Orphans of the Storm® Dogs Are Too Cute

There are lots of cute dogs waiting to meet you at Orphans of the Storm®!

Dazzle the five-year-old black Labrador Retriever mix has quickly become a volunteer favorite. When I took her out, we passed two other volunteers who told me how great she is. Dazzle is well-behaved and waited patiently for me to put the leash on before stepping out of her kennel. Her tail wags pretty much all the time.

Dazzle glowing in the sunshine

Dazzle is a friendly girl. When we were in the off-leash run, she stayed pretty close to me and always came over for a pat when I knelt down to her level. She politely sniffed the dog on the other side of the fence but otherwise didn’t pay too much attention to it. When we went for a walk around the woodland preserve, she walked nicely on the leash and didn’t try to pull ahead. Come in soon to see if Dazzle is the one for you!

Dazzle with her perky ears

Grunge the two-year-old Rat Terrier mix and Oscar the five-year-old Rat Terrier mix are a couple of little cutiepies. I’m not sure if they came in together or not, but they’re sharing a kennel and they are very attached to each other. If you have the space for two little dogs in your home and heart, I would encourage you to adopt them together!

Oscar, not so sure about the camera

Grunge and Oscar are both on the shy side when they first meet someone new, but they warm up soon enough. When I took them out of their kennel and we started towards the off-leash run, Grunge and Oscar were literally walking right next to each other, with their sides touching. They continued to stay close to each other even once they were off-leash and sniffed the same things, followed each other behind the bushes, and stopped for a drink at the same time.

Grunge nibbling on some grass

Grunge was the first one to get friendlier with me. When I sat down on the bench, he hopped up next to me and seemed to enjoy the perch. Later, when I sat down on the ground, he came over and put his little front paws in my lap. Grunge can also be a little bit of an escape artist. He’ll look for any openings in a fence and try to stick his little head or legs through. So, his future family should keep a close eye on him if you have a fenced-in yard.

Grunge wondering how to get out of the fence

Oscar is more mellow. When Grunge would run in the off-leash area, Oscar would just walk. Oscar is also a little more shy and wasn’t too sure about me petting him at first. After seeing Grunge hang out with me, though, he came over and decided he too would like some attention. Oscar let me know he was ready to head back to his kennel by giving a little bark. Stop by the shelter soon to see if Grunge and/or Oscar are the right match for you!

Oscar smiling in the sun

Buddie the three-year-old Australian Cattle Dog mix was recommended to me by another volunteer. I had seen him out the previous week and noted what a handsome boy he is. This week I learned that he has a great personality to go along with his great looks! Buddie was a little shy when I came over to him with the leash, but warmed up quickly.

Buddie is a happy guy

Buddie and I headed for the woodland preserve and walked around the trail. Buddie does well on the leash and rarely pulled. We passed another dog a few times and Buddie didn’t pay much attention to him; he was more focused on sniffing around. In the off-leash run, Buddie politely sniffed the dog on the other side of the fence. Buddie would do best in an adult home. If that description fits you, come in soon to meet Buddie!

Buddie’s soft, speckled fur

I also saw Aleck, Bella (one of my favorites!), Carlos, Emmett, Mookie, O’Shea, and Zoey.

Orphans of the Storm® Dogs Take a Woodland Walk

It was a busy day at Orphans of the Storm®, so that meant more walks around the woodland preserve trail when the off-leash runs were occupied. There are lots of good walking buddies at the shelter right now who have nice leash manners!

Max the four-year-old Shepherd mix is a big, big boy–or, more accurately, he’s a gentle giant. Max was nice and calm while he got his leash put on, and gave a quick tail wag before we headed off on our walk. Max is a very handsome boy, so between his size and his coloring, he’ll get lots of looks and attention when his future family walks him around the neighborhood!

Handsome Max

Max likes to walk at a quick pace, but doesn’t pull on the leash. He occasionally stopped and sniffed, but mostly just followed the trail with his head held high. We stopped at one of the benches towards the end and Max enjoyed getting a good scratch on the back. Max gets along with other dogs and is currently sharing his kennel, so he could go to a home with or without another dog. Stop in soon to see if Max is the pooch for you!

Max smiling on his walk

Ramsey the three-year-old Hound mix came from a family who could no longer care for him. This means he already has a lifetime of experience being a family dog and probably already knows some basic commands. We first went to the off-leash run, where Ramsey showed off his cuddling expertise when he joined me on the bench, put his paw in my lap, and gave me some doggy kisses.

Ramsey is always up for cuddling

Ramsey and I then hit the trail. Ramsey is great at walking on the leash and either stayed right by my side or just a couple steps ahead of me. He would sometimes look up at me as we walked, which is a good sign that he’ll pay attention to his new family’s instructions. Ramsey would do best in a home with adults and/or teenagers. If that description fits you, be sure to say hi to Ramsey!

Ramsey says, “Ready or not, here I come!”

Lola the one-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix is a little cutie who can also be a little bit of a handful at first, but calms down considerably after a couple minutes. She wanted to play tug-of-war with the leash when she first got out of the kennel, but once we got to the woodland trail she started walking nicely. She has a cute, happy face and pretty brindle fur.

Lola stopping for a quick drink

Lola enjoyed sniffing and exploring the different plants along the trail. At the end of our walk, Lola stretched out in a shady spot of grass to cool off and relax. I was able to give her a quick belly rub then. Lola is not a fan of other dogs and got pretty distracted by them when we passed others on our walk, so she should be the only dog in her future home. If you’re a one-dog type of person, come in soon to meet Lola!

