Meet Ruger.

Santa Cruz, CA · 8 years 2 months · Black and Tan Coonhound / Mixed (medium coat)

Listed since Sep 4, 2026. Listing dates do not establish shelter intake or continuous availability.

First seen by Goodmorph Oct 30, 2026.

Rescue last updated: Oct 15, 2026

In the shelter’s words

Meet Ruger, the senior black and tan coonhound. Ruger came into the Shelter after his previous guardian was unable to continue caring for him. Typical to hounds, Ruger is a spirited guy who has a lot to say. He bays in excitement greeting people and other dogs. Adopters who live in single family homes, or homes with dog-friendly neighbors, are recommended. Breed experience is highly recommended to set Ruger and his next family up for success. A recent foster reports: 'Rugor is quite simply a total ball of sunshine! With his incredibly soft ears, satin tummy, and stunningly soulful eyes, he melts the heart of everyone he meets. Rugor has a beautiful habit of looking deeply into your eyes, and when he does, it truly feels like he is telling you, 'I love you.'Why You’ll Fall in Love with Him:•The Best of Both Worlds: At 8 years old, you get to skip the stressful puppy phase! Yet, Rugor still has plenty of life, adventure, and playfulness in him.•Easygoing Companion: He has wonderful couch-potato energy. He is sweet, affectionate, and perfectly content to lounge next to you while you read or relax.•Fully House-Trusted: When left alone, he can be completely trusted in the house. He simply takes a peaceful nap or happily entertains himself with his toys.•A Polite Learner: He knows his basic commands, takes correction well, and genuinely wants to please his humans.•Dog-Friendly: He plays beautifully with both big and small dogs, meaning he could thrive as an only dog or join a home with dog siblings.His Perfect Home:Rugor is ready for whatever his human is up for—whether that’s a walk, a fun splash in the water, or a quiet day at home. What he wants most is to be a true, indoor member of the family. He wants to be right where his humans are, waiting to provide his own special brand of soothing comfort when you get home from work. He has so much love to give. He just needs his forever family to share it with.Ruger's adoption fee has been sponsored by the Santa Cruz Animal Shelter Foundation's Leave No One Behind fund - a fund that draws adopter's eyes towards animals that have been waiting a little bit longer than average for the right adopters to come along and bring them home.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.

RescueGroups record ID: 22755422

What this home needs

• Other dogs

  Mentioned by the shelter

  “He simply takes a peaceful nap or happily entertains himself with his toys.•A Polite Learner: He knows his basic commands, takes correction well, and genuinely wants to please his humans.•Dog-Friendly: He plays beautifully with both big and small dogs, meaning he could thrive as an only dog or join a home with dog siblings.His Perfect Home:Rugor is ready for whatever his human is up for—whether that’s a walk, a fun splash in the water, or a quiet day at home.”

  Not a verified observation — ask staff about the context. A positive shelter report may support search results; it remains unverified and needs confirmation.

  Shelter statement ↗
• Still to ask the shelter

  cats · children · housing and stairs · medical and care. These details are not documented here; unknown does not mean no.

Roster last seen: Nov 1, 2026, 6:21 AM UTC
Goodmorph last synced: Nov 1, 2026, 6:21 AM UTC
Availability confirmed by a person: Not confirmed

Shelter staff and authorized volunteers: add a dated observation

This shared profile remains available for up to 90 days after it leaves the source roster, unless removal is requested sooner. Adoptions and applications are handled by the shelter.