Everyone needs a little help from time to time. Quite often that help comes from an older sibling – a big brother or a big sister. Those big brothers and sisters are usually a bit protective of their younger siblings and show them the ins and outs of the world. Well, this month’s Pup or rather I should say Pups of the Month put their own spin on this familiar idea of big brother helping little brother out.

This month’s adoption story starts with a pup named Tucker – a medium sized hound mix. Tucker was adopted by the Hein family about 4 ½ years ago when he was a 4-month-old pup. The Hein family felt it was time to adopt another dog after losing their red heeler mix a few years earlier and the timing worked out just perfect for 4-month-old Tucker. Tucker was a transplant from Tennessee and had just been put in the kennels at the Humane Society of West Michigan for adoption when the Hein family arrived looking for a dog. The family wasn’t really looking for a puppy. The idea of starting from the beginning again with crate training and house training seemed a bit over the top at the time, but it was love at first sight when they saw Tucker and they just knew he was the ‘one’. So, they met with an adoption counselor, filled out the paperwork and brought him home after he was neutered.

Naomi, Tucker’s Mom, said that Tucker has always been very much on the shy side – as a puppy and as an adult. He was very timid when meeting houseguests that came to their home, or just strangers he met on walks. Once he got to know someone he was very affectionate and just wanted to be close to that person, but getting him through the transition from stranger to friend was difficult. This shyness was what brought the family back to the HSWM to adopt another pup. They wanted to find Tucker a brother that he could hang out and play with, but that also might help Tucker get over his shyness.

The family started looking for a brother for Tucker earlier this year. They knew they wanted a dog that was smaller than Tucker, so that Tucker would not be intimidated by him, as well as a dog that would not try and dominate him. They spent a lot of time talking with HSWM staff about the adoptable dogs they saw in their kennels that they were interested in, as well as discussing what their intention was in regard to finding a pup that would work well with Tucker. They made several trips to the HSWM over the course of a couple of months and finally found a medium-sized black mixed breed that was an older puppy (9 or 10 months old) named Bucky. Bucky had a friendly, outgoing and playful personality that appealed to the Hein family.

It was suggested by the HSWM staff that they not have the regular ‘meet and greet’ at the HSWM that is usually required when adopting a dog into a household that already has a dog. Instead they recommended the introduction take place somewhere that Tucker felt he had ownership of. The Hein family were given detailed instructions of how to do the introductions outside of their house with both dogs on leashes and progressively let the dog have more contact with each other and then eventually, if everything worked out well, take them into the house and let them off their leashes. Needless to say – everything went according to plan and by the end of the weekend it was all familiar and routine!

Bucky has been part of the Hein family for about two and a half months now and everyone is getting along wonderful. Naomi says they are, “getting to be two peas in a pod”. They play together, egg each other on to play and just enjoy each other’s companionship. Naomi also says Tucker is coming out of his shell a little in regard to strangers and is more receptive to the pets of strangers and she believes it is because of Bucky’s influence. Hey – what are little brothers for, right? Most of everything important in life comes down to family and friends…why should dogs be any different?

Big congratulations to the Hein Family – especially new brothers, Tucker and Bucky! Pup of the Month Club is a partnership of Tailwagger Dog Photography and the Humane Society of West Michigan. It is a celebration of dogs, dog adoptions and the human/dog bond. If you have an adopted HSWM pup and would like to nominate him or her for the Pup of the Month Club, you can find more information and the entry form on Tailwagger Dog Photography’s website.

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A big congratulations to Willow Taylor, May’s Pup of the Month. Willow is an 8-year-old, deaf boxer that was adopted by the Taylor family August of 2014. We met Willow and her Mom, Julie, at Buck Creek Park in Wyoming a few Saturdays ago. Willow approached us with the friendly greeting of a tail wag, leaned into me for a few welcome pets and proceeded to sniff out the lamb liver treats in my pocket. 

Julie was a volunteer at the HSWM when she first encountered Willow. Her family was thinking of fostering a different dog, but the meet and greet between the family dogs and the dog they wanted to foster did not go well. Julie was expressing her disappointment to a HSWM staff member, who happened to be outside watching Willow and another dog play, when Julie really noticed Willow. The longer Julie watched Willow play the more she became intrigued with her and wondered if Willow could possibly be a good match as a foster dog for their family. 

The meet and greet with Willow and the Taylor family dogs went well and they took Willow home for the weekend for a ‘test run’. Even though the meet and greet at the humane society went well, Willow’s first night at their home was a bit stressful. One of the family dogs would not leave Willow alone and then proceeded to bark the entire night. The family was disappointed and Julie knew she would have to return Willow to the humane society the next day; it just wasn’t going to work. However, when the family got up the next morning the situation was entirely different. All three pups got along so well – it was like they had always been together. It took an entire two days for Willow the Foster Dog to become Willow Taylor, as the family fell in love with her and decided she needed to be a permanent member of their pack – they couldn’t live without her. 

