3-year-old Shyla, at the Humane Society of Huron Valley

Photo by Ann Edwards, HSHV Foster Coordinator

Lorrie Shaw’s article providing tips for pet owners so that their lost animal might be returned faster pointed out some helpful things that all pet parents should seriously consider.

Shyla, our pet of the week is a beautiful, 3-year-old German Shepherd, who sadly came into the Humane Society of Huron Valley (HSHV) as a stray with no identification. Her family was never located, and now she is available for adoption. Her outcome could have been very different.

The numbers do not lie. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that a national average of 25 percent of lost dogs are reunited with their owners, and only 2 percent of lost cats. At our shelter, more than 47 percent of lost dogs are reunited with their families, on average, and about 11 percent of lost cats. While HSHV and our community are doing better than the national average’s, there is still room for improvement.

Shyla was so named because she was a bit shy when she first came to HSHV. Since that time, we have seen this lovely dog open up and her vibrant personality is beginning to shine through.

She is playful and very intelligent. In fact, she already knows "sit" and "shake," and will learn other commands with more training and care, Shyla’s potential to learn is immeasurable. We love to watch Shlya play, and her curious nature will keep you laughing daily.

Like most German Shepherds, Shyla will need lots of exercise and quality time spent with her family. She appears to us to be cheerful, obedient and eager to learn. Shyla is not the type of dog that would be happy lying around, she wants to interact with you and she needs one-on-one time with her special people in order to thrive.

Because the history of her younger years are not known to us, we are asking that she be adopted to a home that does not have children younger than 12 years old.

You can visit Shyla any day from noon to 6 p.m.. HSHV is located at 3100 Cherry Hill Road, in the village of Dixboro. Visit www.hshv.org for more information, or call 734-662-5585.

The Humane Society of Huron Valley, located in Ann Arbor, was recently awarded the ‘Best Large Animal Shelter in Michigan” by the Michigan Pet Fund Alliance for saving the most lives. HSHV is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and relies solely on donations from businesses and individuals to support our community programs.

HSHV is not affiliated with the Michigan Humane Society or any other humane organization. The mission of HSHV is to promote responsible and compassionate care of all animals in our community.

Deb Kern is the Marketing Director at HSHV.