Perfect hiking partner and man's best friend

[mttgilbert]

I recently "adopted" a stray dog from our neighborhood. She is a shepard mix of some sort but I have no idea what. Unfortunately I cannot afford to keep her (I have a very small apartment that already has two dogs occupying it) She is very well behaved and gets along really well with kids and most other dogs. She is obedient and very trainable, in the week or so I have had her she has already picked up most of the commands I use for my dogs. She has excellent table manners and doesnt beg at the table.
I took her hiking this morning out at Jacobs Crosscut and she did great. She had never been on a leash before but she took right to it. The best part is she really doesn't need a leash at all, she stays right at your heels most of the time. (I just feel responsible to other hikers to keep her leashed at all times in public.) I am looking into some of the no-kill shelters but there is no garuntee that they will take her. The only other alternative is the pound, but I would rather avoid that. If you are interested please pm me as soon as possible.
I have some pictures of her from today and as soon as I figure out how I will post them so you can get a good look at her. If you are interested but would like to meet her first that is fine and I will be happy to make arrangements. Please let me know soon though.

[bzachar]

Matt,
Rabies and Animal Control has a "found dog" book. You can post her description there so people looking for an animal they have lost can find her. Post a generic discription consisting of where the dog was found, "female shepherd mix, describe to claim". They also have a "lost dog" book where you can see if someone has already posted her as lost.

I know some Valley newspapers will run "found dog" classified ads for free.

Resist posting "free to good home" ads. People looking for animals to be used in research sometimes respond to these. Be sure to charge a token amount for the animal to dissuade them from being used for this purpose. I know some people that worked in animal-based research and they had to quit because of what the dogs were subjected to (imagine the worst).

Bill

[montezumawell]

Two years ago, we set forth on an adventure that changed our lives. We left April 3rd from Rimrock and by April 12, we were in Kanab, Utah, planning to spend one night. We stayed 5 weeks and then wound up volunteering 4.5 months for the USFS between Escalante and Panguitch.
As a result, we got to know Kanab REAL well and kinda consider it a pseudo "second home."

Well, there is the MOST AWESOME animal shelter there you can possibly imagine. The WORLD's BEST! It is incredible. A big part of the Kanab economy is now desrived from this place. People come from all over the WORLD to volunteer there.

We know you are on a limited budget but it would be WELL worth your money to make a short trip up there, hiking everywhere along the way and back, to leave your Adopted Friend there.

Even though we truly despise unruly dogs on the trail, we have a HUGE soft spot in our hearts for animals of all kinds and we dearly love them. Once you get connected with these people and see and experience what they are doing, your whole idea of Animal Welfare will change forever:

http://www.bestfriends.org/

Good Luck! And thank you for your kindness in adopting that stray and posting such a warm message about the dog. Those kind of posts are truly heart warming. We appreciate it!

J&S

PS--If you decide to go to Kanab, let us know and we will make a "hit list" of trails to do on the route.

[jimserio]

I second that about Best Friends. I was on a month-long road trip through the Rockies and came back down via Utah and passed the place. I stopped and took the tour (last of the day). Great place and great people. I try to send them a little each year.

If anyone is interested, you can spend a few days or weeks volunteering your time at the shelter. A couple I work with do this for their vacation each year.

bzachar makes a god point though (regarding animal abuse). I know of a few local groups that help ferel cats by leaving food each night and catching/fixing them. I've heard of people (animal haters mostly) that join the groups to find these locations. They end up capturing the cats and abusing/torturing them. Sick!

Matt... if you're unable to find someone, PM me and I canput you in touch with a friend who captures stray cats and dogs and helps place them in good homes.

Coaster

[montezumawell]

The Az Rep's Tuesday edition has a small story on the Az Human Society. It has a lot of statistics.
Here's the two that mean the most in this discussion:
In the most recent year, over 40,000 animals were adopted. A whisker less than 20,000 were killed.

J&S

[mttgilbert]

I found a no-kill shelter to take her in. Thank you all so much for your suggestions and support. If anyone is still interested let me know and I will get you the name of the orginization. They fix the animals and give them all their shots and then adopt them out for something like $70. They say they have a strict adoption interview process, so that makes me feel better, at least she didn't go to the pound...

even though we don't have her anymore I am still considering taking a trip up to utah, if it ever materializes I will let you know. Maybe you could reccomend some good hiking areas.