Happy Tails

Wesley (ADOPTED!)was adopted by a very loving, nurturing family and will always have companionship! He has another cattle dog brother to play with, and Wesley has an easy job - to give loving support to his new teenage human sister!

He is one of the sweetest, most loving, gentle, loyal dogs we have come across! At the shelter where we got him from, he was a staff favorite. He is between 1-2 years old, and weighs 45 lbs. Wesley is an extremely sweet, happy boy, go-with-the-flow guy, who is great with other dogs and people.  More than anything in the world, he wants his own person/people to bond with and to be with forever. He would be the perfect dog for almost any home, except for a single tough issue - separation anxiety. We are seeking people who can and will have Wesley with someone all day, and who are experienced with, or willing to learn, how to slowly condition him to be calm when his people are not with him.  

As with the cattle dog/heeler breed, Wesley is very intelligent and very much wants to please you. It seems that in the past, no one taught him anything, but he is quickly picking up a few basic commands at his current foster home.

Wesley is moderate energy guy who just wants to lay at your feet if you are sitting around, and do whatever you are up for. If you let him, he would love to snuggle up to you. When outside, he is happy and playful, sometimes he will joyfully run laps around the yard. He also likes water and will splash around in the wading pool. Wesley loves all types of toys, especially the squeaky ones, and he loves to play fetch. He rides quietly and very nicely in the car. He takes treats with a gentle, soft mouth, and does NOT have any guarding behavior with food or toys.

With other dogs and cats, Wesley is very respectful. He is on the submissive side with other animals and will not challenge them. He wanted to play with a cat at his foster home, but got swatted, and now tries to avoid the cat. He is respectful of the cat, who now ambushes him from hiding places to swat him when he walks past.

Wesley was adopted three times from the shelter, because people fell in love with his sweetness and wonderfully personable, loving nature. He was returned to the shelter each time, because his adopters did not understand how to work with his panic and anxiety over being left alone. Wes is clearly terrified of being abandoned, and will become hysterically panicked if he believes that he is being left. He thinks each time someone walks away from him, or leaves him alone in a room, it will be forever. He will cry and scrape and chew to try and get to you. When he is with his people, he is the happiest, most contented dog in the world.  We are seeking loving and patient people, who are willing to begin showing him that each time they turn a corner or close a door, that they will be coming back. He needs to begin very short separations of 30 seconds, and working up to minutes, and eventually hours.

We all absolutely love and adore this dog!  He is a phenomenally wonderful soul, who will make the right person/people the best companion anyone could wish for. We believe that he may be an excellent emotional support dog for someone who needs a dog to be with them at all times. Wesley and his human would understand and could support each other, and slowly work to gain confidence together.  

Since his time at the shelter, Wesley has now been in four homes. He has been bounced around far too many times. He needs someone willing to commit months and years to him to show him that he will not be abandoned again, and enable him to feel he can trust and rely on his person/people to always return. We are seeking serious inquiries only.

If you are interested in meeting and possibly adopting or even fostering Wesley, please begin by completing our online adoption form at:  http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt.  Or if you have any questions, please contact Herd It Through The Grapevine at (707) 583-9583, or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Muppet (ADOPTED!) (Located near Merced, CA) is a very sweet, incredibly smart, loyal and loving girl. She is around 9 to 12 months old and weighs 30 lbs. More than anything, Muppet wants her own person/people to bond with. She is extremely affectionate and wants to stay close to her person.

She is calm and responds well to friendly people, and warms up quickly. At her vet visit, once in the exam room, where it was quiet, she was happy to meet the staff and veterinarian. Upon meeting, she gave the vet’s nose a lick, and the staff loved her. We have not seen her around many dogs, but Muppet seemed very sensible when meeting other dogs. When a huge dog rushed up to her and was in her face, she froze and did not respond. When in the same room with other calm dogs, she ignored them. She wants to mind her own business and doesn’t want any trouble.

Muppet is a very happy girl, with an engaging personality, and is as cute and charming as she can be. Her happy tail is up and waving most of the time. Besides being extremely smart, she very much wants to please her person. This makes for a fast learner. She picked up basic commands within minutes, and she is responding well to training and learning rules/structure at her foster home. She is currently doing well learning how to walk on leash. In a car, Muppet sits quietly in her seat. We suspect she was dumped from a car, as she is elated when, at the end of a car ride, she is back at her foster home.

Our girl will come when called and would make a great herder. Her foster says that she was joyful when she saw a cat, and began chasing. When her foster called out for her to stop, Muppet stopped chasing, and returned - proud and happy that she could show her herding stuff. With someone willing to teach her what they want, she has the potential to be a truly exceptional dog.

Still very much a pup, Muppet loves playing with all toys, and especially likes balls and squeaky toys. She likes to pick up her food dish and trot around while carrying it. Muppet has NOT shown any guarding behavior around her food or toys.

