JD the dog can't describe how he got out of an animal shelter in Kentucky, but he has landed on his feet in Glendale.

JD, now the cherished pet of Chris and Dennis Blankenburg, was left last year at a shelter in Georgetown, Ky. -- a region with an oversupply of adoptable dogs. But through a local program called Rescue Waggin' that works with the Wisconsin Humane Society, he got a new lease on life and a home.

The program, which is run by Marlene Walsh and PetSmart Charities, brought 2,400 dogs to the Wisconsin Humane Society last year, representing nearly a third of total adoptions.

Shelters in Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee would "face the unfortunate option of euthanizing the dogs, if we did not take them," says Ellen Clark, operations director of the WHS. The local shelter does not euthanize any animals that are healthy and adoptable.

When the Blankenburgs arrived at the shelter, JD's mix of breeds -- lab/shepherd/malamute -- reminded them of dogs they had in the past. They say they felt sympathy for him because adult animals are harder to place, and Chris fell for his personality. "He has a very good disposition, and he's really playful," she says. "He's keeping us both on our toes. He's got his own food dishes, and if any of them are empty, he brings them and throws them at our feet."

The Blankenburgs, who spend their winters in Mission, Texas, say that JD did fine on the 24-hour car trip down, sleeping most of the way and sticking his nose out the window when he could. In his new environment, he goes for walks with his owners and socializes with the many other dogs in the neighborhood.

At home, the family has a parakeet, which frightens JD. "When we let it out, he ran under the kitchen table and stayed there," Chris says. "When the bird was back in its cage, he crept out -- very cautiously."

He insists on sharing a bed with his owners -- no small matter, since he weighs about 80 pounds. When Dennis leaves for an early tee time, JD slips into his space "and puts his head on the pillow and lays up against me," Chris says. Sometimes, she says, she's startled to realize that it isn't her husband.