A Blog for a Dog (or two or three) in Search of a Home

These dogs were all available for adoption as of Tuesday, June 23rd, at the East Side Animal Care Facility, located at the intersection of the 101 and the 202 in Mesa (visit www.maricopa.gov/pets for directions/hours/fees).

There were many wonderful dogs there, but for some reason these really caught my eye, especially since most of them have been waiting at least a week (some for more than two) to find a new family.

Please note these are strictly observations through a kennel door, not a complete evaluation. These dogs demonstrated social, soft behavior, low arousal and kept focused on interacting with me even with multiple distractions around them. We do recommend a complete evaluation before deciding which dog would be most compatible with your family and/or lifestyle. If you'd like a more thorough behavior evaluation/temperament test on a dog you're interested in, please call The Canine Connection: 480-242-0001 and we would be happy to set up an appointment.

Also note that we can not guarantee that these dogs will still be available for adoption when you visit the shelter. If they have already found a new home, please consider looking around as there is no shortage of great dogs (and cats) still waiting to find a family of their own.



First is a 1 yr. old female Shep/lab mix. She came in as a stray. She was very flirty, pressing against the kennel to be pet. When I stopped petting her, she tried to solicit more attention and she sank to the ground when I did pet her again. She was talkative (not barky), submissive and soft. She's adorable and has a very expressive face. She is currently residing in kennel # 74. Her A# is 2708743. She's worth checking out if big (40ish lbs.) lovebugs are your type of dog.










This fellow is a 1 year old male Dachshund/Chihuahua (best guess) mix. He was also very flirty and pressed against the kennel for attention. He had very soft body language and put his feet up on the kennel (more relaxed) while I was with him. Seems like a sweetie, definitely a dog to check out. He weighs about 15-20 lbs. He could benefit from some quality food as his coat is a bit dry and brittle.
He can be found in kennel # 18, with A# 2696265.










Here is a 2 year old male Pit Bull/lab (?) mix who just could not stop wiggling. Threw me lots of play bows, wiggling the entire time. Sits politely and was gentle through the kennel. Did not become aroused like a lot of pit bulls tend to do. If you like a big handful of dog, he might be worth visiting. He will need an active guardian as he is a young dog with a lot of energy. He is in kennel # 6; A#2708045.

Here at the Animal care Facility in Mesa & several dogs catch my eye with their socialbility, soft body language and big tail wags! Pics coming later today!

More evidence that dogs don't "whisper"...

Yeah! More and more studies are coming out showing that the way to have a mutually appreciative and respectful relationship with your dog is to understand his behavior and what motivates him or her. The theories about needing to dominate your dog and exerting yourself as the "pack leader" currently being used by some charismatic tv "behaviorists" can actually be dangerous and harmful. Not only for the dog, but for the owner as well! The following appeared recently on Sciencedaily.com:

Using 'Dominance' To Explain Dog Behavior Is Old Hat

ScienceDaily (2009-05-25) -- A new study shows how the behavior of dogs has been misunderstood for generations: in fact using misplaced ideas about dog behavior and training is likely to cause rather than cure unwanted behavior. The findings challenge many of the dominance related interpretations of behavior and training techniques suggested by current TV dog trainers. ... > read full article

Okay... I promise that this will be my last blog blasting "whispering" to your dog. I found it very interesting and wanted to share. I just hate to see dogs so misunderstood and having well-intentioned, loving owners hood-winked by people who are self-proclaimed "experts" in a particular field.

Thanks for understanding~

Think shelter workers don't care about animals... think again.

I was at one of the county shelters this weekend to look for dogs to profile in an upcoming book. Every kennel was full and more animals were coming in by the truckload. People were turning in puppies they couldn't afford, others they couldn't keep because they were moving... someone even turned in two cats that had been pets for 7 years but now the owners were "too busy" to care for them any more. It's enough to turn you into a robot just so you can deal with the daily stressors of the job. And a lot of people think that the staff at the local animal care & control is filled with uncaring individuals without an ounce of compassion. The opposite is true.

Who could work there unless you felt the animals NEED you to be there? To have someone to turn to when their own families abandon them? One particular individual really stood out and I feel the need to share it....

Someone had turned in a very young puppy they found and couldn't keep. A singleton puppy, especially one too young to adopt out doesn't stand much of a chance at an animal shelter. It looked like a Pit Bull mix too, which would further reduce its chances at ever finding a home.

One amazing, caring young man on staff immediately took this abandoned pup (pup #1) and went to see if a Pit Bull mom who had a tiny pup of her own (pup #2) might "adopt" this little girl. He removed pup #2 from its mom, then gently rubbed pup #1 against pup #2 hoping to transfer puppy #2s scent. The mother watched in earnest, wondering what this man was doing with her puppy. She remained very calm, just curious. After a few minutes, the man went into the kennel with mom and both pups.

He let mom smell pup #1 after she made sure that her own pup was safe. She was very curious, licked the pup and after a few more minutes allowed the new pup to nurse. The shelter worker stayed with mom and pups for a few more minutes until he felt sure that the mom was going to accept this new little girl. It was very emotional for me to witness and very validating as well.

This tiny, abandoned pup arguably could have, should have been quickly and humanely disposed of. She may not make it. She will use shelter resources that are already stretched tight. She will grow up to be a pit bull, and may be overlooked by adopters. But damn if she's not being given at least a chance to make it in this world... by one man who felt this one little puppy deserved this. That is your typical shelter worker for you.