Cutest Dog in the World Needs a Helping Hand

Help! it looks like my sister is stuck in the shelter! Can somebody please call? I think it's an emergency because you know what happens at the pound. If somebody doesn't step up, they might, you know, end it all. I'm so sad about it, I'm donating $100 of my allowance to help get her out of there. Please see the email I got from Jane below:

Subject: WITH VIDEO! LA, CA: IVY WILL GROW ON YOU: TERRIFIED LITTLE MOPPET WITH UNDERBITE NEEDS RESCUING FROM SLA
To: "Jane Garcia"
Date: Sunday, March 22, 2009, 9:27 PM

I first saw Ivy trying to be invisible, jammed into a corner of a cage she shares with several other little dogs at SLA. She shot me a dirty look which seemed appropriate given the yellow dot on her cage card, indicating a behavioral "issue."



But I wasn't fooled. No dog with such a cute underbite could be such a meanie. So I enlisted the help of James, a lovely ACT who works wonders with terrified dogs in the shelter. Sure enough after a few minutes he emerged with her in his arms. She had been trying to scare him off by biting his gloves...except he said she didn't bite them at all. She just "gummed" them.



He carefully handed her over to me and we just sat down with her on my lap, getting to know each other.



After about 10 minutes of me petting her, she let me gently comb her wonderful rough coat. She let me look at her teeth--they're pretty good--and pick goop out of her eyes all without even an indication that she would "gum" me.



She is such a cutie pie. She looks like a mix of a Boston Terrier, Chihuahua and Jack Russell. She only weighs about 8lbs. and needs to add a couple as she is rather too skinny.



Ivy came in as an "over-the-counter stray", which usually means the person who dumped her was the owner who just didn't want to pay the $5 surrender fee. Someone must have cared about her enough at one time to buy her a darling collar with pink hearts. But the same person then broke Ivy's heart and brought her to the shelter.



Ivy is REALLY scared. She flinches if people come near but once she knows you won't hurt her, she is okay. She feels safest in someone's arms and would make a lovely little lap dog.



But Ivy needs to be someone willing to take the time to gain her trust. You can see in the video James shot of Ivy and me that she is a charming little girl who is not afraid to be touched, as long as it's in the right way.



I just hope that by seeing the video and reading this email someone out there will think Ivy is worth giving a chance. She is a precious little thing. And that underbite is darling.



Right now I don't think she should be placed in a home with kids and/or big dogs. She seems fine with the other dogs in her cage. She just hangs back and lets them go nuts when people approach.



PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT IVY'S VIDEO AND CROSSPOST SO THAT SOMEBODY MIGHT SEE THIS LITTLE DOLL AND LET HER KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE IN A HOME WHERE SHE DOESN'T HAVE TO FEAR ANYONE OR ANYTHING EVER AGAIN.



Ivy's impound number is A1017245. She is three years old and not yet spayed. Save her before she gets sick!



*Please note that Ivy is the name I gave her. She has no assigned name in the computer.



SLA direct lines: 213-485-0117, 0119

(Phones answered 24/7; please get the name of the person you talk to.)