Another Day Done

 So today was yet again spent at the shelter. I feel it went much better today. Not that yesterday went bad but it certainly wasn't smooth. Yesterday was a bit of a chaotic introduction to the dogs and system and today felt like structure progress. I am struggling to get Facebook to cooperate with me to get a page on there set up for Puppy Pennies but I haven't given up. For now what I will do is comprise, first I have the photos on the sidebar of adoptables and 2nd I will have posts with more in depth reviews about the dogs. I will start with my favorite dog from today.

This little guy is so ugly he's adorable. At first glance he appears to be a grumpy unsocial dog but when you actually interact with him he's FAR from unsociable. He will do anything you ask for attention! He doesn't know the sit/stay/laydown/come commands quite yet but any time I chipperly called to him and patted my leg he was eager to arrive for attention. When I first took him from the kennel he was over excited and would jump not just on me but the walls as well but once I was able to slip the leash on him and give some corrections the jumping stopped and once out on the walk he was heeling on a loose leash after maybe 30 seconds. His sensitivity and resopnsiveness to instruction was amazing. He would do fantastic in obedience! Regular exercise and a consistent loving home is all he needs. If I could I would adopt him myself!

It Begins

Hello everyone! I'm a very happy and tired person today. I went to the 2nd orientation(a bit of a joke as it was all just a review of where to walk the dogs not actual HOW to handle the dogs) and then after I stayed for almost 4 hours and worked with the dogs! I've been itching to work with the dogs for so long! I walked five of them today and all but one were relatively well mannered. The first was excitable(happy go lucky) and took about 5 or 6 minutes before he figured out to walk beside me not drag me but once he got it he pretty well got it. The last dog I walked was an insecure nervous chihuaha that screamed like a banshee when I asked him to simply walk. There were a few attempted bites from that one but all he needs is a patient trainer that knows how to help. He did relax about the walking after I worked with him. I think my favorite to walk was the first chihuaha I walked today, a sweet little girl with near perfect manners and very motivated by attention. She is the one I got photos of today.

What happens from here is that I will go daily(or near daily) before work, select one or two dogs to work with for a long quality walk rather than today's short introductory walks and I will be creating a Facebook page for Puppy Pennies. On the Facebook page you will find photo albums of each adoptable dog and my assessment of their behavior personality and anything else relevant. It's a daunting task I've taken on and I have a lot to learn in the hands-on experience but I absolutely love it and hope you're enjoying reading about it! Stay tuned as posts will happen faster now!

Another Positive Step

So here's a small update before Sunday's orientation and begin of hands on work(can't wait). I am  now enrolled and plowing through the courses of the Dog Training and Obedience career diploma of Penn Foster. I am so excited because the diploma will give me a shred of credibility, the shelter will give me hands on experience and things can only go up from there. I am pursuing getting into pet grooming or pack walks for further experience and to supplement my income because the more money I make monthly the closer I am to being able to foster dogs. For the shelter dogs themselves I hope to do intensive daily training and if the shelter will allow, as each dog is ready, take them through the AKC(American Kennel Club) Canine Good Citizen certification. This basically means well trained and well mannered companion dog. I think being able to post a dog has that certification will be a big boost to their chances of adopt.

Orientation 1 Complete

So I just got back from the shelter's first orientation, there's two you must complete before you can begin volunteer work. The first, today's, was a basic overview of all the different areas you can volunteer and tasks you can complete as well as a tour of the building. I really learned a lot but I also saw a lot of room for improvement. They have a feral cat program where they catch and attempt to gentle the ferals until they are adoptable. Among those are often lost cats that are just too panicked to allow anyone to handle them. They took us into the area and I must say it was downright pathetic. Their hearts are in the right place but they need a LOT of work. There were maybe 30 cages, very small, maybe a foot by a foot wide and long and a foot and a half tall. The smell was terrible. they do have volunteers that foster these cats for 3-4 months until they are domesticated but they also said that this was the section that had the most euthanasia. Yes, they do euthanize. They try to keep it as their last resort but cases that are too aggressive(nobody has enough time for them) do get put to sleep. On the whole though they are trying so hard to find forever homes for everyone and treat the animals as well as they can.

From here I go to the 2nd orientation which is specific to working with the dogs(there's one for cats as well) where I will be trained mostly on how to get the dogs in and out of the cages. They offer a more in depth obedience class but that is not required. As soon as the class has been taken(next Sunday) I will be able to begin working/training the dogs in the morning and will have photo slide shows on this blog of adoptable dogs currently at the shelter. I am very excited to get started and thank everyone who shows interest and reads this blog!

Brushing Moss of the Boulder

So here we go! I am DavinciPirate and this blog is all about animals; mainly dogs. Because of my passion for animals I am beginning a journey of working with dogs and doing all I am able to bring positive change to their lives and to the shelters all around my area. This Sunday(4/22) I things will start to roll as I go to the shelter orientation. It will be a humble beginning as I will start as a dog walker/bather but things can only go up from there. I will be enrolling in a college career diploma course for Dog Obedience and training. It is the first of many educational pursuits I will follow to make myself as knowledgeable as I can be. I have many dreams and goals such as

• Gathering all knowledge, through experience and college education as there is to know about canines, and any other animal that may need help
• To provide ample exercise and play to all the dogs in the shelter.
• To give a minimum of basic training, socialization and manners to all dogs, smoothing out unwanted behaviors, to increase their chances of finding a home
• To foster and provide extensive training to all dogs showing the proper potential to be service dogs and give them jobs

I feel these are some awesome and realistic goals. Some are more long term than others. There is a way, for those also passionate, to help. I will be adding a paypal donation button to this blog as soon as I can. Any amount will help, even just a dollar. No one will break the bank or miss a single dollar. Most people have more floating through the car and couch cushions in loose change.  Alone a dollar isn't much, but if one hundred people donated a single dollar that amounts to $100 and that's a lot of positive change for a shelter and its dogs! I will also try to find a pay to click banner that is as tasteful and not an eyesore. That way you can help to raise money by simply clicking the banner once a day! These are wholesome realistic goals so please help. My next post will be Sunday after the orientation.