By Jill Hedgecock. Ruby is Concord’s international social media celebrity with more than 276K followers on Instagram.com/rubydooby_do, 870K Facebook followers and 1.8M Tik Tok followers. Ruby is also featured on the covers of Hedgecock’s novels, “Between Shadow’s Eyes” and “From Shadow’s Perspective.” Each month Ruby features a hard to place dog in foster to help them find their forever home.
Jeffrey is a super gentle 50+ pound male 3-year-old German Shepherd mix being fostered by Love & Second Chances. Jeffrey came into the U.S through the Korea International Program. He is a sensitive and kind soul who readily responds to correction and loves to play with bone toys. Jeffrey is:
- A smarty-pants
- Not a barker
- Good with other dogs
- Housebroken, but working on not marking
- Is leash trained
Jeffrey is vaccinated, and microchipped. To meet this special boy and find out if you are a good match for each other, fill out an adoption application: http://lovesecondchances.org/. His adoption fee is $650.
The mission of San Ramon-based Love & Second Chances (LSC) is to help death-row, abused, and neglected dogs find forever homes. This foster-based rescue was founded in 2012 and operates both a local and international program. To date the rescue has placed over 3900 dogs.
LSC is always looking for fosters who are interested in opening their homes to their rescues and they also welcome donations. Another way to help is to share images of Jeffrey on social media. Sharing saves lives.
Diggin’ It
The Best Way to Rehome a Dog. To many pet owners, dogs are family, and the idea of rehoming is akin to give away a child. The Bidens made the difficult choice to rehome their rescue German Shepherd, Major, in December. Major had bitten two White House staffers. Retraining was attempted, but in the end, expert dog trainers, animal behaviorists, and veterinarians made the collective recommendation that Major needed a quiet environment. In addition to a dog’s inability to successfully adapt to a new living situation, there are other legitimate reasons to rehome such as relocation where pets aren’t allowed or someone in the family develops pet allergies. Here are some tips to ease your dog through the transition of being rehomed.
Find the right situation. A family member can be a way to stay connected, but this may not the best solution if the recipient doesn’t really want the dog.
Gift their bedding and dog toys. The smell of something familiar can help them adjust.
Be honest about the dog’s medical needs and behavioral issues. Rehoming a dog prone to barking isn’t a good fit for someone that lives in an apartment building. Also, include their veterinary records and make sure the new owner can afford, and is willing to, spend the money for any needed veterinary care. If your pet is microchipped, update the provider with information on the new owner, especially if you are moving.
Remember, sometimes doing what is best for your dog means giving them up and if you do everything you can to make the transition easy on your pup, there’s no reason to feel guilty.
Bone to Pick
Dog Bone Hazards: As tempting as it may be to toss a meat bone from the dinner table to Fido, consider the many hazards—some of them life-threatening—that cooked bones pose such as broken teeth, intestinal blockage, vomiting, diarrhea, cuts in the mouth or choking. Raw bones are a better option, but it’s best to avoid bones prone to splinter or crack such as pork and rib bones and neve give your dog a bone smaller than the dog’s mouth that they may swallow whole. Raw beef bones about the size of the dog’s head are a safe option and it’s best to give the chew treat after a meal when the dog is less hungry and less likely to injure their mouths.