NAME: Georgie.

OWNER: Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS).

HOW THEY MET: He was found wandering the streets of Baltimore and rescued by a kind man who was concerned about what would happen to him.

AGE: About a year and a half old.

BREED: Pit bull mix.

BEST TRICK: He is a kissing bug. He loves to sit on your lap. 

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Kissing the girls. He does not make them cry!

FAVORITE FOOD: Eatin’ puddin’ and pie, of course!

HE MIGHT BE YOUR NEW BEST FRIEND: Georgie is a sweet guy who walks nicely on a leash. 

IF GEORGIE HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: All you need is love!

CREDIT FOR PHOTOGRAPH: BARCS.

BARCS HALLOWEEN ADOPTION SPECIAL!! In celebration of Howl-O-Ween BARCS has reduced dog adoption fees to $13 for 13 days through October 31. Included with the adoption are vaccinations for rabies, DHLPP, and bordatella; a de-wormer, a flea preventative, a general examination, a food sample, and even a month of health insurance. Normal adoption procedures apply.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 9:42 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Lorraina.

OWNER: Corinne Becker.

HOW THEY MET: Someone was planning to turn her and her four kittens over to Baltimore County Animal Control where they risked being euthanized due to the cat over-population problem. They were referred to me as a last resort. The kittens got homes but Lorraina remains with me.

AGE: About a year old.

BREED: Domestic Shorthair.

BEST TRICK: Giving me kisses while she cuddles and purrs.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Being loved by a human with no other pets -- not cats or dogs.

FAVORITE FOOD: Any simple kibble will do, I'm really not very picky!

SHE MIGHT BE YOUR KITTY-CAT: Lorraina is very lovable a cuddly but needs a single pet home, which is why it's been so challenging to place her. She is sociable, lovable and always uses the litter box. She has been spayed, tested negative for FIV and has her rabies and FVRCP vaccines.

IF LORRAINA HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Kick back, love, and be loved, in a single-pet home!

CREDIT FOR PHOTOGRAPH: Corinne Becker.

IF YOU'D LIKE TO ADOPT: potential adoptive parents can either email Corinne at cbecker1102@verizon.net or leave a message at 410-494-0747.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 8:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Achilles
 
OWNER: Peter (and brother of Twinkie and Nittany).

HOW THEY MET: adopted as a kitten from Feline Foundation of Greater Washington DC.
 
AGE: 5
 
HOME: Baltimore.
 
BREED: American Shorthair
 
BEST TRICK: Able to climb shelves in pantry and get own feather down from top shelf, throw it to the floor, and run off an play with it.
 
To see more pets that have been Collared, click here. 

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Continue reading "Collared today: Achilles" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Cats Cats Cats, Collared
        

NAME: Autumn.

OWNER: The Maryland SPCA

HOW THEY MET:  Transferred to the Maryland SPCA adoption center from another facility.

AGE: 10 months.

HOME FOR NOW: The Maryland SPCA in Baltimore City, at 3300 Falls Road.

BREED: Beagle.

BEST TRICK: Gives smiles when she greets you.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Long and slow leashed walks so she can use her nose.

FAVORITE FOOD: Peanut Butter filled Kongs.

Continue reading "Ready to be Collared: Autumn" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 8:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Rosie AKA MedusaJ when on Twitter.
 
OWNER: Marie AKA Mum.
 
HOW THEY MET: Mum saw a sad looking kitty in the window of the petshop as she passed. That kitty was me. The sun was shining in and I was sitting in my empty food bowl looking very hot, unhappy and in need of some TLC. Mum went inside and I tried to hide. Mum took one look at how scared I was and immediately bought me.

She had no intention of buying a cat when she went out as she had already adopted three strays and though that was enough. One look from my baby blue eyes and she could not leave me in the hot window.
 
AGE: 12.
 
HOME: Liverpool, UK.
 
BREED: Plain old Moggie.

To see more pets that have been Collared, click here. 

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Continue reading "Collared today: Rosie" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Maeby.

OWNER: Emily and Steve (aka, Mommy and Daddy).

HOW THEY MET: Our precious pit bull Rosie had passed away in December 2008 after a long battle with lymphoma. Our two male dogs, Moby and Buzz, became deeply depressed a few months later, and so we decided to get them a puppy to cheer them up. We went to BARCs in May of 2009 and found our little Goblin Princess, Maeby.

She got her name from our favorite show, "Arrested Development." She was about 20 pounds underweight, bald from a flea allergy and had an under bite. Perfect for us!

AGE: No one knows, but somewhere between 9 and 18 months. It was hard for BARCS to tell her age due to her condition.

To see more pets that have been Collared, click here. 

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Continue reading "Collared today: Maebe" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:37 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Twinkie.
 
OWNER: Peter. (Who also owns Nittany.)
 
HOW THEY MET: Twinkie was found as a kitten in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., and was originally my sister’s cat. My grandmother who suffered from Alzheimer’s fed her a lot from the table and Twinkie put on a lot of weight. She came to stay with me in Virginia for a few months for a “fat camp” and she and my kitten Achilles got along so well, that my sister said I could keep her.
 
AGE: 6.
 
HOME: Baltimore.
 
BREED: American Shorthair.
 
BEST TRICK: Sitting up and begging for treats, particularly Feline Greenies.

Continue reading "Collared today: Twinkie" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Hughey.

OWNER: Scott Eggleston, Bonnie Hurwitz.

HOW THEY MET: I’m fostering him for Adopt a Homeless Animal Rescue.

AGE: 3-ish.

HOME:  Baltimore.

BREED: American Pitbull Terrier/Boxer.

BEST TRICK: Likes to kiss children.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Wrestling with my Amstaff Faith.

FAVORITE FOOD: Anything even resembling food.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: He climbed up in a friends lap, rested his head on her chest and sighed.

EAGER TO PLEASE: His kennel life has made him a little fearful of overactive dogs and he cowers if I make sudden moves or raise my arms too quickly. These could be signs of abuse in his past. If you are gentle but consistent with training he responds quickly and well. He wants to be close to you all the time and just wants to please.

He is about 63 pounds and neutered. He has a very sweet disposition with people and just wants to please. He has spent the last two years in various kennels around Maryland. He’s cautious around new dogs but will warm up quickly. He gets along beautifully with my Amstaff Faith. He will make a wonderful affectionate addition to any family.

Continue reading "Ready to be Collared: Hughey" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared, Dogs, dogs, dogs
        

NAME:  Nittany.
 
OWNER: Peter.

HOW THEY MET: Found little guy in alley behind my home after he was dumped there in July 2007.
 
AGE: 2.
 
HOME: Baltimore.
 
BREED: American Shorthair.
 
BEST TRICK: Brings toy mice to bedroom every morning as offering to his owner.
 
FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Chasing laser pointer and bouncing all over the house. Very energetic little guy.
 
FAVORITE FOOD: Friskies’ hard treats
 
FUNNIEST MOMENT: Got out of the house during a rainy spring morning and no one noticed for an hour. Found him curled up on a row house about four doors down in front of a screen door that had an “N” on it. Guess he thought it was his home for Nittany.
 
HE'S A PEOPLE CAT:  Not a big fan of visiting cats but exceptionally friendly to visiting humans.
 
To see more pets that have been Collared, click here. 

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Continue reading "Collared today: Nittany" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Talia.

NICKNAMES: Miss, Bobinsky, Beaster, Polar Bear Head, Chompers.

OWNER: Justine Maki, business content editor/real estate editor.

HOW THEY MET: A kind woman in Central Pennsylvania had placed a newspaper ad for husky puppies. Talia was the calmest of the seven.

AGE: 3.5 years old.

HOME: Ellicott City.

BREED: Siberian husky.

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Hiking, sleeping, running in sand/snow, playing with four-legged friends, getting praise.

BEST TRICKS: Army crawl, shake, howl like a Wookie.

Continue reading "Collared today: Talia" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Rusty.

OWNER: Melanie.

AGE: 1 year.

HOME: Baltimore.

BREED: Orange Tabby.

HOW THEY MET: A colleague was on his way to work when he noticed an odd smell coming from his car. When he arrived he found the kitten wedged in the engine of his car. Some of the aquarium staff came to rescue the kitten.  The cat was treated and lived on Sue Hunter’s farm before he was adopted by me.

BEST TRICK/FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Stealing socks. He will jump on the bed and grab a sock by mouth and carry it out of the room.  Often time the mate to a sock is in another part of the house.

TOY THIS PET CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT:  He plays with all of his toys... sometimes things that are not toys.

FAVORITE FOOD: Greenies cat treats.

HAS A BIT OF A BATHROOM FETISH:  He really likes the bathroom. After someone takes a shower, he is always sure to jump in the bathtub and get his feet wet and you can always find him relaxing on the floor.

Continue reading "Collared today: Rusty" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:16 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Cats Cats Cats, Collared
        

NAME: Humphrey II.

NICKNAMES: Deuce, Deuster, Wooster, and Rooster.

OWNER: Sherri, Kevin, and Jake.

HOW THEY MET: It’s actually sad how we came together. 

We live in the country with very few neighbors and little traffic. The original Humphrey and I were outside painting the fence when a tractor pulling a hay wagon went by. Humphrey tore off after the wagon (which was very noisy) and didn’t stop when I called for him. 

He was run over by the rear wheel of the hay wagon. I rushed him to the vet but he had to be put to sleep. My son was inconsolable when he got home from school, and my wife may have been worse. We spent the rest of the day looking for a new “brother” for our son. 

It was love at first sight when we found Humphrey II (hence, Deuce)! Needless to say, we now have an underground fence, which I highly recommend!

AGE:  5.

HOME: Stewartstown, Pa.

Continue reading "Collared today: Humphrey II" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared
        

Though some websites are trying to make today (9/9/09) a day without cats online, I'm proudly defying it bright and early with this lovely black kitty. Take that!

NAME: Reaper.

OWNER: Jen and Chris.

HOW THEY MET: My Dad had a lot of crickets in his apartment, and mom really wanted a pet, so she convinced him to get me to scare the crickets away. A family who recently moved to the suburbs from the city had two cats become outdoor cats before making “the trip” to the vet, and thus ended up with 2 litters of kittens that needed homes. When mom and dad came to pick out a kitten from the younger litter, I was the only older kitten who didn’t have a home! They fell in love with me immediately and took me home, and the rest is history!

AGE: I turned 1 in July

HOME: Baltimore.

BREED: Domestic Short Hair (Bad Luck Black Cat!)

Continue reading "Collared today: Reaper" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:05 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Ebony.

OWNER: Stephanie.

HOW THEY MET: At a friend's house, my mother rescued him from a large tom cat that was trying to kill him. He was approximately 8 weeks old.

AGE: 12 years young.

HOME: Brooklyn.

BREED: Our Veterinarian and his staff believe him to be a Siamese mix.

BEST TRICK: He walks on a leash and knows the 'sit' command.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Waking his owner up in the morning to feed him.

FAVORITE FOOD: Liver treats.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: When he was younger and we lived on a farm; Ebony, Roxy (dog), and David (rooster) were all running in a circle, and we could never really tell who was chasing who. The three of them were always an odd group of friends and fun to watch.

STILL GOING STRONG: At 10 he was diagnosed with diabetes, and though he moves a little slower these days, he still enjoys going out. He even participates and walks in the Maryland SPCA's March for the Animals. He even stops for a dip in the kiddie pools at the watering stations.

