# Dogs From Work



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

For those viewing this for the first time, I'm an assistant dog trainer for the local animal shelter, I help the "problem" dogs become more adoptable. Like the dog I'll be posting in this first post, he's been at the shelter for awhile and has developed behaviors due to being in the environment so long.

I'll be posting pictures of each of the dogs I work with.

I took out a young pup named Spartan, poor guy's been here since the beginning of February. Not a surprise that he's becoming easily excited and very mouthy, so I did a lot of work on lowering excited responses. Run a few steps stop, mark before he can jump, run a few steps ask for a sit, mark, repeat. At first he was using me to launch himself into the air, but by the end he stopped totally. I also rewarded him a lot for me petting him without him getting mouthy. So, a slight tug on his jowl, mark, reward. He improved a lot from one session, was extremely polite on the leash when I brought him back into the kennels. Automatically sitting when I ran across the room, and sat and watched intently as I messed with his face. If folks would just look past his pent up energy from the kennels, but that's not common. 
























I'm sitting, you gonna throw it or not?
















He likes to entertain himself









Here's a picture back from early February from when I first took him out.


----------



## circlemkennels (Aug 29, 2010)

He is so cute!!! I don't understand how dogs like that are sitting around in shelters when people go out and buy unpapered dogs everyday .. I hope he finds a good home


----------



## Firehazard (Dec 4, 2009)

EXACTLY.. SO MANY PEOPLE BUY BYB DOGS WITH NO OR NON LEGIT PAPERS... JUST GO TO THE SHELTER AN ADOPT A GOOD ONE~ 

:goodpost:ing!!! Good lookin pup, try to find him a country home or home with a guy who needs to replace his heeler .. I see a good good worker.. Keep up the good work!


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

He is a good little guy, worked with him again today. He's going through the bratty teenager stage, but he'd make such an awesome, easy dog once he gets older. Maybe a good dog to introduce someone to sports, he will keep going and has a lot of play/toy drive but is also easy to handle and settles nicely. 

It bugs me, folks feel the need to go out to BYBs for dogs just for companions, yet there are millions, literally, of perfectly capable companions in the shelter. Just here we've got tons of cattle dogs, German Shepherds, bulldogs, Pit Bull-type dogs, etc. Animals that look (key word, "look") purebred come through all the time. Just had a Schipperke come through in fact.

A lot of the folks who live out in the country here, ranchers, farmers, are some of the ones dropping off the dogs. Mostly the cattle dogs, they can't handle 'em so they drop them off here. Not saying that as a sweeping generalization, saying that as someone who knows most of them and recognizes a lot of the cattle dogs that come through. They get herding dogs then piss and whine when they chase their cattle when they're not home. They need a job, they're not just going to lay on your porch all day.  
Plus, they breed just about anything for a few bucks. It's part of the reason why it's difficult as heck to find any good Dachshunds up here, most are ruined temperament and body wise. 

I'm not big on little dogs, just stuff I've heard through the workin' folk looking for badger dogs.

There are nice workin' folk around here, they're just harder to find. Only reason I know them is because of my uncle, he used to be big into bear hunting. Treeing Walker Hounds and Blueticks being the favorites.

But for the most part they're "if it works, it's bred" sort, never see any of their dogs at the shelter.


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

He got adopted!!! :woof::woof:

Hopefully I'll have more pictures Friday, this is my week off but I'll be going to an outreach and helping out.


----------



## Vilebeast (Feb 29, 2012)

Congrats, very good news!


----------



## ThaLadyPit (Oct 12, 2008)

That's awesome news! So glad he found a forever home. Congrats to you for your hard work.


----------



## Odin`s_BlueDragon (Mar 11, 2012)

thats awesome! im so happy he found a home, he looks like a real happy dog that deserves a good home. cant wait for pictures


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

Thank you guys!

At the outreach 3 were adopted! :woof: A little Rat Terrierish dog named Pippin, Zane (those two were adopted before I got there, which means within an hour from starting), and Molly whom you'll see later. 
A picture of Zane from when I took him out back in the beginning of March









This is a gal I wanted to take out a week or so ago, but on the day I set to take her out she got adopted, her name was Gretchen at the time. But she was returned for lack of training (  Shelter dogs are prepackaged ) and now called "Sugar". They have her as around 1 year and 8 months, very nice gal, I like her a lot. She's reactive to other dogs, (like really excited reactive, she tested good with other dogs) and jumps up a lot. But I started working with her and she had improved greatly just from that day. She needs a home that'll keep her busy and work with her.

