Orphans of the Storm® Dogs Enjoy the Outdoors

Firstly, thank you to everyone who came to Wine, Bark & Meow, and thank you to Cellar Gate for hosting the event! South African wines, a beautiful evening, and money raised for the wonderful animals at the shelter–I can’t think of a better combination! Below are a few of the pooches who will be benefiting from the event.

Squiggles the four-year-old Chihuahua mix is adorable. One of the staff members said that Squiggles is his favorite dog in the entire shelter–that is quite the compliment, considering there are over 100 dogs there currently! She has scoliosis, but that certainly doesn’t slow her down. Dogs are so resilient. Squiggles walks, runs, and plays like every other dog; she just looks a little different when she does it.

Squiggles sniffing

Squiggles currently resides in the room next to the front office, with several other dogs, so it’s a definite possibility that she could live in a home with other dogs. She was wriggling with excitement when she realized it was her turn to come outside and she led us right out the door and into the sunshine.

Squiggles is a little too small for a water bucket that big!

She’s a friendly little dog. We romped around the run together and I would squat down to pet her every so often. I picked her up towards the end because I thought she looked a little tired (it was hot, and she had been running like the wind!) and she was happy to cuddle in my arms. Her spine may be in a squiggly line, but she will make a wonderful companion!

Squiggles’ happy face

Nemo the three-year-old Shepherd/Pit Bull Terrier mix has one of the cutest faces at the shelter. He can also be quite an acrobat; his legs may possibly be made of springs. When I was at the shelter this week, though, it was far too hot to be doing all that jumping. So instead, Nemo and I took a little walk around the property.

Nemo enjoying the shade

Nemo wasn’t about to waste any energy. He found a cool, shady spot next to one of the bushes, pawed around in the dirt to make a nice bed, and plopped right down. He may look overly energetic when he’s inside his kennel, but when he’s out and about he’s much calmer.

Nemo watching the dogs and people going by

Nemo has been at the shelter for a while, so he might not know too many commands–yet. Shepherds are one of the smartest breeds, so Nemo should be able to learn quickly! And with some mental stimulation, exercise, and toys to keep him busy, he would probably be even calmer. Come say hi to Nemo!

Nemo is such a cutie!

Buddy the six-year-old Hound mix is fairly new to the shelter, and I have a feeling that he’ll get adopted pretty quickly. He’s a good-looking dog, has many years of experience as a pet (his owners, unfortunately, could not afford to keep him anymore), and is an affectionate guy. He was more than ready to come out and play with me.

Buddy is a handsome boy

Being a Hound, Buddy was very interested in sniffing and exploring the run. Considering there aren’t too many new, interesting smells inside his kennel, I sat on the bench and let him do his Hound thing. I knew that when he was ready, he would come to me.

Buddy using his hound nose

And he did! He bounded over with his tongue hanging out the side of his mouth and sat at my feet, where I praised and pet him profusely. When I stopped petting him, he hopped up on the bench next to me to make it clear that he still wanted more attention. So, of course, I continued scratching his ears. What a lovable guy. Come in soon to meet Buddy!

Buddy’s friendly face

The pooches at Orphans of the Storm® are looking for a new dad! Will it be you on this lovely Father’s Day?

Orphans of the Storm® Chihuahuas Make You Say “Wow!”

If you’re looking to add a Chihuahua (or several!) to your family, Orphans of the Storm® is definitely the place to look. There are some newer arrivals who don’t want to get too used to living in a kennel and are hoping to find their forever home soon!

Clay the two-year-old Chihuahua mix was snoozing in the sun when I first walked by his kennel, but when I showed up again with a leash he was ready to go! He has cute white and brown markings, and his forehead gets wrinkles on it when his ears perk straight up and he’s watching something attentively.

Clay romping around the run

Clay may have little legs, but he can move quickly! He scurried around the run and always went to the fence to investigate if there were people, dogs, or moving cars on the other side. Although he isn’t quite the size to make a good guard dog, he seems to have potential to at least be a good alert dog.

Clay being attentive

After romping around in the sun for a while, Clay decided it was time to find some shade. He plopped down next to one of the trees inside the run and I joined him so I could scratch his head and give him a belly rub (and enjoy some shade myself). He’s a friendly little dog who would love to get to know you!

Clay relaxing in the grass

Jax is a seven-year-old Chihuahua mix who was ready to stretch his little legs. We made our way to the run and I let Jax explore. The runs recently got a new layer of hay, and Jax didn’t know what to make of it. He picked his little feet up extra high when he was walking on it, which was funny to watch. I think it’s safe to say that Jax has never been on a farm.

Jax not sure about the hay

Jax was a little shy at the beginning, so I decided that I would let him make the first move and be the one to come to me when he felt comfortable. It didn’t take very long; I was sitting on the bench and he made his way over, slowly but surely. He sniffed my shoe and I reached down to scratch his neck.

