Sonny and Cher find a new home

[rpcrowe]

No not the two entertainers... We named these two poodle mix dogs Sonny and Cher... They were found wandering in a remote area near our property, We had just seen a large coyote in that area the day before the two dogs were found, in deplorable condition, by a good Samaritan who took this picture...



No tags, only one dog wearing a collar which was so tight it had to be cut off. The Samaritan checked for lost dogs on the County Animal Control website, posted finding the dogs on our local community newsletter, on Craig's list and posted signs about the area. It was pretty obvious that the dogs had been dumped and abandoned. A lot of dogs have been dumped in that area... She called us and asked if we would help find the two darling dogs a good home. She also bathed them. This is what they looked like when they arrived at out home..



They would have looked like T-Bone steaks on the hoof to Mister Hungry Coyote...

We decided to name them Sonny and Cher because those names just seemed to suit them. We had them attended by out vet for a fecal check, all shots and the important spay and neuter. After some initial grooming, we posted them on out rescue website and we had a possible adopter in less that a day. All the adopter's information looks great and we will meet her tomorrow for a home check.

This is what the dogs look like now. Still a bit shaggy about the ears but, in generally no worse for their travel through coyote country...

Sonny


Cher


It is a sin to dump dogs and is also illegal. Although the County Shelters charge a fee if someone gives up their dog, anyone can get around that by saying the found the dog/dogs running loose. And of course there are always rescue groups like ours. We will even come an pick up an unwanted dog to save it from being dumped...

[pschlute]

Bless you for looking after these and all the other hounds

[Shadowman]

Nice recoveries and portraits.

[LePetomane]

Richard, those little cuties are lucky to have you.

[rpcrowe]

My wife and I get a lot of payback working with these dogs. Most of the time we only have them for a few weeks before they are adopted but, we can see the changes in their behavior begin...

Some who have special needs give us even more payback when they recover enough to be adopted. Duke and Dutchess are two very senior Yorkshire Terriers who belonged to a elderly lady who succumbed to cancer. A shelter would have considered them un- adoptable (And... you know what happens to dogs who are un-adoptable)



One our Los Angeles groomers heard about these dogs and drove several hundred miles to bring them to L,A., our organization president drove them another seventy-five miles South and I picked them up for the last leg of their journey. They were very shy at first but a bit of TLC combined with chicken jerky goes a long way in winning dog's hearts. We had the two dogs for several weeks and they made marvelous strides in socialization. Happily, we found this marvelous lady who decided to give the two dogs a loving home in their remaining years... They were adopted today...

There is a home for every dog and with some training and medical intervention we try to find that home for each dog.

[1claire]

I can only capture a good photo of Lake if there are either dog toys or treats in front.
You did a wonderful job capturing these images and you have such lovely dogs.

[rpcrowe]

I can only capture a good photo of Lake if there are either dog toys or treats in front.
You did a wonderful job capturing these images and you have such lovely dogs.

Thanks! high value treats like chicken jerky are absolutely essential when I photograph my dogs...

One trick that I use (and which works great on some dogs but not others) is to hold a small plastic squeaker, meant for a dog toy between my teeth... Squeezing it makes the noise seem to come from behind the camera and the dog will look in that direction except, when there is a dog who doesn't give a darn about the squeaking noise...

It is really funny, I can't predict how a dog will react until I have it in front of the camera. Some dogs that I think will be a problem are camera hogs.

[lovelife65]

Very nice Richard. A kind heart is apparent. We are only as good as how we treat other living creatures.

[rpcrowe]

I grew up in a rather dysfunctional household. My mother and father were constantly fighting and always trying to draw me into their verbal combat. The only thing that the two of them agreed about was their love of dogs. Dogs were the one calming factor for me in a hectic young life. Maybe my love of dogs and other animals is a payback for the emotional stability that they gave me as I was growing up. The dogs I had as a child were always unconditionally loving and they never tried to get me to side with them against anyone. I always felt confident and calm around my dog...

I woke up this morning with Robin's nose about two inches from my face...



I thought to myself, Man! I'm a lucky guy... First to wake up on this side of the grass and second to have another day with these wonderful animals.

[lovelife65]

I grew up in a rather dysfunctional household. My mother and father were constantly fighting and always trying to draw me into their verbal combat. The only thing that the two of them agreed about was their love of dogs. Dogs were the one calming factor for me in a hectic young life. Maybe my love of dogs and other animals is a payback for the emotional stability that they gave me as I was growing up. The dogs I had as a child were always unconditionally loving and they never tried to get me to side with them against anyone. I always felt confident and calm around my dog...

I woke up this morning with Robin's nose about two inches from my face...



I thought to myself, Man! I'm a lucky guy... First to wake up on this side of the grass and second to have another day with these wonderful animals.

Thank you for sharing your story. Very painful, I'm sorry.
I'd say the lucky is on both sides of the coin.