What do y'all think? German Shepherd/Australian Kelpie? 

















Toots was full of pent up energy so one of the volunteer ran her a few laps, she was pooped. lol This is a gal I took out back at the beginning of March and took pictures of for Pet of the Week. Nice little pup, very well focused, eager to work, she's been here since around the beginning of February. 









Molly, nice easy going 5 year old, they have her as a Beagle mix but I'm not really seeing it. (mainly due to her build)

















Little Toots, her coat has gotten pretty bad, she shook and dandruff flew everywhere. She needs some good food :/

















Gretchen... er Sugar being a good girl. We were working on settling because she was just so exciting about all the new things. She seems to potentially be a bit reactive to loud cars/motorbikes (we were behind the table so I couldn't tell for sure), but she was "OMG what was that?! Can I chase it?!".









Doing pretty damn good considering she was barking at dogs that were across the parking lot when I first took her out. I had to take her behind the adoptions trailer and cool her jets before we could come out again. Used a modified LAT game. (Just no prep training or cue adding) 








"You talkin' about me?"









Cienna (Not sure on the spelling, pronounced "cee-en-uh"), nice little pup, they have her as a shepherd mix. She's so darn tiny, and slender! Almost reminds me of a lurcher pup I saw at a show, but I don't dare guess since she's still a pup. Folks were callin' he a jack russel/shepherd though.








Cienna playing with another girl named Piper, Piper is a small Lab mix (best guess, her papers say Pit Bull mix, I guess I could see pit/lab), very sweet, gentle, and a bit timid. She had the softest paw smack I've ever seen when playing with the pup lol it was cute. When I had her out you'd barely know she was there if you were paying attention, very well mannered.
She was scared of the camera though or else I'd have gotten close ups.

































One last shot of Sugar, a friend wanted a structure picture, not the best but it works.









And I know there's no way to know a dog's mix without papers, if it were a perfect world I'd just tell people that but the general public isn't satisfied by it. -_- 
No harm in throwin' out guesses either.


----------



## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

so happy that Spartan got adopted! Makes all your hard work worth it  I could not imagine being cooped up so long, poor pups! Molly looks so sad in her picture, very sweet by sad eyes. sweet girl. Gretchen looks adorable, love the face on her!!


----------



## Odin`s_BlueDragon (Mar 11, 2012)

awesome pics. i really like how Sugar looks. her structure reminds me of my co-workers husky pup she just brought in. who knows tho, shes a pretty mutt


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

Molly did have a sad face, but she was really sweet. She'd make a good movie character.

Molly's adopters were thrilled and absolutely adored her, I think she's going to be lovin' life pretty soon. 

I didn't see Gretchen or Cienna, but they could've been moved because I didn't check all the kennels. I'll have to ask when I go in Thursday.

I was able to talk to the captain of animal control and she okay'd me to take out this girl. She has a higher rating, due to my age and legal issues I generally can't take out the higher ranking ones without getting the okay.

I initially didn't pay her much heed, I figured, GSD, looks purebred, she won't be here long. It's been over 2 weeks now probably longer. I have no clue why, she's an awesome girl. A little ADD but other than that very sweet, responsive, looooves her toys. She tested to have a strong prey drive so listed for a home without cats.

When I was doing start up and stop (run away, click and reward before they jump to reinforce no jumping) she was doing really good, focused, all of a sudden she got a bug up her butt and starting zooming laps around the class room and chasing her tail. lol

Her name is Bella 








What? 
































What's that weird sound you keep making?
















Low quality, but it shows her happy dorkiness.


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

We've had state testing these past two weeks, which is why there's been a lack of pictures. I was out an outreach last weekend, totally forgot to share the pictures. I'll get some tomorrow at another outreach too 

Bella, Cienna, and Toots got adopted! 
Dunkin is... well.. a terrierist.. full terrierist. She ( I know.. odd name for a girl) is a awesome little dog with lots of energy. Looks like a Patterdale to me, whatcha guys think?









