BY JANET McAFEE
This column recently told the story about Breezy and Glory, two large dogs available for adoption with Loving All Animals. Glory, a lovely lab shepherd mix, was adopted last week to a wonderful home. Breezy remains in foster care, well cared for and patiently waiting, knowing the perfect home awaits her as well.
Loving All Animals rescued 50-lb Breezy from the San Bernardino County Shelter in Devore where she was an unclaimed stray. As with most shelter dogs, not much more is known about her past history. With golden eyes that mesmerize and look deep into your soul, this active 2-year-old dog is believed to be a blend of Golden Retriever, Shepherd and Kelpie.
Her previous foster Mom, Debbie Karp, describes the dog she lovingly cared for, “Breezy is high energy, smart, house trained, and loves playing with toys. When she runs around the yard, she loves to go through the water. She hears everything, and would provide great protection to her humans.” Breezy would do best in a home where she is the only dog. She will make a great companion for a young person who enjoys training. A good match would also be a busy family with older children, as Breezy loves lots of attention. A fenced in yard is essential so she can play and run off her high energy.
Breezy’s current foster Dad, Lucas Van Den Elzen, finds her to be a playful, delightful dog. “Breezy is fun and very energetic. She loves playtime, particularly tug of war toys where she can interact with you. She also enjoys a belly rub. This dog craves human attention, and should be in a home where people are around a lot. She is so smart, I’m teaching her various commands and she learns them quickly. Breezy is house trained, when I let her outside she goes right to same spot in the back yard.”
Most large breed dogs are incredibly smart and easy to train. Perhaps due to their larger size brains, they process new information easily and love to learn new things. It is no accident that law enforcement agencies, search and rescue teams, and the military seek out large breed dogs to perform complex life-saving tasks. These animals are eager to please their humans, and thrive when they can learn new tasks. House training usually comes quickly.
Dogs the size of Breezy, provide excellent protection to their households. They can best protect from burglaries when they are inside the house. No dog, despite its size, should be relegated as an “outside only” pet for a number of reasons, including the suffering they would endure in the Coachella Valley heat. Breezy becomes very attached to humans and seeks out their companionship.
More foster homes for homeless dogs like Breezy are needed. The snowbird fosters are gone, but our public shelters overflow with these beautiful animals whose only crime is not having a home. Foster homes for cats are also needed. Loving All Animals provides all vet care, pet food, supplies, and adoption assistance.
Contact Loving All Animals (www.lovingallanimals.org) at (760) 834-7000 to schedule a “meet and greet” if you are interested in adopting Breezy. Please also call if you would like to foster a dog or cat of any size. Big dogs like Breezy have big hearts, all the better to love you with!
Jmcafee7@verizon.net
