Eddie Aftermath: I'm Kind Of Crappy, Too!

If you missed all the hoopla, it got a little wacky around these parts. Remember Eddie The Terrible? 

Bite me. Or better yet, I'll bite you. 

Apparently people really like his style. Which is fantastic. Not only did our favorite little jerk get a home, it also confirmed all of our suspicions about humanity. Which is mainly that people are good and accepting and kind and don't mind risking the odd finger here and there to give someone a chance.

But here's the unfantastic part: A very good part of our population are actually great dogs. If you've hung with us for a while, you know that we don't have shelter dogs - we have normal dogs who happen to be in a shelter. Good, sweet, friendly dogs who don't look at children like snack food or go all Braveheart every time they see another dog.  

Which means we now have an epidemic of good dogs trying to be terrible so you'll love them, too. 

Take for instance, McDreamy:

I'm Sexist!

Walk like a bathmat, sting like a bee. Yes, there is a lovely dog in there that's housebroken, playful, funny - and not huge on men. Sure, he loves volunteer Greg and counselor Denny but as for the rest of mankind, he's going to take you all on a male-by-male basis. Make no mistake, this four year old Lhasa Apso mix loves women. Wholeheartedly and without reservation, he accepts all female-kind as his people. But when it comes to strange men he remains creeped out. Unless of course the guy has really good treats. Then he's pretty willing to overlook the creeped-out thing.

Or Cha-Cha:

I Will Poop All Over Everything You Own! Twice!

Don't call her bluff on this one - she's actually going to do it. Then she'll probably eat a shoe or two and maybe even a sofa while she's at it. Plus there will inevitably be a game of 'Guess Where I Peed?' that you will play with her every time you come home. It's not her fault. Cha Cha is a puppy - she's eight weeks old. And puppies are instruments of mass destruction. The good news? With some love and guidance she'll grow out of it and be a good dog. The bad news? It's going to take a while. A while and gallons and gallons of stain remover.

And (of course) Duke:

I'm A Cat Trapped In A Dog's Body.

Don't get Duke wrong, he likes you well enough. The walks? Great. Some lap time? Perfect. But he doesn't need to be all up in your business all the time. Friendly? Yes. Needy? No. There's not really a bad thing to be said about Duke - he's housebroken, fine with other dogs, rides well in a car, almost preternaturally calm. But if you're one of those people that needs a dog that's glued to you, on your lap, in your face every single moment, not your guy. As a result, he's been with us for a while. In a shelter situation, calm and independent is often misinterpreted as 'he doesn't like me'. He does like you. He thinks you're awesome. He's just a cat stuck in a senior wiener dog mix dog body. Cut him some slack. 

Don't forget Penelope!

I Have A Head The Size Of A VW Beetle.

You'd be hard pressed to find one bad thing to say about Penelope. She's sweet, she was raised right by loving people and came to us through no fault of theirs or her own. So what's the issue? You could park the space shuttle in her mouth. Pen's a big marshmallow with a cuddly personality whose appearance scares the bejebus out of people who haven't been around big dogs. Luckily everyone reading this has evolved past this point, right? Right. Great! So come down right away and meet this housebroken, well mannered pibble. 

In a few weeks, this will all have blown over and once again our amazing pooches will be bounding over themselves to show you their awesome-ness and avoid us when we bust out the festive headgear. However in the mean time we are full of wonderful dogs trying to pretend to be as awful as Eddie to get your attention. It's pretty obvious the only solution here is for you to come down and adopt them before they all turn into total miscreants trying to get your attention. 

It's the perfect time to save a pooch from a wasted live of petty cookie larceny and leaving muddy paw prints on the pants of volunteers: through 12/31 adoption fees on all adult pets is just $12. 

Adopting Awesome: Four Adoptable Dogs That Make Up For Eddie's Terrible-ness.

I remember my dignity fondly...

So you read last week's post about Eddie and it inspired you. "I need a dog!" you thought, "I need one RIGHT NOW". Maybe you have another dog, maybe you have some kids that you want growing up with all their fingers, maybe you just need someone who's a little more user-friendly out of the gate but Eddie isn't an option. Fear not. We can help. Most of our dogs are actually fantastic, friendly little guys who would love your kids and your dogs. However some of our pooches are so completely out-of-the-gate amaze-balls that we have to highlight them. For those of you ready for a non-terrible dog, here are some options. We expect to see you swarming the front door tomorrow. If you need directions, check google maps. We'll be waiting. 

1) Christopher Defended The Shelter From An Attacking Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Never mind about that dignity. Getting harder and harder to remember it..

