Playgroups! | Chandra

PBSOC does so many terrific things for the dogs at Bradshaw, but I believe that running playgroups is one of the very most important. The dogs get out of their kennels, get to run and romp, and, most importantly, get to socialize with other dogs. They learn from each other and have a great time too. It's so heartwarming to walk the kennels after the dogs finish up with their playtime and see so many of them curled up and relaxed on their beds, happy, both mentally and physically.

Delyse and the volunteers have done a great job taking videos of playgroups and lots of our dogs now have snippets of them playing on their webpages, which has to make a huge difference to potential adopters. Seeing the dogs so incredibly joyous is amazing.

Now, we have another way to show off playgroups...Ashley King's gorgeous photos. Ashley just started volunteering with PBSOC and she's walking dogs and taking outdoor photos. It's such a welcome addition to the dogs' pages and a great complement to Shannon's studio shots.

Here's a little peek at some of the photos Ashley shot this week at playgroups. Enjoy!

Champagne

Cheeky (Adopted!) & Kristina

Doodle

Jeeves & Champagne

Lacey & Bronco (Adopted!)

Xina & Lexi

Tangerine & Edger

For more on Ashley, please do visit her photography website, 2 Girls 20 Cameras.

Welcome to the team, Ashley! We're all so glad to have you on board.

xx

Chandra

Videos Galore | Chandra

I'm a little worn out from editing but awfully happy to have video on all of our new PBSOC dogs. Here's a little peek at the new faces on the roster...all are up for adoption at the Bradshaw Shelter, along with so many others. But hey, one at a time! My plan is to do video each week on the new dogs and eventually everyone will have something. With Shannon's photos, our great bios, playgroup videos and volunteer selfies and videos, the dogs will have well rounded webpages that will help adopters get to know them so much better. I figure it's great for the volunteers too; the better we know the dogs, the better we can help place them with the perfect family.

Hercules



Tigger



Shilo



Dave



Astro



Clover



Edger



I also got some cute footage on a few of our longer term dogs who really need a boost.

Marla



Lexi



Luna




So excited that Stanley went home on the very first day he was available (thank you Delyse!) and Jenny was adopted this week too. Two very big wins for PBSOC.

And, for a funny story, the photo room looked like a complete crime scene this week after Marla sprayed it with little blood spots from her happy tail. Blood spatter EVERYWHERE, including all of Shannon's face. It was seriously a scene from Dexter...we just needed the plastic sheeting. I laughed so hard I snorted, several times. Marla didn't seem to mind any of it, she just kept wagging that tail!

Also, if anyone has suggestions for good upbeat songs for the videos, please leave them in comments. I could use some fresh ideas!

xx

Chandra

Makeovers! | Chandra

We all love makeovers. Add dogs to the equation, and who could resist?

Every week, I am lucky enough to see Shannon absolutely transform the PBSOC dogs when she takes their photos. Since I've started putting up the PBSOC webpages as soon as dogs show up on Bradshaw's site, I am seeing the intake photos and then, thankfully, replacing them on Sunday with Shannon's pics. The before and afters are jaw dropping.

Wanna see a few from Sunday?

Daisy - Adopted!

Kona

Sam - Adopted!

Samantha - Adopted!

Sir Wrinkls - To Rescue, with his buddy Clay!

Xina

Joy

Thea - Adopted!

It's pretty amazing. I'm not sure why the intake photos are so horrible, but I look at those pictures and just see pitiful. Not the happy, wonderful dogs we all know.

So, today, thank you Shannon. And thank you to the volunteers who take photos and videos while walking dogs; those make a huge difference too.

Speaking of videos, here's the link to the ones I made this week, if you'd like to check them out (links are to the PBSOC pages unless they've been adopted, then you'll go to YouTube.)

Daisy, Kona, Sam, Smurfette, Sir Wrinkls, Xina, Joy, Thea, and Jane.

Plus, 24 dogs adopted and rescued this week, including long timer and volunteer fave Smurfette.

