Jas is a giant puppy dog. He is my roommate's dog, and Antonio's biggest nuisance. He has the sweetest disposition and would never hurt a fly on purpose. He is enormous, energetic and clumsy, so accidents do happen.

My roommate, Jenna, adopted Jas when he was 5 months old from the Sacramento SPCA. He had been neglected by his prior owners, and as a result was starved for attention and had some behavioral problems.

A stipulation for adopting a puppy like Jas is to participate in mandatory training through the SPCA's training courses. Jas was awarded "Most Improved" in his beginners class.

Jenna told me that when he first came home, Jas was very rambunctious and a bit whiny. As soon as he came to understand that he was going to get attention and exercise, he was able to calm down.

Now Jas is a huge part of Jenna's life and, mine too. He always seems to know when you need to cuddle.

My favorite thing that he does is he tries to sit on your lap, even though he is much too big to be a lap dog. He thinks he's just a little puppy still and loves to play and get belly rubs.

When Antonio came home, Jas could not have been more excited. His only experience with cats had been my cat, Charlie.

Charlie does not like dogs one bit, and he let Jas know it. There was even blood shed. Antonio was so small and defenseless, that Jas could sniff and lick him as much as he wanted without running the risk of losing an eye.

To this day, Jas is alway ecstatic to see little Antonio and still tries to play with him. Antonio has wised up, however, and quickly retreats underneath the bed when he hears that big boy coming.

Despite getting a rough start in the world, Jas is a great pet. He loves his humans and is friendly and gentle with kids and other dogs. There are hundreds like him waiting for a home! If you are interested in adopting a dog, or maybe a cat if you are too busy for a dog, check out the SPCA's Web site.

Do you have a pet that you adopted? Feel free to sign up to write for Sac Press and tell us about your furry family member! If you add similar tags to mine (adopting, SPCA, stray animals, pets), then all these stories can be linked together for people to see. Also, The SPCA's Director of Public Relations, Lesley Kirrene, has posted a story for the Sacramento Press. Check it out to learn more about the organization by clicking here.