THE WEEK WITH CHARLIE

Well it's been just over a week with Charlie and he's doing very well.  His fear of miscellaneous things is minimizing.  On day one, some firecrackers had him shaking for quite a while, but two days ago some shots went off in a farm field nearby and he alerted to it but no shaking and he went right back to sniffing the grass around him.   He rides so well in the vehicle.  He lays right down and is super well behaved.  He sleeps through the night on his own bed, without stirring.  I have hardly heard him bark.  He will let out a few barks in play but doesn't bark at noises outside, etc.   He is a great companion....very affectionate, stares straight into your soul, is playful and fun.

One night in the week we walked up to the local strip mall to hang out where there are lots of cars and people.  When we took 5 minutes to sit on a bench Charlie just planted himself near me and watched the world go by.  He settles very nicely when we stop.  He's never anxious to move on, he just wants to be with you.

Saturday was the Turtle Gardens dog run and Charlie spent some time with Susan who came to hang out and help.  She took him for a spin down the road for a bit and said he walked nicely on the leash and even jogged well alongside her.  I didn't have my camera out for the whole dog run but caught some pics of the dogs that Denise was transporting at the end:



AMOS - Fostered in Squamish



CHRISTIE - fostered with Denise in Vancouver

KOKO - fostered with Julia

After the dog run Charlie and I met my friend Matt and his dogs Rosie (former TG dog) and Booker.  I usually meet with Kathy and their two dogs but Kathy was out of town so Matt was happy to step in.  We wandered through the trails instead of the main pathways and Charlie stuck close by.  Up until that day I hadn't had him off leash at all, but when I fostered him a year and a half ago he had been very reliable off leash, and in his previous home they reported that he had always been reliable off leash, never any issues with dogs or people.  And so, he was unhooked and was a good boy.  Running ahead occassionally to investigate new smells and then coming back to walk along side or to follow behind.  By the end he even started to engage the other two dogs to rip around with him.  When we came up to people and dogs I put him on leash to better control his interaction and he did great!

On Sunday we went to a Dog event in New Westminster at Queens Park where Shannon (who volunteers her training skills to TG dogs) was setting up her agility equipment for people to try out.  We went for a visit and also for the opportunity to take Charlie around more people and dogs.  He was very relaxed and his interaction with other dogs was impressive.

A quick stop on the way home to meet up with Dave and Brian who are hanging out in Vancouver for a day to run some city errands before heading back home.  While there we saw Amos who is waiting to go to Squamish to his foster home on Monday and Christie who is being fostered by Denise.  

Charlie hadn't had much in the way of exercise on Sunday so we made an extra stop on the way home at Crowley Park.   Here are some pics from our walk: 

Charlie has good recall.  He comes back if he sees me crouch down or comes to a whistle

Great eye contact...and a big smile.  What a reward for me!

MY PAL CHARLIE

Back in March 2011 I fostered Pal for a week before he as adopted (and renamed Charlie).  Recently he has been developing some issues which his family felt were beyond their ability to fix.  They feared that to keep him it might make things worse for Charlie.  To me it seems he became fearful and nervous in different situations and aggressive behaviors were born out of this.  He had bonded with the family's second dog and looked to him for security but when the dog suffered a fatal accident Charlie began to change.  He has bitten some family members when they visited his home and he had been growling at people on the neighbouring property.  This was not normal behavior for Charlie.  He was well behaved and friendly when out and about, but could not be trusted with guests any more and with a large family of kids and grandkids they didn't want to take any more chances.

Since I picked Charlie up on Friday we have been working on relaxing and feeling safe and secure.  We haven't done anything very challenging as even my hardwood floors being different than the ones he was used to at home were cause for fear.  He remained on leash for the first couple of days so he could be nearby and know that I was watching out for him.  He was pulling quite a bit on leash on the first day but quickly relaxed on a looser leash on Saturday. 

On Saturday we went for a walk around Coquitlam with friends and they were respectful of his space.  When Charlie leaned up against my friend to solicit attention we knew he was comfortable with them.  He is good about passing other dogs and doesn't get too excited.  Saturday night included a long walk along the beach and meeting a few dogs along the way.  Mostly we stuck to ourselves though, so he could adjust to me more.  He was mostly calm throughout the day on Saturday, and I was glad to see him relax more.


Charlie on Saturday



Trotting back to me after I called him.


On Sunday we met with foster mom Gloria and her two dogs and two fosters.  We met at the beach and Charlie was happy to be part of a pack.  He remained on leash and I was pleasantly surprised that he was okay without being able to run with all the other dogs.  He got along well with other dogs we met, and I supervised him closely.  He received a few compliments from some people down on the beach and he was fine with being petted. 

Towards the end of our time at the beach....
Charlie started to look a little tired

He is a friendly dog who unfortunately ended up in a situation where he felt insecure and needed to take matters into his own control.  With the right leadership I feel he will be completely fine.  He needs to build more confidence with people in different situations, especially in more confined social settings.  He's a great size (approx 33 lbs) and has such a pretty and healthy coat.  Apart from not knowing how to cope with the issues that had arisen with Charlie, the couple that had adopted him had nothing but good things to say about Charlie and were very sad to have him leave as the other 95% of the time he was the best buddy to take everywhere.   


