Meet Kuma: Westchase Pet of the Week

Patch: Where did Kuma come from?

Scott Calvert: He went through the rescue shelter system and didn’t get adopted. He was transferred to Paws In Prison in Tallahassee. The organization takes dogs from kill shelters and pairs them up with prisoners. For eight weeks the prisoners work with the dogs to train them and make them more adoptable.  Paws in Prison has a 100 percent adoption rate. The first family that adopted him returned him because they said that he whined and chewed. We got him from ARC, Animal Rescue Coalition.

Patch: What made you chose him?

Calvert: We had just fenced in the yard and we started looking for a dog.  We knew we wanted a big dog and we didn’t want a puppy because we just didn’t have the time to train it.  We originally saw like seven other dogs first.  He was listed as unable to get along with cats since he chased squirrels.  We decided to do a home visit to see how he would be with our cat, Irmo.  We also took him to Petsmart, where he picked soft toys off the shelf and made us buy them for him.  He was covered in hotspots so we got him groomed. 

Patch: How do Kuma and Irmo get along now?

Calvert: They are “frenemies.” They play together. The cat will get him to chase him around the house.

Patch: Does he have any other good buddies?

Calvert: He is friends with a Cairn Terrier, named Kobe, that lives in West Park Village.  They went to the same doggy daycare in Tallahassee. They were reunited when we moved here.

Patch: Does he do any tricks?

Calvert: Nope. He will just go get his bone. You have to say it three times in a row. He will get really excited and find his deer antler.

Patch: Does he beg for food?

Calvert: He does not beg at all. He is freakishly good with people food. You can leave a plate of steak on the floor and he won’t touch it. He eats an exact portion of his own food. He doesn’t eat too slow or too fast.

Patch: Is he talkative or the quiet type?

Calvert: He does not bark unless he needs to be let out. If you bark at him he will bark back. It’s more of a woof sound. His cheeks puff out.

 Patch: Have you ever taken him on any holiday trips?

Calvert: He’s been to Alabama and met my Mom’s Bichon Frise puppies.  It was funny watching him with these little fluffy white puffballs.  He’s good in the car.  Every time I step on the brakes, he thinks we are arriving and his head pops up. 

Patch: What did he get for Christmas?

Calvert: He got baked treats from Downtown Dogs in Hyde Park.

Patch: Describe Kuma in three words.

Calvert: Silly, goofy, lovable.