We also have a courtesy page for individuals looking to place their pet. Please visit our Courtesy Listing page as well for both dogs and cats.
Ever wonder who takes some of the professional quality photos of our fosters that you sometimes see here? Staff member and HPR volunteer Lisa Collings is also a photographer. For more information about her work please visit her site.
Thank you so much to our monthly food sponsors. They provide $30 a month to help provide food for our fosters!!
-"Meggie" and the Free Family
Hudson
In the middle of January there was an unfortunate story that led to the rescue of several dogs. The owner had passed away and upon entering the house officers discovered it was full of dogs. The final count ended up being 48. It was a classic hoarding situation. All of the dogs were at healthy weights so they were diligent about feeding but other conditions in the house left the dogs matted and covered with feces. Animal rescue groups along with animal control were able to take all the dogs in. This is one of the dogs rescued from there.
This picture was taken of Hudson the very day he was rescued. We hope to have new pictures of him soon.
Almost all of the dogs rescued from this situation were under 15lbs. There were only 4 that were larger. They weren't in the trucks with the small dogs rather in crates that had already been loaded onto the ground by the time I got there. Every time I walked by this dogs crate I would look in there. He had the most pleading eyes and the most adorable face. He sat there calmly as everyone bustled around him. Everyone was frantically working on getting all the tiny dogs taken care of. The crate dogs were the last to be attended to. Once we got all the little guys unloaded and everyone was inside working with them I walked out to meet this guy face to face. I kneeled down in front of the crate. He didn't growl or anything; just stared at me with his dark big eyes. Poor thing was disgusting. His hair was matted and he was covered in feces.
I grabbed a kennel lead and opened the crate door. It was obvious he wasn't going to move anywhere. I needed to get him out. Though I wish I had hours to sit with him that wasn't an option that day. I put the kennel lead around him and had to drag him out despite his unwillingness. Once I got him out I let him just sit there. I sat beside him calmly petting his head. He was so shut down I thought he really wasn't aware of what was going on. After being by his side for a few minutes I had to walk away to help with something else. When I did he made a move to come with me. He had decided in those few minutes that I was someone he could trust.
Once back at Pawtropolis we got him all cleaned up. Over 50% of his hair had to be shaved off because it was so matted. The whole time he was quite and patient. He would just sit and stare with those wonderful eyes. Fast forward over a week and you'll find a different dog. All of the staff has fallen in love with him. He is such the gentle soul. He is so gentle and calming that you can't help but adore him. He is getting more and more outgoing everyday.
Hudson is about 2 years old and weighs around 25-30lbs. He is extremely insecure about most things. Like with the other dogs we rescued if his new family continues to socialize him to new places and people he should really blossom. He'll never be an in your face golden but still a sweet gentle loving dog.
He still needs to be neutered and we'd like to work with him a little bit longer before adoption. If you think you might be a good fit for him please email Amanda at pawtropolis@aol.com to discuss more details or to arrange a meeting.
Energy: Low - Moderate
Dominance/Confidence Level: Submissive
Cats: ?
Children: Young children may overwhelm him
No Sponsor Yet.
Whimsy In the middle of January there was an unfortunate story that led to the rescue of several dogs. The owner had passed away and upon entering the house officers discovered it was full of dogs. The final count ended up being 48. It was a classic hoarding situation. All of the dogs were at healthy weights so they were diligent about feeding but other conditions in the house left the dogs matted and covered with feces. Animal rescue groups along with animal control were able to take all the dogs in. This is one of the dogs rescued from there.
This picture was taken of Whimsy the very day she was rescued. We hope to have new pictures of her soon.
In one pod of one of the animal control trucks there was a mound of dogs. They were all so huddled together you couldn't count how many were in there or tell where one dog started and another ended. When I approached one little dog climbed on top of the others all wiggly and happy. She was still very scared. She would approach a little bit then back away, all the while wagging her tail and doing a little excited dance. She was adorable. With just a little more convincing this little dog who we now call Whimsy came over to me.
From that moment on Whimsy has been a happy little girl. Yes, she is still a little bit unsure of things but overall she is a happy friendly dog that loves attention. Because of her insecurity her new family will need to make sure to continue to socialize her to new places and people. I think Whimsy is going to make a great little pet. Because she is so tiny and still a bit unsure I'm guessing a home with very young children may be a bit overwhelming. She should do fine with older children.
She's a small girl, probably less than 10lbs. There is a possibility that she too is pregnant (we are being careful with all the rescued female dogs). We will wait a week or two before spaying to make sure she isn't. She'll need to be spayed prior to adoption so it could be a little bit before she is ready for her new home. If you think you might be a good fit for her please email Amanda at pawtropolis@aol.com to discuss more details or to arrange a meeting.
Energy: Low - Moderate
Dominance/Confidence Level: Submissive
Cats: Should do just fine
Children: Young children may overwhelm her
No Sponsor Yet.
Maya In the middle of January there was an unfortunate story that led to the rescue of several dogs. The owner had passed away and upon entering the house officers discovered it was full of dogs. The final count ended up being 48. It was a classic hoarding situation. All of the dogs were at healthy weights so they were diligent about feeding but other conditions in the house left the dogs matted and covered with feces. Animal rescue groups along with animal control were able to take all the dogs in. This is one of the dogs rescued from there.