She wants human attention, affection, and would love to play all day long. Muppet can entertain herself, tossing and chasing her squeaky and chew toys. As a very young dog, she needs adopters who can give her a few good active sessions of exercise each day. She is very good in the house, and wants to stay close to her person. If you are at your desk, working, she will quietly sit at your feet. If you are on the sofa and watching TV, Muppet will come for attention. She tries to get you to interact with her, but she is not pushy about it. At night, she is content to sleep on a dog bed in the bedroom, to be near her person.

There is not a mean bone in this dog’s body, and she has shown incredible loyalty. Muppet was originally caught by someone who had seen her for nearly a week, at the same road intersection. She was hungry and very thirsty, taking food from but, avoiding strangers, and she would not leave that intersection. They believe that she was dumped at that location, and refused to leave, hoping her person would return for her. When Muppet was finally caught and lifted into the vehicle, she struggled out of fear but, never tried to bite.

Muppet is quiet most of the time. The only times she may bark are if she is happy and excitedly playing a game with you, or if she feels worried/anxious. She seems fine if left alone for a few hours. Muppet will rejoice and bounce around in celebration when her person returns home.

If you are interested in meeting, and possibly adopting Muppet, please begin by completing our online adoption form at:  http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt. If you have any questions, please contact Charnan at: 209-563-9200, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or Herd It Through The Grapevine at (707) 583-9583, email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Information from Emma’s current people:
Emma (ADOPTED!) is an extremely sweet, gentle and incredibly loyal girl. She is around 4 years old, and weighs 40 lbs. She is very timid around people, and currently the only people she truly trusts and loves is her core family.  We have only had Emma for two months.  With our family, she is extremely loving, happy, obedient - willing to do anything we ask of her. With my children, Emma is the gentlest dog I have ever met. My two year old daughter can put her hand in Emma’s mouth, roll on her, or do anything a two year old will do, and Emma just snuggles in or moves away from her, never showing an ounce of aggression.

Emma is a low energy dog. Her favorite pastime is lounging on the couch. Outside she will occasionally do some exploring, but mostly she likes to follow you to wherever you’ll be, and make a bed in a shady spot to lounge some more. She likes sniffing around the garden or being near you while you work outside. She would be a wonderful companion for anyone.

Emma is house trained, and at night she wants to sleep at the foot of your bed, for company and to protect you. She is easy in a car, just finds a comfy place to sit and settles in. If the window is open she enjoys taking in the scents passing by. She likes to go for walks, and mostly goes with her people, off-leash. Once she bonds with you, she will follow you anywhere off-leash and will come immediately when called. Her on-leash experience is limited. Emma does not pull on-leash, but will zig-zag, and will need more on-leash practice.

Other dogs are of interest for a few seconds, followed by disinterest. She seems to be great with other animals. When she walks by chickens and goats she gives a sniff, but leaves them alone. She is tempted to go after cats, however if her person tells he not to chase or to leave the cats alone, she will listen and come right back. She would need more supervision and management around cats, to learn not to chase them.

She is very cautious and wary around people she doesn’t know, especially men. In general, she is scared, not yet recovered from whatever happened in her past. If afraid for herself, Emma will avoid people, staying several feet away.  It will take time and patience, and only good experiences with people, before she will begin to feel more trusting and confident with people she doesn’t know very well.

Food has been inconsistent in her life, so it causes some anxiety. She likes to eat and drink alone and outside. We put her food out and she waits for me to shut the door before she eats. If I open the door, she pauses. We tried many different places and scenarios and outside by herself ended up being how she is most comfortable.

She loves our family and more than anything, she so wants to please and protect us. She may try to nip others, to stop them from what she perceives as threatening or dangerous actions towards her people. This can create issues when we have people over, and they move quickly towards us, or our girls, especially.

From HITTGV:  Emma’s current family loves her, but does not have the time to work with her.  Because of their work and lifestyle, and Emma’s desire to protect her people, they are not able to keep her.  Emma very much wants to please her people and do the right thing.  Emma is trying to find her place in her family, and wants to do what her person wants, but she needs to be taught what that is. Currently, she is doing what she believes her job should be - to keep her family safe from the dangers of scary people. She thinks that protecting her little girls from a potentially harmful person she is her job/responsibility.  She doesn’t know or understand that Grandpa chasing them was only play.  Emma stopped wanting to chase a cat, when her current person told to not to.  If someone is willing to teach her what they want, she will be the best, and most loyal companion you could want.  She needs a calm, quiet, loving home, with someone who has the time, experience, and patience to help her overcome her fears, socialize her, and to teach her how to enjoy new experiences.

If you are interested in meeting, possibly adopting or fostering Emma, please begin by completing our online adoption form at:  http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt. If you have any questions, please contact Savannah at (707) 495-5447, or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or Herd It Through The Grapevine at (707) 583-9583, or email:  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..