Champ's New Family

I thought you might like a shot of Champ relaxing by the fire. Somehow he found himself a pillow to go with his bed. I only caught it with my iPhone so the quality isn't great. I also included a picture of Champ in our family photos from the second day he was with us. It was tough to catch Champ and Hannah looking at the camera at the same time. Champ is having fun with the neighbor dogs and getting on well with Hannah (my daughter). He is definitely relaxing into our home. I hope you had a good holiday, Mary

Charlie fetches big-dog sized sticks!

Charlie (AKA Daikon) enjoys playing fetch with logs at the park, so much so that he decided to take one home!"

Haloween @ Diogi for the DAWGs

DAWGs enjoy Halloween at Diogi!

Check out our alums: Jenna, Lucy, Lola and Koa...what lucky pups!
Koa won Judge's choice (1st prize), while the other 3 were disqualified for being staff dogs :) Otherwise, they would've won!

DAWGs enjoy Halloween at Diogi! part 2

Howl-o-ween!

Hi Everyone,

Charlie & Banjo (a former DAWG dog that we are pet-sitting) decided to dress up for Halloween! Charlie was a spider to my zombie Little Miss Muffett, and Banjo was Tinkerbell to my sister's Peter Pan.

They both looked so good, I just had to share! They both wore their costumes all night, with no complaints.

~Lisa

Morgan and Mark

Hi, my name is Mark and I've been a DAWG volunteer since September, 2008. At first I helped by walking dogs, but with a big yard and extra time in the evenings I then asked if I could foster someone that might need training and socialization to help with their adoption. I was given the care of Morgan, one of three Pit Mix puppies that came to DAWG in the summer of 2008 after being removed from an unloving home in the North County along with their father. Morgan saved his family by taking an opportunity to get away and overcoming his fear of other people to seek help at a nearby house, who immediately called the police. The puppies were nursed back to health in a first foster home, and then were fostered here in Santa Barbara with three separate DAWG families. Morgan and Stuart Little are both cinnamon brindles and a little bigger than their dark brindle brother Koa. They all have Great Dane tongues that seem too big for their mouths, since their father Blake is a Yellow Lab/Great Dane mix.

Morgan turned out to a dream dog- friendly and loving and anxious to learn. He was a little shy and nervous at first but once I sat down with him on the floor, he climbed into my lap and licked my face. I think he really felt that he belonged with us when we bought him his own bed. He was so happy and proud to have it, and could hardly stop wagging his tail. He likes to rearrange his blanket on his bed with his nose and paws to be more comfortable and then flop down in a circle with a loud satisfied sigh. At first he had a lot of bad dreams and we helped him by gently laying our hands on him without waking him and soothing him until he was sleeping peacefully again. Over time the bad dreams decreased until now mostly his dreams are about running and smelling- his favorite activities at off-leash areas. He's always been good about staying near his person off-leash and loves other dogs, even the really large intimidating ones. His favorite activity is the sniff and sprint, enjoying the scents of the outdoors and other dogs and then catching up to his person at full speed with dirt and sand and tongue flying everywhere. It's best to stay alert when he's at full speed because he doesn't always have full control of his direction- he's been known to run into knees and trees and dogs, and when he does it feels like he's made of rawhide and bone- no soft parts!

Morgan has had several energetic playdates with brothers Koa and Stewie. Koa was adopted by a former DAWG kennel attendant and her three roommates and is thriving as the center of attention in their active house. Recently he won a Dioji Howloween contest by dressing as a pirate with a peg-leg! Stewie was adopted by his DAWG foster family with three teens and a golden lab companion and is very happy there. Morgan's Dad Blake who was at the County Shelter for nine months has recently been added to our household. Blake has been teaching Morgan new play and stick-chewing techniques and is ecstatic to be at a home- his tail has hardly stopped wagging since he got there. He loves to exercise and is wearing out both our treadmill and the wheels on my scooter with his energy and enthusiasm.

Like many of the DAWG stories, this one started badly and then was transformed into a heartwarming tale by the efforts of all of the people involved with rescuing them and giving them a chance at a better life. I personally would like to thank everyone that had a part in it, and hope that through my volunteer efforts I can also play a part in giving other dogs a chance at a better life!

Koa's Costume!

Check out this costume that won 1st prize at Dioji's Halloween Party last Saturday, October 24th. For those of you that don't know, Koa is CinnaMorgan's three-legged brother and Blake's son who gets together with Blake and CM to play.
Yay Koa!

