My Name is Ozzy

Hi Friends!  I'm Ozzy, that's the name the nice people at Chouteau Pound Pals gave me and it's the only name I really remember.  I came here almost a year ago, I was just a young buck then, I had been on this earth about 10 months.  Don't really remember my mom and dad but the Veterinarian (fancy name for Dog Doctor) says I'm probably a Labrador Retriever mixed with a Shepherd (German?  Anantolian?  She didn't specify).  Whatever my parents were, they must have been a handsome couple because look at me!

 

 

In my younger days I did have a home and I was a playful, energetic, fun loving little kid that grew more quickly in my body than I did in my mind!  One day I wandered off to explore the world and got lost (I'm pretty certain I left a trail of kibble to find my way home but the birds must have eaten it)!  I thought sure my family would come looking for me so I stayed in one spot for a couple of days and a stranger picked me up and brought me to the pound.  There was a trainer lady there and she watched them bring me in on a leash and said I was like a "kite on a string" (I don't know for sure what a kite is, but I think it is a paper thing that flies, so that made no sense to me because I do NOT know how to fly)!  I have since forgiven the trainer lady for that comment because she always carries tasty cookies and all I have to do to get one is SIT!!  (LOL!  People are so simple minded.)  She has also started giving me one for laying down! (Is that similar to unemployment I sometimes overhear people talking about?)  She says I am smart and I want to please. She also says I can do "stay" for a short period of time (the cookie dispenser walks away from me and I'm not supposed to follow?  Now that one blows my mind a little).  I still pull on the leash when being walked, but who wants to walk?  It's a big world out there-let's RUN!!

 

I'm still a kid at heart (and physically, I guess, cause I'm not even 2 yet) and I love to play with the ladies, especially the ones that are high energy like me :).  I'm not so sure about the male dogs.  Maybe if I were properly introduced and didn't feel threatened I could have a guy friend.  One night at the pound a stranger came through and opened the gates on about half of the runs, including mine.  One of the other male dogs and I got into a scuffle-truth be told-he beat me up pretty bad.  I had lots of wounds and I was really scared, it took a long time for the pain to go away and the bite marks to heal.  I really don't want to be in that position again, so until someone can show me a better way, I'm going to be the 1st to flex my muscle and hopefully scare the other tough guy into staying away from me.

 

The humans here at Chouteau Pound Pals think I am a great dog and all I need is a family that would take the time to exercise me physically and exercise me mentally (teach me new commands and tricks) and I will make an awesome loyal lifetime companion.  I think they are correct, so in the meantime I will run circles in my kennel to stay in shape (the humans say I'm going kennel crazy, but I've heard that when people go crazy they beat their head against the wall.  You tell me.  Running circles or beating your head against the wall-which one is CRAZY?).

 

I'm going to stay ready for that perfect family that wants a dog to take on runs and teach things to.   A dog that will love them unconditionally.  A dog with more try than most people they know.  A dog that will be forever grateful for their love, care and commitment.  I will be happy, faithful and protective of my forever family!  But they won't know that until they find me and give me that chance!

 

Spread the word, would ya?

 

Love you all!

Ozzy

 

P.S.  Call Nancy @ 918-706-1073 if you think you are the perfect family for me.

Odie

Hi my name is Odie!  I am a 37lb Rat Terrier.  The vet thinks that I am 7-8 years old, I'll have to take his word for it because I don't remember when I was born. As a dog, I don't care too much about those kinds of things, but I do like Birthday Cake and the party that goes along with it!  The vet also suspects that at some point in my life I consumed (that's a fancy word for "ate") some type of poison (I don't remember what it was, but it must have tasted good!) which has caused me to have a neurological condition.  I'm not sure why he can't just speak in plain, easy to understand, language...to me that just means that when I am happy (which is pretty much ALL of the time) my entire back half wags!  And that just makes me happier!

I was really excited back in April when my family was packing up all of their belongings and putting them in the car...I thought we were going on a road trip.  I was partially correct, they went on a road trip WITHOUT me (can you imagine?).  And they NEVER came home (I was pretty shocked, I don't remember having done anything that would cause them to just abandon me like that).  But the nice people at Chouteau Pound Pals brought me to their kennel where I could be fed and feel safe. 

 

I have alot of doggy friends here but I don't really pay much attention to them, I really prefer the company of humans.  Does that make me odd?  Especially after all I have been through? Well, they tell me that I am a sweetheart for not holding a grudge. I don't know what a "sweetheart" is but if being a "sweetheart" helps to find me a home, then yes, I am a sweetheart!  I don't bark much and when I do, it is not very loud, I am told I have a raspy, smoker's voice (people have the strangest descriptions, don't they?).

As you can see by the photos, I am getting a little gray around the muzzle (adds character, don't you think?)  And I love a little splash in the pool when it is hot and humid!

If you, or someone you know, has a place in your heart or home....I would LOVE nothing more than to have a soft dog bed to sleep in and the occasional back scratch and I would be FOREVER grateful to you.  The most I can repay you with is Loyalty and Love, two things of which I have plenty.

You can call Nancy @ 918-706-1073 if you want to meet me. 

It's a BIRTHDAY PARTY!!

Brandy & Brittany are turning one year old

....and we're celebrating!

Birthday Party & Adoption Day

Saturday, July 21st - From 9am 'til Noon.

At the Dog Shelter in Chouteau.

These sweet dogs have spent their entire lives in our shelter. They came to us at 8 weeks of age & are now turning a year old. Come out & celebrate with us & hear their story.

When you meet these two....get ready to be loved. They are both lovable lab mixes from the same litter. We'd love to find someone to adopt these gals together as they are very bonded to one another. They will fill your life with joy!!!

We are a no-kill shelter so....NO....they are in no danger of being killed....but they have never known the joy of just being a puppy, roaming the yard looking for bugs, playing with children...just being a normal dog. As great as our shelter is...they need a loving home to enjoy. Won't you give these 'invisible' dogs a chance?

Please come by & greet these two & share a piece of birthday cake!

Donations gladly accepted as birthday gifts!


As a birthday gift to these two dogs a donor has offered to cover their adoption fees!!

                                                                        Brittany

                                                                      Brittany

                                                                       Brittany

                                                                        Brandy

                                                                           Brandy

                                                                          Brandy

For more information regarding the birthday party/adoption event or to fill out an adoption application for Brandy, Brittany or both visit www.chouteaupoundpals.com

New Blog

Having spent some time at the Chouteau, OK pound photographing dogs that need their forever homes, I decided to start a new blog that focuses on shelter dogs and showcasing dogs that are looking for homes.
The particular rescue I have been helping is the Chouteau Pound Pals, a no-kill, non-profit shelter that is located in Chouteau, OK, a small town NE of Tulsa.  It is run mainly by volunteers, the Chouteau Animal Control Officer feeds the dogs and cleans the kennels.  Chouteau is a small town and the kennel, often times, is overloaded with dogs.  Even with the advent of the internet, which has had to have been a boon to every small town dog rescue in America, alot of the dogs have a fairly long stay.
Because alot of people prefer to look at dogs on websites such as Petfinder.com and narrow their choices down before meeting the dogs in person a good photograph can make the difference between
someone scrolling on by or stopping to read the description of the dog.  So I thought I might talk a little about photographing dogs.  If you are reading this and thinking about a way to help your local rescue, alot of them could use help with photographing.  It helps to have a nice DSLR, but if you all you have access to is a "point and shoot"...don't despair, just make the best of it!

1) Blurry photos....NOT. In this day and age of digital photography don't be stingy with your picture taking, it's not like it is costing you anything to develop!  Take ALOT of pics of each and every dog! The more you take, the more chances you have of getting something usable!

2) Get down to the dog's level, if you can't squat down or lay on the ground to take a pic...get in shape!  Dogs (and people, for that matter) photograph so much better at eye level.

3) Get them out of the kennel...put a leash on them and have someone take them outside. Three reasons; the first is the lighting will be better (on camera flashes are really only good for occasional fill lighting) and secondly alot of people will quickly scroll by the photographs of the dogs behind bars. The third...when you get the dogs outside they are much happier which shows in their photos and happy dog photos get looked at!

These are just a few tips for getting started.  As the blog progresses we will have more tips and I encourage those of you reading this to share tips and ideas that can help shelter dogs and the humans that volunteer for them.

On the next blog I will spotlight a dog (or two) from the Chouteau Pound!