Less Adoptable Pets in Madison, Wisconsin

This week is Petfinder's Adopt-a-Less-Adoptable-Pet week and Be the Change for Pets challenged us to find a local less adoptable pet and promote him or her on our blogs. I had a specific dog in mind that I wanted to promote.  I had met her when we were adopting Rory and even got to play with her for a little while.  However, when I went to the list of adoptable dogs on my local shelter's website to see if she was still there, the first dog that popped up on the list was one who has been waiting for a home since June of 2009. That's a long time to wait for a home.  He was only recently added to the website because he has been in foster care getting help with some of the issues that make him less adoptable.

So, what is this pup to do? Which dog do I promote?  Well, of course, I couldn't choose one and ignore the other so I would like you to meet both Kingsley and Gabby.

First, let me tell you a little about Kingsley:

Kingsley is a male chihuahua who has been waiting for a home since June 2009.  He has several things that put him in the less adoptable pet category and will need a special home willing to help him with his special needs. If you look at the petfinder survey on reasons why pets are hard to place, you will find that medical problems and shyness are number 2 and number 4.  Kingsley is both shy and has medical problems. Kingsley was a puppy mill dog who was not cared for or socialized properly when he was young.  As a result, he is easily overwhelmed by new situations or meeting new people.  He suffers from seizures, which are fortunately well controlled by medication.  In many shelters, he would have been deemed unadoptable and sent to the Rainbow Bridge but he was fortunate enough to end up in our local shelter and have the opportunity to work on his shyness with the help of a loving foster family.  He is now at a point where his foster mom thinks he is ready to move on to a furever home and be someone else's adorable, snuggly lap dog.  He has not been around children but does live with two other chihuahuas and a cat.  Larger  dogs, like me, make him nervous so he needs a home without us big guys around.  If you think you are that special home and have room in your heart for Kingsley, please call or visit the Dane County Humane Society (608 838 0413) and let them know you'd like to meet him.  Here are his details: http://www.giveshelter.org/sitemgr/animal?id=7749281

Next, I would like you to meet Gabby:

Gabby is a beautiful girl, who wears @frugaldougal's famous "one ear up, one ear down" look very well. Look at that happy face!  Trust me, her pictures do not do her justice, this is one pretty dog - put a pink collar and harness on this girl and she will be the most stylish dog in town!  Gabby has been waiting for a home since June 1st of this year.  I met her when we were adopting Rory.  She's fun, friendly, and likes to play so why is she having such a hard time finding a home?  Well, most likely because of the number 3 reason on the Petfinder survey - breed prejudice.  Gabby is a pitbull terrier.  Not only are our shelters full of pitbulls, the breed is perceived as aggressive and this means that they are low on people's list of pets they want to adopt.  Properly socialized and trained, a pitbull can make a wonderful pet.  They are fun-loving dogs who want to please.  We meet a lovely pure-bred pitbull on our walk sometimes and our puppy, Rory, loves playing with her. 

Gabby is an energetic dog who loves to play and will need an active owner who can give her lots of exercise.  She is cleared for kids over age 10 but would be a bit too much dog for young children.  She loves to snuggle and have her belly rubbed and, unlike me, she is treat motivated so would do well in training classes.  She'd also love to take her new family to Dane County Humane Society's Positively Pitties classes to help them learn more about the breed, help her learn good manners, and ensure a successful adoption.  

If you have room in your heart for Gabby, please call or visit the Dane County Humane Society (608 838 0413) so you can meet her.  Here is her information: http://www.giveshelter.org/sitemgr/animal?id=10644871

If you are thinking about a pet, do take a look at the pets that have been in your shelter a long time.  Often they are overlooked because everyone assumes there is something wrong with them when no-one wants them.  You never know, that less-adoptable pet might be the perfect companion you are looking for.

Just woofing....

My new brother, Rory Monkey Mutt

I have been very remiss about my blog so I'm going to try to do a better job in the future.  I thought I'd start by telling you all about my new brother, Rory.

Rory is 4-5 months old and he is a lab/hound mix who came home with us 4 weeks ago from my alma mater, the Dane County Humane Society.  Like me, Rory started off in another shelter before coming to DCHS.  In Rory's case, he started out closer to home at the Richland Area Rescue and was transferred to DCHS with his brother.  Mum met them when she was picking the kids up from Animal Careers Camp.  Every summer, the DCHS runs summer day camps for kids and our kids have gone to them for the last 3 years.  On the last day of camp, the kids give their parents a tour of the Shelter and that's when Mum met Rory and his brother.