Great work, PBSOCers!

xx

Chandra

Videos, Videos, Videos! | Chandra

This Sunday I tried something new. Instead of taking one dog out of the shelter, I roamed around and did videos of lots of different dogs, hoping to make a compilation of adoptable dogs. After trying to film in playgroups (way too muddy and I'm not good enough with the camera to catch the zoomies), I found the PBSOC dog walkers and got some footage that way. And, of course, I ended up back in the photo room with Shannon, where I always love to hang out.

Two of the dogs I filmed were lucky enough to get picked up by their owners the same day, which left me with seven to edit. Too many hours later, given that I'm still pretty slow with iMovie, here's what I ended up with. (I still need to edit the compilation!) I'm hopeful that these "mini" videos will help the dogs and might even be better in our short-attention-span world.

Let me know what you think, and, of course, enjoy!

First up, Mr. Chill, Jeremy. He was the absolute best dog at his photoshoot, letting us dress him up and sitting very patiently for the camera. I was lucky enough to work with him again later in the day when Erin from Tug Dogs spent time with the PBSOC volunteers teaching us how to better work with the shelter dogs. He was a champ. Although he clearly hadn't spent much time on a leash, by the end of the session, Jeremy had figured out that when I changed directions, he should follow, not dig in his heels and stop. He also spent some happy time sitting on my lap getting a massage. Smart boy! And I learned, thanks to Erin, some good tricks to motivate a dog who isn't interested in treats. Win, win. (Update, Adopted!)

Next is Dorito. You can see by her one sticking-up-like-a-corn chip-ear where she gets her name! This girl looks a little stout, but she surprised me by being a wonderful jogging partner.

Monie is a love. And how cute is she in her "Adopt Me" bandana?

Buggy wins the award for cutest dog getting a belly rub ever. (Update, adopted!)

Josey will capture your heart with her sunshiney spirit. Costume changes are no problem for this roll-with-the-punches girl.

Shannon named Gracie after Grace Kelly, because she's such an elegant and graceful girl.

And lastly, with a super quick appearance and a mega watt smile, Marla. This girl is absolutely gorgeous with her grey brindle coat.

Lots of videos for a days' work. Fingers crossed that they help.

And, if for some reason you cannot see the videos, here are the YouTube links: Jeremy, Dorito, Monie, Buggy, Josey, Gracie, Marla.

xx

Chandra

The Ones Who Don't Make it Out... | Chandra

It's been a tough week at PBSOC. Normally I focus on the positive and only put the good stuff out there, but this week has really hit me hard. The shelter is overflowing with dogs and more keep coming in every day. Everyone is doing all they possibly can to get dogs out...Jamie sent press releases to all the media outlets and got interviews with Insight and news stations. Laura and I made new Facebook covers and flyers and posts. Delyse is frantically fighting the toughest fight behind the scenes. The shelter is running a $25 adoption special and PBSOC is doing a Home for the Holidays promo sponsored by a generous donor so fifty dogs can be adopted for free. Social media is busy with all the sharing and posting and our rescue partner in Canada has stepped up and is going to take six dogs from us. We need to raise money to make it happen, but being able to send SIX dogs is huge.

Unfortunately, despite all the heroic efforts, some dogs still do not make it out. And lately, there have been a lot of them.

Since I started volunteering with PBSOC, I haven't really been that aware of which dogs end up getting euthanized, although I know it happens, and there are certainly a few I've known about. Right now though, I'm a little more in the loop and am hearing more of the stories. And, yes, it's tough. The shelter is looking for any reason to be able to make space and the pit bull type dogs are going first.

Partly it's numbers; there are an awful lot of our blocky headed dogs at Bradshaw. Partly it's because other dogs get adopted faster. The two German Shepherds that came in recently both got adopted almost immediately and one of them, Sigmund, had tons of people commenting and sharing when his photo was posted on Facebook. That doesn't normally happen for the other dogs. Partly, too, it's because the pit bull type dogs are judged more harshly. A shepherd was adopted and then returned for being aggressive with another dog in the new home; he went back on the adoption floor and was adopted again the same day. Mitzi, a pit bull mix, had a very similar return situation and she was walked straight back to euthanasia. It's heartbreaking.