Continue reading "Collared today: Ebony" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Tigger “Tig” Fuller.

OWNER: Nicole Fuller.

HOW THEY MET: Nicole’s sister and niece, Amanda and Victoria, found Tig running the streets of Providence, R.I. They couldn’t find Tig’s owner so they kept him. But their landlord found out about Tig and said the dog had to go. So Nicole volunteered to adopt Tig. She has since fallen in love with him!

AGE: About 3 years old.

HOME: Washington, DC.

BREED: Miniature Pinscher.

BEST TRICK: Tig is very particular about his sleeping accommodations. He has a favorite blanket he likes to sleep with, and using his mouth, he meticulously arranges the blanket just so. 

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Tig loves riding in his mommy’s Mini Cooper with his head out the window. He loves to bite his squeaky toys until they squeak no more. And he loves to chase birds and squirrels. (Unfortunately, he once killed a bird and carried it around proudly in his mouth. His mommy bribed him with a dog treat to let the bird go, and gave it a nice burial. Sorry, bird lovers!)

FAVORITE FOOD: Just like his mommy, Tig likes ice cubes in his water. (No lemon.)

Continue reading "Collared today: Tig" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Haiku.

OWNER: Maryann and Leroy.

HOW THEY MET: By chance. While in New York, a kind family was looking to give away some kittens. They had taken in a pregnant stray who, after giving birth to the kittens, had disappeared.

I tagged along with a friend who was hoping to get one of the orphans. As we stood in the living room, swarmed by little orange and white kitties, I saw a calico, the only girl of the litter, staring out the plate-glass window across the room. It was then that I knew: I wanted that one. (My friend got one of the orange-and-whites, too.)

AGE: 5

HOME: Baltimore.

BREED: American shorthair.

BEST TRICK: Catching flies in mid-air. Reclining half-off the couch at impossible angles.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Enjoying fresh air and the great outdoors in a controlled (Read: gated in) setting. Shamelessly begging visitors for rubs. Converting said visitors into cat lovers. (She’s a professional catvangelist.)

FAVORITE FOOD: Seafood cat treats. They have to be hidden in a drawer at all times.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: When she got stuck on top of the kitchen cabinet, ABOVE the fridge, but then couldn’t get down. (Photos here and here.)

Continue reading "Collared today: Haiku" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Peanut

OWNER: Marie Gibbs

HOW THEY MET: I saw him, and it was love at first sight.

AGE: 4.

HOME: Bowie.

BREED: Miniature Schnauzer.

BEST TRICK: Telling him to sit and stay, I take a treat and hide it in another room, then tell him to find it.  We do this with toys too, he finds the treats and toys every time!

Continue reading "Collared today: Peanut" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Daphne.

OWNER: Patrick and Angelic S. Sister to Apollo, Pandora, and Pierre.

HOW THEY MET:  Daphne came into our lives when we fostered our first family of felines. Our male cat loved to play with the babies and mom. He was very content to have someone other than his lazy older sister to entertain him.

One by one, all of the kittens were adopted and finally Mom was too. Our cat became very depressed! 

Simultaneously, we were helping another family who had a stray cat wander into their sun room find homes for her and her seven kittens. We found Daphne a home, but the lady who took her was allergic, and pregnant. She returned Daphne to us and we went about our search to get her adopted. She wanted no parts of our feline family, and voiced her discontent by hissing non-stop! She was only 10-12 weeks old! Our oldest cat just ignored her and our youngest was happy to have another baby in the house that he could (attempt) to play with. 

Continue reading "Collared today: Daphne" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:43 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME:  Fenway.

OWNER: Woody & Heidi. "Brother" of Roxy.

HOW THEY MET: After 11 years of lobbying my wife to get a dog, she took me to a rescue in PA to pick a dog out of a litter of puppies. We sat down and played with the dogs.  Each had its own personality, even at an early age. Fenway kept going to my wife and lying in her lap as if to say, you’re taking me. It was the best choice we’ve ever made!

AGE: 3 yrs

HOME: Baltimore.

BREED: Aussie/Lab.

BEST TRICK: When we have Fenway beg for treats, he gets up on his hind legs and his ears go back. It’s so cute.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Aside from eating (because that’s all he’d ever do if given the choice), I’d say swimming. If water is near, he’ll find it. It doesn’t matter how cold, dirty, or shallow the water is; he’ll find it and cover himself in it.

FAVORITE FOOD: Fenway goes crazy for yogurt.

Continue reading "Collared today: Fenway" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Bogart Hoover (I Eat Live A Vacuum Cleaner) Neumann.

OWNER: CITYPEEK.com CEO Patti Neumann.

HOW THEY MET: Patti researched and found a non-shedding, gentle breed and breeder. She traveled to South Florida to pick up her 10-week-old bundle of fur, who as a pup, looked like a bear cub.

AGE: 7 years.

HOME: Inner Harbor Baltimore.

BREED: Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier.

DAY JOB: Chief of Security at HQ of www.CITYPEEK.com.

Part Time: Model for advertisements.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Sleeping, Eating, playing with his girlfriends, India and Sophie-Daffodil Mini-Schnauzers, sleeping, following Mommy everywhere, playing on Facebook.com's
Dogbook.

FAVORITE FOOD: Hoover, as a nickname, he rarely meets a food he doesn't love! Hey, he's a terrier!

IF BOGART HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE IT WOULD BE: I pull, you follow! Love & Licks.

PHOTO COURTESY OF: CITYPEEK.com.

To see more pets that have been Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Tucker.

NICKNAME: Tuck.

OWNER: Kirstin Whitehead.

HOW THEY MET: Tucker showed up on my door step. I had just moved to Lafayette, Ind., for college and Tucker found me. I posted signs and contacted the animal shelters for 4 months but I guess Tucker was meant for me. 

AGE: 2 years old.

HOME: Lafayette, Ind.

BREED: Lab/Australian Shepherd mix.

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Going for walks, fetch, going for a ride in the car.
Visiting Petsmart, and being the mascot for my summer softball team.

BEST TRICKS: Roll over.

FAVORITE FOODS: Flip flops, TV remotes, any kind of dog treat I buy.

Continue reading "Collared today: Tucker " »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: HANNAH.

OWNER: The Maryland SPCA.

HOW THEY MET:  She was transferred to the Maryland SPCA from another facility.

AGE: 1 year 6 months.

HOME: Baltimore City, Maryland at 3300 Falls Road. For now.

BREED: Beagle.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Cuddling with people or following her nose on leashed walks.

IT'S ALWAYS THE QUIET ONES: Hannah is a gorgeous & shy Beagle looking for a new home.  She’s spayed & UTD with vaccines.

IF HANNAH HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: The nose knows!!

CREDIT FOR PHOTOGRAPH: MDSPCA.

To see a recent Ready to be Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Burton.

NICKNAMES: Stubby, Stubinator, Stubbernaut

OWNER: Joshua Heck & Kirsten Newman.

HOW THEY MET:
We adopted Burton from the Baltimore County Humane Society last summer, June 2008.

At 3 years old, he’d just been surrendered from his third home. They claimed it was because of the high cost of grooming, but we believe it was because he is a runner (we learned the hard way that he liked to take off when the door was opened).

A year later, Burton has developed quite a personality! He loves to wrestle and roughhouse with his brother Cody, and is making great progress with listening while off-leash.

AGE: 4.

HOME: Reisterstown.

BREED: Miniature Schnauzer.

BEST TRICK: 4-foot vertical leap for treats.

Continue reading "Collared today: Burton" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Sophie.

OWNER: Justin and Jennifer.

HOW THEY MET:  Brought her from a farm in Lancaster, Pa. to the leash-law oppressiveness of Baltimore.

AGE: 10 months.

HOME: South Baltimore.

BREED: Boxer.

BEST TRICK: Don’t know if it qualifies as a trick, but she loves to hide items in the couch, then put her hands together and press down violently, like she’s giving chest compressions. We call it the polar bear stomp because we saw a polar bear doing the same thing to break up chunks of ice on Animal Planet.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY:  Sophie’s favorite thing in the whole wide world is being chased, when other dogs are playing fetch she loves to pick up the ball and have the dogs chase her around the park. Like any other boxer, she also enjoys boxing.

FAVORITE FOOD: Bones. She's not a picky eater.

IF SOPHIE HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE IT WOULD BE: Wanna play?

CREDIT FOR PHOTOGRAPH: Jennifer.

To see more pets that have been Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Sierra

OWNER: The Baltimore Humane Society.

HOW THEY MET: Ms. Sierra was brought to the Baltimore Humane Society by our local animal control. She had such a sweet disposition, staff could just not bear to see her be euthanized. She was transferred to us in hopes of finding a perfect and forever home!

AGE: About 4 and a half years old.

HOME: Sierra's is temporarily at the Baltimore Humane Society, but looking to relocate to her forever home.

BREED: Pit Bull Terrier mix.

BEST TRICK: She can sit like a champ!

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Rallying the troops and going to Caribou Coffee on Sunday mornings with the rest of the Breakfast Club members in hopes of bringing more adopters to the Animal Center.

FAVORITE FOOD: She is a treat junky! Any kind will get her attention!

Continue reading "Ready to be Collared: Sierra" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Laddie, named after the half-vampire kid in The Lost Boys.

OWNER: Lindsay Bowlin.

HOW THEY MET: I met him while volunteering at an animal shelter and immediately fell in love. He came in with two of his brothers and each time I’d take the three of them to the playroom, the other two would run around like lunatics while Laddie would just curl up on my lap and beg to be petted and kissed. He craved human attention. I was always sure to tell him I loved him because I wasn’t sure he’d ever heard that before.

AGE: 15 months.

HOME: Baltimore.

BREED: domestic short hair

BEST TRICK: He sometimes does a somersault in the air, going after his favorite toy.

Continue reading "Collared today: Laddie" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME:  Roxy

OWNER: Woody & Heidi

HOW THEY MET: We met Roxy at the Pet Expo at the MDSPCA booth. She had spunk and just the right attitude to fit in with her brother-to-be.

AGE: 1.5 yrs

HOME: Baltimore.

BREED: Per DNA test (yes, we paid $250 to get a DNA test): Dalmatian, Boxer, Springer Spaniel, and Mastiff. Somehow Mastiff got in there, but you wouldn’t know to look at her.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Wrestling with her big brother, Fenway.

FAVORITE FOOD: Tuna fish. Heidi gave her a very small piece one night, and she spent 15 to 20 minutes sniffing the area for more. So unlike her.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Roxy can be a chewer when left alone. As a puppy, she was crated in our bedroom when we left the house. One day, she managed to move the crate two feet in one direction to grab the down comforter, then moved four feet in the opposite direction to grab the curtain, then shifted the crate back to where she started. When we got home,

Continue reading "Collared today: Roxy" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:01 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Collared
        

Continue reading "Ready to be Collared: Phoebe" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared, Dogs, dogs, dogs
        

NAME: Apollo

OWNER: Patrick and Angelic S. (Brother of sorts to Pierre and Pandora.

HOW THEY MET: In search of a companion for our first cat, we were informed by our friend that her friend, a local veterinarian, recently had a feral cat give birth to kittens in her garage. We went to see them and this little furry ball of fluff, who was the only boy of the litter, was the one we picked to pair with our female cat at home. We read somewhere that the female cat would be more accepting of a male.  When we brought Apollo home, we weren’t so sure that our first cat even WANTED a companion…all she did was hiss! But they eventually became friends and now they play with one another and groom each other regularly.

