Elderly Scruffy Dog in Portland Area Needs a Home

I haven't kept up on this blog for a long time, but this one is really tugging at my heart strings...

Pearl is a 12-year-old German Wirehaired Pointer who has somehow ended up at the Clackamas County animal shelter. She looks a bit like a Wirehaired Pointing Griffon to me... but I don't know her story. At least not yet. All I know is that I will do what I can to help find her a warm, safe home to live out her golden years.

If you live in the Portland, Oregon area or anywhere else in Oregon, Washington, California or Idaho, please tell your friends. I'm in contact with a group of folks who are willing to help get this girl to neighboring states.

Canine Valentines

My heart skipped a beat when I saw Darlin. This sweet, scruffy dog's owner passed away. He looks like Baxter's and Kirby's parents got together...! 

Darlin

Gordon

Scruffy

Gordon... what a sweetheart! With Wirehaired Pointing Griffon in there, he would be!











And Scruffy is another heart-melter!  At 11 pounds, he's the perfect lapdog.

Harry

Last, but not least, Harry. It sounds like he has some emotional issues to sort out, which probably make him a little harder to adopt. So while I usually like to feature dogs who are ready for family life, I wanted to give Harry here a little shout out, because sometimes the ones who need a little more tender love and care are the most appreciative of all!

Contemplating a Puppy for the Holidays?

Kirby's Petfinder Puppy Pic

If you are thinking about bringing a new canine friend into your family this holiday season, consider adopting a shelter puppy or dog. Want a purebred? There are plenty of purebred dogs available in shelters and foster homes. To find out which breeds are most compatible with you and your family, here's a helpful dog breed selector.

Adopting a mixed breed puppy can be a fun adventure -- while the shelter will give you their best guess, sometimes a pup's breed heritage is deceptive. (Check out our little dog Kirby as a puppy and then as an adult...quite a change!) In Kirby's case, not one of the breeds guessed by the shelter (or us) turned out to be in his DNA! 

If curiosity gets the best of you, have your new companion's DNA tested. It can be helpful to know what different breeds are in your dog's ancestry. For example, some breeds do not respond well to certain vaccines or anesthesia or they may have specific health issues you may want to look out for. We had Kirby's DNA test done by Canine Heritage. (Note: they've lowered their prices considerably since we had Kirby's done!) Not only is it helpful from a medical perspective, it can be fun. We had a contest among friends to see who could most closely guess Kirby's breed combination and the winner received a donation in their name to a local shelter. Holiday party game perhaps?  We were surprised to find out Kirby's breed mix (or at least 50% of it..the other 50% was too diverse to register any specific breeds...He's a loveable mutt through and through!)

Kirby as an adult

Whether you adopt a dog from a shelter or from a reputable breeder, it's important to remember that the holidays can be a stressful time to introduce a new pet into your home. Be sure to allow plenty of calm time for your new family member to adjust to the people and the smells, sounds and landscape of your home. Better yet -- ask your local shelter or breeder if they will reserve the dog for you, then give a gift certificate to the lucky recipient and bring your dog into your home after all the hoopla of the holidays is over.

Happy Holidays!

Scruffy Dogs: Holiday 2010

After writing my ScruffyDog blog entry about the Portuguese Podengo -- a scruffy dog breed that is taking the US by storm, I realized that it is time to resurrect the Adopt a Scruffy Dog blog to find homes for other scruffy canines -- purebreds and mixes -- that are every bit as cute and a whole lot less complicated to adopt than a rare European breed. So here we go...  If you are looking for an adorable, scruffy dog to join your family this holiday season, have a look!

Belle

Belle is described as a German Wirehaired Pointer...but her longer coat suggests she may be a mix (Wirehaired Pointing Griffon perhaps?) or possibly even a Labradoodle. In any case, she is adorably Baxter-esque, don't you think?

Chi Chi

Chi Chi is a little scruffy dog...rescued from Puerto Rico. What a little sweetie!







Speaking of Podengos, Sophie here looks an awful lot like one!

Sophie

Scruffy

And little Scruffy does too... only lap dog size.

 

Scruffy Dogs Needing Homes for the Holidays

Give yourself the gift of a scruffy companion this holiday season! These adorable dogs (and many more on Petfinder and the other sites listed here) are ready to go home with you.

Happy Holidays!













Beu is quite handsome, don't you think?







Lucas has had a hard life, but what a little sweetie.

Cupcake definitely has personality.

Siren is just a 3 month old puppy...what a great combination! (BTW, he's from the shelter where we adopted Kirby...)

July 2008 Scruffy Dogs

Oscar (1)
















Oscar (2)

















Charlie

We're back, with more scruffy dogs for adoption...

It's been a while... but we're back with more scruffy dogs up for adoption. Here are a few canines that tugged at our heartstrings this month...

Oscar

Paula (yes, she's on a diet)

Gunner and Gus

Angie