Everyday life with a deaf dog isn’t that much different from a dog that can hear, according to Julie. Albeit – a bit quieter. The staff at the Humane Society of West Michigan worked with Willow to develop a way of communicating with her via hand signals. The Taylor family has continued to use and expand her vocabulary of hand signals – some of the signals even being part of legitimate American Sign Language. Because of Willow’s deafness, she is quite sight reactive – so all a family member has to do is wave and if that person is within Willow’s area of sight, she will turn to see what that person wants. If she is looking in the other direction, they tap her on her head to get her attention and then give her the hand signal. Willow has a tiny stubborn streak though and occasionally looks the other way and pretends she didn’t see the signal, when she doesn’t want to do what she is being asked to do – selective seeing it is called.

Willow doesn’t have the sound sensitivity issues that some dogs do – such as fear of thunder or fireworks. She also does not bark at any unusual or strange sounds that dogs tend to zero in on. In contrast, because she cannot hear, there have been a couple of scary situations – such as the time Willow escaped from their yard. Even though they had Willow in their sight the entire two hours she was loose, they could not call to her and signal her to come to them. 

Julie also thinks Willow understands more than the hearing dogs the family has had over the years. She doesn’t know if this is because her other senses are heightened, or if she just has such a strong bond with Julie, her husband, Tom, and their sons. If a family member is feeling a bit under the weather she stays with them until he or she feels better – she’ll snuggle with the sick person, lie at the feet of that person or curl up on his or her lap in an attempt to provide comfort to the ailing family member.

Willow has been such a wonderful addition to the Taylor family and they simply cannot imagine life without her. She loves ice cubes and her absolute favorite snack is a banana. She loves everyone who walks through their door, but if you visit the Taylor home you might want to leave the idea of personal space at the door, because you will more than likely have a boxer snuggle bug cozying up to you. And if you dare sit on the couch you will end up with a 70 pound, white and furry lap warmer and a boxer face so close to your face that your eyes cannot focus on her. Willow is a firm believer in sharing love, as well as the couch. 

Willow likes to play, but has slowed down a little as she has gotten older. Her favorite toy is a stuffed cow she likes to snuggle with when there isn’t an available family member and when her little brother, 4-year-old Felix, will leave her alone. Willow is endlessly patient with Felix’s outgoing, playful and boisterous nature. When he wants to play he will stand next to her and bark and poke her with his nose. She ignores him if she doesn’t want to play and when he goes too far will eventually snap back at him to get the message across that she isn’t in the mood. 

Julie was a volunteer adoption counselor at the HSWM for 3 years and thinks it takes a little longer for deaf dogs or dogs with other challenges to be adopted: “I think people are afraid of what they don’t understand. I’ve had the opportunity to speak with people that were considering deaf dogs before and tell them how we communicate with Willow. I think it helps for them to see that it’s really not terribly different than it is to have a hearing dog; you just need to find the right way to communicate with them. It’s a learning process for everyone involved, but it’s not really a difficult one.” 

Congratulations again to Willow and the Taylor Family! As always it was a pleasure to meet and photograph the newest member of the Pup of the Month Club, as well as hear Willow and the Taylor family’s story. Pup of the Month Club is a partnership of Tailwagger Dog Photography and the Humane Society of West Michigan. It is a celebration of dogs, dog adoptions and the human/dog bond.

If you have an adopted HSWM pup and would like to nominate him or her for the Pup of the Month Club, you can find more information and the entry form on Tailwagger Dog Photography’s website.  Check out all members of Pup of the Month Club too – their stories are all so individual, unique and special!

It’s that time of the month again – time to tell the story of the newest member of the Humane Society of West Michigan’s Pup of the Month Club! April’s recipient is Coco Ayotte – a 4-year-old Golden Retriever mix that is originally from Mississippi. Coco was adopted through the HSWM by Melissa Ayotte and her son, Cam. We met Coco and Melissa the beginning of March at Ruehs Park in Alaska, MI – a small, but rather scenic Kent County Park nestled along the Thornapple River. 

Coco’s rescue story began February of 2017 in Clarksdale, Mississippi, when Coco caught the attention of a woman who drove by her every day on her way to work. No matter the time of day or the weather, the woman saw Coco tied to a tree in front of a house, that was on a busy highway. She had no shelter. The woman became concerned and decided to take matters into her own hands and knocked on the door of the house. She offered $20 for Coco and 7 puppies. Her offer was accepted and she took all 8 pups to the CARES Clarksdale Animal Rescue Effort and Shelter in Clarksdale, MS. 

