Shakota

I'm not sure that these photos can do justice to Shakota - it's difficult to capture in images or words the warmth and affectionate personality of this gal. She's about three years old, having worked most of the "puppy frenzy" out of her system, and is just starting to reach that point where many dogs learn to appreciate the finer things in life; things such as the good friends around them.

We took Shakota and her kennel-mate Sam to an adoption event this weekend. It was inside a bustling shopping mall, and she handled herself beautifully. Most of the time, she just sat around with Sophie and enjoyed getting mugged on by happy children and their parents (and a dog or two as well). As long as you discount that one time when Carlisle, a 6-month old bundle of reckless happy enthusiasm, stepped on her face. She complained about that kind of mugging a little bit, obviously.

Shakota isn't the most demanding or assertive of dogs by any stretch. In fact, most of the time she took her cues from Sam, or from us. Not one to pull on her leash or cause a fuss in the car, she's easily one of the most gentle dogs we've run across. Likewise, she's not really interested in status, or bossing others around. For Shakota, food, comfort and affection are the wellsprings of happiness in life, and take second place only to the company of her friends.

UPDATE: I found out today that sweet ol' Shakota tested positive for heartworms (meaning she'll need a rescue group to foster her while she's healing up). Although I'm worried about her, there's no reason she can't pull through just fine with a little help. Here's hoping she'll be back at 100% soon, sharing the joy of living with everyone she knows.

UPDATE: Shakota was picked up by a foster family today who will work with her through (I believe they said) about 6 weeks of treatment to make sure she's heartworm-free once again. I'll try to keep things updated as she gets closer to looking for her permanent home.