Happy Tails

Penelopee

Penny was so scared and unsocialized when she came to Herding Haven that she would urinate whenever anyone approached her (hence her name: Penelopee).  Today Penny is living with a loving family and, while still a bit timid with strangers, no longer cowers or urinates from fear.  She has a little girl to play with and a wonderful yard to run in (see pictures).  According to her forever family, Penny loves to fetch tennis balls (and is learning how to return them not just run away with them!).  She has mastered some basic commands and is really coming out of her shell.  

Louie=Love

Louie was rescued by Herding Haven from a rural Utah shelter where he was scheduled to be euthanized, a sad ending for a dog whose beginning was not much better.  Louie was confiscated from his "owner" by the shelter because of abuse and neglect.  He spent most of his first year of life chained up outside.  But now, Louie is in a loving, forever home. He has a new sister, Charlotte, and a couple of feline companions.  Louie's new mom says that it was love at first sight for her and Charlotte.  Louie is the perfect example of how dogs are so able to forgive and forget.  Despite his difficult start to life he is extremely sweet and a super cuddler.  He is even helping cure Charlotte of her phobia of strangers, because Louie loves everyone.  In turn, Charlotte has taught Louie how to bark! 

No Vision? No Problem

Blue was literally on the brink of death when he came to Herding Haven.  Suffering from a rare (well rare in Utah) tick borne illness, Blue was malnourished, anemic, and dehydrated.  The disease also caused a form of corneal atrophy that left him with little to no vision.  On top of all that, he had mange.  

But, all of that is in the past.  

Blue has recovered from his disease and has found a wonderful home which he shares with two adults, two kids, two cats and two other dogs.  The other thing that Blue has miraculously recovered is his eyesight.  The medical community cannot explain it; but little by little the scar tissue that covered his eyes has been fading away.  He now has almost completely normal vision in one eye and his other eye is starting to show through as well.  But vision or no vision; the future is clear and bright for Blue! 

Dog is my Copilot 

Andie not only found her forever home; but, a cool new pair of shades to go along with it!  Andie is a lethal white Aussie who Herding Haven rescued from the Draper shelter.  Andie has visual impairment and her light color eyes are very sensitive to the light.  So her new mom bought her a pair of "doggles"--specialty goggles made just for dogs.  Andie takes them in stride like everything else in life.  Andie is enjoying being spoiled by her new mom and has become quite attached to her two feline siblings (and they are tolerating her!).  Andie's mom takes her running and/or walking twice a day, every day and says Andie has motivated her to get back into running.  A truly happy tail for Andie! 

Asta (aka: Maddie; aka: The Nugget)

All Signs Point to a Bright Future!

Asta (aka: Maddie; aka: "The Nugget") was surrendered to Herding Haven by her family when they found out she was deaf. Luckily Asta's new family-- her "forever family"-- doesn't mind that she can't hear; they love her regardless!   Asta was named after one of the most famous canine celebrities of all time and she shares her home with two canine sisters (one of which came from Herding Haven), a canine brother (Blue--a visually impaired border collie, also from Herding Haven), and two feline companions (one who is deaf just like Asta!).  Asta's human family is very active and take their furry "kids" everywhere with them.  Asta absolutely worships her big sister Lilly and dreams (whilst sleeping in her toy box) about growing up to be just like her!  And the best part is that Asta lives close by Herding Haven so she regularly for play dates with her former foster brother and sisters!

Rusty

A senior Aussie who was dumped at a shelter by his owner because he was "too old", Rusty was rescued by Herding Haven and is now living out his golden years where most seniors could only dream to retire, San Diego CA.  Rusty now spends his days walking along the beach with his new guardian and a golden/chow mix sister and his nights sleeping in a big, soft comfy bed.  His new family has nicknamed him "Curiousl George" because he loves to explore and get into everything.  They absolutely adore Rusty and can't imagine how anyone could have abandoned him.  The recently bought him a dog tag that reads, "Never too old".  So, true!  Rusty's golden years are definitely going to be golden! 

Kip

Some things are worth the wait!

Kip was rescued from a local shelter at about 6 months of age.  Originally found as a stray, Kip clearly had had very little interaction with people and what interaction he had was clearly not good.  Bordering on feral, Kip would dart away and cower from anyone trying to approach him.  It took a long time and lots of patience in his foster home to bring Kip out of his shell.  And, even though Kip became more or less comfortable with his foster mom, meeting new people continued to pose a challenge for him which made meet-and-greets and trial adoptions very difficult (and mostly unsuccessful).  He went on several of both and every time  was returned with the same comment, "he seems sweet but he's just so afraid of everything; it just won't work".  We were starting to think that Kip would never find his forever home (as it is, he holds the record as the longest foster resident of Herding Haven!). And then, one day, in late August Kip met MacKenzie, Christian and Harley.  It wasn't necessarily love at first sight (except, maybe for Harley) and it was a bit of a rocky start; but, MacKenzie and Christian were willing to take a chance on Kip. (Harley was ecstatic!)  Their kindness, patience and perseverance paid off and Kip has blossomed in their care.  He now comes to them and "asks" for attention (vs running away when they try to give it to him); he runs, hikes and snowshoes off leash with them (and happily comes back when called).  Kip shares his home with Harley (a high energy Visla mix) and a cat whom he adores.  He gets to run every day (he's helping his dad train for a spring marathon), hike with a dog walker (and his favorite gal pal Harley) several times a week and on the weekends the whole family takes an outdoor adventure.  Kip really hit the jackpot; his forever home was definitely worth the wait!

A [Sterling] Silver Lining...

