Blog Dog of the Month - Ezy!!

It's time for our third and final installment about Ezy!!  Ezy has been our Blog Dog of the Month for October AND November and unfortunately this sweet dog is still waiting to find his forever home!  Ezy has been living at the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina longer than any of our other current residents, 18 months!!  Wouldn't you say it's his turn to find a forever family?

Mixed breed dogs often come into the facility, and sometimes these mysterious mixes create some uniquely interesting animals. It can be very rewarding to adopt a mixed breed dog who will fit perfectly into your family. Like Ezy (pronounced Easy), our Blog Dog of the Month.

Everyone seems to have a different opinion about Ezy’s genetic background. He definitely has some Shepherd in him, but the rest is anyone’s guess - Akita? Chow? Brown bear? He’s not a very tall dog, but he has a powerful barrel chest and neck and beautiful thick fur. In fact, it’s hard to tell where the fur ends and Ezy begins.

Ezy is not exactly the athletic type. He gets very excited to go on a walk, but he’s been known to sit down and refuse to go another step without a short break! Especially when it’s hot, it’s easy for him to become overheated under all that gorgeous fur. Ezy would do well in a family who took him on short walks, but he would probably not be a good match for someone who wants to take their dog jogging.

Adopting a mixed breed dog also ensures that your dog is totally unique! Ezy is such a handsome boy, though it’s hard to see that clearly when he’s in his run. In the sunshine, the brown highlights glow in his black coat. There’s definitely no one else who looks like Ezy!

In the end, it doesn’t really matter what Ezy “is”. All that’s important to know about Ezy - or any dog - is the singular set of traits that define his personality. Ezy is shy, and sweet, and loves attention. He tends to have favorite people, and he loves his favorites completely.

He’s an amazing dog just waiting for the right person to come along and take him home. 

If you're looking to add another canine to your pack please consider Ezy, he's a wonderful dog who just needs a little extra time getting to know you.  He loves other dogs and he'd LOVE to meet you!  Please come by the facility to meet Ezy, give us a call at (252) 413-7247 or e-mail us at hsecgeneral@gmail.com.  Ezy is up to date on all vaccines, neutered, and his adoption fee is only $60!!! 

Let's find Ezy a home for the holidays!

Blog Dog of the Month - Ezy!!

It's time for the next installment of our 3-part series on Blog Dog of the Month - Ezy!  This sweet guy is still looking for his forever home so, please, read his story below and help spread the word about the incredible dog!

When our Blog Dog of the Month Ezy (pronounced Easy) first came to the facility, staff and volunteers quickly learned that he needed some extra attention. Like many residents of HSEC, Ezy was a stray, so we don’t know very much about his background. We have to take our cues from his behavior and can only guess at the experiences that shaped his personality.

And Ezy has a big personality! But at first, you wouldn’t know it. Sometimes it takes Ezy a little bit of time to warm up to new people, especially men. Once he gets over his initial shyness, he loves attention. He loves to have his ears and chest scratched, and he’s a leaner - he’ll push against your legs as he totally relaxes into the attention.

Ezy’s cautiousness has sometimes worked against him when visitors come to HSEC. Like most shy dogs, he can be easily overwhelmed by new people who approach too quickly.

When meeting any dog, but especially a shy dog, it’s important to move slowly and speak softly. Try squatting down to their level and let them approach you. Don’t make eye contact right away, as dogs can perceive this as aggressive. Once the dog seems comfortable, pet them on their chest. Bringing your hand over the top of a shy dog’s head can be scary to them, and some dogs don’t like to be touched in a place they can’t see, like their hind end.

If you give a dog a bad first impression, don’t worry - you can overcome it with some time. Just retreat and start over again with the techniques suggested above. But it’s far better to use patience at the first meeting so that you can easily form a connection with a new dog. Go slowly and the dog will learn to trust you.

Volunteers and staff know that it just takes a little bit of patience to get close to Ezy, but once you do, he’s yours forever. So come out to the facility and spend some time in the play yard with Ezy. Your reward could be a lifetime friend!

Interested in meeting Ezy?  Stop by the HSEC facility during our open hours, give us a call (252) 413-7247, or e-mail us at hsecgeneral@gmail.com!  Ezy is neutered, up to date on all vaccines, and his adoption fee is only $60!!!

Purrfect Post Cats of the Month - Tom & Jerry

It's time again for a special HSEC blog post spotlighting our feline friends!  This month we have double the fun with two brothers, Tom and Jerry!

