SF Dog Blog

Gina

2008-12-15T09:26:00.000-08:00

First, a little bit of backstory: Some friends and I used to know a girl named Gina. For a litany of reasons, we gave her the nickname "Daaaam Gina." And we always had a bottle of "Hot Damn" ready and waiting for when she came by. Good times.

Now let's meet another Gina with an equally vivacious personality: Gina the Australian cattle dog/terrier/pit bull mix here at the SF/SPCA. The canine Gina is also a shocker. Extremely high energy, a zest for life, and a thirst for cinnamon schnapps are traits common to both Gina's. Gina the dog is only 10 months old but will probably stay energetic well into adulthood. And she needs someone who is preferably experienced (with dogs, that is). She's in our "dog-reactive" category, so not only will you need to train and work with her daily on good manners in the home but also practice good behavior and defensive dog walking. Gina kind of goes nuts at the sight or sometimes just the passing thought of other dogs. However, thanks to the progress we've made with her so far here at the SF/SPCA, she's easily swayed by the temptation of treats. She knows "sit", "stay", and "down". Praise, repetition, and a large supply of doggie biscuits will be the keys to a successful life for Gina in her forever home. If you feel up to the challenge, come in and meet her. And come bearing treats!

As of 12/12/08:
Gina...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

First there was Oscar and Felix...

2008-09-29T00:06:00.000-07:00

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

2008-09-02T12:09:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-25T00:16:00.000-07:00

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.

A fine summer's day and evening

2008-08-18T00:45:00.001-07:00

Today I'm excited for a fun Friday full of furry friends. The good times are set to continue after the dog-walking, so read on for a bonus recap at the end of today's entry.

Steffi and Andre are progressing nicely beyond eating each other's neck fur to eating puppy food. They'll be ready to head home before too long now!

Maggie is a 5-year old spayed Old English Sheepdog. One thing her chart doesn't tell you is that Maggie doesn't do stairs. She has some possible arthritis going on with her legs and/or hip joints. So please don't live in a walk-up or even in an upstairs bedroom where you plan to have her go up and down stairs. Additionally, connected to the stairs issue is the sitting issue: Maggie has a terrible time rising to her feet/paws from a seated position, so it's best to skip the whole sitting thing. We do emphasize good behavior and minding manners here at the SF/SPCA, so we wouldn't be suggesting that you avoid the "sit" command unless it was for health reasons, as in this case.

The good news is that Maggie is extremely well-behaved without sitting or stair-climbing and she has a very positive temperment. From her breed description on PetHabitat.com: "This boisterous dog is extremely affectionate, loves playing with children, and watches over them with care it once lavished on flocks." And you can't help but smile when you see her walking with such a spring in her step. So instead of a photo, I'm posting a video of happy-go-lucky Maggie trotting down the street, so that you can see her in action:

Next I met and walked three brand new arrivals, all roommates. They are all 3 on the shy side until you get them out of their shells, reminding me of 3 freshman roomies who have yet to attend their first kegger, their innocence still very much intact. The future is so bright, I'm forced to squint!

Maxwell is a 2-year old neutered Catahoula/mix. If that's a new breed for you, Wikipedia may help to shed some light on the topic: "Catahoulas are highly intelligent, energetic...and are very quick, yet they are also very loving and gentle with children they know or have adopted, and their family (pack)." That's Maxwell! He was so easy to leash for our walk, did great on the walk, and is all-around very mellow and sweet. He's got one brown eye and one blue eye and a thin coat of hair which is currently being treated and will soon grow back to its original thickness.

While it's true that all 3 of these roommates are sweeties, Chelsea is fast becoming known around the shelter as the sweeeeeetest thing ever. Chelsea is a Hound/Lab Retriever mix. Not that I'm trying to sell you on her, but if you think you might be interested, you'd better make it in here quick, 'cause she is a true find. When you ask her to sit, she does this move where she sits and cuddles on you and looks up at you at the same time. You'd think she was purring. It's pretty cool. At first her polite personality may come off as shy, but Chelsea isn't stand-offish. She's just really well-behaved and tends to wait for you to give commands before she acts. She rocks.

Lilly, a 2-year old Lab Retriever mix, is kind of the ringleader of her other 2 roomates. She's definitely the most energetic in the room. Lilly was ready to run as we headed out for her walk. Her core trait that emerged during our walk/run was a tendency to be highly inquisitive, curious, and fearless of other people and dogs. After a couple laps around the soccer field, we slowed down a bit behind the goal area. It turns out that Lilly is a soccer dog! She wanted to catch the soccer ball every time it came sailing toward the fence. If you want a type-A personality who'll be the life of the party and achieve in all areas of behavior as well as sports, Lilly could be your girl!

As of 8/15/08:
Maggie...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION upon medical checkup; AVAILABLE to be met.
Maxwell...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Chelsea...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION upon spaying.
Lilly...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION upon spaying.

And now for an official SF Dog Blog "Dog-bone-Bonus". Today after walking dogs, I attended the A's game with a whole stadium-section of dog-friendly folk for "Dog Day at the Park". The only thing more American than apple pie and a baseball game is apple pie, a baseball game, and your dog sitting next to you to help cheer!

With Paul and Meredith's 2-year old pup Bean leading the way, we had a great time at the ol' ball game:

You have to be ready to dive in case a home run ball comes your way:

Fans were clamoring over each other in the excitement...

Two happy sportsfans after the A's victory:

This pup was sporting an A's t-shirt to show her team spirit. Her human told me she's a "doodle" (not making this up), which is apparently a mix of poodle and another breed starting with a "D," whose name I can't recall. Not Doberman, I'm sure of that much...

All the dogs and humans left the stadium in an orderly manner.

Olympic fever

2008-08-11T02:52:00.001-07:00

Steffi and her bro Andre are still here, and each day brings them closer to being ready for their respective Forever homes. Today they were busy waking from their nap. The waiting list to adopt them is up to 29 people!!! Once Blogspot has the technology, I'll need to add an adoption stock ticker at the bottom of this page.

Magic, a 1-year old black Lab mix, was the clear choice for the first walk of the day. This was mainly because he's brand new here (from the Santa Barbara shelter), he doesn't have roommates yet, and therefore it was easy to get him leashed without it being a big production or bumper-car rally. Magic is also an Academy dog, and if he ever was an untrained puppy at one time, you wouldn't know it now! His powers of obedience and excellent behavior are uncanny. And magical. BTW, so are his powers of posing for the camera. He's got the same look on his face here as the yearbook photo of that really eager kid who was student council president...except Magic is cool!

