Time to catch up with Big Mike

It's been a few weeks since Mike went to his home, and it looks like he really scored big. A family in Danville adopted him, and he seems to be living the high life.

Here is an update from Leslie, his adopter. Mike is a nice mellow dog, so it should come as no surprise that he's made the transition from shelter to home with no problem at all.

"It has been so fun having Mike. I was actually reluctant to adopt an older dog (i.e. not a puppy), but I would seriously recommend it to anyone. In Mike's case, we don't know his history, but there are so many more positives. He is very calm although still spunky. He is great on the leash and has picked up basic obedience so quickly. He has no problem with his crate and goes to the bathroom in our Mike designated areas.

He is getting lots of attention and doing great on the leash. He has met a lot of the kids' friends and many of the neighbors. He is a very social boy! The kids are particularly fond of him. Often times they swing by the house just to see Mike! He has put on a little weight so you can't see his ribs anymore. The vet did say he could gain about 5 more pounds. His coat looks great, so shiny and soft."

Here are a few pictures Leslie sent me.

Mike gets revved up to head home with his new, uh, siblings, Carolyn and Anthony (this is about as revved up as Mike gets, by the way).


If Carolyn is going to be dishing out the lovin', Mike will take a double serving.


After all the visitors, we're not surprised that he's worn out at the end of the day.



Bon Voyage Mike!

Patches Is a-Comin' Around

Apart from my ongoing work with Joey - the John Blutarski of the shelter - I've really taken a liking to Patches. She came in as a very skittish, nervous dog who was very uncomfortable around other dogs.

She's still got work ahead of her, but she's doing better on all counts. She's gaining confidence. She's still a little too focused on other dogs, but she didn't make a peep during our walk Sunday.

She's a bit of a nervous Nellie in her kennel, but check out how relaxed she can be when she's out...

Who's your daddy?



Nothing like a nice Sunday afternoon for lazing around.



Earth to Patches...come in, Patches...



Please redirect your attention to the tall, handsome volunteer.



That's a little more like it.



Time to resume our previously scheduled grass chewing.



With more walks and socialization, she will make a perfectly good dog. I'll try to walk her every time I stop at the shelter. If you have chance, it would be great for her to get some additional walking.

Old School

Joey and I were back in action at BAD RAP class yesterday.

Actually, I feel like I was the only one in action. Joey had his own agenda.



We couldn't help noticing all the adopted BACS dogs that were there as well. When you adopt a pit or pit mix from BACS, you and your adopted dog have an indefinite invitation to come to class. But you still have to put your dog in the car, drive to class, put in all the hard work with the drills, and practice during the week. It's a commitment on the part of adopters, and it's great to see how many adopters see the value in bringing their BACS dogs to class.

Check out all of our alumni. How many do you remember?

Shirley Temple (adopted in September 2010), with adopter Matt. Focus on the drill, Shirley!



Ozzy (adopted in March 2010, he was known as Captain Crunch at the shelter) and his adopter Al get some advice from Donna as they go through the weave.



Rolen (adopted in May 2010, he was known as the slightly-harder-to-pronounce Raulon at the shelter), with adopter Esther. I like to spell his name "Rollin'", but it's just a matter of personal preference.



Two of my favorites. Radar (adopted in April 2011) hams it up, with adopter Brian. And Edie (adopted in October 2010, she was known as Miley at the shelter), with adopter Jason. Edie is a notorious collapser at class.



Molly (adopted in July 2011), in her first class with adopter Tina. Tina has a head and arms and everything; this is just a bad picture.



Here's a better picture of Molly and Tina as they prepare to race Rollin' and Esther in the wedding march drill.



Rexx (adopted in February 2011), with adopter Anastasia.



There's Clover in the background (adopted in June 2011), with her adopter Janet.



Of course, we've still got merchandise in house. You can see Reggie in the previous picture, with Karen.

Here are Roseanne (with Caroline), and Sweet Pea (with Joanne). Contrary to their appearance in this picture, neither of these dogs are dead. They're both alive and well, and waiting for their own adoption.



Claudia, Nanee, Melanie, Blue, and Leroy have also been spotted at class. Come check them out! You'll be impressed with how quickly these shelter dogs are improving.

So Happy Together

Miki and Chris reflect on the 1-year adoption anniversary of their girl, Lola.

"Sunday, July 31st was my 1-year anniversary with Lola, (aka Kaya). It is really difficult for me to be brief in describing how much and why I fall in love with Lola everyday, but I will try.

This is Lola on her very first day. Very anxious, nervous and trying to recover not only from being homeless and recently weaning puppies, but from burst mammary glands, and a recent spay. 

Such a sad face.

This is Lola today. Never said she was the classiest gal in the world.

 

But then she turns around and looks like this. Stunning!

A lot of things have changed for Lola just in the last several months alone. She now wags her tail soo much more than she used to. She has learned to play with toys and plays a mean game of fetch. Though she prefers the trails, she has learned to be more comfortable and even enjoy our city walks with all it's noises. She is learning to run off-leash in the east bay parks minding her manners and having a great time. She has discovered that she LOVES to swim, garnering amused looks from hikers that pass by and adoring looks from me.

