Decompression (aka “Spa”) Weekend

By: Linda Elward

This weekend was aimed at those who needed the most decompression and although I have written about these two before, it is important to understand the need for long-term residents to decompress.

The first dog to come home with me this weekend was Diesel and there is so much written about this guy I will not repeat the details, but he is our longest-term resident (he will be celebrating his three-year anniversary at TAPS this December) and he gets the greatest benefit from coming home with me. Diesel is a 4-½ year old Labrador/Retriever mix and paces his kennel nervously and sometimes wildly at the shelter. But once you get this guy home, you will witness a completely different dog because he thrives in a quiet home. Given his kennel stress, whenever he gets out of the shelter environment he catches up on his sleep.

The second dog I brought home was Kelvin (an eight-year-old Siberian Husky mix) and although he hasn’t been at the shelter very long, he is older and it is evident that he has lived in a home before so being at the shelter causes him stress. As soon as he gets in the car, his nervousness is instantly shed and he becomes a happy, lively wonder dog! In fact, this little guy LOVES car rides and may be a good companion for over-the-road truck drivers who are looking for a furry passenger. Kelvin prefers to be in my house, rather than outside – but seems to get the greatest contentment during a car ride. Although I did not do a meet-and-greet with my dogs, he could hear my dogs in a different room of the house and was completely disinterested in them. These two dogs are a great example of dogs who will show you an entirely different personality in a home environment.

If you missed the first story on Kelvin, view it here! And if you’re interested in submitting an application, please click this link to fill one out!