Aussie's Adventure | Chandra

Aussie has settled in nicely. She has her favorite places to curl up for a nap, she's made it clear to Teddy when she wants to wrestle and when to leave her be, she's claimed Ron as her own by following him everywhere he goes. She jumps with excitement when we pick up the leashes and wants to play with every dog she meets on walks. She gives us sweet little soft kisses.

Today, she got a treat. A trip back to the river. This time with Teddy. Lots of tennis ball chasing, swimming, tail wagging and zoomies. Especially zoomies.

Chloe came along with her camera and I'll just let her pics do the talking for me...

Aussie gearing up to zoom...

Full speed.

Our handsome Ted.

He always finds the big sticks.

Yum.

Treasure.

Pretty girl.

She's not very good at catching tennis balls...this pic is after she missed it.

You can do it girl!

Score!

Biggest dorks ever.

Photos by this lovely girl.

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

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

Rollin' & Shakin' - Coco | Chandra (Update: Adopted)

Every week I worry that this time I won't have enough good stuff to make a video. I shoot each dog in the car, in the water, a little of walking on leash, a little of sitting for treats at our shady bench and of course I try to get some cute affection in somewhere. Invariably I think I'm taping at some point when I'm really not and I miss something that I kick myself for later. The dogs always have a great time, and we love taking them out on an adventure, but I definitely am always thinking about the edit I'll need to do later.

So I worry a bit.

But then, inevitably, I load everything into iMovie and start cutting and pasting and something pops out. With Aussie, it was her genuine sweetness and her little pounce when she got in the river. With Rousy, it was her spread out paws swimming through the water, with Darlin it was her trepidation and then her joy at learning about the water. These dogs always come though. There is always something that makes each dog special that manages to make it into my trusty iphone.

Today, we took out Coco. Delyse told us ahead of time that Coco might just be part pig because she loves to roll in the mud so much. And sure enough, Coco did some mighty fine rollin' for us. And just to be sure that I had enough for my edit, she added in some awesome shakin'.

So this Sunday, just like every other one so far, I had a big grin on my face when I dropped the music into place and saw Coco's video come alive. I hope you like it as much as I do...I'm pretty sure you aren't going to be able to resist her.

And then, after you watch, and smile, please share this girl and let's find her a home. She is going to make someone a terrific best friend. (Hey, and Aussie, Rousy and Darlin are still waiting too...)

If you cannot see the video below, please view it HERE.

Update 9.27.15: Coco has been adopted! Lots of other dogs are still waiting though, so please visit SacCountyDogs.com.

xx

Chandra

Darlin | Chandra

Today we got to take volunteer favorite Darlin out for an adventure. She's been at the shelter WAY too long and is so ready for her forever family to come and get her.

Darlin was overjoyed when I went in her kennel to leash her up...it took me quite awhile to get the harness on her because she was just so darn excited. She couldn't wait to get out and see what was happening in the world.

She climbed right up into the back seat and settled down for the ride, and spent most of it snuggled up against me. This girl is a love.

Darlin walks beautifully on leash, is great with other dogs, was a super good sport about learning about the river, sits immediately for a treat, and settles down nicely when she's had her exercise. She's affectionate, silly, happy and cute. She's got it all.

Please do share this sweet girl and let's get her home!

(And enjoy Ron's river dance...gotta love a guy who will do anything to make a dog comfortable.)

If you cannot see the video below, please view it HERE.


Update: Unfortunately, Darlin did not make it out of the shelter. Godspeed, sweet girl.

xx

Chandra

Rousy and the River | Chandra

When we started this blog, the plan was for Ron and I to walk dogs and for Chloe to film and edit videos to help them get adopted. It's turned out that Chloe mostly loves hanging out with Shannon Skalisky and helping get great photos of all the dogs each week instead. So Ron and I have been using my iphone to take video on our walks at the river, and then I come home and edit. I like editing and feel like I do a pretty decent job for an amateur. I focus on telling the story of each particular dog the best I can, and put the clips together in a way that hopefully showcases the dogs well and gives people a chance to see them as we do.