Following Magic was Turk. In the spirit of the Olympics, Turk wanted to give our walk 110%. So we sprinted down the Florida street hill and back. There was no stopping to smell (or wizz on) the roses; it was nothing but cardio all the way. The closest parallel Olympic event would be either bobsledding (same breakneck speeds down a narrow track) or perhaps swimming, for the way my eyes were stinging and my nose was running afterwards (It was a chilly day). If you are in better shape than me--which shouldn't be too difficult at the moment, thanks to my recent academic constraints--and can handle a sprinter like Turk, please come in and meet him!

For this picture I had to turn on the wind machine in order to get his tongue blowing in the breeze just right. America's Next Top Model, Canine edition, here we come!

You gotta love a dog with smile lines around his mouth. Now that's Olympic spirit:

As of 8/8/08:

Magic...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION upon Academy graduation; AVAILABLE to be met.

Turk...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

Back to the dog days of summer

2008-08-04T03:16:00.000-07:00

It's good to be back from vacation! While I was away, I had to get my dog fix from the puppies prancing on the beach in Ocean City, MD, and from Cameron, a black Lab retriever adopted from the shelter in Denton, TX, who now lives with Dottie, his human, in Rockville, MD. Look for an exclusive post-adoption follow-up interview with Dottie in this space in December...

After spending some quality brother-sister time on the East coast last week and hanging out with 2 of my favorite brother-sister Siamese cat adoptees, there were 2 brother-sister boxer/mix puppies, Steffi and Andre, waiting to greet me here at the SF/SPCA. OK, maybe they weren't really waiting for me per se, as they were sound asleep the whole time, but they're here, and they're beautiful!

Launching right back into my exercise program, I walked/ran Travis. He's a pleasantly fiesty 1-year old Hound/mix. Right now he's roommates with Sweet Pea, featured here back in June. Getting ready for his walk, Travis was basically bouncing off the walls. I rewarded him for each successful "sit" and eventually leashed him up. Continuing this anti-jump training will be crucial to Travis' future success in his new home, wherever that may be. He definitely knows how to sit--he just requires the repetition to positively re-enforce the behavior. But he's on the right track. And he already gets along fine with other dogs, as evidenced by his abstaining from leash-pulling or uttering a peep when we passed various other dogs in and out of the shelter. He's very affectionate with people as well as dogs, and he practically purrs when you pet him...Travis is an all-around sweet guy!

Photo evidence, exhibit A...Going in for the kiss:

Also affectionate in his own way is Harvey, a black and white Lab retriever/Border collie mix featured here last month. Happily, Harvey's now an Academy dog, complete with his own trainer who works with him daily on behavior and advanced training, so he's steadily improving. He "checked in" occasionally during our walk, looking up and making eye contact with me, but the Border collie in him urges Harvey to scan the horizon continually for objects and beings to herd. While he didn't lunge at any dogs we passed, he is in our dog-reactive category simply because he loves to herd, corral, and cordone off other dogs. He's a social butterfly like Travis, happiest around people and other dogs. Harvey is 5, but he could easily pass for a young pup of 1 or 2 years on account of his energy level. And yet here he is, sitting like a lil' angel (after some proper exercise, of course).

As of 8/1/08:

Travis...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Harvey...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION upon Academy graduation; AVAILABLE to be met.

I'll let Snoopy demonstrate...

2008-07-21T02:32:00.000-07:00

Today is the first of SF Dog Blog's 2 weeks off for summer vacation. Spent the day preparing my thesis presentation to the Animation faculty at Academy of Art University (and missing the SPCA dogs)...and passed!!! Now we're officially the SF Dog Blog, m.f.a. Ah, yes: the most expensive three letters in the alphabet. How it feels to graduate, I think, can best be expressed through interpretive dance:

Thanks, Snoopy! That's pretty much how it feels.

As of 7/21/08:

Me...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION (i.e., work) by Bay Area animation companies.

Dog Days of Summer

2008-07-14T13:56:00.000-07:00

Oh, yes...more puppies! These guys are named after various components of Japanese cuisine: Sushi, Wasabi, Nori...and much like a spicy bite of sushi, these puppies pack a wallop--at least when they're not sleeping. Prospective adopters met several of these fuzzy cuties today, so I'm sure they won't stick around much longer. Here they are clamoring to say hi:

Harvey, a black and white Lab Retriever/Border Collie mix was the first dog I walked today, by default: He was so riled up that he butted in front of his roommate, Frenchie, when we tried to separate them for Frenchie's walk. Since this was Harvey's way of telling me he really, really needed to go out, out we went. Harvey is 5 and still has the energy of a 1 year-old. Nothing that 3 laps of running 'round the park can't fix...The photo below is the "after" version (add in the panting sound effects yourself):

Since Harvey and Frenchie together were proving to be one big dog too many for a single room in Maddie's Adoption Center, we switched them. So next I walked Harvey's new roommate, Gilbert. Gilbert is a very chill tan and white Boxer mix, whose chart claims that he is only 4. However, he seems to be closer to 7 or 8--his muzzle is graying just a tad and he prefers an easy-going, low-impact workout. Why the discrepancy? Hollywood actresses often shave a few years off their age for marketability purposes, and perhaps that's what we have in Gilbert's case. But I hope it stops there. You're beautiful and you don't need botox or anything else, Gilbert! Now it's time for your close-up:

Next let's meet Princess. Princess is a 1-year old yellow Lab Retriever mix. She apparently already has a list of suitors, er, prospective adopters. So I'll be brief and say that she's very sweet like all our dogs, she knows her basic commands, and she acts her age and breed in the sense that she's got lots of energy. As far as her name goes, just look at the photo evidence for yourself. Tiara not included in adoption fee.

Frenchie is a 2 year-old white German Shepherd mix. Don't let her name fool you; she's no French Poodle. But she is snowy white and approximately the size of 9 French Poodles, so there's that. While she of course needs a good amount of daily exercise, the cool thing is that Frenchie is very responsive in her walking. When I walked, she walked. When I jogged, she jogged. When I sprinted, she sprinted. And then I trailed behind her like a kite flapping in the breeze. 'Cause the girl can move. But that last part only lasted for a second, because Frenchie likes company and doesn't want to leave anyone behind!