I mentioned Pippin in the post about the last outreach, well he was returned... guy said he couldn't keep him contained.. Crate? ... I guess not.
He's a chill little guy, very friendly, he doesn't fit his name at all. (For those familiar with the LotR character.) 









Piper playing with Connor, she's getting more confident each day! Still not a fan of the camera, but she was doing much better as an overall.









Here's a nice picture of her from their Facebook page. (They have a magic squeaker named Lloyd, he works very hard to get the dogs' attention.) 









My favorite gal, someone was looking into adopting her and I pray they don't. Had a Cattle dog with too much energy so they kennel 'em all the time. Thankfully others agreed so they're makin' sure everything is thoroughly checked. (sometimes they'll budge on things for folks who show they can be responsible.) 









She's so dorky in her pet of the week picture. lol (from their site)









This poor little pup was so scared I had to carry him out, I believe he's around 7 months old. Little Scotch started to come out of his skin and got more comfortable as the day went on. He just needs a gentle hand and more exposure.









Last but not least, Connor, cool lookin' dude. Looks like a pug mixed with some sort of Spitz breed, he even has a bit of a mane.
A man was looking into him right before we left and was going to come in the next day the shelter was open to adopt him. And I don't see him on the site so I think it went well! 









Sorry they're a bit lower quality, I didn't edit them other than cropping nor did I take many pictures.


----------



## IzzosMommy (Mar 30, 2011)

Celestial88 said:


> Molly did have a sad face, but she was really sweet. She'd make a good movie character.
> 
> Molly's adopters were thrilled and absolutely adored her, I think she's going to be lovin' life pretty soon.
> 
> ...


OMG I LOVE HER !!! =[ I wish I was in Cali


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

Bella's a awesome girl indeed, so happy she found a home.

Okay, so I finally got these uploaded. We had another adoption outreach this weekend at the Whole Earth and Watershed Festival, it was a lot of fun. We were right next to a huge fountain, lots of different cultures and such.

Gretchen(Sugar) got adopted!  We told them that she would likely have a lot of energy, is a loud mouth, and they still took her on. I was a bit worried at first because they had cats, but they called yesterday and said they're extremely happy with her.

Scotch got adopted as well! Pippin got adopted again, after being returned for "kept getting out" he was returned again for *not* having enough energy. Poor guy's havin' bad luck.

Dunkin got adopted as well.

Little Pippin, such a cool little guy.

















This girl, Hope, got adopted early that day before I could take her out.









Little Scotch, glad he found a home.








Piper and Scotch chillin' in the shade









Daisy, she seemed like a really chill sweet little gal in her kennel/crate... but we'll talk about her later. 









This boy wasn't so cooperative as far as looking at the camera, but this is Scooter.

















Sugar going home with her new family


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

I took 3 dogs out for Pet of the Week pictures, and was allowed to take them out in the yard instead of the usual bench.

Scooter actually posed today, took several minutes of waiting for the right moment to whip out the weird noises. He's a very nice, easy going, well mannered boy, but we couldn't find one thing that motivated him in the slightest. So he's not a dog to expect to come running back to you if you let him off leash. lol 

















This is Lucy, older girl, when I saw a old greying fat Black Lab I thought she was going to be chill... uhm no. She has insane food motivation, if she sees your hand go near the pouch she starts to do a silent bark and hold-like bounce. I thought she was thinking I was grabbing a ball at first so I grabbed one. Didn't even look at it when I threw it.
She's got a lot of go still.
















Slobber to show a taste of the extent of her excitement.









And little Daisy, my goodness. When I first took her out she was doing the zoom around you, jump and try to nip, zoom, jump and try to nip. So we started working on some stuff, got her to start following me and become aware of me while off leash. (Suddenly turning direction and rewarding her for following.) 
The trainer came out and we did some recall from across the yard to tire her. She walked nicely back after that, well focused, offered a sit at all the doors, just needs exercise. Without it she's a terrierist. I took her out the next day too and she got to play with the other trainer's dog, wore her out well.








Ball doesn't mean fetch. Ball = zoomies.


----------



## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

awwww they are all so cute  bella is super sweet in that nose picture lol. Looks like you and the dogs had a good time


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

It's kitten season at the shelter, or coming into it.

