This picture was taken of Maya the very day she was rescued. She was filthy and pretty nervous. She found it comforting to stand between John's legs. We hope to have new pictures of her soon.
Maya was the youngest of the ones we rescued. We guess she is still under a year old. Despite all she had gone through the day of her rescue you could tell she was still a friendly girl. She wanted to come say hi but you could tell she was nervous. Her tail would wag as she submissively back away. Now that she's been with us for a little while she's come out of her shell. She is excited to come out and meet people. Occasionally she'll still meet someone that makes her nervous and she'll back away but for the majority of the people she meets she is all wags.
When unsure of something or someone her go to method is to bark. You can tell she is insecure and is barking because she doesn't know what else to do. Because of this her new family will need to continue with her socialization; taking her new places and letting her meet lots of new people. I think she can become a very well-balance dog with just a tiny bit of work.
She's a small girl, probably less than 15lbs. There is a possibility that she too is pregnant. We will wait a week or two before spaying to make sure she isn't. She'll need to be spayed prior to adoption so it could be a little bit before she is ready for her new home. If you think you might be a good fit for her please email Amanda at pawtropolis@aol.com to discuss more details or to arrange a meeting.
Energy: Low - Moderate
Dominance/Confidence Level: Submissive
Cats: Should do just fine
Children: Young children may overwhelm her
No Sponsor Yet.
Tasha In the middle of January there was an unfortunate story that led to the rescue of several dogs. The owner had passed away and upon entering the house officers discovered it was full of dogs. The final count ended up being 48. It was a classic hoarding situation. All of the dogs were at healthy weights so they were diligent about feeding but other conditions in the house left the dogs matted and covered with feces. Animal rescue groups along with animal control were able to take all the dogs in. This is one of the dogs rescued from there.
This picture was taken of Tasha the very day she was rescued. She was filthy and scared to death. We hope to have new pictures of her soon.
Tasha was SO shy when we first got her. She was completely shut down. She would huddle in the back of her crate and be perfectly content
being left alone. She was convinced someone was going to hurt her. The staff had to carry her outside and even still she was too scared to really walk around. Tasha was pregnant when rescued. She hasn't delivered yet but we will keep you posted on how she's doing.
The other day when I visited with her it had been a few days since the last time I saw her. I was shocked to see her progress. She actually came to the front of the crate, tail wagging and wanting to come and visit. Now that she's been in her foster home for a couple of days she is a different dog. She walks around with toys in her mouth and adores her foster mom and even the cat. She actually decided to submit to the cat which was quite humorous.
Since she started on the very timid side I'm afraid being in a home with very young children may be too overwhelming for her. My guess is that older children should be just fine.
We estimate her to be around 2-3 years old. She's a small girl, probably less than 15lbs once at a healthy weight after having her puppies. Though she won't be available until after her puppies are weaned and she is spayed we are taking applications on her already. If you think you might be a good fit for her please email Amanda at pawtropolis@aol.com to discuss more details or to arrange a meeting.
Energy: Low
Dominance/Confidence Level: Submissive
Cats: Yes
Children: Young children may overwhelm her
No Sponsor Yet.
Macie & Puppies In the middle of January there was an unfortunate story that led to the rescue of several dogs. The owner had passed away and upon entering the house officers discovered it was full of dogs. The final count ended up being 48. It was a classic hoarding situation. All of the dogs were at healthy weights so they were diligent about feeding but other conditions in the house left the dogs matted and covered with feces. Animal rescue groups along with animal control were able to take all the dogs in. This is one of the dogs rescued from there.
This girl was pregnant when we rescued her. She actually gave birth just a week from coming to us. When we first got her she was shy to the point of being shut down. She didn't want to come out of her crate; she would look away even if someone walked in the room. I took her home for a couple of nights when we suspected she was about to go into labor. Within 12 hours of being at my house she was in love with me. It's like something changed and she knew she could trust me. Now that she's back at Pawtropolis she is slowly widening her circle of trust. She now has 3 people that are her favorites. She smiles and gets all wiggly and desperately seeks our attention.
She is super submissive. It's common for her to submissively pee even when getting loved on. I have a feeling once she gets in her home with a family she trusts she'll be able to get the submissive peeing under control. Other than that we've been happily surprised that she seems to be housetrained. She makes a point to hold it and will go when taken outside. I would recommend to her new family to continue to use a crate or small bathroom/laundry room overnight and when they're not home. If so her housetraining should go quickly.
Because of her extreme shyness I'm afraid a home with very young children may be a little too overwhelming for her. Older children should do fine. Her new family will need to be patient with the submissive peeing and have a plan in place so that they can handle it without getting frustrated.
We estimate her to be around 2-3 years old. She's a small girl, probably less than 15lbs once at a healthy weight after having her puppies. Though she won't be available until after her puppies are weaned and she is spayed we are taking applications on her already. If you think you might be a good fit for her please email Amanda at pawtropolis@aol.com to discuss more details or to arrange a meeting.
Energy: Low
Dominance/Confidence Level: Submissive
Cats: Should do just fine
Children: Young children may overwhelm her
No Sponsor Yet.
