Diego the French Bull Mastiff

SO MUCH HEAT!!! Ok so the kennels don't have AC and the temperature outside today was in the 90s...so running around doing the usual cleaning was rough! I felt like I was in a sauna all day geez! Thankfully we have a butt-load of fans and water to keep us cool throughout the day (including the dogs), but wow is it exhausting. I wanted to share two dogs on this post that are currently at the shelter. Neither are up for adoption just yet...but they will be soon enough!

1. Diego the French Bull Mastiff

Diego is a French Bull Mastiff that came in about a week ago because his previous family couldn't afford to care for him. He's a little intimidating looking at first, but once he gets to know you he becomes a ball of mush the second you go in to pet him. We got him neutered today before we even put him up for adoption because he apparently was becoming a bit dominant around other dogs, so we're hoping this will lower his testosterone level. Here are some pictures of Diego:

We don't get purebred Mastiff's like this guy often, so of course I had to write a post just for him! I looked up and did some research on his breed and this is what I found:

The French Bull Mastiff breed is also known as Dogue de Bordeaux or Bordeaux Bulldog; originating and gaining popularity in the southern France around the region of Bordeaux. They are a short and heavily muscled breed with a massive head (biggest in proportion to the body out of all canine breeds). The Mastiff is known to be a calm and quiet, yet loyal and protective of their family. They thrive on affection and love from their family and are not normally aggressive dogs. They were bred and used as many different things; from a hunter to a guardian of the family.

Diego is quite a special dog and we're working with him to get him ready to be put up for adoption. He is also a bit underweight (see the ribs in the left photo?), so he also needs to gain some weight! He is actually small for his breed, male Mastiffs can reach up to 115 pounds! In the second picture I put my hand above his head just so you could get an idea of how big his head is. Updates on him later :)

2. Troy the Pit

Now Troy came in also about a week ago, and he was brought in because they didn't have time for him. He is not currently up for adoption because of the condition he came in, so we're nursing him back to health in Isolation until he's ready to be put up for adoption. The previous owners said that he got all the scars on his head from trying to dig and escape under the metal fence outside. Apparently they kept him outside all day, and he would (not to my surprise) get anxious and try to escape. This is so frustrating to me because he is the sweetest dog in the world and they just kept him alone outside ALL day; obviously he would try to escape to find companionship! He also winces if you move your hand to fast by his face or if it goes above his head, so clearly he wasn't treated with the gentlest care (if you know what I mean). So hopefully I can update you all with an "after" picture of his progress! Every dog deserves a second chance :)

3. Maggie...

Just wanted to share a picture of a hilarious looking cat named Maggie. Yes her eyes are ALWAYS like that...it's kind of creepy but funny at the same time. She's also chubby and shaved, so it just adds to her "unique" character. I definitely interrupted her when I took this picture...lol.