Bella is a beautiful little dog with an inspiring story.

Bella, 7 years old, was surrendered to the BGWC Humane Society with her best friend Gracie, who I highlighted in a Pet of the Week article last year in April.

The pair were surrendered four months ago, when their owner encountered debilitating health problems and could no longer care for them. They had been loved and well taken care of all of their lives, so it was a terrible shock to them when they were thrown into a strange, scary environment, never to see their beloved owner again. Because of this, they were very shy when they first arrived. Bella would not even let anyone touch her for the longest time, retreating under her dog bed if people tried to approach her.

But Bella’s story is not a sad one. Through the consistent work of the Humane Society staff, volunteers, and work release workers, Bella learned to open up to people, and that these strangers who came in to visit her just wanted to show her a little love. It first started with her allowing people to come into her cage, although she would not approach them. After a while, she would let people pet her briefly, then for a longer time. Probably the most powerful moments of my three years of volunteering at the shelter was the day that she let me put a leash on her–one of her greatest fears previously–and take her on a walk.

Now, months later, she is probably the most affectionate dog I have ever walked. If someone walks by her cage, she will jump up and down until they come inside so that she can snuggle up in their lap and get a belly rub. Gracie also has grown, and she just can’t get enough of people’s attention and love.

Unfortunately, Bella and Gracie are older dogs (although you wouldn’t be able to tell if you met them) and they must be adopted together, so they’ve had a lot of trouble getting adopted. However, they’re great dogs, possibly the sweetest and most lovable you will ever meet, and they deserve a great home. So if you are looking for a pet right now, please, please consider adopting Bella and Gracie.

Check out Bella and Gracie’s Petfinder pages here.

Honey is a senior dog with a lot of love.

At about 8 years old, she is very calm and quiet. She appears to have been well taken care of some time ago, but recently became a stray. Because of that, she is very skinny, so much so that you can count every single one of her ribs. She seems to be a bit wary of people, probably because of her time as a stray. However, once she sees that she can trust people, she just wants to be held and hugged.

Honey would be a perfect match for an older person, so if you have and older relative, especially one who lives on their own, consider adding Honey to their home. Dogs can be a tremendous comfort to older people or anyone who feels alone, and Honey would provide a gentle and caring presence to anyone who lets her in.

If you would like to learn or about Honey, or bring her into your own home, check out her Petfinder page here. She has been sponsored, so she can now be adopted for only $35!

Elmer is an 8-year-old English Setter at the BGWC Humane Society. English Setters are a prestigious breed known for their noble stature and athleticism, but Elmer has had a rough life and is quite far from typical for his breed. He is very skinny and his fur is stained because he was a stray, and a combination of old age and arthritis make it very hard for him to move. However, this doesn’t dampen his spirits.

When my brother, my dad, and I first met Elmer, we thought he was afraid of us because he was shaking all over. But then we opened the door of his cage and he hobbled right over to us, putting what little energy he had into waging his tail. We realized that he is a very, very loving dog, who just wants to play with people and be loved on, but his physical state makes it very difficult for him to express this. He has to watch people walk by his cage all day, ignoring him because they think he is trying to catch a nap or isn’t very social, meanwhile he just wants to meet them and make new friends.

Elmer is a very sweet guy; all he needs is someone who will take him home and let him know every day that they care about him just as much as he cares about them. Don’t let Elmer go the rest of his life wondering if people notice him–adopt him today!

Kay Beans is a 2 year old Lab mix at the BGWC Humane Society who tested positive for heart worms. For a shelter dog, that’s a bad thing, as treatment is expensive and can be painful as well. Most dogs with heart worms have trouble moving around or seem depressed, but not even that will slow Kay Beans down.

Although she seems shy and afraid on first sight, if you give Kay Beans the slightest bit of attention, she opens right up and wants nothing more than to be your best friend. She loves a good hug, and she’s convinced that she’s a lapdog, even though she’s just a little bit too big to fit in anybody’s lap.

Initially when she came to the Humane Society, she was very skinny and a bit scared, but now she has blossomed into a big, healthy, lovable dog, who’s ready to meet a playful and energetic forever family.

Kay Beans is definitely a family dog, with a big long life ahead of playing, cuddling, and bringing endless love into the lives of others. Please consider adopting, fostering, or sponsoring her through her Petfinder page here, or at the BGWC Humane Society at  270-842-8572.

Max is a unique-looking dog at the BGWC Humane Society. He is a mix, and he looks like he’s part Australian Cattle dog, maybe a pinch of Greyhound, and a good bit Catahoula Leopard dog. He also has heterochromia, which is when one eye is a different color than the other. His left eye has the deep brown of an Aussie, while the other is a piercing, icy blue color that comes directly from his Catahoula heritage.

Aside from being quite a looker, Max is also very special on the inside. Although he is only three years old and has an insatiable curiosity, he seems much older because he has heart worms and has to move slowly. Of course, he will recover from this, but it seems to be a real damper on his fun not to be able to run and sniff things as much as he wants.

On the positive side, he now has more time to play with people and make new friends. He is very gentle and respectful to other dogs, and friendly and affectionate to new people, although his previous owners said that he can be defensive against newcomers if he believes they are a threat to his loved ones. However, he is very tolerant of his friends, so children who hug him or play with his ears and such don’t have to worry about being bitten.

Max has been adopted from the Humane Society, and should be settling into his new home soon. Best wishes to him and his new family as he recovers and starts a new chapter in his life, one that will hopefully be filled with lots of love and good memories.

Brittney is a very charming Blue Heeler (Australian Cattle Dog) at the BGWC Humane Society.

After a very successful adoption drive at the Humane Society this past week, the shelter was mostly cleared out, so a new batch of cute faces was brought in to meet their future forever families. Brittney was one of these dogs.

Although she is very people-oriented and friendly, she has been treated very poorly by people in the past. Her old owners simply abandoned her, apparently not caring what happened to her, so she wandered around for quite some time, looking for someone to take her in. A kind family fed her and cared for her basic needs, but they just didn’t have room for another dog in their house, so they couldn’t take her in as a pet. Instead, they brought her to the shelter to look for a family that could take her home and make her the center of their household.

Brittney is a very beautiful dog, as most Heelers are, with unique, snowy white fur, and an adorable stump for a tail. She has the softest fur, and loves to be hugged and talked to. She is very patient and enjoys just sitting with her people if that’s what they want to do, but she also likes to investigate and smell around the yard every once in while, too, so a family that can give her a reasonable amount of exercise would be best for her. However, anyone with even the least bit of a heart will fall in love with this beautiful girl as soon as they meet her, so any family that can take care of her needs and make sure she knows that they love her would be rewarded ten times over by her love and dedication.

 Do you want to play? Because you can bet Ruby wants to play!

Ruby Jackson is a 3-year-old Rat Terrier at the BGWCHS, and boy is she happy to be meeting all kinds of new faces! Although she’s small, she has lots and lots of energy, and never ceases to be amazed by even the most ordinary things around her.

 Ruby was tragically surrendered by her previous family because one of her family members was allergic to her. But Ruby doesn’t let this get her down. Instead, she takes it as an opportunity to see new things and make new friends. Ruby always has a huge smile on her face and her adorable little nub of a tail wags all day long.

Ruby will bring endless joy to any family that adopts her, but she will need a pretty good amount of exercise and attention. She would go best in a family with young children that can keep up with her energy, or at least an active family. If you would like to adopt, foster, or sponsor Ruby Jackson, check out her Petfinder page!