Happy Tails

HAPPY TAILS: Nikki Goes Home!

Nikki, (ADOPTED) is happily living in Pacifica with a new cattle dog sister to play with. She is enjoying hikes and exploring the great outdoors with her new family. Sounds like fun Nikki!

Nikki is a young, red border collie/cattledog mix, is a gorgeous girl who needs a calm and quiet forever home. She is a gentle girl who will need a non-chaotic environment to let her heal and restore her spirits.

This girl probably has had very little, if any, love in her lifetime, until now. She loves her new name, Nikki! She gets all bouncy and happy, and will come springing like a gazelle as if she can't believe that you want to see her! She is very fast and loves to race around...a very high energy girl. She is hesitant with strangers and will cower when she hears loud noises or voices. But once she knows she won't be hurt, she makes friends easily. She gets along with dogs as she had nearly 15 other house mates, while she was being nursed back to health. She likes toys and will run with them, but has no idea what "fetch" is. She needs a soft-spoken and dog-savvy home. No kids would be best for her, unless they are older and gentle.

Everything is new for this girl. She is crate trained, only in the sense that at her first foster, her crate was only for sleeping and resting; and her door always remained open. She needs to run and is not a dog who would appreciate being cooped up in an apartment or house with little or no yard. She loves soft cuddles and gives appreciative kisses. No rough-housing from a person, but she plays with other dogs and vocalizes while she does. Makes a bunch of different noises...just her way!

HAPPY TAILS: Fiona Finds A Home!

Fiona was found in the garden area of a Lowe's Home Improvement store, trying to follow people and being shoo'd away. The guardian angel who rescued her, called her over, opened the door to her car and let Fiona do the rest. Fiona happily hopped into her car and went home to her new foster life, where she showed to be quiet and shy, perhaps a little bit unsure of herself. She bonded quickly with her people, becoming a little shadow and when she realized that she was safe, began to relax and become more confident. A sweet, little soul, Fiona is now in her forever home!

HAPPY TAILS: Roscoe Adopted!

ROSCOE (ADOPTED) has been adopted by his foster mom! His new name is Benny!

Thank you everyone for your terrific response to our request to help Roscoe! He is currently doing great. He has a menagerie of playmates! Our guy will get a re-check at the orthopedic surgeon's in a month to determine next steps at that time.

Roscoe, very narrowly escaped gastrointestinal surgery for a blockage. After being given barium and several x-rays, Roscoe finally pooped 48 hour later! (Who would have thought we would be celebrating poop!). He is now eating, drinking, and pooping fine!

Although we avoided G.I. surgery, we did run up a whopping veterinary bill for all of Roscoe's constant vet care and diagnostic work over five days.

Roscoe, who came to us with a broken leg, began going downhill almost immediately after he arrived. Several people gently recommended that we let him go, because of the combined cost of emergency G.I. surgery, as well as the surgery needed for his leg. Although it is poor business sense for our organization, we did make a promise to care for Roscoe when we rescued him, and felt we couldn't abandon him for financial reasons.

The evening we contacted the shelter to rescue him, he was on "the list" to be put down the next morning, with no other options except HITTGV. He is a gorgeous, happy, approximately 9 month old boy, who is full of life and loves people, but his injured front leg was likely the reason no one would take him. A few people who saw this sweet guy at the shelter begged us to save him. We knew his bad leg would cost us extra money, and we were prepared to spend it to give this great young dog a new start on life.

An x-ray revealed an old elbow dislocation with arthritis and possible fracture. Our vet recommended amputation, which will cost approximately $1,000+. Now, on top of that, we have nearly $1,000 more in costs associated with all the procedures to stabilize him, care for him, and diagnose his G.I. issue.

Please help us pay for all of Roscoe's much needed procedures! Any amount would be greatly appreciated, and will help us get Roscoe back on the road to a full life. If everyone who reads this contributes a little - even $5 or $10 - for Roscoe, we should hopefully collect enough to pay for much of his veterinary costs.

As a federally approved 501(c)(3), non-profit organization, donations to our rescue are tax deductible. We will keep you updated on this little guy's progress! Please share this plea, and help us obtain donations for Roscoe. To donate to Roscoe's fund, please click the Donate button below. If you prefer to write a check, please mail it to: Herd It Through The Grapevine, P.O. Box 9585, Santa Rosa, CA 95405.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and for any help you may be able to provide!

HAPPY TAILS: Aureus Finds A Forever Home

Aureus (now named Sperry) was very shy when he arrived at HITTGV and didn't warm easily to a lot of dogs and most men. However when he met potential Dad-to-be Jessie it was a different story warming up to him minutes after they met. Aureus also met Jessie and Sandy's female dog (a cattle dog as well) and surprisingly enough, the two seemed comfortable enough together that everyone was encouraged that this could be a match. Jessie and Sandy adopted Aureus the following day and after a happy reunion with his new sister, he relaxed and became much less shy, seeming to flourish immediately in his new environment. We were afraid it would take a long time for Aureus to come out of his shell, but the happy ending to this story proves once again that being in the right environment means all the difference in the world for some dogs. For Aureus, the perfect home was one with a playful sister and two very nurturing people. And he now seems to be a very happy and well adjusted boy indeed!

HAPPY TAILS: Badger Goes Home!

alt Badger (Adopted!) is a fun loving character, with a zest for life! We were told that he is about 18 months old, but he has the lively, playful personality and energy of a young pup. This guy is super happy, playful, and loves people. He is eager to meet people, with the expectation of playing. He is extremely attentive, has great eye contact, and will stay with you when off leash. As a typical cattle dog, Badger is very loving and will bond closely with his people. He also has lots of energy and loves to use it chasing and fetching the ball, although he does have a problem committing to which ball! Click here to see proof!

Badger weighs about 40 lbs. and has the soft coat of a semi-adult pup. Badger has learned several commands (sit, down, come, etc.). He now walks well on leash, and has calmed down and learned quite a bit since we have gotten him. He is also house trained and is good with cats.

Badger will need lots of physical and mental exercise. He is a very smart boy and took just a few tries to learn to use a doggie door. He loves toys of all kinds. Badger is excellent at playing catch and fetching tennis balls that are thrown a long distance. He is learning to sit calmly in anticipation of chasing a far flung tennis ball. After he has had several good runs, Badger will calm down and become much more receptive to training and commands.

Badger will need very consistent training in how to be polite and to control his excitement. This boy will need someone who is experienced with cattle dogs and positive training, with calm authority.

Being a cattle dog – or heeler - Badger has a tendency to be very mouthy and nippy. His foster dad has taught him not to jump up on people or use his mouth to get attention. He now greets people calmly and stays on all fours.

In summary, Badger is a terrific, but still very young, diamond in the rough. He needs someone willing to give him the attention and playtime he craves, mixed in with the patient, consistent training he needs. Due to his high energy, he would do best on country property, and/or in an active household. We do not recommend Badger for families with small children, because of his mouthiness, and possible desire to jump up on people when excited. Badger will need someone who can give him ongoing and consistent training on appropriate behavior.

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