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Age: 3 Years Sex: Male Weight: 26-50 lbs
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Leave a bone for Clooney
Nicknames:
Clooney-Boo, Cloo-Boo
Doggie Dynamics:
| | | | | | | | | Energy | | | | | | Intelligence | | | | | | Friendliness | | | | | | Playfulness | | | | | | Disposition | | | |
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Quick Bio:
Likes:
lovin'
Pet-Peeves:
the mailman
Favorite Toy:
oven mitts
Favorite Food:
cat food
Favorite Walk:
at the lake
Best Tricks:
sitting atop of a small stool
Arrival Story:
Clooney is a spokesdog for dogs in shelters who couldn't be rescued because the rescue group was extra (XXXtra!) picky over who could adopt their dogs. Clooney came to our house as a foster dog in February of 2007, after I (his then foster mom) heard rumors that he was aggressive to small children, and that my then rescue group considered putting him down. I don't have any small children; in fact my "smallest" was 20 at the time. I took Clooney to my house, and it only took but a couple of weeks to fall in love with him. I also have a dog-agressive dog named Cessi, who lives separately from the rest of the dogs in the downstairs apartment. When I communicated to the rescue group that I was considering adopting Clooney, the Dog Coordinator (DC) said that I could not because a) he would learn bad habits from Cessi, b) I might have a grandchild soon, and c) my other dog, Josie, had "resource guarding issues" (she didn't actually). When I suggested that Cessi is separated from Clooney and doesn't have an opportunity to teach him bad manners (other than occasionally over e-mail:), the DC threatened to take Clooney from us. There was no foster home for him, so he would have to go into boarding, and in any case the rescue group was toying with the idea of euthanizing him. The next several months were very tense, but finally two other more senior officials in the rescue group overruled the DC at my request, and I was able to adopt Clooney.
The moral of the story is that this is typical of some rescue groups, which are run by small groups of people controlling adoption decisions, and their adoption criteria are sometimes bizarre at best. Their reasons for denying adoptions are diverse and arbitrary: from applicants' smoking or limited English ability, to potential for having grandchildren, lack of a fence, or lack of other dogs in the residence. As a result, in my former rescue, many potentially good applications are declined, and dogs go into boarding for many months at a stretch, while the unfortunate dogs at our local shelter (a high-kill shelter) that could be rescued are put down. With some rescue groups it is a virtually an impossible feat to qualify for a dog; everything has to be "just so" (they call it a policy of the "best match," as opposed to "quickest match"). They seem to forget that if a dog has to wait in a cage for 8 months for that perfect match, it might not be so perfect after all.
Bio:
Clooney is total love! He is a sweet and funny fellow and likes to clown around a little. He loves to please and is almost always very obedient. The only exception is when it's raining and he has to go out. He then plops down and refuses to get out, even briefly. When down on the floor, he makes his sweetest grimaces and milks it for what it's worth! Not only does he get to avoid the dreaded outing, but he also gets tons of kisses, which is what he lives for. That's what we call two birds with one stone.
The Groups I'm In:
Collie
I've Been On Dogster Since:
Dogster Id:
931308
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November 3rd 2009 11:33 am
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Clooney has recently lost some weight. It looks really good on him! His perfect physique is now the envy of all the neighborhood dogs and their owners. Clooney's waist is now clearly visible. Clooney is now even faster than he was before, and he was never known for being a slow runner. Sadly, this may have accounted for an untimely death of a squirrel in Clooney's back yard; we don't know though for certain. What we do know is that the slimmer size allowed Clooney to dig under the fence and to squeeze under the fence Peter Rabbit style. Clooney's disappearance was immediately noted, and family members still clad in pajamas were immediately dispatched to find Clooney. Well, thankfully he didn't go far. He was in the yard of the next door neighbor, scaring the neighborhood cats witless. The numerous Clooooo Neeeeeeeee cries could be heard in the neighborhood until the culprit was captured and hand-carried (not easy) back into the house. He received one minor smack and dozens of kisses. He was so out of breath he couldn't even get up to drink! The exciting escape was over. It's unfortunate a pile of very heavy bricks appeared out of nowhere and found its way under the fence where it was so tempting to dig. Oh well. Clooney enjoys being obedient too, most of the time.
September 8th 2009 8:11 am
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Unfortunately, the weather wasn't great for Labor day; otherwise Clooney would have enjoyed his treasured walks at the lake. But Clooney was busy all day, helping his family replace the faucet in the kitchen sink. Clooney was always on hand to offer his valuable technical advice, as well as "on top" of his people to get the job done. Clooney had a long day and was really tired afterwards. Too tired to even think about misbehavin'.
August 25th 2009 7:24 pm
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Clooney doesn't like the heat either, but he never neglects his responsibilities of the neighborhood patrol and varmin control officer (unfortunately to him squirrels are varmin too). So he gets busy with his daily chores in the back yard and then comes back in, gulps down half a gallon of water (fitered and cool, please!) and sprawls down on the cool tiles in the kitchen. As this summer draws to a close, Clooney is patiently awaiting the cooler days of fall, which is very pretty down where he lives. He loves going for long walks at the lake with his sister Josie and his parents. Clooney loves his leash walks, the longer the better, as long as the weather is cool and he has his water bottle on the walks. Clooney is just a happy fellow and the love of his parents' lives. Stay tooned for fall pictures!
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