Princess Pepper T. Lincecum

She's 11 years old and looks it. Greying muzzle, warty, lumpy, wonky hips, but one doesn’t really see all that. One sees that happy tail, that beautiful face reaching up for touch, and the carefree body wiggle when she spots pretty much anyone.

                 She wasn’t that open when she came to live at my house. It’s been a new and wondrous adventure for all of us; myself, my two little guys - Munchie and Mutley, also from Give a Dog a Bone - and her especially. After having led an unbelievably barren life for most of her 11 years, moving into a home with furniture, music, television, other people, doggie beds and water bowls everywhere, and in particular, enough food, she’s well on her way to being a regular dog. All new to her.

                 She eats regularly, something else new, and when she first began to recognize doggie meal preparation indicators, my heart stung at the sight of her drool on the floor. She was so very anxious. After around three months, she still gets a bit worried around meal time, but her progression from high level anxiety to almost mere nervousness is so gratifying.

           She rearranges the dog beds frequently, and curls up in the smallest of beds. She hops in pleasure and heads for the front door when she spies her leash in my hand. She is able to settle now, unlike when she first moved in, unable to relax.       
She loves riding in the car. She loves going on walks.  Her favorite place to go turned out to be Bernal Hill, as soon as she discovered the joy of trolling for gophers. If staring into holes on the hill for long periods of time was an Olympic event, the Princess would win the gold medal hands down.                

            She’s slowed down some, my theory being that she finally feels safe, and I think that if she spoke English, she would now be able to define the word “home”. She IS safe, she is cherished, the boys are comfortable around her, and she with them. I do not allow her to make mistakes with them. We have had, of course, some “faux paws”, not at all unexpected, but our learning curve continually steadies.

            When we go upstairs at night, she hums softly as I kneel and tuck her into her bed, covers up to her neck. Bedtime rituals have developed. Pepper sleeps on two soft beds, with a lovely heavy quilt covering her.                                                                   

         I feel almost compelled to photograph her. I have to document that she has a life, that she is a good weight now. Not just for me, but for her shelter family, who have greatly loved and cared for her. Each of us remembers being stricken by our first sight of her, every rib visible, her bony skull, her graying muzzle.                                                                                                    We’re well aware that Pepper’s life, her life now, is to be recognized and cheered. I don’t need to say why that is so. Soon she’ll just be a regular dog. I can’t think of anything better.

 For more on Pepper and from whence she hailed:                   

 read incorrigible animal lover Eileen Mitchell's column in the San Francisco Chronicle/SFGate at http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgif=/c/a/2010/12/29/DDAV1GUCSQ.DTL

              "Give a Dog a Bone cares for animals in custody"

  (Please note Pepper’s unique necklace.
     It’s made of 2010 World Series tix.
        The Princess is a diehard SF Giants fan.
            She looooves Orange Fridays in particular)  
 - AND -  from the January 2011 issue of the Bay Woof:
http://baywoof.com/1101.HappyTails.shtml.
    (scroll down Happy Tails for Princess Pepper T. Lincecum )

Update: Danni the Great

Now, this is a happy ending.

Do you remember Dandelion? She's the adorable girl who came in to Give a Dog a Bone under some unfortunate circumstances. She was instantly a favorite...and how could she not be? All love, this little girl wanted nothing but affection, attention, and to crawl into a lap. She was very lucky to be fostered by some very kind and patient foster parents while she was put up for adoption through Grateful Dogs Rescue.

I just so happened to be Dandy's biggest fan, and sent out an email to friends and coworkers, touting her adorableness (is that a word?). A very good friend of mine from Sacramento happened to share this email with her friend/coworker, who just happened to be looking for a 3rd dog to join their family.

A few days later, Barbara was on her way down to San Francisco.

Now, no story doesn't have a few bumps, and there were a few little bumps when Dandy, now deemed Danni, joined her new family. The dogs all had to adjust to the new dynamic. But, because they were committed to making it work, Barbara and her husband took the time to learn how to make all of the dogs comfortable in their roles in the family. And soon, the dogs were doing great, and Danni was even going to doggie school, and from what I hear, was the best dog in the class.