Rosie Rosie is about 7 months old. She weighs about 30lbs and will probably be in the 40lb range once full grown. She has a shaggy black coat with brown points. Her coat looks like an aussie and her markings look like the doberman, rottie, doxie typical black and tan. What breed she is we don't know. I think saying so kind of aussie/spaniel mix is a good guess.
Rosie is a sweet girl that loves to play. She always has a goofy look on her face and loves running around with the other dogs and playing catch. Rosie knows sit and wait and is in the process of learning down, stay, and come. Rosie is very smart and picks up on new commands easily, but loves the incentive of food! Once you have Rosie's focus she is willing to do whatever you ask her to do. She loves spending time with people and cuddling is probably one of her favorite things to do even though she is so full of energy!
Matilda - Adoption Pending!! This little poodle was another rescued from Gwinnett Animal Control. They said she had snapped at one of the animal control officers upon arrival. However 2 separate people who worked at the shelter really believed that once taken out of this environment she'd be a great dog. A rescue group was scheduled to come and get her. When they got there she snapped at one of them changing their minds. Hearing all of this it made me fearful that her biting issues may be severe but I agreed to meet her anyway. One of the animal control officers that had been working with her brought her out to me. You could tell the little poodle liked her. She jumped her front paws on her chest (she was in a high cage) when she went to reach for her. When she came into the room with me she came right over to me, jumped up on my legs to investigate then began exploring the room and seeing if she couldn't find her way back to her animal control officer friend. She wasn't what I expected at all.
Since we've had her at Pawtropolis the only time we've had an issue was when I startled her by grabbing her quickly as she began moving away from me. Even then she didn't bite and was respectful when I gave a little "no ma'am." Other than that and getting shots and nails she really doesn't have a problem. I strongly believe that once she trusts her owner that even doing those things will no longer be an issue. I wouldn't consider her a problem dog at all.
Even though we found out that she did have live with a family with children I would guess that a home without young children would be best. I can see her being a spoiled little lap dog that falls madly in love with her owner. As long as her owner continues to purposefully handle her and teaches her what is and isn't acceptable behavior I think she'll do great. We guess she is somewhere in the 3-5 year old range. It's hard to tell, she has adult teeth with a little bit of tartar but not much. She is only 7lbs. Since she has a little bit of brown that shows up in her coat I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't a poodle/yorkie mix. Right now she is staying in a foster home with two large dogs. She does fine with them but doesn't have an interest to play with them. She does however enjoy playing with her foster mom and squeaky toys. Her aim can be off a bit when going for a squeaky and she will occasionally put her teeth on her foster mom but not intentional. It may be scary for young child though.
Energy: Low - Moderate
Dominance/Confidence Level: Moderate
Cats: Yes
Children: Maybe not very young children
No sponsor yet.
Noel A few months back we rescued a couple of sisters from Athens Animal Control. In total 6 dogs were surrendered by the same person. They were all puppies looking to be from two different litters. Fast forward a month and one of our Helping Paws volunteers came across an ad on Craigslist of someone giving a puppy away for free. It was one of the puppies surrendered with the two we already had in rescue. I get so nervous about dogs being advertised in Craigslist. You just never know who is going to respond. I normally don't contact Craigslist people about dogs but knowing we had two of the other dogs that were surrendered at the same time made me decide to help.
I called the number in the ad. The lady was super nice. I'm not quite sure why they wanted to give her up but I believe it was because she got bigger than they were expecting and she was discovered to be deaf. Finding out she was deaf made me even happier that I offered to take her. Deaf dogs are normally passed around from home to home unless they go to someone that is knowledgeable enough to train them.
We believe Noel is about 6 months old. She appears to be a cattle dog mix, possibly dalmatian. Some of the others that were dropped off also looked like cattle dog mixes. We're guessing she'll stay on the small side and not get bigger than 40lbs.
From the second we got her our staff fell in love. Noel is such a sweet loving puppy. It would be hard to tell watching her in playgroups that she was deaf. She loves people, other dogs and even loves her foster mom's cat. She is very intelligent. In the short time we've had her she's already learning hand commands for things like sit, wait and eye contact. It will be important for her new family to continue with her training, make sure she is never off-leash in an unfenced in area and continue her crate training. Her foster mom says that as long as you use the crate for sleeping and when you're away that she's already housetrained.
If you are interested but have concerns adopting a deaf dog we would be more than happy to talk to you about it. I think once people meet her and see her great personality they'll be happy to do the little extra work that will be required to own a deaf dog.
Energy: Moderate
Dominance/Confidence Level: Moderate
Cats: Yes
Children: Nothing makes me think she wouldn't do well with children
Sponsored by Mrs. Walker (AKA "Phoenix's" Grandmom) Thanks!!
Vixen
Vixen and others the day we rescued them from Gwinnett Animal Control.
When I first saw Vixen at animal control she reminded me of the super fast short coated border collies that are commonly seen in agility. Since I'm a big agility fan and because Vixen was such a sweet and friendly dog we decided to rescue her. Shortly after being rescued we discovered that she had come to us with parvo. Fortunately it was caught early and she was strong enough that she was able to fully overcome it. We are keeping her isolated until we get the official negative parvo test but she is still able to meet visitors.
Now that Vixen is healthy she is what I define as very typical border collie. She is very intense but SUPER intelligent. Right now she is a bit stir crazy since she can't have much free time to run or play. Once she is able to start having good romps in the yard I'm sure her energy will taper off just a bit. I think you can still expect her to be on the higher end of energy. This just means that she'll need good outlets to release her energy like walks and playtimes so that she can be a well-behaved dog.
She is very fun and outgoing and enjoys being with other dogs. She loves toys and is easily motivated to learn new things. I keep joking with my husband that she should be his agility dog and we might consider it if it were a better time to bring a new dog into our family. If you're not familiar with agility but are interested in Vixen and would like to learn more we can definitely point you in the right direction. Agility isn't needed but would be fun for both Vixen and owner. We believe she is just under 2 years old.
Energy: High
Dominance/Confidence Level: Moderate
Cats: ??
Children: Nothing so far makes me think she wouldn't do well with children
No Sponsor Yet.
Wesley
Wesley and others the day we rescued them from Gwinnett Animal Control.
We don't have any pictures of Wesley yet but we do have this fun video of him taken on the first day we rescued him. As you can see from this video Wesley is a typical fun puppy. He loves every person he meets and every dog he meets. He is even fine with his foster mom's cats. We're still trying to get a good idea of what mix of breeds he is. Once we get more information and good pictures we'll update his bio.
As of now I think Wesley is just a sweet puppy, no negatives. He is going to need to go to a home that will work with him on obedience and give him lots of outlets for his energy.
Margie and others the day we rescued them from Gwinnett Animal Control.
Margie was scheduled to be adopted at Gwinnett Animal Control. Animal went ahead and spayed her getting her ready for her new home. When the family showed up to adopt her they saw that she had scratched her ears so bad that they were bleeding. Because of this they didn't adopt her. I think it worked out better for little Margie to be rescued by us instead. Her itching skin is the result of demodix mange. It's non contagious but causes the dog to be very itchy and the skin inflamed. She is being treated with medicine as well as being fed a healthy diet. Hopefully she'll be feeling better in no time.
We estimate Margie to be around 1-2 years old. She's a small girl weighing only about 16lbs full grown. So far she's just been a little sweetie. All she needs is a little basic obedience and she'll fit right into any home. She is VERY friendly with everyone she meets. Loves playing with other dogs (her favorite is another foster pup we have named Wesley.) As to what mix of breeds she might be? I'm not sure. Just to give you an idea of what she looks like we could maybe say dachshund terrier mix since she has short legs and a long body.
Energy: Moderate
Dominance/Confidence Level: Moderate
Cats: Should do fine if introduced properly
Children: Nothing makes me think she wouldn't do well children
Sponsored by the Ulm Family!!
Jetta - Adopted!! Jetta may be a familiar face to many of you. She was adopted from us 6 months ago. Much to the sadness of her new family they had to bring her back. Their young son began getting sick shortly after her adoption. After several doctors later it was determined that he had an allergy to dogs.
Jetta is a one year old wire-haired Jack Russell. She's a sweet little dog. I can't think of any bad trait she has. The family she was adopted to had a young 3 year old son and she did great with him. She is housetrained (though we still use the crate overnight and while no one is home) and has great house manners. Jetta does great with other dogs and loves everyone she meets. Her energy level isn't very high so a nice walk or short playtime should be all it takes to get her tired. She is already spayed and current on all vaccines so she is ready for her new home.
Energy: Moderate
Dominance/Confidence Level: Moderate
Cats: Should do fine if introduced properly
Children: Yes
Lucky girl has two sponsors! Thank you Mrs. Walker and the Jackson Family with "Gizzie"
Luna Meet Luna, one of many new additions to the Helping Paws family this holiday season. We didn’t stop by Gwinnett County Animal Control with the intention of picking up any dogs, but rather to drop off a donation of kitty scratching posts. However, since we were there, we had to look around and see what dogs needed our help. The staff there said we had to meet Luna. They told us that she was dumped from a car with her brother because they weren’t wanted anymore. How anyone could so easily discard such a sweet, happy little dog is beyond me. Her brother was adopted, but Luna was left behind and her time was up. She was an animal control favorite, and we knew right away upon meeting her that this little lover had to come with us.
Luna looks to be some sort of Chihuahua/terrier mix. She’s the perfect lap dog size at around 15 lbs. and she’s the perfect age for an easy transition into any family at about 1 year old. She can be a little shy in new situations, but she warms up quickly once she sees that nothing scary is going to happen. Her two favorite things to do are snuggle and play. She loves to snuggle with both human and canine friends alike in her foster home. It is not uncommon to find her sound asleep on top of one of her foster siblings. She’s a real sweetheart! When she’s not in a snuggle mood, however, she also loves to play. Squeaky toys are a particular favorite of hers. If you throw one for her, she will run and pounce on it, and then proceed to take off with it to squeak it under a chair. She doesn’t hog them, however—she knows how to share. Luna loves to wrestle with her doggy siblings, too, as well as chase squirrels in the backyard.
During the short time we’ve had her, Luna has proven to be a very smart little girl. Her repertoire of basic obedience commands already includes sit, down, and wait. She’s very eager to work for a treat and would be a lot of fun in an obedience class. She already seems to know about house training, too. Every time she goes outside she immediately pees, and she’s only had one accident in the house. Her only “negative” is that she is very “talkative.” She likes to bark and make all sorts of funny noises when she gets excited. Her foster home is working on teaching her that she doesn’t have to “talk” quite so much to have fun. Luna is pretty much the perfect small dog, and would be great in a variety of homes. Call Pawtropolis to come and meet this happy little girl and let her weasel her way into your heart!
Energy: Moderate
Dominance/Confidence Level: Submissive - Moderate
Cats: Should do fine if introduced properly
Children: She hasn't done anything to make us think she wouldn't do well with children
Talk about pulling at your heartstrings. Amanda saw Tessa and her brother at Gwinnett Animal Control huddled together in their pen. They were so skinny they looked like little skeletons. They were shivering and cold with faces that looked so pitiful Amanda started crying. Having just rescued 7 other dogs she knew she couldn't take both. Amanda was able to work with Athens Canine Rescue who agreed to take one. The boy went to ACR and Tessa stayed with Helping Paws Rescue.
At first appearance they looked to be around 3 months old. Upon looking at their teeth we were amazed to see that they were more around 5 months old. This means that they'll stay on the petite side probably no bigger than 35-40lbs (if that.) Tessa appears to be a little pitbull or pitbull mix. As you can imagine she is very timid and a bit shy right now. However, from the start she adored people and would submissively crawl over to them for affection. The longer we have her the more she becomes like a typical puppy. She is learning to play with toys, other dogs and to simply enjoy being a puppy.
She has a huge appetite so with a good diet and a clean safe environment, Tessa should be a healthy pup in no time. Once healthy she will be spayed prior to adoption and fully vaccinated. Please take a look at her blog for updated information.
Energy: Moderate (right now she is pretty low key but as she's settling in she's getting more playful like a typical puppy)
Dominance/Confidence Level: Low - Moderate
Cats: She's curious about them but doesn't harass them
Children: Will probably do well with them in the future but right now I think young children would frighten her
No Sponsor Yet.
Aspen Aspen caught our eye when we were walking through animal control, and she was sitting politely in her run without barking. She was wagging her tail just a little bit, so we took her into the play area. Once there, she and Aiden (another of our fosters) hit it off and started playing together, with the toys, and with us when we would. She play-bowed everything and ran around with that exuberance that only puppies seem to have. She was pretty nondescript, but she seemed so happy that we decided to take her home with us. She's a black lab mix, we guess she is about 6 months old.
When Aspen made it to her new foster home, she was not, oddly enough, quite as comfortable as she had been at animal control. However, she is quickly learning that she is now in a good place. She is not afraid of her crate anymore, and will run into it on command! She will still whine a little bit when first left alone, but she will sleep through the night without a problem, and is always quiet by the time she is let back out.
She lives with a couple of doggy foster siblings, and has already been temperament tested in Pawtropolis’s Doggie Daycare, and LOVES other dogs! She knows to “sit,” and is working on “down.” She knows to sit and wait in her crate, at doors, and for food, and walks extremely politely on walks. The amazing thing about all of this is that it was all learned during her first week, while she was also learning that neither screen doors, cars, nor crates were scary.
In her pictures she looks very sad. I think she was a bit worried about what we were doing. Hopefully we'll be able to update with happy pics soon.
Energy: Moderate
Dominance/Confidence Level: Submissive - Moderate
Cats: Should do fine if introduced properly
Children: She hasn't done anything to make us think she wouldn't do well with children
Sponsored by Toby, Ginny and Jesse Bowen!!
Domino - Adopted!!
Domino is now healthy and happy.
We rescued Domino from Athens Animal Control. At the time of us getting him he barely had any fur and was suffering from sarcoptic mange. Despite looking like a pitiful mess he still was a fun sweet puppy. After being with us only a few weeks his manged as completely cleared up. He's a very happy boy. I kept one of his old pictures at the bottom so that you could see how far he's come.
Domino has been going home with his foster mom. He does very well in his crate at home and is working hard on potty training. It's still a work in progress but he gets better every day. He loves to play! His best friend is a 50lb. lab mix who he enjoys wrestling with. He also really likes to chew on his nylabone and play with balls of all sizes.
Domino is a confident puppy so he needs someone to enforce boundaries with him now while he's young so that he'll grow up to be a well-mannered, well-balanced boy. He's already started on training. He knows how to sit, down, wait and come when called.
It's hard to guess what breed of dog he may be mixed with. My best guess would be to say some kind of springer mix since he has the black speckles. We estimate him to be about 4-months old.
Energy: Low
Dominance/Confidence Level: Moderate - Dominant
Cats: Should do fine if introduced properly
Children: Should do fine if introduced properly
Sponsored by Beverly Walker!! She is "grandma" to Phoenix. One of our old fosters that is now in an amazing home!!
Torch - Adoption Pending!!
Okay, so maybe his video is boring, he just wanted to show off how handsome he is.
Starz "Torch" is a retired racing greyhound. Amanda brought him straight from the track in Ebro Florida on August 2nd. When he came out of his kennel to greet us he was very gentle and submissive. We will update his bio as we learn more about him.
About retired racing greyhounds: Most of the dogs that are rescued off the track are between the ages of 2 and 4 years. They start at their owners/breeders and are trained there. Once they are "track ready" they are sent to a racing track where handlers do the rest. The greyhounds we rescue are from Ebro Racing Track right outside of Panama City Beach. Greyhounds typically make wonderful pets. They are handled a lot in their early years so they are very happy to allow a human to pet, examine, play with etc.
They've been raised like a athlete without any attention to socialization or obedience training. They are almost like puppies in that respect. Their new owners need to introduce them to as much stuff as possible. Everyday things will be new for them; stairs, mirrors, tv's, toys and even comfy dog beds (which they learn to love in a matter of seconds.) Other than that greyhounds are very low maintenance pets. They are very lazy (contrary to what people assume) and are commonly referred to as couch potatoes. Grooming is also minimal. Many people looking for a lazy lap dog end up adopting a greyhound since they have the personality they are looking for.
Torch is a super sweet velcro dog. He's housebroken, a quick learner, and gets along fine with all 4 of my dogs (and apparently the daycare dogs). He is not a loner, and would do best in a home with at least one other dog. It doesn't bother him at all to be lower ranked in the pack. He does like attention, but doesn't demand it. He's pretty happy to just be in the same room with his person, and would love to go everywhere with them. He can get a little too enthusiastic at feeding time and when you get home, so these times will need to be kept low key. As you can see by his pictures, Torch loves the water!
Greyhounds come to us with horrible teeth. In addition to spaying and neutering, vaccinating and microchipping we also get their teeth professionally cleaned. The vet said that Torch's teeth were worse than others and that he might possibly have to have some removed in the future. His new owners need to be aware of that.. Because of the extra vet care we give them the adoption fee is a bit higher than our other fosters. Greyhound adoption fees are: $250.
Energy: Moderate
Dominance/Confidence Level: Moderate
Cats: ?
Children: Nothing so far makes me think she wouldn't be good with children
Sponsored by the Handy family in memory of Shirley Stone, a special lady that will be greatly missed. Thank you.
Dodger
Handsome Dodger showing off some tricks.
Dodger was rescued from Walton Animal Control. We estimate him to be around 2 years old. Hard to tell what breed he is; if we had to guess we'd say Australian Shepherd/retriever mix.
Though we've only had him a little bit of time we've been able to learn lots about him. He seems to be a blank slate when it comes to training, not knowing any commands. He is quickly learning the concept of doing a behavior for a reward. He's picked up on all we've taught him quickly. It won't take anytime for him to be updated on all of his obedience commands. He's already learned sit and to wait at doorways.
Dodger is a high energy boy. He has good doggie manners and knows his place in the pack. He loves playing by himself with all of his new toys (throwing it in the air and catching it.) He is learning to retrieve with his foster parents. Dodger may seem a bit wary of new people when he first meets them but it only takes a second for him to adore you. The longer he's been with us the more he loves meeting new people.
This was the update given by his foster mom: favorite things about Dodger: He loves to ride in the car with his head out the window, he is a great running partner, highly food motivated, loves giving kisses and snuggling. He attaches quickly to people once he meets them and likes to play fetch or chase squirrels. While he is high energy he has come a long way in learning how to have quiet time in the house. He is also good with all levels of dominance in other dogs.
Dodger is very respectful of cats (interested but no prey drive at all.) He's getting used to living indoors and has taken to his crate very well. His foster mom Tamela also teaches our Basics training class. She is offering a free class to his new family.
Energy: High
Dominance/Confidence Level: Moderate
Cats: Seems fine
Children: Loved the teenager of the family that found him but maybe not very young children
Sponsored by the Colville Family!
Hester - Adoption Pending!!!!!!!!!!! Update: Hester began competing in Rally Novice Obedience in October 2010. On February 5th she earned her AKC Rally Novice Title! Take a look at her first dog show performance below in her video.
Hester is a purebred buff cocker spaniel. We've had a hard time getting an estimate of her age but I would guess over 8-9 years old. She weighs about 26lbs. Since Hester has been with our rescue for such a long time I can tell you lots of stuff about her. She is amazingly well trained. She is completely housetrained, coming to you wiggling and even barking if you don't get the message that she needs to go out. She is a calm dog (other then when she wiggles to greet you) and is a perfect inside dog. She is very used to her crate and we still use this while we are gone for her safety but also because she enjoys having her own space.
Other than being housetrained Hester knows a variety of commands. She can do all the basics like sit, down, stay, shake but above that she uses her knowledge to be a good member of the family. I can have her with me off-leash outside, walking to the car, she knows to wait at door ways, wait in the living room while I'm cooking, etc.
If Hester meets a dog while walking on leash she will try to be the boss (until I tell her to behave) however, she gets along great with dogs when off leash. She lives in a foster home with 4 other dogs as well as attends doggie daycare, so once you get past the first introductions she would do great in a house with other dogs. She isn't going to want to play with them, but just hang out and be a member of the family.
