Sandy

Sandy is, to put it plainly, the ugliest dog at the shelter. Her eyes are red and baggy half-covered by the membranes surrounding them, her tongue protrudes from her mouth constantly, her teats are like wads of chewed bubblegum hanging from her underside and she has a permanantly protruding vulva from her years as a puppy-mill bitch. She was smeared with feces and her legs calloused and scabrous. And I absolutely love every inch of her! One might think that a dog so used and mistreated would want nothing to do with people, but Sandy is so full of affection and trust, she has surprised everyone at the shelter with her good nature and manners.

Tim and I took her outside for a much-needed bath, and she was so good on the leash and really enjoyed stretching her legs and soaking up some sunshine. She didn't like the cold water but she was really brave as we scrubbed away the dried poop from her shoulders, legs and backside.

I let her stay outside in the sun for almost an hour while she dried. She liked the grass but was quite happy when I laid out one of the towels for her to sunbathe on. If I walked away, though, she was right there following me. She is not stingy with the kisses either and her tongue is surprisingly long! She doesn't know what to do with a ball but she does enjoy just hanging out and watching the world go by.

Like I said, Sandy is not going to win any beauty pagents, and is going to have to get by on her personality alone, but given a chance to love somebody, there is no one who shines brighter.

UPDATE 3/09: Sandy met two outgoing female dogs in the lobby of the shelter and did NOT like either one. I would suggest she not be homed with other females, and possibly not any other dogs at all. We'll see how she is around males and try again with calmer, older females.
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Boyd

I read in a book once that Pit Bull Terriers do not play games like "fetch" - it's beneath their dignity. Apparently, Boyd didn't get that memo. I was taking him for a walk one day and getting a bit tired of him tugging on his leash, so I made a detour into the exercise yard, where he could amble around at his own pace for a while. Just because I could, I tossed our token "Kong toy of enormous size" across the yard, and Boyd was on it like a shot. Suddenly, I was his bestest buddy in the whole wide... well, playpen.

Although he's still working on the part where he brings the toy back for another throw, he'll wait patiently for "launch time". And he'll go and pick up his toy for you if he drops it. Best of all, though, is seeing a dog built like a truck leap six feet in the air to catch a ball, and hop around like a puppy with it. I'm pretty sure Boyd is the kind of bulldog that makes people love bulldogs.

Given a little time to let his fly-bitten ears heal up properly, and a little bit of good old-fashioned training, he seems like the kind of dog that people nostalgically tell their grandchildren about.

UPDATE: Boyd was euthanized June 5th. We love you, buddy. You were a good boy.