AGE: Approximately 4 years old.

HOME: Baltimore Highlands.

BREED:  Domestic medium hair.

Continue reading "Collared today: Apollo" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Annie

NICKNAME: Annie Kabannie

OWNER: Feldman Family

HOW THEY MET: We got her from a breeder.

AGE: 10

HOME: Reisterstown.

BREED: Labradoodle

BEST TRICK:  Catching Frisbees.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Long walks and sleeping on the sofa or bed.

Continue reading "Collared today: Annie" »

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: James

NICKNAME: Jimbo

OWNER: Batlimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS) – looking for his forever home.

HOW THEY MET: James was wandering the streets of Baltimore looking for a loving human to rescue him and let him give them kisses. The kind people at BARCS rescued him 115 days ago and are looking for his forever home.  BARCS began celebrating Independence Day on July 5 with a Spirit of ’76 promotion designed where they're waiving the adoption fees on the first 76 dogs to be adopted. Hint. Hint. James could give kisses AND be free.

AGE: 2 years.

HOME: Baltimore

BREED: Terrier Mix

BEST TRICK: James (aka Jimbo) has an amazing ability to sit and stay – even in crowds. He recently attended HonFest and was described by people who met him as “a chill dude." He interacted well with other dogs and was especially good with children. 

Continue reading "Ready to be Collared: James" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Yoshi Moshi Brown.

OWNER: Erika Brown.

HOW THEY MET: My mommy works with a lady that adopted my cousin, Hiro. When my mommy saw a picture of me, she decided to adopt me too! 

It was love at first sight. When she picked me up from my foster parents, I snuggled in her lap and rested my head by her heart.

AGE: 5 months old.

HOME: Owings Mills.

BREED: ShiChon (Shih tzu, Bischon Frise mix).

BEST TRICK: Sit and wiggle. I get soooo excited that I can’t be still. I can sit for a second or two, then wiggle, then sit still, then wiggle some more.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Running!  I love to run…in circles, up and down stairs, and fetching my toys.  I also love to pick up random things in the grass and on sidewalks.  My mommy won’t let me keep them though.  She usually digs in my mouth to retrieve my sidewalk treasures.

Continue reading "Collared today: Yoshi Moshi" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Jake (Jacob if I am in trouble).

OWNER: Kimberly Collins

HOW THEY MET: Hi, my name is Jake.  I rescued my mommie when she came to meet me at the Shetland Sheepdog Club of Greater Baltimore's rescue in Columbia. She had recently lost another sheltie named Mozart, and was not sure if she was ready for another pet. But I worked my magic on her. I walked over to her, curled up in her lap, and sighed contentedly. She was hooked!!

AGE: 13-ish (My birthday is June 24).

HOME: Catonsville.

BREED: Shetland Sheepdog (Sheltie).

Continue reading "Collared today: Jake" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Augusta.

Nickname: Gussie.

OWNER: Beagle Rescue of Southern Maryland; foster: Mara Melton.

HOW THEY MET: Animal control in rural Virginia called to say that they had three beagles that needed to be rescued. She was one of them.

AGE: 8 to 10.

HOME: La Plata.

BREED: Beagle.

Continue reading "Ready to be Collared: Augusta" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared, Dogs, dogs, dogs
        

NAME: Titus

OWNER: Suzanne and Justin

HOW THEY MET: Justin had been wanting a dog for sometime so Suzanne stopped by a local shelter and adopted Titus as a 30th birthday present for Justin.

AGE: 10 months

HOME: Cockeysville.

BREED: German Shepherd / English Bulldog

BEST TRICK: Opening doors, "go to bed," "paw" and "other paw."

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Eating, playing fetch, and corralling our parents' two Pugs and a Puggle.

FAVORITE FOOD: Currently Beggin' Strips and his peanut butter filled Kong.

Continue reading "Collared today: Titus" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 6:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Constance

OWNER:  The Feline Rescue Association, Inc. (FRA)

HOW THEY MET: FRA pulled Constance and her four kittens from a local shelter where they were under threat of euthanasia. All the kittens were adopted quickly but Constance is still waiting for her forever home.

AGE: 2 to 3 years old.

HOME: Pikesville.

BREED: Domestic short hair blue.

BEST TRICK: Comes when called.

Continue reading "Ready to be Collared: Constance" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:06 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME OF PET: Baila

OWNER: Justin & Lauren. Playmate of Kiki.

HOW OWNER AND PET CAME TOGETHER: Maryland SPCA

AGE: 5

RESIDES IN: Baltimore, Maryland

BREED: American Shorthair

BEST TRICK: Fetching

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Bird watching while daydreaming of bird hunting.

Continue reading "Collared today: Baila" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME:  Pandora, kitty sibling of Pierre.

OWNER: Patrick and Angelic S.

HOW THEY MET:  Pandora’s owners were evicted from their townhome in downtown D.C. and she found her way into Patrick’s basement and had kittens. Angelic and Patrick were getting ready to go on their first vacation together but Angelic knew she could not leave the mama cat there with her babies and no care. 

She scooped them up and put them in the back of her SUV and drove them across town to her co-worker and friend, Diane, in Reisterstown. She knew Diane did rescue work and would care for this family. Diane raised Mama, who she named Pandora, and her kittens and the kittens were adopted almost immediately when they were of age. 

Pandora hung out for a while, Diane had her spayed, and when Angelic and Patrick decided to move in with each other, Diane had the “perfect” housewarming gift for them. Enter Pandora and all her “stuff”; she made herself right at home and life wouldn’t be the same without her!

Continue reading "Collared today: Pandora" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Echo

OWNER: Lauren and Matt

HOW THEY MET: Lauren and Matt had been married for just a few months when they decided to expand their family. Through Petfinder.com, they discovered many dogs waiting for new homes at the Prince George's County shelter.

Although they live in Baltimore, they made the trek down there and met Echo (then named Ace) on their first visit. His friendly nature quickly won them over.

While they had not intended to adopt an older dog, his incredible energy changed their minds, and they loved him immediately. Within the week, he was theirs! They’ve been very pleased with their new addition. Echo has the energy of a dog half his age and is such a joy to be with.

AGE: 7- 8 years

HOME: Baltimore

BREED: Eskiehuahua (American Eskimo/Chihuahua)

Continue reading "Collared today: Echo" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Lola

OWNER: Emily Reese

HOW THEY MET: I got her as a graduation present for myself when I finished college

AGE: 7 years on May 14

HOME: Baltimore

BREED: Half-English, half-French bulldog.

BEST TRICK: Playing goalie in a doorway with a tennis ball – she’s very quick -- and will roll the caught ball back to you.

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Taking walks, minding pedestrian traffic through my apartment’s windows and balcony, playing in water, chasing pigeons, snoozing.

FAVORITE FOOD: Frozen green beans, watermelon.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: When on a walk, if she senses a mud puddle, she zooms -- head first -- into it. I can say, “Get the water,” and she runs back and forth, head first, plowing through the mud puddle, getting filthy, like a young pup. This tends to gather a crowd and Lola totally hams it up to entertain. She loves it so much, so I don’t mind her getting muddy. She’s also a big fan of rolling down hills, another crowd pleaser.

OVER-ACHIEVING CHEWER: Lola is a very aggressive chewer. As a puppy, she chewed a couch down to its metal frame, chewed through a pair of glasses, numerous pairs of shoes, dog beds, comforters and pillows. She’s broken teeth because of her chewing, which required extraction. The worst was about 4 years ago; she chewed through and ate the top half of a Kong, causing a bowel obstruction, resulting in emergency surgery.

IF LOLA HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Life is more fun when properly rested.

Photo of Lola courtesy of Emily Reese

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Robin (think beautiful news woman on How I Met Your Mother)

 
OWNER: Position Open, Currently Accepting Applications! (Don't forget, all cats and kittens at BARCS are free to adopt for Baltimore 500 during the month of June. Come get Robin!)

 
AGE: 1 year.

 
HOME: Originally from Lafayette Avenue, currently staying at Meow Manor at BARCS.

 
BREED: Domestic Shorthair tan and black tabby with green-gold eyes.

 
BEST TRICK: Able to gaze deep into your heart with her beautiful eyes; oh, and she can stand on her “tip toes” to reach any treat you might have.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Purring in your lap.

 
FAVORITE FOOD: “Anything, as long as you are nearby while I eat.”

 
FUNNIEST MOMENT: Totally ignoring all attempts by shelter volunteers to get a “face shot” then just as they stopped jumping around and making faces, looked right at the camera as if to say, "Oh, you wanted a FACE SHOT?"

Continue reading "Ready to be Collared: Robin" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 9:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Josey Wales

OWNER: Ann

HOW THEY MET: Josey was adopted from a loving family who could no longer care for her

AGE: 15!

HOME: Baltimore and Bethany Beach, DE

BREED: Chocolate Lab and German Short Haired Pointer

BEST TRICK: Hat trick plus 2 – sit, paw, spin, down, roll

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Swimming. And eating. Sometimes simultaneously.

FAVORITE FOOD: Ice cubes

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Even at her advanced age, Josey does funny, loving and charming things every day! It’s hard to narrow down to just one moment.

ROLE MODEL: Josey has trained many younger dogs to be as easy going and well behaved as she is! She also loves to sleep upside down!

IF JOSEY HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Life is great! Way better than good!

Photo courtesy of Ann.

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Mr. Boo for Boo Radley in To Kill a Mockingbird

OWNER: Kate & Craig, he is being fostered from Humane Society of Kent County, Md.

HOW THEY MET: When Kate & Craig's previous pet died in January and they took her bed to donate to HSKC, they met Mr. Boo in the dog room. He is a stray found in Queen Anne's Co., near Millington.

AGE: between 8 and 10

HOME: Still Pond, Maryland

BREED:  Lab or Lab mix with Chesapeake Bay Retriever and/or Bigfoot.

BEST TRICK: Talking. He says, "I wuv you and mama."

Continue reading "Ready to be Collared: Mr. Boo" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Pierre

OWNER: Patrick and Angelic S.

HOW THEY MET: Pierre was “given up” by his previous owner when her dog had a litter of puppies.  He was only six weeks old. Angelic was called by her cousin to come check out the pup and she knew he was too young to be on his own and needed care. Hesitant because she had never raised a puppy and because she and her husband already had a full household (3 cats AND foster kittens that come in regularly), she promised to care for the puppy until she found a home for him.  Needless to say, she and her husband fell in love with little Pierre and figured that the he should just hang out with them FURever!

AGE: 21 weeks

HOME: Baltimore Highlands)

BREED: Chihuahua mixed breed

BEST TRICK: His Aunt taught him to sit and immediately give his paw. It’s cute. She also taught him the hand signal so that his Daddy, who is deaf, can get him to do this trick as well!

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: He loves to play with other dogs, big or small, and travel anywhere with his people!

FAVORITE FOOD: He doesn’t turn down much except French fries. He loves to eat any food that belongs to another pet, especially the feline variety!

FUNNIEST MOMENT: My grandmother taught him to howl when he hears this certain squeaky toy.  He throws his head back, purses his lips, and goes to town!