Hester bonds very tightly to her humans. Once she loves you...she LOVES you. She wiggles with excitement and wants nothing more than to be by you and you touching her in some way. Hester does have a negative. Despite being with us over two years she hasn't fully recovered from her biting issues. She came to us with a painful ear infection and I believe that is one of the main reasons that made her be a biter. If you watched her in my house you'd never believe me. You would think I was lying. Her biting can easily be avoided and managed. We have learned to create a great relationship with her of trust and rules as well as learned how to work around the issues that leads her to biting. For example I wouldn't trust to open her mouth and look at her teeth or pop in a pill, but I do feel comfortable petting her, leashing her up, etc.
Hester is looking for a family that wants a dog that is low maintenance, will bond to them tightly and is lovable. They need to be patient and willing to follow what we tell them 100% so that they can create with her the same relationship we have. No children (just wouldn't take the risk of them petting her ears or something), but dogs and cats are just fine. She really needs one of those rare special families that understands she is a special needs dog with certain requirements.
Energy = Moderate
Dominance/Confidence Level = Depends (read above)
Cats = Yes
Children = NO
Wanted to show how much affection you can still give Hester despite her known biting.
Hester's First Dog Show in Rally Novice
Monthly Food Sponsors:
The Free Family and "Meggie"
The Sims and "Nutmeg"
The Wonderful Free Family again!!
Mistletoe "Missy" Sweet Mistletoe has been with us since the 2009 holiday season when we rescued her from the local animal control. The animal control staff was so happy to see one of their favorites get rescued and now they are amazed to find out she is still with us after so many months. Everyone thought for sure she would be adopted in a hurry.
Missy is a stout lab/pit mix weighing in at about 35lbs (all muscle). She's been doing great at her foster home and is completely house trained. From the day we got her she hasn't had one accident. As long as she is set on a routine in her new home she should do great.
Missy is a very high energy, high dominant girl. This means she needs to go to a home with a calm, confident pack leader. With the right owner she will do fantastic. She'll need someone to exercise her regularly and review basic obedience as often as possible. Missy is quite dominant with other dogs and will not hesitate to "put one in it's place," this makes it vitally important that her new family be firm about setting strict rules and boundaries for her. This means that she would do well in a home without other dogs or a home with another large dog that we can introduce to prior to adoption to make sure they will do well together.
Though she definitely needs her outside time to run and exercise she does fantastic inside when it's time to wind down and relax. Missy is a great "people" dog and would make a great companion in the right home.
Energy: Moderate
Dominance/Confidence Level: Dominant
Cats: Yes
Children: Nothing makes us think not
Sponsored by:
Cindy & Jeremy Rhoten!
The Sanders family who adopted one of our previous "Missy's"!
Also sponsored in loving memory of Carl Tucker.
Missy Showing Some Obedience
Featured Guest
Meet Bacchus. Talk about a big boy. Bacchus may be big but he's all puppy. He loves to play, running around outside with all his other large dog friends. Having a bad day? Just let Bacchus give you a big kiss and you can't help but smile.
Featured Adoptable
Meet Margie. Margie was scheduled to be adopted from Gwinnett Animal Control. When the family showed up and saw that she had sores on her skin they decided they didn't want her. Poor Margie's skin looks horrible. She suffered from the non-contagious mange. Though she's feeling much better her skin has a long way to go to look normal. Many people are passing her over because of this. Learn more about her story on the "Dogs for Adoption" page.
Calendar
Puppy Class
Tuesdays, excluding 5th Tuesdays
6:00pm
Margie was scheduled to be adopted at Gwinnett Animal Control. Animal went ahead and spayed her getting her ready for her new home. When the family showed up to adopt her they saw that she had scratched her ears so bad that they were bleeding. Because of this they didn't adopt her. I think it worked out better for little Margie to be rescued by us instead. Her itching skin is the result of demodix mange. It's non contagious but causes the dog to be very itchy and the skin inflamed. She is being treated with medicine as well as being fed a healthy diet. Hopefully she'll be feeling better in no time. 
other dogs (her favorite is another foster pup we have named Wesley.) As to what mix of breeds she might be? I'm not sure. Just to give you an idea of what she looks like we could maybe say dachshund terrier mix since she has short legs and a long body. 
We rescued Domino from Athens Animal Control. At the time of us getting him he barely had any fur and was suffering from sarcoptic mange. Despite looking like a pitiful mess he still was a fun sweet puppy. After being with us only a few weeks his manged as completely cleared up. He's a very happy boy. I kept one of his old pictures at the bottom so that you could see how far he's come.
It's hard to guess what breed of dog he may be mixed with. My best guess would be to say some kind of springer mix since he has the black speckles. We estimate him to be about 4-months old.
Dodger was rescued from Walton Animal Control. We estimate him to be around 2 years old. Hard to tell what breed he is; if we had to guess we'd say Australian Shepherd/retriever mix. 
This was the update given by his foster mom: favorite things about Dodger: He loves to ride in the car with his head out the window, he is a great running partner, highly food motivated, loves giving kisses and snuggling. He attaches quickly to people once he meets them and likes to play fetch or chase squirrels. While he is high energy he has come a long way in learning how to have quiet time in the house. He is also good with all levels of dominance in other dogs. 
training class. She is offering a free class to his new family. 
From that moment on Whimsy has been a happy little girl. Yes, she is still a little bit unsure of things but overall she is a happy friendly dog that loves attention. Because of her insecurity her new family will need to make sure to continue to socialize her to new places and people. I think Whimsy is going to make a great little pet. Because she is so tiny and still a bit unsure I'm guessing a home with very young children may be a bit overwhelming. She should do fine with older children. 
She's a small girl, probably less than 15lbs. There is a possibility that she too is pregnant. We will wait a week or two before spaying to make sure she isn't. She'll need to be spayed prior to adoption so it could be a little bit before she is ready for her new home. If you think you might be a good fit for her please email Amanda at 
She is super submissive. It's common for her to submissively pee even when getting loved on. I have a feeling once she gets in her home with a family she trusts she'll be able to get the submissive peeing under control. Other than that we've been happily surprised that she seems to be housetrained. She makes a point to hold it and will go when taken outside. I would recommend to her new family to continue to use a crate or small bathroom/laundry room overnight and when they're not home. If so her housetraining should go quickly. 
Even though we found out that she did have live with a family with children I would guess that a home without young children would be best. I can see her being a spoiled little lap dog that falls madly in love with her owner. As long as her owner continues to purposefully handle her and teaches her what is and isn't acceptable behavior I think she'll do great. We guess she is somewhere in the 3-5 year old range. It's hard to tell, she has adult teeth with a little bit of tartar but not much. She is only 7lbs. Since she has a little bit of brown that shows up in her coat I wouldn't be surprised if she wasn't a poodle/yorkie mix. Right now she is staying in a foster home with two large dogs. She does fine with them but doesn't have an interest to play with them. She does however enjoy playing with her foster mom and squeaky toys. Her aim can be off a bit when going for a squeaky and she will occasionally put her teeth on her foster mom but not intentional. It may be scary for young child though. 
We believe Noel is about 6 months old. She appears to be a cattle dog mix, possibly dalmatian. Some of the others that were dropped off also looked like cattle dog mixes. We're guessing she'll stay on the small side and not get bigger than 40lbs.
When I first saw Vixen at animal control she reminded me of the super fast short coated border collies that are commonly seen in agility. Since I'm a big agility fan and because Vixen was such a sweet and friendly dog we decided to rescue her. Shortly after being rescued we discovered that she had come to us with parvo. Fortunately it was caught early and she was strong enough that she was able to fully overcome it. We are keeping her isolated until we get the official negative parvo test but she is still able to meet visitors.
We don't have any pictures of Wesley yet but we do have this fun video of him taken on the first day we rescued him. As you can see from this video Wesley is a typical fun puppy. He loves every person he meets and every dog he meets. He is even fine with his foster mom's cats. We're still trying to get a good idea of what mix of breeds he is. Once we get more information and good pictures we'll update his bio. 
If you throw one for her, she will run and pounce on it, and then proceed to take off with it to squeak it under a chair. She doesn’t hog them, however—she knows how to share. Luna loves to wrestle with her doggy siblings, too, as well as chase squirrels in the backyard. 
when she gets excited. Her foster home is working on teaching her that she doesn’t have to “talk” quite so much to have fun. Luna is pretty much the perfect small dog, and would be great in a variety of homes. Call Pawtropolis to come and meet this happy little girl and let her weasel her way into your heart!
pitbull mix. As you can imagine she is very timid and a bit shy right now. However, from the start she adored people and would submissively crawl over to them for affection. The longer we have her the more she becomes like a typical puppy. She is learning to play with toys, other dogs and to simply enjoy being a puppy. 
politely on walks. The amazing thing about all of this is that it was all learned during her first week, while she was also learning that neither screen doors, cars, nor crates were scary.
Torch is a super sweet velcro dog. He's housebroken, a quick learner, and gets along fine with all 4 of my dogs (and apparently the daycare dogs). He is not a loner, and would do best in a home with at least one other dog. It doesn't bother him at all to be lower ranked in the pack. He does like attention, but doesn't demand it. He's pretty happy to just be in the same room with his person, and would love to go everywhere with them. He can get a little too enthusiastic at feeding time and when you get home, so these times will need to be kept low key. As you can see by his pictures, Torch loves the water!
If Hester meets a dog while walking on leash she will try to be the boss (until I tell her to behave) however, she gets along great with dogs when off leash. She lives in a foster home with 4 other dogs as well as attends doggie daycare, so once you get past the first introductions she would do great in a house with other dogs. She isn't going to want to play with them, but just hang out and be a member of the family. 
biting. For example I wouldn't trust to open her mouth and look at her teeth or pop in a pill, but I do feel comfortable petting her, leashing her up, etc. 
Missy is a very high energy, high dominant girl. This means she needs to go to a home with a calm, confident pack leader. With the right owner she will do fantastic. She'll need someone to exercise her regularly and review basic obedience as often as possible. Missy is quite dominant with other dogs and will not hesitate to "put one in it's place," this makes it vitally important that her new family be firm about setting strict rules and boundaries for her. This means that she would do well in a home without other dogs or a home with another large dog that we can introduce to prior to adoption to make sure they will do well together. 
Though she definitely needs her outside time to run and exercise she does fantastic inside when it's time to wind down and relax. Missy is a great "people" dog and would make a great companion in the right home. 