But I'm always trying to get Chloe to help me edit because she's so darn good at it. Where I start with the video clips by putting them in story order, she starts with the music and edits to that. Dropping in the music is the very last step for me, and it's the very first for her. I think it's pretty cool how different our approaches are and how different the finished products turn out with the same source material.

Today, I got lucky and Chloe wanted to edit. We ended up with a very cool, quick edit video for Rousy that I think perfectly captures her boundless happiness. All the dogs we take out love the trip...some like sniffing things and chasing after quick moving critters in the bushes, some like watching the bikes and runners go by, some just like to sit on the bench with us and get petted. But Rousy, Rousy is a river dog.

She leapt, she ran, she dived, she swam, she chased feathers and caught them in her mouth, she chased tennis balls, she paddled, she watched a beautiful heron fly from one side of her horizon to the other, mesmerized. Ron and I both waded out far into the river with her on the shallow sand bars and our grins couldn't have been any wider just basking in her joy.

I stood in water up to my thighs, my shorts rolled up, my bare feet in the sand, and thought, honestly, life doesn't get any better. It's been a long week and it was a little tough to get to the shelter this morning...but then, as always, it was so worth it. I got to have an absolutely magical morning with Ron and with Rousy and with the river. Such a gift.

Rousy got to meet two other dogs near the water, and she did just great with them. A little sniffing and then they all ignored each other. She also met the young boy who belonged to the dogs and proceeded to smother his face with big sloppy kisses. When he came up for air, he said "I love dogs." Future PB Soc volunteer there, I believe.

I hope you enjoy Chloe's video of Rousy and that someone sees it and takes this wonderful girl home. And then takes her on many, many trips back to the water that she loves so dearly.

                   (If you cannot see the video below, please view it HERE.)

Update: Rousy has been adopted! But lots of amazing dogs are waiting. Please visit PBSOC for more info.

xx

Chandra

Aussie | Chandra

There are definitely dogs that we work with that I know will be great for someone else's family, but that I don't necessarily bond with. Maybe they are dog reactive, or have a little too high of a prey drive, or the chemistry is just not there. And then, once in awhile, there are the ones I want to scoop up and never give back. Okay, maybe more than once in awhile...

Jensen. Sydney. Murphy. Jackie. And today, Aussie.

Aussie by Shannon Skalisky.

I cannot tell you just how much I wanted to take this girl home.

She is a squiggly, sweet, fun loving doll of a dog. Walks great on leash with the sensible harness, is playful but settles down wonderfully when playtime is over, loves other dogs, rides beautifully in the car, is a great size (not too big and not too small), and has an adorable personality. At the river, I found myself thinking, ah, I bet Teddy would really like her and trying to figure out how to convince Ron that one more dog would be great. I picture two big crates in our living room, two dogs piled on the bed with us, two dogs with their heads in our laps...

Unfortunately, my sanity did eventually return and remind me that it's just not the time for us to add a dog to our family.

But this one, I cannot believe she's still at the shelter after more than a month on the adoption floor. I'm not sure why people are passing her by, but hopefully our video will help.

Please do share lovely Aussie and let's get this girl the home she deserves already! She's going to make someone very, very happy.

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

xx

Chandra

Thelma & Louise's Road Trip | Chandra (Update: Adopted)

A few weeks ago, after taking another dog to the river, we spent a little time with Thelma and Louise at the shelter. Thelma was just coming down with kennel cough, the day was extremely hot and both girls were just worn out. We hung out for awhile on the grass, gave cuddles and chicken, took a short walk, and took them go back to their kennel to relax.

Fast forward to today...

Field trip!

Thelma's kennel cough is gone, both girls have settled into life at the shelter and are super eager to get out of their kennel and have some fun. These two are best friends and look to each other all the time for reassurance and love. Thelma is the go-getter: she's energetic and happy and always at the front of the pack. Louise is much more layed back and happy to follow Thelma's lead. Both of them are loving and eager to learn and spend time with people.

Louise & Thelma

Everyone is hoping that these two loving pals can go home together...they are the epitome of a bonded pair.




Update: Thelma and Louise have been adopted. They went to separate homes, and are both happy and healthy with their new families.

xx

Chandra