Happy Tails

Keller (ADOPTED!) is the sweetest, calmest, best natured, middle aged gentleman, who melts the heart of everyone who meets him. He weighs 45 lbs. and we estimate that he is around 8 years old. Although Keller is blind, we have no hesitation in saying that he would make someone a perfect companion. He is great with everyone he meets and loves to be petted, and touched. Keller is a very quiet, happy, easy going dog. He enjoys hanging with people and will come when you call him. As a cattle dog, he is incredibly smart and adapts to new situations and routines quickly. Keller also likes to keep himself busy, and is a very curious, thinking guy. On nice days he loves being out in the yard exploring and sniffing, or contentedly enjoying a chew toy, or just napping. At night, he sleeps quietly in his crate.

Keller has good hearing. He knows his name and the sound of his foster mom's voice, and he will come right to her when she calls him. He is good with and enjoys the company of other friendly, polite dogs. If a dog rudely gets into his face or is too physically pushy or playful with him, he will try to turn away and growl his protest. Keller is fine with cats and children who are calm and respectful him.

As we watch Keller each day, we realize how extremely well he has learned to cope with and work around his blindness. Using his hearing, senses of smell and feel, he is an expert explorer, and enjoys the same activities as sighted dogs. We have much to admire and learn from his steady and determined 'can do' attitude. It only took Keller a few days to learn the flat portion of the yard at his foster home, and feel comfortable. Soon after conquering it, he managed to work his way through a barricade of chairs meant to discourage him from using the steps up the steep hill. His foster mom began finding him near the top of the hill sniffing and wandering through the flowers and shrubs.

As a cattle dog, Keller loves to have a ball to play with! If he drops or misplaces it, he will find it by smell and using his nose to feel for it. We placed a broken tennis ball on a metal peg of the door of his outdoor 'cabana' to prevent him from walking into it and possibly poking his eye, when the door was open. The tennis ball went missing from the peg several times, and we realized that when he discovered the ball at nose height, he was removing it from the peg to play with it. His other pleasures are chew toys, such as bully sticks, Kongs filled with peanut butter or other tasty treats; and just relaxing with and getting attention from his people.

Keller enjoys walks and the smells of new areas. He also rides nicely in a car. A calm, loving home with a yard would be ideal for him. He would benefit from having another friendly easy going dog in his household, to be a buddy, who might help guide him on walks and in new situations.

If you If you are interested in meeting Keller, please begin by completing our adoption form, by clicking on the "Adopt" option, above, near the top of our home page, or use this link http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt.  Please download and print the form to be completed. If you have questions, email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave a message at (707) 583-9583.

Lobo (ADOPTED!) is a super friendly, happy, incredibly lovable, all around great dog!  At 18 months old, he is still just a big puppy. There is not a mean bone in this dog's body. He adores everyone, and is super excited about meeting new people. Lobo also wants to be friends with every dog he meets, and is friendly with, but curious about cats. He loves children, but doesn’t know his own strength.

He has all of the most desirable traits of a classic cattle dog. Lobo is extremely bright, very much wants to please, and is a velcro dog who wants to be at your side. He is a happy boy, who loves playing ball, and just doing things with people and other animals. This is a pup with incredible potential. His new people must be committed to meeting his needs for mental and physical exercise, and work with him to teach him manners and appropriate behaviors. He is truly still a puppy in an adult body.

We obtained Lobo from a family with three young children, who have had him since he was a small puppy. They received him as a gift and were not prepared for a young cattle dog. They did not give him the exercise, training, or personal attention that he needs. When he became adult size, because of his exuberant playfulness and cattle dog desire to be active and busy, they placed him outside in the yard. With Spring and Summer weather upon us, the family's small children (aged 2, 4 and 8 years old) are outside in the yard with Lobo, and he was so happy and excited to see them that he would accidentally knock the little ones over. He loves the children and wanted to run and play with them.

