Sadie

A little while ago, we were able to spend the day with Sadie (a boxer) at the Durham APS Walk for the Animals where she was able to have a fun day playing with other dogs and meeting all of the wonderful people who attended. As one might expect, given a new place with new surroundings, it may be hard to focus on what your person may want from you, but Sadie performed wonderfully. 

Smiley Sadie!

Even though she is a bit older (around 8 years) she played well with dogs ranging from puppies to seniors in all shapes and sizes. She didn't meet a person she didn't like (or try to kiss!), and her happy demeanor and good manners made sure that nobody walked away from her unhappy.

Isn't she just the sweetest?!

Last Sunday we were lucky enough to be able to spend more time with Sadie, and were able to walk around the trail and play in the playpen as she loves to do. On the leash, Sadie performs wonderfully as would be expected given her perfect behavior at a much busier venue. One of my favorite things to do with the dogs is to sit on the bench and see how much they want attention and affection, and I was not disappointed today with Sadie. She is very attentive to people, and loves to please. 

Best friends!

I was amazed when I held out a treat and Sadie sat down then gave me her paw! She clearly enjoyed showing off the things that she knew, and even though she is a bit older, I bet she would still love to learn new tricks!

Sadie likes her treats, and uses her most delicate touch when taking them.

I got tricks up my paw!

Sadie, being a bit older, loves to play and walk, but gets tired after not too long. I would imagine she would do very well in a house that takes her on shorter daily walks. She has done remarkably well with any dog she has met while we have been with her (over 50). At the APS Walk, Sadie met numerous kids and did very well with them, keeping in mind that she is a larger dog and that she could inadvertently bump into small kids.

Sitting very patiently for her treat!

At the playpen, Sadie starts to get excited knowing that she will get to play off leash. When she looks up at me in anticipation, I start to think that she really understands what I want and her goal is to make me as happy as I make her. I smile back at her when we reach the gate, and she sits and waits for me to un-clip her leash. 

We call her Sadie-bug, which is short for Sadie Lovebug and she is a kisser!

As I open the door, she goes bounding off, sniffing the grass that has changed smells significantly from when she last sniffed it. Not too long after, she comes running back over to check on me, wondering if it is time for a treat or to play. Her half-gallop, half bounce makes me laugh no matter what mood I start in.

Hopping around!

As we walk Sadie back in, she stops by her sister June's kennel, who was surrendered to the shelter with her, and gives her a quick bark, and then walks me back to her kennel. During the time I have spent with Sadie, I could not imagine a family finding a more perfect dog that her. Her loyalty, sweet nature, and sunny personality will definitely rub off on you, and you can see for yourself by visiting her in kennel 36.

Sophie

Sweet Sophie is the perfect mix of adorable, friendly, cuddly, playful. She is a young (almost a year?) Cattledog/hound mix, although I see a little boxer in her as well.

Hey happy face!

One of the first things we did with Sophie when we took her out, was sit down on a bench for some cuddles. She knows she is a lap dog. She loved being held like a little baby with her belly up for tummy scratches!

Gettin her snuggles!

Speaking of tummy scratches, there is a sweet spot on her belly where, if you scratch it, her leg just goes crazy -- so cute! Want to see? Here it is!

Once we got in the play pen she immediately ran and grabbed a toy. She realllllly likes toys, especially the soft ones and will run circles with them in her mouth until she gets tired! She loves chasing them when we throw them, and will pounce and proudly run a few "laps" with them.

So many toys!

She does really nicely on her leash and loves being around people. She is exceptionally eager to please and has a nice "sit" under her belt. She's food motivated and seems to learn very easily.

Grinning tennis ball face!

When she gets excited on her leash she kinda snorts a bit, which made me laugh. She's just funny and awesome to be around in general, and the type of dog that makes volunteering at the shelter so fun.

When she got tired she took her toy and went to lay under the bench. We got ready to go back inside, but she didn't want to part with her toy, so she carried it all the way back in! You'll love meeting miss Sophie, so stop by and visit her in Kennel 42!!!!!!

Sometimes she kinda flies :-)

Annabelle

Have you ever met a dog so happy and playful that you thought maybe Pharrell Williams wrote "Happy" from Despicable Me 2 about her? Well, if you haven't, you should! Meet Miss Annabelle, who is one of the most playful, joyful, and excited-about-life dogs I've met.

I love everything!

Annabelle is a 1-1.5 year old brindle hound mix who takes every opportunity to enjoy life that she can. When we first got her out of her kennel and outside, she was so excited to be outside that she tried galloping, yes galloping, towards the playpen.

