WHERE'S MY FOSTER DOG?

Well, you need to brace yourselves for a very boring blog from me in the coming weeks.  I'm dogless and that's after a dog run last weekend.  How strange!   I was supposed to take a little dog named Gretchen but her foster home up north didn't make it to TG in time to put her on the bus.  The dogs were unloaded at the barn last Saturday and I didn't see Gretchen.  Nothing unusual there - the dog runs are busy so I don't always get to meet my foster until all the paper work for adoptions is done and vet papers for foster dogs are matched up, etc.   I had finished my paperwork and went searching for Gretchen and found that she wasn't there!  Had she escaped and nobody had notice?  Nope, a phone call up North confirmed that she never got on the bus but she'd be flown down to me.   Fate must have had a hand in all of this because before Gretchen could be flown down she met her perfect match and was adopted.  I'm happy that she stuck around long enough for this to happen.   This leaves me fosterless which is a bit strange considering all of the TG dogs down here now and none for me.  Don't be sad for me though.  I have lots of things that I enjoy doing when I'm dogless and will take full advantage of the time.  I also have faith that a dog will come my way very soon, when the time is right. 

I was telling someone the other day that fostering has sure helped me control some of my control-freak ways.  You can't always force dogs, adopters or TG bus runs to conform to your ideas of perfect timing....these things all happen in their own good time.    I have learned to go with the flow alot more and also to realize that what's meant to be, will be. 

A look back in time....

In June, two years ago I was fostering Mindy (now Bryna)

In June, one year ago I had Leo with me and then hot on his paws...came Sail

PERCY WENT HOME THIS WEEK

My lack of blogging IS directly related to the TG Fundraiser creeping up on us.  CLICK HERE FOR THE BLOG WITH DETAILS.   So the news I haven't shared yet is that Percy was adopted last Tuesday.  His home is in Victoria and with the float plane 5 minutes away from me in Richmond and 5 minutes from his new mom in Victoria, it was a great option for this fearless little guy. 

Percy's new home is terrier saavy and will include going to the office sometimes and also he will be welcomed into the horse world.  I've already heard that his first meeting, nose to nose with a horse, went very well.  And don't worry, his mom will keep him safe around those hooves.

For a parting shot, of course it has to be one of Percy fetching the ball.  He's the best fetcher I've ever fostered!  Or you could say he's very fetching...which would be true too.

LEARNING CURVE BALL

My title comes from the 'Before and After' category on Wheel of Fortune.  The first part is for me and the second part is for Percy.   Most dogs present some sort of challenge for me and Percy's challenge has been trying to find what will help settle him.  I think I have it mastered.   When he first came through my door last Monday there were no toys around.  I then opened the toy drawer and found his passion.  My first mistake was playing with toys in the house. 

It was a novelty for me to have dog that fetches so well, so we played for a bit in the hallway and no amount of throwing and fetching was the 'right' amount.  I quickly started to realize he is a little toy crazy.  He was unsettled while he watched the favorite toy on top of the cabinet.  So the next night we went for a walk, came home and he wined a bit for the toys but settled in okay.   Every change in setting though was hard for him to settle.  If I moved to the computer he would wine for a bit, making dinner he would wine a bit...and so on.   So the next day I put all of the toys out and tried to make him settle, with them being just part of the regular household decor.  No go...that actually made it worse.

On Saturday I set out to tire him out on a good walk by the River.  We walked for quite a long time, met lots of dogs and people, which Percy is great with all of them.

YEAH, YEAH, THE RIVER'S PRETTY BUT IT AIN'T NO KONG

But, when we got home it was the same story...where's my toys.  He couldn't wait to get back in the door to check out where they all were.  This morning, he slept in with me until 9:30 (kudos for that!) and when I took him to the yard for his first morning pee, he was more anxious to go back inside to get something to fetch.  I stayed in the yard with him for a good 5 minutes while he scavenged up a leaf and promptly dropped it at my feet several times trying to make me play fetch with him.  He made me laugh with his resourcefulness.  Finally, he peed and we went inside to have breakfast.

I put my thinking cap on and decided to put all of the toys away and no more games in the house AT ALL.  We went for a good walk early in the day and then later in the afternoon, armed with a lawn chair, a good book, tea for me and Kong for Percy we went to the school field.  I got to read and Percy got freedom with an 80' limit (which he really never even went to the end of) and every time he brought that Kong back I threw it back out for him and he would take it and lay down for a while and eventually ask for it to be thrown again.

Several chapters later I started making him come and sit at my feet, I'd cover his eyes and throw the Kong and make him search for it.  He really enjoyed that.  I had finally pooped him out and he came to lay in the shade of the chair.  He slept on the ride home and has slept most of the evening away and most importantly NO WINING for toys!! 


...AND A NIGHT CAP OF PEANUT BUTTER IN THE KONG WHILE I TYPE A BLOG

His other terrier quality that I have been working on has been that he doesn't like being controlled.  The first time I noticed this, he was sitting in front of the closed door that I was about to open and I tried to manoeuver between him and the door with my foot to prompt him to move away.  He freaked out at my foot.  So, now when I need him to move out of a corner I either move him forward with his collar or move towards him at the door and put my body at the door and my foot towards him and hold my ground and he eventually moves away.  He doesn't mind me moving him back with my foot when we're at the door waiting to head outside.  He has learned that he gives the door good clearance going in or out and waits for me to go through first.  He has also gotten a little growly a couple of times when I dried his feet and when I adjusted him on my lap.  He is learning very quickly that this doesn't make me back down and he has become more accepting quite quickly.  When he first showed me his growly side I couldn't figure out if it was fear, prior abuse or stubborness.   I have now decided it is just plain terrier stubborness.  I suspect he has had the desired affect with people in the past when using his growl.  It does nothing with me...I guess I'm stubborn too!   So the gentle..."I'll out-wait you" approach is working really well with him.

