Playful shelter pups yearn for forever homes
WAITING FOR ADOPTION
Four adorable puppies at Paws and Claws are eagerly wagging their tails awaiting their chance to be adopted and find their forever homes.
On Easter Monday this year, a carton box arrived, carrying eight precious puppies in need of care and love.
Shelter Manager Chris Barber suspects the puppies to be a Bull Arab mix, with hints of Border Collie or Kelpie.
Four puppies have found their forever homes, leaving Leela, Kaa, Akeela (females), and Mowgli (male) - all named after characters from 'The Jungle Book' - still awaiting adoption.
“Akeela, who is currently in foster care, is definitely the sassy one,” Mr Barber said.
“Mowgli is just sick of constantly being around his bickering sisters and needs a break. Leela is the most confident and largest of the litter and Kaa is the sweetest.”
Doing the best they can
Mr Barber explained that all dogs who arrive at the shelter are vet checked and fully vaccinated and wormed and the puppies are all up to date on vaccinations.
“We also feed them a specific diet to start them off the best way possible,” Ms Barber said.
“They call out on daily walks with volunteers which is imperative as they are missing out on a crucial part of their development being at the shelter, they need to experience the world.
“We do what we can here at the shelter, however, it is not the most ideal environment. The most important thing for us is that they are going on adventures, meeting new people, experiencing new sights, sounds and smells.”
Finding a new owner
Mr Barber explained that the adoption process includes a house check, as with all potential adoptions.
“We seek someone who is willing to put in time and effort to take care of the dog,” Mr Barber said.
“The other four from the litter are doing amazing with their new owners and are really flourishing.”
Since the opening of Paws and Claws, the shelter has adopted out over 52 animals.
“We take a lot of pride in matching our shelter dogs to the right people,” Mr Barber said.
“Just recently Benji, Cookie and Diego found their furever homes. They have been with us for over six months and they are doing great in their new homes.
“There can be a bit of a stigma around adopting dogs as people feel that the dogs might have behavioural issues, when really they just need a second chance.
“Most of them are here of no fault of their own and just need a loving home, we take a lot of time to get to know our dogs and we know what they need in an owner for it to be a successful match.
“At Paws and Claws we owe that to them as we put a lot of time and effort into caring for them whilst they wait for their turn to find a home.
“In the meantime our shelter dogs are available to go for an adventure any day during the week as people can take them for a walk.
“This becomes the best part of their week, as they get to experience the joy of exploring the world outside the shelter."
If you're interested in adopting please contact Chris Barber on 0474 147 221.
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