Everyone was out at an outreach today, so after searching through the kennels I couldn't find a dog I could take out. I was going to take out a Shepherd/Pit Bull looking boy named Finnegan, but he was on meds for kennel cough. I took one more lap around and spotted this guy. He's been here since the 26th of last month, about 1 year, no name. Rated for kids 5 & up (which is awesome for a large boisterous puppy).

I ended up naming him Kovu, he's a *awesome* dog. He seems to have been heavily reinforced for jumping and other demanding behaviors. But he improved so much after this first session. He's wants to work with you, he wants to interact with you, he's very aware of your presence, but not in a clingy way. Seeks out human attention, focused, motivated, started to catch onto shaping quickly, confident, overall a nice boy.
Happy boy too








Apparently I wanted my leash









































Ames, is it just me or does he remind me of a slender, lankier Mel?


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

Lucy got adopted, Piper was adopted by the volunteer with the sun glasses.

This boy got returned today, reason wasn't listed. I'm not worried about him finding a home, handsome dog, adopted once so he'll be a green card.

























Some shaping, he's done very well. 








A tired dog is a happy dog.


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

Also, I'm trying to sponsor Kovu's adoption fee. I got $40 that I'm going to put towards it, the total is $135. So the $40 will bring it down to $95. 
It'll push the shelter to neuter and vaccinate him, making him a green card, which makes him bridgeable for pet of the week, and be able to go home the same day he's adopted.
Paypal would be great, my email is [email protected]


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

Pippin went to rescue

I didn't get that many good pictures from the outreach. I kept Gunner (that's his name... we're trying to think of a new name. We were thinking Loki, I liked Dante. Ideas? Nothing bland pweez ) out because he was really stressed in his kennel inside the truck.

Gunner doesn't really seem to know how to read humans or care to. He does his own thing, you can tell he likes humans because he'll greet them, shove his head into you lap for pets... but other than that doesn't really respond. Very chill guy, though he's a derp on the leash a "Well you wouldn't be choking if you weren't pulling" sort. Doesn't hesitate to snatch your food.
I like him a lot though, he's a really nice boy, just needs the right home.

































This is Bali, sweet, calm, polite little puppy, she was the only one who got adopted at the outreach.








Sorry for the foreign object, there was an elbow between us


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

Got some pictures for pet of the week.

I finally got some food pictures of Gunner! 
















I don't remember this guy's name, very nervous little guy. Very sweet though









And this is Philip, he's a really cool dog, very attentive, looks to you for directions, LOVES to play fetch. He pulls, and has a lot of power behind him. He's a very thick dog too, but still not fat (ribs easily felt). He was surrendered as a Border Collie mix but I'm thinking there's some livestock guardian in there somewhere.

















Since I was taking pictures and didn't get to take Kovu out, I put a word in for him and he got a long play session with the trainer's dog to wear him out.


----------



## leatherman-cowboy (Feb 10, 2010)

Hey Celestial88
Thank you for posting the great pictures,and also for taking the time to help the dogs find good homes.
I really like the first bully.
Henry


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

Daisy got adopted.

I found out today Kovu didn't make it out... I plan to talk to the captain of AC to ask if the sponsoring had an impact on their decision or if they missed it in his notes.... 
I'm at a loss for words, other than being saddened and a bit angered. Here are some pictures I took last time I took him out, last Friday.
























































































Rest in peace Kovu, you're sorely missed.


----------



## ::::COACH:::: (Apr 4, 2012)

this breaks my heart! Why did they put him down if he was partially sponsored?


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

They have several reasons.

1.) They're legally bound to take in animals, they cannot turn them down.

2.) high content shelter, they take in something like 7,000 animals a year



But I didn't have the money in yet, I had them place it in his notes that the money was coming. I plan to ask about it though.

Grim realities of overpopulation. Society failed him and many others.



Sorry for my blunt tone..


----------



## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Wow I am so sad as well. good looking dog poor guy RIP 

I don't know how you, and anyone else in the helping business, do it. Stronger heart than me, keep your head up Celeste!


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

Thank you, it can be hard sometimes... but in the end it's worth it for all the other animals helped.


----------



## ::::COACH:::: (Apr 4, 2012)

he reminded me of Ames' Mel!


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

::::COACH:::: said:


> he reminded me of Ames' Mel!


Me too, I thought I was crazy for a bit.

