Just look at this face!  That's Princess.  She was a very depressed dog.  She sat by her gate and never lifted her head - just her eyes.  I had two initial feelings at once:  "This is one of those guys who looks sad and then surprises your with way too much enthusiasm that it scares you to death."  or "This beautiful girl can't really be depressed, can she?"  I took the risk and decided to take her out to play.

Play time with your chosen shelter animal (and bunnies, goats, horses and birds are all included)  is critical.  This is where you hopefully gain insight in to just who exactly this shelter love really is.

When I opened Princess' gate and put the leash on her, she looked at me as if to say:  "Is this ok?"  I told her yes absolutely and we walked to the next gate.  She sat down quietly and looked up at me and asked the same sweet question.  And I answered her happily:  "Yes!  Come on Princess, let's go play!"  The look on her face was one of uncertainty and that she only wanted to please me.

What a gentle, sweet beauty she was.  She opened up when we started to play and she followed the typical commands. She was simply a love and a lost princess devastated by being given away.  But of course there was a happy ending and the Princess met her Prince and they lived happily ever after!

And this is where you really get to the heart of the matter.  Put yourself in their place.  How would you feel if your family took you to a strange place and left you there?  You don't know who these people are, everyone is yelling (barking or meowing or squeaking) the floor is hard and/or wet and you are put in a small place you can't get out of.  When are they coming back for me?  Why am I even here?  Where do I go outside when I have to?

Think about everything you see and do when you interact with your special spirit.  Will they play catch?  Do they even know how?  Will the kitty swipe at a feather or do they just cower away in fright or shyness?  Is that ferret gonna run the gauntlet or just lay there quietly?  (Ferret warning!  They don't lie there quietly unless they're sleeping, otherwise they're a ball of energy.)

Every action or reaction reveals something about your shelter animal.  Some love water and will play unabashedly in it.  And take you in with them!Others have had formal training such as synchronized swimming like Gladys and Libby who had to be adopted together for obvious reasons.There are also warning signs to look for. 

Taz was one of 51 rescue dogs from a hoarder.  He was a darling - very sweet and gentle and fun.  And as always, I'm amazed that these beautiful creatures can keep these qualities after the abusive conditions they've come from. 

I was close to adopting him myself.  He was a little uncontrollable at first, but one could understand why.  But he caught on to playing and let me take the toy out of his mouth.  A sign that he does not have aggression issues with sharing.

We were returning back to his kennel when we met a man who was looking for a pet.  As a volunteer, I spoke up and asked him if he was looking for a special pet and that I just had Taz out and thought very highly of him.  "Would you like to meet him?"  The man replied yes and took a step toward us.  Taz pushed himself between me and the wall, put his head down and growled softly.  Ok then!  Taz isn't for you! 

It was a very important message Taz was telling me.  Again I did research about Taz and this rescue.  Apparently the two sons of the woman who hoarded these dogs were large and bulky - just like the man at the shelter.  It was the shape of the person that upset Taz, not the personality.  And he did not direct this reaction to all men.

Again, I sponsored him in the paper and announced that he would be at the next PetSmart Adopt-A-Thon.  One of the happiest sights I think I have ever seen was walking in to PetSmart and seeing Taz surrounded by men and wagging his tail and smiling!  I was to be his handler that day and the shelter had just dropped the dogs off.  There was a male shelter employee, and three young men around him and he couldn't be happier!  He was going to a forever home and he knew it.