DIESEL

Two weeks ago on Wednesday, I was looking at dogs on the internet and came across Diesel.

Diesel is a great Dane - Mastiff mix and was in a small shelter that isn't open to the public. He was scheduled to be euthanized on Saturday so I was already short on time. I started making phone calls and found out that Mastiff Hope Rescue also saw the posting and pulled him out of there. The bottom line is, Diesel needs a forever home and we can only foster him for a while.

If you know of anyone who would like a very large dog, please contact Mastiff Hope and talk to them. You don't have to live in the region to adopt this dog, there have been adoptions to Pennsylvania and other points on the map that aren't all that close to here.

SO, What about this dog?

The best way I can describe Diesel is that he is 150 lbs of love. He's very people-oriented and he is a very gentle soul. He will lean against you like a horse but that isn't too much of a sacrifice. He measures 33 inches to the shoulder so he's a pretty tall boy. He is good with children and other dogs and he completely ignores our cats.

He doesn't have a lot of experience being on a leash and we've been working with him on that. Using a Halti is very helpful although he doesn't like it very much. He is not neutered but will be before he is adopted; Mastiff Hope will cover the cost of neutering.

He came to be in a shelter because he chased sheep. He didn't harm the sheep, he just chased them. The sheep's owner over-reacted and got law enforcement involved and they seized Diesel and put him on a 10-day hold the same way they do if a dog actually bites someone. By the end of the 10-day hold, his family couldn't afford the fine and boarding costs so poor Diesel went to a shelter. It is infuriating that this dog almost lost his life for doing normal, everyday dog stuff. I'm sure chasing sheep is fun and I intend to try it one day. Well, probably not, really.

Below is a shot of him next to Ziva, our Rottweiler-hound mix. Ziva is not a small dog so this helps to illustrate the size of Diesel.