Adoptable Dog of the Week: Kanyon

Staff Writer Maggie Monsrud volunteers at the Orange County Animal Shelter. Each week, she will write about a dog at the shelter who's up for adoption. You can visit the shelter's website here. 

The Orange County Animal Shelter is home to many wonderful animals, ranging from the fluffy to the scaly variety. For the past three months, I’ve been a volunteer at OCAS. 

I’m an animal lover, so much so that for four years now I’ve devoted my life to being a vegetarian. But there is one animal in particular that truly spikes my interest.

The one, the only, Canis lupus familiaris (aka, the dog).

Being a college student and living in a not-so-dog-friendly dorm environment, I often find myself terribly missing my dog.

Meet Crystal, the birthday present I received 10 years ago. She is the love of my life — a concept my boyfriend has reluctantly accepted.

OCAS is a place where I can give back to the animal community while also satisfying my dog cravings. Every Thursday I impatiently watch the clock, waiting for my last class of the day to finish so I can hop in my car and drive to OCAS.

I admit, volunteering at an animal shelter can be tough, because when a dog is adopted you miss them terribly, but the satisfaction of knowing that a dog is going home with a loving family makes it worth it.

I’ve encountered many wonderful dogs during my time at OCAS, and while I never pick favorites at the shelter, for the sake of the blog I thought it would be nice if I featured one dog that I spent time with this week. So for this week, let me introduce you to Kanyon:

Breed: Labrador Retriever Mix

Gender: Female

Age: 4 years

I like to start my bonding experience with these dogs by taking them for a walk. Kanyon was on the verge of tail-wagging-so-hard-my-whole-body-shakes happy when I brought the leash into the cage. And when we went outside, she was elated.

Walking Kanyon made me realize that while puppies are undeniably adorable, there’s something refreshing about walking a dog that knows what a leash is and how to walk while wearing a leash. I was very impressed at how well-behaved Kanyon was.

She was a great walker, she knows how to sit, she knows how to shake and she's super sweet. She is a great low-maintenance pet for anyone looking for a dog who is already well-trained and laid back.

I spent quite some time chilling with her in her kennel. Apparently I make quite a fantastic pillow.

I think I connected so much with Kanyon because she reminds me a lot of my dog. Like Crystal, Kanyon will sit there for hours and let you simply pet her. Also like Crystal, Kanyon loves the attention of humans, but isn’t overwhelming about it. She doesn’t jump all over you and demand your attention.

If you’re at all interested in adopting Kanyon, please visit her page on the OCAS website. Then make sure to pay her a visit. She has plenty of love to give (I promise I didn’t take it all from her).