Oh Behave!

Oh, shelter dogs! How you’ve stolen my heart again and again!

I still remember the first shelter dog I ever trained. A big handsome super friendly Catahoula hound mix named Bear. He loved people so much he’d jump all over anyone who went into his kennel. My assignment was to teach him to sit and stay when people entered the kennel.

I cried tears of joy when a couple weeks after I began working with Bear, a young man entered the kennel, and Bear sat, stayed and showed off his best behavior. He didn’t jump once and the guy adopted him that very day.

Every year, 4 million dogs in the U.S. end up in shelters. Pedigree wants to raise awareness about shelter dogs and help them in a meaningful way. That’s where you come in. For every blog that publishes a post now through Sunday September 19, 2010 about the Pedigree Adoption Drive, Pedigree will donate a 20-pound bag of Healthy Longevity Food For Dogs to shelters nationwide! Pretty pawsome, don’t you think?

For details and simple guidelines to ensure your post is counted by Pedigree, check out Boulder Dog’s post. If you’re on Twitter, make sure to announce your blog post with #dogsrule somewhere in your tweet.

That’s not all. Even if you’re not a blogger, you can still help Pedigree help shelter dogs. For every person who “Likes” or becomes a Fan of PEDIGREE’s Adoption Drive page on Facebook, Pedigree will donate a bowl of food to a shelter dog. It only takes a click and a second of your time to make a difference in a shelter dog’s life.

I’ve trained many many shelter dogs since Bear and each has touched me in a special way. Nelson, the skinny border collie mix who moved like lightning, you helped me become a much better trainer. I had to hone my timing skills to keep up with you. Penelope, the shepherd mix with big sad soulful eyes, you taught me patience and how to work in the tiniest of baby steps. Each miniscule step was a huge accomplishment for you and made me so proud. Tulip, the pit bull mix, you were such an eager student and one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever met. . . I could go on. Every shelter dog I’ve known has been unique and amazing and I’m happy to have had made their acquaintaince.

I adopted my dog and my cat from shelters and will forever be grateful to the shelters that rescued them and brought them to me. That’s why I’ve hopped on this Blog Hop and am hoping you’ll do the same.

Please help spread the word about Pedigree’s Adoption Drive. And remember, don’t shop for a dog, adopt one from shelter or rescue. Shelter dogs rule!!