I ended up putting the money for Kovu towards getting a flirt pole for the dogs. I played with Gunner today. Never did I think I'd be able to wear him out. He was laying on the floor panting when we were done. Didn't want to get up :lol:

On the bright side, Gunner (Whose name might be changed to Loki) is going to be in Camp Love-A-Pet. So he'll be here for awhile and get a lot of good experience, training with kids and such.
Haven Humane Society

Flirt pole pictures soon 

I don't have all the other camp dog's pictures, but I will when Camp gets going.

Here's a few
















Alex Rod








Bently








I believe this little guy is part of it, kennel papers said "Dachshund, smoothhair mix" but was turned around since he was the clinic.
Alejandro








Cruddy picture, but this sweet girl's name is Rosey. In the last year or so they started allowing Pit Bulls into camp. When they first started the parents were complaining. But now they're allowing them again. Which is awesome of course 








Diesel








Chance








Tucker








Fox








Kinzy








Terrible shot, but Porkchop


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

The flirt pole, I really like it, nice convenient size (5 feet long, only including the stiff part)









Gunner/Loki (still up in the air) LOVED it, these actually turned out nice considering it's hard to play and hold a bulky camera at once.

















































I was taking out Camp dogs and fitting them with collars, and easy walk harnesses if we felt it was necessary. 
Fitted Gunner then I took out Rosey, she could use some better pictures anyway. She likes to stay really close to you so it made it hard to snap some pictures. Tied her to the fence briefly to get these. Sweet girl though, strong willed, but very people centered.

























And little Homer, (he's going to be getting a name change) we really had to work on getting him used to putting on a collar, but he improved greatly by the end and got him fitted. Bouncy little fellow, he looks like a Corgix Fox mix lol 









And some kittens 








"Why'd you have to wake me up?" 








This little one insisted on soaking up all the attention

















Next cat room, momma and her kittens sleeping. 3 ran up to greet me were like "Whoa, what the heck is this? Does it bite?"








Groggy baby 









Momma and all the babies investigating. Momma was rather unhealthy, poor gal, and she wouldn't shut up. lol


----------



## jerseypeach (May 17, 2012)

Celestial88 said:


> Daisy got adopted.
> 
> I found out today Kovu didn't make it out... I plan to talk to the captain of AC to ask if the sponsoring had an impact on their decision or if they missed it in his notes....
> I'm at a loss for words, other than being saddened and a bit angered. Here are some pictures I took last time I took him out, last Friday.
> ...


This is the sad truth about so many great dogs that are put down...and never EVER given a chance...he looked so happy in these pictures...it makes me sad...

RIP Kovu....RIP <3


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

A picture of Piper with her new mom, I get to see quite a few pictures of her since her momma is a Facebook friend.











> This is the sad truth about so many great dogs that are put down...and never EVER given a chance...he looked so happy in these pictures...it makes me sad...
> 
> RIP Kovu....RIP <3


It really is a depressing reality, people don't realize how many dogs are being euthanized everyday that are perfectly able pet dogs. And continue to needlessly breed... a lot of them often don't even end up being pet quality. At least when adopting an older dog you can see their genes set in, minimizes surprises.


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

Okay, so, I took a lot of pictures of Camp so far (we're into day 4), so I'll just provide a link to the gallery.  Each of the dog's names are captioned at least once, I still need to work on some of the camper's names. 

Rosey ended up not being fit for camp, they did some further testing and she was too dog aggressive (I didn't see the test, but I did notice it when walking her through the kennels) for the kids to handle. Which I think was a good decision, doesn't matter too much, she got adopted 

The camper's dogs start on page 3, in the first set is a guy who came and did a disc dog demo for the kids. I believe they call his act Hennigan's Flying Frisbee Dogs, but I'm not positive. 
Camp Love-A-Pet - Dakonic Photography's Photos

It's been going very well! We've made a lot of progress so far!

(More pictures are to be edited and uploaded)


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

Ah, Hennigan's Spinning Frisbee K9s 
Media and Event Biography


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

It took forever, but Alex finally got adopted!! :woof::woof:

And sorry I haven't been keeping this updated as much, been to a few cat adoptions events I need to edit pictures from. And the next camp start next week.

Some pictures from the last time I took him out.


