Petie: Not a Throw Away Dog

 

This month marks Petie's one-year anniversary of the day his BHS foster family saved his life. In 2011, Petie was dumped at the pound by his owner after 3 years of loyal companionship. We learned of his situation, but lacked an indoor foster space for him. Then, shortly before Christmas, our Board President was contacted by the pound to let her know that Petie's time was up. He would be euthanized by Christmas Eve. Unwilling to stand by while this boy lost his life through no fault of his own, Becky and Scott rushed to the pound and saved his life. He would have to be kept in an outdoor kennel instead of inside with the family like he was used to. But he would be safe and loved. He would have a second chance at a forever family. He would be alive.

Petie's owner had thrown him away and, after meeting Petie, we had to wonder why.

 

Petie was crate-trained, grew up with young children and other dogs, liked to ride in the car, and was housebroken. He had a clean bill of health despite being hit by a car at 10 months old. He was what we would consider very adoptable. So, why would his owner throw him away after so many years of loyal companionship?

 

 

 

Too put it kindly, Petie's owner could no longer be bothered with him. He was trained on an invisible fence and would bark at people when they came to the house. The owner decided it was best to get rid of Petie in order to avoid annoyance to visitors or risk the vet expenses if he were to run through the fence and get hit by a car again. Rather than invest the time to train Petie or invest the money in better fencing options, Petie's owner chose to dump him at the pound.

 

We are continually awed by how amazing this 5 year old mix is. At adoption events, he is so friendly and well-behaved that we cannot comprehend why, one year later, he has yet to find his forever family. He is so patient with his foster mom dressing him up in silly costumes and he eagerly greets every visitor with bright eyes and a wagging tail.

 

 

One area we have admittedly struggled with in regards to Petie is identifying his breed mix. We've had many guesses, including Dane, Catahoula, Australian Shepherd, and Lab. We believe that Australian Shepherd/Lab mix is probably close enough to accurate.

 

His foster mom describes him as being very smart and giving her no trouble at all. She adds that he is "a total sweetheart." He is between 40 and 50 pounds and is quite content to sit beside you and be petted. He doesn't jump up on people and will get into his crate when told to. In short, he is quite the gentleman.

 

 

Petie is one of this week's featured adoptables and we'd love to see him find a forever home of his own for the New Year. We know that there is surely a home out there willing to show Petie that he is not a throw away dog and that he deserves the same love, commitment, and loyalty that he gives so freely.

 
 

If you would like to meet Petie, you can call our office at 540-586-6100 or email info@bhsva.org. Our Office Manager will send you an adoption application to complete prior to getting you in contact with Petie's foster mom.