Free Dog Wallpaper Download for Your Desktop from Dogtown

Dogtown is a television series about a real place in Utah at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary that houses supposedly "unadoptable" dogs that have been rescued or sent from other shelters. Their mission? To change as many of them as they can into adoptable pets. Featured on the National Geographic Channel, Dogtown is a must see for dog lovers. Addictive and heartwarming, Dogtown gives an overview of the process of rescuing strays who have often been mistreated and neglected or simply dropped off in a remote location for someone else to find. After the initial rescue, their stay at Dogtown typically begins with a visit to an onsite veterinarian to diagnose any health problems or conditions that may need addressing. The medical care can vary greatly and is sometimes complicated, but other times is an easy fix, with only shots required. The dogs are then socialized, since many are victims of abuse or simply have not been properly trained. This process can take weeks and sometimes months, depending again on the amount of abuse or neglect the animal has suffered. The dogs are then given a series of tests to determine if they can be considered adoptable.

Michael Vick Dogs Rescued

As stated earlier, Dogtown focuses on dogs that do not seem adoptable, as in the case of several of Michael Vick's Pit bulls, who were rescued and given a home at Dogtown. Ranging from aggressive to utterly terrified, their journey to recovery can seem long , arduous and expensive. Most of these dogs' problems originate from human abuse though, and taking this into consideration sheds a different light on the time and energy required to rescue and retrain these dogs.

As for the history of Dogtown, they have been doing this work for close to 25 years, having originated in 1987 with about 100 dogs. It quickly grew and they now have over 60 people on their staff, including dog trainers, veterinarians, care-givers and adoption specialists. Dogtown is now so large that it covers more than 90 acres. Visitors and volunteers join in the care of the dogs there by walking, feeding and grooming them, while the staff there focuses on health and behavioral issues. Their facilities include observation runs, an Old Friends home, a section called Little Dogs and an adoption run. To learn manners and to increase their chances of being adopted, the dogs are sent to a school at Dogtown called Tara's Run.

On their website, you can follow specific dogs shown on Dogtown episodes and see the progress they have made since their arrival at Dogtown. Next season will feature an episode that is a follow up to the Michael Vick dogs rescued and will premiere in January of 2010.

Other Animals at The Sanctuary in Utah

As mind boggling as it is, Dogtown is only a part of the rescue effort at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Utah. Cat World, Bunny House, Horse Haven, Wild Friends, Piggy Paradise and Parrot Garden combine with Dogtown to house close to 1,700 animals on any given day. Their efforts include rescues from situations of hoarding, natural disasters, wartime and failed shelter attempts. Take a slide show tour of Best Friends Animal Sanctuary at their website to see this incredible facility.

To plan a visit to their facilities at Angel Canyon in southern Utah and to learn about ways to volunteer, visit their website at Bestfriends.org. You can also register on their website for the upcoming No More Homeless Pets National Conference, which will be October 23-25, 2009 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Download wallpaper with pictures of dogs at:

http://www.bestfriends.org/dogtown/index.cfm?csid=2759&csii=2765&csit=Set

Resources:

http://www.bestfriends.org/dogtown/index.cfm?csid=2759&csii=2764&csit=Set

Dogtown, National Geographic Channel