You may have noticed a new trend around here:
The puppies have multiplied.
Who, us?
For the past few months, puppies have been raining down on us. And in the last few weeks, that’s turned into a total downpour.
First, there was the litter of adorbs meatball pups who came in with a nasty case of Parvovirus.
Does this towel make me look chunky?
They spent a few days being looked after by our medical team, and then a few days in foster homes, and by the end, they came out looking like fluffy, healthy chunknuggets. Something like this:
Om nom nom.
Then there was Rolly, a blind puppy who came in with an odd but trendy patch of bluish fur (we think maybe she was sprayed with some sort of colored antiseptic).
I think they call this shade “periwinkle”.
What she lacked in eyesight, she more than made up for in personality. No surprise here – she was adopted in less than a day.
Then there was Sandy. Sandy came in as a 6 month-old pup. She has a mild neurological condition that impairs some of her vision and hearing.
Despite all that, she’s a happy, fluffy, po-go stick of a girl. Oh, and did we mention? She’s single and looking.
Then, there were the aptly-named “box puppies”.
These beefy pups were found in a box (but you knew that already, didn’t you?) outside one of our regional rescue partner shelters. They asked if we could take them in, and after one look at those chunky, wiggly bodies, we said yes. Absolutely yes.
The cuteness almost defies reason, doesn’t it?
A few of these monster-headed pups have already found their way into their forever homes, but the rest are in the process and will be hitting our adoption floor soon. You’ll find them here once they’re available.
Why so many pups? Well, because as squee-worthy as puppies are, they can be difficult for shelters.
Because we chew up all your shoes?
No, pup, nothing like that. But you do require a lot of resources – foster homes to hang out in while you wait to get big enough to be adopted, lots and lots of supplies, and tons of food, especially when we have a lot of pups at once. Plus, we have to be super extra mega careful with puppies because they haven’t been through all their vaccines yet. That means special procedures for handling puppies, protocols for how to clean to keep them safe, and rules about keeping them separate from other animals.
That seems like a lot of work. We’re sorry.
Don’t be sorry, puppy. We’re happy to do it. Lucky for us, we have all those protocols and procedures in place. And our staff and volunteers are really, really good keeping pups safe and healthy.
Thanks, guys.
That’s because for the past few years, we’ve spent a lot of time reviewing, updating, and creating new policies and procedures to meet the Association of Shelter Veterinarian’s animal shelter guidelines. These guidelines help us keep everyone safe, healthy, and happy, including the pups. And last year, we finally accomplished our goal of meeting all 500+ guidelines, making us the first model shelter in the country.
Remind me how this relates to me, again.
So what does this have to do with puppies? It means we’re really good at taking care of puppies. And even though pups are super vulnerable and at risk for lots of different diseases, we know how to keep them healthy. We also know how to treat the ones who come to us already sick with things like Parvovirus. Which means we can help out shelters who get tons of puppies and need help.
That’s cool, I like dat.
We like it too. So if you’re watching our website or hanging out at our Milpitas ACC or one of our Neighborhood Adoption Centers and notice there seem to be a lot more puppies cropping up lately, now you know why.
Want to help us care for all these wee snuggly buns? Puppies need lots and lots of stuff. They also need fosters to help them grow big and strong. And once they’re all done sprouting up like weeds, they need people to adopt them.
One more squishy pup as a thanks for making it to the end of this.
(P.S. More of a cat and kitten person? Thanks for sticking with us. We have a promotion going on for the cat lovers right now: 50% off all cat and kitten adoption fees through Sunday. See ya soon.)
4 Comments on “The Great 2018 Puppy Invasion”
I am looking to adopt German Shepherd puppy
We would like a puppy to bring home. We would like one that grows to medium height. Three grandchildren to keep him busy — 10 yrs, 5 yrs & 4 years — we babysit 7 days a week. Grandfather (Santiago Pena) will be owner to keep at our home. He has experience with puppies/dogs. We will keep puppy inside but eventually trained to be in fenced backyard. We are really looking forward to your help to help us get a puppy. Thank you. Best regards, Rena Pena
Hi there, thanks for reaching out! For more information on adoption, please visit our page at hssv.org/adopt
I love too have a chiguagua please help me get one