Hi everyone: My husband and I adopted a great little dog named Lennie from you about a month or so ago. I just wanted to let you know how happy we are to have him in our family. He is now good friends with Lola, our other little adoptee, and is finally friendly with our 3 cats. He is a most loving and sweet little guy and we love him to pieces. Here are some pictures I hope you will enjoy. Thank you for everything you did for him.
Best regards,
Clarice

Sweet Princess - now known as Lucha

First off, sorry for taking so long to send this report. Life with our new dog, Sweet Princess (or as we call her, Lucha), has just been so great we haven't wanted to get on our computer. We adopted Lucha on December 26th, and she has been a great addition to our family, which now consists of two dogs and two people. She has grown into a very well mannered dog, that loves nothing more than to curl up on the couch or her bed and spend all day enjoying the good life. However, Lucha also loves hiking with our other dog Django, playing at the Butterfly Preserve, and chasing pretty much anything at the beach. She has also turned into a great friend of Django (they are pretty much inseparable), and we frequently get asked if they are related. All in all we are extremely happy with adopting Lucha, and very grateful to DAWG for being an organization that truly gives great dogs like Lucha a second chance at life.

Flash

It's Jen - Flash's mom... Not sure if there
are a bunch of people checking the DAWG email or just one,
but just in case...I adopted Flash in March of 2002, after
he spent two years being loved and cared for at DAWG.

Anyway, every so often, I like to drop y'all a
little note and let you know how our big boy is doing...
He's now about 10 and a half, although you'd never
know it from watching him play. He's developed a
thyroid condition in his oldish age, so he takes a pill with
breakfast and dinner, which he doesn't even seem to
notice - just gobbles it right up with his kibble. Just
had his annual vet visit, where he weighted in at 86
pounds...

The hubby and I are still in San Francisco, and after
spending the last 5 years in our amazing apartment (one
block from the Alamo Square dog park!) we've bought our
first house - complete with a yard for Flash! (and my other
SB adoptee, Apollo. He came from next door, though, not
from you guys.) Attached are a couple of pics of the pups
enjoying their new yard (still a work in progress, though
they don't mind a bit), and from the recent "Dog
Days" at AT&T Park (you get to bring your doggie to
the ballpark for a Giants game!)

Hope all is well in DAWG world,
Jen

Miss Parker

Hello,

I have been wanting to share with you how Miss Parker is doing and how she has captured my heart.

We brought home Miss P. on New Year Day, If I remember correctly. Her name at the shelter was Ariel. Dominique's childhood dog had passed away at his parents home while he was away in college. We had decided on getting two cats almost a year later and unfortunately after
falling in love with them one had internal bleeding and had to be put down the other ran away in the middle of us moving across town and was never found. Oh we were all so heart broken. So as usual every weekend I would go down to the shelters to look for our cat and after 3 months I began to slowly consider maybe our kitty wasnt going to come home.

On Christmas morning I asked Dom if we could go to the shelter because last time I was there I saw a dog that looked just like his dog that had passed away. I looked in the small dog cages for that dog but she wasn't there anymore. However, there was this funny looking little dog with its paws up on the fence giving me the most interesting stare. I dont know where my heart would be today if I hadn't have had seen this dog that day. She was such a silly looking dog. I mean that in the best of ways. She had curly, messy hair, just like mine. She had black white spots all over. She looked like a little cow with a perm. All the little dogs wanted attention but she really stood out. Dominique could see that I was interested and we decided to take her for a walk. She took us for a walk. Then when we brought her back we sat with her for a while and she just layed on our laps belly exposed and fell asleep. We knew..this dog was SPECIAL. She trusted us, she was so smart and sweet. A week later we were the luckiest family in the world because we got to bring her home. I took her to work with me everyday and she just sat on my desk, quietly and patiently waiting for me to take her on a walk on break time. Everyone said "wow she just sits there, or wow what a cool dog". And SHE IS! She doesnt need a leash 98 % of the time she just walks with me everywhere, stays right next to me, even in stores she just sits in the cart. Gosh, she is the cutest dog in the world. Everyone loves her. They ask what kind of a dog she is, sometimes I call her my pound puppy and people say wow you really scored!

