One awesome little boy!

Ouch!

Foster Update:  If you’re watching us on Facebook, you know that Hopscotch was bitten by a pygmy rattlesnake.  We freaked out.  Thank Goodness Lynne took him to Valuvet in Deltona immediately, and Kurtis was on duty!  Hopscotch has recovered!  He is doing great playing with the other dogs, and he’s a very young pup with a lot of energy.  He needs someone that will speak his language and show him the ropes.  He has incredible focus and is easy to train.  A physically active person would be great for him, as he needs to be worn out daily!  He is being fostered in the Orange City area (near DeLand) by Lynne Flannery.

Foster Update: Hopscotch appears to be insecure and unsure when meeting new people. We are evaluating him while we introduce him to new situations to get more information.

Wanna play?

History: This cute little boy is full of energy, great with dogs, school-aged children, and is adjusting to his new foster home in Orlando very nicely!  Nadia Davis emailed me his photo, and he reminded me a lot of Sunkissed.  We had so many people interested in Sunkissed, that by the way, she was scooped up to Mark Lucas of Soccer Collies and is going through Soccer Collie Training and Certification.  Something we’re VERY excited about.

Hopscotch is fully vetted and neutered and would make a great addition to any family.  He is in the small side, maybe 20 – 25 pounds, he is less than a year old, and he looks like a Golden Collie, doesn’t he?  Without DNA testing, I have no idea what breed he is, but he is stinking cute!

Special thanks to Nadia, Sarah White-Buxbaum and Mariacristina for their help rescuing this pup!

You can see more of his photos on Facebook.

How can you resist this face?

Maria, Luis and Foster Dog, Shane

When I was first contacted by Maria to foster, we didn’t know each other very well, but I had an idea that her pack could help a lot of rescued dogs feel at home, and that’s exactly what happened.  Her pack has a playful yet calming energy that is perfect for fostering.  What I admire the most about this fantastic couple is their ability to recognize when they can foster and when they can’t.  Taking breaks is a must in rescue.  Making sure you balance your home, personal life, work and efforts in volunteering is very important to prevent burn-out.  I take breaks, and beg my fosters to take breaks as well.  Every time I have come back from a break I feel like I can do an even better job.  Each dog that we foster, we learn from, and if we can force ourselves to take a break and reflect, it just makes us better fosters!

The one and Only, Elwood!

Maria writes:

Luis and I are originally from Puerto Rico but we’ve lived in Florida for most of our lives! We currently live just south of Downtown Orlando and own two dogs (while fostering a third!). I got Elwood (Yes, he’s named after the Blues Brother!), a short-haired border collie, from a breeder in Oviedo and it was love at first sight! He’s smart, sensitive and is absolutely obsessive about tennis balls!

We later acquired Shelby, a lab mix, from a friend who had a litter of puppies. He’s practically Elwood’s shadow and loves to roll around with new fosters, chew ice and roll up into a ball for movie nights!

We love animals and we’ve always had a soft spot for working breeds and herding breeds so after seeing a friend on Facebook adopt a beautiful Aussie from The Dog Liberator, I convinced Luis that we had to help out with the organization! In the past, we’ve fostered Lady Trulove, Shane, Dr. Pepper, Casey Rose and now Knish! It’s been quite the learning experience with lots of up and downs but the real reward is finding homes for these animals that are so incredibly smart and loveable! My only regret is that I don’t have more time and resources to devote to the organization that helps find good homes for these awesome dogs!

The Pack!

