Going Home: Rusty

Welcome to a fantastic Feline Friday! Berkeley Humane was overjoyed to host Grumpy Cat last weekend but there’s nothing grumpy about the cat featured in this week’s Going Home post. Meet Rusty, formally known as Azul (not hard to guess why he was given that name), who was adopted last year. His new owner sent us a quick update to let us know how he is doing now.

"This is Rusty (previously Azul.) We got him from you guys at 8 weeks and now he's about 6 months. We just love him so much. Thanks so much for rescuing him and bringing him into our lives."

Rusty might not be as famous as our Grumpy visitor last weekend but with those beautiful blue eyes we think he’s just as good looking! We’re so glad he’s found a loving home and he looks pretty happy about it too. A big thank you to Kat for sending us this update!

Berkeley Humane was thrilled with the great crowd at Grumpy Cat’s visit this weekend but we always have more wonderful pets looking for homes. Are you looking for a furry friend to add to your family? Stop by and see us during adoption hours: Wed. – Sun., 11 AM - 5 PM for dogs, Fri. – Sun., 11 AM – 5 PM for cats. You can also see the animals available for adoption on our website, www.berkeleyhumane.org. 

Going Home: Pandora

Hurray for another Woof Wednesday! 

In today's post we hear about the lovely blond Pandora (formerly known as Kaylee). Her adopters took her home and posted a Facebook update that very same day. Of course we're delighted to hear that she's loved already and that she started off with showing her sweet and happy temperament to her new owners.  

Also take a look at the fun photo they used to introduce their new pup to their Facebook feed. Isn't it cool?



"We adopted Kaylee this morning and she is now known as Pandora! She is just such a happy puppy!! And loving having her with our family already!"

Pandora, congratulations on finding owners who appear as sweet, as happy and as stylish as yourself! Tabby, Thank you for adopting one of our pooches - we know she appreciates you giving her a loving home. 

Do you want a love story of your own? A canine friend to cuddle with and go on walks with? Come visit Berkeley Humane to meet our dogs. We're sure we can find one who will fit you well and can become a friend for life. Our dogs are ready to meet you from Wednesday to Sunday, from 11 to 5. We hope to see you!

Going Home: Lucille

Happy Feline Friday, everyone! Are you ready to meet Grumpy Cat tomorrow? She'll do the ribbon cutting ceremony on our Mobile Adoption Center, and there will be a chance for you to take pictures with her as well.

In the mean time, let us treat you with great news on on of our former residents: the adorable Lucille. Her adopter wrote us a long email and sent us a picture of her. We always love it when people get back to us to confirm that the animal they chose really fits with their family. And now, without more ado, the words of Lucille's adopter: 

"I wanted to give you an update on Lucille -- she's a sweetheart!  She seems to be adjusting very well and very quickly.  We sequestered her in a kitchen/guest room area when we first brought her home, and she immediately and thoroughly explored the area.  Then she snuck out of that and explored the whole house.  She quickly took over the house on day one!  She hasn't seemed stressed, scared or anxious at all.  In fact, she is absolutely the kitty you described in your adoption post.  She's loving and follows me all over the house (and waits for me to get out of the shower).  She's been playing a lot and is quite the jumper -- so I imagine her weight should drop quickly with all the hunting she's been doing.  She's absolutely adorable, easy going -- part kitty, part Curious George -- and a real character.  I feel very lucky to have her!

Thanks again for all your help in answering my questions and connecting Lucy and I.  I know you understand the challenges of getting photos of her (at least if you want to see her), but here are a couple of new photos from her new home.

Thanks to you and your colleagues/foster parents for the work you do and for taking such good care of Lucille -- clearly she's been well cared for!" 

Thank you, Jay, for the compliment. We do our best to care for our animals as well as we can, but t's always best to have them in a loving home all of their own. We can see from the picture that Lucille has really made herself at home and feels safe and comfortable where she is. 
We wish you and Lucille many years of happiness and playtime together. We're glad you took so much care in choosing her and really taking the time to find a pet that works for you. 

Do you want a cat as awesome as Lucille? Come to Berkeley Humane and meet our fantastic felines. Our cats are ready to meet adopters from Friday through Sunday from 11 to 5.

Going Home: Luna

Welcome back to Woof Wednesday! We’ve got another wonderful going home story this week. We checked in with Ashley to see how things were going with her cute new pup, Luna (Madeline). Read on to see what Ashley had to say about Luna’s life post- Berkeley Humane.

"I am madly in love with Luna (formerly known as Madeline). She is a sweetie pie and I am so happy to have found her. Thank you all for rescuing her and taking the time to love and care for her. I am so glad I can offer her a home and eternally grateful for her snuggles and companionship."

Well it looks like Luna's yoga poses could use some work but she's clearly feeling right at home already! From dog beds to yoga mats, Luna seems ready to cuddle anywhere. We're so happy her new year has started out positively and are grateful to Ashley for sending us this update. 