Coco was evaluated when she arrived and it was discovered the thin rope that she had been tied to the tree with, had become completely embedded around her neck – with the deepest part at her throat. The shelter’s Veterinarian sedated Coco and took to the painstaking and tedious task of removing all the rope particles. She was then stapled and stitched up for recovery. It was also discovered she had a dislocated elbow, the tips of her ears were frostbitten and that she was heartworm positive. Coco spent a couple of months recovering at CARES where she became a staff favorite because of her quiet, gentle and friendly ways toward everyone – people, dogs and cats alike. In April, after Coco’s neck healed and she had rested up, she was put on a CARE’s transport to the Humane Society of West Michigan. 

Melissa and her son, Cam, were looking for a pup – after all, says Melissa, every 12-year-old boy needs a dog, right? Melissa knew she wanted to adopt a dog from the HSWM, as she fosters kittens through them and knows that their primary concern is meeting the needs and best interests of the animals in their care. One of the reasons she choose to adopt, as opposed to buying, was she saw it as a life lesson for her son. She believed it was important to show Cam that it is essential when making choices in life that they have a positive impact beyond yourself – not only would they be giving a homeless dog a new start at life, but they would be making room at the shelter for another dog that needed her chance at a new home and life as well.  

Melissa had a good idea of what she wanted in a pup: a medium-sized, gentle dog that would get along well with the kittens she fosters from time to time. As they slowly walked through the HSWM’s kennel, they made note of some of the pups they were interested in meeting. Then they spent a little time with each of the pups in one of the meeting rooms – having meet and greets to see if they could possibly discover the ‘one’ that would become the newest member of the Ayotte family. 

Coco was the last dog they met that day. Their adoption counselor told them that Coco was very shy and timid. So, Melissa and Cam decided to sit on the floor in order to present themselves as approachable and as least threatening as possible to Coco. Coco was shy, quiet and very hesitant to enter the meeting room. Remembering back, Melissa recalls her first impression of Coco: “She was adorable, but a little roughed up.” The fur on the tips of her ears were missing fur due to frostbite and she had a permanent limp because of her dislocated elbow.  Also, because of her elbow injury, Coco’s front left leg was not fully functional. They were also told she was heartworm positive and that would require continued home treatment, if they adopted her. None of that really mattered to Melissa and Cam…Coco’s sweet, gentle and loving character immediately won them over. 

We often ask Pup of the Month owners why they adopted their dog and also how they would convince non-believers of dog adoption that adopting a rescue is not as scary as they think. The biggest argument we hear against adoption is that you never know what you are getting or that if you adopt a pup you are merely getting someone else’s problem. Melissa had an interesting take on this and she thinks that almost the opposite is true. She pointed out that shelters typically do an awesome job of letting potential adopters know the dog’s personality and requirements. For example, if someone is looking for a gentle, laid back, lower energy dog that does well with cats and other dogs, the adoption counselor will point that person toward the dogs that fit best into that lifestyle. And because of this pre-adoption insight into a dog’s personality, character and requirements there won’t be as many, if any, surprises. After all, that is one of the reasons pups end up in the shelter in the first place – owners not understanding a breed’s typical characteristics and behavioral traits and how the dog will or will not fit into their lifestyle. 

Melissa and Cam left the HSWM that day with Coco and haven’t looked back. Her heartworm was successfully treated with the continued home medication and she was soon settled quite well into her new digs. She loves to go for walks and if Melissa so much as puts her coat on or grabs her boots, Coco is at the door hoping she gets to go along too. Coco still has the limp due to the dislocated elbow, but it hasn’t done anything to slow this girl down. She loves to go wherever her people go and loves to meet new people. She likes to take naps with the foster kittens and is totally fine when they crawl all over her and settle in for warm snuggles. She loves everyone – human and animals alike – well, except for the occasional mole she sniffs out, digs up and rips from the ground. But that doesn’t really count, does it? 

We love how Melissa described Coco on her Pup of the Month nomination form – it just says it all: “She is exceedingly gentle, quiet, affectionate and beautiful. When I take her out in public, I often receive a compliment in regard to her loving demeanor. She is the best and we are so lucky to have her!” It is not just about the impact you can have on a homeless dog, it is also about the companionship, love and joy that pup also brings into your life as well. As Melissa told us while we were photographing Coco, “Adopting is so rewarding. Regardless of a dog’s background, somewhere along the line the dog was let down by humans. If you come into the dog’s life as someone committed to loving her, then she will never leave your side.” 

Congratulations again to Melissa, Cam and Coco and thank you for participating in Pup of the Month Club. Pup of the Month Club is a partnership of Tailwagger Dog Photography and the Humane Society of West Michigan. It is a celebration of dogs, dog adoptions and the bond between humans and their pups. If you have a HSWM dog and would like to nominate him or her for Pup of the Month Club, you can find more information and an entry form on Tailwagger Dog Photography’s website.