What A Difference A Day Makes.

Could you watch this all day? We could.

You might be asking what this is. This, ladies and gentlemen, is the face of pure, adulterated joy. Damp joy. Soaking wet joy. Exhausted joy. But joy none-the-less.

What was the cause of this joy? A hose. Some squirrels. A hike. A car ride. Hours and hours of uninterrupted people time. For a few hours Layla got to have a normal life. A few hours of a break in being in transition. A few hours of just being a dog out and about in the world. She's not the only one. 

This is how I roll in the real world, peeps.

Frosty went on a seven mile hike, ate some french fries and got some much needed car love. 

What are you guys thinking for lunch - thai? burgers?

Skilo also enjoyed some hiking and a dinner out in Willow Glen.

And the best part? The people time.

They're ALL MINE. For the whole day!

The snuggles.

I took the hooman for a hike and got to keep her for HOURS!

And the normalcy...

Just takin' a car ride with an inflatable dinosaur behind me. Like good dogs do.  

Plus it doesn't hurt that these adoptable muffins were seen out and about rockin' their adopt me vests and meeting new folks outside the context of a shelter. 

#truefact Layla. You are a wish come true. 

Wait, you say, back up. What is going on here? If Layla, Frosty and Skilo* weren't adopted then how were they out in the universe going on more dates than Match.com?

What - you didn't know I had a beach look, too?

It all started with Frosty. Who is awesome and still looking for a home. As a big bubba, it's taking him longer to find someone than it does for a lot of our little muffins. The housing market is tight. A lot of rentals don't accept big dogs, particularly blockheads. So even though he's perfect he's been chilling out with us since July. During which time we've done a lot to market him..

I'm Frosty Freeze. Get it? Frosty Freeze. HA!

And our behavior team has been awesome about making sure he gets his ya-ya's out but still - since JULY. While we are an amazingly cool, very different type of shelter....

Case in point: Staff Vet Dr. B examining a shy dog outside to make him more comfy and getting a sinus rinse in the bargain.

It's still a long time to be hanging out in a shelter. It can get depressing. And the only people that see you are people who are coming into the shelter. So we had a great idea - what if we asked folks to give Frosty a day out? Asked them to take him out for a hike, give him a change of scenery, a car ride, something? So we put the ask out on Facebook thinking we'd get one or two folks and...

Finish the sentence. The suspense is killing me.

And people are amazing. People are awesome. People are wonderful.

We had dozens of folks step up and ask to take him out for the day. So many folks that Frosty booked up and some of our other big kids got to share the love, too. 

Lovelovelovelovelove.

Such began Doggy Day Out. A program where folks can help our big kids get a little bit of extra exercise, some extra lovin', a chance to chase the hose or a squirrel in the backyard and extra exposure to the folks they meet along the way. It also gives us more info about the dogs to tell potential adopters. For instance we now know that:

• Frosty wants to sit in your lap when you drive.
• Skilo is a perfect dinner partner - he just chills out under the table while you eat. Even if you're eating cheeseburgers and occasionally giving him a bit. 
• Layla's heaven is a backyard with a hose and a healthy squirrel population. 

These little things help make the dogs more real to folks who only see them in the context of the shelter.

So to all of our Doggy Day Out folks who have been taking these guys out for dates, YOU RULE.

To our Behavior Department who dealt with an unexpected flood of eager doggy daters - you are amazing. 

Yes, Suarez. We're looking at you. And your awesome Christmas sweater.

And to those of you who would like to be doggy daters, shoot an email to laura.birdsall@hssv.org.

And if you're interested in Frosty (and who wouldn't be).

I am an amazing kisser. 

He's digging his doggy dates but he'd put his full dance card aside in a heartbeat for a chance at a forever home. So spread the word. 

Meanwhile we leave you with the full video of Layla Vs. Hose as it's guaranteed to make your day. 

*Skilo actually got adopted while this blog was being written. See earlier note re: people are awesome.

Is It Over Yet? Puppies Deal With Election Stress.

So we have a big burning question for you.

Ask away. 

Who here is sick of the election?

Don't say that word. I don't want to hear that word any more. 

No, don't worry. We're not going to talk about politics or candidates. 

Thank goodness. This was getting awkward.

We're just asking who is ready for what has been a very, very long election cycle to be over?

It just all got so...ugly.

We know. It did get ugly. But you know what's not ugly? Puppies. Even puppies suffering from hard core election burnout. 

I just need it to be over. Now.

While we know some folks love the tussle and fro of politics..

I personally would relish another debate. And the ensuing water cooler arguments that follow.

We also know that a lot of folks are feeling pretty fried from all the news stories, yard signs and social media throwdowns. 

When will it be safe to be on Twitter again? I can't take this...

Which made us think 'What could we do? What can we do to help everyone through the last day of this?".

Do something. Please. Just don't mention anything that starts with a 'T' or a 'C'.

And it was obvious the only answer that made any sense was to post pictures of disgruntled puppies. Because honestly, who doesn't smile at puppies? Even disgruntled ones?

I actually do not smile at pictures of puppies. At all. 

That's understandable. You're a cat, Butternut. But to our point, we thought we would post a blog that would make you smile. We would remind you that if election stress is getting to you, feel free to pop into any of our locations for some cuddle therapy with a pooch or a kitty.

We all need cuddle therapy right now. 

And we'd remind you that no matter which way things go tomorrow, you can make a big difference in the world by adopting, volunteering or donating at your local shelter. 

Why did you mention tomorrow? I can't even think about tomorrow. 

So pop by and see us. The world is a good place, full of good people doing good things. And in forty eight hours, this whole election mess will be over. 

I'm so over it right now. I'm done. 

We know Allie. We know. 

But hey, does anyone want to talk about some of the California ballot measures?

Guys? Puppies? Where did you go? There's nothing but a pile of stuffies here...