We feel so lucky that Lola is ever so polite to our resident evil cat who wants nothing to do with her. She has proven herself to be sweet and gentle to children of all ages. She has charmed her way into our kitchen and onto our beds. My extended family is so in love with her that I never worry about daycare. And can this girl run! We're a family of trail runners and Lola didn't miss a beat. 3 miles? 5 Miles? 14 miles? No problem.

Thank you BACS for helping us find this wonderful wonderful girl. She's strong and healthy and happy and we couldn't be more in love."

Good job, Lola!

July's Volunteer of the Month

Jodi

It's hard to miss Jodi at the shelter. She's a dog walker. And a cat volunteer. And she takes a lot of photos. And she adopted one of the shelter dogs. And she's been helping to set up a new non-profit group to help fundraise for the shelter. And she always has a smile on her face.

WHEW. Tough to keep up with that resume. I need to pick up my game. Have a read to learn more about Jodi's involvement at the shelter.

Unfortunately though, we are about to lose Jodi as she prepares to move to North Carolina! Our loss will be some other lucky organization's gain. Jodi plans to stay active and is going to start fostering.

What do you do when you're not at the shelter?

I am a librarian by profession; but my interests are many. I have a background in photography, write short stories and am passionate about organic gardening and living a simplified/sustainable lifestyle. I read lots of zines, graphic novels and Young Adult fiction as well.

Why did you initially decide to volunteer at BACS?

After BEBHS had their terrible fire, I met and fell in love with Oreo, one of their dogs who was now being boarded at BACS. I initially went to BACS to visit Oreo, but he was out for a walk on that day, so I decided to visit with other dogs instead. From that very moment, I was totally hooked and signed up on the spot to become a volunteer. I met some wonderful staff and volunteers who I really felt a connection with and developed immediate friendships. I also witnessed BadRap class early on and was very impressed with their wonderful pit bull advocacy work. I was lucky enough to score Lisa Guerrin as my mentor, and Wilbur was the first BACS dog that I met, walked and fell in love with.



What are your favorite things about volunteering?

Volunteering at BACS has enhanced my life in so many ways. The animals are all love sponges, and anything you do for them goes so very far. They are so appreciative and forgiving and resilient. I love that the shelter is located right on the Marina and near the Bay. It is a natural high walking the dogs near the water and breathing in all that fresh air! I love petting and playing with the cats as well. There are so many gorgeous cats! And I instantly bonded with many volunteers and made many new friends which I am grateful for. I also enjoy photographing dogs, cats, rats, roosters and guinea pigs and sharing my photos with the BACS facebook page maintained by the fabulous volunteer Maureen.

Who are your favorite dogs, past and present?

Past: Wilbur was an early favorite (note: he was one of my favorites too - he's with a great family now, and is MUCH happier than he looks in the picture below!), then an elder blind terrier named Pretzel who Muttville took in and found a loving home for, and dear Petunia were my first true dog loves. And I will never forget Shirley Temple, Ruby and Tulip. I also had a special bond with a shy dog named Lily. And now, of course, my own little Daisy Mae, a jack-chi I adopted from BACS several months ago. She is the happiest little dog ever and fills my life with joy. As far as cats: I loved a cat named Jax who was rescued by BACS from Golden Gate Fields Racetrack and also little Angela, a feisty, little cat who was recently adopted. I have wanted to take so many cats home, but already have 2 of my own who I adore, Kiki and Toby.



I have also been very involved with FOBACS: Friends of Berkeley Animal Care Services. I am quite proud to have been the first elected co-president of this newly formed 501(c) 3 non profit made up of a group of dynamic and dedicated volunteers to provide ongoing funding, enrichment and support for the new shelter facility and animals. Our first big goal is to raise $75,000 to equip an onsite medical facility for our animals. We currently have none. This will greatly add to the overall well being of all BACS animals: providing in house spays and neuters, vaccinations and minor medical procedures and care. FOBACS is recruiting new members and welcomes donations as well. Our own website, brochures, etc. are currently under construction. Information will soon become available to the public. Interested volunteers can inquire at the front desk. Ask for Amelia.

A few of my favorite pits

As is clear when you visit the shelter, we do get a lot of pit bulls. Once you get to know a few of these dogs, it’s hard to say no to them. It’s not uncommon for new volunteers to want to work with any type of dog except pit bulls…and two months later, the same volunteer ONLY wants to work with pit bulls.
With that in mind, here are a few of my favorite pits at the shelter right now…

Mike

This is one laid back dog. So much that I think people kind of skip over him. He doesn’t draw a lot of attention to himself. But what a nice mellow guy he is.




Nanee

Nanee appears to be very excitable in her kennel. It’s just because she is a people-lover who desperately hopes that you’ll take her out. She’s gotten much better about pulling on the leash during a walk. She’s a smaller pit – a very manageable size. And if you are like me and believe that two dogs are better than one, I think that Nanee and Mike might have a thing for each other…




Leroy

I confess, I haven’t had Leroy out for a walk yet. But he’s such a good-looking dog. I saw him his kennel the day he arrived and he was so petrified that he would not move a muscle. He sat there stiff as a board. But when I visited him a few days later he was totally friendly and came right up to me. Lots of potential in this one.




Molly

Another smaller pit, Molly is super-friendly and ready to learn. And what a great-looking dog with the black-and-white cow spots!




Blue

Blue was a backyard dog prior to coming to the shelter. He’s learning his commands quickly, and is another big-time people lover. And he’s got a great dog smile!