gave it a try:

The scenery was lovely, set in a snowy pine forest:

I walked past some outdoor pens with dogs in them and entered the dog building, where the small dogs, short haired dogs and puppies were kept:

Unlike most shelters, this one had lots of puppies:

And lots of small dogs:

This Poodle mix look frightened, so I spoke softly, hoping to calm it:

While other dogs, of course, were barking for attention:

I was told that this older dog, with the sad face and the short legs, already had a family who would pick him up soon:

I left the building and checked out the outdoor pens. In this northern climate, the idea of dogs being left outdoors was troubling, but I had to admit they all looked comfortable and happy. Each pen was wrapped in tarps to keep out the wind and each dog seemed to have a dog house and soft bed:

There was a row of smaller kennels, filled with dogs. Even though this was a Saturday, I was the only person looking at the dogs and I could only hope that they got more adoptions than what I was seeing:

This dog, near the entrance, looked all alone and I wondered if he might be antagonistic to other dogs. I decided to check out the cat building next, but I'll post about that tomorrow: