Petfinder Post: Mixed Breed Dogs

It's late Friday night, almost Saturday. I don't like letting Friday spill over into Saturday, but on this Friday I had too much to do in real life to look up cute animal photos on Petfinder. They'll go live on Saturday morning, with apologies to those who go online from work or school.

The last cute animal picture I saw today was a mixed breed, a shaggy dog, called a "cur," in a movie that was being replayed on TV where I was doing laundry. So, adorable mixed breeds it is...with a sigh. Anywhere you search, Petfinder always has hundreds of mixed breed dogs seeking homes. These are some dogs whom some might consider undesirable "curs," but who might be the perfect pet for somebody Out There. 

1. New York, 10101: Shiba the Mostly Retriever Mix

She's on the chunky side, a problem some retrievers have, but I have a soft spot for retriever mixes because I lived with some dear sweet ones as a young student. The cure for that tendency to gain weight is lots of walks. That's what this type of dog was designed for. And you can't keep them out of water, because the only thing they like better than a good brisk walk is a good swim. The wonderful thing about retrievers is that although most of them are lovable, gentle, goodhearted, even puppyish dogs at heart, they are good-sized dogs, and a person approaching you with evil intentions does not know how nice your dog is--to you. The dog might not even be so nice to an attacker. 

As a young student I lived in the beautiful scenic Sligo Creek Park just inside the Maryland border from Washington. Despite its loveliness the Sligo Creek Park attracts some rich and famous people and some of the evildoers who stalk them. People fretted about me walking home alone, my parents insisted that I carry a pistol, and one night some obnoxious guys actually started to harass me. Up came a big black retriever, a friend of the two golden retriever mixes who walked with me on weekends. The guys went from a smarmy "Nice chest" to a gratifying "Er, um--nice dog," and drove away to annoy someone else. What Shiba's rescuers have to say about her reminded me of that long-ago retriever...

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Shiba has a terribly sad backstory- she is the only survivor of a fire that killed her family. She prefers a female owner with a quiet lifestyle and not too many visitors. Shiba truly does not like men, and we will not consider a home with a male resident. Shiba will reward her new mom with affection, loyalty and love.

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I'm trying to link the picture so you can click on it. If it doesn't work, click or paste: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/shiba-40920899/ny/bedford/community-cats-inc-ny611/ .

2. Washington, D.C., 20202: Diego the Large Shepherd Mix 

It's not exactly a flattering photo, because German Shepherd (Alsatian) dogs are supposed to look like Rin-Tin-Tin, and this one looks more like the Tasmanian Devil. In real life, apparently, his problems go beyond looks. His rescuers insist that he's a great dog for the right people. Kinda like that Bear-dog that used to live down the street from me, who ran out and bit me, not intending to hurt me or damage my clothes (although he did), but just because he was bored and wanted someone to play with. You want a dog that weighs more than 50 pounds, you need to be a human who weighs more than 150 pounds, who can build a fence that will contain the dog and take him out of it for a few miles' jog before breakfast. 

Diego is actually in Virginia, but as the local family who tried to adopt him couldn't keep up with him, the shelter has arranged to advertise him for adoption in the city as well. If you want a big macho-man sort of dog, paste or click: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/courtesy-listing-diego-49813553/va/marshall/middleburg-humane-foundation-va202/.

3. Atlanta, 30303: Colonel 

He's described as a middle-aged large dog who likes to run around for a bit, then go and rest in the shade. He's in foster care, and it sounds as if his main problem may be that his foster humans are bonding with him. How bad is that? To meet him, click or paste: https://www.petfinder.com/dog/colonel-in-foster-49116657/ga/chamblee/dekalb-county-animal-services-ga423/ .

4. Bonus: Kingsport, Tennessee: Roxie the Australian Shepherd Mix 

She's described as Sydney all over again. Regular readers will remember Sydney as the big Australian Shepherd dog I used to pet-sit in exchange for Internet access. Sydney was a very nice, clever, communicative--oh, well, manipulative--dog with humans, and a classic, you know, she-dog with other dogs. I was at the house one day when she decided Her Human's Mama was paying too much attention to her dog, and fur began to fly. 

I'm not seeing updates on the Blountville shelter situation. Apparently the unanticipated merger with the private Dog Sanctuary where the human became ill coincided with some disputes among the humans running the county-supported shelter, so instead of dozens of dogs, all the shelter is currently showing on Petfinder are six little kittens. I hope that doesn't mean the dogs have been killed or sent far away.