First there was Oscar and Felix...

Today I walked a pair of roommates. They get along well with each other, they're even mixes of some of the same breeds, but they couldn't be more different.

Celia is a 6 month-old German Shepherd/Terrier/Pit bull mix. I discovered before our walk that she is submissive and hence much easier to leash up than her rambunctious roomie. While some dogs tend to be reactive and respond to an overly energetic dog by becoming overly energetic themselves, Celia maintained her cool even in the midst of her roommate's barking and jumping. This is a good thing. Then on our walk she proved to be a Soccer dog. A soccer ball came hurling over the fence in the park--twice--and Celia dove for it both times, trapped the ball in her front paws, and nudged it to me to throw back. Such a cool skill! She's very sweet, too. I highly recommend adding her to your team.

Next I leashed up with much effort her frenetic friend Antonio. He's an 8 month-old Catahoula leopard/Terrier/Pit bull mix. Being unfamiliar with the Catahoula leopard breed, I went to Catahoulaleopard.com and found the following: "The King of the stock dog breeds," [Wait, is that similar to stock cars? As in Nascar???] Catahoula leopards "outwork and outfight all other breeds of stock dogs when protecting their master, livestock, and property". Okay, outfighting other dogs is not really something we prize at the SF/SPCA. But reading on: They require "consistent obedience reinforcement. The owner must understand the Alpha concept and stay in control at all times, but still be loving to the dog. Very loyal, loving, intelligent and independent...they really think for themselves." Now that's starting to sound better. And on or walk Antonio responded positively to all commands. He even sat when offered a treat before we headed out. In fact, he was drooling while sitting in expectation of a treat, so that kind of proves that whole "consistent obedience reinforcement" mentioned above. You can feel his youthful exuberance, I'll call it, on the other end of the leash, but he's a good dog who stays in line and also gives you a heck of a running workout if you can keep up with him. In closing, I'd suggest his new owner either have space where Antonio can roam, or be prepared to Get. In. Shape.

As of 9/19/08:
Celia...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Antonio...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

Labor Day

The SF/SPCA was closed for the Labor Day holiday today, and while it is possible for us volunteers to get a key and walk dogs during official holidays there, I instead went to the beach with friends. There were dogs everywhere. Here is a picture of one at said beach (actually from a different date but it's a great pic). Photo credit goes to Jan, my sister.

NRG

We've been having some quality sunshine in San Francisco lately, so I lathered on the sunscreen and walked some dogs today who were as excited as could be for some fresh air and exercise. Especially the exercise part.

Jenny is a 1-and-a-half-year old Lab Retriever mix. She was acting a little funny at first in response to the "sit" command. We generally have in-room training sessions with the dogs as frequently as possible during their stay here at the SF/SPCA, and I always have a dog sit before putting on the leash and collar. But Jenny went from almost jumping, wagging her tail like crazy and running around in circles, to flopping down onto the floor laying on her back when I said, "sit". So she technically skipped "sit" and proceeded to "down". "Down" has its value, but there is a difference.

After a couple laps of jogging around the park, Jenny could sit just fine. Diagnosis: excitement! Jenny will need plenty of exercise as she continues to grow out of her puppy phase. With a good healthy walk or run, she's proven she can do great. And she's also proven she's a very sweet gal!

Luke is a 7-month old Lab Retriever mix. His roommate was in the process of getting adopted, so Luke and I went out for a lovely jog. Being only 7 months old, Luke is still a bit of a puppy and acts accordingly. He's well-behaved and knows his commands, but wow, does he have a healthy amount of energy! Additionally, he's got an extra-healthy appetite. I gave him a treat or two while leashing him up for our walk, and the entire walk he kept turning around and looking up at me--specifically, looking up at my pocket with the treats in it. When he wasn't suddenly stopping periodically to gaze toward the treats (almost making me trip over him every time), he was trying to eat anything in his path, including but not limited to: leaves, a twig, an acorn, and a piece of paper. Most of these he spat out. I suspect his roommate has been eating his food, but maybe that's exactly what Luke wants me to think. What I really think is: Feed him, walk him, pet him, and he'll love you forever!

As of 8/15/08:

Jenny...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION upon spaying.

Luke...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.