As of 7/14/08:

Harvey...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Princess...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Gilbert...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION pending medical checkup; AVAILABLE TO BE MET.
Frenchie...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION pending spaying; AVAILABLE TO BE MET.

Fetch THIS

2008-07-07T18:37:00.001-07:00

Some dogs play fetch. An extra-special dog plays fetchfetchfetchfetchfetchfetchfetchfetch! Meet Slate. He's a 1 and 1/2-year old black and white Border Collie mix. He has the attention span capabilities of a successful transcendental meditation practitioner. This means that he can commit to, for instance, a nice game of fetch for hours and hours and hours. See fig's 1a-1b, below.

Maybe the game of fetch he and I played didn't actually last for hours, but Slate wants it known that it could have. Once I work up to his level of focus and lasting concentration, we'll be able to play some marathon sessions. For now, we played about a quarter in his room, another quarter in the SPCA courtyard, and then for halftime we went for a walk.

If there had been an audience sitting in the bleachers for all of this, they would have been chanting, "Slate is great! Slate is great!"

Bear is a 1 and 1/2-year old brown and tan German Shepherd mix. He's been here at the SF/SPCA since May 19 (almost 2 months, a surprisingly long time for such a well-trained and attractive dog)! He's got standards. To be a good match for Bear, a human would preferably be able to commit to an ongoing training program for him, and provide the walks necessary to work out the energy that builds up throughout the day. This energy can make Bear seem a bit rambunctious, but he is not a hyper dog. He just wants the basics: 3 hots and a cot...and a walk! And the cot he could probably even do without. When I went to get him for our walk he was a little excited (he almost jumped but then he totally listened to my command saying not to). During our walk he was great, and upon our return he was of course cool, calm, and collected.

Bear rocks, and I give him my SF Dog Blog "Obedient plus Beautiful" rating.

As of 7/7/08:

Slate...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Bear...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

Stop and smell the roses...

2008-06-30T22:57:00.000-07:00

Bruce is an 8-month old brown and white German Shorthaired Pointer mix...Which way does he point? To the ground! In honor of Independence Day, I'm going to turn the Blog over to the dog for this week's installment and let Bruce tell you his thoughts himself, in his own words...

"Let's go!!! Sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff..."

"Sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff Hmmm, interesting sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff Fascinating sniff sniff"

"Sniff s-s-sni-sni-sniiiiiiiiiiff Testing 1-2, testing 1-2, sniff sniff sniff "

"I'm so happy. I hope this walk lasts forever!!! Sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff."

"Sniff sniff Now here's something. What is that? That smells really good...Oh wait, that's me from 5 minutes ago. Sniff sniff sniff sniff"

"Sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff sniff A ladybug crawled here in 1979...in March...sniff sniff sniff sniff"

"That was awesome! Pant pant pant"

There you have it, folks. You couldn't hope for a dog with more zest for life...and all its aromas. If you come in and meet Bruce today, he may even sniff you!

As of 6/30/08:

Bruce...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

The ground floor

2008-06-24T12:50:00.001-07:00

Today is your chance to get in on the ground floor, so to speak. We are about to meet 2 dogs who aren't even available to adopt yet--but they are available to be met. While they are next-door neighbors with each other in Maddie's Adoption Center, they couldn't be more different. So read on and see if one of these gals is calling your name!

Sweet Pea is a lovely 2-year old lab retriever mix. She would be a good potential match for someone with the time and energy to devote to an ongoing training program for her. As she's in our dog-reactive group, Sweet Pea isn't into sharing her dog toys or living the communal life (she probably thinks hippies are wierd), so she'd need to be the only dog in your home. She mostly did fine on her walk as long as I guided her away from any and all other dogs in the vicinity. Spotting another dog equals lunging and barking for Sweet Pea. In fact, I believe there is no known photograph of her looking at the camera, because she is constantly scanning the horizon for canine intruders. However, she's great one-on-one with a human companion...Hence, her name.

Now let's meet Sweet Pea's next door neighbor. Goldie is a 10-year old Golden retriever mix. Her age and her temperment make for one of the mellower dogs we have right now. Goldie is into low-impact exercise involving fairly short walks sprinkled with occasional spurts of jogging. And if you want to bypass the jogging parts entirely, that'd probably be just fine with Goldie. In human years, Goldie is squarely in the shuffleboard-playing era of her life. She comes well-equipped with the basics already, such as maintaining eye contact and overall good behavior. Her thick and luxurious coat of golden fur might be enough to make you fall in love with her on its own, and her easy-going personality is the icing on the cake.

Incidentally, walking past Sweet Pea's room on the way out for our walk, Sweet Pea barked and barked at her, but Goldie held her head up high, nodded in Sweet Pea's direction, and continued onward without a peep. You could just see her thinking, [sigh] "Kids today, with their energy drinks, MTV, and overstimulation..."

So there you have it, folks: go semi-high-maintenance with Sweet Pea or go easy with Goldie.

As of 6/23/08:
Sweet Pea...Not yet available for adoption; AVAILABLE TO BE MET.
Goldie...Not yet available for adoption; AVAILABLE TO BE MET.

[Note: Both dogs are already spayed!]

"C" is for Cookie...

2008-06-16T03:28:00.000-07:00

Today we have a text-only blog entry (I forgot to bring my camera this visit). And not only that, but both dogs I walked today got adopted within days, so they were already gone, along with their charts, by the time of my next visit. Hence, this short and sweet recap:

Speaking of short and sweet...Meet Cookie. She's got a black and white spotted coat which reminds me of the "tuxedo" cookies they sell at my favorite bakery. Cookie is very sweet. How sweet is she? She's so sweet that she got a kiss during our walk from a guy who saw her and was enthralled by her sweetness. He petted her as we completed our last lap around the park, and then kissed her on top of her head. How many of us elicit that response from a stranger by just going out for a walk?

Royce is Cookie's roommate. His adoption was already pending when I walked him. It was easy to see how he got snatched up so quickly: he's got as sweet and even-tempered a disposition as Coookie, and he's extremely well-behaved. He kept up just fine on our lengthy run without being overly energetic.

All in all, these were a great couple of canines who are now safe and sound in their new homes!

As of 6/16/08:
Cookie...ADOPTED!
Royce...ADOPTED!

