Cuddles and Merlin and Shorty, Oh My!

Linda and I had the pleasure of joining together to transport three dogs yesterday, January 25, 2013.  As a result of an auto accident, Linda had to buy a new car and chose a nice Mercury SUV, which can easily accommodate more transport dogs, so we decided that this time, I would be Linda’s helper.  So I rode shotgun.  It was a 20 degree day – beautiful and clear, but extremely cold.

The three dogs, Cuddles, Merlin and Shorty, were all rescued from a kill shelter in Ohio.  Their stories, however, were varied.

I must start with Shorty, because boy, was he misjudged!  And the operative word in that last sentence is “boy”.  We all thought he was a girl, and mistakenly assumed he was Cuddles!  To further besmirch him, he came with a reputation that “she” didn’t get along with the other female transport dog, and spent a lot of time growling at her.  Wrong!  But one can’t blame Shorty.  First of all, how on earth did he get a name like Shorty?  Would you name this cute little guy Shorty?  Me neither.  That classic Shih-Tzu face, and long coat and tail, all of which are typical of this small breed, makes him a diminutive dog, not a big dog who happens to be short, right?  But Shorty it was, and he was stuck with it – which would make me growl too.  But Shorty didn’t growl!  He snored!

Shorty ended up sitting on my lap because Merlin, the big galumph, was trying to sit on poor Shorty in the back seat.  Shorty was shaking uncontrollably, and we weren’t sure if it was from fright or the cold.  Probably a bit of both, but we couldn’t take the chance that he’d be flattened by Merlin.  So we wrapped Shorty in a towel and he contentedly enjoyed a comfortable, warm ride in my lap.  He was so comfortable, that he fell asleep and snored to his little heart’s content.  He was definitely not a growler by personality alone, and definitely more a lover.

 

Shorty had to withstand the cold when we arrived at our destination and handed him over to his foster mom, Cindy.  But we knew he'd soon be warm and happy in his new temporary home, and because he's so sweet, Linda and I are confident that he'll soon find a forever family who will shower him with the love he deserves.

Merlin, the aforementioned big galumph, is a male lab mix, who has a face that just melts your heart.  He was put into protective custody on January 7th by a humane officer as there is a summons for his owners, who abandoned him in the basement of the house they vacated.  Sadly for Merlin, the basement was dark, dingy and filthy -- and he had demodectic mange.  His case is one of total neglect at best, and abuse at worst.  Thankfully, after getting immediate vet care, he began to look much better, but you can still see the effects of the mange in this photo.

 

Merlin Greets His Foster Mom

But Merlin is one of the sweetest dogs with a great disposition and wonderful personality.  He wags his tail if you even glance in his direction.  He’s 60 pounds of strong affection.  Merlin was named by the Humane Officer who did the right thing by getting him out that horrendous basement, and it’s the perfect name for him.  Linda and I are sure he’ll work his magic on someone real soon who will appreciate his warm heart and desire to be the best damn dog ever.  After all, he’s quite handsome too.

 



Cuddles Shows His Profile



Cuddles, a 4-year old Dalmation mix (we think) was surrendered by her owner on January 11^th.  With a cute face – don’t you agree? – Cuddles is full of personality and is purported by her owner as being fine with other dogs and cats.  She knows her sit command, shakes paw, and can sit up “straight as a poker”.  Cuddles felt the frigid weather too, with her short coat not offering much protection, and her thinness from obvious lack of food.

 

Cuddles Gives Kisses to Andrea

But she was definitely happy to be around anyone who showed her the slightest bit of attention and she easily gave away her kisses to just about everyone.  This makes me think she might have been the neighborhood floozy since she gives her love so freely.  But she’s a looker, all right.

Cuddles Gives Kisses to Linda

And Cuddles was the luckiest of our three canine passengers, as we delivered her to new forever Mom.  Hopefully, she’ll soon become secure in the love of her new family, and will give her heart over to them, and them alone – which will help restore her loosey-goosey reputation.  Or not.  But if she continues to give her love freely to anyone in her new neighborhood, well, that’ll be okay too, as she’ll be one happy dog who has a forever home – and that’s all that matters.