Both pups had some little injuries on them and mum decided to ask about them.  You can see Rory's injury just left of his left eye in the picture at the top of this story. That led to her and the kids meeting Rory, playing with him, taking him for a walk and deciding he should join our family.  

Rory giving Mum the "take me home" eyes at the shelter.

Sounds simple?  Well, it wasn't quite that easy.  Before he could come home, I had to meet him to make sure he was a suitable addition to the family, and the DCHS staff had to be satisfied that we would get along and be a good match for each other. I think it's a good thing they're so particular about it as I wouldn't want some ruffian dog to come home with us and spoil the cushy gig I've got going here!

The next day, I got in the car and off we went.  It was very, very hot that day and the shelter was very busy so they weren't ready for the meet and greet when we arrived.  While we were waiting, we went for a walk and the kids showed me around the trails surrounding the shelter.  Now, with my big fuzzy coat, I don't really like the heat so, by the time I met Rory, I was hot and tired and didn't really feel like playing.  Mum was gobsmacked - Fergus meeting another dog and not wanting to play???  Totally unheard of! Maybe it was a good thing though. They had told us Rory was scared of other dogs so we weren't sure if it would work out with a big energetic dog like me.  Instead, because I was playing hard to get, after I gave him a sniff, he play-bowed and tried his hardest to get me to play with him! Of course, I pretty much ignored him - you have to let these pups know who's boss.

Since the DCHS staff didn't see us interacting very much, we had to go back the next day when I wasn't so tired and try again.  The next day wasn't so hot and everything went well with the meet and greet so Rory came home with us that day and he's been here ever since.

First day home - vying for attention from my girl

So far, everything has gone well.  I love having dog company and have been very patient and tolerant with him, even when he "borrows" my rawhides.  There are lots more treats to be had these days because Rory is training.  I find that, if I hang around and show him what to do, I can score a treat too.

Showing Rory how to get treats - works every time :)

Rory is settling in well and we're glad he came home with us.  The kids are enjoying him and even Arthur cat puts up with him.  In fact, don't tell anyone, but yesterday, I saw Rory giving Arthur a face wash and Arthur didn't even raise a paw.  I was sure he'd feel the lightning paw of ear whacks for that transgression!  In case, you're wondering, Rory's brother was adopted by another family the same day mum and the kids met Rory so it was happy tails for both pups :)

Mum is going to BlogPaws

Mum is very excited because she is going to BlogPaws to meet some of my friends and/or their staff.  I am not terribly happy about this as she will not be here to pay attention to me!  No matter how much fun I have at the kennels, I have decided to act miserable when she picks me up so that she feels guilty!  She says I can't go to BlogPaws because (1) I am too big for the hotel (weight limit is 40lbs - I'm 54lbs and she doesn't seem to understand how well I can suck in my stomach when needed!),(2) I probably would not behave - well that's a given (harumph!) but why is that remotely relevant???

I am consoling myself with the fact that BlogPaws will not be any fun without me.  Mum, on the other hand, can't wait to meet some of our anipals and their peeps.  In fact, the more I think about it, she's way too excited about it and seems to have lost track of the fact that I WON'T BE THERE!!!!

Anyway, I hope everyone has a fantastic time and, if you see mum, be nice to her - it'll make up for how miserable I will make her for leaving me behind! Just in case you think I'm bad, Arthur the cat is already making her feel guilty and she hasn't even left yet and, trust me, where my doggy brain will forget all about this in about 10 minutes, his kitty brain will hold a grudge for weeks!

Prayers Please

I wouldn't normally ask for this but I need some prayers or any extra help my anipals can send. My cousin is a foster mum. She is mum to a baby who has lived with her since he was 3 days old.  He is now 1 year and has recently been diagnosed with a rare type of brain tumour.  He's undergone 3 surgeries, chemotherapy, and is currently in hospital on a ventilator.  His fostermum has spent months in hospital with him and recently got him home, only to have him rushed into hospital again.   Having seen the power of anipals, I am asking my friends to include Keiron in their puurayers because this little man needs all the help he can get.  He's a lovely litttle guy who is facing this latest challenge bravely in the arms of a very loving foster family.  His foster-mum has been with him day and night at the hospital and is worried sick about him.  Mum met this little guy over the summer and he is a lovely, adorable baby. Please help him by praying for his reovery. Right now, it's not looking good,  Any help you can give him would be much appreciated.  Right now, we're keeping all fingers an paws crossed for his recovery.


