In the spirit of generosity that always comes with the holidays and the new year, Bean has taken all of her allowance money and used it to sponsor one of the dogs at our
local shelter. Since Bean doesn't actually like being around other dogs, even the ones she wants to help, I was the one to go to the shelter today and pick a dog to sponsor.
At first I was reluctant to go. Previous experiences with shelters gave me good reason to think that I might leave in tears with a car full of newly adopted dogs. I have only been to shelters that kill animals who do not get adopted. Those are very sad places for me. I want to run in and yell "I'll take whoever is scheduled to die next!!" Even though I understand the reasoning behind the kill-shelters, it is very, very sad.
Also, Bean is 100% against the kill shelters, for obvious reasons.
I was delighted to find that this shelter is unlike any I have seen before. First of all, it is a no-kill shelter. When I arrived, I met a very nice woman named Tracy who gave me a tour. No one is kept in a cage. Even the cats are allowed to roam freely in large rooms full of toys and beds and things to scratch. After touring the cat rooms briefly (We are dog people here, after all) we moved on to look at the dogs. All dogs have pens with both indoor and outdoor areas, beds, and toys. All dogs are allowed to play outside off leash everyday, and get lots of walks. They also have heated floors!
Bean had specifically requested that the money be used to sponsor any bully breeds that might be there. There were two in the facility today. A male named Rocco, who was quite the gentleman, and a bouncy brindle female named Misty. Since Rocco was scheduled to move into a foster home soon, I decided to sponsor Misty.
Everyone, meet
Misty. Misty is a beautiful girl with lots of energy. The doors to the pens are the kind that are cut in half and each half opens separately. The bottom halves of all the doors were shut, so that you could still lean in and talk to the dogs. The larger dogs could put their paws up on the ledge and keep an eye on things. The only pen that had both top and bottom doors locked was Misty's. It soon became obvious why. Once she heard us coming, it was like her butt was made of springs. I kept seeing her head bounce in and out of the glass window in the top of her door. Boing! Boing! Boing! Apparently she is a little escape artist, so her door has to be shut all the way.
Tracy opened the top half and we gave her a treat. She is so soft and polite. She reminded me of Bean. Especially her ears. I could not believe that she has been looking for a home for four months now! She is a wonderful dog that deserves a wonderful home. When I was writing out the check at the front desk, I asked if Bean could be listed as the sponsor. Not only did they say yes, they even put a link to Bean's blog beside Misty's photo! So if any of you are in the NC area and have space in your home for this little love of a dog, please contact the shelter! Because as any dog will tell you...
Being homeless sucks, y'all.
Bean and Bryan spent last night with me, and as soon as we got up this morning I took her out back to investigate. She also ate quite a bit of snow.
As you can see, although my backyard is fenced, it's a wire fence. So unlike the privacy fence she is used to, Bean can see through this one. She has accidentally run right into it on several occasions after seeing something exciting (a squirrel or another dog) off in the distance. I'd like to say that I didn't laugh when she did this, but I can't.
Um, hi. My paws are cold. And my nose. Can I warm them on you??