Wendy

Abandoned.

That's what Wendy's kennel card says. Hard to imagine someone would willingly leave this beautiful, gentle animal behind, but apparently that's what happened. Walking by her kennel today, it certainly looked like she'd been thrown away: she lay in the back corner, pressed up against the wall like a discarded sweater. I couldn't get her to come to me, even with treats in hand, so I got into the kennel with her and just sat there a while, talking to her and slowly scooting closer until I could touch her. She didn't seem to mind and even gave me a couple of tail thumps, but still would not so much as stand up. When Tim showed up, he also could not coax her out, so he literally scooped her up in his arms and carried her outside.

A leash is a foreign object to her and it seemed to scare her to feel it around her neck. However, once freed of it in the play yard, with Nick there to give her encouragement, Wendy trotted around and seemed a lot more at ease. She looks to be a cross between a Weimaraner and a Retriever, and her silver fur is so soft to the touch. As far as her personality goes, at the moment she is rather impassive to what's going on around her. Naturally, she's rather confused by being in a strange place with strange dogs and people, but she seems almost more depressed than frightened.

She did arrive with one companion, a mixed-breed male who also seems meek and spends most of the time lying on his kennel floor. I'm not sure what sort of life they had before being brought here, but my guess (and this is just Sophie here speculating) is that their abandonment started long before their owner left them behind. But Wendy seems to want love. If she moves nothing else, her eyes and tail express a welcoming warmth and she trusts us to touch her, carry her, talk to her and bring her out of her kennel and out of her shell. It's been only a day since we met her and we hope so much that we can win her trust and give her reasons to be happy, knowing she'll never be abandoned again.

UPDATE: Thanks to word of mouth, and I'm pretty sure Tajana and Almir had something to do with it, Miss Wendy was rescued on 7/7. I'm sure she'll blossom in her new home! Thank you to everyone involved in spreading the word about these dogs and finding them new homes. We all love happy endings.

Buddy

Volunteering at a shelter, one sees a lot of different - sometimes even unusual (see Remo) - crossbreeds of dog. Pit Bull Terriers are very popular, as are Labrador Retrievers; it's kind of a given that a lot of unexpected Lab/Pit mixes land on our doorstep. One such dog is Buddy.

His short, velveteen coat, white socks, and hardy physique are all praiseworthy traits of the American Pit Bull. His personality, on the other hand, seems to be that of a chocolate (brown) Labrador. It's a certain combination of playful, friendly, enthusiastic, and considerate that I've seen in several brown labs, and unlike just about any other breed I've worked with.

When I took Buddy out to try and get some photos, I wound up with a whole series of close-ups. He just wouldn't leave my side long enough to snap a picture. And it's difficult to write anything about him that doesn't sound like waxing poetic, because it seems like he's just an all-around good dog. If he received one bad trait from his Labrador genes, it would be his urge to jump up when he's happy and excited. It shows that Buddy came from a home with a lot of animals, too; he seems eager to meet everyone that comes by his kennel, human and canine alike.

UPDATE: Buddy's prospective adoptor from this weekend didn't show back up today, sadly. I'll try to follow Buddy's example and stay optimistic and upbeat, though.

UPDATE: Buddy ran out of time today. He was his happy, loving self to the end and the world's a little less sparkling without him. Our memories of him are full of his clowning around and exuberant affection.