Lots of love
Fergus

What a difference a B makes!

I decided to update my blog but missed the B when I typed the URL and typed http://www.fergusthemutt.logspot.com/ instead of .blogspot.com.  I ended up at the Mega Site of Bible Verses.  Maybe someone's trying to tell me something?  BOL!

And the winner is......

*drum roll*.........................

Fred!

Thank you to everyone who voted :)
Special thanks to @Kolo_Martin for such a wonderful pwize.

I won, I won, I won!!!!

In case you didn't hear, I won a donkey!!!! Dougal announced it on his blog this morning.  I'm so excited my whole body is wagging.  The donkey won't come to live with me - it is much better off where it is at the nice donkey sanctuary on the Isle of Wight with other donkeys to play with.  Here, it would only have me and Arthur and I can't see Arthur playing with a donkey somehow.  Besides, I'm not sure Mum would be too happy about picking up donkey poop!  However, the lucky donkey gets me as its adopted dad and I even get an adoption certificate with a picture of my donkey on it.  The pwize was donated by my Twitter buddy, @Kolo_Martin and he has promised he'll visit my donkey and tell it all about me. What a pawesome idea for a #pawpawty pwize and a great way to help animals.  Thanks Kolo!!!!!!!

The Isle of Wight is a long way from Wisconsin.  It's just off the South coast of England, opposite Southampton, which is kind of funny really because Mum used to live in Southampton before she came to the States.  She was there for three and a half years but never made it to the Isle of Wight.  I will have to try and persuade her to take a detour to visit my donkey next time she goes over to Scotland! 

Now, the hard part is going to be picking a donkey to adopt because they're all so very cute!  I'm going to enlist the help of the kids but if any of my anipals would like to try to influence the vote, please feel free to use the voting tool on the right.  I would ask Arthur to help but that would mean I'd have to wake him up and I don't think I want to do that! You can see the donkeys that are up for adoption and learn more about them here: donkeys to adopt (*whispers* I think @frugaldougal likes Archie cos he put his picture on his blog!).  I'll make a decision on the donkey tomorrow evening.

On a more serious note, I learned from the website that the teenage daughter of the family who run the donkey sanctuary has been very ill with leukemia.  Please keep Holly Clarke and her family in your thoughts and prayers as she fights her way towards recovery.  It sounds like she has had a very difficult journey since she was diagnosed in August with some serious setbacks along the way.  Keeping all four paws crossed that things start improving for her soon.

Woof soon......
Fergus

What a busy weekend... thanks to the hard work of @frugaldougal and his staff, the Anipal Olympics #pawpawty was a phenomenal success with over $1300 raised for @romeothecat's charity of the month, The Pet Samaritan Fund.

There were some amazing competitors at the Anipal Olympics and some very special Pairs Figure Skating Short Programs by Team Frugaldougal/BunnyJeanCook and Team Dog (brother and sister Mugsy and Sylvie, who are not related to me, although we do share the last name "Dog") that I managed to catch on video. You can check out their performances here: Dougal and Bunny  Sylvie and Mugsy

I competed in the Snowboarding Half-Pipe but only after many bacon beers. Unfortunately, I didn't do so well and crashed rather spectacularly. Perhaps "Wipeout" by the Surfaris wasn't the best choice of music to listen to on my Idog while competing?  I wasn't the only one to not finish my event though. @Yoda_the_dog had an early exit from the extreme downhill skiing event and ended up being rescued by some rather attractive St.Bernards. Unfortunately, he fell head over heels in love with one of his rescuers and they ended up having to rescue him again. Much to my shame, I was too busy uploading the video and didn't go to help. Lucky for me, Yoda is enough of a thrill seeker that he quickly forgave me when he found out I got it on video. BOL!! If you haven't seen the video, check it out here: Yoda's Radical Downhill Run

More later....
Fergus

Fergus started a blog

Well, I finally got around to starting a blog. Now I have to think of something to woof about! Watch this space.......