----------



## Ripper (Jul 29, 2012)

That's awesome 


Sent from my iPad using PG Free


----------



## Kai (Jun 10, 2012)

You are awesome! Thank you for making a difference with these dogs and helping them on their journey to find forever homes! I love all of your pictures but my heart hurts to see some have to be put down. Its a sad truth and one I will always remind people of.


----------



## ames (Jun 6, 2010)

Yay!!!! Camp is back!!!!!


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

Hey guys! I'll be posting about camp over this weekend. Been really busy with school, (threw two large projects at us on the first day) so I haven't had time to get all of it together. 
here's the album  
August Camp Love-A-Pet - Dakonic Photography's Photos


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

Sorry I forgot to check guys!


Ripper said:


> That's awesome
> 
> Sent from my iPad using PG Free


Indeed it is!! I was starting to worry about the butthead  He's done well though, hasn't been returned, his family's happy with him.



Kai said:


> You are awesome! Thank you for making a difference with these dogs and helping them on their journey to find forever homes! I love all of your pictures but my heart hurts to see some have to be put down. Its a sad truth and one I will always remind people of.


Thank you for your kind, supportive words



ames said:


> Yay!!!! Camp is back!!!!!


Indeed! And it was awesome! one of the best yet!


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

A loooot went down at camp, so I'll try to keep it as brief as possible, but it's still going to be long!

First the kids and their dogs 

*Skylar and Muddy*
I think this was Skylar's 4th time coming to camp, and she always ends up getting the really nice easy going dog who loves to work. So that plus her past experience, she almost always comes out with the most well trained dog. She taught Muddy a ton of tricks, he was almost always focusing on her, and was thrilled every morning she came in. 
















His trick "surrender"

















*Rebecca and Oakley*

We had 3 Pit Bull mix-like dogs in camp this year, I think that's the most we've had yet. Oak had a hard time focusing at first, but Rebecca worked hard and by the end of camp he was very well mannered, greeting people politely. (That's where he struggled, he got sooooo excited when someone just said "hi" to him) He loved to sit on her feet and lean on her while they waited in line. He got the "Best Breed Ambassador" award.
Her speech at the graduation got everyone choked up and teary eyed.








Teaching him "leave it"

























*David and Hero*
Hero was one of our tough dogs, she wasn't a fight starter or anything, she just LOVED to pull, she always wanted to be out in front of the other dogs and go go go. Not surprising given that she's got some Sib in her. (according to folk that surrendered her anyway) She's a very strong dog and took a lot of patience, but David stuck with it till the end! She wasn't perfect, but she improved greatly within the 2 weeks of camp.

































*Jenna and Deuce*
Another great pairing, when we first took Deuce out he was pulling like a mad man, and had the body to back it up, but within the second day of camp he was walking on a totally loose leash. Almost never had to worry about him, Jenna kept his attention, didn't let his focus wonder onto counter productive things, and well their personalities just matched perfectly.He's a large, stout powerful dog, but he's also a total softy. He does NOT like to make you mad at all, he took to the training very well. 
Brother to Cruz

































*Ana and Ranger*
Ranger, he just loved to barrel his way through life. (He got the "Mack Truck" award at the end of camp to give you an idea) He was another that took a lot of patience but eventually he was walking politely and focused. Ana wasn't here for a large portion of camp due to being sick, very quiet and nice girl, tried avoiding the camera. lol 
























One of our counselors, Dana, stood in for Ana on her absent days









*Madelynn and Cruz*
They had identical personalities, quiet, polite, easy going, they were a very nice match. Cruz was just a breeze, never starting any trouble, and quite the charmer. He also has a nasty scar on his back leg, no clue what caused it but it had to of hurt.
Brother to Deuce








His scar
http://i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad178/i_heart_dakota/Second/30mbs012.jpg

























*Keegan and Ruger*
He took her for a ride the first day out, pulled her along on the sand, dirt skiing I guess you'd call it. Very strong and determined boy, and he screams like a cattle dog. But she didn't get discouraged at all and stuck with it, he improved vastly by the end of camp.

































