There could not be a more descriptive name for this lovable Collie mix than Teddy. From the moment you see him and his goofy smile and his bear like fur, he will make you laugh with his intrinsically happy nature.
Sweet, goofy Teddy bear.
Teddy is very well mannered, waiting patiently while his leash is put on, but he shows his enthusiasm for people's attention while at the same time showing respect by not jumping on you.
Climbing up the bench ramp!
While out walking, Teddy kindly introduced himself to other people, all of whom loved his soft coat and laid back demeanor. He does well with kids and adults alike.
Bonding.
Teddy really loves attention and would probably do best as an only dog so as to maximize the amount of affection and human interaction he would get :-).
Teddy crosses his eye while looking at his hot dog treat! So cute!
Out in the play pen, Teddy wandered around calming, surveying his new found territory. He loves hot dog treats and wants to earn them, but he has trouble at times following the treats if they go over his head. That said, he has a very soft mouth and takes the treats gently from your hand.
Sweet baby face and spotty tonuge!
Teddy would do wonderfully in a calm home that can reciprocate his kind love. He could adapt to a variety of activity levels, from daily walks to trips around town. Already sociable by nature, he would gain self confidence and have a ton of fun meeting more people!
Hey goofball!
One thing is for certain, if you are looking for a heartwarming companion, Teddy would be happy to fill the position.
Sweet little Dixon is an older puppy that has also been at the shelter a surprisingly long time. I've had the great pleasure of walking him on a few occasions and every time he seems to get sweeter and funnier.
Look at that happy face!
Dixon loves affection and will offer kisses. He gets a bit squirmy when you pick him up still because he has some puppy energy. As soon as you put him down he does these cute little sprints around which made me laugh!
Patient Dixon waiting for his treats!
He is working on his commands and has "sit" down very nicely. He is very food/hot dog motivated which makes him easy to train. He definitely wants to get his treat and we worked on "sit" and "come".
Mission obedience accomplish!
He is not a big jumper which is nice, and he didn't jump up on either of us, even in his kennel when we first put his leash on. He's a bit nervous about jumping up on the benches as he doesn't know if he can quite "make it" yet. This of course bodes well for preserving furniture and nice things as he seems to want to wait until he's absolutely sure you want him up there with you!
Play time!
Dixon is playful and likes toys, but as with many puppies, he often gets distracted from one toy with another or with a smell of some kind. He especially likes his rope toy :-) He also does very nicely with other dogs!
Running for more toys!
He is such a super sweet, loving, handsome boy. He does so well on his walks and really seems to enjoy people. He will definitely form a strong bond with his human, and whomever that is, is a very lucky human indeed!
Ruby is an incredibly sweet, beautiful, lab/pit mix who has been at the shelter a surprisingly long time. This, of course, confuses me, because in the short time we got to spend with her on Saturday, she was just absolutely amazing.
Beautiful Ruby
In her kennel she can be a bit excited, but she calms down nicely once her harness and leash are on and she's outside.
Bliss is a human-dog kiss :-)
She walks very nicely on her leash and stayed right next to us for the majority of the time. Although she is quite strong, she was really good about not using her strength to pull us every which way.
Waiting patiently for Ryan to throw her toy!
She is also a very intelligent dog. She seems to understand what we want and respond accordingly. She is learning a good deal of commands. She already knows "sit" and she is very close to knowing "drop it" with her toys. Since she is so smart, she's definitely going to be fun and easier to train.
What a good sit!
After we walked on the trail with her, we took her to the grassy play pen. As soon as we got in there she started running around.
So strong and athletic
She is super fun to play with! She loves toys of all kinds and she will actually bring them back when you throw them. She is doing well with giving you the toy when she brings it back and waiting for you to throw it again.
Anticipation
Ruby is a super athletic dog and definitely loves walks, runs, fetch, and general playing. Since she is so smart, she's really fun to play with.
Toys!!!!!
Apart from her fun, athletic side, she is also super affectionate. She LOVES hugs from humans and returns the favour with kisses.
Bench kisses
She's definitely a big cuddler and would jump up on the bench to sit next to us whenever she could.
It's impossible for her not to be affectionate!
I love that she has this softer side to her, but what I love most is that she really tries to listen and figure out what we are asking her to do.
Fetching, in both senses of the word!
She will definitely be a great dog to someone who wants to train her and give her exercise and a lot of cuddles!
Boston is a goofy, playful, pit mix who is about a year to a year and a half old. Ryan visited him this past Saturday and absolutely loved playing with him. He got some great pictures of Boston being crazy fun, silly, and all-around awesome. So here are a few of the things that are so great about Boston along with a plethora of pictures and videos that will make you laugh -- because that's what Boston is great at!
Admit it: my ears are awesome!
Boston can be a little excited in his kennel, but once he's outside he walks really nicely on the leash. Given that he is very athletic, he would also probably be great to take for a run or a hike. Just make sure to bring his toy with him!
