"Hobo"


Rescued from the pound the morning of January 5, 2001 - his last day. 
He was among the several due to be "put down" that morning.

"Hobo" is a mix - possibly Sheltie or Keeshond?  This dog was terrified in the shelter, cringing in a corner up against the wall and would not look at you.  The animal control officer told me that one of the other larger dogs in the same pen had been "picking" on him.  You can see a bare spot on the top of his nose in the pics - hopefully the hair will grow back.  It is very hard to choose which dogs you are going to rescue, but you have to tell yourself that you cannot save them all.  I had not planned to get Hobo, but a twist of fate intervened - the large "bully" dog attacked him!  They were up towards the front of the cage and I began kicking the cage and yelling to try to make the attacking dog stop.  (The animal control officer had to ask me to quit - I think he was afraid I was going to tear up the cage, so he opened the door and ran the attacker towards the rear of the cage for which I thanked him.)  Then I told him - "Let me have that one, too."   Once I got him outside and headed for the car he became very excited and jumped right in the minute the door was opened.  I think he was smiling a doggie smile driving down the road.  His recovery from being so frightened was almost immediate after leaving the shelter.  He does not seem timid like a dog that has been abused.   It seems "Hobo" is probably a stray that had an owner somewhere that at least fed him, but did not care enough about him to inquire at the pound when he turned up missing.

Update Jan. 26: Hobo loves attention.  He has been here three weeks now and we are working on some "manners".  He wants to jump on you and needs more leash training.  My feeling is that he has been strictly an outdoor dog that was allowed to roam.  He has not been "house tested" yet. 

Hobo is not yet available for adoption, but will be soon!  He will be neutered and up to date on shots before being adopted.  Check back for more pics.   He will be much nicer looking after a good brushing and a bath.  Hobo is being kept outside with his own doghouse and it has been too cold to bathe him.  Also, a thorough grooming usually thins out the undercoat which an outdoor dog needs when it is cold weather.

Cat friendly?  I am not sure yet.  He barks at my cats, but it is not an agressive sounding bark.  I have two cats who enjoy being the "cat friendly or not" testers.  They both know just how close they can get to the dogs without being in danger, and actually seem to tease the dogs.  Many potential adopters also have cats and one of the most common questions asked is "How is the dog with cats?"

Pictures taken Jan. 31, 2001


What a difference 26 days has made!


"Hobo" is friskier now.  He is very alert and usually the first dog to notice anything out of the ordinary, such as vehicles entering the driveway.  He seems to have become very possessive about my property and protests loudly at strange  people or animals approaching.  I think he merely wants to be the "announcer" - he is very people friendly.  Barks at my cats who know how to stay just out of reach.

Update: September 9, 2001    Hobo has been adopted!   His new mom and dad drove all the way across the state from the Richmond area to get him.  They had been searching the internet and area pounds for a few months.   They missed their Sheltie who went to Rainbow Bridge, and his new mom fell in love with Hobo when she saw his picture.  She said that when they were searching the internet and pounds that there were many loveable dogs, but that she had the feeling that she would know "their dog" when she saw him....and Hobo seemed to be the one.   I drove about 2 hours to meet them in Abingdon, Virginia at an easy to find location parking lot.  When I arrived, Tammy and Benny were waiting.  It was immediately apparent that Hobo was indeed the dog for them!    

Today was 8 days since Hobo went to his new home.  An email received today reports that Hobo is settling in  fine, but experiences some separation anxiety when Tammy leaves, but they are working on it.  Hobo seems to have adapted to the home, and has had only one "accident".  He loves the yard and chases the squirrels, plays ball, tosses his toys in the air and then "attacks" them, sits on the couch to keep Tammy company watching T.V. and gives lots of kisses.   "Cookie" is a new word he has learned - gets one after he has his dinner.

His new mom Tammy wrote "Thank you once again for keeping Hobo until we had the opportunity to adopt him."


Hobo w/ stuffed toy - playtime? Too early for bed!


Nap time !