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Update: Adopted!
TUG completely stole my heart when I saw him last week. This big 5-year-old American bulldog is a total lovebug and loves to cuddle!!! Don't let his size fool you. Adopt him at the Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA!
(2018)
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Akane is a rescue Akita living in Japan with adoptive parents Julian and Rieko. She was adopted from a Saitama Rescue Group back in July 2011 when she was around 5 years old. Akane is loyal, loving and caring, protective, smart, willful, perceptive, and very selective on who she trusts. She loves to travel and go out.
Akane was found with a metal wire wrapped around her neck tying her to a fence near a playground. There was also a small pile of cheap dog food spread on the ground that by now was just bits and pieces. She was found by the local Japan animal control serviced and given the standard 14 days until she would be put to sleep. During the 14 day period no one claimed her but thankfully to a women in the local Dog Rescue Group of Saitama who loves Akita’s saw her and immediately rescued her. At that point she went through Vet visit and was in poor health, starving and later found to have a tumor ( which was later removed ) as well as heart worms. She was lucky though to find a wonderful foster woman who already had many dogs she was fostering and Akane went up on the website.
After Julian's brain surgery Rieko was worried about him being home alone and also wanted him to get some motivation to get out and have some daily activity. They came across Akane's story on the internet and made arrangements to meet her with her foster parents. The meeting went well and it only took a 1-week trial period for them to fall in love with her and Akane was officially adopted in July of 2011. Akane got Julian out of the house and meeting so many new people. There was also the bond that came along as he worked with her everyday helping her with her behavior issues and training just as she helped him. (2015)
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Not available for print
Update: Adopted!
Peaches is a 6+ girl looking for her perfect match to snuggle with. She prefers people to dogs so she needs to be the only dog in the home. Who's the lucky person to be with this sweet girl and goes "aww" all day?
(2016)
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Astro is a 1+ years old Husky-Pit mix with a serious face and a goofy personality! He was fostered by Claudia in June 2014 when he was still a puppy, and she eventually gave him a permanent home by adopting him. During the first week of fostering Astro, Claudia learned that he was abandoned by a family, who found or bought him on Craig's List, because he was too mouthy. But that behavior was corrected in less than a week. Astro is playful, energetic, friendly, fearless, clumsy, and at times not too sharp with his senses. Favorite activities? Chewing branches, rolling on grass, car rides, and running to show off his speed! According to Claudia, she felt like she could see an universe through his eyes since the first day she met him.
I know Claudia has always wanted to adopt more than one animal, ideally one dog and one cat. But since it can't become a reality yet, I put an imaginary miniature kitty in this drawing. Looking forward to the day when she has a bipetual family! (2015)
"We got Mako from Rocket Dog Rescue in 2012. At that time, he was 8 months old (he is now a little over four). My sister and I drove out to a Rocket Dog Rescue adoption event in San Francisco, and we were looking for a largish dog. We didn't really see any that felt right, though we did pass by this very skinny, medium-sized, busy guy. We looked at him the first time, and kept walking. We came back to him - there was something about him, as distracted as he was. We walked him around a little and then I picked him up. As soon as I did, he relaxed into my arms, rested his head on my shoulder, and let out a big sigh. That was the end of our search. (2015)
5-year-old Olive shows how perfect imperfection is. This little mutt (Jack Russell Terrier mix with some Chihuahua, beagle and possibly corgi) is smart, sentient, independent, and has survived an unfortunate beginning in life.
Back in the Spring of 2010, two newborn pups were found abandoned underneath a house in Oakland. Olive was one of the two that survived from the litter. These two survivors were found by a 4th grader. When the boy took the two pups to school with him, his teacher adopted Olive and took her home. She had to be fed by bottle and nobody knew if she was strong enough to make it. But with a lot of care, Olive has grown to be this healthy loving dog.
I feel like her energy is contagious! You can't help but laugh when being around her. According to her guardian Susannah, "Smart little Olive somehow seems to understand the things we tell her (most of the time). She can be selective about who she trusts, but if you win her over, she will never forget you and will come welcome you with a wagging tail and happy little yips."
Amazing how things can turn out when we give abandoned animals a second chance. (2015)
"Kodi was adopted from a rescue home in Stanislaus National Forest early 2005. It was a couple of months after Gregg’s dog Kiska, another Siberian Husky passed away. Kodi was taken in by a family as a puppy and when he grew big, which huskies do, they left him in the backyard with no cover and no food. The family’s next door neighbor couldn’t stand it anymore and knocked on the door one day and told the family that they could either give her the dog or she would report them on animal cruelty. They handed her Kodi and the rest was history. When we first saw Kodi, he was all skins and bones but he came up to us and gave us kisses and was happy to stay be our side. We were both so touched, we knew he was the one for us.
Although Kodi was not scared of human, he was extremely scared of dogs. He would be so scared for his own safety, he would try to attack other dogs if they do not back off (which in some cases the other dogs are just being friendly). We had Kodi trained by Uncle Matty who was known as the dog trainer before Caesar Millan came along as the Dog Whisperer. By the end of 6 weeks, Kodi came home a more confident dog but still would not play with other dogs but he would ignore them when they walked past him which was probably the best he was ever going to get to.
Kodi was playful and loving. He loved the beach. Life was good. Then I got pregnant. I was never sure if he knew what was happening to me but he knew I was not as well as I used to be, that he had to be by my side all the time. He would literally slow down to adjust to my pace throughout my pregnancy. Then Audrey came along. For the first week, he didn’t know what to do with this “thing”. But soon he was the first one to get to her room when she cried and he matured overnight. He was less playful because he had to take care of the little one. When we went walking, he would always place himself between a stranger walking past us and Audrey. And one time, Audrey stuffed up tissues that she had rolled up into tiny balls up her nose. Gregg didn’t know and she kept stuffing them up and Kodi pinned her to the wall and licked her non stop until she had to sneeze and out came all the tissue balls. She could have been suffocated herself if not for Kodi.
Kodi never went to sleep until everyone in the house was in bed, tucked in and asleep. I was sure he viewed it was his responsibility to take care of us. He was as close to a person as any pets we have ever had. He understood everyone’s mood and was there to comfort and protect us.
When I looked at Kodi, I saw a dog who was scarred who somehow knew he was safe with us and in return, he gave us everything he had. Kodi was special to all of us because we truly felt his love. It was not because we fed him or anything. It was simply because we belonged to each other. We were family. Not a day since May 2013 that I do not miss him. I love Bear and Nyac but it’s a hole they cannot fill." (Grace, 2016)
A long-time resident and mascot at Anima (Macau SPCA 澳門愛護動物協會), Little White is like the poster child for shelter dogs. She has a strong presence and emanates an air of pure joy and calmness whenever she's around. Needless to say, she's so well-loved by every one! I count myself lucky to have met her a few times when I visited Anima. Next to her, I felt like a little kid being protected under her loving aura. (2015)
