Puppies...oh my

[princesss]

Every weekend I go to Petsmart to visit the adoptable dogs. I live in an area that is one of the few where shelters take pits, and they and the larger dogs aren''t always walked and played with as much as the smaller or more popular breeds. So I go down and walk the big dogs and play with them.

There were some beautiful AmStaff (my favourite breed) puppies that I fell in love with. One of them wouldn''t go to anybody but me, and just snuggled right up to me. It completely broke my heart that I am not in any situation to adopt her, but there were four families fighting for her so I bowed out and let them play with her since they could take care of her. It was hard to do, though.

So I went and grabbed a Chesapeake Bay Retriever and walked him. He was definitely a puller, but we were pretty evenly matched for most of the walk. And then we tried to get him back in the cage. You know those scenes in movies where dogs wrap their owners up in the leash and then try to run, knocking their owners over until they fall flat on their backs? Yeah, I can tell you, it''s actually kind of funny when it happens to you, but oh boy does your head hurt afterwards.

I guess there''s no real point to my post...actually, maybe there is. Does anybody know a good painkiller that will make this headache go away?

 

[AmberGretchen]

Hey - I volunteer at my local SF/SPCA training and walking the dogs and helping out with training classes for the public so I totally feel your pain. When I first started volunteering there I fell in love with a new dog every week it seemed like. Over time, that''s gotten easier for me, partly because I''ve started participating in specialized training (Agility classes), and it made me realize how particular I would actually be about a dog I would be willing to adopt. I still plan to rescue, but I know that I wouldn''t be happy with any old "nice" dog because I would want to do serious Agility and possibly other dog sports with it. Of course, I''m not in a position right now to own a dog either, so its not really relevant right now.

I think over time, the more times you can mentally tell yourself that you really aren''t the best guardian for the dog in question (and know that its true), the easier it will get.

Its so wonderful that you are doing this - the dogs really need that socialization and to get out on walks so they aren''t so stir-crazy and can appeal to potential owners more easily.

Re: the getting pulled over, I''ve totally had that happen (and worse!). I''d try some ibuprofen (2-3 pills), and try to take it easy the rest of the day as much as you can!

 

[door knob solitaire]

Maybe my sincere dose of appreciation

for your time will help the pain go away?

With Love, DKS

 

[princesss]

Well, some ibuprofen and some cuddle time on the couch with my boyfriend definitely helped the headache!

AG, how much time would you say you spend volunteering? I''d love to get involved with our shelter, but my schedule changes so much I worry I''d be more of a pain than a help! I definitely just remind myself that I''ll be a great mom to a dog when I''m able, but that''s just not right now. Do you think I could call a local shelter once I am able to ask them to contact me if a little of AmStaffs come in? Do shelters even do that? I''m really big on adopting animals, but after a lot of research AmStaffs definitely fit the lifestyle I anticipate having. And if I end up in a condo...well, I love Poms, too!

It''s amazing how different the dogs are in the cages before walks and after. It''s so nice to just play with them a little bit, too.

And thanks, DKS, but I promise me going and walking them is completely selfish. I get to play with dogs every week and it really calms me down and keeps me sane during stressful times.

 

[diamondfan]

Princess, how nice that you go there, sorry it is tough, it would seem that it would be. What a nice thing for you to do, but I would also want to take a bunch of them home!!!

I have a wonderful Chessie (Chesapeake Bay Retriever) named Maya who is 18 months old. Where were you at the PetSmart? Where I live there are not very many Chessies around. She also was a puller on her lead, and I went back to the trainer and got some tips. She now walks beautifully when we are at the beach. (at home I have a lot of backyard that is fenced so she goes on fewer walks here, there I must walk her as there is really no yard for her. She would drag me hither and yon and I have fibromyalgia and am not too strong, and a long walk would nearly kill me. I knew she was excited and wanted to smell everything, but it would literally make my arm ache. Went back and figured out why she was doing it and now she is much more mellow).

Does the PetSmart tell you why they are being given up for adoption? Are there lots of purebreeds? What a great place to go and get a wonderful pet...

 

[monarch64]

Good for you, princess, for volunteering your time to go spend time with those little angels! What a kind heart you have...I''ve thought about volunteering at one of the Humane Society locations around here but I don''t think I could deal with it so well.

The only remedy I can think of is to come to PS and distract yourself by looking at SPARKLIES! They don''t care if you don''t play with them, and they don''t need to be walked or petted, it only makes them dirty, LOL! Or you could start a collection of Pet Rocks like colored stones, and hang out with those when you come home from visiting the doggies! In all seriousness, though, just know that you are doing a great thing by doing what you can to make a few dogs'' lives a little brighter...obviously you are loved by them and appreciated, and for now you are giving what you have available to give until you are in a position to adopt one for good.

 

[princesss]

DiamondFan, the Petsmart hosts two shelters every weekend that are farther from town than most people are willing to go to find a pet. This way their animals and their shelters get more visibility in town. They tell you what breed each dog is (and yes, there are often pure bred dogs) and why they''re in the shelter. They also give information as to whether the dogs are good with young kids, other dogs, and cats.

And monarch, I love the pet rock suggestion!

I''ll definitely have to look into that.

 

[AmberGretchen]

Hey princesss - I volunteer probably an average of 5-10 hours a week at my local shelter, but it can be much more or much less depending on the week and what''s going on for them and in my life. These last two weekends, for example, there were events that were fundraisers for the shelter, and so I worked a lot more hours than usual to help out with those. The shelter I volunteer at is not an "average" shelter though - they have beautiful rooms with lots of sunlight and room to play for the dogs and the cats, they don''t put adoptable animals to sleep and will work really hard to make all the animals that come into the shelter adoptable (behavioral training, etc...). Its a pretty cutting-edge place in terms of its animal behaviorists and especially the dog training - we have some AMAZING dog trainers working there, and so I almost feel sometimes like I should be paying them because I''ve learned SO MUCH about animal behavior and dog training by volunteering there.

I would say if you want to have first dibs on puppies that come in to a shelter, it would be great to develop a relationship with the shelter. I know at the shelter where I volunteer there is always a waiting list for the puppies that come in, which is great, because it means we can accept them from outlying shelters that might otherwise have to put them down or put older dogs down because they don''t have enough space or good homes available. Another good option might be to look for breed-specific rescues in your area - there are pretty good bully breed (Amstaffs usually get lumped in with all the other bully breeds, and honestly, the temperaments are pretty similar between an amstaff vs. an APBT or an american bulldog, etc...) rescues in many areas of the country. If you contact the rescue when you are getting ready to get a dog and tell them what you want, they can notify you when a good match comes in. One of my favorite trainers at the shelter gets her dogs this way, and they are AMAZING dogs. Her youngest is my (and everyone else who meets him) favorite dog - he is a mini australian shepherd, looks like a puppy even though he''s three years old (so SUPER CUTE

), very very smart, easy to train, sweet, friendly, and a really neat agility dog - very fast and fun to watch and to work with.

I think you should check into working with a shelter/humane society/SPCA. In most major metropolitan areas now there are pretty good progressive ones that have no-kill policies (no adoptable animal is put to sleep), and its a great place to learn all about animal behavior, responsible pet ownership, etc...and you really know you are making a difference.

 

[Skippy123]

I love dogs. . . to bad I am allergic to them but I love hugging them and loving them up! That is so sweet of you Princess; I am sure them sweet fluffy guys love you for it! You have a good heart.