*Abeni and Yankee*
They were just adorable together... I don't used that word often to describe people, but how can you not?
Yankee is Wrigley's brother

































*Luis and Wrigley*
Luis did a good job with Wrigley, puppies take patience as I'm sure we all know. Wrigley took a little more since he often got freaked out by things and had to be shown it was okay. (He was even freaked out by the squeaky toy we use for pictures ). The microphone freaked him out badly during graduation practices, but by the time graduation came he was comfortable and not bothered by it at all.
Yankee's brother

































*Preston and Jake*
I believe this was Preston's second camp, he had a "problem dog" the first time around that took a lot of work. This time he got sweet, mellow Jake, who acts 100% like a Ambulldog puppy. Even has the waddle down. Preston did a great job with him, practically had a heel around the entire track, taught him a bunch of tricks.
























His "Find it" command









*Aubry and Barrett*
Barrett was a bit of a butterfly brain, his camper and a few of the counselors were stuck for awhile. Then Aubry was gone for a day and I worked Barrett, I found that if you work him in short bursts he worked much better and was actually wanting to work. So after we all figured him out, he did great.

































*Annie and Cheddar*
Annie's another returning camper, she got a little hard case. He just would not sit for nothing (we accidentally made a pun about it "Cheddar just won't sit for jack!"). Annie really proved to be patient, she'd just stand around and wait for him to sit then capture it. And he was sitting by the end of camp.








Being lazy
















Waiting for a sit









*Grace and Arisaka(Ari)*
Grace is also a returning camper, her dog Ari is a total teenager, she'd just have little fits then be a perfect angel. lol But Grace did a great job with her, they were a very cute pair. 
















Gah, I wish Grace came out clear in this, I was really hopeful for this shot (took 4), but none came out with her in focus. 

















*Reilly and Firefox*
Firefox and Reilly were sort of opposites, she's on the quiet, laidback side while Firefox is outgoing and wants to pose for the camera. But a very nice boy, when he saw me coming he'd sit from about 10 feet away, let me snap a shot, Reilly would reward him and he'd go prancing off.


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

*Jordon and Boone*
Oh Boone, such a spacey boy, rebellious teen,he'd really try your patience, and could be frustrating at times but Jordon stuck through to the end and didn't give up.
























Working on focus with a distraction (a horse)









*Morgan and Onyx*
Onyx was another trying dog, he'd pull and pull and bark and bark and pull some more. Morgan got a little discouraged at first but the trainers and counselors were all supportive and she had him being a nearly perfect angel by the end of camp. He also ended up being the dog on our little camp bandana we put up each year. (Which is now on my wall)


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

But wait! There's more!

Now for the activities and guests we had at camp. 

Lassen View Alpacas came, they brought two youngsters, stuff made from Alpaca fiber and a older, clicker trained Alpaca.

Alpaca photobomb lol









The clicker trained boy








Spinning









Corey Wallace of Redding Reptile Parties brought his herps out for the kids, they really loved the show, it was a hit 

















Bandit <3 He's an absolutely stunning snake








We all posed with some of the snakes, even the trainers
















Sumtra, the 15 foot, 125 or so pound albino Burmese Python, she just loves the attention









One of our officers, Adam, came in and told the kids about his job and told some pretty funny stories









One of our local K9 Officers came in and talked to the kids, Officer Jeff Schmidt and his dog Abel. I was very pleased to hear that they've started to advance in their methods, Abel here had been trained up to 2 years age using purely positive methods, toy rewards, he was on the streets working before 2 years of age, and just turned 2 the 1st of August. He's now using aversives though for liability/proofing important behaviors(if he accidentally goes after the wrong person and he has to recall him off, doesn't out, etc) but it was refreshing to see a very open minded officer. Very comfortable and eager to work with his handler, which I can't say for past dogs I've met.
















Also a wonderful example of how police dogs aren't land sharks, and a dog with the proper temperament can judge a situation properly.

























Aaaand Dakota came and put on a little show, I showed them different types of heeling, retrieves, searches (including what I call "sweeping", directed, and nosework/alerts) He's being rewarded for a proper alert in this one.








Tricks
















And got some attention









Then Hennigan's Spinning Frisbee Dogs came out

































They got to watch a spay/neuter









Meet a baby raccoon
















A gal who owns a bee farm told the kids about their profession and the importance of bees









And then bath day, I think we know it's the least favorite for the dogs lol
"I did not sign up for this!"
























Ari had the saddest/most pathetic face of all









Then we went for a walk on the sundial bridge (to wear them out for graduation! Which is the day after)

































So far everyone except Cheddar, Firefox, Cruz, Oakley, and Barrett have been adopted.

