This is Bella. She is an elderly Australian Shepherd whose equally elderly owner could no longer care for her. Bella has made herself into an almost 80 pound housedog and my kitchen has instantly gotten smaller. Bella had a dental and is on a diet forever and ever. She is more active after her dental; she does well with all the littles.

This is Posse, a breeder dog turned over to us. He's a Yorkie/Maltese mix, 6 yrs old and also tiny. Posse is having a blast - he's a party animal.

Lydia is one of the six chihuahuas that were rescued from a bad hoarder situation of 40ish dogs and came to HCW. Before coming to HCW, these babies have never been outside, to a vet, or met anyone outside the immediate family they lived with. The expected markers for infection, malnutrition, muscle wasting, parasite infestation, etc. were there, but no organ failure or heartworms. They were terrified of people, scared to be handled, lots of dog bite scares but happy not to fight for food. They have come a long way. Lydia is youngish, healthy but very scared of being handled. She is friendly and will give you a quick lick but needs more time to work through trust issues. She loves the yard, the sun and other dogs; and can be seen frequently cuddling with the other dogs.

This is Bob Gnarly. He is an older gent who has led a very...adventurous...life. We think Bob is a corgie mix of some sort. He is larger than a min pin - 24 pounds! He was found as a stray, running in traffic and no one ever claimed him. Bob is a real sweetie. He is gentle and laid back. He got his teeth cleaned, was neutered, and we had the strip of skin removed from his ear. Now we do not have to worry about it getting pulled or caught on something. He recovered very quickly and is getting very comfortable. We think he had a hard life, as his chewed up ears attest, but he is learning to relax and is doing well.

Pixel is one of the six chihuahuas that were rescued from a bad hoarder situation and came to HCW. Before coming to HCW, these babies have never been outside, to a vet, or met anyone outside the immediate family they lived with. The expected markers for infection, malnutrition, muscle wasting, parasite infestation, etc. were there, but no organ failure or heartworms. They were terrified of people, scared to be handled, lots of dog bite scares but happy not to fight for food. They have come a long way. Pixel is healthy, neutered, and continues to improve every day. She loves to play with toys now, but is still alittle shy. She comes close and will give you a lick but needs time to work through her trust issues.

Presley is one of the six chihuahuas that were rescued from a bad hoarder situation and came to HCW. Before coming to HCW, these babies have never been outside, to a vet, or met anyone outside the immediate family they lived with. The expected markers for infection, malnutrition, muscle wasting, parasite infestation, etc. were there, but no organ failure or heartworms. They were terrified of people, scared to be handled, lots of dog bite scares but happy not to fight for food. They have come a long way. Presley is doing really well and is happy from the tip of her wagging tail to the smile on her face. She is shy and needs time to work through her trust issues.

Elsa was found frozen to the ground during the winter storms. Despite the cold weather, she was alive and found her way to HCW. She has been vetted and she is improving and happy with us. Her eyes are just bad. We have changed her meds and increased the frequency in hopes of saving them. She has very little sight, but gets along well. I just want her to be comfortable. She is going to be a lovely dog, but she does NOT like getting eye meds. It is a big wrestling match - about 8 times a day. Sigh........ she does think that a cozy cot topped with a soft bed in the house is much better than sleeping on the ground - especially during an ice storm!

This is Goldie. She looks like a mix of Golden Retriever and Corgie. She was terrified when she arrived at HCW. She is about 1 year old and doesn’t want to be touched. Of course, first you would have to get close enough to touch her and that is not easy. She is large for our crew at about 20 pounds, but so far seems to be happy with all the littles. She will take food from my hand, so that is a big deal. Goldie has started putting herself in the crate at night. All I have to do it close the door and give her a treat. I can pet her when she is in the crate also. For now, it is all teeny tiny baby steps. I think she will eventually come around and be ready for a family of her own.

This is Elvis and he is adorable. He is a small 7 year maltese who loves people and playing. It appears he has some hearing loss but gets around and does everything well. Elvis still needs some work with his housebreaking but he is the sweetest, loving little boy. He has been neutered and had a dental, along with removal of a foreign object from his stomach. He has healed well and loves life. He should be ready for his forever home soon.

Banjo was found (with his running buddy Debro) matted and stinky by a trucker from NC - no one came looking for him, which might be a very good thing. I am finding a lot of urine burns. This boy deserves better. He had a bath and haircut and he’s getting lots of love and good food as we work on his vetting process.

Dubro was found (with Banjo) matted and stinky by a trucker from NC on the interstate. He has had a bath and haircut, and is getting lots of love and good food as we work on his vetting process.

This sweetie is Mandy Lynn. She was part of a cruelty case. The other baby didn't make it. I have no idea of age, but somehow I don't think she is as old as she looks right now. She has been in limbo for quite a while waiting on charges to be brought, but the shelter was allowed to release her. Even though Mandy Lynn still looks ruff, she feels much better after a medicated bath and antibioticcs! She whirls and twirls and wags and smiles. I will get her to the vet soon.