IF PIERRE HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: “Lots of unconditional love to give!”

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: KiKi

OWNER: Justin C.

HOW THEY MET: Maryland SPCA

AGE: 5

HOME: Baltimore

BREED: American Shorthair

BEST TRICK: Humanback Riding

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Rolling around on the concrete patio in the backyard.

FAVORITE FOOD: A tie between yellow American cheese and bacon

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Making noises while getting nails trimmed.

GUARD KITTY: He'll spontaneously attack anything that makes a rustling or monkey noise.

IF KIKI HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: “Always sleep on things made of warm and you will always has a warm.”

Photo courtesy of Justin C.

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Isabella Claire

NICKNAMES: Izzy or The Izzer

OWNER: Reada Kessler

HOW THEY MET: I got Izzy from a breeder in Florida. I was actually supposed to get another puppy but the bulldog mommy unfortunately smothered her pups while feeding them not long before I was supposed to get her. I got first pick of the next litter and that was my Izzy. 

AGE: 3

HOME: Federal Hill/Riverside

BREED: Miniature English Bulldog 

Continue reading "Collared today: Izzy" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Olive (aka Olive Bupsie, Boops, Ollie, Monkey)

OWNER: Anne Maxson

HOW THEY MET: I was donating a dog bed and toys to BARCS after I put down my beloved doberhound, Hazel, who had been with me for 10 great years. One of the beds landed in the director’s office, where "Ciara" had been living for months. I was still talking to some of the shelter workers when one of them came over and asked me to follow them.

This cute, chubby little black cat was so excited to see the bed that she was rolling around on it and kneading it. She made it hers immediately.

I had lived with cats, but never had my own, and certainly wasn’t looking to adopt a pet so quickly after losing Hazel. But Olive’s sweet, outgoing personality really got me thinking about her after I left the shelter that day.

I was volunteering at BARCS a week or two later, and went back to visit "Ciara" again. Although I wasn’t ready to adopt a dog, I realized I might be ready to make the house less empty with a fun feline companion. Wisely, the shelter director sensed my vulnerability and emailed me some photos of "Ciara" and her new bed a few days later. I quickly uploaded the picture to my desktop at work, and it became obvious that I was hooked. I brought her home a few weeks later and now she has a queen-sized bed (where she’s sleeping now), two couches, three chairs and a few windowsills to call her own. I couldn’t be luckier.

AGE: About 3 years old

HOME: Baltimore

BREED: Domestic Short Hair (mutt)

Continue reading "Collared today: Olive" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Nikolai 

OWNER: Being fostered by Tiffany for Tails of the Tundra Siberian Husky Rescue http://www.siberescue.com/

HOW THEY MET: Nikolai’s previous family realized with a very heavy heart that they could not provide him with the best home, so they relinquished him to our care.

AGE: 1.5 years

HOME: Baltimore

BREED: Siberian Husky

BEST TRICK: Nikolai will hold an entire conversation with you! Dare you speak on the phone with someone else? He’ll make sure to throw his two cents in on the topic of conversation!

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Snuggling under the covers with you.

FAVORITE FOOD: Frozen peanut butter!

FUNNIEST MOMENT: The first time I gave Nikolai a bath he decided he needed to go up to every person in the store and howl and whine to them his sob story about the experience.

A SOFTY FOR KIDS: Nikolai loves people and especially children. His previous home had two young kids and whenever he sees kids he goes bonkers!

IF NIKOLAI HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Play with me NOW!

Photo courtesy of Tiffany

For more information about Nikolai, click here.

To see last week's Ready to be Collared, click here.

If you have an adoptable pet that you'd like to see 'Ready to be Collared' in Unleashed, Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 7:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Napali

OWNER: Sasha Draper

HOW THEY MET: I picked the aierdale with the most energy in the whole litter at a breeder in Delmarva.

AGE: Turned 5 on May 21

HOME: Towson

BREED: Airedale terrier

BEST TRICK: He'll sing on command.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Shaking balls in the air off the dog bed and attempting to catch them.

FAVORITE FOOD: Carrots and green beans

FUNNIEST MOMENT: At Petsmart when a 4-year-old boy said, "Mom look, that dog looks like a carpet."

WATER BABY: He loves to drink water with his entire face in the bowl while chomping it than throwing the water all over the room once his eyes get wet

IF NAPALI HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Sleeping is for cats live life to the fullest.

Photo courtesy of Sasha Draper.

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Manhattan Micki

OWNER: Patricia

HOW THEY MET: I searched for a likely candidate for a pet therapy dog. She is in training now and it could be a while before she graduates. She loves the classes as long as the treats don’t run out. 

AGE: 2 years

HOME: Shoreview, MN

BREED: Border terrier

BEST TRICK: She loves to jump through my arms when I create a circle for her to jump through.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Walking, running, and greeting people (“long lost friends, all of them”).

FAVORITE FOOD: Cat treats. (Her “sister” is a cat).

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Micki (who's 12-1/2 pounds) and my cat wrestle. Micki runs up to the cat, pushes her with one paw, and the cat (who's 14 pounds) falls down, and then the fun begins.  Micki rushes in for quick nips and dodges away; the cat puts both paws around her neck and bites.  Neither of them is ever injured.

PERSONALITY PLUS:  I asked for the ‘People-Puppy’ in the litter and she has exceeded my fondest dreams

IF MICKI HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: “What do you mean, I can’t jump up on people to greet them – how else will they know how important they are?”

Photo courtesy of Patricia.

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Tanner

NICKNAMES: Lil’ Tanner, Buddy, Tanner Bananer, Pudders, Pussycat, Fuzzbutt

OWNER: Amanda & Tim

HOW THEY MET:  We saw this beautiful cream and white cat with the most gorgeous green eyes on PetFinder.com; he was being fostered through the Montgomery County Humane Society.  We first met at the foster home, and fell in love instantly.  Couldn’t fill the application out fast enough.
 

AGE:  5

HOME: Perry Hall

Continue reading "Collared today: Tanner " »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Dizzy

NICKNAMES: Dizzy Monster, Muttyface

OWNER: Baltimore Sun reporter and B'More Green blogger Meredith Cohn

HOW THEY MET: Horrified by the images from Hurricane Katrina, human and canine, we responded when the Maryland SPCA called for volunteers to foster dogs the group saved from New Orleans. Dizzy, named for jazz great Dizzy Gillespie, was a 9-month-old black and tan ball of scared.

He had been beat up and wouldn’t sleep or let his new dad near him. He also wouldn’t eat, except for the random piece of furniture or clothing, and on the anniversary of the storm, a big piece of drywall. After a lot of love and patience, Dizzy became happy, hungry – and ours permanently.

AGE: 4

HOME: Federal Hill

BREED: Junkyard

FAVORITE FOOD: Whatever his pal Chi Chi’s mom has in her pocket. And anything he finds on the sidewalk.

BEST TRICK: Toss a cookie and he catches it, no matter your aim.

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Circling the field at top speed in Riverside Park with his pals Hank and Sophie. Sitting on the sofa with his lady friends Erin and Anne. Napping in our bed. And scoring a treat from Chi Chi’s mom.

IF DIZZY HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: You gonna eat that?

Photos courtesy of Doug Beizer

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME:  Bubba Gump

NICKNAMES:  Bobo, Bob, Bandit, Bubs, Gump, Bump

OWNER:  Sarah Almon

HOW THEY MET:  Bubba and I are a match made in Internet Heaven. I found Bubba through Petfinder.org which lead me to Pet Rescue of Maryland. Pet Rescue of MD had rescued Bubba after Hurricane Katrina and he was living in a kennel at the time. He couldn’t participate in many of the group events since he doesn’t get along with cats very well. I was lucky to find him online!

AGE:  6-ish

HOME:  Baltimore

BREED:  Beagle, German shepherd, Rottweiler mix

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES:  Chasing squirrels in the park, playing football, sleeping on his couch, hiding treats, doing laps around the apartment, having his ears scratched, talking to ladies on his iBone.

BEST TRICKS:  Peeking out of the blinds to say goodbye when I leave for work in the morning.

Continue reading "Collared today: Bubba Gump" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Collared
        

Once a week, we will highlight a pet -- or pets -- available to be adopted... 

NAMES: Waverly and Hampden

OWNER: Being fostered by Erin Harty via the Maryland Feline Society

HOW THEY MET: Waverly and "Hammie" were feral kittens trapped by city animal control in August 2008 at Lyndhurst Elementary School. They went to a foster home and were adopted out last fall, but were returned this spring because a child in their new home developed severe asthma.

AGE: 11-12 months

HOME: Baltimore (Pigtown).

BREED: Waverly is a domestic longhair female while Hampden is a domestic shorthair male.

BEST TRICK: Waverly can open just about any door without a latch… cabinet doors, closet doors, etc. Nothing and no one are safe from her prying paws!

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Hampden loves sleeping on sunny windowsills. Waverly likes to curl up on your pillow and snuggle at night.

FAVORITE FOOD: Pounce cat treats

WHY THEY STAY TOGETHER: Hampden and Waverly have been bounced around a lot during their short lives, but have never been separated and are very bonded to one another. That's why they're being offered for adoption as a pair. They can be shy, so they would do best in a quiet home with a patient and cat-savvy person.

MOTTO: Two cats are double the fun!

Photos courtesy of Erin Harty.

For a bit more about Waverly and Hammie, click here.

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Jill Rosen at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Winston

OWNERS: Ashley and Patrick

HOW THEY MET: Winston had run away from his previous owners and was found in someone’s garage covered in ticks. After finding his original owners, they said they didn’t want him anymore and to take him to the pound. When we heard about him, I went to meet him and fell in love instantly. Despite the fact that he had obviously suffered abuse in his prior home, he is one of the most loving dogs I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

AGE: Approximately 7 years old

HOME: Elkridge

BREED: Dachshund

BEST TRICK: I guess his best “trick” (what can I say, he is a spoiled little guy and we don’t ask for much!) would be hiding his toys and favorite things.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Actually his favorite thing to do is cuddle in bed! He would sit in bed with us all day if we let him. You should see the look on his face when the alarm goes off!

FAVORITE FOOD: He LOVES chicken.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Watching him swim is always good for a laugh, but he is getting much better at it! However, I think he’s much happier floating on a chair in the pool than swimming in it.

FIVE THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT WINSTON: 1. Winston is a funny little dog that has been through a lot, so quirks come with the territory. Despite his broken tail, broken teeth and a horrible experience with Lyme disease a few months ago, you’d never guess he’s ever been in any pain in his life. He is one happy dog!

Continue reading "Collared today: Winston" »

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Lucky

OWNERS: The Mather family

HOW THEY MET: Lucky walked up to our house -- he had been abandoned.

AGE: About 10 years old

HOME: Sparks

BREED: They say pug and Chihuahua.

BEST TRICK: Balancing a treat on his nose and waiting till someone tells him to get it

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Snuggling

FAVORITE FOOD: Cheese

FUNNIEST MOMENT: We came home and couldn’t find a loaf of Italian bread that was left on the kitchen counter.  Apparently Lucky had jumped onto the kitchen counter, grabbed the bread that was almost as big as he was and then buried it upstairs in my son’s bed under the pillow!

WHAT LUCKY LIKES AND DISLIKES: Loves people and hugs and hates the noise the heat/ac makes when it starts up. He thinks there’s a monster living in the floor vents. 