Pounce

Once we were inside the playpen, she starting sprinting around with her toy. She LOVES toys. She LOVES sprinting. She LOVES running, fetching, sitting for hot dogs, cuddles, happy voices, and probably just about everything else!

Here's a cute video of her having a blast in the grassy pen!

She's very quick and athletic and knows how to retrieve (will bring it back to your vicinity although not quite your hand yet) and is super happy chasing balls, soft toys, or anything you throw.

Pretty Annabelle!

If you don't want to throw toys, not to worry, she will sometimes throw them to herself!

Ahhhh I lOVE playbows!

Annabelle has a really nice soft coat and she loves being held and pet. She will curl up on your lap and give you face kisses until you put her down, because, as I said, she seems to be happy doing anything!

Annabelle will calm down and sit very nicely for hot dogs and she has a nice gentle mouth. She will actually hold the sit for a long time without jumping up or getting impatient. We learned this while trying to get pictures of her, which often takes patience for both the dog and me. And patient she was!

Sitting in anticipation of goodness (=hot dogs)

She is definitely a high energy dog and played with us for quite a while before getting tired. She made us laugh a lot because of her funny antics and sheer joy of simply being outside with her toy.

Gotcha!

On the way back inside she walked nicely on the leash. She definitely calms down once she's had her exercise!

The inquisitive look!

She would be a great dog to run or play in the park with. She's quite smart and food motivated and so in my opinion, she'd be really easy (and a lot of fun!) to train.

Come meet this happy, sweet baby -- she will do her best to keep you happy too!

Clara

Chances are, if you are on this page, it is because you saw a beautiful picture of a light brown Labrador/Pit mix named Clara and wondered if she is the type of dog that loves to play fetch, but can also be a lap dog if allowed, is very kind mannered ,and respectful of people and dogs, and  the type you will adore you forever. Well, she is. 

Smiley and adorable!

First impressions are always important, and Clara aims to win you over by greeting you eagerly while not being pushy. She is a little on the shy side, but she trust people quickly when given the opportunity to do so. Once she knows what she needs to do to make you happy, she will try to help as long as she is treated in a gentle fashion. She behaves quite well on the leash, and you can tell she is always mindful of her person. When around other dogs, she looks to you for feedback and is very non confrontational.

Loving my toys!

After walking on the leash a bit to let her do her natural duties, we took Clara to the play pen so she could stretch her legs a bit. After doing a quick sniff patrol of the numerous smells, Clara walks back around and looks up at us as if to ask "Ok, what are we going to do next?" 

Trying (and succeeding) to make us smile as much as her!

The first thing we try to do is have the dog sit, as it builds a good connection between the dog and owner, and it also helps lower their energy level. The minute Clara sees the bag of hot dog treats, her butt hits the grass as she sits patiently for the her reward.

Thinking beauty.

 It is always interesting to see how a dog will take a high value treat from your hand and the reaction can range from having your hand almost swallowed with enthusiasm to tepid taking of the treat. Fortunately, Clara shows excitement for the treat, meaning training with food will be easier, but she is extremely gentle. 

Uh oh! Missed it!

With her obligatory training out of the way, it was time to break out the toys and let Clara have some real fun. Soft toys seem to be Clara's choice, and with her gentle mouth they should even last a while.

Focus

I grab a toy and tell Clara to sit, which she promptly does. She waits until I throw the toy, then chases after it with a full smile on her face. When she gets to the toy, she grabs it, then tosses it around to make the game more interesting, then almost brings it back for a full fetch.

Being funny :-)

We have spent time with Clara not only at the shelter, but also at an adoption event where she was placed in a new surrounding with many other dogs around. Her behavior would have you think she was used to that sort of thing, as she has so much trust in her person that she did not get over excited or scared.

Bounding joy.

 But that is Clara, a trusting, loving, affectionate light brown Lab/Pit mix whose picture enticed you to read this blog. If you would like to meet her, she is in kennel 11 and ready to put a smile on your face.

Hilda

I have a thing for quiet, shy dogs. I don't know exactly what it is, but quiet dogs give me a sense of calm and shy dogs give me a challenge to try to earn their trust.  Hilda struck me instantly as such a dog. She's not shy in a nervous way -- just a kind of quiet shyness that makes her intriguing and make you want to be around her.

Working on her sits! Hilda is very smart.

