TWO FOSTER DOGS X 1 WEEK = TWO ADOPTIONS

Jeesh, you couldn't afford to blink with the last two foster dogs.  Quincy went home on Saturday and is now named Byron, and then on Monday I lost Barley to a new home too.  Barley found the perfect home while attending daycare.  One of the staff had also recently adopted TG dog Pixie and the two of them played so well together that Barley was taken on board too.  Pixie and Barley are so much alike it feels like they must somehow be related.   Barley is now called Ollie.  I was sent a pic tonight that shows just how settled Ollie is....

Livin' the good life!

QUINCY'S ADOPTION DAY!

One of the best things about fostering two dogs is when one is adopted your home isn't empty.  I met with Quincy's adopters today and he went home with them on the Skytrain.  I can't tell you how odd it feels to meet someone at a Skytrain station and exchange an adoption fee for a dog.  Quincy was unphased by the sound of the trains on the tracks overhead while we waited and I'm sure his right went smoothly.

Quincy's new family is a really great, young couple that have been waiting for a long time for a rescued Boston breed.  They tried fostering to see how a dog fits in with their lives, they selected a breed the both agreed fit their lifestyle and then they waited for the right dog to come along. When Quincy showed up for adoption they contacted Turtle Gardens so quickly, met him and fell in love, and the end result is an adoption today to a very happy and excited couple.  His new family is car free so I'm pretty sure he's going to be getting to see quite a bit of Vancouver by foot.  'Good luck little buddy, you're in good hands!'

In Quincy's absence, Barley all of a sudden noticed my Frankenstein statue!  I guess he'd been so focused on Quincy that he never noticed.  I always get a kick out of dog's reactions because some really can't tell if it might come to life or not.  Oh how I wish for a remote control that would make him move (I know I'm evil).

p.s. Franklin Kenneth Stein aka Frankie is a Value Village find that I just could not leave the store without!

Frankie on arrival day...

1 WEEK UPDATE WITH QUINCY AND BARLEY

Well its been one week with my two fosters and Barley has been a cone-head for a good portion of it.  He has gone cone free when I'm able to supervise him closely but bedtime and a few other times he's needed a cone to stop him from fussing with his stitches (he was neutered last Saturday).  I suppose as they heal the incision gets itchy, aggravated by pointy stitch ends and shaved hair growing back in.  Poor little dude!

Cone free with an abandoned piece of carrot in the background.

Quincy is doing very well and he is becoming more comfortable with me and I've seen more and more little stubby tail wags.  A couple of nights ago I ran the circuit around my place - from the kitchen, down the hallway and through the living room/dining room.  I'd do three laps with both Quincy and Barley following in hot pursuit and then stop when I got to the living room.  Barley was beside himself with excitement and Quincy forgot himself for a moment and let himself cut loose and prance around a bit and for his little reserved self he was excited.

Dinner time for the first few days was a challenge as you know two dogs will always want whats in the other dog's bowl.  But with one dog being twice the size of the other I needed to be sure that they each got the food they should have, quantity-wise.  So they finally learned how persistent I could be and they now eat without swapping - until they're both done and only then can they check the other dog's empty dish just to be sure it's empty.

At dog daycare Barley has been playing with Pixie - another Turtle Gardens dog that was adopted by Sarah from my dog daycare.  They are very similar in looks and personality and they identified with each other very quickly.  Quincy is fine at daycare too but his experience is different as he's more focused on the staff.  He sniffs other dogs and is fine being sniffed in return and then he goes and finds a human to follow or sit on a lap.  I think in time he will find his inner playful puppy.

Here's a pic to show you what a good daycare day does to a dog.

Riding home in the truck.

It is always Barley wanting to be with Quincy.  I haven't seen Quincy make many moves towards Barley although for the most part he doesn't seem to mind the company.  I think Quincy will be happy being an only dog while Barley would love to have a 4 legged companion in his home to play with and mimic and curl up with.

More news to come in the next couple of days....hint hint....

QUINCY AND BARLEY HAVE ARRIVED!

Quincy on the left / Barley on the Right

This past Saturday was dog run day....yahoo!  I’ve missed fostering and to make up for lost time I signed up for two fosters.  That is not my ‘norm’ at all but with one dog being 6 lbs and the other 13 lbs that’s still not a whole lot of dog weight-wise.  When I drove up to the dog run the first dog of my two that I saw was Quincy the Boston/Chi X and my first comment to Gloria, who was gearing him up with a leash and collar, was that he had such a cute but homely face...and I loved it! 

He has the cutest little under bite that usually shows just one tooth sticking a teeny bit out of his mouth and with the absence of any markings on his face he just looked different than any other Boston type dog I had seen before.  He has a look that grows on you very very quickly.  I then went to the TG truck and met Barley.  He was wagging his tail, happy to see me, although a little scared to come out of the crate but we soon fixed that.  He has hardly stopped wagging his tail since then.  

Quincy was frozen to one spot but was willing to try walking around the parking lot a little bit with Gloria, and Barley was willing to move around quite easily but with no direction and not sure of the leash holding him back.  What a mis-matched pair....the biggest thing they had in common was their small size.   I took them from the dog run to the vet and Quincy had his shots and Barley was neutered and had shots.  Both faired really well.  With Barley having his neuter that gave me some time to get to know Quincy a bit.   

Checkin out the flowers

He bonds quite quickly to whoever seems to be ‘his’ person at the moment – at the dog run it was Gloria and he had little interest in going with me and then he quickly transferred that attachment to me.  He is not clingy but he definitely wants the security of belonging to someone.  

 So far he seems to be a fairly mellow and serious dude but who knows who he will be once he settles in and gets comfortable.  Will he be bouncy or will he stay serious and slightly aloof?  Part of that will be up to the confidence building he receives and part of that will depend on his true nature.  As for Barley, he is happy with everything!  He has been a little bit restless since his arrival and wants to explore quite a bit.  I'm not sure how he will be as he settles either but I suspect he might like a life with interest....gardening, interesting walks with things to see and smell, people to meet, car rides and such....

Ain't I cute?

Quincy and Barley are getting along quite fine....Barley loves Quincy and Quincy kind of just seems to accept Barley vs. loving him.  They will eat or drink out of the same dish and that's okay, but when Barley tried to mount Quincy he got told off.  Both dogs are very quiet and have only barked when the neighbours came outside in the yard next door....they weren't sure if they belonged there so they barked, but once they realized they weren't going anywhere both dogs settled and went about their business again.  Both are riding well in the vehicle and while Quincy is walking very easily on the leash now Barley continues to wander around and bump into both me and Quincy....just getting in the way in general.  He hasn't quite grasped the walking in a straight line thing yet.  

Both dogs have received multiple applications and Quincy has already met one couple.  I don't think either dog will be hanging around like Sunshine did...that's for sure!

Lastly...here's a quick video...Barley the wagger and Quincy who wants to go inside and eat.