General Lee, the Hard Case

General Lee was a hard case. While his background was a bit cloudy, it was painfully obvious that this beautiful, stately, white German Shepard had been mistreated – particularly by a man or men. He didn’t take to any strangers, but went out of his way to show his fear of men. Fortunately, he ended up at Critter Sitters in Gunnison, where the mostly female staff, headed by Jamee Venard Smith, began gently working to build his trust.

The Gunnison Valley Animal Welfare League was contacted and volunteers began spending time with the dog as well. It was decided that General Lee would require an inordinate amount of time, patience, an abundance of love and socialization, and some serious training, of course. Critter Sitters committed to providing him a home for as long as necessary, even if that meant for the rest of his life. After some months, GVAWL put him up for adoption with the condition that all of his caregivers would have to agree on the adoption. It had to be perfect.

A number of interested parties came and went, but none were willing to put in the time required to gain General Lee’s trust.

Enter Henry Woods and Cinda Rabon of Lake City. Henry had a background with abused German Shepherds, and Cinda’s business involves animal care, so they took on the project with experience, commitment, and compassion. After numerous trips to Gunnison to spend time with General Lee, it was decided they should do a “trial run” to see how the dog would do in a new home with Cinda’s numerous other doggie friends, including her tiny little itsy bitsy terrier! Well, as the photos clearly show, Lee is now a full-fledged member of the household and a great friend of the Lake City canine community. Henry and Cinda have provided a safe, loving, forever home for a dog that had a very rough start in life. Thanks to them, General Lee, the “hard case” is softening up quickly.

Buddy Finds a Family

We’re happy to report that Buddy has found a home! His new family has four children for him to play with. Buddy’s new mom says, “Buddy is doing great. He is definitely part of our family. We really do love him! What a great dog and we feel so lucky.”

Petey and His New Brothers

Petey, a boxer/pit bull mix, was 12 weeks old when he came into GVAWL care. He was adopted after just over a month to a great family, and Petey (now Scooby) has two big brothers, one human, and one canine, that he loves to play with, nap with, and walk with.

Bernie goes to Wyoming

Bernie was recently adopted by a family in Wyoming. When they got home, we received a report from them on the journey: “Bernie is doing wonderfully. He and Gideon are best buds and curled up together in the car after about the first hour. They stayed that way the rest of the trip. When we got home, Bernie ran up the front steps and through the front door like he’d always lived here. We’re trying to be calm and give him some space to adjust, but he just follows us everywhere! At this rate, he’ll lose those extra pounds just by following us around the house. The ride went a lot smoother than I anticipated.”

Ruckus, AKA Mr. Snuggles

Ruckus was one of the five abused and abandoned dogs GVAWL rescued in the summer of 2010. We recently received an update from Ruckus’s new family: “My son, Eric, a college student at Western State, adopted Ruckus. He worked with him and trained him, and they are both now home in CT with my husband and me and our golden retriever, Brady. Eric renamed Ruckus to Gambit, but we call him “Mr. Snuggles” because he loves to snuggle on the couch with me. He gets along really well with Brady, and they run and play in our large wooded property. We play ball & frisbee every day; he’s really good at it, and I have improved, too! He’s still aggressive with other dogs, but we pretty much keep him away from any strange dogs and have careful introductions with friends’ dogs. His coat is now really shiny, he’s filled out, and you can’t feel his bones anymore. He is really a wonderful dog, and we are happy to have him in our home.” We love happy endings to sad stories!

Latte and Her New Friend

Latte, a pit bull mix puppy who was found wandering the streets of Gunnison on a cold winter night, was adopted to a couple in Crested Butte in early April. She is shown here snuggled up with her new best bud, Azure.

Sage Settles In

We’re happy to report that Sage, the American Eskimo who was in GVAWL care for a little over two months before finding her new family in March 2012, is settling in happily. This photo is of Sage and her owner’s grandniece; they love each other very much.