The whole gallery
August Camp Love-A-Pet - Dakonic Photography's Photos


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

All camp dogs have been adopted!!

Toots, the brindle Pit Bull puppy I posted about awhile ago is back at the shelter again.  Hopefully I can take her out sometime.

I took out this handsome fella today  His name is Bowser, and staff call him the "Dingo Dane" because of his ears. he's a very sweet boy with lots of personality, a bit on the timid side but he recovers quickly.


















Not a good picture, but he has interesting body structure


----------



## Bailey&Rosco (Mar 6, 2013)

I adopted a male, 1yr old pitbull mix about 4 months ago. He is the sweetest guy, but he has formed this attachment to me that I am starting to think is unhealthy. If I get up and walk into the kitchen he follows, if i go to the bathroom he is right at my feet and whenever I am sitting down he has to be touching me. This does not bother me, I love him, but when I leave he starts knocking things over, destroying anything he can grab and barking. I tried the crate, but I think when I put him in there it is worse. He will go to the bathroom and has torn up two trays. I am then cleaning him off because he will get poop all over him. I know he was neglected and physically abused before, but that's all. Any training tips you can offer would be amazing. Thank you!


----------



## rabbit (Jan 14, 2012)

Bailey&Rosco said:


> I adopted a male, 1yr old pitbull mix about 4 months ago. He is the sweetest guy, but he has formed this attachment to me that I am starting to think is unhealthy. If I get up and walk into the kitchen he follows, if i go to the bathroom he is right at my feet and whenever I am sitting down he has to be touching me. This does not bother me, I love him, but when I leave he starts knocking things over, destroying anything he can grab and barking. I tried the crate, but I think when I put him in there it is worse. He will go to the bathroom and has torn up two trays. I am then cleaning him off because he will get poop all over him. I know he was neglected and physically abused before, but that's all. Any training tips you can offer would be amazing. Thank you!


I think it's best if you start your own thread in the proper section which would be in the training section in the sub section of pit bull behavior. There are many threads that cover separation anxiety. Use the search to search through the threads.


----------



## Karmagirl (Dec 18, 2012)

I'm on love with Kovu!!!!!!

Sent from Petguide.com Free App


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

I have some pictures! The gal who usually helps me take pictures of the shelter (it's a tad risky to go into the kennels with your camera on you) is out on maternity leave with twins, so I haven't brought my camera the past few times. We had a volunteer meeting Saturday and a lot of people showed so I had someone to help hold the camera for me while I took the dogs out of the kennel.

First is Keeya, she was very polite and gentle about everything. She waited patiently to go in and out of the kennel, took treats gently, hardly pulled at all, and she just has a soft look to her. A very sweet low energy gal who likes her cuddles.


































This is Velvet and she was wicked fun to take out. She just had a litter not too long ago (her second) and her owner decided to dump her at the shelter. And despite that, she was in pretty darn good shape and still had a lot of wind. The shelter changed her breed to "Vizsla mix".... you be the judge. 
She has very high ball drive and stalks it like a cattle dog would. I did some "throws for sits" and she caught on after the second one, other dogs passed and barked, didn't matter she was so intent on her ball. 
























Nice structure as well
















She insisted on placing the ball between your feet, if you moved she'd pick it up and follow. 








Cattle dog crouch
















She didn't want to stop after I put the ball up.









And then I took out Shred, a handsome big headed fella who was very responsive and eager to train. He pulled a bit on the way out, but by the time we were headed back he was walking at an attention heel most of the time. He's a fun dog to work with.


----------



## rabbit (Jan 14, 2012)

Whoa I like Velvet what a beautiful dog. I hope she finds herself into a loving home.


----------



## Celestial88 (Mar 14, 2011)

rabbit said:


> Whoa I like Velvet what a beautiful dog. I hope she finds herself into a loving home.


I sent info about her to the local Flyball clubs in case anyone was looking for a ball crazy dog. Posted her on my Facebook as well. I'm really hoping she gets out of there.

On the bright side, the shelter has a lot of empty kennels thanks to their recent expansion (they got a new building with 75 or so kennels) and are not crowded. So they'll keep her as long as she can handle mentally (which is where volunteers come in!)


----------

