Posted on January 13, 2012 by WayCoolDogs

She had a white body and legs, a black bottom and a black head with one tiny white spot on her nose, and her fur was a mass of tight curls. If you glanced at her you immediately swivelled and looked again, because she looked unnervingly as if she was wearing a pale shade of [...]

Posted on November 02, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

Sometimes when dogs are found wandering on the street, or if they have been surrendered by owners who were less than kind to them, all they want is to find a little corner to squeeze themselves into, where they won’t be noticed by anyone.  In such cases a cage, no matter how uncomfortable, becomes their [...]

Posted on October 27, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

He was very weak when they brought him in, and his coat was dry and matted, so after a couple of days on the drip to build up his strength, he was bathed and trimmed down, and started to feel lots better. I actually got confused, as I had been looking after a smallish white [...]

Posted on October 13, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

We called them the ‘hundred day dogs’ because they were brought in to board by their owner for three months. They were separated at first, but both pined so they ended up together in a cage and were quite content, although it was a bit of a squeeze, due to the fact that Tiger was, [...]

Posted on August 31, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

I don’t usually walk boarding dogs, but Chico was there for a long stay and I knew he would need the exercise.  Plus he was just gorgeous. And irresistible.  His cage was one of those that had only one door, whereas the best ones have an upper and a lower door, so that you can [...]

Posted on August 10, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

Coco reminded me of that line in the wonderful movie Seabiscuit – ‘Just because he’s bashed up a bit doesn’t mean he’s no use’.  Seabiscuit went on to be a huge winner in horse racing in the US. Coco’s eyes were full of green guck.  He rasped loudly and painfully through clogged lungs, he was nearly [...]

Posted on August 04, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

I noticed her first because of her yelp – well, it was more of a yip than a yelp. I would pass the cage (one of the darker ones, so if a dark coloured dog was in residence it was not easy to make him out) and this little, hopeful sound would issue forth. When I opened up and peered inside, a charming, earnest little face looked up, and I could swear she smiled at me. I was hooked.

Posted on July 07, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

When my wife Cheria retired from her job a few years back she decided to volunteer a few days each week at our local animal shelter. Her task is a simple one: take photos of the dogs and cats that are brought in and place their profiles and pictures on the PetFinder website in order to help [...]

Posted on June 23, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

Nova’s problem though was a nasty skin condition, which gave her an itchy red rash, and was making her fur fall out. They did several skin scrapings and couldn’t find out what it was. She was given weekly triatix baths, which didn’t do much, and then I got the idea of rubbing her with aloe vera, of which, thankfully, I have a good supply at home.

Posted on May 31, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

The first thing I noticed was that the little Shih tzu poodle was bleeding from the back; it was an ominously heavy flow, and bright red. Alarmed, I called an attendant, who told me she had been diagnosed with tick fever, she was contagious and shouldn’t be touched without gloves.

Posted on May 26, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

I was asked to cut the matts off a dog that had been brought in by a lady who found her on the road, and wanted to keep her. However, she could not cope with the distasteful task of  treating the maggot wound in her eye.  She had named her Lace, and it was a perfect name, [...]

Posted on May 18, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

The PTS Room contains a table and a big freezer, nothing more.  You can gather what happens there.   One day I saw a smallish, greyish-brindle dog tied up right outside the room, just where those dogs who are next in line to be put to sleep are usually tied, and in dismay I asked what [...]

Posted on April 28, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

Riggs was full of himself, and into everything. At first he wouldn’t keep quiet long enough for me even to look at his face properly, but after a few days when he settled and knew he could trust me, I was able to comb him out, trim the hair around his eyes so he could see properly, and verify that, for a change, here was a little dog, bursting with personality, and with nothing wrong with him.

Posted on April 22, 2011 by WayCoolDogs

The motionless heap on the table bore no resemblance to a dog – it looked to be no more than a filthy bundle of horribly matted hair, leaves, debris and foul-smelling excrement.

There was an ugly wound all around his neck from a deeply embedded collar, which had been twisted even tighter with a stout length of thick wire, so that it had very nearly pierced his windpipe, and to complete the picture there were three large puncture wounds in his chest, all oozing with maggots.