Fuzzy furry fast

2008-06-09T23:30:00.003-07:00

It's puppy time again! We started with a litter of 9. Then we had 7. Now there are 3 left! They're Black Lab Retriever mix puppies. And they're fuzzy. I know because I held one. Her name is Alutia. We also have Olympus and Sierra. Spot the trend yet? They're named after mountains. And they're each a mountain of fun!

If you have space in your life right now for a puppy, and are ready for the mountain of work involved in raising one, come on down and get one while they last!

Now let's progress from fuzzy to furry to fast. Felicia, along with her roommate whom we'll meet shortly, is among our spryest and swiftest. She's a Queensland Heeler mix and she's only 11 months old. I broke a sweat just coralling her to put on her leash. Once out of the building, 2 passers-by stopped to say hello to Felicia. As we sprinted past, all I could say over my shoulder was, "She can't talk right now, she's in a hurry." It was all a blur, really. But after completing a few wind sprints around the park, we slowed down and Felicia sat. She even smiled for a picture. I think her smile is saying, "OK, I'm doing it. I'm sitting. Can we get back to the running now, please?" At least in this photo she's eternally sitting, captured in time:

Imagine for a moment. How would you react if you were sitting hunched over a slot machine in a run-down casino in Carson City at 4 a.m., down to your last unfiltered Camel and the last shiny quarter from your debit account whose balance at one time actually contained a comma, you fed the precious final coin into the one-armed bandit, pulled hard, and suddenly a jubilant bell rang out and the sign looming over your head lit up and said, "Jackpot!!!" If you were my estranged step-brother (who lives on the tugboat he used to captain in the Antilles but which is now dry-docked on property 20 miles outside of Carson City), you might rise to your feet and jump for joy. This sensation of boundless excitement is embodied by Felicia's roommate, the aptly-named Jackpot.

Jackpot is a three-year old tri-color Jack Russell terrier. Like his roommate, he's in our "High Energy" category. That's only because we don't have a category called, "Contraband M-80 firecracker." Neither of these two dogs are biters or even badly behaved. It's just that they require a regular aerobic workout program. And they also share in common the fact that once they've been properly exercised (i.e., exhausted), they can focus just fine, sitting, staying, and obeying every command.

It's endearing that even after going for a run, Jackpot's tail is wagging so fast, 'tis but a blur:

So if gas prices are getting you down and you're so over driving to the gym, then never step on another stairmaster again and get-fit-with-Felicia or hit the Jackpot with, uh, Jackpot.

As of 6/9/08:
Felicia...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Jackpot...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

Marketing 101

2008-06-02T14:06:00.001-07:00

All those puppies whose progress we had been tracking have been adopted! We have a new batch and these guys seem to be the opposite of the previous couple litters who slept non-stop. These ones play non-stop. Look at 'em go:

As I wrote last month when I featured her in this space, I thought that Tornado had the most fitting name of any dog I've met at the SF/SPCA. Well, while that may be true, we mustn't forget the power of marketing and effective branding in particular. To that end, Toronado is now Tori. Yes, where you once may have pictured in your mind's eye a raging maelstrom of mayhem and destruction, now you can imagine that nice Valley girl named Tori from Beverly Hills, 90210. Or perhaps that lovely and talented piano-playing redheaded Tori. With all these positive associations, we think you'll now find Tori absolutely impossible to resist.

As an observant reader pointed out when Tori was recently featured here (before her name change), it was tough to capture an in-focus picture of her because she moves so fast she's naturally blurry. Now that she's rockin' her new name, Tori posed politely for this pic and showed off her usual sense of wide-eyed wonderment.

I walked her to see what else had changed. OK, she's still sitting squarely in our High Energy category. But she is calming down just a tad and obeying commands after just one or two repetitions. And if you've got the time and energy to exercise her properly, she'll be on her way to being the bestest little buddy you could have...She's already the most enthusiastic!

As of 5/30/08:
Tori...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

Traffic jam

2008-05-28T19:57:00.000-07:00

[Note: No blog entry here on Memorial Day Monday last week, but two entries this week!]

Bob, a black Lab retriever who's brand-new here at the SF/SPCA, got his very first walk in San Francisco from yours truly. I learned a lot about Bob during our walk, especially on the way back. Bob is into having short walks right now. So he's perfect for someone who prefers low-impact workouts. He would love to stroll around the block or through the park with you. He doesn't seem to need to be run more than 10 feet at a time at this point, and the only leash-pulling I experienced from him was of the "Hey, can we please slow down" variety. So if a user-friendly routine of mellow, laid-back dog maintenance fits into your future plans, Bob could very well be your guy.

By the way, not knowing any of the above until after I had subjected Bob to my standard Marine Corps boot camp-style running and sprinting program during our walk, I got schooled in the meaning of "low energy" as written on Bob's chart. Upon returning to the building, he decided "OK, enough is enough already" and laid down in the middle of the lobby with his tongue hanging out of his head onto the floor like a wet kickstand. All I could do was stand over him with my hands on my hips like the time I stood on a deserted stretch of I-80 at 2 in the morning staring into the open hood of my '87 Pathfinder, wondering if it would carry me another couple exits before its alternator gave out for good. Much like my truck, Bob wasn't budging. Maybe next time for just these sorts of situations I should bring flares and a sign reading "Dog stall; Expect delays." Oh, and a "Wet floor/Piso mojado" sign for the drool. You can never be too prepared.

To conclude our little traffic report, we finally got the left lane cleared of this stall (it took 2 of us to get Bob to his feet and marching the 10 steps or so back to his room). He's a great dog who knows his limits, behaves perfectly, and asks only that someone gives him a 3-word workout routine: Short 'n' sweet.

As of 5/28/08:
Bob...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION pending evaluation.

The Ruthie Plan

2008-05-16T23:08:00.000-07:00

Forget the Atkins Diet. Scrap your gym membership. EAT WHATEVER YOU WANT, when you get yourself on the Ruthie running program. Ruthie is a vibrant young Aussie Cattledog mix. Her energy level is at once astonishing and inspiring. When her chart tells you, "I am a sweet, young, energetic girl," then you best believe every word. Especially the "energetic" part, which is the key to this whole deal.

Once properly leashed up, we ran out of her room, we ran down the corridor, we ran through the SPCA lobby, we ran out the door, and we ran straight to the park. For a change of pace, we sprinted half a lap around the park, then jogged a lap, then ran again. We ended with what you could call a brisk racewalk--no, actually, it was a run.

Then finally I said, "Sit. Smile the biggest smile ever!"

See that? Don't mistake Ruthie's "energetic" label for "wild." She knows her commands. Ruthie is an Academy dog! That means she has her own personal dog trainer from the training academy who works with her for several sessions a week. Soon, whe will graduate. When she does, you can adopt her and become the proud human of the loveable Ruthie exercise machine!

As of 5/16/08:
Ruthie...AVAILABLE to be met; AVAILBLE FOR ADOPTION upon graduation.

Storm warning

2008-05-12T23:27:00.000-07:00

What's new with the puppies, you ask? They're still sleeping this week, but they've moved to the puppy bed on the opposite side of their room. Hence the wierd camera angle:

The first dog up for a walk today got the bonus upgrade: He got adopted before we even made it out! So we had one last training session in his room. Here he is bidding me farewell just moments prior to beginning his new life:

A friend of mine asked me this evening if I had exercised today, and I said, "Yes, I walked dogs at the SPCA." Really? That counts as a workout? Well, it does when you walk a dog named Tornado. A black lab/Weimarner mix, Tornado is living proof that if the name fits, wear it! She's the most, eh, "spirited" gal I've met in quite some time. OK, she's a walking triple-shot of espresso in a bottle of Red Bull. But she also makes me want to snatch her up for myself if somebody else doesn't adopt her. She's just that awesome (if you're into that whole atomic blast-of-energy thing).

I think I can best describe the ideal candidate for Tornado's new owner with a craigslist-style job posting:

Human companion wanted by energetic, sweet lab/Weimarner mix.

Specific duties would include:
-Preparing your home for occasional impact from flying dog
-Showing lots of patience
-Preparing your body for constant impact from flying dog

Ideal candidate probably would not have:
-A need for excessive peace and quiet
-Osteoperosis
-Hemophilia (just don't be a bleeder, OK?)

Not required but helpful:
-Experience with mosh pits
-Ability to take a hit from a flying furball at 400 miles per hour.

Perks:
-Lasting physical fitness (better than a gym)
-Unending love and affection
-Lots of laughs

To meet Tornado for a person-to-dog interview, just come on down to the San Francisco SPCA!

As a cool-down after Tornado, I walked Bernie. He's been featured here before, and the excellent progress he's made since then (2 months ago) is evident. His chart specifically points out that he's "an affectionate, people-centered dog." That's the truth. Bernie, you're beautiful!

As of 5/12/08:
Tornado...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Bernie...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

Save Tillie!...plus Puppies Part III

2008-05-05T11:45:00.000-07:00

OK, it's time once again to check in with our puppies:

Still 3 puppies, sleeping in a pile. What seems to be the only difference since last week is that their coats have gotten a few shades darker. Hey, this is a whole new batch of puppies! Sweet...We'll continue to chart their ongoing progress next week.

Now onto our theme for this week, which is:

That's right, it's time to save Tillie! Not the famous Jersey boardwalk icon, but Tillie, the black lab retriever mix right here at the The San Francisco SPCA. Tillie is in our "dog-reactive" category, which means she goes bonkers at the sight, smell, or sound of any other member of her species. Just to qualify to walk a dog like her, we volunteers require additional specialized Dog-Reactive training. Today I called upon everything I learned in that training to keep Tillie on task during our walk. In fact, she's the only dog I walked today--we spent a significant amount of time on training her using a whole lot of repetition and basically fleeing in the opposite direction every time any dog came within range of Tillie's very acute senses of hearing and smell.

One thing her chart or her categorization may not tell you: Tillie's not a fighter. During one of our laps around the park, a medium-sized off-leash dog came sprinting up to us. I braced for impact. And then...there was peace in the streets. The two dogs sniffed each other, tails wagging, and that was that.

It's going to take a special someone to "save Tillie." You'll need a sense of humor to laugh at her dogged persistence in her dog-reactive behavior, but with equally dogged persistence on your part, you'll be able to have full confidence that she'll get so much better on her path to becoming her future human's best friend.

After working with Tillie, I had a thoroughly enjoyable in-room training session with Hank. He's a so-sweet 1-year old Boxer mix. At first, and only at first, Hank was jumping when I entered his room. He'd already had a walk, so we worked on getting him to change his jumpin' ways. Sometimes a dog will surprise you by how swiftly he can learn. Hank did just that--he stopped jumping right quick when I said "No!" and he transitioned into playing a nice game of sit, stay, come (repeat). He's very affectionate, which I personally think is great, but it also means that you'll need to give him lots o' attention and playtime. So if you bring home this great guy, eat your Wheaties in the morning so that you can keep up with him!

As of 5/5/08:

Tillie...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Hank...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

Maturity

2008-04-28T12:30:00.000-07:00

First...more puppies! Let's chart their progress from last week:

As you can see, they've changed dramatically over the course of the week: where there were four puppies napping together in a pile in the previous photo, one of the pups has now moved approximately a foot to the side at some point during the last 7 days, and there are now three puppies left napping in the pile. We'll have more astonishing developments for you next week, RIGHT HERE.

Ever since I entered kindergarten I've been learning about maturity. It's a process for me. Today I turned to 2 adult dogs, mature in age and manner, to see what light they could shed on the subject.

Skye is a 7-year old border collie mix. She's got one blue eye and one brown, just like the girl in Blue Crush:

Skye displayed some of the same behaviors we've seen in the 1-year old border collies, and some marked differences as well. The unquenchable desire to herd everything on G-d's green earth is still there in a big way. But even with the herding, Skye acts her age in other ways. She didn't lunge at anything during our walk, she's TOTALLY housebroken, and she even maintained good eye contact with me. She only really tried to herd (all) the things that came to her rather than racing frantically to them. This included me if I didn't stay on our walking path as well as any other dog that approached us or came within about 100 yards. Then she bristled, planted her feet, and waited for them to come to us. That was my cue to lead her in the opposite direction. So I'd say she's grown gracefully into the job she's been bred to do and still takes it quite seriously. She needs to be given the space to do it and would need to be the only dog in your home, for your sanity and hers.

And now for a special alignment-of-the-stars bonus: A dog named Skye guest stars in TODAY'S Mutts comic strip!
Mutts has a new book out which features strips in this vein, entitled "Shelter Stories: Love. Guaranteed." If you don't have occasion to read Mutts in the newspaper, this book would be a great way to experience its artistry and power whenever you want it...or need it.

Now let's meet our next paragon of maturity and poise. Cruz, an 8-year old black lab mix, is so mature he even dresses well. Seriously, how early did he get up this morning to look this dapper?

If you've spent any time around puppies or young dogs, the contrast in Cruz' manner may surprise you. He's well-trained and has had the years of practice so that it's become second nature to him. Like Skye, Cruz walks very well and listens very well. However, he lacks the dog-reactivity and actually values peace and quiet over unrestrained barking. His attitude says, "I'm a perfect gentleman. Anything else would be uncivilized." All you would have to do is provide the home sweet home and daily strolls.

Well, if there's a lesson here, maybe it's that when you spend time around well-behaved creatures, sometimes they can rub off on you and leave you a better person. Say, that right there sounds like a great reason to adopt an animal companion!

In addition to Cruz and Skye, I walked Connie, featured here last week. Yep, she's still a soccer dog, and she's dying for someone to play soccer with her more than ever! She is very housebroken and needs walks right now because our courtyard, where we could normally let her out, is under construction. Maybe when the courtyard opens again, she and I will start an SPCA soccer league...unless you come get her first!

As of 4/28/08:
Skye...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Cruz...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Connie...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

Another day, another awesome Van Halen video

2008-04-21T15:05:00.000-07:00

First...PUPPIES! No matter how much coffee you've had today, no matter how wide awake you may be, just tell me you wouldn't want to crawl right into this warm fuzzy pile o' puppies and join them for a luxurious nap. I quadruple-dog-dare you to resist.

After tearing myself away from the puppies' window (and resolving to take more naps), I walked Buster. This guy's a fine young border collie. The sign on his window states, in capital block letters, "HIGH ENERGY." Just to cut to the chase, I'll tell you right now that yeah, that is FOR REAL.

Buster's high energy manifests itself in jumping. We work with dogs like Buster on Anti-jump exercises, but it can be a gradual learning process for the dog. As this blog has detailed in the past, a dog jumping on or near people: BAD. By way of contrast, here's an example of GOOD jump:Yes, it's Diamond Dave, circa 1984 when he ruled the known universe. If you could use a video example of "good" jump, which I should more accurately be calling awesome jump, it's right here. Great inspiration for when you're training your dog, or having a drunken pool party on high school graduation night in your parent's back yard.

Back to Buster: he stopped jumping after I entered and re-entered his room a second time; then he was a perfect angel on his walk. Behold!

Connie is a border collie, too. Her thing is lunging (at birds, treats, ghosts, etc.). But check it: after 3 laps around the park, she wasn't lunging any more. A well-exercised border collie is a good border collie. After the 3rd lap we stopped directly behind the goalposts to watch the soccer game through the fence. This is when Connie forgot her fatigue and sprang back to life--turns out she's a soccer dog! She began playing goalie herself, diving for the ball each time it came near (even though it was on the other side of the fence).
She rocks and is fearless. Look for her in the next World Cup. And keep a soccer ball handy if you bring her home with you!

As promised, I am continuing to walk Ferron, on the mend from heartworm treatment. Ferron only gets 5-minute walks and mild exercise while she is recovering. Well, it's been over a month of this and the most significant change I observe in her is that she has now moved straight up to HIGH ENERGY status. You can kinda tell she needs to get out more, except you can't yet allow her to take off sprinting to her nearly-healthy heart's content. So if you adopt this sweet beauty, stock up on some chew toys and prepare for some good long walks and runs...eventually.

As of 4/21/08:

Connie...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

Ferron...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

Buster...AVAILABLE to be met; can be brought home after his upcoming neutering.

TPS REPORTS!!!

2008-04-14T17:37:00.000-07:00

When I saw Casey the beagle in her room, she was all, "Walk me! Walk me! Please walk me! I haven't been walked all day...All week...All year!!!" So I walked her, only to be told afterwards by every SPCA employee in the building, in rapid sucession, "Casey was just out for a walk. Did you check the log?" By the time the fifth person told me this, it really started sounding like the line from Office Space: "We're putting new covers on the TPS reports. Did you get the memo?"
Watch Keanu demonstrate this classic predicament.

Here's Casey on her second walk in two minutes. Notice how it was all a big joke to her and she'd rather just kind of sit around anyway as soon as we're outside:

Now Casey's feeling repentant and saying, "I'm sorry I fooled you. Can we still be friends?" Oh, of course we can. I love ya!

Next was an Akita/Pit bull mix who hadn't been out yet: Sugar! Yes, she's as sweet as her name.

Sugar is very pretty as you can see. But she's also got loads of personality. And if you were to adopt her, you'd be very lucky to get such a well-trained girl right out of the gate: she walked when I walked, ran when I ran, and didn't lunge at anything or anyone, nor did she exhibit any noticeable fear of the usual city commotion. Mmm, Sugar!

Now for something completely different. Winnie is a Welsh Corgi/Australian Cattle dog mix. Winnie's all business. She's fun of course, and made me laugh out loud during our walk. So here's the thing: she is absolutley 100% dedicated to doing her job at all times. That job is herding people and things. You, me, the world, and everything in it.

We paused for a moment in the park to enjoy the sun on our backs and watch the soccer players. Immediately I felt a pair of paws on my lower back. I looked over my shoulder and there was Winnie up on her hind legs, herding me.

"Move it along, sir. No time for photos."

After several laps around the field:

"OK, one photo. Make it quick." Beautiful and a hard worker...that's Winnie.

As of 4/14/08:
Casey...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Sugar...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Winnie...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

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UPDATE from April 14, 2008: This blog went silent the last couple weeks while I was working fulltime with 2 other (virtual) animals, the main characters in my thesis project.

So below are some of the awesome doggies who got walked the last couple weeks but didn't receive a blog shout-out.

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3/31/08:

3/17/08:

SF DogBlog 2008 Campaign Coverage

2008-03-10T16:39:00.001-07:00

It's an election year, and dogs as well as voters have important decisions to make. According to our polls, the key issues for voters this year are free and frequent walks in the park for everyone, doggie biscuits across the board, and, of course, change.

The first dog to go out for a walk today was Bernie, a Lab/German Shepherd mix. Bernie is deeply committed to his opinions, as I discovered. After only one lap around the park, Bernie decided it was time for change. As we were rounding the turn for the second lap (of the standard three to four laps), Bernie stopped in his tracks and dug in his paws. He demanded a full and immediate withdrawal of the troops from the park and wanted to go home. He really put his foot down on this issue! Seriously, I tried for a second to pull him along by the leash and he was too strong! Bernie stands firm in 2008. We cruised on back to the SPCA.