When Lobo became big and strong, while still exuberant and untrained, they no longer took him on walks. In the past 6 to 8 months he rarely got out of the yard. He has put on some weight from sitting alone outside, and currently weighs nearly 63 lbs. His ideal weight should be around 50 lbs.

This pup has the heart and intelligence of a bright, curious child. The day we rescued him, he was both thrilled by the adventure of all the new sights and experiences, and a little overwhelmed by it all. We went to a pet store, two park-like areas, and the vet. It was probably the most exciting day of his life. Each time we stopped somewhere, Lobo was afraid to leave the car. Once coaxed out, he enjoyed the new sights and smells. He even had a great time at the vet office, where he was thrilled to meet several dogs, and he excitedly soaked up all the fawning attention and petting from everyone on the veterinary staff.

Lobo is friendly and polite when meeting other dogs. He is very eager to play with them, but he is a little awkward and unsure about how to make friends with them. He is NOT a barker, and is quiet most of the time. We have not yet heard him bark at all. His original family said that when people approach the house or property, he would give out just a couple of barks to let you know that someone is coming. He is not an escape artist. Even if the gate to the yard is open, he will not leave his yard. Since his original family stopped taking him out on walks when he got big, he will initially pull on leash, in his enthusiasm to be out and have the opportunity to explore.  He rides quietly in a car and likes to look out the windows to see the world go by.

Lobo has a great zest for life, and desire to be with his people. He needs people who want to be with him, as much as he wants to be with them. He would be a great hiking, camping, and travel companion. We are seeking experienced adopters who understand this breed, and can give him the time, attention, mental and physical exercise, training, and life experiences that he needs to become the most amazing dog and companion that we already see in him. He would do well in a home with another friendly, playful dog to show him the ropes.

If you are interested in meeting Lobo, please begin by completing our adoption form at this link: http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt.  Please download and print the form to be completed. If you have questions, email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave a message at (707) 583-9583.

Toby (ADOPTED!) is approximately 1 year old, and looks to be a herding mix of border collie, cattle dog, and Australian shepherd. He weighs 47 lbs. and is a shy and very sweet, without being needy. He loves being petted by anyone he meets. Toby loves to be near people.  When inside, he is never more than 5-6 feet from someone, usually resting beside them. He also meet other dogs well and is very polite. He plays well with his cattle dog foster sister, and gives the grumpy older dog in the house plenty of space. We have not seen him around children or cats.

It is clear that events in Toby’s past life have caused him to startle easily at loud noises and sudden hand motions. It has been a month since he arrived at his foster home, and he is improving daily. Toby is definitely a shy dog, but he seems to be getting happier and is slowly becoming more relaxed. His tail rarely tucks between his legs anymore, and now wags his tail a lot throughout the day - low wags.

When he first arrived, his tail was tucked between his legs in every new situation. He would duck his head when people moved their hands suddenly. He would panic and flatten himself on the ground or do a submissive pee upon hearing loud or strange new sounds, such as a coffee grinder. Being a very intelligent dog, he learns and figures out new things very quickly. After hearing it four times, he was no longer terrified of the coffee grinder sound.

Similarly, after going on just five leash walks, Toby would become very excited when he saw the leashes come out. He loves and does very well on walks. He has had no issues with walks or anything he has encountered on a walk. He is great in outdoor restaurant situations and busy places.

Overall, Toby is an easy dog to have in the house. He enjoys going into his crate to sleep, as it is his safe place. He doesn’t destroy anything, and he has no bad habits.  With frequent opportunities to go out during the day, he seems to be housebroken, and he does NOT do any marking pees. No herding, no mouthiness or nipping behavior. Toby does dig holes in the yard, just little ones, mostly just to have a cool place to lie in the dirt. Toby is also very quiet and his fosters have only heard him bark a few times. We must add that Toby has very expressive ears. They seem to perk up mostly when he’s very happy. They constantly move around, and go up and down minute by minute. Sometimes just the tips fold over.