Ok, it was just a plastic dinosaur and he ate it long before we ever met him. But he did come to us bearing the scars of the battle. By 'scars of the battle' we mean 'gut full of plastic dinosaur parts' which our vet staff removed. Let's not quibble over inconsequential details.  This sweet-faced four year old pibble wears his cone of shame as a badge of honor. He also likes other dogs and would like to spend the remainder of the winter curled up in your lap.

2) Ellen And Portia Saved A Bus Full Of Nuns From Driving Over A Cliff.

What's Peru? What's a nun? Wait - do nuns hand out Snausages??

It was a rainy night on a winding mountain road in Peru. The treacherous single lane track was muddy and dark. Nevertheless, the old yellow school bus full of sisters painstakingly made it's way up the switchbacks. Sniffing boulders by the side of the road, Portia and Ellen happened to be on a backpacking trip through Central and South America that week. At a gritty hostel in Cusco they heard a rumor that a truck full of Snausages had upended on the self-same road and made a pilgrimage to look for the detritus....

Okay, none of that happened. That's just patently untrue. We do believe that given the chance they would have saved a bus full of nuns but their loyalty to each other is heroic nonetheless. When the two were found Portia had a head injury that required us to remove the eye. Not a huge deal as dogs are really laid back about that sort of thing but still an adjustment. Ellen stepped up to act as Portia's seeing eye chihuahua, keeping an eye on her blind side and protecting her from harm. As Ellen was a pretty shy dog before, her new role required an outpouring of courage and bravery from the deadpan little chihuahua. Obviously the two need to go together. We would like to point out that they both fit on one lap and are absolutely hysterical.

3) Tiger Lily Won The Award For Best New Artist And Donated All Proceeds To Charity.

I'm all about that bass, no treble...

You have probably guessed by now that none of those things happened. Hear us out: theoretically, they could happen. Tiger Lily, being part basset, does sing. She sings for cookies, she sings at the sight of other dogs, she sings for the sheer joy of it. While we wouldn't exact call it pleasant, we're certain somewhere out there someone really, really loves the sound of a happy basset/pit mix caroling her little heart out. Didn't David Hasselhoff sell millions of records in Europe? Somewhere, someone will appreciate this exuberant eight year old pooch's art. We do but it's time for her to have her own people. 

As for the donation part, we don't know if she'd part with cookies but she happily gives kisses. If nothing else her ears and tongue do amazing things when she runs after the ball (and she's always running after the ball). See? How can you say no?

I just licked my own eyeball! Eureka!

In addition to these four amazing little beast-sicles, we also have a Nobel Prize winning terrier mix, a chihuahua who made millions on the Google IPO, three pit puppies who were seriously considered for Taylor Schilling's role in Orange Is The New Black and a bonded pair of Jack Russell mixes who met and married while working on Dancing With The Stars.

Or maybe we just have a lot of really great dogs that would fit well in your family. Either way, you should check them out. 

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***With volunteers, all things are possible. Without them, nothing is. Big, big, big thank you to rock star Jackie MacMillan, whose photos capture our adoptable pooches in all their joy, exuberance and occasional horridness. A huge amount of gratitude to Elizabeth Laverty who makes all the videos that let you see the little buggers move in real time including the now infamous 'Eddie' movies. We are so lucky to have them***

10 Cats Uninterested in the #hellastorm

Generally, cats are uninterested in most things.  But the current weather in the Bay Area is probably number one on their list right now.  

So don't talk to them about it, they're over it.

1. Colton

The rain bores me.

2. Doreen

Talk to me tomorrow. I can't deal today.

3. Sally and Sara

We're a little too busy getting pretty to worry about the weather, you silly humans you.

4. Chuckers and 5. Foxy Cleo

Hellastorm?  Really?

6. Bonnie

The rain is my enemy.  Can you imagine how long it takes to do this hair in the morning?  Beauty is no joke, people.

7. Kittens

No comment.

8. L.C.

I will not even acknowledge this confounded weather with a glance out the window.  Not for all the crunchies in the kitchen.

9. Obi

The rain.  It soothes me.

10. Tater Tot

What's a rain?

All of these kitties are waiting for their forever homes.  No matter the weather, come in and adopt.  You'll be hella glad you did.

Wink!

A Full Disclosure Blog: Three Reasons You DON'T Want To Adopt Eddie The Terrible.

How Does So Much Naughty Exist In Such A Small Dog? 

Things are about to get real....

We know, we know. He is adorable. All small and yellow and fluffy. A little bit tubby which makes him seem more softer somehow, like a dog you can trust with your secrets. Don't be fooled. Yes, he is a great listener. But inside that innocuous adorable blonde package exists tons - indeed, whole square miles - of naughty. 

It's true: Eddie the Terrible IS terrible. And we have three great reasons you shouldn't even think about adopting him. 

