THEEYO FX

This dog comes with sounds effects.  When he wants something like breakfast, or help up onto the bed he sounds a bit like a racoon.  He also does a bit of a back and forth dance with his feet.  I didn't catch it full force but things never happen the same when you get the camera out....must be dog's law.

We had a great trust-building opportunity last night.  We were walking with my friend and her dog (TG alumni Bella Donna) and we came across a dog in its front yard off leash.  This is a friendly dog that we already know and her and Bella are both big dogs and play well together.  As soon as I saw the other dog off leash I calmly picked up Theeyo and moved slightly away (no petting him and no soothing words).  Bella and the other dog started to rip around the street playing a game of chase and a bit of wrestling.  Theeyo had started out concerned about it all but quickly realized I was keeping him safe and when the other dog came up to me to check him out I turned the other way to prevent the dog from jumping up to him.   He actually became quite relaxed in my arms and just watched the other dogs play.   It was so nice to see him work through that moment and I was grateful for the perfect opportunity to be his hero.  Because of moments like this he will begin to learn trust, and be comfortable when I choose to let him meet a new dog.  The amount of time it takes to build that initial trust is individual to each dog.  I think this step is what is missing for so many of those little dogs we see who are lunging and barking their heads off at other dogs. 

When our walk was done we stood around chatting for a bit and Theeyo plunked himself down at my feet with his head on my shoe and there was my reward!  Such subtle small things can mean so much.

THEEYORE STARTS TO PLAY

Last night I put some toys out on the big dog bed to see if Theeyore would show some interest and he's starting to pick out a couple of favorites.

Apparently Theeyore has done very well on his first two days of daycare (big thanks to Playful Paws).  He's very 'chill', did well with his introductions with people and dogs and even started to initiate a bit of play....of course it was with an adopted Turtle Gardens dog.

When I picked him up on Monday at the end of the work day he was excited to see me.  He was bouncy and jumped up on me several times, which by most people's dog rules is a no-no but when dealing with a dog who is more reserved it's so darn nice to see them forget themselves and show excitement you don't care about the 'must not jump up'.  That can all be worked out later. 

Since he's trying to get back his boyish figure I've asked for no treats at daycare and I take a bit of his dog food with him for treating with so we know how much food he's getting in a day.   So extra dog kibble, great staff and lots of dogs were enough for him to show just as much excitement going into daycare as he did coming out.  All in all a good experience so far and then he zonks out in the truck for the drive home.

As soon as the truck was parked today, he jumped up, licked his lips and got excited to get out and pull all the way home for dinner.  He's already learned the routine. 

After what is considered to be a 'rather small' dinner, according to Theeyo he gets a little bit playful and then he crashes for a nap.  Here's what I caught while I sat and started this blog:

Check out those athletic skills he's learned to get up on the couch!  Wait til you see what I post next if I can catch it on video tonight. 

MEET THEEYORE

Theeyore at Turtle Gardens

Why the strange name you ask?  Theeyore came to Turtle Gardens simply as Thor.  Yvette told me a bit about his background and said he's a sweet but shut down little dog.  He also has a bad tail dock and has next to nothing for a tail.  This makes me so sad, as one part of his body language is missing, like if us humans weren't able to waive our hands around in expression when we're talking.  When I thought of his description he reminded me of Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh.  I never really knew that part of the story so I read up on it.  Eeyore was a very sad character and in his negative thinking he believed his tail was stolen.  Pooh, ever the optimist was sure it had just fallen off and went in search of it.  He found it at owl's tree being used as a door bell pull.  He returned it to Eeyore and Christopher Robin reattached it.

"Once the tail is reattached, Eeyore is transformed from a gloomy, sad old donkey into a frisky, frolicking donkey, waving his tail happily and jumping around in the forest." 

So after reading this part of the story I mixed Thor and Eeyore together.  My hope in the coming week is to see this little dog open up and have fun.  He will never get his tail back but we can give him his joy.

Theeyore's adventure in Richmond started on Saturday when he came on the dog run from up North.  From his description I was a little surprised to drive up and see him on leash just hanging out.   He's not shut down in so much of a fearful way as I had assumed.  Its more like he just hasn't figured out how to be a Min Pin or a playful dog....like his expectations on life are low.   Has he always been this way or just too many changes in his little life so far?

I've discovered that he rides really well in the truck, he walks quite well on leash, he is cuddly and he seems to like having the individual attention.  He has met a handful of people and one dog.  For the most part with a new foster I use new dogs and new people as an opportunity to show them I can be looked to for help with worries and for protection.  I want him to see that I have an opinion on who is safe and who is not and that opinion can be relied on.  So at the start, meetings are limited to dogs and people that I know will be respectful of him and he can have a positive experience.   Meeting a person is based on his level of comfort and the person's willingness to let him be the one to approach.  Meeting a dog is based on both dog's body language (minus the tail-ometer).

Theeyore is very passionate about food!  This is something we will definitely be working on.  I weighed him today and he is 21 lbs and should probably be closer to 12 lbs. 

"Um, hello.....shouldn't there be a second dish here?"

When picking him up at the dog run he was scavenging all over the parking lot picking out pieces of kibble that had fallen out of dog food bags with tiny openings left in them.  I'm used to having a foster dog that takes a couple of days to adjust to their new settings and they don't want to eat much yet.  But not Theeyore.  He has happily devoured each meal he's been given.   Unfortunately though, I didn't realize the food I took home from the dog run was actually cat kibble.  It wasn't until I looked on the bag after weighing him today that I noticed the serving size only went up to 11 lbs.  When I checked the front of the bag I then noticed the small cat symbol on it.  At least he had only had a few meals out of this bag but with the food being somewhat too rich for him...let's just say he's been contributing to the atmosphere at home.  Thankfully we're back on track.

Theeyore will have his first day at daycare tomorrow and I can't wait to see how he does.  I'm guessing we will see a transformation from Monday to Friday as he figures out his new world.  

I have already seen a bit of a reserved playful side and I think this is a good sign of what is to come.  More pictures and hopefully a playful video soon. 

FLOWER IS HOME

Obviously I've had too much foster-free time and I'm slacking on the blog posts.   Shortly after my last blog Flower went to a different foster and as suspected, she was not restless there.  I can only assume her restless mind when she was here was due to the critter traffic that was right outside my door.   I guess I can't win 'em all.   So, what happened after that?   Flower has gone to her forever home where she will live on a nice piece of property with a great family that understands her needs.   I'm so happy that she found her way. 

Here are the last pics and video clips I caught.  I discovered that if you kept a few toys moving she would get tired pretty quickly (well....physically anyways).  

BEFORE 

AFTER : ) 

Stay tuned for my next round of blogging.  I should be getting another foster this coming weekend.