Jax is ready for his close-up!

Jax would also come when I called him. It usually involved a roundabout path, with a few stops along the way to sniff the grass, but he would eventually make his way over. With a little encouragement (and probably some treats), Jax should have that command mastered in no time. If you’re looking for a smaller, older, calmer dog, come meet Jax!

Jax enjoying some shade

Blitz the five-year-old Chihuahua is the newest of the three, and you can find him in the cages next to the front office. Blitz can be a little bark-y when he’s inside his cage, but once he was out and on the ground, he was much better. The cutest part of Blitz (in my personal opinion) is his ears! They’re so big, and they’re perched wide apart on the top of his head. It’s pretty adorable.

Blitz’s cute ears

Blitz was also a little shy at the beginning, which might be because he isn’t quite used to his surroundings yet. Blitz was a little more adventurous when it came to playing in the hay, though. He was digging through it and sticking his nose in it to investigate what was hiding underneath.

Blitz investigating the hay

I went up to him after a few minutes and he seemed much more comfortable, letting me pet his back and scratch those adorable ears. After that, we walked around the run together so Blitz could continue his explorations. He wasn’t such a fan of the leash when I first put it back on him, but after we walked a little bit he did very well.

Blitz enjoying the hay

Don’t forget about some of the other Chihuahuas still waiting for their forever homes! Coco, Frito, Fumble, Puggie, and Tino are all ready to find a lap to snuggle in. Orphans of the Storm® is the place to find the perfect Chihuahua companion for you.

Orphans of the Storm® Dogs Get Ready for Summer

As the temperature rises, some of the dogs at Orphans of the Storm® have to shed their winter coats and show off their nice, shorter, cooler summer fur. That was the case for two of the three dogs I met this week.

First up was Athena, who is far too pretty to ignore. This seven-year-old Shepherd mix probably has some Chow Chow in her, too: she has that signature blue tongue and a Chow-like face, which is adorable, attentive, and intelligent. She is a big, strong girl who will look at least a little smaller once all that winter fur comes off.

Athena exploring in the grass

It seemed like Athena absolutely loves car rides. We had to walk past a few cars to get to the off-leash run, and at one point she put her paws up on a car door and looked inside the window eagerly (sorry if your car now has paw prints!). She wagged her tail and kept looking up at me, asking, “Can we go for a ride? Can we? Can we?” Unfortunately, we could not.

Athena coming over for a pat

Once we were inside the run, Athena was happy to be pet and even let me pull off some tufts of fur. (A little birdie came by and picked it up off the ground, to make a soft nest for some baby birdies!) If you’re looking for a big, fluffy dog to be your new companion, come to the shelter and meet Athena!

Athena’s pretty face (…with a little doggy slobber)

Next up was Cosmo, a two-year-old Fox Terrier mix. These pooches are getting adopted faster than I can write about them! Cosmo has since been adopted (hurray!) but I’ll leave his post up here anyway because he was such a cutie. With his short fur, he doesn’t have to worry about changing his coat for different seasons. He is a sweet little dog who shares a kennel with Frito the Chihuahua, but enjoyed getting my undivided attention. He walked well on the leash as we made our way over to the run, and then scampered around happily once we were inside.

Cosmo scampering around the run

Cosmo’s face is just too cute. He seemed to like my face, too; he kept coming over to me and putting his nose right up to mine. I scratched his cute ears and we rubbed noses until he scampered off to explore again. He would always come over to me with his tail wagging, and it would keep wagging the entire time I pet him.

Cosmo sniffing enthusiastically

This happy dog is ready for his new forever home. If you’re won over by his adorable face and wagging tail, like I was, then maybe it will be with you!

Look at Cosmo’s too-cute face!

Last for the day was Victor, who certainly rivals Akiva for one of the best-looking dogs at the shelter. Victor is a two-year-old Siberian Husky mix, and he has that shimmery silver fur and those intense ice-blue eyes. Victor knows exactly what his breed is good at: running. Once I put the leash on him and opened his kennel door, we were off.

Victor running around the run

A couple weeks ago, I saw another volunteer come to the shelter in full running gear. He took both Victor and Daisy (another Husky mix who has since been adopted) out for long runs, which I’m sure they enjoyed immensely. If you’re looking for a running buddy, Victor is an excellent choice. He seemed a little disappointed that I wasn’t going to be running more than fifty yards with him.

Victor’s beautiful face and stunning eyes

Victor is also in the process of losing his winter coat, but his summer coat is absolutely stunning. It is still incredibly soft and fluffy. Even though Victor probably thought he was the lucky one getting pet, I thought I was lucky that I got to be the one petting him! This sweet boy needs to be free to do what he was bred to do, so don’t make him wait too long in his kennel. He’s ready for a home!

Victor on the move