Jonathon

[rpcrowe]

More dog pictures from Richard... Jonathon is an approximately 7-month old Maltese-Mix who sat in an L.A. Shelter for over a month. He was listed as a 4-year old terrier and was therefore missed by American Maltese Rescue. However, our volunteers was going through the shelter images one by one and as soon as she saw him, she realized he was a Maltese mix. We pulled him from the shelter and sent him to our vet . This handsome little boy is now groomed and healthy, neutered, microchipped and ready for adoption.

[AB26]

Aha, got you Richard. #1 you got the nose in focus, what about the eyes?

[rpcrowe]

Andre... Thanks for noticing that. It was a bad job of sharpening. I think that I have corrected it a bit and reposted the correction. Here's another shot...


Here is the I.D. Picture that the shelter shot. This is also the picture that they had on their website to attract prospective adopters

[terrib]

That doesn't even look like the same dog! It looks like a jailhouse photo with that number below it. What were they thinking? Glad he found his way to your home! I like the last of your pics the best.

[rpcrowe]

IMO, Maltese and Maltese Mix dogs like a Maltipoo (Maltese + Poodle) are handsome looking dogs. Unfortunately, they need extensive coat care. Dogs that arrive in shelters, either as strays or owner surenders usually have not been groomed and often look ratty. Sometimes terribly ratty and terribly smelly!







If I don't have a shelter picture which shows how bad the dog looks, I will shoot an entry picture so we have a baseline image and can see from where our rescue dogs have progressed. I don't usually care much about the quality of the entry image. In fact, they are often quick snapshots because the dogs frequently stink so bad that they go straight from our front door to the bath..

Here is Carly in her entry image:


And here is Carly about two hours after she arrived and after grooming by my wife...


Unfortunately, like in the case of Carly, the dogs sometime arrive with their coats so matted that the only recourse is to give them a very close crop. It is still a quantum improvement from the entry image...

[Marie Hass]

Awwww....Richard, you have made me want to look into this breed as a rescue. I feel very strongly about adopting a rescue, as I have done this on several occasions over the years. All of my cats were rescues. Two of my dogs were rescues, and we have rescued a few horses. And I still have Cheyanne. She is a rescue also. You have commented on her picture.

What a big difference in the before and afters!

Marie

[mammarazzi]

Gosh doesn't he scrub up well! what a handsome dog. I have had 2 rescue dogs, a Harlequin Great Dane and a German Shepherd at the same time, but don't have one at the moment. Maybe when my kiddies have gone to Uni I might consider another one, a bit smaller than my last 2 though x

[Harpo]

You would think the shelters would make their job easier for people to want to adopt these rescues if they gave them a bath/groom before their mug shots!

You mention the Maltese volunteers scour thru shelter images looking for Malteese dogs to rescue and prepare for adoption… I hope other breeds are as lucky as the Maltese!

[rpcrowe]

Here is the latest adiion to our fur-family. Valentina is an approximately 7-month old Maltese-Mix rescue who was surrendered by a family because of a "biting problem". She apparently scratched their toddler with her teeth...





This little dog was very fearful when she arrived but, is now better adjusted after less than a week in our home. She no longer hides and she readily comes when I call her. Her "biting" appears to have been the normal teething of a puppy. We are changing that behavior, not with any drastic punishment (which I suspect she had received before) but with a consistant and steady correction. This is already working. She is sitting in my lap as I type this. But she will not go to a home with young kids...

I love the interaction of dogs and children and I always had a dog buddy as I grew up. Unfortunately some families don't know anything about dog behavor and also don't know how to instruct their kids to interface with a dog. We make it a policy not to adopt to families with young kids and many other rescue groups have the same policy. That is a shame because IMO, there is nothing better for a kid than to grow up giving and getting love from a dog.

[SilverYeou]

I did not expect to find so many people here that are for rescuing animals. I volunteer at an animal shelter, and all my animals - since I was a kid - were rescued (either taken from the shelters, either right from the streets). While it would make it easier to find an owner if the animal is groomed, most of the shelters survive with donations and sometimes a little financial help from the government. It is impossible to pay for all animals. It would be nice of people that work in this area to volunteer sometimes (most of the time the animals just need basic care, anyways, since most shelters do shower them).
Very nice to see people rescuing them and giving them a new home!

[rpcrowe]

A way for a photographer to help animals in the shelters is to volunteer to shoot portraits. Many shelters will welcome that help. Of course, it is pretty hard to shoot a picture of a really scruffy animal and make it look good. However, there is at least one Southern California shelter that has both volunteer groomers and volunteer photographers...

Good pictures are a life and death matter for shelter dogs...

[KHarmon]

I don't know if I have mentioned it before or not, but now is as good as time as any. I admire and appreciate what you do for these dogs. I am a dog lover and have had many dogs of various breeds in my life time. I lost my last dog four years ago and have given a lot of thought to a replacement recently. Currently looking into the possibility of a Pembroke Corgi, another basset, or perhaps even a German Shepherd. Once again, thanks for getting these guys out of the shelter and getting them good homes. My sister, who is dying of cancer, worked many years in a shelter and is a huge advocate for adoption.

KHarmon

[wilgk]

That first image is fantastic, I even like the degree of eye sharpness.... A funny thing I have a friend here who is involved in a similar group - I found that out, when I did volunteer pics for her at a motor Neurone Disease research fundraiser event..
Volunteer type people must attract each other!
Anyway absolutely gorgeous pics of this little guy.

[rpcrowe]

I don't know if I have mentioned it before or not, but now is as good as time as any. I admire and appreciate what you do for these dogs. I am a dog lover and have had many dogs of various breeds in my life time. I lost my last dog four years ago and have given a lot of thought to a replacement recently. Currently looking into the possibility of a Pembroke Corgi, another basset, or perhaps even a German Shepherd. Once again, thanks for getting these guys out of the shelter and getting them good homes. My sister, who is dying of cancer, worked many years in a shelter and is a huge advocate for adoption.

KHarmon

Kris, I am sorry to hear about your sister. My prayers are with you both...

I don't know if you are familiar with www.petfinder.com but, that is a good place to begin searching for a rescue animal.

We, like many rescue organizations will rescue dogs from shelters, we especially try to get dogs out of high-kill shelters.

The advantage of getting a dog from a legitimate rescue group is that the dog has been living in a foster home and the rescue group can let you know about the dog's behavior and general health. Most rescue organizations are honest about a dog's health and temperament. We want an adoption to be into a furever home.

Additionally, it is difficult to ascertain a dog's behavor whle it is confined in a shelter. We usually see amazing changes in our rescue dogs right at about two weeks after they leave the shelter.