IF LUCKY HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: I don’t care where you’re going, please take me with you.

Photo courtesy of the Mather family

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Shadow (named at shelter)

OWNERS: The Sadaka family (Mary, Norm, Jon, Nick)

HOW THEY MET: My mom found our treasured canine family member at an animal shelter. The people at the shelter were told that sweet little Shadow was thrown out of the car (who could be so cruel to such a beautiful, loyal, loving creature?) It was shocking that my mom would pick a bigger dog, but she felt there was something special about our buddy and boy was she right! We loved him from day 1, and he truly went from rags to riches both in treatment and in love.

AGE: 10

HOME: Marriottsville

BREED: Mutt (thought to be mostly German Shepherd with maybe some Rottweiler and others)

BEST TRICK: As Bart Simpson says, “He doesn’t want to learn, and we don’t want to teach him…We get along great.” Obeys very well-no particular tricks that stand out, but seems to understand everything remarkably well.

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Walks without a doubt, although begging and keeping sentry run a very close second and third.

Continue reading "Collared today: Shadow" »

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Mac Christian Barksdale
 

OWNERS: Lisa, Darnell & Brittany

HOW THEY MET: We were looking for the perfect addition to our family, which took us back to the same breeder we got our Yorkshire Terrier, CoCo, from. When CoCo gave his "wag" of approval and wouldn't stop licking and playing with his new buddy, we knew he was the one for us.

AGE: 2 1/2 years

HOME: Catonsville

BREED: Yorkshire Terrier

BEST TRICK: Barking at the top of his lungs to go outside accompanied by extreme tail wagging (It's something that you have to see to appreciate..LOL)

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Sleeping and chasing the females (typical male…LOL)

FAVORITE FOOD: Canine Carry Outs Chicken Grillers -- yum

FUNNIEST MOMENT: It's just funny everyday watching Mac with his little legs and big ego trying his best to keep up with CoCo.

LITTLE DOG, LOUD BARK: Since Mac has a Napoleon complex, he tends to always bark and growl at everything bigger than him (including Rottweilers). Mac's bark is really bigger than his bite; he is actually a spoiled rotten baby.

IF MAC HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: "I'm a big dog trapped in a little dog's body --help!"
 
Photo by Darnell

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

As some readers might have noticed, Unleashed marked a sad milestone over the weekend -- for the first time that we know of, one of our Collared pets passed away.

Newt, a gorgeous and gentle English Setter that we featured this last weekend, succumbed to kidney failure. He was 14.

Newt wasn't just beloved by his people, Jim and Diana Hartnett of St. Louis. Diane, the principal of a boys junior high school, brought Newt to school over the years and the kids embraced him. The doggy even had a picture in the yearbook.

At Unleashed, we not only felt terrible about Diana's loss, we wanted to know how she was handling things...if there would be a memorial...how she managed to break the news to the kids at school.

She writes:

As I mentioned in Newt's bio, he came from the Franklin County, MO, Humane Society.  When we saw his picture on Petfinder, we were thrilled, for he looked so gentle and sweet, and he was.  When we arrived to pick him up, we were seated in a small room, and Newt was brought in.  He walked straight up to me, buried his head in my lap under my arm, and sighed.  I could almost hear him say, "Thank God, you are finally here."

Newt integrated himself immediately into the family and tolerated the two current dogs and also the two other rescues who came after him.  But it was clear that this aristocratic, solemn, kind, and loving dog was something special, something apart, something extraordinary.
 

Continue reading "Remembering Newt" »

Posted by Jill Rosen at 4:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (9)
Categories: Collared, Dogs, dogs, dogs
        

NAME: Cody

NICKNAME:  The Codester, Shepherd Pie

OWNERS: Jen Badie (The Baltimore Sun's Education Editor) and her husband, Darius

HOW THEY MET: Darius' sister adopted Cody as a puppy but didn't realize that he would enjoy herding her 8-year-old daughter every chance he got (she was the size of a sheep back then, after all). When she told us she was thinking about finding him a new home, we volunteered to take him because he was such a good-tempered dog and we thought another dog might alleviate our beagle's separation anxiety.

AGE: 8

HOME: Owings Mills

BREED: Australian shepherd

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Playing with Baxter, his beagle brother (especially if it involves putting a paw on his head), running around in the backyard (the muddier it is, the better), standing guard at the front door, following us from room to room, getting a belly rub

BEST TRICKS: Herding beagles; imitating Tigger in the yard when it snows (it involves a lot of bouncing)

FAVORITE FOODS: He recently got ahold of a raw almond and now when we have the jar out, he practically jumps in our laps to get one from us. But he's also kind of taken on some beagle traits, in that he'll eat just about anything.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: A few years ago, our pet sitter fell through at the last minute and my friend, who works for a vet, offered to watch Cody at her house for our weeklong vacation. But we decided it'd be best if he met her three dogs first, to make sure everyone got along. So we took Cody over there, he met the dogs, everyone was getting along smashingly. We let him back into her house, and it never crossed anyone's mind: THE CAT! Cody got one look at that cat and went streaking across the room after it and Darius had to lunge after him to stop him. Obviously he'd never seen one before and was very interested in playing with it. It goes without saying, that arrangement didn't work out.

IF CODY HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE:  "Born to herd."

Photo by Jen Badie

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME:  Pogo

OWNER: Ting and Gregory Contreras

HOW THEY MET: We met at the Baltimore Animal Shelter. We noticed she hid in the back of the cage. We thought: That is it! That is what we want!

AGE:  2

HOME:  Baltimore

BREED: Lab/Pit bull mix

BEST TRICK: Playing innocent when making mistakes

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Chasing squirrels

FAVORITE FOODS: Italian sausages with BBQ flavor, Portabello mushroom with garlic and basil, roasted Peking duck and light sautéed beef dumplings. Pretty international.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Walking into a field and picking up the baseball when a kid's game was still going. More than 10 kids chased after her and yelled "Give me the ball!!" She definitely had a wonderful time because she thought everybody loves Pogo.

A RETICENT DOG: Pogo always thinks that she is a panda. I mean, peaceful, but sort of in danger and insecure. Maybe she would like to be trained and serve in the underground military force in the future.

IF POGO HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Life is too short, so make every moment count. Wait a minute. I think what she means is "What is the dinner for tonight?"

Photo by Ting-Yu Yeh

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Newton

NICKNAME: Newt, Newmie, Newie, Mr. New, and the Newminator

OWNERS: Jeff, Diana, Andrew and Liz

HOW THEY MET: Newt came to us six years ago as a rescue from the Franklin County (MO) Humane Society.  We had been looking for another dog to join our English Cocker Spaniel Indiana, and when we saw Newt’s photo on Petfinder, we knew that he was The One.

AGE: About 14 years old

HOME: St. Louis, MO

BREED: English Setter

BEST TRICK:  Newt doesn’t really have any tricks, unless you count being a great listener when someone whispers a secret in his ear.  And he never, ever tells!

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Coming to work with me.  I am the principal of a boys’ junior high school, and Newt comes to school once a week just to be with the boys, who all love him.  He has been wonderful helping the shy boys make new friends.  Newt even has his picture in the yearbook.

FAVORITE FOODS: Newt is a picky eater but he does love cinnamon rolls, Cheerios and tomato soup.

FUNNIEST MOMENT:  Newt’s life before us wasn’t very funny, so he is a rather serious dog, but he is very serious about being loved.

HIS SWEET WAYS: Newt loves to be petted.  When anyone pets him, he collapses on the floor.  He always wants to be near people.

IF NEWT HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: All you need is love.

Photo courtesy of Jeff and Diana Hartnett

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Zoe

OWNERS: Ashley and Patrick

HOW THEY MET: Zoe was pulled from a kill shelter in North Carolina on her last day before being euthanized. She was brought up to Maryland, but when her adoption fell through, she ended up with us! She was over 15 pounds underweight (you could see every bone in her body) was very sick with worms and didn’t seem to have any socialization whatsoever. She walked into our house and immediately got sick in our living room. We knew right away we had a long road ahead of us!

AGE: Approximately 2 years old

HOME: Elkridge

BREED: Black Lab mix

BEST TRICK: Zoe took obedience classes and did wonderfully (quick shout out to Jackie at the Columbia PetSmart, she is amazing!). Our favorite trick so far is she will lay down on the floor, and you can put treats all over her paws without her eating them. She probably hates it, but we find it very amusing!

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Running, running and running. Zoe can run forever. We don’t even need to bring a toy, because she will just run in circles. Usually we have to bring her inside because she doesn’t know when to stop. She is so graceful when she runs, sometimes we wonder if there is some greyhound in there!

FAVORITE FOODS: Zoe loves anything and everything, but mostly fresh meat, like chicken or steak.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Zoe loves to play tug of war with our dachshund Winston. She obviously could take the toys away from him without breaking a sweat, but she always lets him win. It’s always fun to see a 45-pound dog lose tug of war to a 10-pound dachshund.

ZOE'S TRANSFORMATION: What can I say about Zoe? She has been a TON of work. She is afraid of everyone except family, came to us with no training, and was sick as a dog (no pun intended!). She had never even seen a toy before, because when we gave her one she just stared at it. This has however been one of the most rewarding things we have done to date. She has truly turned into a great dog and a special part of our family. She has also helped our adopted dachshund become more confident and has really helped with his separation anxiety. We are so proud of her for how far she has come, and we are so thankful she ended up on our doorstep (literally)!

IF ZOE HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.

Photo by Ashley

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Dexter Bandit Walsh

OWNER: Felicia Walsh but all bragging rights came from his Aunt Stef

HOW THEY MET: Love at first sight

AGE: 13  

HOME: Hunt Valley

BREED: Shih Tzu

BEST TRICK: Very conversational but somewhat limited in vocabulary

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Running on the beach, kicking his soccer ball, March for the Animals -- he loved meeting so many new friends he didn't know existed.

FAVORITE FOOD: Puppy Treats and on special occasions rotisserie chicken

FUNNIEST MOMENT: So many, but one that stands out was Dexter in the kitchen, and he saw a squirrel right outside the screen door and flipped out trying to chase after him by running right into the screen door. (He wasn't hurt, but I think he was embarrassed!)

HIS QUIRKY SIDE: When someone is in the bathroom, Dexter must go in also but will not leave the bathroom until the toilet flushes (not sure where he learned that).

HIS HEROIC SIDE: He has the best smile. When I would take Dexter to visit my mom when she was in a rehab facility for seniors, Dexter would visit everyone and bring a lot of smiles to many of these people. For maybe just 5 minutes they were able to forget the pain they were in or whatever was troubling them, and Dexter stayed with each person as long as he thought they needed for him to be there for them.

IF DEXTER HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: If at first you don't succeed, then destroy all the evidence (as in shoes!)

Photo by Aunt Stef Allori-Hillis

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Lucy

NICKNAMES: Little Miss, Lu, Lulubella, Puppy Doc, Honey Honey

OWNERS: Jim & Shannon

HOW THEY MET: One of Shannon’s former coworkers was Lucy’s Recycled Love foster mom. She knew we were looking to adopt a dog, and it was love at first lick! (For Lucy, it was love at first treat.)

AGE: 2 years

HOME: Glen Burnie

BREED: Pit bull, probably with a chaser of black Lab

BEST TRICK: Helicopter tail! And if you ask her, “Who wants a treat?” she’ll raise her paw.

