Devin

5/15/2026

Devin is an energetic dog, but he has one kryptonite that I exploit on a daily basis. He can’t resist fetching a ball. He loves to run and return the ball. Doesn’t matter how tired he is, he will chase after a ball and bring it back to me. Doesn’t matter what type of ball – tennis, racquet, “chuck-it”, yarn, Kong, baseball – as long as he can chomp on it, he can’t resist going after it. Thank goodness, because taking long walks isn’t my forte, LOL.



5/8/2026

Devin’s favorite toy has been a soccer ball specifically for dogs. Another dog chewed a fifty-cent-size hole on one side and, on the exact opposite side, chewed a bigger hole. Devin’s head barely fits in this hole, and he manages to get his head stuck inside the ball. This is comical by itself, but Devin doesn’t care because he’s sticking his entire tongue through the smaller hole. So, for minutes at a time, Devin is walking around with a ball on his head while he is sticking his tongue through a small hole. As long as Devin is happy, so am I!

5/1/2026

Devin was at a HOPE fundraiser last Friday. Before he went, he went to the groomer and now has a 3 inch mohawk from head to tail! Usually he runs a bit warm with all his hair in this stretch of hot weather. Now with short hair and the cooler weather he gets gold a lot faster. I know when he’s cold because ever since his hair cut he’ll jump on my lap and curl up like an Eskimo dog and will stuff his nose under my hand. He’s only 30 lbs. When he curls in a little ball, he’s in his own world.

4/24/2026

Devin loves CoCo. No, not the beverage, but the other dog named CoCo. Devin is usually submissive with other dogs, but he likes to boss around Coco, especially since he can’t outrun or maneuver around CoCo. CoCo likes to corral Devin (like he’s a sheep), but Devin will put his big boy pants on and starts bossing CoCo around by nipping playfully at CoCo. One time Devin pulled some hair from CoCo and it stuck to his lower lip. Devin didn’t know it was there but he looked so hilarious because he looked like had a blond colored goatee!

4/17/2026

Devin has a nickname now. Buggie. There’s an individual who doesn’t speak English very well and tries to call Devin “buddy.” Instead, it sounds like “buggie.” So now he answers to both! Devin also found a new abundance of edible greens. He’s always eating grass but his new favorite are dandelions. He goes NUTS over these and has eradicated all of the dandelions in the dog yard. Even if he doesn’t eat them he’ll pluck ‘em with his mouth and spit them out and look at me with a big smile.

4/10/2026

Devin continues to show his personality. He is fun-loving, with a balance of a little crazy (in a comical way). It seems to be all go or all slow for him. When he plays it’s all out, especially when it’s with his bestie Delaney. Devin was waiting for Delaney to come into the dog yard. When she was unleashed it was GAME ON. Delaney started chasing Devin and he goes full speed into the next dog yard. Problem was the gate was closed, and I thought I was going to have a crumpled up dog on the ground. Instead, Devin jumps on the fence, runs on the side of the gated fence for a good 4-6 feet and takes off! Not sure how he didn’t get some of his small paws stuck in the fence, but all was good…play on!

4/3/2026

Devin passed his Level 1 Obedience test w/ flying colors!!! I’m more proud of him listening to me saying, “Out” so he doesn’t eat objects he shouldn’t be eating. I’m most proud of Devin and his ability to play with all the dogs. Devin’s favorite is still Delaney. They will sleep together, walk on leash together, annoy each other, destroy toys together, and yes – even pee and poop at the same time! I think it’s safe to say the two of them are officially in a relationship!

3/27/2026

Devin’s fourth week! We did not do our Obedience Level 1 test last week, but we will be doing it this week. Devin will be losing his bestest bud named Dexter this week because he has found his forever home. I will miss the laughter when the two are playing in the yard together. Devin has more agility but Dexter has more speed. When the two are playing together and Dexter is chasing Devin, he will stop much faster and juke Dexter out. Sometimes this leads to Dexter just running over Devin and being a collision and Dexter will just sit on Devin’s head so he can’t get the toy. Other times Devin will play keep away with the toy by going in tight circles. Dexter is frustrated, so he’ll just end up biting on Devin’s Mohawk. Yes, Devin has a Mohawk and it gives him no street cred with any of the other dogs here but it is cute and Dexter likes it to gain an advantage during play!

3/20/2026

Devin’s third week went really well. He’s starting to learn his basic obedience: sit, down, up, stay, and recall, to name a few. He will be taking his Obedience Level 1 test this week. Fingers crossed, but he will be ready. To be honest, I wasn’t sure Devin was going to be able to accomplish a lot of his training because his first day was concerning. The only thing he knew was sit, but the real concern came when we would go to the dog yard and I would open the gate. Usually, the dog will go right in and start playing. Devin, on the other hand, would stand 2–3 feet to the side and stare at the fence, waiting for the “imaginary gate” in front of him to open. Repeatedly, the first day this kept on occurring. We’ve gotten past that, and now the real training has begun. Find out next week if he passes his obedience test!

3/13/2026

Devin’s second week has been great. He made another friend with a dog named Ruby and continues to play with Dexter and Delaney. However, his biggest fad right now is people who are walking by with their hat or beanie in their hand. These people don’t realize Devin is plotting and will sneak attack them and grab their hats from their hand and then plays keep away from them. In one day, he probably stole half a dozen hats from unassuming victims. The funniest is when he plays keep away, he will throw the hat in the air and catch it like he’s taunting for the fun of it and just to rub it in. For Devin, it’s just another toy, but we are teaching him he can grab the hats, but he must give them back.

3/6/2026

Devin’s first week has been awesome! After a few tentative days, Devin broke out of his shell and started playing with toys and with other dogs. He loves to play with Dexter, who outweighs him by 50+ pounds, and Delaney, who is about the same height but weighs 25 pounds heavier. Devin loves to walk under Delaney and tries to pick her up on his back while he’s trying to bite her back leg. The funniest is when Devin is trying to catch up with Dexter, and Devin starts yipping like a squeaker. So funny it made me cry with laughter. Devin is quickly becoming my favorite dog so far. Can’t help but smile every time I think of him.

02/27/2026

Devin joined HOPE today and we're all looking forward to learning more about him!