Meet Scooter! Scooter is a 5-7 year old male Chihuahua, and he weighs about 7 pounds. Scooter arrived in rescue after he was left by his family at animal control with no explanation. He was very scared there, so he came to rescue. Scooter did have "cherry eye" (which you can see in the pictures) but he has had them repaired, and is doing great. His foster mom just hasn't taken new "glamour shots" yet as he heals up from his surgery. He has settled into his foster home and his foster mom says, "Scooter as you can see, is a very handsome boy and I’m pretty sure he knows it. His new home must have prior Chihuahua experience as he is your typical Chihuahua. If you know anything about the breed, then you know he is a one person owner type of pup. He is very, very loyal to his person and doesn’t seem interested in making friends with others. He would prefer to have you as his one and only. 

Meet Howard! Howard is an 8-9 year old male Shih Tzu and he weighs about 14 pounds. He arrived in rescue after winding up at animal control as a stray with a "jaw injury" noted on his medical report. Upon arriving at our vet, we learned that the injury was old and had left his jaw too unstable to even intubate him for surgery , so our options were to see if the jaw could heal enough for intubation later or to let him go. Obviously, we chose giving him a chance! Under the careful watch of his foster mom and our vets, Howard's jaw healed enough to have his neuter surgery and remove a very rotted tooth. After consultation, there is truly not enough jaw to try and plate and pin it and he has healed enough to be able to eat without issue, and he is not in pain. He is a happy sweet guy and will require a loving home that will understand and assist him with his mild physical limitations. His foster mom says, "After what Howard has been through, I’m amazed that he is about as sweet and happy as they come. His needs are walks, belly rubs, treats and a human or two who can dote on him. On walks, which he loves, he does need to sniff and mark everything outside, so expect a long walk with lots of stops. The good thing is, he has never marked inside. He is housetrained. When on walks if he sees a lizard or another dog, hold on to that leash tight! If you start petting him, he will roll on his back for that belly rub. He does whine & bark sometimes if you close a door (which will be scratched at) between you and him.

He loves his human and wants to be with you and even under your feet at all times. Being alone all day would not suit this little man. He is afraid of thunder, so when I’m home I hold him close or sometimes he will go into a crate. When you wake up or come home, he will jump on you and is so very happy ! He does have a senior foster fur brother, and they coexist fine unless his fur brother gets to close to his face. We recently had another 4 legged foster for a few days and he fell in love with her and gently laid next to her the whole night. He would be fine as an only dog or with a gentle, older pup. If he is an only dog, a human must be home more than gone. Children would not be a good fit for him, unless they were older teenagers. He is the perfect combination of cuddly and independent (as long as he can see you). When he’s had enough cuddles, he finds a soft fluffy bed to lay on. He does become obsessed at times, nothing in a negative way. I only allow him a soft toy every so often, so as not to cause any more damage to his jaw. Once I put it away, he will look for it for a very long time. Same with a dog walking outside, he will search for that dog the rest of our walk. He is a great eater, soft food and treats only. This boy has stolen my heart, he deserves a happily ever after, could that be with you?" Howard is neutered, up to date on vaccines, heartworm negative and microchipped! He is fostered in the Orlando area, and his adoption donation is $225.

Meet Oscar, a Special Needs Highly Traumatized Senior Pomeranian Mix. Oscar is around 10 years old, and weighs about 13 pounds. He arrived in rescue after being rescued from a puppy mill with over 700 dogs, that was on the HSUS Horrible 100 list. Oscar has come a long way while in foster care since February, but still has a ways to go. He will need a very loving, special person to care for him. His foster mom says, "If you are a compassionate, capable, tough and experienced dog whisperer, then meet Oscar. Oscar is a handsome Pomeranian mix that remains only partially socialized. He came to us in the spring after being rescued from the HSUS “Horrible Hundred” dog hoarding/puppy mill case in Georgia. He was one of 700 (!!) dogs who had spent their lives in cages, filth, isolation, hunger and worse. Some had lived packed so tightly in small crates that they did not know how to lie down and slept leaning against the walls. Some of these dogs didn’t make it. Some, especially the younger ones, came around through kind and supportive fostering and became happy and loving pets. Oscar has come a long way but is not yet a finished pet candidate and frankly might not ever fully adjust. Due to previous neglect, he has 5 remaining teeth and a mild and managed seizure disorder. When he came to rescue he fought, bit, defecated, urinated and struggled his way through every human encounter and still resists many. He did not understand the concept of a house, a treat, affection, a leash walk, a kind human, or anything a normal dog might know. Many tears have been shed on behalf of this dog. Increasingly these have been happy tears, though. Oscar has learned to love living in a house. Though still reactively terrified of most humans, he has bonded with and accepted one or two men whom he allows to handle and love him, giving a happy dance when his man comes home.

As long as everyone else give him his space, he is mild mannered and a quiet, unobtrusive presence in the house. He loves walks on a leash and has very good leash manners. He plays with toys and fur friends, is very dog social and thinks that cats are fascinating. He is clean in his safe enclosure and will do his business in a fenced yard. We still use a belly band, though, when he is free in the house and he will fear defecate if cornered. He happily follows his dog family in the household routine, follows his human(s) to the yard or back to the house and comes when called even when he resists handling. He is not at all aggressive or reactive unless he is forced into being handled. Otherwise he follows behind for activities, comes close enough for treats, naps in one of his safe spaces, or just keeps his distance. He is getting some professional training to see if we can educate him to some coping skills we couldn’t develop through love alone. If Oscar could choose, he would like a fairly calm home with a nice man as his primary person and where he would only have to closely interact with that one human. Other household humans are ok, as long as they don’t bother him much. His brain seems to have decided “one special person good, all others not.” He definitely needs a dog companion or two (he likes dogs of all sizes and ages) to give him guidance and confidence. He has to have a yard, as there might be times when getting him into a harness could be difficult. We do not underestimate the challenge this dog might be to an adopter, so please think it through. If you have the skills and desire to help and love a dog with these types of issues, give Oscar a safe place to land!" Oscar is neutered, up to date on vaccines, heartworm negative, microchipped and has had his teeth cleaned! He is fostered in the Orlando area, and his adoption donation is $125.

Paula is an 8 year old female Schnauzer mix and she weighs about 10 pounds. Paula arrived at animal control as a stray and no one came to claim her. Due to a potential hurricane approaching, she came into rescue when her stray time was up.  It took her a day to warm up, but she has settled in nicely!  Her foster mom says, "Paula is very sweet and loves to play and has lots of love to give. She is partial to females and hesitant with males at first, but fast to warm up.