Thursday, March 31, 2011

WHITESPOT TESTS HIS VOICE




I know, I know....he was just yawning but I didn't have much else to write today and when you find a picture like that you have to use it somehow ; )

Watch for Whitespot's 2 week update.....coming tomorrow.

Monday, March 28, 2011

BEACH AND A GOOD NAP

Since he came to me, I have taken Whitespot down to the beach everyday except one and he loves it there.  Lots of people, lots of dogs.   We stick to short leash walks as per doctors orders and we spend lots of time sitting on a high ridge watching all of the dogs.   Most pictures I've seen of Whitespot up at Turtle Gardens show him sitting or lying in the middle of the yard.  He likes to take part but also seems to enjoy just observing.   Our outtings have lasted for 2-3 hours and he then has a great nap at home.

Cuddling up for a while

Serious napping.....could I get any more comfortable?

Yes...of course I can

Friday, March 25, 2011

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

WHITESPOT IS DOING GREAT!


Whitespot had his first day at dog daycare yesterday and he did awesome.   The staff love him and he is friendly and gets along with all of the other dogs.   He played and had fun.   We went for a walk on MacDonald Beach after daycare as Dr. Ubi said walks in the sand would be good for him.  We went slowly and he sniffed lots of logs and clumps of grass.   He met a few dogs and a few people and will go right up to someone for a pat on the head.  


Whitespot - sporting a harness, martingale and separate ID collar. 
He will have this get-up until we bond more.

We came home and after a quick look around my living room he noticed I had moved a piece of furniture to the other side of the room and put new things on the shelves.  He went over and investigated the change by sniffing everything he could reach and once satisfied that all was well he came in search of dinner.   He ate quickly and then had a good long nap.  Out for one last walk around the block at the end of the night and he then slept right through till morning.  

Whitespot rides well in the back of the truck and he has been completely quiet so far (indoors and outdoors).   With the surgery being postponed he is on anti-inflammatories and he seems to be quite comfortable.   Dalia will help me with arrangements for therapy to assist in healing his hip and will pick him up from dog daycare in Richmond and take him to Can West for any appointments. 

I have always wondered why Whitespot has been waiting for a perfect home for so long.  He is a beautiful, gentle dog.  He is affectionate and funny and walks so well on the leash.   I do not see his deafness as any kind of handi-cap.  He is smart - and this compensates for it, and then some.  


Monday, March 21, 2011

PAL FINDS HIS HOME AND WHITESPOT IS FOUND

Normally by now I would have posted another blog about Pal and blogged about Whitespot, but this last week has been hectic….crazy busy.   Pal was my right-paw man while travelling around trying to find Whitespot.  He walked many paths and streets with me and ran like crazy trying to keep up with Whitespot when we had our own sighting of him.  He learned to like travelling and was perfectly comfortable if I left him in the truck briefly.  He had a water container and a food container for on the road and I’m sure he must have thought we were living in the truck.  He is the perfect sized dog….not too big and not too small.  He is very affectionate and loved to prance alongside me when walking and nudge my hand to be petted while walking.   With our excursions out in South Surrey/White Rock we bonded easily.   The first application that was sent prior to Pal even coming to the Lower Mainland was the perfect match for him.   What a great dog he is, with so many endearing qualities – like the way he looks deeply/soulfully into your eyes.  



The couple that adopted him have named him Charlie and they have 2 other dogs.  When Pal met them he instantly played with the younger of the two dogs and then when we were back at their house he started to play with his new older brother too.  There are grown kids with their dogs, and grandkids…all creating a nice big family for Pal to be a part of.   He will get daily walks, lots of playtime with the other dogs in the backyard and weekly trips to the beach.   What a lucky dog and what a very lucky couple to have him. 

And, now it is Whitespot’s turn.   He is very affectionate.  He solicits face rubs and will paw your unoccupied hand when he sees that you are only using one of two hands to shower him with attention.   He gets so much attention on the street. People passing by stop and stare at him or they comment about how beautiful he is.  I’ve been seeing his pictures over the last year so I forget just how unique he is to the person who hasn’t seen him yet.   The good news with Whitespot is that his surgery is postponed to give him time to heal and see if he can mend without the surgery.  Dr. Ubi sounds optimistic about this and he suggested aqua therapy or walking him in water at the beach and walking on the sand, etc.  

This last week has been very tiring with one new foster dog, searching for Whitespot, trips to the vet, an adoption and then Whitespot taking Pals place right away.   A lost dog generates a lot of phone calls (thankfully) and you feel like you drop the ball on calling people back, but all the offers of help and calls of concern are worth so much.   They make you realize how great people are – how they pull together to fix a problem.   We were driving caravan style with 4-way flashers on while Whitespot made decisions of which roads to run down.   We had very few people honk at us for being in the way.  It seemed that a community had come together and realized what we were trying to do.   We had people nod at us and help us and cheer us on to get Whitespot back.   I know there were lots of people involved that I never saw, who were conducting their own private searches added to lots of TG supporters that I did see.  Whitespot's foster-to-adopt people were out there day and night searching and fielding the bulk of the 'sighting' calls. On the last day a guy named Dean brought people out to keep Whitespot safe and in their sight.  I don’t think any of these people even knew about Turtle Gardens.   I’m so glad that we have Whitespot back in the TG fold.  He is tired and sore but safe and found.  

I can’t say enough about how impressed I was with Al – our dog tracker.   Any lost dogs?  I say don’t delay….he is the guy to call.

I will provide a regular weekly update on Whitespot with some new pictures later.  I want everyone to see what a great character he is ; )

Monday, March 14, 2011

PAL'S ARRIVAL AND THE SEARCH FOR WHITESPOT

I picked Pal up on Saturday in Delta.   What a day that was….so many good matches for both dog and adopters.  Lots of volunteers came out to help and my only regret from the day is that I didn’t have more time without being busy to have time to chat with more people.   I have met so many great people through the TG network and would have loved to have had more time to stand around and talk ‘dog’.   I took Pal home Saturday night and walked him around my neighbourhood hoping for that first squat or leg lift so we could go inside and have a relax after a busy day.   After a couple of hours still no luck so I resorted to the 20’ leash and we had touch-down.   So, inside we went where Pal explored, ate, drank water and then crashed.  He slept quite a bit.  

On Sunday I went with a friend to Deas Park for a dog walk.  She has a Bully Breed X and she also has Rosie (a TG alumni – formerly Buttercup).   We had a great walk and Pal was itching to run with the other two dogs so I dropped the leash for him, secure that nobody else was around to startle or scare him and he bounced and ran around with them.   When we got down to the water he ran in almost to the point of feet off the ground before it seemed to hit him that he was in deep water….he bounded back out and carried on playing.



We spent our evening hanging out looking for Whitespot so he got another good walk in for the day and then he also learned that hanging out in the vehicle is not so bad either.  He was sawing logs on his bed well I kept an eye out for Whitespot’s return.   He was never whining looking for something to do….he settles very nicely when we stop anywhere. 

For more info on Whitespot go to: http://www.turtlegardens.org/2011/03/13/whitespot-is-on-the-lam

Pal is such a sweet, all-around great small to mid size dog.  He has no issues.  He likes people and other dogs and so far has been very easy to have around.  He is affectionate and playful.

Pal and Rosie....mid action

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Dare I announce who is coming next?

I have been without a dog for one whole, long month.   It looks like Turtle Gardens might be able to bring some dogs down soon and the plan is that my next foster might be Pal.   Now that I've said that out loud ....who knows.  Things change and we decide who comes to foster based on the needs of the dogs.   But here are a couple of preview pictures of Pal up in Topley: