Tiny Thelma and Louise have come so far from the girls that were hiding in a corner at the shelter to the girls out cruising North Beach in their "Adopt Me" bandannas, but now due to some changes in their current foster home they are looking for a new foster home (or forever home!).

Thelma is a sassy little three pound, three year old. Sometimes she acts like a rebellious teenager and playfully bosses her mom (Louise) around. Thelma likes to pick a person and is very warm and cuddly with them. She'll come up to you and ask to be picked up and have her belly rubbed. Thelma could stay on your lap all day long if given the opportunity. While a bit cautious with strangers at first, she will warm up and be friendly.  She can be a bit barky with new people but she's made lots of improvement and has learned to be more trusting.  Thelma is very quiet when outside or in any new environment.

The girls are also very good about housetraining.  They are about 90% paper trained.

These two dogs are a combined total of seven pound of love, fun and cuteness!


If you want more info about fostering Thelma and Louise please email info@graefuldogsrescue.org!

Last year, Grateful Dogs Rescue was pleased to be featured on dogtrekker.com. They will be covering our rescue work again next week, but wanted to share their post from last year here again. http://dogtrekker.com/story/grateful-dogs-rescue-2012

Grateful Dogs Rescue 2012

Coqueta is a spoiled and spunky diva that would do best as the only dog in the house since she prefers to have the attention to herself. When on the leash she pulls a bit so she will need some training with that. With her barking it can get annoying but if you are an experienced dog owner you'll know how to keep her quiet. Also if she sees another dog she'll immediately want to go say hi. When giving her affection she'll just return it equally, since she is a ball of love that will need lots of cuddling. Coqueta is an irresistible dog. She is energetic and would love being able to go out and play everyday outside in the park, so daily exercise is a must. Needs plenty of chew toys, and balls she can retrieve. Her long coat will need grooming and a proper brushing daily, but she does not shed too much. Cats are a no – she will try chasing them.

Coqueta is a female terrier mix age 7, very spunky, has all her shots and is spayed; she's socialized and friendly with both human and dogs, will say go up to them say hi and then come back. The only problem she really has is her barking and she doesn't do well with other animals besides dogs, that goes for all of them. Never bit anyone but does growl to give a warning. She loves going on walks/runs and will need that everyday to be a calm dog. She has a favorite toy bunny that she chews on all day so that's how she can stay calm too. A home with little kids especially girls would be best suited for her and she will always jump on your lap or bed if given the opportunity. Can you foster Coqueta so we can get her out of the shelter?

To learn more about fostering a dog with Grateful Dogs Rescue, go to http://gratefuldogsrescue.org/FosterADogWithGratefulDogsRescue

Coqueta is currently in the shelter and needs to get into a foster home. If you can foster Ollie until he is adopted, please fill out a foster application at http://gratefuldogsrescue.org/foster-application

Swiper is a fun and energetic dog. Grateful Dogs Rescue wants to get him out of the shelter and is looking to place him in a San Francisco bay area foster home. He loves going out for walks – especially runs and spending time with family. Will alert bark when he gets excited seeing a new dog because he wants to play with them. Swiper needs basic training. He is very social and friendly with all except cats. He would love a dog playmate at home around his size or smaller. Swiper is a male terrier mix, age 7, still vibrant, has all his shots and is neutered; he's socialized with both humans and dogs.

Swiper does great with small dogs or older dogs with big dogs he may try to get dominant; with people he will go up to them and start playing with them. The only time he tried to bite a dog was when another dog was trying to attack him and no skin was broken. He is very energetic to the point where he has to run/walk everyday just be calm at home; needs an athletic owner. Swiper would prosper in a home with kids and a big backyard. 

To learn more about fostering a dog with Grateful Dogs Rescue, go to http://gratefuldogsrescue.org/FosterADogWithGratefulDogsRescue

Our Grateful Dogs Rescue evaluator loves this guy!  She wanted to just pack him up and take him home with her. Ollie is a bit over 13 pounds and about 1 year old. The shelter is calling him a Beagle/Jack Russell mix but our volunteer/evaluator thinks maybe a spaniel or a bit of Corgi with those rounded ears. He appears to be house trained.