When Miss Parker came home I was 7 months pregnant and people would say what is she going to do when you have your baby, because it was pretty obvious Miss Parker was my baby.
:)
She slept right in between my spouse and I. Giving us an almost equal amount of kisses before bed time and in the morning. (I have to admit I'm her favorite though). I began to put her to bed with my daughter in preparation for a soon to come baby. But every morning she runs into our room jumps on the bed like its christmas morning, with so much excitment and love. She showers us with kisses and pounds her tail vigorously it almost hurts us. She is the cutest! When the baby came we wondered how she would behave. I came home with the baby boundled up and and Miss Parker slowly get close to her, sniffed her, licked her and layed right next to her. Oh Miss Parker is the best the dog. My baby is 3 months now and Miss Parker has been a complete angel. She protects her, sneaks the baby as many kisses as she can and simply waits
patiently for me to get freed up so she can have me and Miss Parker time.

I can go on and on about Miss Parker. The last thing I will share with you is her cute sense of humor. She likes to get out of the shower and run around the house at top speed. She likes pretending we are chasing her and will go from room to room jumping on and off beds faster than the speed of lightning. She loves fetching, keep away and tug of war. She has completely won my heart in the most special of ways. She is the first dog I have ever owned and I could have twenty more just like her and it wouldnt be hard it would be a blessing. Miss Parker brings us so much joy! Shes a toy poodle by measurment but she thinks she is a BIG BIG DOG when it comes to protecting us and our home. She goes with us everywhere except those places that wont allow dogs. Like some grocery stores. Its such a shame because she behaves better than most people. hahaha. Just looking at her makes most people happy.

In conclusion, I want to thank DAWG from the very depths of my heart for keeping dogs from being put down. I cant imagine my life with out Miss Parker. She is everything I have ever needed and wanted and so much more. She rescued me!

I make sure to tell everyone where I got her from so they can go out and get rescued by a DAWG dog. :)

I've attached some photos of her and her with us.
Thank you again, sincerely,
Priscila and Family

Luigi in his new home!

Luigi (was Zephyr) with his new brother, Tiki.
A very happy home!

Cooper (was Timmy)

Thought you'd like to see your friend Timmy, now adorably known as "Cooper," and send you a couple of photos to affirm that you and Cooper made the right choice.

Much love and appreciation,

Lisa, Charlie, and Cooper's boy, Cole

Gracie

Thank you for rescuing Gracie and finding us our new girl. She loves laying around in bed with us and on the couch to watch TV with Daddy. We go the beach one or two times a week and shes still pulling Daddy on his skateboard, too. She's a great girl! Thank you again. - Erika

Buddy

What can I say about Buddy? He IS a Rottie, through and through: a physically strong dog yet gentle all the same, a wonderful buddy to me, great with my sons and all of our animals, even our day-old baby chickens. He is always ready to go, anywhere, or, just lounge around the house. He even seems to have come with some commands that he responds to very well. When adopting him we didn't think he'd be a 'ball dog' or a 'water dog' but he has proven us wrong; he loves to swim and play at the beach and river and sometimes even plays fetch, perfectly! We love Buddy and are thankful that DAWG recommended him to us.
-The Southard Family

Benji

We adopted Benji from you and we just wanted to say thanks for all you do. We are soo happy we got to take Benji home. We love having Benji as our new dog. I am sure he Loves it here too. We play with him in our back yard all the time, he can really bring the puppy out of him. We will bring Benji down to the beach and he loves seeing other dogs! He is just a doll baby he will just sit on your lap and wants to be rubbed all the time. It is so funny he has to be the center of attention all the time. He always gets a little sad when we leave but he sits up on the bed and looks out the window waiting for us. We are soo happy we got Benji. Thanks again for everything you do.

Stewart Little

"Stewart Little isn't so little anymore..after surviving a rough few weeks early in life where he was abused and starved, this sweetheart now loves to go on long walks where he can romp in the grass, roll in who knows what, and chase after his best dog friend, Kody Bear (Golden Retriever). His family of three kids LOVES him and Stewie (for short) gives back big time...lots of wet kisses and snuggles. Stewie was a foster for about 5 months and his family couldn't part with him..stay tuned for more...hopefully some pictures of Stewie and his brothers Morgan and Koa, who he hasn't seen in a long time. Hoping to get them all reunited soon!"

Morgan and Koa

Morgan on the left and Koa are two out of three brothers that are being fostered and adopted out of DAWG. This is a picture from an outing to Hendry's beach when the brothers were reunited after living at their houses for a few months. They had a great time chasing each other and even dove into the murky water of the lagoon there- normally they don't like water but apparently stinky water is okay! They play hard together and can forget to watch where they go- it's best to keep an eye on them and get ready to sidestep when they're playing hard!