As a photographer, I also try to give each of our fosters their best shot and bring out the best in each of them! I’m available for portraits and can provide discounted rates to The Dog Liberator fans! Just email me at mcshibooya@gmail.com

Maria and Luis fostered Knish for about a month, and we received no inquiries on her whatsoever.  All of a sudden, I was swamped with emails from potential adopters, and they were all great prospects.  It was hard for us to choose.  But together, Maria and I acknowledged that Knish needed a pack, and that’s what she got!  With every home Knish has lived in, she has picked up new skills and training.  I knew that Knish would be a challenge for Maria and Luis, and I was honest with them, but she welcomed the challenge with open arms.  They worked with Knish, never gave up on her, and learned her quirks!  Every one of us has a gift to give, and Knish ultimately learned something from each of us, thus making her one awesome little dog!  Knish’s adopters report in with great news and progress.  I think Knish if finally home!  Thank you Maria, Louis, Elwood and Shelby!

the Comedian!

It must have been way back in February when Dale Parrent asked me to take Casey Rose. It seemed no matter how hard we tried to transport her to Florida, schedules just didn’t jive. I asked Becky Harshman, the miracle worker of rescue, if she could help. Jeff Bennett, a volunteer Pilot for Pilots-N-Paws was coordinating a transport, and our dogs luckily got on board!

Case Rose is a delightful dog, with calm energy and a friendly disposition. She, and her transport buddies, Rustyand Fonzie all have awesome temperaments. Casey comes to us from Alabama where she was fostered by Deb Gaylord.

Who's Ready to Play?

Casey is one of those dogs that can be happy living in any home. She is great with kids, other dogs, and ignores cats. She flips the frisbee in the air and entertains herself, loves to play ball, but what she enjoys the most is the baby pool.

It's hard work being a good dog!

Everyone who has met Casey describes her as a comedian! More details on Casey Rose will be coming soon!

09/25/11 Update:  I had the pleasure or meeting Casey Rose last night, she really is a gorgeous dog.  She was with my pack, and had great manners with the other dogs.  Within ten minutes, she and China were playing.  She is incredibly obedient, has awesome recall and was very affectionate to everyone.  This is one great dog!

In the meantime, you can view her photo album on Facebook. If you are interested in Adopting Casey Rose, please review “How to Adopt From Us” and email your information to us at thedogliberator@gmail.com

Calm and Relaxed

Lady Truelove comes to us from Gordon County, Georgia. Isn’t she stunning? Her fosters tell me she is very calm, not playing with the pack yet, and simply wants to hang out with her humans and watch TV! She is being groomed, getting all of her shots, and being spayed soon, and we will continue to report more about her temperament. We estimate her to be maybe 2 years of age (the vet will confirm that for us), and believe that she is a Border Collie/Aussie = Bossie!

She is STUNNING! Special thanks to Sherrie, Amy, Sarah, and Maria Cristina for helping on her transport and foster!  Her photo album can be viewed on Facebook.

Don't hate me 'cause I'm beautiful!

Shane is a stunning Australian Shepherd, only about 1-year-old.  When I say stunning, I’m not kidding.  Not only does he have a beautiful red and white coat, he has bi-colored eyes ~ one blue, one brown.  And not only does he have bi-colored eyes, one of them is marbled ~ part blue, part brown.  And not only is he beautiful, but he is also very well behaved and trained.  Indeed, as his rescuer Amy noted, “at just a year old he displayed the calm personality and settled nature of a much older dog. Someone had obviously loved and worked with him at some point because he sat, shook, high-fived, and laid down on command.”

Well behaved and trained

Amy rescued Shane from a kill shelter just before his time was up and named him Soldier.  When her mother met him, she fell in love with this outstanding dog on the spot, adopted him and renamed him Shane.  You absolutely must read Amy’s original post about that whole episode ~ it is hysterical!

Shane proved to be everything that we had hoped ~ playful, well behaved and affectionate.  But sometimes life happens (you may not have noticed that) and Amy’s mom hurt her leg.  She can no longer take Shane for walks but has to just let him out in the yard.  Her fence is low and Shane is curious, so he has been known to hop over to see if the grass really is greener.  Although he comes back when called, the concern is that she lives on a very busy street and the chances of him being hit by a car are pretty significant.  Really, just not worth it.