Based on observations that Toby’s nervousness and stress have shown when he is inside the house, and he is most relaxed when outside in the yard or on walks, we would guess that he was made to stay outside most of the time, and severely punished if he entered the house. This is supported by the fact that he was unfamiliar with and startled by many everyday household sounds. For a full month in his foster home, Toby was terrified of crossing doorways/thresholds into the house. He will only go through a door on his own if no human was visible, and then he would go across at a full run. Once he got about 10 feet past that area, he was visibly relieved. For weeks, he got lots of encouragement, petting, congratulations after he’s through the door, but he was still so stressed by exterior doorways that he couldn’t eat a highly prized treat. However, if on a leash, he could go in and out without any stress. Also, he had no problems going through doorways inside the house. While writing this, I was just told that Toby finally can now walk in and out the backyard door, relaxed and happy. Huge progress!

Toby is basically a happy, but somewhat stressed guy, just adapting to his new world, and making progress each day. He needs quiet, calm household with people who can help him build up his confidence, and help him to relax when indoors. It would be best if someone could be with him throughout much of the day. Toby would also benefit from having another very mellow dog, or a good natured playful one in the house, to help him learn how to be a dog. Toby is so submissive, that we do not recommend him to a home with highly dominant or controlling dogs, where he could be easily bullied.  His foster mom told an example of how he would learn from another dog. She watched him learn to chew on a dog toy.  Toby was carefully watching her female dog chewing on a toy, and before he decided to take a nearby toy to begin chewing also. They chewed for several minutes, but the second the other dog stopped, Toby stopped too.

If you are interested in meeting Toby, please begin by completing our adoption form under "Adopt" on the blue bar at the top of this page, or use this link:  http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt.  Please download and print the form to be completed. If you have questions about this dog, email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or leave a message at (707) 583-9583.

Aussie (ADOPTED!) is THE perfect companion. We are not certain of his age, but he is definitely an older gentleman, who at 51 lbs. could lose a few pounds. He is super sweet and friendly, and a little shy or cautious in new situations. Aussie is great with and adores meeting all people. He is completely thrilled when someone shows him some attention and love. On walks, he happily wants to meet everyone he sees. When he saw some older children (8-10 years old), he wagged his tail and wanted to run up to meet them.

Although we would consider him a lower energy guy, he has plenty of life in him. Aussie loves his walks, and is great on leash. He will stay at your side and does not pull. He also is big on playing ball with you. Aussie will run for the ball and retrieve it for you.

As a cattle dog, Aussie is a velcro dog who just wants to be by your side. Did we already say he is super loving?! We cannot stress that enough.  He will ask for petting and attention by trying to place his head into or under your hand, or touch your leg with his paw, to remind you that he is there and could use a pet. When you pet him, he will lean into your leg. In the house, Aussie is a perfect, well behaved, well mannered gentleman. He is a quiet, gentle guy, who seems fine when left alone for several hours. He does not try to get on furniture and he is completely housebroken.  Aussie is a little nervous riding in a car and does not seem to have much car riding experience, but he is a good sport and with some coaxing and help, he will get in.

When meeting other dogs, Aussie is fine and friendly. He is a little cautious when first meeting them, and will hang back behind his person at first. If the other dog is friendly, he will warm up to them. If a dog is hostile towards him, Aussie will just try to avoid them. He is currently being fostered at a home with two other medium sized dogs. We have not yet seen him around cats.

He was obtained by a good samaritan from a situation where he had been living in a yard at a vacant house, alone in a dog run with a bag of wet, moldy, dog food. We have taken him to the vet, and they have given him a clean bill of health. We are seeking people who will give this super sweet, loving senior the special attention and love that he craves. He deserves to live out his final years happily and knowing a wonderful home life.

If you are interested in meeting Aussie, please begin by completing our adoption form at this link: link:  http://hittgv.org/index.php/adopt. Call us at (707) 583-9583 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with specific questions.