In the truck on the way home.  He propped
his head up and tried to fight off sleeping.

And as a bonus...here's a puppy-fix.  Such cuteness should be illegal.  If ever I was going to adopt two dogs at a time, these two would be it.  As Gloria says they're a couple of flying monkeys.  So much fun!

Milah (black/tan) and Mitchell (Blonde)

QUICK...GET THIS DOG A HOME

I need Mattisue to go home before I can't let her go.  Some dogs that I foster I just know I need them to find a home sooner rather than later or I'm in danger of keeping them permanently.  Not that that would be so horrible.  She is so easy to have around...and she's out right just flippin cute!  We were at the Pet Expo in Delta on Sunday and she had her leash on but I didn't even need to hold onto it.  She hung around being the perfect little TG representative, letting everyone pet her, including numerous groups of kids all at once. She was so good that day in fact that she ended up having a meet and greet with her new family.  

I will be meeting with them tomorrow to finalize her adoption.  In her new home she will have furry siblings in the form of a cat and a rabbit.  I can't wait for that first update with pics of the whole family on the couch.

So, it is with some sadness that we'll part ways tomorrow.  I'm consoled only by the fact that this is a great match and I know she will have an awesome life.

Mattisue's parting shot:  Howlin at the moon

I have a new adventure starting on Friday...so stay tuned to the blog to see who is coming to Richmond.

'STAY'....'NO, YOU STAY'

I’ve had Mattisue for almost three weeks now.  She is great company to have around.  She makes me smile and brightens each and every day.  Some dogs, no matter how great they are, seem to have at least one little thing that might be a negative, but not Mattisue.  She doesn’t do even one thing that could be annoying.  She sleeps on the bed all through the night and doesn’t get up until I’m ready to go downstairs to start the day.  She walks really well on leash (never pulling) and is reliable off leash too.   When I take her outside for her last pee of the night she bounces alongside me batting at my hand with her paws, she does her business and then on the way back home she goes out of her way to go to the truck.  She stands at the truck and looks at me waiting to go somewhere.  When she really believes me that we aren’t going anywhere she comes back home with me.   

When I foster a shy dog, for the first while, I work 100% on confidence and safety and 0% on obedience.  Safety includes not darting out of doors and things like that and confidence comes through new people, dogs and surroundings.  Mattisue has sure opened up in the last week.  She now runs down the beach towards other dogs to solicit them to play a chase game and she explores a little further away from me than before.   She accepts pats from new people with less and less ducking and she more easily approaches people with outstretched hands.   The only thing she needs help with is when the occassional big dog approaches too fast she lets out a scream even though they haven't even touched her.  I keep her close around big dogs so she knows she's safe.

In the first week, Mattisue would not accept a treat from me unless it was offered on a flat hand.  She now accepts a treat being held in my fingers and she will pull it away from me if I give some resistance.  Yesterday I started working on a bit of obedience with her as she seems ready.  The first time I asked her to sit for a treat she just stared at me but eventually sat.  I praised her so much and she got so excited and look proud.   When we went out to the grass at the end of the night I asked her to sit and she did.  When I praised her she did long excited loops around the lawn.   She is also learning to lay down for a treat.   On our walk last night we were on the back path at McDonald Beach and I held out my hand and told her to stay and she stopped in her tracks and stayed while I walked 25 feet away and then called her.  How the heck does she just naturally know what I want?  What a smart little dog she is.

It was funny though, because after a few times of telling her to stay and then calling her, we turned to go back towards the beach and she then did things in reverse.  When I told her to stay...she was the one that ran 25 feet away and then waited for me to call her back. We’ll have to work on that so she knows who does the stay and who does the walk away part. 

After a good walk and a few runs with some dogs, I sit down to brush the sand from my feet and Mattisue joins me and waits. 



just checkin to make sure you're still there

 She is ready to go as soon as I get my shoes on and happily trots back to the truck.  She is happy to go but I know she'd also be game to carry on if that's what we were doing.   She seems to have really good endurance, but is great at going with the flow.

MATTISUE BEGINS TO BLOSSOM

PICTURES TELL A THOUSAND WORDS

Wednesday night at Deas Park

Mattisue - sunset at Deas Park

Zoomies with Booker and Rosie - of course

I never get the camera out in time, so only caught

the tail end

Friday night at McDonald Beach



Camouflage dog



A little something we call R & R....running and recall



Mattisue is great at coming back to me full-tilt when I call

 

Saturday at McDonald Beach

...with Foster Mom Gloria, Mattisue's pups Milah and Mitchell

 and Gloria's dogs Tess and Charlee

 

I love smiling faces at the beach!!

Mom's leaving...we'd better catch up.



Auntie Charlee ignores the sneak attack by Milah



'Are you still my friend...I didn't mean to"

Milah - sandy and wet  - the best sign of a good day!

Mattisue is very hesitant about the water...but for her pups she will give it a try

Milah gets the best shade spot under the log...so Mitchell
practically lays on top of her

 

...in the shade with Mom

There's no better way to end your day at the beach

than chasing the bouncy beagle.  Fresh on the scene,

he promptly had everyone playing a game of chase.

Mattisue couldn't resist either.