Puppy Love

Over Thanksgiving, I had the opportunity to meet Z, a gorgeous ten week old Akita pup.  I was visiting my best friend J (and also her husband, J, and son, J ... yep, lots of J's in that house, and they are three of my favorite people in the world, so it's always great to get to see them, which isn't as often as I would like since they live four hours away.)  

Almost as soon as I walked in the door, she said "Hey, do you want to go see the neighbor's new puppy?"  Um ... is the Pope Catholic?  And so, after I finished smooching J's fur children (including her Beagle, Stella and dilute calico polydactyl kitty, Sydney - who you might have seen if you follow us on Instagram), we headed out to go see baby Z.

I have always loved Akitas ... they are certainly not a dog for everyone, but this particular family is knowledgeable and passionate about the breed, and had recently lost their previous Akita, C., so it was  incredibly heartwarming to see how much joy little Z. was bringing to their home.  I had never met these particular neighbors of J's before, but as often happens, a shared love of dogs made it seem like the most natural thing in the world to sit around on a stranger's living room floor and coo puppy silliness to baby Z.  As I happened to have my camera with me, I snapped a few pictures, and while most of them were not very good, (Z. was a bundle of puppy energy, and I tend to do a lot better in instances where my subjects are relatively still due to my ineptitude behind the camera) there were a few that came out decently.  Not being one to keep all that puppy adorableness to myself, I thought  I would share those with you.  Too bad the puppy breath doesn't translate ... 

 * As a side note, I am not a fan of "choke" collars, particularly on puppies, but I didn't feel it was my place to say anything in this case. 

50 Shelters - 50 States: Georgia

Hi, everyone!  It's the MP, here to continue our 50/50 Tour.  We're in Georgia today, and just look at these peaches I have for you to meet!

This is Scooter! 

Isn't he just adorable?  Now, I must confess ... I grew up with Beagles (a few different family members had them), and am the proud aunt of a lovely Beagle girl, S., who belongs to my best friend J.  So I am a bit partial to these guys.  But in all honesty - who WOULDN'T fall in love with Scooter?!!!  This guy is reportedly very affectionate and wants to be a lap dog.  He is neutered, housebroken, and crate-trained, and gets along well with cats and other dogs?  Potential adopters, though, should be aware that no matter how well-trained they might otherwise be, Beagles are scenthounds, and often, aptly, termed "a nose with legs."  They will follow their nose to just about anywhere, including right into oncoming traffic.  So if you adopt Scooter, make sure to keep him on a leash when not in a securely fenced area!

Can you offer Scooter a loving home?  He's waiting for you at the Humane Society of Griffin-Spalding County

So give them a call at 770-229-4925 or email them at catsanddogs4you@yahoo.com

And here is a little girl who is just going to melt your heart!  Meet Fanny!

Fanny is a lovely longhaired calico girl who has had a rough time of things.  As a kitten, she fell victim, as many cats and kittens allowed to roam around outside do, to a car engine.  Her leg was broken in two places and she lost an eye.  Now, as a young adult, she is waiting at the Barnesville Lamar County Humane Society in Barnesville, GA, for her luck to change.  This is one little girl who has certainly earned her happy ending!  If you or someone you know is interested in making Fanny a part of their family, they can call 770-468-1409 or email blchumanesoc@bellsouth.net

50 Shelters / 50 States - Florida

Happy Saturday, everyone!  MP here ... continuing the 50/50 in my home state of Florida. 

And in this case, it wasn't hard to decide to choose a dog and cat from a shelter right here in Tampa.

Meet Buddy ...

How cute is he?!!!!!!!!!  Buddy is currently residing at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay .  He's a two and a half year old male terrier mix.  He's also housebroken, neutered, and, unfortunately, heartworm positive, but has already started his treatment, and is available for adoption immediately.  Frankly, it's about all I can do to stop myself from going down to the shelter tomorrow and adopting him myself.  I might, though, take a drive down there and see if I can meet him in person and find out some more about him for a followup post. 

While I'm at it, the Humane Society of Tampa Bay also has many other lovely dogs available for adoption.  Here are just a few of them: 

Tink - 4 year old female Beagle mix

Rugby - 11 month old male Shepherd mix

Roco - 1.5 year old Tibetan Terrier mix

And now for the felines ...

Meet Sherlock! 

He's a two year old male domestic longhair - and although the information on his profile page is a bit sparse, one look into this guy's striking face makes me want to get to know him better.  What a gorgeous boy! 

And he's not the only one ... the Humane Society of Tampa Bay has dozens of wonderful cats just waiting for loving homes.  Here are just a few more ...

Saber - male domestic shorthaired tabby

Molly - 2 year old female calico domestic shorthair

Sanga - 2 year old female domestic longhair

Any of these beauties can be seen at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay at 3607 North Armenia Avenue in Tampa.  Their phone # is 813-876-7138 or you can email them at Ben@humanesocietytampa.org

And a HUGE thank you to Krista Sparkman of Krista Sparkman Photography for donating her time to take photographs of the animals at the Humane Society of Tampa Bay and help them be adopted. 

P.S.  Exciting news ...  I was THRILLED to learn, earlier this week, that Ares, the sweet boy profiled in the last 50-50 post has been ADOPTED!!!!!!!!!!  Not that we had anything to do with it, but we're very excited just the same, and are planning a followup post on Ares, hopefully to include an interview with his new adoptive mom, in the next week or two.