The Kids

click on Hank's picture to see more of him

HANK is a big, lovable, enthusiastic yet gentle, 2 and 1/2 year old boy with a soft disposition and a goofy personality. He was found wandering amuck on neighborhood streets as a pup and no one claimed him. Since then, Hank has matured into a handsome, long legged, 75 pound plus dog with a tail that curls up over his back. It's hard to say exactly what breed he is, but we think he could be a mix of pit bull, lab or perhaps some catahoola given his appearance - but we really have no idea.
Some of Hanks favorite activities include long walks or easy jogs, playing with other dogs (male or female), chasing after a ball and relaxing with his people. He especially relishes being brushed and lightly scratched on the top of his head or back. If Hank sees a leash or hears the car keys, his ears perk up and he's at the door ready to go. He loves riding in the car and is a great passenger. Curious by nature, Hank often discovers new aspects of life that initially startle him, but with a little reassurance from his people he recovers quickly and moves on. In the home, Hank is house trained, sleeps in a crate, and listens very well to verbal commands. He is eager to please and a quick learner. His foster family continues to work with him on basic obedience training. Hank goes jogging with his foster mom, twice a week up to 5 miles each time, and does great - those long legs of his eat up the miles! Generally, Hank is a delightful companion that loves to be around people. During neighborhood walks, he will happily great passers by and other dogs. In his home, he does take a while to check out and warm up to strangers entering the house, and while he is okay with kids while an adult is present, children running around the house or yard make him nervous. He would do better in a quieter home with calm teens or adults only. He is fine living with other dogs.

click on Marie's picture to see more of her

MARIA is an Aussie mix blue merle spayed female with a full tail, about 7 years old and about 45 pounds. She is a wonderful girl who has had a somewhat neglectful start on life - after being purchased as a puppy the only thing her owners did with her is get her spayed at 9 months of age. A few months ago they lost their home and left her behind. She was terrified and had to be tranquilized to be brought here, but has made great progress since then :} She now walks on a leash without panicking, she has been to the vet and trembled a bit but was okay, has been to the groomers and Crystal said she licked her alot but was great, sleeps inside in a crate at night here, comes when she is called while running around (wouldn't come any where near me willingly when she first came here), absolutely LOVES those chicken jerky treats Sam's Club & Costco have ;} , has been fine with the male dogs here (playful even) but is definitely a dominant female so haven't even tried her with other female dogs. She is a good watchdog but I have not had her be aggressive with people when she meets them, just will bark and is reserved until she gets to know you. She is not a girl to take to the dog park but is great for bopping around the property, keeping track of things, running off any dangerous squirrels and rabbits :}

click on Ginger's picture to see more of her

GINGER is a 1 and a half year old spayed female Border Collie? Aussie? McNab? She is a very bright, active, playful, energetic, girl, about 40 pounds. She LOVES heights, can easily jump up on the grooming table and anything else that catches her fancy ;} She has gotten better about jumping on people but still does it when really excited - because of this, she is not appropriate for homes with real young kids. She is a friendly girl overall, she gets excited meeting new people but can be barky at meeting new dogs. She is attending an obedience class and is learning sit, down, leave it, and to walk on the leash nicely, but again, being a puppy it is an on-going process. She is crate trained, working on housebreaking, rides wonderfully in a vehicle, runs like the wind and gets wound up at the drop of a hat. She likes toys and fetch but loves playing tug!! She is a wonderful girl that needs plenty of exercise and attention.

GUSSIE is a spayed blue merle female Aussie that was 16 years young on May 24th 2010! She was adopted from us as a year old girl and both her owners have passed away and no one else in the family wanted her so she came back home with me :} She is getting better with other dogs but never has been good with cats, she loves to be brushed, will roll over almost immediately once you start :} She gets around fantastically, considering her age. I started her on a low dosage of rimadyl once a day and it keeps her a little more comfortable, she is on incontinence meds and seems to be doing okay. She dozes on and off through the day, putt putts around the property every few hours checking things out, likes to play soccer a little bit, loves her treats :} She was housebroken but I understand with her leaking, they just left her outside instead :/ She sleeps in a huge crate at night here with no problem - I have 3 cats and she goes nuts when she sees them, so I had to confine her.

SASSAFRAS is a 13 year old spayed red merle female whose owners passed away and none of the kids wanted her :/ She was a *tad* overweight at 86 pounds when I got her from the shelter, but has lost over 20 pounds so far and looks great. She is very happy natured, lovable, seems to be fine with the other dogs, seems to ignore the cats. She is crate trained & housebroken, likes to putt around the yard and see what the other dogs are getting into. Since she has been here, she is getting up and around more and more, with the other dogs to stimulate her, and that has helped with the weight loss and muscle tone-up. I do have her on Rimadyl once a day now and that is helping her get around even better :}

CHARLIE is a 4 year old neutered male Aussie x Border Collie x Cattle Dog looking mix. He has a docked tail and a smooth coat, black tri coloration with a lot of dappling or ticking in his white. He is housebroken & crate trained, has been fine with all the dogs, knows basic obedience, although if off leash and something catches his eye, *come* isn't in his vocabulary :/ He seems to be okay with cats, but is only around them indoors - he has a pretty high prey drive so I would be careful with any outdoors. He is a friendly boy but a good watchdog, if he feels you are threatened, he will protect you. He was with 2 kids in his foster home but in the home that adopted him originally and had 2 years, they said he did nip three different kids - no adult was present when any of them happened, so don't really know what happened.

FINNEGAN is a 3 year old neutered red merle male that is less than 15 pounds - so may be considered a toy or a really small mini ;} He is crate trained, working on housebreaking, loves to go on walks, learning basic obedience, loves to be brushed! Can be a real cuddler and licker once he bonds to you....until then, he is very scared of people he doesn't know! He was found as a stray and taken into the shelter, when no one claimed him, they called and asked rescue to take him because he was so terrified. He has not been aggressive at all, but will try to either run away or avoid you at all costs if he doesn't know you....this is a boy that is going to take a calm loving and patient home - preferably no kids - and he is not going to be *fixed* in a matter of weeks....this is going to take a long time of working with him to gain his trust and build up his confidence, but well worth it in the end - he is adorable and funny and sweet. He seems to love other dogs, altho does get frightened if they are big and overwhelming but recovers once he realizes they aren't going to hurt him, doesn't seem to mind the cats as long as they leave him alone - my cat is bigger than he is ;} And he likes to carry toys around and play with them, although if you throw it, he runs the other way!

TONY is a 2 year old neutered black tri male mini, about 24 pounds. He is crate trained and working on housebreaking, knows some basic obedience, still pulls on the leash but working on it :} He is an energetic boy, very bright and alert, notices EVERYTHING, can be barky, especially if he spots a CAT. He is best buddies with Finnegan and another standard size neutered male Aussie, but can be pushy/bossy with other dogs if they let him get away with it. He was very frightened and almost naked when he came to me - the nakedness due to SEVERE flea infestation that had been going on for awhile - but he is recovering nicely, you can almost see his fur growing back daily :} He is full of it and on his way to becoming much more confident when meeting strangers, but is going to need more work with the obedience and self-control, will need an owner that makes him mind and keeps an eye on him ;} He is very affectionate and licky once he bonds to you, loves to GO.