Lola being a good walking companion

Josh the five-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix is such a good boy! Another volunteer was already out with him and Josh greeted me with an enthusiastic tail wag when I took the leash. Josh walks super nicely on the leash and didn’t pull at all until the very end of our walk, when I think he was ready to go back inside to get a drink and enjoy the air conditioning.

Josh’s sweet face

Josh hopped up on the bench next to me when we took a break halfway around the trail. He sat when I asked him to, though that may have just been a coincidence. I then asked him to “shake” and picked up his paw, which he had no problems with. When it was time to get his portrait taken for the website, he calmly stood next to me while I tied a bandana around his neck and then posed for the camera with a cute head tilt. He also loves treats and takes them very gently from your hand. Be sure to say hi to Josh on your next visit to the shelter!

Josh made sure to stop and smell the flowers

Carlos the five-year-old Black and Tan Coonhound mix is a friendly boy with plenty of energy. He was jumping up and down when he saw it was his turn to come out and quickly led the way to the off-leash run. There was a much smaller dog in the run next to us. Carlos politely sniffed it through the fence and went back multiple times to say hello again. His tail was always wagging and he didn’t bark at all.

Carlos with his wagging tail

Carlos absolutely loves walks. When I said, “Do you want to go for a walk?”, he immediately perked up and jumped up to put his front paws on me, saying, “Yes, please please please!” Carlos, like some of the other Hounds I’ve walked, was in his element in the woodland preserve. You can really tell that he was bred to be in that environment. We ran all the way around the trail, and Carlos either had his nose to the ground or high in the air. If you’re looking for an active companion, come in soon to meet Carlos!

Carlos says, “Is it walk time yet?”

I also saw Aleck, Merlin, and O’Shea.

Orphans of the Storm® Dogs in the Dog Days of Summer

There are still plenty of days left in the summer, and plenty of dogs at Orphans of the Storm® eager to spend them with you!

Brock the six-year-old Shepherd mix and Susana the five-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier mix came in together after their owner could no longer care for them. If possible, they would like to go to their new home together. I actually had no idea that they came from the same home until after I had walked them, but it made perfect sense because I kept thinking to myself, “Wow, they get along so nicely!”

Brock following his nose

Brock and Susana are both mellow dogs. They were happy to come outside, but still walked nicely on the leash without much pulling. We cut through the cat wing on our way outside, and Susana didn’t pay any attention to the cats, while Brock sniffed at a couple with a wagging tail.

Susana coming over to cuddle

When we got to the off-leash run, Brock and Susana spent most of their time exploring. They started in the far corner and slowly but surely made their way all the way around, being sure to investigate behind the bushes too. They stayed close together and even stopped to get a drink at the water bowl at the same time.

Brock investigating under the bench

Susana was the first one to come over and get some pets from me. She enjoyed a good scratch under the chin and on her hips. Brock then started to warm up to me too, and he liked getting his back scratched the most. If you’ve been considering the idea of two new additions to your family, come in soon to meet the calm and sweet bonded pair of Brock and Susana!

Susana says, “What’s that over there?”

Mookie the three-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix is a big boy, but don’t let that deter you! He is much calmer than you might think. Although he could certainly throw his weight around if he wanted to, he walks pretty well on the leash and didn’t pull much at all. He has a big, lovable head with a wrinkly face you just want to squish!

Mookie enjoying the sunshine

Mookie mostly meandered around the off-leash run, following his nose. I tossed a tennis ball a couple times to see if he wanted to play fetch, but he would just look at it and then look at me. Whenever I knelt down, he would come over so I could pet him. Stop in soon to say hello to Mookie!

Mookie’s big head

E-Gray the four-year-old Hound mix is a sweet boy who can be a little nervous and shy when he first comes out of his kennel, but warms up after a few minutes. He walked nicely on the leash and stayed pretty close to my side while we made our way to the off-leash run.

E-Gray not so sure about the situation

E-Gray gets along with other dogs. He was sharing his kennel with another dog who has since been adopted, and politely sniffed the dogs who were on the other side of the fence in the run. E-Gray eventually felt comfortable enough to give me a few quick doggy kisses while I was petting him. Come in soon to meet E-Gray!

E-Gray wondering what I’m doing

Emmett the ten-month-old Labrador Retriever mix has lots (and I do mean lots!) of puppy energy still. As soon as he was on the leash, we were off and running. Emmett has that cute puppy quality of getting easily distracted. There was a lot of, “Oo, a person! Oo, a ball! Oo, a rope! Oo, wait, back to the ball!”, which is entertaining to watch. Emmett does love his toys.

Emmett says, “Whatcha got for me there?”

Emmett would be great for an active family that likes to go on walks or runs. We ran all the way around the woodland preserve trail, though Emmett was smart and stopped for a break at each water bowl. He’s a very friendly guy who likes to give doggy hugs and is always happy. If you’re looking for a fun-loving pup, stop by soon to meet Emmett!

Emmett taking a break in the shade

I also saw Aleck, Blush, and Thunder. It’s been a while since I’ve walked Thunder, and I was happily reminded what a wonderful dog he is! He walked nicely on the leash, joined me for some cuddles and kisses while we sat on the bench, and always had a wagging tail. He doesn’t like other dogs, but if you’re fine with a one-dog household then please consider Thunder!