Gilroy
– Mitch doesn’t get out much these days. In fact, he’s not quite
sure who or what he is anymore. He gets called by so many names –
Mitch, Butch, Swingley. But that’s what happens when you don’t have
a family or a home.
Gilroy – Mitch doesn’t get out much these days. In fact, he’s not quite sure who or what he is anymore. He gets called by so many names – Mitch, Butch, Swingley. But that’s what happens when you don’t have a family or a home.
Mitch is a 6-year-old terrier – which breed of terrier is up for debate – but some guesses include Jack Russell, rat or fox terrier mixed with a smaller, less hyperactive dog since he is more mellow compared to other terriers. He’s a small guy, with black and white patches, a short, stubby tail and a brown patch along his muzzle.
And he left the San Martin Animal Shelter Saturday morning with hopes of finding himself a family.
Mitch spent Saturday at PETCO in Gilroy, at a pet fair held by the Friends of the San Martin Animal Shelter along with 10 feline friends. He pulled out all the stops in his quest to find a permanent home. He wore a cute green bandanna decorated with pictures of Snoopy around his neck, sat on volunteer laps like a baby and stood up on his hind legs, especially when treats were involved.
The 6-year-old terrier came to the shelter as a stray on July 16 and shelter employee Sue Padgett said they don’t know much about him. He was found on Columbet Avenue with no identification and since then, no owner has come to claim him.
Mitch came in neutered and in good health. Saturday’s event gave volunteers a chance to observe his behavior outside of the shelter environment. He proved to be house trained after his day at PETCO. During five hours out of the shelter, Mitch had no accidents, unlike some of the other canine visitors to the pet store who left messes on the floor to the chagrin of their owners.
It also turned out that pizza is his all-time favorite treat. When someone brought in a pizza for the volunteers to share, Mitch assumed it was for him. For the first time all day, he sat down, lied down and stood on his back tippy-toes on demand, for a piece of pizza crust.
He preferred the biscuits at the “Doggy Treat Bar” at PETCO to the free biscuits for visiting canines kept at each cash register, but his favorite dog treat of the day was a pedigree bone given to him by a PETCO employee.
Though he is a small guy, he has a big bark and he uses it when other dogs are around. But he has learned to keep his aggression under control while at the shelter where he shares a pen with several other dogs.
Sue Padgett, who works at the shelter, said because of the number of dogs they have on hand, Mitch has learned to share his space because they don’t have room to put him in a pen of his own.
While he was at PETCO, however, he didn’t see any point in sharing his space near the FOSMAS volunteers. Mitch let out a stream of barks every time a dog came into his line of sight, whether it was a tiny Chihuahua or a full-grown yellow Labrador.
Despite his ferocious bark, he had little bite. When FOSMAS volunteer Sue Wolaghan arrived with two young kittens for the pet fair, Mitch sniffed and then nuzzled them. He even won over a dog-shy 8-year-old cat named Toby who was placed in a cage near Mitch, who was kept on a leash for the day.
At the end of the day, only one of the kittens was adopted and Mitch hadn’t found a family. He went back to the shelter with his tale wagging, bringing his pedigree bones with him.
“It’s sad that he has to go back to the shelter, but just seeing him out and enjoying himself. That makes it worth it,” said Sue Wolaghan, a FOSMAS volunteer who hand raises kittens.
“He’s such a good boy,” Padgett said. “He deserves to find a home. If he finds a home, we’ll call him ‘Lucky.'”
