No Shelter Here

Taz (Interview with Emily Bienvenu)

"The first time I saw Taz he was presented as a gift in a pale blue bucket...his cute little head was peeking out, and the first time I laid eyes on him, I was in love..he looked like a wind up toy that had come to life."

"He loves to relax on the marble table in the den since it has a cool surface...most of the time he really doesn't like toys that he has accumulated over the years, he prefers to play "peek a boo" under the covers."

"He loves to walk around Lake Lily in Maitland and go to the soccer field in Winter Park...since he is so well-behaved, we can take him to eat out occasionally at the Eden Bar at the Enzian or at a cafe on Park Avenue...he also loves going to the Farmer's Market in Winter Park and Maitland every weekend...he has many fans and followers wherever he goes. Taz always seems to have a smile on his face, so everyone that sees him starts to SMILE. "

"Today he went in the lobby of Publix since it was so hot in the car...a manager of Publix offered to hold him for me while I did my shopping because another manager had informed me I couldn't take him into the store with me. He said, 'Maam... that is the cutest dog I have ever seen... but we cannot allow him in the store unless he is a service dog'.

By that time, a crowd of people had surrounded us to pet Taz and talk to him so I replied,

'Looks like he is servicing quite a few people right now!' "

Ghost (interview with owner: Brian Marini)

"I was skeptical, and even kind of angry with Beth for making me look at puppies. It was the day my student loans came in, and I made a promise that when they did, I would at least look.
She was sitting in a pen with her brother. The boy was awake and very playful, but Ghost was still groggy and sleepy. She sat and watched me playing with her brother. They were both, of course, the most adorable little balls of fluff that I've ever seen.. and the price was THE ONLY reason I didn't take them both. Ghost just sat and watched... and I realized that she was the one I wanted. I thought she would be the calmer of the two, and she seemed the more observant. I was remiss to let the boy go though... he was ADORABLE. I took her home and the rest is history.

Originally, in the first apartment, she had a kennel. Even when she grew out of the need to be kept in it, she still slept and ate in it because she liked it. I kept it covered with a blanket so it was more cave-like. Beth was supposed to help with the potty training, but she sucked at it and had no consistency so it was hard, but she (Ghost) picked it up soon enough. Beth also had a habit of doing that 'rub the nose in it' bullshit. I yelled at her (Beth) and explained TIME AND TIME AGAIN why it doesn't work. 'Worked on my dog' was usually the response. Ug... anyway this is about Ghost not Beth.

I'll never forget the time I woke up at 5am to the overwhelming smell of shit. She was still a puppy..barely bigger than when we got her, probably 2-3 months after we got her. Anyway, something made her REALLY sick, so she shit diarrhea EVERYWHERE. The poor thing was just huddled in a corner, sitting in it, not making a noise. I freaked out, jumped up and woke up Beth, and within like 30 seconds I had thrown on pj pants and slippers, cleaned the dog, and jumped in the car toward the nearest vet. I was so panicked. I can't ever remember being so scared and she just sat very still, didn't resist anything, didn't move much, was awake and conscious, but clearly in pain.

I'll never forget this part.. the only time she moved on her own during this whole ordeal in the car, she slowly walked from the passenger seat onto my lap and just rested her body and head against me looking to me to fix it. I bawled so hard. I thought I was going to lose my dog. I was already so in love with her.

She had a nasty puppy disease.. luckily there was medication and obviously she pulled through but I'll never forget that- when she made that effort to sit on my lap and lean into me."

Sapphire (Interview with her owner: Logan.)

 "We got her from the Seminole County Animal Control Adoption Center. When we saw her we knew right away she would come home with us. She loves to play. If she doesn't get attention she will do something to get you to pay attention to her. She loves to play with other dogs more so then humans."

"We named her Sapphire because of her eyes."

"It is frustrating sometimes with her because she can't hear, so when she is doing something she's not supposed to do it's hard to get her attention and teach her that she can't do that. I think it benefits her to be deaf during thunder storms because most dogs are terrified of storms and they just don't affect her."