Our first featured dog from last week Bronson waits at his kennel door happily wagging his tail hoping the next person to say hello to such a friendly boy will take him to his forever home. Our pretty black & white pit bull terrier has a case of happy tail so has her tail bandaged and the poor girl is wearing a cone of shame until it heals. Happy tail is quite common in the shelter environment but once she is in a home she will heal and “happy tail” will be a distance memory. She would love to find her forever person will look beyond her cone/collar.
This week we have two absolutely beautiful black lab sisters to feature. They came in stray. They are the same age and look so similar we think they were litter mates. They are lovely black labs. They are a bit shy at first but once they have bonded with someone they are sweet, playful and extremely affectionate.
Sara (ID# A 1713003) & Sonia (ID# A 1713004) they are 2 year old, female black & white Labrador Retriever mixes. Sara weighs 57 pounds and Sonia weighs 49 pounds. They were quite shy when they came to our shelter as strays so we put them into our shy dog program. We began working with them each day together and separately. Sara and Sonia love each other and play very well with each other. We also brought them to our doggie play groups. If a dog is friendly with other dogs play group may help boost confidence and if they enjoy play group then they are less timid coming out of the kennel. Sara came around a bit faster. She actually was adopted and even though she was very timid with her new parents they fell in love with her until they realized “they just don’t have time for a dog”. Sonia missed her sister greatly. Sonia has always been shier than Sara and needed a bit of extra attention after Sara left. When Sara was surrendered back to us her parents reported she was shy but an extremely kind and loving dog. Sonia just lit up when she saw Sara back again. Both girls are timid with new people but once they bond they are extremely sweet, affectionate and playful. They are not high energy girls. They have enough energy that they could be hiking companions and they are playful with people but the also are fairly mellow for their young age. When we take them out together they really enjoy playing with each other. They are so good natured. They each have a favorite ball to play with, Sara likes the big orange one with a tennis ball inside and Sonia prefers a little purple one. It appears that at some time they had things thrown at them. It has taken a while for them to learn that we are not throwing the ball “at them” but “for them” to play with. Their favorite game is when they share a stuffed pink pig during play. It is kind of a game of keep away with one having the pink pig until the other grabs it away. They chase the one that is “it-with the pig” and when the other takes it back it is just a game repeated over and over. They also enjoy resting with bellies up waiting for belly rubs. These girls have played in play group with other dogs and have done well. Again Sonia is a bit on the shier side. She prefers less rowdy or tactile play from other dogs unless she is playing with Sara. These two do not need to go home together but they are attached to each other and would be happiest if they are adopted together. All dogs need some time to acclimate to their new home and family and need time to learn the home’s routine. All dogs should not be left alone in a back yard until you are sure there are no escape routes and they will not attempt to jump a wall/fence or are able to dig underneath. Sara and Sonia may find a bit easier to acclimate if they have each other as company and depend on each other while bonding and falling quickly in love with their new parents. Since both are on the shy side they would do better with children 10 or over. They would enjoy daily walks and perhaps hiking. We suggest bringing them to the free training classes that accompany all adoptions. For dogs like Sara and Sonia training classes help boost confidence and also aid in the bonding experience. Sara and Sonia will be truly devoted loving companions. Each of these girls is quick to give hugs and kisses once they have bonded with you. They will need some patience and kindness to help them become accustomed to things many of us take for granted like the noisy garbage or UPS truck. If you have room in your heart and home for two please come meet these sweet girls at our Eastside shelter. Be sure to ask to meet them out in a play yard away from the hustle and bustle of the kennel building. They are more likely to warm up to you with each other but please give them a few minutes to get to know you. Just sit in a chair or on the low wall in the play yard. Speak softly and sweetly and you will find Sara & Sonia will respond in kind.
Sara Sonia