Rolling over and toys. Life is perfect!
I don't know if you could tell from the pictures, but he LOVES his toys! He would fetch them, throw them to himself, chase them, and run around with him. If I ever had as much fun with anything as he does with his toys, I think I would be a permanently happy person.
Scratch my belly while I'm holding my toy?!
He doesn't just have fun with his toys, he's goofy about them. He almost dances around, rolls over with them and chases/pounces on them!
Being silly!
Boston seems to be food motivated, but not obsessed with treats. He seems to be very eager to please whomever he is with. He has already learned sit and it would probably be easy to train him to do other things with either toys or treats as rewards!
Boston also loved attention. He loved getting pats...and how could you resist with ears like that?!
The best way to show Boston's fun side off of course, is through videos! Ryan captured several in his time with Boston and they definitely make me laugh!
Between the hide and seek and the sprint, roll, sprint maneuver, Boston sure knows how to have a good time, and make anyone who is with him have a good time and get a few laughs as well!
If you would like to meet Boston, please visit the APS of Durham. He is in kennel 14!!
Marissa is one of the kindest and sweetest dogs I've met. She is a beautiful grey/blue Pit, who has a gorgeous pit smile.
LOVE LOVE LOVE Pit smiles!!!
When I first met her, she looked very strong and athletic, so I prepared for a battle of pulling on our walk. It was just the opposite! She walks amazingly well on her leash! Pretty much right next to me the entire way. Clearly, the "heel" command will be no trouble at all for her. I didn't even need any corrections or prodding to get her to stay right with me -- she simply wanted to walk right by my side!
Beautiful smile from a beautiful girl!
This is not to say she isn't strong and athletic; she most definitely is. She loves playing chase and fetch in the grassy pen. She would be a great hiker/walker or runner as she definitely is in good physical shape.
Snuggles
She is a lot of fun to play with. She loves her soft toys and loves chasing them around the yard and running around with you. She seems to also know to bring them back, or at least run back towards you, which makes the playing more fun!
Bringing back her toy! So smart!
The other thing she loves, possibly more than anything else, is cuddles. She will absolutely wiggle her way until her body is as close to yours as possible. That's not enough though, because she also needs to give the sweetest kisses while in her cuddling position to show you exactly how much she loves being with you. Her sweetness amazes me, not because I haven't met many a sweet dog, but because even out of the many sweet ones I meet, she still stands out in my mind.
Best place ever -- close to a person!
Marissa already knows a few commands. She knows "sit" quite well for both food treats and toys. She is very patient and focused, which will make her fun to train. She seems like she "gets" things, like waiting for toys, and she often takes a calm approach to situations.
More snuggles!
She seems to do well with other dogs as well. She's not reactive on the leash towards them and doesn't get over stimulated when she sees them.
Happy :-)
Marissa will be an amazing companion for anyone -- she is simply awesome :-). If you'd like to visit her, she lives in Kennel 25. She would love a snuggly visit!!!
Gabby is an incredibly fun, very enthusiastic pit mix puppy with a lot of joy, love, and eagerness. She is one of those dogs that just puts you in a good mood. There's no doubt about it: she just loves life.
Pretty Gabs
Gabby is young and still has a lot of puppy energy, although she's old enough that this energy is easy to direct. She walks pretty nicely on the leash and doesn't pull very much. She is constantly happy to be with people and loves both walking and running!
She loved being held!
One of the first things I noticed about Gabby besides her happiness and playfulness was how great she was with other dogs. I used he assistance in taking a shier dog for a walk and she made the whole time a blast. She did great with the other dog, inviting him to play, letting him chase her etc. She has very nice doggie manners and would probably do very well in dog parks or socializing with people and dogs.
Ears on full alert!
We took Gabby out to the grassy pen to play with her. Although she seemed interested in toys, she didn't want to chase them, so instead we just ran around the yard with her sans toy. She seemed to love that as she is quite athletic and bouncy and just likes to run.
Running back and forth between us!
We then sat down on the bench (Gabby beat us to it) and had some cuddle time. Even though she can barely sit still for very long, she really loves affection and she's so eager for it that it makes it really fun to snuggle with her.
Kisses <3
Gabby is quite smart and already knew sit before we took her on the walk. She sat nicely and waited patiently for her treat and seemed very food motivated.
A good sit with lots of focus!
She is a really fun dog and will fit right in with whomever meets her. She loves people, dogs, running, playing, hot dogs ... pretty much everything. Her excitement is contagious and we had so much fun hanging out with her. She's going to make a very lucky person very happy!
Come meet me!!!
If you'd like to meet Gabby, she lives in Kennel 8 and she'd love to make you smile and laugh!
Orlando is one of those dogs that exist in shelters all over where what you see is not what you get. Let me explain because this is somewhat of a different post from my usual profiles.
