Pig News

October is both National Adopt A Shelter Dog Month and National Pit Bull Awareness Month, so this week's Pets of the Week at the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter this week are (literally) pit bulls from A to Z - that is, Andre to Ziya!

ANDRE
Andre is about 9 months old and arrived as a stray with 3 other dogs. He's a stout little dog who may be a Staffordshire terrier mix, with a shiny black & brown brindle coat with some white on his chest and paws. Andre arrived unused to walking on leash and seemed inexperienced with being indoors, but he's learned a lot while he's been here and now enjoys mellow walks on leash, a little play time, and he LOVES to cuddle and nap on a couch with his human friends! He's been a little competitive with other dogs, so he may do best as an "only dog," or with a well-matched canine friend, as long as they have a slow and thoughtful introduction and plenty of positive reinforcement for good social skills.

ZIYA
Ziya originally landed, with a litter of pups, at another shelter in our region. Her puppies were adopted quickly, but she waited patiently for months and still didn't find a home. Eventually, that shelter contacted us to see if we'd be willing to let her try her luck here in Santa Cruz... We welcomed Ziya with open arms about a month ago, but she has yet to land her new family. Ziya is a bit reserved and demure at first, but she relaxes nicely with a little time and easy to manage, a little playful, a little cuddly, and mostly just appreciative of any nice things she gets! She's a real sweetie!

ABOUT "PIT" BULLS
Andre & Ziya don't know each other, they came from different places, and we don't know if they'd be friends if they met. But they're both wonderful young dogs looking to form loving bonds in new homes, and they both happen to look like what folks tend to call "pit bulls."

The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter has lots of pit bull type dogs right now - from Andre to Ziya, and a bunch in between! "Pit Bull" isn't really a breed, it's a "type" - a pretty big and diverse family of breeds and mixes - they have blocky heads, short, sleek, easy-care coats, and athletic builds, but they're all unique individuals, with a wide range of personalities and tendencies, and they really shouldn't be lumped together or assumed to "be a certain way."

We hope lots of folks will come in and see all our "pit bulls," from Andre to Ziya, and even a litter of 5 pit bull puppies named after songs by the rapper Pit Bull!! Come fall in love with one of our "pibbles"!

UPCOMING SHELTER EVENTS

• Friday, October 23; 5-8pm
  Trunk or Treat at the Santa Cruz County Sheriff's Headquarters with our new Animal Control van
• Sunday, Oct. 25th, 12- 5 PM
  Sante Adairius' 14th Anniversary Celebration at Capitola location
• Thurs., Oct., 29th 4-5:30 pm
  Yappy Hour for dogs at the Museum of Art History's Kincentricity Garden
• Fri., Oct. 30th 10am-1pm
  Healthy Pets For All vaccine clinic for low-income pet owners at Franich Park in Watsonville
• Friday, Oct. 30th 4:30-6 pm
  Bedtime Stories for animals at the Santa Cruz Shelter
• Sat., Oct. 31st 2-5 pm
  Tails on Taps - Paint and Sip with artist Suzy Rad at Steel Bonnet Brewery in Scotts Valley

For more info, listen to Pet-O-Rama at 11am Thursdays here on the pig or visit the shelter, located at 1001 Rodriguez St. in Santa Cruz and open from 11am to 6pm every day.

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