Evan is Sleeping in a Home Tonight!

 

I took Evan to Kevin's house today.  We took him on a walk around the neighborhood before going into his new home.  He explored around and quickly found his own reflection and the water bowl.  This dog is set for life.  There is no one more perfect for him than Kevin.  Evan is safe, warm, and home.  He is not in a kennel.  We will both sleep well tonight.

A Stroll Around Freedom Trail

Last Saturday, the Canine PhD class took a walk around Freedom Trail.  There were people out and about, doing all sorts of things.  Evan met up with a young, exuberant, pit mix.  He doesn't always know how to introduce himself to other dogs, though he clearly wants to meet them, and they were content to sniff each other and say hello.  He really loves other dogs, and he gets so excited to see them.  He runs right up to them.  So, we need to work on letting him meet other dogs, without him pulling on the leash or acting overzealous.  That can be scary for some pets. 

 

This class ended another 6 week course and so next week we start with a whole new set of dogs and people.  I am very excited to meet everyone, and I know Evan will love it too.  We are going to keep Evan going to training so that he can continue to gain confidence and to give him a break from the shelter life as much as possible.

Someone came to the shelter not so long ago and spent some time with Evan.  Evan is so soft, so sweet, and so smart.  They just kept asking "what's wrong with him that he would be at a shelter for so long?"  They thought he was wonderful but they were worried that I wasn't telling them something.  We are always very honest with adopters because we want our placements to succeed for life.  Evan is going to need an owner who will continue working with him and will be patient with him as he adjusts to a new home.  He is healthy and vibrant, but he is scared.  There is a whole group of people who love him and will be available to help.  Evan gets so attached to the people who take the time to know him.  Someone will be very lucky to have him.

Sometimes dogs and cats are at the shelter longer than we would hope and there are a variety of reasons for it.  Pit bulls, black dogs, older cats and dogs are not looked at as often as their younger and smaller counterparts.  Sometimes it is something else.  People always tell me, when they come in, that they want their new dog to "pick them."  That can be a great way of adopting a new pet, but a lot of pets do not know how to "pick their person."  It does not mean that they will not bond completely with the wonderful person that will end up taking them home.  It just means that the stress of the shelter makes them more shy instead of outgoing.  These dogs may hide in the back of their kennels when people walk in, they may tremble a little.  They may also be so excited to go on a walk that they focus on smelling everything around them, instead of focusing their attention on the person that might be interested in adopting them.

If you come out to the shelter and see Evan in the back of his kennel, don't walk by him, ask someone on staff if you can take him out for a walk.  Even if you cannot adopt him, it is important that he gets to meet new people and have positive experiences with guests of the shelter.  He may be  shy, but he is absolutely kind hearted.  He has just never had a family to call his own and does not know how to ask for one.

 

Hanging Out in Inman Park

Evan and his friends walked around Inman Park last week as part of his training course.  There is one busy stretch of road that always puts Evan into a panic.  There is music playing from a nearby restaurant, cars driving by, people jogging on the narrow sidewalk, bicycles, and a food stand.  Meredith, the dog trainer, suggested that we sit for a little while at the stand.  We bought Evan some delicious treats from the lovely man that is their every week, and we let Evan lick cheese off our fingers.  He was thrilled.  I bet his old worst nightmare will become his new favorite spot!

After all the fun we had at the fruit stand we decided to go to the park, and we had Evan practice "place" on various podiums.  It helps build his confidence, and he is great at it.

 

All in all, it was another super fun class at Canine PhD.  We all had a blast.  Looking forward to this upcoming Saturday.

Good Morning!!

 

It is a great day at the shelter.  A new and very dedicated volunteer, Suzanne, has come out, and that usually means the dogs all get a lot of good quality time outside of the kennels!  I took Evan and Frannie out first thing this morning, and they were SO excited to see each other and to have the chance to play. 

 

They were moving so fast that it was hard to get a decent picture of the two of them.  Frannie would flip and flop and jump over Evan like a reindeer.  He loved every minute of it.

 

                                                            Tackle!  Pinned ya again!

Later, maybe we can go out with Zamora again and then work on some of our training exercises....

 

Not Enough Time in a Day

There are so many pets at the shelter, and they all need so much attention.  Thank goodness for volunteers.  Sometimes, depending on the weather, only a few people show up though.  Play groups are always fun, but they are imperative on these days.  We can get a lot more dogs out, they can stay out longer, and they can go to bed sleepy.  In the above picture, Evan is playing with the incredibly sweet Zamora.

 

Evan, Frannie, and I decided to go check out what the vet techs were doing.  We had already run around for some time, but we needed to settle down before Frannie went to Fox 5 and became famous on Good Day Atlanta.

 

 

You can clearly see how happy Evan and Frannie are together!  Okay okay.  They might have also been happy about doing some basic training drills in order to get treats.

The Tellington Touch

Connor, Harriet, Laura, and Evan on the PAWS Atlanta walking trail.

We love Evan, and we want him to be a happy and confident guy.  We know that we need to try a variety of things with him to ensure that he has the best possible life.  Another thing we try to integrate into his training regime is the Tellington Touch.  This is a way of using touch, balance, and massage to help calm stressed dogs and to develop a bond between the handler and the dog.  During training, we gently move Evan's tail, rub his ears, and pet him in slow circular motions.  Evan loves it, and it really does work!  For a very basic overview you can check out this website (http://www.pawsnlearn.com/basic.htm), do a quick google search, and/or read the book The Tellington TTouch : A Revolutionary Natural Method to Train and Care for Your Favorite Animal by Linda Tellington-Jones.