               Tom                                                                                                                    Jerry

Who doesn't love a fat orange cat?!  We have TWO!  Tom and Jerry were adopted as kittens by an elderly couple and unfortunately their human mom passed away in the Spring.  Their human dad then went to stay in an assisted living facility which is how they came to us at HSEC.

Tom and Jerry are both gentle giants and when they first arrived at our facility it was a bit of a shock for them.  They were both very afraid of the staff and would escape from their cages every time they had the chance!  Fortunately over the past few months both cats have really come out of their shells.

Jerry is a sweet boy who can still be a bit shy at first but he really does love attention once you get him out to play!  When volunteers take him into the HSEC cat play area he struts his stuff and and head butts them for attention!  Jerry also loves to roll over on his side and, a sure sign he wants you to pet him!  Jerry is a classic orange tabby, the smaller of these two brothers.

Tom is one big gorgeous ball of fur!  His coat is a rich tabby mixed with reds and oranges, what a looker!  Tom absolutely loves chin rubs and being petter, although, like his brother, he can still be a bit shy when you approach him at first.  Once he realizes you are there to play and pet him he'll start to purr right away!

These awesome cats have been living at HSEC for several months now and we'd really like them to go to a new forever home where they can get the endless love and attention they deserve!  Tom and Jerry have been together forever so we would prefer that they went to the same home if possible.

All cats with the Humane Society of Eastern Carolina are spayed/neutered, up to date on vaccines, dewormed, on flea prevention, and tested for FIV/FeLV.  Adoptions come with a small bag of Hill's Science Diet and one month of free pet health insurance!

If you're interested in meeting Tom and Jerry please visit our facility, give us a call (252) 413-7247, or e-mail us at hsecgeneral@gmail.com!

Foster Home Fun - Ginny ADOPTED!

HSEC relies on the generosity of volunteers who not only donate their time at our facility, but also those who open their hearts and homes to care for our animals in need on a temporary basis as foster parents. 

We are always looking for more volunteers so we can continue to build our foster network and we'd like to share a special foster story with you now! 

Ginny's Story:

As you can see from her picture, Ginny is quite a unique American Pit Bull Terrier Mix!  She has a lovely brindle coat but instead of the regular black with brown stripes, Ginny is a reverse brindle with a gorgeous caramel coat feathered with black stripes.  What a beauty!

This sweet dog was found as a stray in Falkland and lucky for her someone picked her up and cared for her until we had room at HSEC!


In late August of 2011 Hurricane Irene was on the horizon so HSEC staff made the difficult decision to evacuate all the animals at our facility.  We were overwhelmed by the outpouring of support from our local Pitt County community when we successfully evacuated every single animal into a temporary foster home!

Ginny was lucky enough to find a weekend home with Jeremy and Sarah who absolutely fell in love with this sweet canine and were sad to bring her back.  In October they heard we were having a Foster Parent Orientation and decided they would like to help out again!  Because Ginny had been displaying some signs of stress in our shelter environment we agreed that Ginny would again be a good candidate for foster care with Jeremy and Sarah.  They were so excited and came to pick Ginny up just a few days after orientation!

Here is the first installment of their story:

"We chose to be foster parents because we wanted to have an animal in the house again. Giving an animal a loving home with attention and affection can enrich the animals lifestyle as well as our own. Caring for Ginny gives us a sense of well-being, knowing that we are giving her a pleasant environment and a break from life at the shelter. She has been quick to learn the trick “shake”, adding to her repertoire of commands and has adapted to our house rules.


Recently, Ginny meet the neighbors dog and played well with him. It released a different kind of energy and she was more tuckered out then when I take her on a 3 mile run. We feel like she would benefit from doggy companionship, however, this was only the first encounter. We hope to try to introduce her to other dogs in the near future. On a walk we saw a friend and his 5-year-old son; Ginny didn’t react differently when the boy was petting her. The difficulty we are working on is her jumping habit, which occurs when she gets overly excited.


At the grocery store we picked up a beef bone from the butcher and she really enjoys it. It keeps her occupied for longer periods of time. She also really enjoys playing with the ropes. When she gets really worked up she will run from room to room, back and forth, like she is playing tag with herself. She is a great exercise friend and doesn’t pull on the leash. She is completely house broken and a complete ham as she lays on her bed while we write this message.


One weird action we have noticed is that Ginny always accompanies us when we go to the bathroom!"


-Jeremy & Sarah

Stay tuned for more updates from Jeremy and Sarah as they continue to foster Ginny! 