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Running like mad around the backyard, barking at her friends across the fence, playing fetch, sleeping on the couch or “the big bed”

FAVORITE FOODS: Anything the humans are eating, but especially cheese, apples, and anything (but especially almond butter) in her Kong!

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Running straight through the screen door. Somehow, she still managed to ace obedience school.

LUCY'S PAST AND FUTURE: Lucy was rescued as a tiny puppy from a suspected dogfighting operation in East Baltimore. Her ears had been cut down to nubs -- which gets us lots of questions, but we love her ears and Lucy loves to have them scratched. She loves all people and animals (even cats!), and we think she could be a great therapy dog someday.

IF LUCY HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: You’re HOOOOOOOME!!!!!!!!

Photo by Shannon Davis

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (6)
Categories: Collared
        

PET: Humphrey

OWNER: Hannah, 14, of Mount Hebron High School

TYPE OF PET: Goldfish

HOW THEY MET: I won Humphrey at the neighborhood pool carnival when I was 6 years old.
I threw a ping-pong ball into a fish bowl and he was mine. He is almost 9 years old now.

HOW HUMPHREY GOT HIS NAME: Humphrey's name is actually part of a much bigger story. You might have noticed the "H" on his fish bowl. One day, a few years after I had won this unnamed goldfish, my friend Brooke came over.  She noticed that I had some dry-erase markers lying around and mentioned that they wipe right off of glass. Off course, we experimented with writing all over mirrors and windows in my room.  Then, Brooke decided it would be fun to write "Hi" on the fish bowl.  Little did we know, the bowl wasn't made of glass, but plastic.  We managed to wipe the "i" off quickly, but the "H" hasn't come off. 

After a while, I got tired of people asking me what the "H" was for because I would have to explain the whole story.  I figured if I named the fish something beginning with "H", I wouldn't need an explanation.  Somehow, Humphrey was the first name that I came up with, and I liked how original and goofy it was for a fish, so it stuck!

HOME: Ellicott City

AGE: Almost 9

FAVORITE FOOD: We don't feed him any special food except tetra flake fish food. He gets fed once at night.

BEST TRICK: He actually "speaks" to you when he is hungry by gulping air at the top
of the water when you walk in the room.

THE SECRET TO HUMPHREY'S LONG LIFE: We use only distilled water in his bowl and never wash it with detergent. Maybe that is why he has lived so long.....We have thought about putting him in a big goldfish pond at my grandparents' but decided he must be happy in his small bowl in my room.

IF HUMPHREY HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Keep swimming.

Photo by John

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Gingersnap 
 
NICKNAMES: Ginger, Snappie. She came across her name because of her color, and she is a little spicy.
 
OWNER: Tami Harman
 
HOW OWNER AND PET MET: Fell in love at the SPCA
 
AGE: 6
 
HOME: Sparrows Point
 
BREED: Boxer, shepherd mix
 
BEST TRICK: Can say "Mama"
 
FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Chasing squirrels and ducks
 
FAVORITE FOOD: Pupperoni's
 
FUNNIEST MOMENT: Howling/singing to the theme from Titanic.  While watching the DVD, Ginger walked up to the TV, sat down and starting howling.
 
SHE'S A FROG LOVER: Right before she goes to sleep at night, she sucks the head of her plush frog. She has done this every since she was a puppy, we must go through about 3-4 frogs a year.  
 
IF GINGERSNAP HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: "Hakuna Matata" (no worries)
 
Photo by Tami Harman

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Peanut 
  
NICKNAME: Oreshek [o’re-shek] -- Russian for Peanut, which was his shelter name and we decided to keep it. Daniela, our 4-year-old daughter, speaks mostly Russian, and she was asking what Peanut was. When we told her the Russian word for it, she really liked it and banned using Peanut in our house. We do use it, though, for his vet’s appointments and for introducing him to our English-speaking friends.

OWNER: Daniela Gutman 

HOW THEY MET: The preface to the whole story is that I used to have a dog for 17 years, and she passed away last October. Daniela was begging me for an orange kitten for a couple of months to introduce the cat to the dog –- she didn’t realize that the dog was gone as the dog was old and never paid attention to the baby anyway....So when I broke the sad news to Daniela in February, she was very upset, but said that it was great to have the dog for so long, even though now she is all alone and has nobody to play with. Then I was ready to bring home the whole shelter-worth of cats just to make her stop crying. So I promised her to go to a shelter together for her to choose a kitten.

The next day I was being a bit sneaky about the choosing part and checked out Petfinder.com looking for orange kittens. I found Peanut right away and after work dropped by the Baltimore County Humane Society to meet him before I let my daughter “choose.” He spotted me the moment I walked into the room and started pacing the cage meowing. He was about 4 months old -- very cuddly, soft and cute (of course -- he is a kitten after all), so I filled out all the papers and scheduled an official appointment (more of a setup really) for Daniela to “choose” him.

The next day, we all (Daniela, I, and my husband) came to “look at the kittens.” Needless to say, we had been approved for Peanut, and his documents were all ready for us to pick him up....So Peanut was the first kitten to get into my daughter’s hands, and the little guy did great with her -- he courageously tolerated all her hugs and smooches and seemed to actually like them! So she was all his the moment he purred in her arms and happily “chose” Peanut.

AGE: About 6 months 
  
HOME: Reisterstown

BREED: Orange tabby

BEST TRICK: Yelling “Ma-ma” while I’m in the shower. His “talking” made half of the vet’s waiting room laugh. The other half just couldn’t hear him.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Playing with the fishing pole and listening to Daniela reading to him (I suspect he is using the reading time for getting some rest from being carried around).

FAVORITE FOOD: We try to keep him on kitten’s food, but he did try the baked fish once and was extremely happy!

HIS DISLIKES: He does not appreciate any other animals around (especially cats). We welcomed a neighbor’s cat in our house and that caused some major hissing from Peanut. I was not even aware that he knew such words!  
  
IF PEANUT HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Your house is my house, your closet is my closet, and my mommy is my mommy!

Photo by Gina Gutman

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: CoCo Carrington Brown

OWNERS: Lisa, Brittany & Darnell

HOW THEY MET: CoCo stood out from the pack due to his unique, golden color. He and my daughter locked eyes, and he literally ran across the room and jumped into her arms.

AGE: 3 years

HOME: Catonsville

BREED: Yorkshire Terrier

BEST TRICK: Standing/walking on his hind legs for a treat.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Frolicking all day with his buddies in the dog park, chasing anything that moves and taking long walks on the trails.

FAVORITE FOOD: Canine Carry Outs Chicken Grillers -- yum…

A REGAL DOG: CoCo likes to sit on the porch with his hair blowing in the breeze like he is king of the hill.

IF COCO HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: "I'm CoCo, and to know me is to love me…"

Photo by Darnell

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Foxy

OWNER: Lisa Crispino

HOW THEY MET: Destiny!!!!!

AGE: Approximately 2

HOME: Nottingham

BREED: Pomeranian mix

BEST TRICK: She will get herself in any bag, purse or lunch box regardless of the size…She loves to travel.

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Riding in the car, going out, running, barking, playing fetch, snoozing, barking, looking out the window and, of course, more barking

FAVORITE FOOD: Pizza crust. She knows the pizza box immediately and is determined to get the crust.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: On a recent trip to the beach to visit family, we were packing to leave, loading suitcases and totes by the door, I glanced over and there was Foxy already in a tote bag making sure she was not left behind, It was priceless considering it was on the kitchen table (quite a feat considering her height) and happened to be my mom’s purse.

IF FOXY HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Have purse, will travel.

Photo courtesy of Lisa Crispino

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Sophie Marie

OWNERS: Andrew and Terri Peters

HOW THEY MET: Adopted from a semi-legit breeder in Dundalk

AGE: 4 1/2

HOME: Locust Point

BREED: Chihuahua

BEST TRICK: Peeing on the bathroom rug in the nighttime while her parents are asleep.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Snuggling under the covers.

FAVORITE FOOD: Any and all forms of chicken.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: When she feels that she is being ignored, Sophie drags out a stuffed squirrel toy that is almost as large as she is and races around the room with it to get attention.

THREE UNKNOWN FACTS ABOUT SOPHIE: 1. Despite Sophie’s barking and overprotective behavior, she is more of a lover than a fighter.

2. Sophie’s best friends are a lobster, a monkey and a cat dressed in a bird costume.

3. Sophie’s nickname is “Noof.”

IF SOPHIE HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Will snuggle for chicken.

Photo by Terri Peters

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Sadie  (the 37th—when she was registered with the AKC, she got her distinguished number.)

NICKNAMES: Tubular bunny (she is long and bunny-like -- ears, tail), Porky beast (she has many piggy qualities, like snuffy noises and a piggy butt), Pup-ista, Chubby bunny, Sade-ster, Sade-ilicious, Sadie beast, Corgi face, puppy face, Beeeeeeaaast!, Bunn-ular, Chunky Monkey, Stella (at daycare).

WHERE HER NAME CAME FROM: Sadie is named after the Beatles song, Sexy Sadie.

OWNER: Bill & Julie Chavez

HOW THEY MET: We adopted Sadie from Adonai Farms in Conowingo, Maryland. They let us visit her twice before she was old enough to come home.

AGE: 2 years, 4 months

HOME: Baltimore

BREED: Pembroke Welsh Corgi

BEST TRICK: She can mimic fire engine sirens perfectly and often responds to them like they are the call of the wild!

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Daycare at Good Doggie Daycare. She is also learning agility and catching on very quickly! Of course, taking long walks and going to the dog park.

FAVORITE FOOD: Baby carrots!, Flossies -- corkscrew beef tendons by Merrick

FUNNIEST MOMENT:  Once when we were on a walk she was too preoccupied with a squirrel in a nearby tree to pay attention to where she was going.  Being a Corgi and being only about 8 inches off the ground, she is the same height as most city curbs.  She bonked her head right on the curb -- ran straight into it!  Once we realized she was OK, it was OK to laugh!

MORE ABOUT SADIE: Likes playing with other dogs, stealing all of our love from the kitties, being petted and loved at all times. She broke her leg when she was almost 1 but is now featured on this website as a little dog model for the cast protector! Sadie also won the Cutest Dog contest at Belvedere Square last spring!

IF SADIE HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: If it smells funny, roll in it!  (But luckily I love baths!)

Photos courtesy of Bill and Julie Chavez

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Milo Pumpkin

NICKNAME: Pumpkin, Little P

OWNER: Baltimore Sun reporter Jill Rosen

HOME: Butchers Hill

HOW THEY MET: I was looking for a companion for Leo Sesame and fell instantly in love with a furry orange kitten at the Maryland SPCA — a kitten in someone else’s arms. After waiting forever for the person to either put the kitty down or adopt it, I left, thinking it wasn’t meant to be. I came into work the next day with my sad tale of "almost" finding the perfect kitty, and my co-worker turned to me and said, "You want an orange kitty? My friend just found one." Turns out, this same friend had that weekend brought the other orange kitty to the SPCA, part of a litter she found in South Baltimore. The one still at home was his smaller brother — too tiny to be accepted at the shelter. They had found him in a rainstorm, wedged into a wall, crying. He was meant to be mine.

AGE: 1

BREED: Particularly fetching medium-haired domestic orange.

