Heinz and his Special Day!

It's been a while since I have taken a dog for a special day out - my life became quite crazy and although I have spent time volunteering the Dog's Days Out have not been happening.  Enough with excuses - I will say it feels great to be back at it!  Now I will let Heinz tell you all about his special day - 

Being chosen to participate in Dog's Day Out was a great surprise and if you read to the end of this blog you will find my greatest surprise.  Strong hint - I am no longer available for adoption.

We started out the day by going to the Orono Farmer's Market.  This is a really nice place to meet other dogs, children and some really great people.  The Mrs does not normally take dogs from the Bangor Humane Society to this event, because it is a very busy place to go.  I did great and was on my best behavior.  I received pats from many children and I responded to each with a wag of the tail.

While at the market we met an elderly women who was accompanied by her daughter - this women pulled at my heart strings.  She kept telling the same story over and over again about the dog she once had named Max, then she would hold my face, look into my eyes and ask me my name.  She was told it was Heinz many times, but I feel she knew that I have not had that name for long and wanted to know the name I had prior to Heinz.  I sure do wish I could have told it to her.

At the Littlefield home, I was introduced to Lola.  Lola by the way is very anti-social when it comes to dogs in her home.  She wouldn't even look at me and when I sniffed her backside, she flicked her tail at me and walked off.  I tried barking at her (this is the only time I barked all day) and she still ignored me.

It was a tight fit for me riding in the Littlefield's tiny car, but I did great sitting in the backseat.  If you are one to love looking in your rearview mirror and seeing a dog's face, I may have been the dog for you (fyi - I am no longer available for adoption).

You are probably interested in more then how my day went - you are probably interested in me.  I came into the shelter as a stray, so there is not a lot known about me except for the fact that I am very laid back for being approximately four years old.  No jumping for me - which is a good thing since I weigh over 80 pounds, no begging, no pulling and I take treats very gently.

Okay - now for the GREATEST Surprise!  In the parking lot of the shelter, we met a women looking for a dog just like me.  She has another dog named Alto who is getting pretty old and she wanted to add a dog, such as me, to their family.  When I met this women, I fell in love!  ...and when I met Alto, I knew that things were going to work out just splendidly!

                                          ....and the rest is history!

Marley

Hi my name is Marley and I have a story to tell.  You see I was born with double hip dysplasia and could barely walk the first year of my life - that's the sad part.  Now for the happy part - I have recently had double hip surgery and am feeling like a new dog.  I am still going for physical therapy which is kinda cool - I get to run in a tank of water at these sessions.  Well, that's enough about all my medical stuff and now I'll tell you about my day out.

I love riding in cars and prefer the backseat where I can stretch out.  I also love other dogs, but I will say the Littlefield's dog Lola is quite standoffish.  I tried barking at her and she still would not give me the time of day.  I think she was a bit jealous - you see I am a really cute lab mix who is only a year old.

We went for a walk down the street and I will say that I did great walking on a leash - no pulling for me.  There was a small fenced in area that Lola and I were able to go off leash and we found we had one thing in common - that is smells!!!  After all this walking and sniffing, Lola decided she needed a rest and I couldn't resist the opportunity to lay right down beside her. 

Well back in the house, I made myself right to home.  You see all that walking made me a bit tired and I had already been given the thumbs up to snooze on the comfy couch.  If they had said no, I would have truly understood.  You see I do know right from wrong, because I am a very smart dog.

Well back here at the Bangor Humane Society waiting for the perfect match.  You see I will not be able to go to just anybody.  My new owners will need to show they have the time to commit to keep up with my on-going physical therapy and give me an active life.  They will also need to show they have the funds available to pay for my therapy and any problems that may arise in the future.  If I sound like the dog for you, please contact the Bangor Humane Society soon.

Sometimes it Takes a Village

Sometimes it takes a village and it appears that is the case with me Buddy.  The good news is that I have a family who has taken me under there wing to give me the much needed TLC (remember, Time / Love / Consistency) which I desperately need. 

Now for the village part -

• The Bangor Humane Society has agreed to be there with any support they can give
• Bangor Pet Resort has agreed to let me continue daycare a few days a week (BTW - I love playing with all the other dogs and this time gives me some much needed exercise)
• Lastly Green Acres is going to do a behavior evaluation on me in a few weeks just to see what makes me tick and give my new family some guidance on how to deal with my erratic behavior issues. 

As I have said before, I am a great dog who has gotten a bad rap.  With all of these folks believing in me and the TLC I am sure to get at me new home, I can't wait to report back soon that life is grand!!!

Buddy needs some TLC

Have you ever heard the story of a person who truly rescues a dog and with a lot of time and training the dog does a complete turn around - at the end of the story, this dog wins awards such as the good citizenship award, agility ribbons, etc???  Have you ever wished this person could be you???  I am talking true rescue with a capital R, not just running to the local shelter and taking the best dog they have and taking a few training classes.

If you have the time and are up for the challenge, I may be the dog to make your dreams come true.  You see I need a ton of TLC - that is Time / Love / Consistency.  I am a dog who was born with great stuff, but I was never trained on how to show it off. 

Time is something that is really important for me, since I have spent ways too much time in the shelter.  I was recently adopted by folks who thought they were up for the challenge of training me, but unfortunately didn't realize that it also took time.  Time not just for learning new things, but time for me to become part of the family and time to teach me just how to chill out and spend some downtime together.  You, me and the rest of the family!

Love is going to be the easy part.  As long as you can take a few minutes to give me a little love; I will take all the time I have to love you back.

Consistency is the part that you will need to work on.  I will follow your lead and do what you want, but you will need to constantly be reminding me of what you want and more importantly NOT want me to do.  You in turn will be able to have fun training an incredibly smart dog - yes that's me.  And after months and months and months of consistency, you will look back and proudly walk down the street with a dog on a slack leash - that dog will be you best BUD forever - that dog will be me Buddy! 

If I look familiar, it's because I was here at the Bangor Humane Society last fall.  If you want to see how much I love the great outdoors, take a peek at the post on this same blog by clicking on the word post!  What a great day that was. 

A few weeks ago, I went for another great adventure.  It was not the adventure that I was suppose to go on, but I just couldn't help myself!  You see the Mrs put me in the car and took her eyes off from me for two seconds before closing the door.  FYI - it only takes two seconds for a smart dog like me to escape and escape is what I did.  The game was called "Catch Buddy"!  All of the staff and volunteers from the shelter ran up and down the street and then over to a local car dealership chasing after me.  What fun!  When I decided that it was time to give in - a treat, the command sit and asking for a high-five is all it took. 

Well you guessed it, I am now back at the Bangor Humane Society just waiting for that special someone with TLC to come and rescue me.  You won't be sorry if you give the TIME and CONSISTENCY, I will throw in the LOVE part! 

Santa Visits BHS

What a great day it was at the Bangor Humane Society as area dogs had the opportunity to meet Santa.  As santa passed out many treats and decided most dogs were especially good little dogs, he received more then his share of high-fives, handshakes and even a few kisses.  More photos will be posted in days to come.  If you see a photo of your dog that you would like to receive a hi-resolution photo sent to you, contact me at klittlefield@sargent-corp.com.  As always, feel free to copy any photo you like and ENJOY!!!