ANOTHER 'DOG RUN'

Turtle Gardens is planning another dog run for this Sunday.  As usual, with it being winter we will have to wait and see if they are able to drive down.  From what I'm hearing the roads are pretty crazy with snow, but the TG bus has good drivers and good tires, so I think I will have my new foster by the end of the weekend.  Its funny but we probably have more to worry about if it snows in the Lower Mainland for all of us getting to the barn to pick up dogs.   Us 'city drivers' don't have the same skills that Brian and Dave have on the winter roads.

I hope I'm not jinxing things but it looks like I will be fostering Spot.  He is a small, cute-as-a-dickens, little ball of fur and I couldn't resist asking to meet him.  There are a few dogs on my foster wish-list but they will have to wait until the New Year when I have a longer stretch of time in case they aren't adopted very quickly.   Okay, so now that I've officially mentioned my next foster dogs name before the TG bus has even left home, lets see what happens. 

Pictures and stories to follow.  I always take my camera to the dog run but never seem to have the time to use it.  I'll make a better effort this time to get some pictures. 

I was looking back through my list of fosters and this time last year I had Abby and she was just about to get adopted.



Beautiful, blue-eyed Abby

... and in November two years ago I was waiting for Little Bear to come to me the following week.  I wish I had started blogging from the beginning.  




Little Bear with his best "I didn't do it" look



Sporting his TG bandana waiting to meet
an potential adopter



GRAELEE IS IN HER NEW HOME....AND GOES TO WORK

Graelee has been adopted by a really awesome couple from the Lower Mainland.   As part of their household she gets to go to work and a quick report tells me that she did well on her first day.  She was quiet and only barked when one of her fellow office dogs came in.   There were four great applicants that met Graelee in the last week and its funny that it was the last meet and greet that resonated with me the strongest as a match.  I could have seen each of the applicants giving Graelee a great home, but the last couple felt like it was meant to be.  They are happy to have her in their home and describe her as playful, snuggly and smart.

CRAZY WEATHER

I took Graelee down to McDonald Beach yesterday and I'm sure lots of people in the Lower Mainland experienced the same crazy weather than came around in the matter of minutes.  We arrived at the river with sunshine and very calm river waters and all of a sudden a cloud passed over, bringing hail. Then there was the thunder and lightening and major winds blowing leaves off the trees all over the white caps on the water.  And....to top this off, we finished with a full rainbow.  Wow!

Graelee has met a few people this past week.  There have been a couple of home visits completed and there are still some great applicants that haven't even met Graelee yet.  I'd be surprised if she isn't adopted soon.  Sometimes we have the fortunate problem of needing to clone one dog because its hard to choose.   We did meet one very nice lady and her dog at Queen Elizabeth Park and Graelee was curious about a pumpkin that was left behind.  She was undaunted by the carving and just preferred to see it as potential food.  I'm sure if I'd had Sail still she would have barked at it.

Last weeked we went to Deas Island Park with my friend Kathy and her two dogs - Booker and Rosie.  Rosie is a TG dog previously known as Buttercup - my shortest foster before Matt and Kathy adopted her.  Graelee had fun running with Booker and following Rosie through the bushes.  Rosie is usually busy on the hunt for squirrels but Booker shares Graelee's love of soft sand to run in.  





Graelee trying to steal the stick from Booker

 



Such a busy little girl...she had to be held by the collar to be still enough for a picture



Buttercup at Turtle Gardens (now Rosie)

The other day I put Graelee's favorite squeak toy aside and she discovered the squeaky beer bottle instead....

She doesn't play-growl with any other toy this way

so I'm not sure what's so special about this one.

BEAUTIFUL FALL DAY

Wow...this is such a beautiful time of year!   I couldn't have asked for a better day than today's sunshine and crisp cold weather.  Graelee and I went to the beach and got some exercise.  I can't believe how much energy she has, but fortunately she doesn't need to cover distance to wear herself down.  With sand, water, logs to jump over and other dogs to play with she is self-exercising for the most part.  She played with lots of dogs and she barked at and ran after the waves when boats went by.  She is so much fun to watch.  I let her off leash and she zips back and forth.  Most of the time she comes right back when called but when she outright just ignores me...I go get her and its back on the leash for her.  I think she figured that out pretty quickly because when I finally let her off leash again she came to me every time after that.  

A fun play buddy...

A video of Graelee having just as much fun on
three legs...oh ya...and check out how she
comes back to me after I whistle

RUN GRAELEE, RUN

I wanted to share a video from the weekend.  I have slowed it down so you can see Graelee in motion.  She spends quite a bit of time using all 4 legs and some of the time lifting her back right leg and running on three.  I will try to catch a video of her running on three because she seems to move just as easily either way.  

So, tonight I'm noticing that when I ask Graelee to sit for something she immediately goes to lay down too.   I have asked her for one after the other too consistently.  Tonight we were working on isolating each command so that she understands that they don't always go together.  She has chosen a stuffed toy with two squeakers in it as her favorite and holding this toy is a great motivator for her to try to do whatever it takes to get that toy thrown across the room.   This toy is the first thing she runs to when we get home after dog daycare, the first thing she plays with in the morning too.  At first she didn't have the 'spot' figured out to make the squeakers work but believe me she has found it now!