Bay Area PBFers

[heartbullies]

Do you, or your friends or family, want a Poodle? How about a schnoodle, an Australian Terrier, a Doberman, a Great Pyrenees, a Rottweiler, or a German Shepherd? Or, of course, a pit bull or a Chihuahua?

Every shelter I've been to in the last week is packed. FULL. Fuller than I have seen them, resulting in some shelters keeping night drop boxes locked, turning away stray animals, halting owner surrenders, or instructing Animal Control Officers not to pick up any stray dogs. Without a lot of adoptions, or owners reclaiming their dogs, or a lot of euthanasia of these unwanted animals, there is simply nowhere for the new mismanaged and unwanted animals to go.

Most Bay Area shelters temperament test stray dogs and put only the passing dogs up for adoption. Every shelter spays/neuters them, microchips them, and vaccinates them. The total fees are low-- you can adopt a Chihuahua during the special adoption event through the end of December at Oakland Animal Services for $25, and that cost includes spay/neuter surgery, a set of vaccinations, and a microchip. There is also a blue Doberman listed on their website (who appears to have a full fur coat) and a ton of Chihuahuas!

Berkeley Animal Control Services also has tons of small-breed dogs, including purebred-appearing small dogs and a schnoodle, as well as multiple German Shepherds, and all dogs are $100 to adopt.

Contra Costa Animal Services has two shelters, a small one in Pinole and a very large one in Martinez. It takes under 40 minutes to drive from Oakland to the Martinez shelter. Not only do they frequently have exotics and tropical birds for adoption, they have some standout pit bulls and a ton of different dog breeds-- I have seen Cavaliers, Pugs, and Mexican Hairless there in the past, and many Nordic and herding breeds. Currently they have 64 (!!) dogs that have passed behavioral evaluation and are available to adopt, with probably double that number still being held on stray holds, awaiting evaluation if unclaimed. I saw MANY, MANY small Poodles there up for adoption!

San Francisco Animal Care and Control has a stunning Pyr up for adoption! Also a Cockapoo and Min Pin!

San Jose Animal Control is also PACKED with tons of different breeds and types of dogs as well.

Merced and Stockton might be longer drives-- but Merced is where sweet Booker is from, and he was very, very worth that drive.

If someone is already considering adding a family member, now is the time to check the shelters around here. There are so many dogs of so many breeds and varieties available to choose from! Bringing home a dog that is not a good match for you is never a good idea, even if the dog was slated for euthanasia, but with so many types to choose from, hopeful adopters stand a good chance at finding just the right fit for their house.

For all adoptions, you should call the shelter first or check their website for the details. You will need to bring proof that you own your own property, or if you rent, you will need to bring proof that you are allowed to have the size or breed of dog that you are looking to bring home. Adopters will need to have their family meet the dog to make sure it's a good fit, and many shelters will do a dog-dog intro on neutral territory if there is already a resident dog.

Thank you in advance for spreading the word!

Check www.petharbor.com to see the dogs near you. Just put in your ZIP code, and you can search by breed, age, size, sex, and even color!

[FransterDoo]

oh thanks! I sent this to my friend's little sister that's shy but looking.

Also I'll forward the Doberman onto someone who does dobie rescue and has the land and the job to be able to often take in a foster.

[FransterDoo]

In case you see this before you check email, I've got some interest in the Doberman from a flyball/dock diving friend but she has a couple of questions.

She can pull as a rescue!

[heartbullies]

The Dobie is at OAS--- I didn't meet him but was surprised to see his nice coat with no color-related atopy!

There are like 10 small Poodles at Martinez that passed temp eval, also a pretty black and white young Great Dane there up for adoption.

There is a Schnoodle at Berkeley (and also a mini salt/pep Schnauzer) that might meet your friend's sisters' criteria though right now they are pretty vocal. If she can handle a terrier there are 2 purebred Australian terriers and a cute Pug mix, too.

And a million Chihuahuas and generic Chi-terrier mixes everywhere!

[FransterDoo]

There are like 10 small Poodles at Martinez that passed temp eval, also a pretty black and white young Great Dane there up for adoption.

There is a Schnoodle at Berkeley (and also a mini salt/pep Schnauzer) that might meet your friend's sisters' criteria though right now they are pretty vocal. If she can handle a terrier there are 2 purebred Australian terriers and a cute Pug mix, too.

And a million Chihuahuas and generic Chi-terrier mixes everywhere!

I'm possibly going to be in the city tomorrow and we're going to walk though ACC and I'm going to try and talk her into public transporting over to you since I know you'll point her to the ones that would be good for her.

Will give my friend the down-low on the Dobe and offer to go over there and check it out.

[FransterDoo]

So the good news is that NorCal Doberman Rescue is going to take the Dobie.

OAS has a number of really nice dogs in all shapes and sizes! There were even a couple of Chihuahua and Chi mixes that looked like a lot of fun - plus only $25 bucks.