Oh, Bob!

Let us start at the beginning. A new beginning with a dog requires a new name. When the Catahoula dogs were confiscated during a raid, and given sanctuary with CARL, new names were passed all around.

Now I don’t know about you, but I happen to have a warm spot in my heart for the name of Bob. I had an uncle, who was kind and loved by all. Uncle Bob. Bobby was his son. Yes, yes, you are saying…get to the point. Well the point IS Bob.

I had the good fortune to spend a lovely morning stroll with him and Julie, a lead walker at the Santa Paula kennel, on Nov 3. He was so happy to be out with his friend, someone he trusts. The walk is one he knows, but it is only by the grace of kind volunteers that he has this simple wish granted.

On July 2011; 10 adult Catahoula mixes arrived at CARL’s Burnice Kraemer Sanctuary in Santa Paula. They were part of a group of 24 dogs that were seized from a property in El Rio CA for animal cruelty in April of 2011 and taken to the Ventura County Animal Services Shelter.

CARL stepped forward after the trial, when the evidence was of no further use. Evidence being dogs. You, of course, understand how the “evidence” was to be destroyed.

Bob was one of these unfortunate dogs.

As some readers may know, this particular group of dogs has had a lot of extra attention given them in terms of therapy on the treadmills, training on the basics of walking on a leash, and reinforcing the positives of socialization. The cruelty of the environment from where they were taken has unfortunately left a mark that only patience can hope to erase. Bob needs a home where he can be the only pet. All focus has been to take the baby steps toward success in the everyday events, that most of us would take for granted.

So in working toward the goal of a successful home for him, the organization “profiles” a general model. A person with previous dog experience would be a plus. Bob will need a stable home, he might take time to adjust as ALL dogs do, and need continued guidance in some areas that other dogs would normally understand. Taking a private training class would be a great way to start a bond and communication. He is a strong boy physically, so an owner needs to take that into account, and be comfortable with varieties of leashes and collars. Also he/she would need to be flexible, that if Bob doesn’t understand one way to do a task, to just try another way.

He is a beautiful dog! Powerfully built, with a brindle coat and glow of Catahoula eyes. The Catahoula is a breed of hound, so his nose was ever busy scouting in the brush, and his zest for the stroll was expressed by the buoyant trot. Every mark was punctuated by an exuberant scratching of earth into roiling, billowing clouds. He was a force of nature in his own right.
Strong of heart, beautiful to behold.

Yet for all the outside package of a dog that seems self secure, he has only known love at a shelter.

He deserves better.
That is our promise to him.
We will not give up on Bob.

He deserves a chance at just being a “regular” dog. One that has a warm bed in a house, a favorite toy to toss, a special someone to call his own.

Please contact us if you think you can help make Bob’s dream come true.

He has come so far.

Just a few more baby steps to go…