LoveLove CowCow

It's been a while since I've visited the Dog portion of DinnerandDogs. Unfortunately, due to never ending home projects, our time with the homeless pups has been quite limited. This weekend though, I broke out! I escaped the spackling and headed over to NJ to hang with some awesome dogs. (shhh! Don't tell Hubby. I told him I was "cleaning out the basement.")

Even better? The amazingly talented Lauri from Lalee Photography stopped by Cutters Mill to take some pictures of our sweet pups. She's responsible for Hubby's and my postcardmuseum-worthy engagement and wedding photos, and hopefully, she'll be responsible for catching the eyes of future furever families for our pups! Check out all of her WJVA photos here.

I got to reconnect with a few dogs that have been hanging around for a while, as well as meet some new ones. Specifically, I really got to know (and love) Pete and CowCow. The ride TO Cutters Mill was a little hairy*, with Pete trying to get into the front seat while restrained in the back seat, and CowCow pulling a "Ribby" and pawing for pets from the seat next to me.

Petey. Poor Petey. He has no idea what a dog's life entails. He's super sweet, there's no hiding that! I was told to expect a very shy and scared dog when I picked him up. He is definitely NOT a fan of the car, but once (lifted) in the (front seat of the) car, settles right down and goes along for the ride. He certainly wasn't shy on Saturday though! He wanted to investigate everything. Grass, cardboard, plants, Mountain Dew bottles, everything. He didn't seem afraid of anything he checked out, but did show a bit of fear when a loud truck or motorcycle passed by.

Pete seems to be fine with other dogs, I didn't hear him growl once. We don't know how he is with cats, but my gut** tells me he would pay them no mind. (**my gut offers no guarantee, all dogs will be cat tested before going to a home with cats) He really doesn't know how to walk on a leash, but doesn't do the puppy "I'm done now, you go ahead and I'll just sit here til you come back" thing. He nudges for head-scratches, but doesn't seem like he's had many before he was rescued by WJVA. He will need time and guidance to get aquainted with a dog's life and I believe will quickly bond to the family that adopts him. Pete is not for the absentee owner, he needs a patient owner who will teach him to be a dog, and one that will give him the confidence he needs to continue exploring his new world.

CowCow, oh sweet CowCow. Even though she's a 35lb-ish brown brindle and white dog, she reminded me so much of my Ribbinator. Those eyes. They get me every time.

I'd only heard good things about CowCow before finally meeting her on Saturday. I found those good things to be understatements. What a fantastic family dog just waiting for her family! CowCow is good with most dogs, but if getting a fur-sibling, would probably do best with brothers. She's a tomboy at heart; loved to play tackle with the boys!

But kids? Oh man does CowCow love kids! She's great on a leash and seems to know a lot about what a dog's life is. She doesn't have striking features, but I think that her future family is going to be saying the same thing Hubby and I say so often about our boys: "How could someone give this dog up?! We hit the jackpot!"

If you are interested in fostering or adopting these or any of our wonderful dogs, please contact me, or WJVA directly at wjvolunteers@yahoo.com. Visit our website at http://www.wjva.org/ for links to all our animals and upcoming fundraisers.

*The ride FROM Cutters Mill was a lot less hairy. We swapped seats, CowCow sat so well in the back seat and Petey curled up and caught a cat dog-nap in the front. I came this close to turning left instead of right on Rt 130 and heading home with these 2 sweeties.