Did you know that Berkeley Humane offers training classes for dogs? From simple obedience skills to more advanced tricks, there is something for all different types of dogs. Visit our website, www.berkeleyhumane.org for more details or to sign up today!

Going Home: Princess Grace

Hurray for another episode of Feline Friday!

Today we've got a lovely story from you that came to us through our Facebook feed. It's a bit of an oldie (dating from May of 2014), but since the cat in question is almost up for her 1 year adoptiversary, we thought it would be a great time to share her story. Here is an update on Princess Grace (formerly known as Ember).

This is what her adopters have to say:

"Three months ago on Valentine's Day, we adopted Ember (now known as Princess Grace) and can't imagine life without her. Here she is on the journey home. Thanks again for all you do to care for animals in need."

Look at her, isn't she adorable? We sure think so. Thank you, Yvette, for giving a home to this lovely little lady. We hope you'll have many more adoptiversaries together. 

If you want to see more adorable cats, keep an eye out for more news about Grumpycat coming to Berkeley Humane to cut the ribbon on our Mobile Adoption Center. She'll be coming on January 24, and you can find more information on our Facebook page, Twitter feed or website. If you RSVP, you can get your picture taken with her!

2015: Puppy New Year! Get some science into your dog

2015 is a bright and shiny new year for canine science! 

But first, this face:

After being a dog-less household for eight months (you might remember we sadly farewelled Elke in 2013 and gut-wrenchingly, also old man Caleb, in the first half of 2014) we welcomed a new member to the family at the end of 2014. 

Those paws. Not photoshopped.

If I'm honest with you, I'd been stalking PetRescue quietly for a month or so, not really sure if the time was right, but also open to being inspired to make it the right time to welcome a new dog into our lives. I eventually made a call to a shelter a long, long way away about a dog I'd seen who looked like the kind of dog I thought would be a good fit for our family over the next fifteen years. His profile had been up for a few weeks and I was concerned he might be nearly out of time to be adopted. The lovely shelter staff let me know he'd actually just been adopted that morning - I was thrilled for him and his new family. Probably a good thing anyway, that shelter was 5 hours' drive away - no small distance. 

The following day I received a message from the shelter staff - there was another dog - a younger pup, similar type, would I be interested? "Send me some photos and a video clip of him" I said... and they did. I told Julie about the pup and how far away he was. "Love this story!! Keep it coming ;)" she said via email. Huh, I thought - what an adventure this could be to meet a new family member - and luckily, my partner agreed!

So a week later, coincidentally on my birthday, we headed off after lunch on a 400km (that's 250miles to those of you who prefer miles) drive to a faraway coastal town south west of Melbourne to meet this four month old pup. He had come into the regional shelter as a stray. Whether he was deliberately dumped, wandered off through an open gate, or actively strayed by jumping a fence - we'll never know. That's part of the shelter dog story - not necessarily knowing what came before. 

What we do know is this: 

• He was not identified by microchip, had no collar with ID and was not desexed
• No one came looking for him during his two weeks in the shelter
• On meeting us, he was excitable, mouthy and jumpy, but calmed down fairly quickly
• We have named him Rudy (roo-dee), inspired by Rudolph as it was Christmas week

What is he?

We've been asked that a lot! Rudy is a Staghound. Staghounds in Australia are similar to Lurchers and Longdogs in the UK - a 'type' of dog, rather than a breed. Staghounds are generally greyhound x deerhound with maybe a bit of whatever else was around the area in them too. They can vary widely in looks as they are bred with an emphasis on health, performance and longevity, rather than to a physical standard. They are generally bred to help with hunting in rural areas, but like greyhounds, can make excellent companions as well. As you'd expect, they are highly distracted by moving things.

A diet of science

Inevitably, we're feeding Rudy a daily dose of science. If you want to keep up with how he's going, you can follow the #RaisingRudy hashtag on Twitter, keep up with our Do you Believe in Dog? Facebook posts, or check in here at the blog for regular updates. I've never claimed to be a dog trainer, but I'm certainly aware of the importance of putting the wide array of scientific findings into practice with our dogs to help them have a great life and help us enjoy our time with them.

So far, over the first couple of weeks Rudy's been with us, this has looked a bit like this:

In these early days, we're focusing on socialisation (new experiences, places, people, surfaces, sounds, smells), basic training (toilet training, recall, sit, leash walking, house behaviour, independent time outside) and getting to know Rudy (learning how he responds to new places, loud noises, other dogs and people, etc.). We're marvelling at those ears. 

We're remembering what having a puppy in the house means (e.g. encouraging the puppy to splash its feet in a toddler pool is super funny and cute, until it starts repeating that behaviour in the indoor water bowl and floods your laundry!). We're a tidier household for it (Shoes go in cupboards! Pre-schooler's toys get put away! Remote controls go up high!).

If, like us, it's been a while since you raised a puppy, you might enjoy the back seat experience (sometimes hilarious, sometimes frustrating!) offered by the new BBC documentary series 'Six Puppies and Us' - Episode 1 linked here: