Sweet Walter Boy

Walter is one of the new dogs I have at the house. No big issues with this boy. He actually first came to HB in February, 2016 and was named Leroy. Leroy Jethro Gibbs to be more specific. I wrote about him in this post. He was adopted almost immediately and went down to San Diego to enjoy life as a greeter in a flower shop. Problem was that he liked to explore, a pursuit made nearly effortless due to a shop door that beckoned him each time a customer came in. Between that and some curious incidents at a…

Fall tapped me on the shoulder

I haven’t shot much in the HB garden lately. For several reasons. On Friday I found myself at HB with no dogs and no pressing need to get home quickly. I fed Frida the Cat, and, instead of hurrying to the car, I grabbed a camera and strolled through the garden. It was almost a new experience for me — it had been so long. Perhaps more so because the weather had recently turned cool. That’s a relative thing, of course. In Sacramento we’ll mostly have temps in the 70s and even 80s throughout October. I relaxed and slowed down…

‘Spresso Redux

I wrote about ‘Spresso in a previous post here. I’m happy that he’s back for a short visit. I’m actually a bit late in posting since ‘Spresso is going home today. Having five dogs to take care of and being under the weather tends to put you behind. I’m also very pleased to note that ‘Spresso has improved quite a bit since his last visit. I commented in the previous post that “He’s not the most confident of dogs so loud noises, sudden movements, and new situations can be a bit challenging for him.” I noticed right away that ‘Spresso’s…

Red Alert!

Sorry, no Star Trek red alert klaxon here. This is about a different sort of red alert. If you’ve volunteered at Homeward Bound long enough the other volunteers start to learn your canine preferences. I’ve mentioned before that I am partial to the red ones. One day last week I informed 3 times of a new guest named Killian within 15 minutes of my arrival. Oh, and I got an e-mail too which included which kennel the new up was residing in. I took him out later that day for photos This is Killian. I liked him right away. He…

Sometimes you can only do the best you can do

Maxton arrived at Homeward Bound in the middle of July. Of course, I noticed him right away because he was a big, red boy. That always gets my attention. I took him out for photos not long after he showed up that and spent a little time with him. I soon realized that he had a hole in his soul — there was something missing. This isn’t unusual in rescue. Most of the dogs we get are reasonably happy and balanced given that their lives have just been turned upside down. But for some, like Maxton, there is a deeper…

Buddy pays another visit

You’ve met Buddy before in previous posts. He’s a Homeward Bound alumnus who comes to stay with me and Scrappy every now and then. Well, with me, Scrappy, and whichever random dogs happen to be here. That can be an unsettling proposition for a dog that lacks confidence. But Buddy has come a long way since he was adopted by Mary and Drew. This time it was the lovely and talented Daisy with whom Buddy was forced to share living quarters. Scrappy played chaperone the entire time. I had to keep Daisy and Buddy separated for the first couple days…

Daisy

I suppose most dog lovers, even though they love all dogs, have certain “types” they tend to be more attracted to. As with our attractions to fellow humans, physical attributes are often the first things that capture our imagination. I tend to like the big, red dogs. That’s true as far as it goes but that is still at the superficial level, of course. So some volunteers might be surprised when a big, red dog comes in and I figuratively shrug my shoulders: “Sure, he’s gorgeous but he just doesn’t do anything for me.” I started paying attention to the…