Not the Petfinder Post I Wanted to Do....

I've been wanting to do this post for years: a Petfinder link-a-rama for a local reader who wants to meet another lovable pet. Local dogs.

The good news for dogless families is that Petfinder has 29 pages of dogs seeking homes within 100 miles of Gate City, Virginia.

The bad news for me is that they put all the harder dogs to  place up front. First they show you the pit bull crossbreeds, then the police dogs and other big dogs...I personally want to click on the pictures of retrievers, collies, German Shepherds, and other good running buddies for young people. I could still run with a dog like that, though feeding it might present a challenge. But no. This dog has to be willing to live mostly in a small house on a busy small-town street, with an older man who walks and fishes and does lots of yard work, but does not run. And it has to fit into a rather small crate, to fit into a recent-model Ford F150. So it has to be a small dog.

Part of this dog's job will be to hang out in the man's front yard and be friendly, well disciplined, and adorable, thereby attracting people to stop and chat with the man. That was his previous dog's main job.

And the bad news for the reader is that there aren't any homeless dogs that really fit these criteria, really close to us. These dogs might fit, but they're all fifty-some miles away. People on the Virginia-Tennessee border don't just dump out small lovable dogs, unless they've stolen them and dumped them during a record freeze for the express purpose of torturing animal rescuers. Just about all the homeless dogs in our area are big tough animals that eat a lot and need long brisk daily walks, which some people honestly were not able to keep. 

So this Petfinder post is a disappointment for me. But at least it contains cute puppy pictures.

Antonio and Brothers from North Carolina 

Just puppies, these Chihuahua/hound mixes look as if they might grow up to look like the reader's previous dog. Three brothers are in a Humane Society shelter in North Carolina, where the shelter staff sweetly hint that their favorite thing is rolling around and playing together. Why would I ask the reader to drive to North Carolina and buy dogs, no mention of the total price, from the Humane Society? I don't know; he might want a dog that looks completely different from his previous dog. They just have that "puppy mill reject" look, and you know they have to deserve a better situation than their current one. If by any chance other readers in North Carolina want to adopt these pups more than my reader in Virginia does, Antonio's web page is at https://www.petfinder.com/dog/antonio-55204714/nc/newland/avery-humane-society-nc253/ .

Cheese Bro from North Carolina 

The shelter also has a beagle mix. They say he's a "sweet" pet but also "shy," and likes to run in a fenced yard. Would his confidence grow as he settled into a good home? Hard to guarantee. Cheese's web page is https://www.petfinder.com/dog/cheese-bro-54901556/nc/newland/avery-humane-society-nc253/ .

Tickles from Tennessee 

Dumped out beside a road because she has a deformed toe, they say. Little is known about this dog, probably because whoever dumped her is hiding. Her web page is https://www.petfinder.com/dog/tickles-55095045/tn/newport/friends-animal-shelter-tn930/ .

Ava from North Carolina 

At least she's not in a HSUS shelter. According to her web page, Ava is the little sister and might be adopted along with her big sister. Shelter staff say both dogs need training but seem young enough to be trainable. https://www.petfinder.com/dog/ava-55489228/nc/marshall/madison-county-animal-services-nc284/ .

Reya is in Kingsport 

From Gate City a person could easily walk out to this dog's foster home. She's not local, and they want $300 for her, which could mean something we don't want to support is going on, or not. I think my reader is tough enough and clever enough to get along with an Australian Shepherd dog like our friend Sydney, but he'd have to buy another crate and haul her in the back of the truck. Kingsport just doesn't have any smaller dogs in search of homes. (They do, however, list two more Australian Shepherds, a breed this web site has recently discussed.)

Toby from Rogersville

Beagle and basset hound mix, age unknown, already has some training and vetting. The Rogersville shelter demands only $165. They think he has just about all the lovable qualities a dog can have, so it's possible that they're not being completely objective. Then again, beagles are lovable smallish dogs, if not really as smart as the great cartoon dog philosopher Snoopy.