Dear Santa

I got to meet this big hairy guy in a funny red suit, that humans call Santa. I was told you tell him every thing you want and he will bring it to you, if, you're good. Well, I'm good (most of the time) and I don't know if it's suppose to be a secret, but I asked Santa for a forever family that will love me and play with me and let me love them back with lots of couch sharing and wet kisses. I sure hope Santa can pull this off. Paws crossed.

Update From My Foster Home

We are really enjoying Zach's visit and he has done very well learning house rules. Zach continues to slowly add some needed weight onto his skinny frame. He loves to walk and would be good for a jogger/runner too (I think he is part greyhound in his mind). He no longer goes crazy when on leash, but still pulls a bit and we continue using different systems to find the "right one for him". The harness/no pull leash seems to work best and we are both very comfortable with that. He is learning "heal" and considering he has never walked on a leash, he is a fast learner.

Zach seems so young with puppy tendancies, I suspect he may not be quite a year old or has just turned one, recently. He gets so silly running around the yard and playing with all the toys, he'd be great in a family with kids or someone that likes to play. He is so eager to learn "tricks" and he loves to please people. We are still learning the basic commands, but he has mastered the "sit" command and he is able to lay down on a dog bed while we eat meals uninterrupted, which is a huge treat for us!

He is a wonderful and loving companion and we are hopeful that he will be with his forever family soon so he can share that love and joy with them.

Hi, I'm Zach!
Now pay close attention. Someday, you could be on the cover of a magazine.
I'm listening.
You mean like this one? I could be a Hunt'n dog? I feel like I fit right in. Don't I look like it?
Cassie and I run around the backyard for the tennis ball.


I have fun playing with Abe. He was an IBR dog that was adopted too.

I like tennis balls, stuffies, and anything else my mouth can fit around.
How many more pictures are you going to take? I'm getting tired.
I've learned to sit pretty.
Is this the pose you want?
Do I look like I'm interested in something?
A little tongue action.
I can pose like that too. See!
Nothing that a good meal won't fix. I'll be fit and trim in no time.

20 Day update

Great progress has been made in such a short period of time. Zach is an amazing, loving young boy. What a difference from the day I picked him up. You could see the pain and despair in his eyes. There was a special volunteer that stepped in at the shelter and took Zach under her angel wing. He was emaciated and throwing up even with nothing in his stomach. His skin appeared to be stretched across the frame of a skeleton while he wore a very scared look on his face that broke my heart. Just to look into his deepened eyes, made you cry.

He didn't seem to know anything other than a kennel so he quickly made that his safe place. I had a dog bed for him but he didn't know what to do with it so he would lay on the floor next to the bed. It didn't take long for him to figure out that a soft bed was better for his bony body than the hard floor.

His stomach was unable to handle very much food at once, so he ate many small meals during his first week with us. He is finally putting on some much needed weight but it will take some time for him to get up to his ideal weight. I am so grateful to the vulunteer that took such special care of him, for without her brining him extra food and her love, his health would have been much worse.

Zach now plays with our 2 dogs and even will initiate it. He also has been very respectful of the cats but we are still cautious. If they are just walking by or laying around he is fine, but if they run, his prey drive kicks in. Something that we are working on. He loves to play fetch and chew on stuffies and pig ears. Zach also likes to hold my hand in his mouth ever so gently and his new family will never need to bathe again with all of his puppy kisses. He's such a special boy and with lots of love, he will make your family and his complete.

Here Kitty Kitty.
Follow the leader.
Smile for the camera.
My room.

6 day update

Zach is doing excellent! Mr. Zach is finally eating like a truck-driver!! Yea! He loves yogurt in his food.

No signs of aggression w/ toys or his kennel (he lets Cassie and Abe wander in and he wags his tail). He has limited dog bed time and I completely ignore him unless he comes to me and asks for attention (and he does come over for lots of scratching and tummy rubs). He also gets treats for obeying commands (sitting and “kennel”) and is just starting to want to please us….progress!!

He may be ready to get on birds soon. He found our training dummy w/ pheasant feathers taped to it and was SUPER EXCITED! I can’t wait till he improves enough to get him on birds…he may have potential for someone willing to train a puppy.