Ollie loves to run and play in the yard. He is a bit nervous with being leashed up by a stranger but only took minutes to become friends. He walked well on a leash, even with all the noise of Carnaval and all the people around. Our evaluator didn't have a dog to do a dog-dog test with but Ollie was fine with the ones they passed. He didn't like being picked up, but beside stiffening up he did not do anything.  We know some of you are saying "why didn't he pass behavior". Well, he has a bite history and while no one is blaming him for it, a police officer rounded him up in traffic and Ollie was scared and bit the officer. The shelters won't take him because of it. He also has poor kennel presentation but is getting better on that. He needs a foster home and just to be safe there should be no young children!  It might be our imagination but one of the spots on his side is a bit heart-shaped which can attract adopters.

To learn more about fostering a dog with Grateful Dogs Rescue, go to http://gratefuldogsrescue.org/FosterADogWithGratefulDogsRescue

Ollie is currently in the shelter and needs to get into a foster home. If you can foster Ollie until he is adopted, please fill out a foster application at http://gratefuldogsrescue.org/foster-application

This post was submitted by one of Grateful Dogs Rescue's volunteers who is also a Board Member and evaluator.

In Defense of "Chihuahua Mixes"

This post isn’t about Chihuahuas, those little 3-6 pound purse dogs that celebrities love to carry, but about Chihuahua mixes, the 7 to 15 pounds dogs that are filling up the shelters in California.  The dogs that many potential adopters that want a “small dog that is not a Chihuahua” won’t even look at, and that some rescues have started to just say no to because they have so many already.  I love these dogs, and I think more people need to give them a chance.

First let me say that these dogs are more small breed mutt than Chihuahuas at all. Forget about the so-called Deer Chihuahua and Spider Chihuahua, the AKC only recognizes 2 types of Chihuahuas, short and long-haired.  The upper weight for a true Chihuahua is 6 pounds and they all have apple heads. The typical dog labeled Chihuahua mix is probably just as much Italian Greyhound, Miniature Pinscher, Toy Fox Terrier, Rat Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, Basenji, Pug, Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, Dachshund, Chinese Crested and who know what else.  But try as I might to label the dog as something else (I call my current foster a Taco Terrier which is a Toy Fox Terrier and Chihuahua mix) when I walk them on the street people say “oh a Chihuahua”.  At least these little ones do have hybrid vigor going for them. 

I have had a Chihuahua mix foster dog in my home, sometimes 2, for the last 4 years (occasionally I will have a terrier or a true Chihuahua). Sure there are the dogs that fit the stereotype of the “yappy, shivery Chihuahua” but most of them are amazing, fun, active companions.  These little dogs have so much character.   These dogs run and wrestle with my 40-pound pit mix like there is no size difference at all.  While only a few of them have jogging companion potential, they can make great hiking companions.  Some can fetch inexhaustibly like a retriever, and many are great with kids.  They usually have very easy to care for short coats, much less expensive than the dogs that require grooming.   After the hike they are ready to curl into your lap and nap, better than any hot water bottle.  Their small size makes them wonderful apartment dogs, and their active nature makes them perfect for weekend warriors.

At a work event last week, I listened to a coworker talk about how she hated those yappy little Chihuahua dogs, so yesterday when I had my Chihuahua mix dog at work for a couple of hours I took her to the coworker’s office to visit.  Within minutes all the prejudices fell away and she was saying what a great little dog this was.  Please give them a chance.  Potential adopters say they want to rescue a dog in need, well these are what our shelters are full of, and these dogs are the ones in need, and they are some of the most charismatic dogs you will ever meet.

Grateful Dogs Resceu would like to introduce you to Beethoven, a wonderful little dog who is looking for someone to adopt him. His foster parent, a Grateful Dogs Rescue volunteer wrote this post about him.

Beethoven is a charming and handsome fellow. He is great company, and will love being near you at all times. He is endearingly communicative, performing a quick footed cha cha cha to say he wants to go out (he's never had an accident). He will do a down dog bow with accompanying sounds to ask what is new, and he will do an amazing salsa wiggle to express his joy at seeing you. Beethoven is enthusiastic about any outdoor activity, and loves to go jogging or chase his friends around the field, but also is happy to sit in your lap and snuggle next to you at night.