His marbled eye is captivating

So the hard decision has been made.  We’re going to find Shane a new home.  I know it will be a great one, hopefully with a higher fence.   And quieter road.  lol

Make sure you check out his extensive photo album.  If you think that you might be interested in adopting Shane, please read his original rescue post, our dog tips page, and Our Adoption Process, then e-mail me at holly.thedoglibertor@gmail.com

07/10/11 Update: Shane was adopted by Scott Schrecengost and his family yesterday.  Maria C writes:  Shane’s adoption went really well. The family was very excited! They told me they were still under contract for a new property they were planning on buying. They told me they were researching shock collars to help train Shane to keep away from the fence. I told them the first thing they need to work on is recall, as well.

Dr. Pepper was rescued from the same shelter in Melbourne as Justine Time.  Wonderful people.  Adriana saw him and just had to get him out of there!

Smart dogs seek shade!

He’s estimated to be about 3-4 years old, and heartworm negative.

He’s very intelligent, thus the Title of his name!  Although he’s playful with the ball and Frisbee, he’s not an in your face Border Collie, he’s quite calm.  He’s doing well with Adriana’s dog Gidget (Magpie) and he’s really enjoying the pool!When he went to the beach, everyone just fell in love with him.  I mean, gosh, who wouldn’t?  With those beautiful blue eyes, perfect border collie markings and joyful spirit, he just makes you want to smile!

You can visit his photo gallery on Facebook!

If you think you might be interested in adopting Dr. Pepper, please read our Dog Tips, then review our Adoption Process and e-mail holly.thedogliberator@gmail.com

May 29th Foster Update:

Playing Frisbee with Gidget

Dr. Pepper is pretty intense, very focused. Took him to the beach and all he cared about was fetching the Frisbee, which was really nice because he’s so focused I not need to worry about him wandering off. He has been very tolerant with Gidget however when he’s had enough he lets her know. He can catch a Frisbee and anything you throw at him, he’s just not fast so he can’t catch up to it when you throw it far. He needs a home that WILL EXERCISE HIM. He’s very obedient and knows sit, stay, lay down, shake or paw.  He’s pretty quiet but loud noises such as a vacuums or blenders make him go into a frenzy.. not a bad one; he just either attacks the vacuum or he grabs a toy and starts going nuts with it until the loud noise is gone.  It’s actually pretty funny. He’s a lover but I need to stress that this boy needs an active home. I feel like he could totally do agility.   He’s so handsome. 🙂

May 30th:

Okay, like Dr. Pepper wasn’t already wonderful enough, Adriana just told me that he swims underwater!  You’ve got to be kidding me!  He is clearly not a couch potato and will need an active home, but boy, is he ever going to be one awesome addition to the family.  Here’s a neat little thing too ~ he likes being outside so when he is wet, he’s content staying out there until he dries off.  If you had just finished steam cleaning your floors like I did, you’d think that was the best news ever!  lol

June 5th:

I can’t believe this dog hasn’t been adopted yet!  He is so beautiful, has so much personality!  Adriana told me that there is no doubt that he lives to please his people.  He’ll go to the ends of the earth with you.  Especially if you have a vacuum!  When I saw this video, I couldn’t stop laughing.  I know you’ll love it too!

06/20/11 Update:

Dr. Pepper was adopted last week but returned today.  It turns out that he is afraid of both thunder and fireworks.  Given that his adopting family lives right by SeaWorld with their nightly firework display, they decided this was more than they could handle.  We have already gotten Dr. Pepper a Thundershirt which is working wonders, and have him in a foster home that is working diligently to help him confront and overcome his fears.  The good news is that this last week told us something we suspected but did not know ~ Dr. Pepper loves kids!  The family has a 10-year-old boy and all week he and Dr. Pepper were inseparable, spending the days together, mostly in the pool.  We knew this was a great family dog and now we have proof!

06/25/11 Update: Dr. Pepper was adopted today, photos and details coming soon.