Pig News

This week's Pet-of-the-Week this year at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is Portia. She was found near Callaghan Park in Watsonville a little less than two weeks ago. She's a beautiful young dog - probably some kind of Belgian shepherd or shepherd/ husky mix - so she may still have an owner looking for her. That's why it's so important that everyone in the community understands that we're the "lost & found for pets," and another reason we really appreciate the help of KPIG and other outlets to help get the word out that we exist!

Portia was initially pretty shy and wary at the shelter, but she's gotten more comfortable, and the staff is starting to get to know her better. She remains a little uncertain in new places, with new people and when she meets other dogs. She seems to be naturally a bit wary, and she may not have had a lot of experience, or socialization, to new places, people and things in her early life. With compassionate and positive exposure, she does gain confidence, but she'll likely do best in home where she's not expected to be a super-social butterfly. She's NOT the dog for you if you want to take your dog to festivals, crowded dog parks, or busy areas, or if you have lots of visitors or lots of people coming and going in your home. She's had lots of nice walks and play sessions with volunteers and some fun play time with other dogs after controlled introductions. Since she came in as a stray, the shelter doesn't have any history of how she does with children or cats.

One thing they've discovered is she really loves is DIGGING!! This may be related to why she was out running loose - she'll likely be safest if her next home doesn't include extended, unsupervised time in a back yard, and she'll be happiest if she gets some chances (at the beach or in a designated spot or "dig-box" in her yard) to do a little digging for fun!

TRAINING VOUCHER WITH EVERY ADOPTION
As with every dog adoption the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Foundation will provide "Pawsitivity Bucks" to Lavender's adopters. This $200 training voucher is a way for newly adopted canines and their guardians to connect with a local positive reinforcement trainer to help get their relationship started off to a positive start!

OTHER EVENTS
1. The shelter has opened registration for the next low-cost spay/neuter clinic with our wonderful friends from Animal Balance
2. Our Awkward Pet Portraits Fund-raiser has started!

The Clinic will be Friday, February 20 through Sunday, February 22. You drop off your pet in the morning and pick them up after they've been fixed, chipped and vaccinated later that same afternoon. It's $300 for a dog and $150 for a cat, and we have lower fees for Santa Cruz County residents who rely on a social service program like CalFresh or MediCal.

Awkward Pet Portraits is a fund-raiser, in which you make a small donation and submit a photo of a pet, and that picture is then provided to a volunteer artist in the community - an adult, a child, or a young adult - who will do their best to turn that picture into a portrait - whether they know how to "art" or not! It's a fun event that encourages artistic expression and community connections, so we hope to have lots of pet pictures submitted!  

For more info about Portia or any of the great dogs up for adoption, visit the shelter, located at 1001 Rodriguez St. in Santa Cruz and open from 11am to 6pm every day. 

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