Next up was a walk-off/election for the record books. A young couple was trying to decide between 2 dogs, a black one and a white one. The black one was a Retriever named Bodie and the white one, I am not making this up, was named GRINGO. That seriously is his name. [Photo evidence at end of this news story] After meeting each dog in its room at the shelter, the prospective-adopter couple requested that we take them each out for a walk. This is a great way to learn where a candidate-for-adoption really stands on the issues: leash-pulling, car-chasing, etc.

Bodie was up first and she was a perfect angel. However, when it was Gringo's turn, his stance on the lunging-at-birds issue was a resounding "Yes, I do that." Being a border collie, it's in his nature to herd people and animals. Unfortunately, these potential adopters have a parakeet at home. They list lunging-at-birds as the key issue in this decision! Black dog adopted, white dog runner-up. But have no fear, dear reader: Gringo was adopted by someone else the very next day. :)

From the official SPCA bulletin board:

As of 3/10/08:
Bernie...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Bodie...ADOPTED!
Gringo...ADOPTED!

Take your vitamins

2008-03-03T16:04:00.000-08:00

Here we are on the "tail" end of winter, and it seems everyone is either sick or has just recovered from a cold or the flu. Well, doggies get sick, too! This week let's meet some brave canines on the comeback from what ails them.

Let's meet Mona, a Golden Retriever/German Shepherd mix. While Mona is in tip-top physical shape, she does suffer from a high degree of shyness. She's not neurotic, as in "Why are you looking at me? BAAARK!!!" She's just easily startled by loud noises, sudden movements, and circus clowns (oh wait, that last one is my own personal phobia). There wasn't a single bark to be heard during our walk, but she did crouch in fear for a second when a a car honked up the street and when a truck rumbled past.

Now here's the thing about shyness: it can be overcome with a little bit of time and TLC. And then what would you have? Mona with all her beauty plus confidence. You can't lose with a combo like that!

Seriously, Mona is hot. So act fast. Adopt this girl now, 'cause she won't stay single, er, in need of adoption for long.

Strutting her stuff:

Sha-la-la-la, my brown-eyed girl:

If you haven't knocked over your computer while running out of your house in a sprint to adopt Mona and are still here, then perhaps redheads are more your bag. [Yes, this is our most objectifying, un-PC entry so far. I'll try to pull it back a bit.] That brings us to Ferron, a super-sweet German Shepherd/Lab Retriever mix. Ferron and I went for the shortest walk ever. That's because Ferron is on meds for heartworm right now and is therefore restricted to 5-minute walks. Again, a temporary state of affairs. We only got one photo on account of the short walk. Still, Ferron seemed to accept her current situation with grace and didn't leash-pull, whine, or utter nary a peep of complaint when it was time to return. Classy, sophisticated, and she's got the cutest face that just wants to kiss you and kiss you. Since 5-minutes is such a small time slot, I think I'll be walking this gal a lot more these next few weeks till she's all better (and adopted)!

**********

UPDATE from April 2, 2008: Whoa, Ferron is famous! She's featured in this week's Guardian in the ad for the S.F. SPCA, complete with her photo and bio. You're a star, Ferron! Represent, girl!!!

**********

Finally we have Sara, a Rhodesian Ridgeback mix patiently awaiting her turn (and your attention). I didn't actually walk Sara. We had a gentle in-room training and play session. Sara is recovering from having a couple benign cysts removed from her back. So she was shaved there and for the time being she gets to wear this very regal-looking towel around her neck like it's Party-at-the-Palms in Vegas. But has she got an exotic-looking face. Actually she's stunning. My snapshots don't even do her justice here. You'll just have to come in and meet her. (Sara adds: "Please.") SO polite!
As of 2/29/08:
Mona...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Ferron...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Sara...not available yet.

Awards Day

2008-02-26T21:30:00.000-08:00

This being Award Season, today I'd like to present some awards to our beloved and available dogs.

First, the award for Best Eye Contact Maintained During a Walk. And the award goes to...Tanner! He's a Lab Retriever mix. Tanner earned this award by virtue of his consistent eye contact during our 3 loops around the park. Every few strides, he'd look up at me for direction and just to "check in." This is a difficult but prized skill to train a dog. So believe me when I say that Tanner's got da skills!

Photo evidence below, taken during actual walk...

Now let's meet the recipient of our Exceeding Expectations the Farthest award. Tigger is a brown brindle Catahoula Leopard Hound mix. He has been noted by other volunteers as mouthy. Mouthiness is when a dog uses his mouth not to bite but to to grab the leash, your pant leg, even your hand or arm as you try to suit him up for a walk. That's bad manners, and we don't want that! However, Tigger behaved so well in his room, where we met for the first time, and during his entire walk that he had this award in the bag with ease. He was visibly excited to get out for the walk, sure, yet he minded his manners the entire time. This was clear even from a distance--a citizen approached us in the park to pet him during our walk and Tigger played the perfect SPCA ambassador. He even sat first, without a treat or anything!

Next up is the Academic Achievement award. And the winner is...Hildy! She's a Hound/mix and an Academy Dog. That means she's been selected to receive private training from a dog trainer in our Academy. Her expected graduation date is March 5th...Unless she's like me, in which case she'll get booted out senior year, move to the mean streets of Montreal to play cheesy 80's cover songs in bars to drunken American Culture-craving-Canadians, then take classes part-time at the community college to try to bring up her G.P.A., apply to be reinstated, return to the program on academic probation, and finally graduate a full 3 years late along with just one stoner kid still left over from her original freshman class.

But don't worry, I don't think Hildy's anything like me (academically speaking).

She'll be available upon graduation. If you'd like to take her home, talk to us here at the SPCA and you can meet her and make all the necessary arrangements in advance!

As of 2/22/08:

Tigger...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

Tanner...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.

Hildy...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION on March 5th.

Presidential Dogs

2008-02-19T17:41:00.000-08:00

It's President's Day! It's a day off for many folks, but doggies still gotta get their walks.

When it comes to dogs wearing those protective plastic cones ("Elizabethan collars", "plastic lampshades") on their heads, our first instinct--well, mine, at least--is to recall the jokes we've heard about them and perhaps add a joke or two to the list. On second thought, I don't remember ever hearing an actual joke about those things, but they just look so funny. I mean, c'mon, it's hard to look dignified when you've got one of those on your noggin.

