We meet again!

I got a chance to meet with Cpl D in person again last night and it was just, well - simply wonderful. Cpl D is so sweet and kind and is the consummate veteran for our program! She is just so delightful to talk with and when I told her I felt bad about the match taking longer than I anticipated and she looked at me and said - "don't worry, I'm patient" with a smile on her face and it was right from her heart!

She amazes me with all the difficult things she has to put up with, yet she somehow manages to share a smile and she also told me that sometimes she just looks on the internet at cute little dogs and that makes her day!

Here is a dog she found and she told me “He is so ugly, he’s cute!” – I laughed because I didn't see her picture until later!

I did send in an application and an email to this rescue group, although I am not overly excited about this particular dog – these dogs have a great deal of energy and if that energy doesn't have an outlet, it can turn into chewing and other destructive behaviors. Also, these dogs can be really hard headed and have a stubborn streak meaning that you can train them with positive reinforcement (they become confused and aggressive if trained with force) and they will easily know and understand all the commands, but they will do them when they want to – and not do them for no good reason! (includes house training!)

Here’s the other thing, this dog is labeled as a Corgi/Basenji blend – Corgi’s bark at anything and everything, and Basenji’s are called “The Barkless Dog” – so there is no telling when this dog may open his yap! J

I’m really glad that I got to see Cpl D again yesterday. She inspires me to be the best I can be – and I am going to continue to work hard to find her the perfect dog!

Meet Monte!

This is an interesting dog - I had a collie when I was young and we all thought he was the smartest dog on the planet - and very well behaved!

True enough, border collies are among the easiest dogs to train because they are very intelligent. Many of the dog trick youtube videos will show these dogs doing amazing things (usually a pure bred border collie) - which of course, takes time, but these can be very special dogs...

I saw this guy -

His name is Monte and and he weighs 40 lbs (doesn't look like it in the picture) but I thought he might be worth a shot... If he is not too high energy (some collies are - most have a high exercise demand) and if he's not too bad in the shedding dept.. (some are depending on the mix) - he may be worth evaluating. I sent them an email this morning and I hope to get to meet him this week.

Another one lost!

On 14 Aug, I applied for the dog Nicholas - and I just heard back from them this morning (after a few follow-ups) that Nicholas was adopted - well, good for him! And I would hope so by now! If he would have checked out, he could have been adopted 8 days ago!! :-)

I guess volunteer help is as good as it can be... That's about the nicest way I can say it... ;-)

Here Doggie-Doggie!

I've been looking, but unfortunately, still not found the right dog. I even have another trainer who regularly visits shelters all over the ATL area on the look out and there seems to be a shortage of dogs for Cpl D.

This is unusual, but even using a national search engine is producing limited results for a dog that matches the 15-20 lb range, not a yapper (like a Chihuahua), protective, yet playful and a light shedder.

I know it will happen - I'm praying that He will show me the right dog - and SOON! - although I know it's not on my timeline. I'm going to contact Cpl D to discuss the progress and just check in.

Not finding many

I've been checking the usual places regularly and I have communicated to many people who can assist in locating the perfect dog for Cpl D, but for some reason, it's not happened yet.

I found this potential dog on PetFinder (I check it regularly) and applied through the link provided on Monday, but have not heard back... yet. I'm still hopeful they will give me a chance to evaluate Nicholas.

https://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/28605459/

Petfinder strikes

I inquired about these two little creatures I found on https://www.petfinder.com/. This is Happy

and located in Marietta. Apparently, he's having some health issues and is not currently available..

Then I found April

at Henry Humane and they have already told me they are not interesting in working with the PFV organization! Good thing I don't give up easily! :-)

Nice dogs, just not perfect...

I got a chance to meet a few dogs on Friday - sorry it's taken so long to get this post out... :-)
I met this one,

Her name was Hannah and she was very sweet, but one big problem was she shed - a LOT! :-) I also met a dog named Peanut who was a little bit smaller and didn't like strangers - good behaviour pattern, but also shed a little too much. Then I met another dog (can't remember the name) who was a poodle breed (mix) but the first thing she did was pee on the floor... and - she was very independent and that was not going to be a good fit! 

So - I am still looking...