Petfinder Christmas Post for Sue

If Blogspot will cooperate, I'd like to do a Petfinder post in honor of "Sue," the dog whose human brought me into town today. Sue was a shelter dog rescued from an abusive human. Her holiday wishes came true as she found friendlier people among whom to live. 

I commented that this shy but friendly black-and-tan, long-nosed dog "looked fine." Her human's aging ears interpreted this as "what kind?" and explained that nobody knows Sue's actual pedigree. This is typical of shelter dogs. Petfinder will index their pages according to either their ancestry, if known, or their overall look. You see pictures that don't look like the officially approved type for a breed on the breed picture page, and pictures that look like classic specimens of one breed but turn out to belong to some other breed, and all kinds of shelter staff guesswork taking place. On Petfinder Sue would have been listed as a Black & Tan Coon Hound because she has short hair in that color pattern, a long and lean build, a long nose, and floppy ears. 

Her human gave her five stars. Shelter animals usually have some problems, at least for a few weeks while they recover from the shelter experience. Sue's only obvious problem is that she shivers visibly when approached by people she doesn't know well. Otherwise? "She goes out behind the barn all by herself. I don't even have to scoop!" She doesn't bark unnecessarily, doesn't mess up humans' things, stays where she's told to stay. She was trained brutally but she learned good manners. Sometimes shelter animals are like that.

So here, in time for Christmas, are some more Black & Tan Coon Hounds. Not sure I'd recommend trying to adopt a large dog in the same week you've first met, but you can meet them and their shelter-mates over the holidays...click on the picture to find out how to meet them. 

Some shelters specifically say, and more probably should, that they're not willing to ship these large dogs around the country. It's too much of a hassle for the humans and risk for the dogs. The point of Petfinder is that you'll be able to find, probably next week if not this week, a similar-looking dog in your own part of the country. These blog posts are put together for eye appeal,which does help animals find homes. I pick the cutest picture on the pages I open at the moment I open them. If you actually visit the shelter, a dog who photographed less well may appeal to you even more than the one chosen here!

Zipcode 10101: Ben from New Jersey 

Despite the grey muzzle, Ben is thought to be a young dog. He was found at a campground, apparently lost or abandoned. He likes humans and female dogs. He weighs about fifty pounds and will need a good deal of food, exercise, and attention. Coon hounds are easy to keep, and despite their thin coats they thrive outdoors with a simple shelter (traditionally the crawl space under the porch) in typical Middle Atlantic weather. They tend to be healthy. Ben's listed adoption fee is steep but includes all his vaccinations and neutering. 

Zipcode 20202: Belle from West Virginia via Washington, D.C. 

Belle was rescued from a situation that sounds similar to Sue's. Only ten months old, she already weighs 47 pounds and will probably weigh more before putting on any surplus weight. I would definitely haggle over the price since the shelter doesn't guarantee a clear bill of health or complete vaccinations. 

Zipcode 30303: Angelina from Georgia 

Just a puppy...one of a litter of eight puppies a female stray was found rearing in an alley, while living on what she could scrounge there. The puppies were named in honor of saints. They are thought to be beagle and Black & Tan crossbreeds, but shelter staff project that they're likely to reach the larger breed's size. You could adopt two and try to haggle down from the asking price, which is just ridiculous for pups, however lovable they're likely to be. 

Bonus for Local Readers: Sir Francis Bacon from Johnson City 

Little is known about Sir Francis Bacon beyond his general type and favorite snack.