Meet Duke, the 6 month old Pit-nees! (Pitbull x Pyrenees mix. Duke came into the Shelter as an owner surrender after his previous guardian was unable to continue caring for him due to changes in lifestyle that made caring for a puppy a bit challenging. Duke was described as a great dog but has a high energy level. He lived with cats, who Duke wanted to play with but was too rough with them. A home with kitties may not be the best fit for Duke, unless they are VERY dog savvy and there is a slow, thoughtful introduction. At the Shelter, staff have observed that Duke is eager to interact and a typical puppy – a little mouthy and exuberant in his interaction. He has met other dogs and is interested in interaction. Duke does have a history of ingesting items that he should not have access to (such as a rib bone). Adopters should be mindful that he has appropriately sized toys to play with and things that he should not have in his mouth (or ingest) are out of reach to keep Duke (and the items) safe. Duke is available for preadoption - come meet him, fall in love and take him home after his neuter surgery! The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter Foundation is now offering “Pawsitivity Bucks” with every dog adoption. This $200 training voucher is a way for newly adopted canines and their guardians to connect with local positive reinforcement based behavior consultants and get their relationship started off on the right paw! Please note: Our Santa Cruz location’s Shelter hours are 11-6pm, 7 days a week! Although clients can walk through and see any animals in their kennels during open hours, we end “meet and greets” (aka meeting an animal out of the kennel) at 4:30pm every day. If you’d like to meet an animal out of the kennel, please arrive before 4:00pm to allow for time to discuss individual animals and meet them.