While he can be a bit reserved and protective when a dog or human stranger approaches quickly, he settles down once he knows you are in charge of the situation. He would make a great buddy for someone who needs a reason to get outside and move, and/or a friend to come home to at night He could also enjoy the company of another small dog. This sweet guy is 8 years old, and weighs 13lbs. 

Please see our other available dogs at Grateful Dogs Rescue. Grateful Dogs Rescue incurs substantial medical and other costs in rescuing our dogs. In order to recoup some of these costs, we must charge an adoption fee. The adoption fee for Beethoven is $150.

Grateful Dogs Rescue was proud to be part of the 2012 Maddie's® Pet Adoption Days. At the Third Annual Maddie's Matchmaker Adoptathon (http://www.maddiesadoptathon.org), held the weekend of June 9-10, 2012 in San Francisco, Alameda, and Contra Costa Counties, 2,601 dogs and cats found loving homes. 965 pets were older and/or dogs and cats who had been treated for a medical condition.

Maddie's^® Community Shelter Data Grant supports the collection and publication of shelter statistics from community coalitions comprised of animal control agencies, traditional shelters and adoption guarantee organizations. Collecting shelter data in Maddie's^® Asilomar Accords format enables coalitions to gather meaningful, standardized data to analyze and share results. It helps organizations track their lifesaving and develop plans to achieve and sustain an adoption guarantee for the healthy and treatable animals in their community. Here are the statistics from GDR that support these efforts.

Maddies' Fund 2012 Reporting (128 KB)

About Maddie's® Pet Adoption Days

The goal of Maddie's® Pet Adoption Days is to give all healthy, senior and treatable shelter dogs and cats a second chance. Adoption of dogs and cats will be free to qualified adopters and in return, Maddie's Fund has set aside $4 million so it can give each shelter or rescue group $500 - $2,000 per adoption.*

Maddie's® Pet Adoption Days is held to increase awareness of shelter animals and their need for loving homes and to shed light on the tireless efforts of the shelters and rescue organizations across the country that work so hard to save the lives of countless dogs and cats every day. This adoption event honors the memory of the foundation's namesake, a Miniature Schnauzer named Maddie.

Grateful Dogs Rescue adopter Danielle shares her story of adopting Cedes

"I adopted "Cedes" from Grateful Dogs Rescue back in October 2012 and she has brought nothing but joy and unconditional love into my life. She is transforming everyday and building her tiny confidence and nothing makes me happier than being her companion person. She is such a love bug. Her tiny personality warms hearts wherever we go, and I take her everywhere!. She melts people's hearts and has the capacity to make anyone's day better. We get stopped on the street all the time by people who can't stop smiling when they see her. She was found wandering the streets by SF Animal Control and was terrified. She did not pass any of their socialization tests and sat paralyzed by fear in her cage...The SPCA passed on her as well, but luckily Grateful Dogs Rescue came to save her in the knick of time. She wouldn't have made it without their support and the loving support of her foster mom, Karen."

Karen rehabilitated "Cedes" for 2 months in her loving home, giving "Cedes" time to recover and heal from her traumatic shelter experience. I am thankful everyday for Grateful Dogs Rescue and "Cedes" foster care mom. Without them I wouldn't have this tiny precious love filled companion in my life. Her name is Greta now. Everyday she is showing me more and more of her quirky personality. She loves to chase birds and go on beach adventures. She follows me everywhere and spins in circles when she is excited. She curls up to sleep on my lap in cafe's and at book readings, She loves car rides and doesn't mind the BART train. I love her so so much.  Thank you for saving her life by rescuing her from the shelter and giving me the chance to love her." ~ Danielle

Posey is the first foster dog to RSVP her attendance at this Grateful Dogs Rescue adoption event at Belle Pelle Salon. Read more about her below and check back here to find out about dogs attending the event on March 30th.

Read more about Posey | http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/25580658

BellaPelle Skin Care Salon in Maiden Lane is hosting an adoption event for Grateful Dogs Rescue on Saturday, March 30th from 11:00am - 2:00pm. Please join us and meet wonderful dogs of all sizes and shapes who have been rescued and have been fostered by Grateful Dogs Rescue volunteers until they are adopted.