The Shelter Chronicles: my last word of the day

Certain things come up at the shelter that I'm just not sure about. Should the homeless be allowed to adopt a pet from the shelter? Should the mentally handicapped be able to adopt a pet from the shelter? You know, I'm not sure. I mean how do we really know who will be a fit guardian for an animal? It certainly seems like a very uncertain future for the animal... yet, right now there is no criteria other than having an i.d. and some money to adopt. Hmmmm, wouldn't we need more information to make an intelligent decision about who can and who can't adopt?

This gorgeous girl is Muse. Her id # 914031. She is about 3 or 4 years old. She is some kind of Lab mix maybe... She's got a lovely coat with different shades of black and brown with a little white. She's is a medium size dog. Her personality is very sweet and a little shy. Muse does warm up pretty quick though. I took her out the other day and she was great.

Now, the story is that Muse came into the shelter preggers, had pups who then all got adopted, and then she proceeded to languish at the shelter. Finally, she got adopted (yay!), but was returned 2 days later (boo!). This happened because Muse has separation anxiety. This may have resolved itself after a couple of weeks or the situation could've been handled by a trainer. Instead, the people did not have the patience or the knowledge to help her and just gave up immediately. So sad...

Muse likes treats and chewing the bully stick. She seemed to know "sit." She was very gentle and seemed to enjoy the attention, once she relaxed. Then we ran around the yard and played, it was great to see her so happy. She did some sprints around the yard! Muse also seems interested in other dogs so I would guess she would be fine with a companion. I also didn't get a sense of her prey drive, but my guess is she doesn't have a strong one. But, keep in mind, I am guessing...

The separation anxiety that Muse experienced may have been avoidable, but in any case, it is treatable if given a chance. This girl needs a patient family who wants to set her up to succeed. Do some reading people and then get a trainer!!! No more returns please!

In a nutshell, I think Muse would be a great family dog. She's young, the perfect size, friendly, pretty and calm. She's also spayed and ready to go home immediately! She's at the WLA Animal Shelter so come visit her.