When we took Hilda out for the first time we notices that there was no tension on the leash -- at all -- and she wasn't even wearing a harness. This is really amazing for dogs, as most tend to want to explore all over and end up usually towards the ends of their leads even if they aren't pulling. Hilda wanted to stay right next to her person, without even being asked.

One of the best walkers we've come across!!

She seemed to enjoy walking, but even more seemed to enjoy the companionship that walking was offering. She really does want to stay with her person.

Beautiful Hilda

We took her into the grassy play pen and offered her several toys. Although she sniffed them, she didn't seem to want to chase them or play much, so that's when we decided to work on some training.

Hilda knows "sit" very well and is very very patient waiting for her treat. She has a really gentle mouth that goes along with her gentle nature. She seems to be incredibly smart and would be fun to train. She likes working for food.

Being a lap-dog.

She definitely knew how to surprise us though, because, for the fun of it, we tried tossing her a treat. Well, she caught it on the first try! So we tried again, and again, success! (Note: it took our dogs at least a week of training to get this!) She seemed to find this game a lot of fun!

About to catch the flying hot-dog!

Hilda loves affection and being petted. She's calm enough that she will sit nicely and patiently in your lap.

Success!

Although she loves walks she didn't seem to be super high energy. She would probably do best with someone who can spend quality time with her and be her cuddle buddy.

Rosie

It's been a while since Ryan and I have gotten a chance to post some profiles of the wonderful babies at the shelter -- we've missed them! The dogs we got to hang out with this weekend definitely remedied our cravings for cuddle time, fetch, fun and fluffy cuteness.

Pretty Rosie!

First off of the day was Rosie. Rosie is an adorable brindle Plott hound mix with super soft ears and a loving heart! She walked really nicely on her leash and loves to be walked. She is very energetic and also loves running and other outdoor activities. She would be great on hikes as well!

Sitting pretty

Being only a year she does still have puppy enthusiasm for things like new people and toys. She is working very hard on not jumping and listening to basic commands and is progressing nicely.

Ryan asks for a sit before throwing the ball/

She LOVES hot dogs and knew sit even before we asked her to!  She will definitely be fun to train because she is very attentive and seems to be actively trying to figure out what you want her to do.

Such a lover (well, both of them, but mostly Rosie!)

She has a really soft mouth and took the treats ever so gently from us after sitting nicely. What polite doggie manners!

Cutie

Rosie loves toys and sometimes goofily hops around with them in her mouth. She loves chasing soft toys and is coming along with the "drop it" command when she brings them back. She seems to not even need someone at all times to throw it to her, as she will throw it to herself or just run around with the it in her mouth!

Happy chaser!

One of the greatest things about her though, is how loving she is. She adores being held on your lap and did everything possible to kiss Ryan while she was sitting with him (who wouldn't?). She would wriggle this way and that to be as close as possible to him, which was just so endearing!

Cuddles

She just can't stop loving!!!!

Rosie does very well with other dogs. Although we didn't bring her around dogs when we took her out, she went to an adoption event with many other dogs present and did very well. She wrestled and played nicely with her toys with them.

Rosie loves all her toys!

Rosie is such a sweet, endearing, playful dog that would make any person, or family very very lucky. How could you resist that sweetness!

Lap doggin' it.

Benny -- GBNF

Benny is an approximately one year old pit mix who is such a lover! He lives for kisses, hugs and affection! He's not too big to crawl right on your lap, and he will -- he just loves being with people.

Lots of kisses for Ryan!

He gave Ryan lots of kisses and climbed all over his lap trying to get closer and closer to him! It was just so sweet and endearing to watch.

Such a complete sweetheart!!!

Along with his affection side, he also has a very playful side. We took him in the pen and he just loved playing with his toys, sprinting around and chasing everything we threw!

Benny and the Great White shark

He is pretty good at running and quite athletic. He is also very good at fetch, which made playing with him lots of fun.

So much joy!

He especially loved this toy stuffed shark and chased it around everywhere. He gets so happy around his toys, but he also knows how to give them back (which he is very good at).

Mid-air sprint

Benny knows sit very well and is definitely treat motivated and so he will be fun to train. He walked nicely with us on the leash, even though he was definitely excited to be out with us.

Just look at that sweet face!!!!

He's such a happy, excited dog that he makes everything enjoyable whether its walking, playing or just sitting around with him.

Handsome boy :-)

If you are looking for a fun, playful, super-affectionate dog who is always happy to see you, then Benny is your boy!!! Come meet him!!!

Come see me!!