When I first met Orlando at the shelter he seemed very shy. He didn't seem very eager to walk or play at all because he seemed to me to be a bit fearful. I didn't know whether he had just come up to the front or not so I didn't pay much attention to it because many dogs who move kennels up to the front are a bit nervous for the first day or two until they adjust.
By the time I walked him a few weeks later Orlando had regressed. He now seemed scared of a lot of places. He only seemed ok to go on the walking trail a certain way. We couldn't walk to the grassy pen because he would freeze and lower his body to the ground and refuse to keep walking.
He seemed to do a little better if I could get another volunteer to walk a dog with us -- he seemed to be a bit more confident, but if he was alone every noise would worry him.
One week I decided to just carry him to the grassy pen to try to get him to play. Instead of playing, he just stood at the entrance/exit and tried to get out (no digging or jumping--just trying to nose at the gate). This was the first time I tried to write a profile on him and I was at a loss at how to do it. He seemed so nervous and worried at all the sounds and the place that I felt like I was almost hurting him to keep him there. So we went back inside.
Wanting to get out of the grassy pen.
What you see when you see Orlando in his kennel is sometimes an excited dog. He will jump or seem eager to get out and go for a walk with you. However, once he is in the visitation room or outside on his lead, he just gets really frightened. It seemed like anyone who would give him a chance and visit with him would see only this side of him and that would be really sad.
So this past weekend, Ryan and I brought him home for the day to play with our dogs and be part of our pack. We really wanted to see what he would be like away from the shelter, away from all the other dogs and noises and whatever else scares him.
What I saw when we brought him home simply amazed me. He transformed into a different dog entirely! I finally saw his playful carefree side roaming and running around with my dogs. I saw him finally start to take treats even though I could never even get him to sniff at a hot dog at the shelter. I saw him overcome fears of noises and large objects one by one --- all in one afternoon!
Happiness!!!!!!!
Orlando is an incredible dog. Within less than 30 seconds he'd won over our oldest dog, a 3 yr old Aussie who immediately started doing play bows with him and running around our backyard (see video below).
The next of our dogs to meet him is a rather shy dog who doesn't cherish canine attention and can get quite nervous -- well, he put her at ease entirely! I actually think he may have helped her overcome some of her fears (talk about doggie therapy!). He was incredibly well-mannered with her, and with all of our pack.
Q loves a good game of chase. Orlando obliged!
The third of our girls he met he also did amazing with. She is on the smaller side (much smaller than he is) and doesn't always understand typical canine cues and how to respond to them. Well, again, whatever he did was magic, because she didn't react to him at all -- just started playing with him. Usually it takes her an adjustment period to warm up to a dog, but not with him, she didn't need it since he was so non-confrontational and to put it in human terms, kind.
Chasing after a toy or the girls or BOTH!
He seemed to just LOVE running around with the three girls and us. They chased tennis balls and other toys we would throw. They wrestled. They chased us when we ran around but mostly each other, stopping every now and then to sniff at things.
Loving his new playmates :-)
They met our neighbor, even though he was fixing a fence with loud hammering. Although the noise startled Orlando at first, he actually walked up to the neighbor to sniff him through the fence. Such a drastic change from the dog I met at the shelter.
Play wrestling. This is a favourite at our house.!
Orlando was originally nervous about all of our outdoor furniture, especially the chairs and umbrella table. We simply sat down with the girls at our feet and let him work it out. In under 15 minutes he was laying with the girls right under the chairs and umbrella he was nervous about. It was truly remarkable how fast him mind seemed to just switch.
Focusing for treats
We discovered some added bonuses during the day with him as well. The first is that he is pretty smart and highly food motivated. As I mentioned, I had never been able to get him to take treats at the shelter while he was nervous. But at home, he loved them! We started have him sit and wait for them and he learned VERY quickly. He seemed incredibly eager to please us and we had him work through some of his apprehensions about various outdoor furniture with the aid of treats and our dogs. He did wonderfully.
A much needed sniff break.
He also has an incredibly soft mouth while taking treats and an incredibly soft nature in general. He really loves affection -- loves to be on a lap (although he doesn't know he's a bit big for the lap at all!). I love his cuddly side so much and it was so amazing to finally see it.
Gentle mouth and very smart!
He rides very well in the car -- on the way back to the shelter he just laid down and closed his eyes. No doubt he was tired from all the running with the girls, but also he seemed very calm. I was really sad to bring him back knowing how happy he was in a home.
Hey handsome!
Orlando definitely needs a home with another canine companion in my opinion. He really looks to them for guidance to see if a situation is ok and how to deal with it. He is an amazing companion and very athletic so he would be a great running partner or doggie play partner.
Hanging out with Emmy
He walks nicely on a lead as long as he's not trying to run away from something. He is very polite greeting both people and other dogs. Basically, he's amazing...it just took getting him away from the shelter for me to see it.
Such amazing eyes! Love them!
What I want to ask of you is that if you're reading this and you plan to visit him, please don't judge his behaviour based on how he is at the shelter. Sometimes what you see pales in comparison to what you get.