Then I met Callie. Sporting a protective cone on her pretty little head, Callie taught me something today. She taught me about limitations. The cone became the limitation that defined her awesomeness. Callie doesn't seem to know that she's got the cone on her head, doesn't seem to care, and exhibits a lust for life that no cone could hinder. As soon as we got the leash on her, Callie was so excited and happy she made a push for the door, followed by the "skreeeet" sound of the cone bending to her will. This approach continued outdoors, where Callie investigated every shrub and fire hydrant she desired without giving an apparent thought to the cone going "skreeeet" as it tried to assert its physical space.

I think we've all learned something today. Callie doesn't let her limitations get in her way. Maybe, just maybe, we shouldn't focus on our limitations either and instead put our energy into achieving our goals and living life to its fullest.

If you could use a daily, living example of what The Big Lebowski describes as "a life of achievement...challenges met, competitors bested, obstacles overcome," then Callie just may be your future bestest little buddy.

As of 2/19/08:
Callie...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION pending a medical exam.

Week 2

2008-01-28T14:23:00.000-08:00

We are now knee-deep in the rainy season here in San Francisco...which means for all those un-neutered pets out there, it's balls-deep. And today it was raining cats and dogs in the city. This all-day, all-night storm of Biblical proportions seemed to cleanse the squallid Babylon that is Avanzino Park, where I walk the SPCA dogs. All the usual suspects (I use that term literally) had abandoned this outdoor den of iniquity for drier pastures, and the dogs and I had the park to ourselves. Slogging along in solitude and soaked to the bone, it struck me that I was fully enjoying myself. This came as a surprise because in the driving wind and rain, it would follow that one would be in total misery. But I was happy. It dawned on me that I've learned "how to be miserable," or more accurately, how to relish potentially miserable conditions. I learned this from a book: the excellent, excellent guide The War of Art . Check it! Incidentally, it's 1 of the 3 books that changed my life. The other 2 are Pat the Bunny and Everyone Poops--thanks to the writers' strike, both of these are set to become major motion pictures this coming year!

Now that my opening monologue is out of the way, let's meet our featured dogs. Today I walked 2 dogs from last week, getting to know them a little better, plus a great new guy:

Oso...the confirmed hottie we met last week.

Kody...the soccer dog.

Curly...a world-class sprinter (and jumper, but we're working on that).

The best news first. Today the shelter halls were pretty empty on account of the hideous weather, but a resident of a local beachfront community came in and met Curly. Then I walked Curly, and when we returned to the shelter, he'd been officially adopted. I walk the dogs on Friday and post these entries on Monday, so by the time you're reading this Curly is surely enjoying running on the sandy beaches of Pacifica, CA.

As I mentioned above, Curly is a jumper. This means he's inclined to jump up on you when the excitement of the moment overtakes him. Our motto with dogs like Curly is "four on the floor." We work on this with the dogs every day, rewarding every "sit" until the jumping stops for good. On the day of Curly's adoption, his sitting was on the rise and a marked downward trend in occurrences of his jumping was observed. A marked downward trend...hey, that sounds like our economy!
Now, onto our dogs who are still available for adoption. Kody, whom we first met here in Week 1, continues to impress me. Today in his room he sat for me on command through the other side of the door. See fig.'s 1 and 2, below.

And on a chair, no less! Throw in a St. Bernard and a collie and Kody'll be ready to pose for a painting of poker-playing-dogs.

I was surprised to see Oso still around today, as such beauties usually get adopted in a heartbeat. Come in and meet him now if you're ready to bring home a big, sweet-natured bear of a chow! Before our walk Oso showed off his crate skills.

As if that impressive display weren't enough, behold Oso not even trying to chase or lunge after the birds in the top of the photo below during our walk. Definitely not a leash puller. If my grandmothers were still with us today, they could walk this big guy with ease. What a well-trained boy!* *"Just like you," Valerie tells me.

As of 1/25/08:
Oso...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION pending a dental checkup.
Kody...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Curly...ADOPTED!

Week 1

2008-01-21T15:32:00.000-08:00

This here is Week 1 of DogBlog. It's also my first day of the new year back at the SFSPCA, having been on vacation in Washington, D.C. and Baja, Mexico. Did you know that in Baja, every town is allotted 1 stray dog by the government? And that each of these dogs loves to saunter into the middle of the road just as you drive into town, forcing you to slam on the brakes every time? This tradition is observed religiously by every dog we encountered.

Almost every dog who was here at the shelter last month in December '07 has been adopted. Here are three new dogs I got to know today:

Oso...A big fluffy chow.
Kody...A high-energy yellow labrador retriever.
Banta...I forgot her name as soon as I got her out the door so I decided instead to call her Borat during our walk.

Have you ever noticed how the attractiveness index of a person or an animal can rise based on repeated external validation? Allow me to demonstrate. The following event took place as I was walking Oso in the park near the shelter:

Lady in the park, raspy-voiced: "Oooh, that's a cute dog."
Me: "He's available for adoption."
Lady: "I'd rather adopt YOU!"
[I continue jogging past with Oso, trying not to laugh.]
Lady: "I'd rather adopt you, 'cuz I think you'd be easier to taaame!"

Many have tried. None have succeeded. Farewell and good luck to you, Lady in the Park.

Moments later, as we were crossing 16th street on our way back to the shelter, a woman we passed in the crosswalk saw Oso and cried out, "Oh, you are gorgeous, aren't you!" So there you have it, folks: bring Oso home and you'll have yourself a confirmed beauty!

Many of our labrador retrievers at the shelter (and sometimes other breeds as well) I call "soccer dogs." These dogs will dive through the air to catch a flying soccer ball, catch it with their front paws, and stop the ball on the ground. Then they will nudge the ball to you or wait for you to take it and pass it back to them. It blew my mind the first time I witnessed this. Kody is a verified soccer dog. I discovered this on our first lap around the soccer field when he dove for a ball coming towards us from the other side of the fence. If you were to bring Kody home, you'd have yourself a loyal new teammate!

Banta is a big dog with a lot of poise. She is also a housebroken dog and very well-behaved. At the moment she is recovering from spay surgery and then is going to her new home--she was just adopted!

As of 1/18/08:
Oso...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Kody...AVAILABLE FOR ADOPTION.
Banta...ADOPTED!