Plenty of exercise, dog companions, loving owners...this girl hit the jackpot.

"I am so excited to have her, she brings such great energy to our family," said Barbara in an email to me, and I have to say...it makes me a little verklempt every time I think about Danni, starting out behind the bars of the shelter, and now...well, look for yourself...







So, thanks to Corinne for running a program that allows such happy endings to occur, and thanks to Jordan and Ellie for being great foster parents, thanks to Grateful Dogs Rescue for putting Danni in their program...and thanks to Barbara for giving the girl a chance...and for making a special little pittie's dreams come true!

Formerly Cui, now a happy Henri, on his way to his new home.

Henri spots his stuffie in the air and readies himself to catch it.

Although still a little skittish,
his socialization is coming along mahvelously, and his new parents couldn't be more ready for him. He's met his new siblings, also poodles, he'll be seeing a vet regularly, groomed regularly, and tons of exercise with his new family.

"They're working dogs, you know", his new mom said proudly.

Au revoir, Monsieur Henri!

Jojo FINALLY leaves life in the shelter

Jojo is going to foster today!!!!! Grateful Dogs Rescue and I have been coordinating this for how long (?) and it is finally happening. Yay!!!!. Since mid-December, our affable, very large GSD/Akita mix, has been howling for this very thing to happen. We've been listening, big fellow, and how it hurt our ears.

Ok. Now. He is gone. Out of here! We went to the shelter park for his afternoon outing, where we met up with his foster mom, I gave her some Jojo tips and my phone #, GDR got him some fabulous food, a new bed, toys, and he jumped right into the back seat of the car, settled himself in the middle in a princely manner with his favorite yucky soft donut ring beside him, and off they went. I cannot express how I feel about him getting out of here into a good home.

And - for the icing on the cake . . . . . she works at home. How good life is at times.

If you're interested in adopting him, check out his Grateful Dog Rescue page

Way to Go Red!!!! You're adopted

Every time I spotted our little pal, renamed Red, I'd bend down as he came up towards me for a mutual love fest, and I'd wonder to myself, "now why is this is this sweet little guy still here"?

Well, just the other day, it was all made sense to me as I met his new family on their way out the shelter door with Red proudly showing off his new pack. Not only was it abundantly clear that his new daddies and his new canine buddy were not only thrilled to have finally found Red (they've been looking for ages for a good fit), but they subsequently called and could not say enough about how happy everyone was - all sleeping together, dogs busily wrestling and bustling around the house, walks are frequent, all hands on deck with affection, and - does this sound a bit like true love? Well, as one of our trainers said," Maybe Red knew they'd be coming along and has just been waiting for them". Good pick, little buddy - have a great life, I can feel it.

I Love Posts Like This

Nothing makes me happier than passing on a happy ending. We have one for one of our longtime guests, Little Papa, a spunky brindle boxer who came to us in November for a cruelty case along with his friend Bear, a pitbull. Their case ended recently with them both being surrendered over to the shelter -- this was a good outcome since their home was not a good place to be . For Little Papa, it's the best outcome. He's very adoptable and I'm sure will find a good home - in fact, he's already passed his medical and temperament tests and been moved over to the available animals section of the shelter. If you know anyone interested in adopting a loveable goof of a dog that needs tons of exercise and no small children in the house, please pass this along.

Good Luck, Murphy

How about a big give-me-paw for our longtime resident, Surfin' Murph. Murphy won his cruelty case and was officially handed over to SF Animal Care & Control last week. Bulldog Rescue swooped in to claim him and that is what we at GADAB call a happy ending. Murph, it's been a pleasure working with you. May you have an endless supply of red bandanas and snout scratches. For those interested, you can check out all of Murph's best pictures from the last year (yes a whole year).

Happy News To Report!!! Franco's Adopted

I received word today that Franco's been adopted. This is terrific news and something we see all too little of at Give a Dog a Bone. His owner has given up all claims on him and he's been taken in by a nice young couple who has a soft spot for older dogs. Good luck to you, Franco