Those zombies don't stand a chance now...

1) Like to go for walks in dog infested areas? Enjoy the dog park? Keep walking....

While Eddie The Terrible has never actually attacked another dog, he's made it abundantly clear that he hasn't ruled out the possibility. He goes from zero to Cujo in .05 seconds when he sees another dog on leash. Well, sayeth you, lots of small dogs bark at other dogs on leash. True. But we know people expect a lot from dogs in this day and age and when it comes to leash theatrics, Eddie's at the top of his game. Also true: he's made some progress. But lest his adorable little blond-ness let you think this is going to be a plug-and-play dog, think again.

Granted, if there's no other dogs around he's wonderful to take for a stroll. He loves him some leash walks and yard time. But at the sight of another dog, all bets are off. It's Cujo time. 

We're pretty sure somewhere out there exists someone patient enough to work with him on this or someone who frankly doesn't give a bean if he likes to scream his head off for a few seconds at the neighbor's lab. But in the interest of full disclosure, we have to be honest. 

Content unsuitable for young users....

2) Want your kids to grow up with a full complement of fingers and toes? Not the dog for you.

Some dogs love kids. We have a bunch of child-lovin' dogs. Eddie the Terrible, however, is not one of them. Honestly he's a little whiffy with some adults, too. Not in an eat-them sort of way but in 'this makes me very nervous' sort of way.  Eddie's never actually bitten anyone but we're not saying it could never happen. 

In a home environment Eddie is lovely. He's housebroken, loyal, fun and friendly. He lives to play fetch. But socially? He stinks. We're in Silicon Valley - if we started throwing out the socially awkward no one would ever have another piece of new technology again. We know somewhere out this little guy has a match. 

Now that I have thumbs, let's get this party started...

3) Looking for a simple dog that will sleep in his crate? Not your guy.

So let's talk about the bed. Or the sofa. Or someplace that you generally like to hang out because that's where Eddie's going to want to bunk. Worried about dog hair on the furniture? Very valid worry if you adopt Eddie. While Eddie is crate trained, he has a weird thing about sleeping in the crate. And by weird thing we mean 'nope, not happening'. A bed in your room? Awesome. In the bed with you? Better. In a crate? Let him sing you the song of his people...

In fact if you're looking for a floor-sleeping, speed bump of a dog that minds his own business, strike Eddie clean off your list. Eddie demands interaction. Not all the time and not in that follow-you-around-and-bark sort of way that makes you want to stick your head in the oven, just in a 'whither though goest, I goest' way. Or however that goeth. You're in the living room? Cool, he wants to watch TV with you. Going outside? Did we mention that he loves fetch? Heck, if he didn't want to eat other dogs he'd be a shoo-in as an agility pooch as he's played on the equipment and is pretty fearless. 

You're in my world now, baby.

Let's face it: unless you're looking for a dog that's a little bit of work, Eddie The Terrible is not the dog for you. We know, we know. He's super loyal, easy in the house and a lot of fun but he's a little rough around the edges. Actually he's kind of a jerk. But he's a jerk we believe in. We're not expecting you to  want to meet him but if you must, we really can't deter you. 

If you love a challenge, are looking for the dog of a lifetime and think you can handle the thirteen pounds of terror that is Eddie, we won't stop you. You just go ahead and call 1.408.262.2133 ext 150. But don't say we didn't warn you. 

Ha! Fooled another hooman...

Love Cat-ually Is All Around...

It's the holiday season which means it is the perfect time to break out the cocoa, snuggle up with your four-legged furries and put on the one movie that can get even the grinchiest person's heart to thaw.  Yes, that movie is Love Actually.  You watch it every year (and maybe once in the summer if you need some cheering up), and romanticize about which character you relate most with.  Your favorite part is of course, watching Hugh Grant solo-dance to "Jump For My Love."  But your cat is a little more complex.  

He varies between being a ladies man:

I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes...

to a hopelessly adorable romantic with eyes for only you:

"She's the one."

Sometimes he'll be a brat and ruin the whole show with his feline cohorts:

"We're here!"

But most of the time, he loves you just the way you are:

Even if you're not a big, squishy romantic, you will be sure to find kitty love this holiday season when you come to visit our HSSV cats.  Our aging rockstar is Chuckers, living proof that seniors can still rock.  Meredith the kitten has since been adopted, but there are plenty of other babies available for adoption that could be your "one."  Colton and Impala are a bonded pair of teenaged kittens ready to stir up some mischief in your home.  And sweet man Tippy has found his perfect someone -- he was adopted earlier this week.

If you look for it, I've got a sneaky feeling you'll find that love actually is all around.