Our two lovely black lab sisters (Sara & Sonia) have not found their forever homes yet. Every time we take these girls out together it is pure joy watching them play or even just nuzzle with each other. They are such affectionate dogs and for a young age not wild and crazy…they have the perfect balance of gentleness as well as a nice playful side. Looking for two devoted companions, here they are.
Over the years we have talked about how important it is to have people willing to foster animals until they are able to be adopted. These are very special people. They give a lot of time, energy, caring and love to these animals. Then, (I don’t know how they do it) they then say good bye to them. Fostering is a short term commitment that saves lives. There are different reasons for fosters. With spring here we are approaching “bottle baby” season. Sometimes kittens and puppies come in and a foster is needed a few weeks to help an animal gain enough weight before it can be spayed/neutered. Sometimes a foster is needed for medical reason and they foster the animal after surgery or while it is on meds until it heals. An animal often has an easier convalescent period in a home environment than a shelter environment. This was the case for our first featured pet and she is one lucky dog! Like many of our foster parents Hope’s foster parents have fostered several cats and dogs over the years. Through their care these animals have healed and gone on to find their forever home. If you are interested in becoming a foster parent please go to our website www.cabq.gov/pets to find out info on fostering.
Hope (ID# A 1704339) is a 10 month old, female Blue & white American Pit Bull Terrier mix. She weighs 58 pounds. When this puppy came to our shelter at 5 months of age she had a bad case of mange. She has been fostered by one of our volunteers extraordinaire for several months. Now she is healthy, happy, a beauty and ready for adoption. When a dog is fostered the foster parents are able to provide an adopter a wealth of information about the animal since they are taking care of it 24/7. When a dog is lucky enough to have experienced fosters like Hope has had she has a great head start on training and her foster parents have begun working on general manners training. Of course it is the adopter’s responsibility to keep this training up and our free training classes are a great way to continue with that. I received so much information about sweet Hope that it is impossible to list all the valuable info her foster parents have provided. They have so much detailed information I bet it goes well beyond what you would even think about asking. Here are just a few little things we will mention. Hope is still very much a puppy and walks best on a harness. She knows the cue for sit and takes treats politely. She is nicely house trained and she knows were to go sit when she needs to make that request for a potty break. Like any newly adopted dog she will need to learn her new home’s routine. She rides well in a car. She is a typical energetic puppy. Like most puppies she will find a toy if one is not provided. All puppies need appropriate chew toys so something you hold dear does not become her favorite new chew toy. Hope loves to play in the kiddy pool in the summer and enjoys a few minutes of play in the snow until her feet get too cold. Her family says she would do best in a home with out cats because she is overly obsessed with them. Hope enjoys dog play with the dog she presently lives with and she has participated in several play groups at our Eastside shelter with groups including 8 dogs. She is learning that the vacuum cleaner is not a dangerous object but she will certainly let it know who is boss. Once you meet Hope it will be love at first sight. She is extremely sweet, loving and gives the fastest kisses in Albuquerque. Her family asked me to remind everyone that you may see very faint marks among her beautiful blue fur that are long distant reminders of the mange she had as a very small puppy. These faint lines absolutely are not from any fights or disagreements. Hope has the temperament of a lover. Hope does enjoy some rowdier play but she listens well if another dog asks her to slow down a bit. If you looking for a lifetime companion and have the time and energy to help Hope through the rest of her puppyhood by picking up where her foster parents have left off they would love to arrange a meeting for you. You may call their Google voice mail number 750-0455 to make an appointment.
Bare Bear (ID# A 1714063) is a 5 year old, male yellow & white Labrador Retriever & Boxer mix. He weighs 62 pounds. Bare Bear came to us when his owner became homeless and Bare Bear did not do well living in a van. We do not know all the circumstances but due to his stress he broke through a window to get to his owner. The loss of security and home and then to live in close quarters of a van must have been very hard and scary for both Bare Bear and his parent. It appears that Bare Bear became frightened and it was just too difficult for him to handle this new way of living. Bare Bear came to us a bit shy and shell shocked finding himself in another new and strange environment. What a transformation… now Bare Bear is eager to make friends at his kennel door. He enjoys daily walks and walks very nicely on leash. He has been a very sweet attentive and easy going boy. His owner said in he rode well in a car and was house trained. He is one of our potty brigade dogs. We volunteers make sure he gets out at least twice a day to take care of business and of course we can’t resist showering him with affection. All dogs need time to get used to a new home and the families routine for house training but it should be easier with Bare Bear. The Boxer in Bare Bear has given him quite an under bite. You might notice this in his majestic pose. We feel Bare Bear would do best in a home with older children/teenagers. He would enjoy daily walks and perhaps even a hike if it is not a race up the mountain. Bare Bear seems to prefer a quieter environment. He tends to turn away and avoid loud barking dogs. He just might prefer being your only companion. Once you meet this handsome boy at our Eastside shelter you will find he has so much love to give he will be all you need to make your life complete.