If you would like more information about our foster program or if you are interested in adopting Ginny please contact HSEC at (252) 413-7247 or hsecgeneral@gmail.com.

***UPDATE***

Before we even had a chance to do a new post about Ginny she was adopted!!  We are so happy that Ginny found her forever home!!

The Results are In! October 2011 Stats

October was a busy time at HSEC. We took in 43 new critters, the most of any month this year, and 30 pets left the facility for their forever homes. Here’s a quick look at what happened in the facility last month, but first, a little terminology.

An animal can enter the shelter one of five ways.

1. Abandonment: dropped anonymously at the facility. This irresponsible behavior is not only extremely dangerous to the animal, it is illegal!
2. Returned: the result of a failed adoption where the animal is returned.
3. Stray: the animal is found with no indication of its ownership.
4. Surrendered: the owner of the animal surrenders it to the facility.
5. Transferred: the animal is brought in from another group or facility, often the Pitt County Animal Shelter. Animals are often transferred between shelters in order to increase their opportunity for or likelihood of adoption.

Here’s the breakdown for October:

Cats:

32 cats entered the facility.

• 4 abandoned
• 0 returns
• 0 strays
• 15 surrenders
• 13 transfers

We had the opportunity to transfer in several cats this month, including more than one litter of kittens! We love to cooperate with other groups in the area for the benefit of the animals.  

                                                         

13 cats were adopted this month, including 7 adults and 6 kittens!

Dogs:

11 dogs entered the facility.

• 1 abandoned
• 0 returns
• 0 strays
• 6 surrenders
• 4 transfers

We did not take in as many dogs this month as at other times during the year. One reason for this is that we have so many amazing dogs available already for adoption.

17 dogs were adopted this month, 7 adults and 10 puppies - that’s more than we took in!

Congratulations to all the dogs and cats who found their forever homes this month! And if you’re one of the lucky new owners, we always love to hear how our former residents are doing!

Blog Dog of the Month - Ezy!!

It's that time again!  For the month of November we've selected Ezy to be our Blog Dog of the Month!  Look familiar?  Ezy was also spotlighted in October but unfortunately he is STILL waiting for his forever home and we hope to share more of his story with you throughout the month.  This is the first in a series of 3 posts we have planned for this special canine to help him find a family!

Since he entered the facility, our Blog Dog of the Month Ezy (pronounced Easy) has made huge improvements in temperament and training. Ezy came in as a stray, jumping right into his rescuer’s car. He must have known that she was trying to help him, because Ezy can be very shy with new people.

When he first came to HSEC, Ezy wasn’t sure what he’d gotten himself into. The facility can be an overwhelming place, with lots of new sights, sounds, and smells - not to mention new people. Like many new residents, Ezy was initially hesitant to trust volunteers and staff. We don’t know what Ezy’s background was like and so we don’t know why he tends to be so cautious. Whatever the reason, he needs a little extra love to help him compensate.

When Ezy was given a bit of extra attention, he really began to blossom. He made one volunteer into a special friend, and once he’d decided to trust her, he began to realize that other people weren’t so bad. He got used to the set of familiar faces that he saw at the facility every day. Being exposed to so many different people was very beneficial for him.

Like many cautious dogs, having a doggy buddy helped Ezy become more comfortable with people. Shy dogs may have a difficult time reading humans, and so they are alarmed by what they interpret as unpredictable behavior. But when a shy dog has a more confident dog as a buddy, they can read the confident dog’s body language. If the other dog isn’t afraid, the shy dog will see that the situation isn’t threatening, and they will have a large reduction in their own anxiety levels.

Ezy gets along very well with other dogs, and loves to wrestle and play tag. He’s also what trainers call food motivated, which means that he is willing to work for a treat. As soon as he figured out that just sitting would get him a reward, he was on top of it! If he knows that you have treats in your pocket, he will cut you off and “sit” very insistently in front of you, waiting to be praised and rewarded. This makes us think that he would be relatively easy to continue training.

Unfortunately, Ezy has outlasted several doggy buddies because he has been at the facility so long. He’s watched his friends leave for their forever homes and has always been the one left behind. We think it’s Ezy’s turn to get to go home.

If you are interested in adopting Ezy and giving him a forever home please let us know!  All HSEC animals are spayed & neutered and up to date on all vaccines.  Ezy's adoption fee is $60 and you will also receive a free bag of dog food!  Give us a call at (252) 413-7247 or e-mail us at hsecgeneral@gmail.com for more information on Ezy!