Whatever the reasons, I want these dogs to be remembered. People at Bradshaw cared about them, loved them, showered them with attention. The dogs played in playgroups, and took walks, and got chicken treats and kissed the PBSOC volunteers. Some are dogs that we did videos on. Each one was special to someone.

We cannot save them all. I know that. I know that the problem lies in the community, in not enough dogs being spayed and neutered, in breed discrimination in housing options, in economic hardship, in some people not understanding what it really takes to be a good dog owner. I believe that almost everyone at the shelter is pouring out their soul every day trying to take good care of these dogs and get them adopted. It is just never enough for all of them.

So, today, a little tribute to some of the ones who haven't made it out, a small sample of the many dogs who are euthanized every year. Each of them was an individual. Each of them deserved better.

They were all beautiful.

Tomorrow we'll be back at the shelter making another video. Shannon will be taking pictures. Delyse will be running playgroups with the help of lots of great people. Volunteers will be walking dogs and once 12:30 arrives, adopters will come and take new blockheaded family members home for Christmas. We'll remember the ones who didn't make it out, but mostly, we'll focus on the ones who still can. And we'll smile and laugh and get hugs and slobbery dog kisses. Because every single day we get to begin again.

If you'd like to help, please consider donating to the PBSOC fund to send six dogs to Canada. It's tax deductible and every little bit helps. For each of the six dogs who get to go, it means absolutely everything.

xx

Chandra

Photos by Chloe | Chandra

Today, a little something different. Instead of taking a dog to the river, PBSOC asked us to help out with updating some of the dogs' photos for the website. There have been a ton of dogs coming in and it's awfully difficult for Shannon to keep up with them all. When they don't have one of her beautiful shots, the dogs just have their intake shot from when they first were dropped off at the shelter. You can imagine that the situation doesn't make for the most comfortable or flattering photos.

While Ron walked dogs, Chloe and I set up right outside the barn and play yards, in the drizzle. Neither of us were bright enough to bring rain jackets, so things got a little damp. She took photos and I did my best to lure the dogs' attention to her camera with chicken, a tennis ball and squeaky noises.

Despite the inclement weather, and my mediocre dog luring abilities, Chloe's shots came out beautifully. (And I did get to use my model agent editing skills to PBSOC's advantage!)

So proud of our girl today.

Most of the dogs below are available for adoption...click on their names to go to their PBSOC bios.

Mitzi

Hank

Holstein (Adopted)

Otto (Adopted)

Penelope (Adopted)

Priscilla

Sannie

Saturn

Bolt (Adopted

Eva (Not yet available)

Morgan (In need of a long term foster; click HERE for info)

Please share!

xx

Chandra

We're Fostering Aussie! | Chandra

We did it. We took the leap and brought home our first foster dog.

I am pretty much in heaven.

Aussie & Chloe

Fostering is something I've wanted to do for a very long time, but all the pieces just weren't in place for it to be feasible. And then, suddenly, I was tired of waiting for everything to be perfect and decided to leap first and ask questions later.

We brought Aussie home over the Labor Day holiday to give her a break from the shelter. She's been there two months already, and it's been over a month since we took her out for the river trip and video. Two months too long.

The night before we got her, I couldn't sleep. It really was that childhood Christmas morning thing where your stomach is excited and jittery and your brain is full of chattering monkeys. All I could think about was Aussie and how I so much wanted it to work. I was worried about Teddy...he can be quite the handful and he typically gets jealous when we give other dogs attention. And did I mention he's 80 pounds?

My mom came with me to the shelter to pick up Aussie, and I think she wondered what the hell I was getting myself into. When I took Aussie out of her kennel, she was super excited and jumpy and all the dogs in the kennel row started barking madly. It was loud and chaotic and Aussie was pulling and spinning around. She didn't much resemble the sweet dog I had talked and talked about.

But then, once we were in the car, it all changed. She immediately settled down on the back seat with me, her head in my lap, and went to sleep! That's what she does in cars...curls up and sleeps. It's pretty funny.