FAVORITE FOOD: "Favorite" implies a degree of discrimination that Pumpkin doesn’t exactly have. He wants food. He wants it now. He wants it later. Just give him the food.

BEST TRICK: Once — and just once — without warning, he leaped from my desk across the room and up, landing on top of the ajar door, like a gymnast mounting a balance beam. I gave him a perfect 10. Also, every night, he waits in the front window for me to get home. When he sees me coming up the street, I can see him meow in excitement. To anyone who says cats don’t give you a warm welcome, I present this as Exhibit A.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Aside from eating and snacking, Pumpkin is a huge fan of a toy called Da Bird. It’s essentially some feathers attached by a string to a long pole that when waved around, bears an uncanny resemblance to an actual flying bird. Pumpkin goes nuts for this. No sooner than I have it out of the closet, he’s soaring into the air, leaping and flipping like some sort of furry little acrobat. I aptly call this game "Jump Around," named after the rap song.

IF PUMPKIN HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Eat first, think later.

Photo by Jill Rosen

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

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NAME: Dash

OWNER: Pixie

HOW THEY MET: Shortly after the death of our oldest son, I came across a man with the cutest dog and asked what breed it was and he told me it was Havanese. I knew that the two things that  helped cheer people up were babies and puppies, and I wasn’t about to have a baby so a puppy was the next best thing. We still had our son’s very old dog and we knew that at 18 years old she wouldn’t be around for long so we wanted to make it easier on the family and we researched Havanese breeders and found one. Now we have the best puppy boy in the world. He has brought joy into our family, by loving all of us.

AGE: 4

HOME: Catonsville

BREED: Havanese

BEST TRICK: He licks tears away, and he knows when you are crying.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Going for a ride in the car

FAVORITE FOOD: Frosty Paws

FUNNIEST MOMENT: When he stood his bone up on its edge and left it there on the floor

HE LIKES HIS TOYS: Dash sucks on his stuffed animals, which are usually lambs.

IF DASH HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: I never met a lamb I didn’t like.

Photo courtesy of Pixie

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

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Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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NAME: Nala

HOW NALA GOT HER NAME: Named after Lion King Simba's girlfriend

OWNER: Emerald Mark

HOW OWNER AND PET MET: A neighbor's cat had a litter, and I got to pick her out of 2 other females and 1 male kitten.

AGE: 2

HOME: Towson

BREED: Mom was an all-black cat, Dad was an orange tabby.

BEST TRICK: Ability to sleep upside down and jumping really high doing back flips

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Wrestling with my other cat at home

FAVORITE FOODS: Tuna out the can and cat's milk

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Funniest moment has to be at (Maryland SPCA's) animal walk. There was a moment when 4 big dogs wanted to sniff Nala at the same time, and she stood there and let them get in her face but after a moment she got annoyed and hissed and slapped her paw at them. Then all 4 of the dogs backed off really far and started barking at her like suddenly they were scared of her.

ASK HER ANYTHING: Nala talks a lot. She is always meowing at something, and sometimes if you look at her and ask her a question, it's almost as if she's answering you. haha

IF NALA HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: I fear nothing!

Photo courtesy of Emerald Mark

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

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NAME: Cosita

NICKNAME: Cosita means "little thing" in Spanish. Her former owners were Cuban. She is not so little anymore! Everyone calls her "Rita" for short.

OWNERS: Michael and Kacey Zani 

HOW THEY MET: We adopted Cosita in Feb. 2005 at the Florida Keys SPCA. We were stationed down there when my husband was in the Navy. 

AGE: 4

HOME: Bolton Hill

BREED: We think she is a beagle-basset mix, with a little dachshund thrown in. 

BEST TRICK:  “Find Daddy." I will take her out for a walk, and my husband will hide. She doesn't stop until she finds him!

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Chasing squirrels and running through the woods. 

FAVORITE FOODS: Ice cream and T-bone steak. She loves to chew gum! Cinnamon is her fav!

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Singing/howling with a saxophone

IF COSITA HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: “Life should be a run through the park."

Photo courtesy of Michael and Kacey Zani 

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

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NAME: Billy

NICKNAMES: Billiam, and sometimes when he's in trouble, William Jefferson Kitten

OWNER: Reality Check blogger Sarah Kelber

HOW THEY MET: My husband and I adopted two kittens, Spencer and Zero, but Zero had distemper and died about a week after we brought him home. After a few weeks on his own, Spencer moved from rambunctious to uncontrollable, so we decided: "We need an alpha cat." Upon visiting the Maryland SPCA, we decided to look at the older cats instead of kittens, and Billy reached out a paw from a lower cage and tapped my husband on the leg. He purred like crazy when we paid a little attention to him, and he was super-affectionate. That day, he came home with us and immediately proved himself to be the alpha over little Spencer.

AGE: 10

HOME: Columbia

BREED: Domestic shorthair

BEST TRICK: He herds the other cats whenever people are leaving the house. He grabs hold of Spencer or our other cat, Lucy, by the nape with his teeth and places a paw on their sides to prevent them from trying to run out the front door. It's very helpful but annoys the other two to no end, especially when they aren't actually trying to escape.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY:  Napping anyplace that I just was. If I get up from the armchair to get a glass of water, when I come back, Billy is in my spot. If I get up in the middle of the night to tend to the baby, when I come back, Billy is on my pillow.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: After having two cats for seven years, we turned their lives upside-down in 2005 when we brought home a kitten, Lucy. Though Billy is very affectionate with us, he is not fond of strangers, so we thought he would not take it well. As it turned out, low-key Spencer lost his mind for two weeks, growling constantly, and Billy just rolled with the punches, treating Lucy with either indifference or kindness, depending on his mood.

QUIRKIEST MOMENT: Billy loves to roll around on concrete, on the rare occasions he gets to go outside. In 2005, he apparently got the same feeling from our recently renovated bathroom floor, which you can see in this video:

IF BILLY HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE:  If I trust you, you have my undying affection. If I don't, you won't even see me.

Photo by Sarah Kelber

See more photos of Billy here.

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NAME: Lexicon (or Lexi, for short)

NICKNAMES: She had already been "Lexi" 4 years when I got her. I didn't want to confuse her by calling her something altogether different, but 'Lexi' was so common. Lexicon fit. Nowadays she'll respond to Lex, Lexi, Lexicon, or Bump (as in the oft spoken, "look out for the speed bump" or "there's a bump in my bed!").

OWNER: Felicia Savage

HOW THEY MET: I was in the market for an adult Sheltie to make nice with my mother's, who would only tolerate dogs her own breed. When I first met her, Lexi was still active in the dog-show circuit, but her irregular monthly cycles made her a good candidate for early retirement. Her owner, a local breeder, approved of my request and agreed to let her go. She and Sheba hit it off, and Lexi's enjoyed being a companion animal since!

AGE: 8

HOME: Baltimore

BREED: Shetland Sheepdog

BEST TRICK: Twirling. She did this whenever treats were brought out. It took only a quick lesson to have her spinning on command.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Stopping on the street so that passersby may pet her (or laying in the middle of the office belly-up while visiting work). No one needs love like the Lex.

FAVORITE FOOD: I try not to give her scraps, but she's been known to run off with a mouthful of bread if I turn my back on it.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: The day after a drenching downpour, Lexi's lingering wet-dog aroma had become so particularly awful, she couldn't stand it herself. Mouthing her morning breath mint to wet it, she dropped it to the ground and threw herself onto it, rolling the scent (and the stickiness) into her fur. Suffice it to say, it didn't help (except to inspire a bath that evening).

MORE ABOUT LEXI: She's a recent addition to our regional Pets on Wheels volunteer team, has an unusual attraction to bully breeds, and enjoys pausing whatever movie I'm watching by sitting on the remote.

IF LEXICON HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: "A little to the left, please?"

Photos by Felicia Savage

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NAME: Roo

OWNER: Kristin Gormus and Brian Bauer

HOW THEY MET: Our friend has her older brother Mojo, and we loved to play with him and thought he was adorable. So we didn’t waste any time when there was another litter.

AGE: 4 months

HOME: Baltimore

BREED: Australian Shepherd

BEST TRICK: Hmmm, still working on that! So far it’s just sit, down, come and sometimes Paw.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Chasing the ducks and rabbits outside our house. And barking at the kitchen mop.

FAVORITE FOOD: Besides eating the carpet? She likes Puppy Pop-corn.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Her trying to eat a lime slice… She runs up and licks it, then flings it across the room, then runs over to it to bark at it and rolls around in circles on the ground because she is excited about the taste! This lasts a good half hour. 

A FEW OTHER THINGS: She snores and runs in her sleep. And she loves the water!

IF ROO HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: To taste everything life has to offer!

Photo by Kristin

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Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
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NAME: Sydney

OWNER: Marge Neal

HOW THEY MET: Syd was a stray frequenting an apartment complex in Rosedale, and a friend of mine told me about her. Someone cut about a third of her tail off and the tips of both ears. She is slow to trust, but 100 percent committed once she does trust someone.

AGE: 10

HOME: Frederick

BREED: Domestic shorthair

BEST TRICK: Tracking the elusive sunbeam

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Sleeping, purring

FAVORITE FOODS: Ice cream, cheese and grilled salmon

FUNNIEST MOMENT: The picture above will attest … I took a new job that was 65 miles from home. I packed a bag and spent a couple of days each week in the new town, which broke Syd’s heart. One morning, I threw my bag up on the bed to pack and walked into another room for something. I came back to find her in the bag....The message was obvious — and a heartbreaker.

AN EMPATHETIC CAT: She’s very intuitive and knows when I don’t feel well. She’s extra affectionate and cuddles when I’m sick.

IF SYDNEY HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Have sunbeam, will sleep.

Photo by Marge Neal

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NAME: Peapod

OWNERS: Dave Rich & Mary Madden

HOW THEY MET: A breeder in Hagerstown

AGE: 3.5 years

HOME: Roland Park. She is better known than we are!

BREED: Chihuahua

BEST TRICK: Rolling around on her food and tossing it in the air

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Playing "golf ball"

FAVORITE FOOD: Potato chips. Her first taste of chips occurred when Mary turned away from her at the Roland Park 4 of July parade in 2005. Children gathered around and started feeding her potato chips.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: When she gets together with her boyfriend, Masen, they are completely out of control -- chasing each other and ferocious playing.

THREE THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT PEAPOD: 1. She fervently dislikes children under age 10, especially little boys.

2. Peapod earned her name as a young puppy when she peed on the carpet twice before 7 one morning.

3. We try to take her everywhere with us. She LOVES going places; alas, she has gotten us thrown out on a number of occasions.

IF PEAPOD HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Cute, mean & loud, love me for I am proud!

Photo by Mary Madden

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Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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NAME: Sadie Boo Boo Longacre

HOW SHE GOT HER NAME: I got Sadie when she was a 3 1/2 lb puppy at 8 weeks. I did not realize that the AKC papers required several names and there was deadline to send it in. I was going out of town and asked my ex-husband to fill it out in a hurry and mail the paperwork. You can imagine my surprise when her formal AKC papers came back with "Boo Boo" as her middle name!!

(Maybe that is why he is my ex?!!)

OWNER: Sue Longacre

HOW THEY MET: I found her in an ad in the Washington Post from a breeder in Southern Maryland. The breeder changed her mind after posting the ad for the LAST puppy of the litter (and the runt too!), but I showed up and convinced her that Sadie would have a wonderful life with me....living on a boat in DC and a log cabin in WV and going to work with me every day!

