032026 ~ The Weekly Wag! - Wendy Welch

0:00He's got a cute name and he's adorable and he's featured on the weekly wagg. Yes, the 1290 WLBY pet of the week. Let's introduce pickles. Wendy Welch is the director of communications at our Humane Society of Huron Valley. I cannot believe he has been there since September and that means he's got lofty status right now. Tell everyone what that means. That's right. That's right. He's a gold hearts animal pickles is so which means that we're waving his adoption fee. He is free to the right home. We just want to find that right home for him. So he is a sweet boy too. He's only about a year and a half Lucian. Wow. Yeah. And he was found in a Kroger parking lot. He evidently was like really scared at first but then a person opened up their car door and he jumped right in. So he was ready to go for a ride to the Humane Society and he is such a good boy. He is really food motivated which means he's fantastic to train. And we think he'd like to be

1:03the only dog though because he really likes people attention and he wants to be like the center of attention. So pickles is looking for something special there. So we need to describe him. First of all, he is tan and white. He's got perky ears. He looks very observant. He's just darling but he is tall. I'm looking at him next to a person in one of these photos and the ears go all the way up to the stomach area of this person. He knows he has these wonderful triangle ears and he I gotta tell you he you know we have volunteer photographers and it's funny because it sometimes takes a while to get a good photo of an animal you know they're not necessarily used to saying cheese or sitting pretty for the camera. Pickles on the other hand was totally all about the cat like what do you need me to do? I am ready to get my glamour shot. I am there. So yes he's very obedient. He's about he's just shy of 50 pounds. And yeah we think you know looks wise

2:07he's kind of classified as as a shepherd slash black mouth curve mix. Oh I just want to look that up. Look at him or you can just look at our website of course hsa to read that org and see his cute little pictures. Yeah so black mouth curves that because of the black mouth on him I'm presuming. Yep exactly exactly. Yes but he's got that kind of shepherd body and those ears so I think it's up to ears. He does. And he's tan but he's got this white stripe coming up the bottom of him along his chest and there's even a little white stripe running from the top of his forehead down to his nose. He's cute. He's got white tipped paws too. Oh he does. He looks like his boots on. I just noticed those. That's cute. So okay you have to explain. I mean I love that he's a gold heart dog. I love that to the right home. It's going to be free. He's going to be free. There'll be no cost. But why has he been there since September? That just seems like an

3:12inordinate amount of time for such a lovely lovely animal. Agreed agreed. Oh he was actually adopted once by a family and they said that he was too energetic. And I get it right you know like people are interested in puppies and they understand like puppies are energetic and then they just grow into big dogs. But he's kind of that in between age. He's still puppy acting. He's a year and a half. But he's a full grown dog right. Like so as you mentioned he stands tall. He's 50 pounds you know all that kind of thing. So he still needs some training and some socialization. He needs someone who is going to be somewhat patient with him to do those things. So so that's why it's a you know it's it's easy to find someone who wants to train a puppy or it's easy to find someone you know who wants a small like senior dog. But those in between are a little tougher. So that's pickles looking for that. All right. So I just think and I agree with you at a year and

4:13and a half or so that he is that's still kind of that puppy stage. But it's hard to understand that since he looks like a full grown dog. And I guess technically the that he is at this point are going to be isn't about two years. You think of them as full grown. Is that right? Well some are like you know three and four years actually. So they still have that energy and everything like a puppy. Yes. I mean the good news is that he's super food motivated. So he's really eager to learn. And and folks out there too we understand this is a big commitment. And so I'd really encourage you you know he's he's free but you're also welcome to take him home for three free nights and see how he works in your home. And I wanted to spell the notion you know some people kindhearted people are like oh I could never do that. You know I could never bring a dog back. Well we we want you to and that's okay. The dogs and our shelter do well like they're they're very resilient and it helps them to get a break from the shelter too. So even

5:13if you take him home and are like no not quite a fit with my family we understand bring him back that's okay. So please please please consider pickles or any of our other adoptable animals and know that we have a guarantee because we want it to work for both you and me. Yeah I agree and I love that it says on the HSHV site my name is Pickles and I'm hoping to be your bread and butter. Well and and for people that don't have a dog they may not realize that is so important because if they like food they're going to really pay attention to you and be motivated with those treats and they will learn quickly when when you use treats to teach them things and how to walk next to you and how to behave when someone comes up. I did find with my first dog with Bo. I have been so lax with Brixton. I am just terrible. He needs to go to a puppy class because he gets overly excited. Luckily he's tiny he's little so it's not that big of a deal but he does like to

6:18jump up on people and I know that just reflects badly on me as it should. So it is but you know and my dogs actually are very motivated by food as well. I just haven't done that well with it. I've been so busy so keep that in mind and it is important to teach them how they should be behaving they're yearning for that they they want to be educated and how life works. That's just you know it's like a kid right? Yes it is so rewarding and I'm with you Lucy and I hear you my first dog same thing right I did a whole lot of training. Yes and and it was super rewarding and yes and subsequent dogs have not got this much time because I'm able to to your point control them because they're smaller but yes but it is if you can put the time and energy into it I gotta tell you it just returns to you so many times over. Yeah but because he is energetic they are recommending that he goes to a home without young children under five and without any other

7:23dogs so that he's top dog in the house. Yes he does he likes that you know he's been fine with the other dogs in the shelter so potentially you know outside of the shelter he'd be okay but we just like to give him the chance to be the only dog. Okay so he's been there six months since September and he's looking for a home and his name is Pickles he couldn't be cuter and he's just he's got a smile on his face he looks very attentive check him out online at hshv.org click on the adoptions and they are all alphabetized and you're looking for Pickles our beautiful dog about a year and a half old large tan and white. So at the risk of having a little competition for him we need to mention you have a lot of puppies right now too at Humane Society Wendy. Yes yes if you're interested in the younger crowd we for sure have some options for you and in fact we have 40 options for you at the moment 40 puppies are at the Humane Society of Huron Valley awaiting

8:26adoption spade, neutered, microchip, to vaccinate it all ready to go various sizes to Lucien we transferred them in from an overwhelmed as you might imagine shelter with all of these puppies and they're adorable and they're all different sizes and looks and everything from the looks of them I'm seeing hound in some of them I'm seeing lab in some of them I'm seeing yep some shepherds so check them out we're actually going to show some pictures on our Facebook page too so you can look at that or of course you can look on our adoptable animals page where they'll be ready soon hshv.org or look on Facebook the Humane Society of Huron Valley you could see them all so besides those 40 puppies you have at the Humane Society you also got in nine other puppies they're not ready yet they're being fostered tell me the story behind them yeah those little buddy puppies yeah their mama wasn't wasn't taking care of them it's a rare instance of this

9:32happens but every once in a while it does so yes so they had to be taken and taken care of and so thank goodness we have people in the community who open their hearts and homes to be fosters and lifestabers they are and they take them in and bottle feed them which is man I mean we talk about training takes some effort woo Nellie bottle feeding waking up you know several hours after hour in the evening all night long bless these people they are like I say lifestabers and you're right they're not ready yet but they will be so if anyone's interested in fostering do know that's a potential we have easy foster easier foster assignments especially if you can't you know have an animal full-time this might be a great way for you to give back to the Humane Society by being a foster and that bottle field feeding is incredible and you teach them exactly what they need to know when they're fostering right absolutely yes we have lots of training for folks you know usually

10:35people don't start off being a bottle feeding foster because that's really on the top edge a lot of of of commitment and training and everything but there are lots of different assignments for folks and yet to your point you know if you or someone who travels a lot or you're a snowbird or you know you know maybe your student you know who can't have an animal here you know up for four years and years and years fostering is a fantastic way to have an animal temporarily and and help an animal out while you are here all right Wendy Welch director of communications at the Humane Society of Huron Valley if you go online to hshv.org you can get all the details not only about fostering about adoptions but in particular about pickles pickles is waiting he's been there since September he needs to find his forever home this beautiful tan and white pup kind of regal looking just lovely and they say he's very adventurous and a lot of fun too and I know I know he'll make a difference

11:36in your home pickles go to hshv.org and then click on adoptions and look for pickles on there and then contact the Humane Society and go through the process he is free to the right home he's considered a gold heart dog and that's because he's been there so long is that right exactly yep you just want the right home for him absolutely thank you Wendy have a great week ahead we'll do it again next week with another great animal from our Humane Society of Huron Valley you're listening to Ann Arbor's talk station 1290 WLBY