Aussie's Freedom Ride!

We stopped the car down the street from our house and took Aussie on a little walk in the park and then had Ron and Teddy come meet us. The dogs sniffed briefly, and then took a walk together, then sniffed each other some more. We all walked into the house together and let them off the leash. More sniffing, some playing, all was well. I was amazed, frankly.

The last few days have been so much fun. I've had a smile on my face just knowing that this sweet dog is out of the shelter for good. Because yes, she's staying here until she finds her permanent home.

She and Teddy have worked out their boundaries, mostly because Aussie is such a brilliant girl with other dogs. Her body language and corrections are immaculate. She knows when to correct, and when to come back gently and apologize. It's great to watch and learn from her. I can see the wheels turning in Teddy's head as he figures it all out. If there is such a thing as an alpha dog, she is certainly it. But she does it in such a subtle way that he has no idea that she's in charge. She's the epitome of a smart leader.

The two of them are going for walks together, wrestling in the family room, sleeping side by side on the sofa, and staying alone in the house when we're gone. We've got two big crates in our dining room and we're working on showing Aussie that the crate isn't a scary place. Teddy's helping with that because he likes his crate and runs right in when you say "kennel."

Ah, sunshine.

We're thrilled to have Aussie here and look forward to spending lots more time with her before she finds her forever home. And believe me, it needs to be a GREAT one or she isn't going!

Aussie in her new collar & tag.

For more info on Aussie, visit her webpage at PB SOC.

And just because she's so darn cute, one last photo...

Aussie and her squirrel.

Update: We were the fastest foster fail ever...Aussie has found her forever home...with us! When it's right, it's right.

xx

Chandra

The Dignified Life of a Former Fighting Pit Bull | Ron

You would think by looking at the large black scars, the deep divot in his shoulder and the bulging calcified joints, that the eight-year-old dog standing in front of me had been through a lot.

You would be right. And after hearing that this animal was the survivor of a dog-fighting ring, you might even describe his experience as inhumane.

But when I spent a short time with Willard, a calm brown pit bull, on a sunny Sunday morning, I could only come up with one description:

Resilient. Noble. And a testament to the inherent good nature of dogs.

Two months ago, if you had asked me whether I would have put my face two inches in front of the jaws of a former fighting pit bull, I would have said you were absolutely nuts.

But that's exactly what I was doing on a little knoll outside the Sacramento Animal Shelter today. Willard, his prematurely white muzzle gleaming in the sun, barely moved as I came close to him. He took a piece of chicken gently from my hand. He sniffed. And then he layed down, his war-torn body resting against the cool grass.

There was not a hint of aggression in this dog. I mean, not even a smidgeon. This dog was calm. Relaxed. You wouldn't have been able to tell that Willard had an awful abusive history, if not for the history written on his body.

I couldn't take my eyes off the huge knobs on each joint of his two front legs. I later found out the reason for the injuries: His legs had been broken. Not by other dogs, but by humans. On purpose.

This kind of cruelty is hard to fathom for most people, but in an age when we are constantly bombarded by news of heinous acts around the world, it's not that difficult to imagine, I suppose.

I found out that most former fighting dogs are actually quite social when they're rescued. It surprised me. I always figured they would be highly aggressive and almost impossible to domesticate. Not so. These dogs only fought because they had no other option. Many of them were injected with steroids, fed methamphetamines and pushed into cages with other amped-up animals where they had no choice but to fight.

Willard walked and sniffed and walked some more. He enjoyed a little chicken and then strolled again, glad to be outside, if only for a few minutes. He's been at the shelter for two long years, waiting for the adjudication of his owner's case. Thanks to the PB Soc volunteers who regularly walk and socialize this guy, he's managed to stay sane.

When his case is over, perhaps Willard will be adopted to a home that appreciates a mellow, dignified dog who just wants to enjoy the golden years of his life.

A home where his new family sees beyond the scarred exterior to the gentle soul inside.

--Ron

Update 4.11.15: Willard is now available for adoption! His abuser was convicted and he is now ready to go home. For more on Willard please visit his webpage.