The Story of Wuchi

There are a few ways that a dog finds itself in the Berkeley Shelter:

One, they're a stray that is found by one of our Animal Control Officers (or left in the 'night box').

Two, they're owner surrendered - whether it's over the counter (the owners come into the shelter and surrender their dog), in the field (an animal control officer visits the owner's residence and the dog is surrendered there), a dog is left in one of the shelter's 'night boxes' (perhaps the owner was too ashamed to come in during the day, maybe they work during the shelter's business hours and could only surrender the dog after hours, etc).

Three, the dog is confiscated for abuse or neglect.

And four, one that is often overlooked: police confiscation.

Wuchi arrived in our care through police confiscation in mid August and she is being held at the shelter until the court proceedings against her previous owner are over. I do not know if I'm at liberty to discuss the case, so details will be left out for now. But for three months, Wuchi has been stuck inside her kennel - not even allowed to leave the building.

I know that I worry if a dog hasn't been out in one day - can you even imagine 3 months?

Wuchi is one of the smartest dogs I've ever worked with (perhaps even smarter than my favorite, Jody). She knows not only ALL of her basic commands, but even fun ones, too! Like 'shake' and 'roll over'. She's happy. And playful! And is super, super affectionate. She loves to cuddle and LOVES taking baths.

Her favorite toys? Anything she can chew to smithereens. She loves raw bones. If you want - bring some in for our dogs and save one for Wuchi. You can pick some up at your local super market or butcher - ask if it's possible to cut up femur bone - and most likely, they'll be happy to sell it to you. I bought nearly 7lbs worth of bone the other day for only $10.

I hope that someday soon I'll be posting about the day she leaves the shelter with a new forever family that will love her unconditionally. But until then, we'll play together and I'll bring her yummy treats.