AGE: 13

HOME: Annapolis

BREED: Long-Haired Miniature Dachshund

BEST TRICK: Her best trick is LOOKING CUTE! Besides that she can sit up and "look pretty."

FAVORITE ACTIVITIES: Her favorite activities are going to work with me. She sits ON my desk and looks out the window  (as shown in the photo) and when she is not doing that she is reading the Dachshund book on my desk or snoozing UNDER the desk in her foo foo burgundy velvet dog bed! She also LOVES to ride in the rear window of my Jaguar and often sleeps there. People often think she is a stuffed dog in my rear window and when she wakes up and looks at them, people pull up to me on the road and wave and honk their car horn and SMILE!

FAVORITE FOOD: ICE CREAM (her first flavor was Bubble Gum ice cream and so for years she used to sneak in my purse and find gum and chew it!) Cottage cheese is another favorite. She can understand the spelling of BOTH of those words. But any human food is her favorite food.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: The funniest moment (but could have been tragic) of Sadie's life is when she was sitting on the porch swing with me on the patio of my SECOND floor condo. This squirrel used to torment her by running up and down a tree about 5 feet from the rail of the patio. One day she had enough of the squirrel's torment and JUMPED off the balcony to catch it and fell 20 feet to the ground. My heart sank as I jumped up to look over the patio rail, and she was already up and running after the squirrel and almost caught it!! (I took her to the vet...one broken rib and cracked diaphragm.)

HER QUIRK: She LOVES pillows. She will pile up all the pillows on a bed and plop herself down for a nap.

IF SADIE HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: "You can never have too many fluffy pillows!"

Photo by Sue Longacre

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

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NAME: Jumpie Johnson  

HOW SHE GOT HER NAME: She can jump very high.

OWNER: Marci Johnson

HOW THEY MET: Found her wandering our neighborhood about five years ago, and we could not find anyone in the area who was missing her. She's been with us ever since.

AGE: Approximately 7 years old 

HOME: Baltimore

BREED: Standard Schnauzer mix

BEST TRICK: Speak

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Playing with our new puppy

FAVORITE FOOD: Any sort of treat, and my daughter's plastic toys and pencils

FUNNIEST MOMENT: I don't know that it's "funny," but we were discussing adopting a Schnauzer when she came strolling into our lives -- very strange!

IF JUMPIE HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Jump high, sleep often.

Photo by Marci Johnson at the Maryland SPCA 's March for the Animals

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

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NAME: Camden (Yes -- after Camden Yards)

OWNER: Sarah Brostrom

HOW THEY MET: I wanted to adopt a dog. I searched for puppy mills, adoption shelters, rescues etc. When I came across a puppy mill in PA., I decided, spur of the moment, to hop in my car and rescue a puppy. When I got there, I didn’t even need to look. I walked in a barn of screaming munchkin puppies. And second cage on my right, there he was…his face smooshed up against the cage; his body was shaking, and he gave me that “please get me out of here” look. Needless to say, he was mine.

AGE: 2

HOME: Catonsville

BREED: Australian Cattle Dog/Beagle mix

BEST TRICK: Rolls over, then slaps you five!

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: He Loves Water! He loves Quiet Waters Dog Park. He actually thinks he owns it.

FAVORITE FOOD: Pro Treat -- Freeze-Dried Liver Training Treats. He gets so excited when he knows I have them that he will be in a completely different room by himself rolling over and over and over until he is noticed.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: He is a little scared of new things in his environment, especially when he was a pup. On Halloween, when he was around 10 months old, we decided to get pumpkins to bring home to carve. When we got home, we brought the pumpkins in and set them on the coffee table so we could let him out of his crate. He came running down the hallway so happy. That was until he saw the “evil” pumpkins. In his eyes… they were the most terrifying thing he ever encountered. He stopped immediately in his tracks and got in his “herding” mode. He crept up to them in an extreme slow motion until he was, in his mind, at a “safe” distance, which was about 5 feet away. He took a quick sniff then immediately made a beeline back down the hallway screaming. Until we carved the pumpkins later that night, to avoid them, he walked with his body completely pressed against the wall to get from point A to B, and did his best to avoid eye contact with them

He did the same thing at Christmas when he saw the Christmas tree stand. Surprisingly, he wasn’t scared when he saw the actual tree in it. Just the stand was terrifying to him.

NINE THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT CAMDEN:...

Continue reading "Collared today: Camden" »

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NAME: Zara

OWNER: Simon T

HOW THEY MET: Inauguration Day during the break while our new president was having lunch, I surfed the web and found her. She was flown from St. Louis 2 weeks later.

AGE: Born 12/04/08

HOME: Baltimore

BREED: OES (Old English Sheepdog)

BEST TRICK: Being cute

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: People watching

FAVORITE FOOD: Chicken

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Give her a carrot and she plays with it, tossing it in the air and chasing it round the yard until she eats it.

WHAT YOU PROBABLY DON'T KNOW ABOUT OLD ENGLISH SHEEPDOGS: Old English Sheepdogs are one of the most docile and loving dogs around. Inbred herding comes with the dog, and as they grow, your calves will be nipped to keep you in line. The long fur acts as an insulator in both hot and cool weather, and yes even with all the fur over the face, they can see very well. They start life as black and white and slowly turn to either a grey or blue grey and white. Best of all, the dog does not molt, so no hair all over the place.

IF ZARA HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Devotion

Photo by Simon T

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

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Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (3)
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NAME: Foxy

OWNER: Holly Crawford-Seay & Jay Seay

HOW THEY MET: After many months of pleading, Jay gave in and said that we could have a dog. However, he did have a few specifications: a female that would be sociable with cats (we have twin tabbies). I was adamant that we have a pit bull because I love the breed and was very familiar with their behavior. Jay had limited experience with the breed, so he left the decision-making up to me. So, after months of searching for the perfect dog, I paid a visit to the MD SPCA after spotting Foxy on their website. From the moment we met, I knew she was our baby. She was only seven months old, still a puppy and surrounded by larger and more vocal dogs. We didn’t even realize she knew how to bark until we got her home!

AGE: 20 months

HOME: Charles Village

BREED: Pit bull mix

BEST TRICK: While we’ve never had Foxy formally trained, she is very good at "sit" and "stay." However, Foxy is a natural trickster. She greets family and friends with a friendly and recognizable "Awhooo," which she can perform on command.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Chewing on Holly’s tennis shoes, cuddling on the big, blue couch, inciting her dog park friends to chase her (she loves to run), licking all the peanut butter out of her Kong, and car rides (lots of car rides).

FAVORITE FOOD: Pasta, and she looks heartbroken if you don’t share a small forkful with her -- the tips of her ears droop. She also loves carrots.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: After a particular rainy night, we went to the dog park to let Foxy run off some steam (she loves mud). Foxy was running so hard that she lost traction and when she went to stop, she skidded and flipped over (tail over head) into the muddiest mud puddle to date! She came up smiling if not slightly bemused. She got a bath that night.

HER CARING WAY: Shortly before my Grandmother passed away in March, we took Foxy to visit her in Hospice Care. My grandmother had always loved dogs and was excited to see Foxy. Foxy can be stand-offish around people she doesn’t know, but on this particular day she had a special mission: Cheer up Grandma! Because of her disposition, we are now looking into certifying Foxy as a therapy dog.

A CAT CUDDLER: Foxy loves animals that are smaller than she is (possibly since she’s on the small side herself). She cannot get enough of cuddling with my cat. 

IF FOXY HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Seize the Shoe!

Photo by Holly Crawford-Seay

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

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Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
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NAME: Zoe Watson

OWNER: Barbara Watson

HOW THEY MET: Zoe escaped her first home and pretended to be lost so she would be taken to the Maryland SPCA. She waited there to be rescued.

AGE: 5 (in human years)

HOME: Parkville

BREED: Some kind of terrier and something else fast (maybe doberman)

BEST TRICK: The sit/paw/back-flip/sit combo. Just hold the treat without giving it to her and she'll go through the whole routine.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Chasing the tennis ball, chasing the tennis ball, chasing the tennis ball, chasing the squirrel, chasing the tennis ball...

FAVORITE FOOD: The last bite of her mom’s dinner and Frosty Paws in the summer.

FUNNIEST MOMENT: When she was first adopted, Zoe was crated during the day. She made her displeasure known by pulling a warm, cozy bathrobe through the tiny holes of the crate until it was just a big pile of unrecognizable fuzz. She also ate about 25 crate pads and mats. Now she has her own room with a window seat, and the carnage has ended.

SHE'S TOUGH ON TOYS: Zoe can de-fluff any stuffed dog toy in less than 20 minutes. Toys rated as indestructible generally go the quickest.

HER PERFECT SUNDAY: She and her cousin Ellie love their Sunday morning trips to McDonald's before hiking at Loch Raven.

IF ZOE HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Never bite the hand that rubs your belly.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
Categories: Collared
        

NAME: Mookie

OWNERS: George and Martha

HOW THEY MET:  Where exactly he was born is not clear, but on an afternoon in early May, 1987, an orange and white long-haired puff ball eight weeks old was selected from a caged kitten threesome at the New Bedford, Massachusetts animal shelter, as he showed a promise of greatness. He could bathe in a coffee mug, but what spirit. After 19 years in Maryland he has lost most of the New England accent, and as he was named for a New York Mets outfielder who played a key role in the catastrophic undoing of the Boston Red Sox in the autumn before he was born, has been grateful to get onto more neutral ground.

AGE: 22

HOME: Baltimore County

BREED: Domestic longhair/miniature lion

BEST TRICK: At 22 years old there's supposed to be a trick? How about breathing on a more or less regular basis?

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Facing the not imminent but yet surely approaching shadow of the Grim Reaper with a nonchalant swish of his shaggy and matted tail (will not suffer the brushing), a slow blink and a profound question: Where's the food?

FAVORITE FOOD: Fancy Feast and gin martinis

FUNNIEST MOMENT: Years ago at a Friars Club roast for Richard Belzer. You had to be there.

WATCH THE TAIL: Don't go anywhere near  the once-bushy tail with a brush or any other grooming equipment, and don't say we didn't warn you.

IF MOOKIE HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Get a human, even a short one. They're relatively clean and easily controlled.

Photo courtesy of George and Martha

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NAME: Kittay

NICKNAMES: Kitty, Hello Kitty

OWNER: Richard Howell

HOW THEY MET: He was abandoned by a previous owner and just kept hanging around until I adopted him.

AGE: 6?

HOME: Broad Ripple, Indiana

BREED: Domestic Short Hair

BEST TRICK : Very well mannered.  No need for a catbox, he uses nature's catbox, rain or shine, summer or winter.

FAVORITE ACTIVITY: Taking a nap in your lap on colder days.

FAVORITE FOOD: Anything meat, but high-quality commercial cat food is his staple.

IF KITTAY HAD A MOTTO FOR LIFE, IT WOULD BE: Live and let live.

Photo by Richard Howell

To see other pets that have been featured in Collared, click here.

Want your pet to be featured in Unleashed? Click here to download the Collared questionnaire. Fill it out and email it to us, along with a web-sized jpeg, at unleashed@baltsun.com.

Posted by Mary Corey at 6:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
Categories: Collared