Sunshine Girl was in the same lodge as Pinky Bear and Tiki, but she couldn't be taken out on a walk. They asked if we could just sit with her in her run, and we were only too happy to do it. If you want to talk about friendly, let's talk about Sunshine Girl. She was so happy to see us, she was practically climbing into our laps for affection. And as an Australian Cattledog, she's not exactly small. That didn't stop her from thinking she was a lap dog though, and after she had finished happily wagging and kissing An, she came over to me and tried to get onto my lap. She was licking, leaning, wiggling, wagging, everything dogs do when they think you're the best person on earth. It wasn't hard to return her affection.

Whoever adopts Sunshine Girl will be rewarded with a lifetime of love and affection, and I can't imagine that it will be much longer before she's adopted. She's pretty irresistible.

Boomer and Shiva were next on our list. This presented some problems though; Boomer is still recovering from leg surgery and had a hydrotherapy appointment that morning so we couldn't walk him. And then his run-mate Shiva is a shy dog, and she promptly ran into her dog house and didn't come out while we were in their run. Obviously I wasn't going to force her to come out, but I did try to present myself non-threateningly to see if she would come out on her own.

Zak waits for Shiva as Boomer tries to pick up ESPN

No such luck. Boomer was happy to see us though. He was wearing a cone to stop him from chewing or licking his leg, which made it awkward to pet him, and I cringed every time he tried to run towards us as he put weight on his leg. We tried to make it easier for him by going to him so he didn't have to run over to us, but even then he was still bouncing around. Boomer is definitely a happy dog, he just loved that we were in there with him.

As wonderful a place as Dogtown is, and as well cared for as these dogs are, it still makes me sad to think of dogs like Boomer being there for so long. This guy has been in Dogtown for most of his life, he was taken in when he was two, and now he's about nine. Seven years. Nobody could argue that Best Friends isn't the best possible place for him as long as he's homeless, but he would absolutely thrive in a home of his own, with a loving family.

I will say that while I wasn't initially biased either way with breeds like Dobies and Rotties, meeting a few of them like Rebo and Boomer at Best Friends has brought me all the way around. These are some of my favorite dogs now, along with Pit Bulls. Boomer's joy is infectious, and you will catch it if you go in there with him. If he doesn't make you smile, you should probably check your pulse.

Andy came to take Boomer to his hydrotherapy appointment and Shiva hadn't come out of her house. Andy told us that was just what she was like with strangers, and that we probably wouldn't be able to get her to come out. Then he told us that there was a new dog in the run on the other side of the lodge, and they were still trying to evaluate how she behaves with volunteers. He asked if maybe we could spend some time with her to see how she would react to us.

This was an opportunity I couldn't pass up, and I readily agreed. We entered Bella's run a bit cautiously, but we had nothing to be worried about. She was happy to see us, and gladly accepted the petting and affection we had for her. Andy had mentioned that she may have some toy guarding going on, so I tossed some toys to her to see how she'd react. She wasn't interested in most of them, but she absolutely loved this plush sheep toy. At first it looked like she may have been guarding it because she kept it between her front paws, but when she got up to walk to the other end of the run I picked up the sheep and brought it to her.

Bella and her sheep

She gently took it from my hand and happily trotted away with it. After she had put it down in front of her, I went to pick it up and she was fine with that too. She sort of cocked her head to the side and looked at me, and then leaned forward to take the toy from my hands, all very gently and calmly. And then she lay down for belly rubs. I was happy to report to Andy and Terri that she didn't exhibit any guarding or aggressive behavior towards us, even when I picked up her toy in front of her. And she was a sweetie too, though she did like to chase the golf carts as they drove by.

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“Whoever adopts Sunshine Girl will be rewarded with a lifetime of love and affection, and I can’t imagine that it will be much longer. She’s pretty irresistible.”