Showing posts with label Cam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cam. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Cam's Sanctuary

Cam gets his nails done. - June 2010

Cam IS Pets Alive
Cam has lived at Pets Alive for some time now. From their highs and lows to their rebirth, Cam has been witness to it all.

Everything that Pets Alive stands for can be found through Cam. Any other shelter would have either killed him, or rejected him. Cam has fear aggression, doesn't do well in a kennel environment and was fed through a funnel for a while. Yeah... Oh, and he's one of those short, meaty and muscular dogs that gets a bad wrap just for their looks in the first place.

Cam's Special
The way to Cam's heart is definitely through his stomach. Cam LOVES treats! Slow introductions from the right people, a bottomless pit of treats, some common sense about dogs and fear and all that good stuff...and eventually you've just made the best, and most loyal, friend you'll ever have in life. Cam would do anything for his most special of friends. My girlfriend has the good fortune to have Cam's complete, and total, trust and loyalty. She's dressed him up in several tutus, made him a pumpkin, a fairy, a Camzilla...and has painted his nails several times. He does it all for her.

Cam loves basketballs. The first time I gave Cam a basketball...OH MY GOD! He was more excited than I had EVER seen him before! He was SO HAPPY! Basketballs are love for Cam! He even got into his doggy pool to get to his basketball once!

Cam's Sanctuary
People who know Cam and his story, and have the fortune of being friends with him, naturally get protective of him and really, truly care about him. Personally, I can't think of any place safer for Cam than Pets Alive. He is such a wonderful dog and such a loyal companion... I wonder what would happen to him if he were adopted and got into a stressful and fearful situation. It's not about Cam being a dangerous dog. It's about the world being dangerous to Cam. He needs protection. He needs love, support and loyalty. And we get protective of him.

Cam's Homeless
For quite some time, whenever somebody would say "Cam needs to get adopted", I would always think "Cam has a home. Pets Alive is his home. He doesn't feel like he's at a shelter. It's his home." But I wonder lately if maybe Cam IS homeless. With as wonderful and incredible as Pets Alive is, especially for Cam, it's still not that warm bed which only home has. I don't know. Maybe Cam is homeless after all. I don't know.

I wonder what would be best for Cam - The safety, love and protection that his sanctuary of Pets Alive will always provide him with his whole life? Or a chance to live life in the outside world and have a home, new experiences, a warm bed at night that will always be his...but not that definite buffer from the world to protect him?

Cam's Silent Nights
I don't know what's best for Cam, but at times, especially during the colder weather, I sometimes picture Cam just laying there at night, the people have gone, the show is over and the day is done, there is nothing left but Cam, his barn, a couple of beds, a small heater and the quiet of the cold weather outside. How does Cam feel at those times? Is he still "Air Cam!"? Is he still happy? Does he get lonely? Does he get sad?

When the day is done, none of us is the warm bed Cam so deserves to call his home.

Friday, October 22, 2010

Halloween Fun 2010

In the Spirit of Halloween, I give you Dogs in Costumes! (Ok, so they weren't actually dressed up FOR Halloween...my girlfriend is just insane.)

Prom Night Bindi - May 2010

Pimp Cam - July 2010

Camzilla - August 2010

Scrappy is the Devil - September 2010

Scrappy-Turtle - September 2010

Unicam - September 2010

Cam the Drunken Groom - September 2010

Pumpcam - September 2010

Bindi Bride - September 2010

More photos from the shoots!

Thursday, October 7, 2010

This is Cam

Cam in his barn. - July 2010

This is Cam!

Cam has lived at Pets Alive for some years now.

All animals are special, especially the ones Pets Alive has taken in. But there really is just something about Cam that sets him apart from everyone else.

Thrashing around his run day and night, Cam was a severe Fear Aggression case of which I am sure many thought nobody could approach. Well, somebody did. A man by the name of Pat Whitacre of Best Friends Animal Society.

With superhuman patience and care, Pat stood by Cam's run, with a funnel, and waited for the briefest of moments when Cam would calm down just for a split second and reward that moment with a treat - funneled in to Cam. Well, Cammy-boy is a QUICK learner! And he LOVES his food! Through a ton of care, patience and understanding, Pat was able to work with Cam and plant the seeds needed for his quality of life to be restored.

From the further efforts of some more incredible people, including John Sibley and Toni O'Brien, Cam's quality of life has been brought up tremendously throughout the years and continues to grow each day. Cam has made new friends, including myself, has had sleepovers with his favorite person in the world, Pat, and has even been taken out for ice cream!

Cam is a TRULY special dog, and an INCREDIBLE case of "No dog too far gone."

When invited into Cam's Circle of Trust, you feel it deep.