Nick was "found" in Sterling Utah wandering the streets and brought to a volunteer with Waggontrain rescue. His picture was posted on facebook and someone who knew of Nick and his "story" contacted waggontrain to provide the details. Nick's owner had died unexpectedly almost 2 years prior--his body was not found for 3 days. When people went in the house, Nick escaped and remained elusive for the next two years. People would spot him but no one could catch him. Until one day this past January; it was as if he just got tired of running. He came to Herding Haven a tired, broken and extremely shut down dog. The only thing that seemed to bring a light to his eyes and spring to his step was our daily walks. He loved walks. Fast forward to two weeks ago. I was contacted by a couple--Derek and Moira up in Park City who had just lost their beloved border collie x lab named Buddy and were interested in meeting Niccolo. They proceeded to tell me Buddy's story which had an uncanny ring to it...Apparently, 2 years ago, Buddy's owner (who lived in their condo complex) died rather unexpectedly. The residents in the condo complex did not want to take Buddy to the shelter so they took turns feeding and letting him out while they tried to figure out a solution. Buddy was traumatized by his owners death and was very depressed and shut down. One day, Buddy decided to go for a walk with Derek and when they finished the walk, Buddy sauntered right into Derek's condo where he lived out the rest of his life with Derek and Moira. Derek explained to me that he was able to bond with Buddy through their daily walks! When I told Derek how much Niccolo loved his walks, we both felt it could be a good match. Niccolo went on a trial adoption last Friday and Derek and Moira made the adoption final today! I also learned today that Derek and Moira are originally from a tiny town in Scotland called Sterling. :-)

Home is where the Heart Is! 

We couldn't resist the heart mention when posting the happy tail for Dory. This little miracle girl has found her forever home and we couldn't be more excited and happy for her! Dory's history is similar to many of the dogs rescued by Herding Haven . Deaf and abandoned at the shelter with a broken leg that healed incorrectly and a congenital heart defect, this little girl's future was anything but bright. But, through community support, funds were raised for heart surgery. She survived the difficult surgery only to develop a severe infection at the incision site. But, this little fighter was not going to let an infection stop her. She recovered from that and the search began for her forever home. Now, don't let Dory's petite and adorable appearance fool you...she can be as naughty as she is cute. Typical to her Border Collie x Aussie mix, she is smart and always looking for trouble! During the week of her trial adoption she destroyed a set of wooden blinds (she just wanted a better view of the outside world from the window), got into the dog food bin and consumed about a weeks worth of food, broke an antique cookie jar filled with dog treats on the counter, jumped up on the stove and ate a pot of chicken stock, and brought down a bag of flour and emptied it's contents all over the kitchen floor! But, her new family is used to herding dog antics and has A LOT of patience (and a good sense of humor!) They love Dory and are up for the challenge of living with a special needs dog. Dory shares her new home with an Aussie sister (Bear) and two cats.

Out of the darkness and into the light!  

Luca was rescued from a shelter in Elko NV at the tender age of 12 weeks.  He was terrified of people and the world around him; likely due to lack of socialization as during the formative weeks of his life.  He was so frightened that when the shelter attendants were actually able to catch him he would scream bloody murder and urinate and defecate all over himself. He spent the first two days at Herding Haven in his crate occasionally peaking his head out and then quickly darting it back in like a turtle. Patience, kindness and lots of encouragement (and some help from his foster brothers and sisters-- especially Forrest) brought this little boy out of his shell and now he has found his forever home! Happy endings like these are what make it all worthwhile! Thank you Josh for opening your heart and your home to little Luca. You won't regret it! He is an amazing little guy.

Sammy

Chances are...

Sammy's life has been defined by chances-- picked up as a stray, he was labeled aggressive by the shelter and was scheduled to be euthanized.  A rescue placement was his only (and last) chance.  Thankfully, one of the shelter staff decided to give him a second chance and contacted Herding Haven.   After just an hour with Sammy, we realized that his "aggression" was born out of fear (and a lack of socialization).  So, we set out working on that using behavioral training techniques.  Sammy was in foster care with Herding Haven for just a few short weeks when Allison decided to take a chance on Sammy.  Despite all efforts to make the transition to his potential new home smooth and seamless, the trial adoption got off to a rocky start.  Sammy spent the first 12 hours in his new home hidden under Allison's coffee table growling at her.  Not one to be easily deterred, Allison worked (and continues to work) through his issues.  Through her love, devotion and dedication Sammy has grown into an amazing dog, trusty companion and eager backpacking partner!  Herding Haven is indebted to Allison for her willingness to take a chance on Sammy and give Sammy a chance at a truly happy tail!

Yoshi & Takashi

Double Your Pleasure, Double Your Fun!

Yoshi and Takashi are what are known as "Double Merle's", the result of breeding two blue Merle's together.  As is often the case with Double Merles's, Yoshi and Takashi are deaf and visually impaired.  But, their disabilities don't get these twin brothers down! In fact, they are about the happiest pups that ever came through Herding Haven rescue (and also the naughtiest!).  Kevin and his wife Cassandra, met the brothers when they were about 4 months old and fell in love with both; but felt they could really only handle one.  So, they adopted Yoshi.  The brothers continued to have play dates until a new job took Yoshi and his family to Las Vegas.  Poor little Takashi went on a couple of trial adoptions that failed and it looked like he may never find his forever home.  But, unbeknownst to Herding Haven, Kevin and Cassandra were following Takashi's trial and tribulations on facebook and, during a return visit to Salt Lake, decided to take Takashi home!  The reunion of the two brothers was priceless!  These two boys play constantly and get into all sorts of mischief!  They are enjoying their new home and life in Las Vegas (although they aren't particularly fond of the regular sunscreen applications on their little pink noses) and truly embody the notion that two is infinitely better than one!