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Community Corner

Puppy Dog Tales

Clyde and Danika are two lively pups saved from sure death. Now all they want is a person to lick and a place to call home.

There's something about puppies.

Young dogs have such zeal for life and the world around them that they can remind us of a more idealistic world, one that often gets lost to us in hurry, work and worry as we mature.  Most people will take a moment out of even their busiest day when a puppy comes into view.

Writer Elizabeth von Arnim, who entitled her life story, "All The Dogs Of My Life" once wrote, "I would recommend to those persons who are inclined to stagnate, whose blood is beginning to thicken sluggishly in their veins, to try keeping four dogs, two of which are puppies."

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Puppy therapy, it's called. It's the giddy, ageless feeling you get when you engage with a youngster dog who is delighted by your mere presence. Perhaps your plans at the moment don't include having your face bathed by a puppy tongue, but you join in the fun anyway. Through their sheer enthusiasm for life, puppies have the power to make us all feel like kids again.

The staff at LifeLine Animal Project rescues, trains and rehabilitates many canines in a calendar year. When a homeless or abused puppy comes through their doors, they work hard to train and place the young dogs before they become older dogs who have never had a real home.

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Although for many humans doors tend to fly open when they are energetic and cute, for puppies that's not always the case. Two that found the door to good homes closed to them, through no fault of their own, are Clyde and Danika.

LifeLine staff is looking to remedy that situation for these two puppies.

Danika is a 5-month old female shepherd and Labrador mix with intelligent eyes, floppy ears and a winning personality. She was scheduled to be euthanized at 2-months old simply because her owners didn't want her any longer. They were tired of having a puppy around.

LifeLine saved her from a certain death and are now hoping to place her in a loving home.

"She's very sweet," said Gene Stamey, manager of LifeLine's Dog House, the canine kennel area of the Avondale non-profit's no-kill shelter.

Danika has been in a foster home, has learned to walk on a leash and is aquiring other good manners. Despite being homeless she hasn't lost her enthusiasm for life, people and other dogs.

Clyde is a sturdy 5-month old pit bull/mastiff mix with huge paws and a large zest for living. His exotic, almost tiger brindle coloring is the first thing you notice about him, along with his size. He's two times the size of most pups his age, due to his mastiff DNA.

Clyde also ended up at LifeLine in lieu of being euthanized.

"Clyde is a product of backyard breeding, which far too often ends in tragedy for these dogs," said Rebecca Guinn, founder and executive director of LifeLine. "He’s one of the lucky ones. Without our intervention, Clyde, like so many others, would have been killed at the county shelter. I’m just grateful he is now safe with us."

LifeLine co-founder and dog trainer Sharon Eikey works with Clyde on a regular basis.

"He's very smart, " Eikey said, "He loves people and really wants to please. He will be a large dog, but slightly smaller than your average mastiff because he is part pit bull."

She smiles as she works with the playful, energetic Clyde.

"He's very full of his puppy-ness," she said.

Clyde and Danika both are almost fully house-trained. Because they are so young, Eikey said they are "not yet foolproof" when it comes to house-training, but they will be before long.

These lively puppies are very lucky dogs. They were rescued from certain death, have had all their shots and are healthy. They are ready to be in homes where they can love and be loved and grow into well-adjusted family pets.

If you have the room and time for a young dog in your life, Clyde or Danika can provide a good dose of "puppy therapy" to liven your days.

Please contact adoptions@AtlantaPets.org if you are ready to be mom or dad to Clyde or Danika.

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