Sunday, April 17, 2011

Puppy Energy

I spent 6 hours at a mobile adoption event yesterday. It was a community fair for kids at a local YMCA and it seemed to be quite a hit. We had crowds all day and everybody seemed to have a good time. Our shelter brought 2 dogs, 2 cats, and a bunny. One of the cats found a home, so that makes it a success as far as we're concerned.

But today I can hardly move thanks to the non-stop antics of Cali, an 8-month old terrier/shepherd mix with enough energy to power Las Vegas for a week. This dog never stopped moving, sniffing, exploring, and generally trying to pull my arm out of its socket. It was only 15 minutes before we began to pack up that Cali finally got tired enough to curl into her dog bed and relax. For the rest of the time she was attached to my arm and determined to get away.

She kept trying to eat the tanbark in the parking lot, as well as scoop up any people food that may have been dropped nearby. When one kid dropped his popcorn Cali decided she was in heaven. I had to drag her away while someone cleaned it up so that she wouldn't eat it. Instead we went over where the nice firefighters had their truck set up for kids to climb on, and Cali promptly peed on one of the giant tires.

She's going to make a great dog -- eventually. As a requirement for adoption the owners must sign up for mandatory training, since leaving her as she is would be a disaster waiting to happen. In the meantime we're trying some basic training and doing what we can to limit Cali's wayward nature.

Next week I'll be at an event called "Bark for Life" a walk to raise money for cancer funds that will include both people and their dogs. I may get Cali again. I'm really hoping she gets adopted this week -- I'm too tired to handle her two weeks in a row.

1 comment:

Kittie Howard said...

In Hawaiian, Cali or Kali means 'fierce' - so I had to chuckle. I think Cali needs a large yard and a human who jogs.