So, now that I think I have him figured out...it should be smoother sailing until his adoption.   One of his best qualities is that he is a really good cuddler.  He sleeps on the bed and doesn't budge all night.  Other than one incident of peeing on the dog bed in my place on the first day, he hasn't once had an accident after that.  I suspect he peed on the dog bed because it smells like other dogs, not because he couldn't hold it.   He travels so well in the truck.  He lays on his bed and is well behaved.  When we stop and the door opens he waits on his bed until he is invited out.  He greets all dogs and people really well and puts up zero fuss when he sees another dog in the distance.  He waits until they come to him...no pulling on the leash to get to them and no barking.  He is quiet indoors and outdoors.  I've only heard him bark a handful of times and didn't even bark when someone came and knocked at the door.   He knows how to sit and wait for dinner and takes treats very gently.  He is smart and is responsive with the right motivation.  He is very entertaining, and like Yvette has said of other dogs in the past...can make you frustrated and laugh at the same time.   He is a little gem with a big personality.  

p.s. I wanted to note that I had just brushed Percy prior to the picture of him in the dog bed.  You can brush him and he looks beautiful and two shakes later he looks like you never touched him with a brush.  I guess he is going for the wind-swept look.

TERRIER, SILKY

Dogs should have their make first and then their model.   We don't say a Ranger Ford...we say Ford Ranger...and I think dogs should be the same so we don't forget that they are more than just a cute "Silky".  Percy is adorable!  His personality is very cute too, but underneath the bangs that really need something frou-frou done to them, he is also a terrier.  He is more than just a pretty face...he is very smart and learns quickly, is cuddly, walks pretty good on the leash so far and can fetch anything you're willing to throw for him.   "Terrier" is not a negative...as long as it's in the right hands.  Percy needs someone to adopt him because they love his feisty personality and someone who will give him the boundaries he needs so he never gets the chance to take over the house.  He has given me lots of reasons to smile so far...he is an entertainer.  When he wandered into the bathroom yesterday he made 4 or 5 attempts at jumping into the empty bathtub.  When he finally got over the edge he wandered around and licked around the drain.   I wonder if at bath time he will be so happy to jump in.  In the yard tonight he tackled a 3" stump, growling at it and knawing on the end, like he was trying to pull it out of the ground.  So, I went inside and came back out with a rope toy to play some fetch (something a little more productive).  When he really wants to keep playing and you don't throw it for him again, he stomps his feet like a little mechanical dog shuffling around and dropping the toy closer and closer to you.

He really likes the toys, especially a knotted ball that I have and a knotted rope toy.  With the rope he shakes the heck out of it and is happy to fetch it as many times as you'll throw it.  On his first night I was surprised to see that not only does he know how to fetch but he brings it back and stands a couple of feet away and tosses the ball back in my direction.   I made things more interesting, so when he came back to me and wanted to fetch again he had to come sit beside me and wait.  After about 5 or 6 times of showing him what I wanted he was doing that on his own.  He works things out very fast.  



Yesterday, after I picked him up from the Airport, we went to the beach so he could stretch his legs before riding home.   It was spitting outside a little bit and the beach was mostly deserted.   It took until the end of the walk before Percy really looked up at me and wagged his tail.  He's got the funniest little flag of a tail which I'm seeing alot more wags out of on day two.   Here are a few pictures from our first beach outting.  



Wet, sandy dog....sorry Vicky I ruined
all your hard work to send him down
looking clean and brushed.



I know...I know....I see all that hair hanging in his eyes too.  I tried to trim it tonight but some things are definitely a two person job, or one person with a way better pair of scissors than what I have.  Besides, maybe someone who adopts Percy will prefer the elastic pom pom.  Either way he's a great little dog for some lucky adopter.

Today was his first day at dog daycare, and so far so good.  The staff said he did very well and claim he is a great cuddler.  He must have had fun as he crashed on his dog bed pretty quickly on the ride home. 

MEET PERCY

Just when I thought I would have nothing to blog about until later in June, I'm getting another foster dog via Turtle Garden's foster in Smithers.   Vicky will send Percy down by plane on Monday (thank you Vicky!) which will make more room in her foster home for another little guy or two from Turtle Gardens.

Percy is an approximately 4 year old Silky Terrier who has had a couple of failed homes already.  He's a nice boy but maybe just didn't have the boundaries he needed and ended up with the small dog attitude?  Who knows what the whole story is.  He's in the TG fold now and will get his turn at a city home forever. Vicky says that he's quite cute and does the spins when you talk to him.   I will post my own pictures tomorrow or Tuesday, but in the meantime, here are Vicky's pictures:

MAXIE'S WEEK WITH ME AND AN ADOPTION

A little behind in my blogging, but nothing I can't catch everyone up to date on.  I had a fun week with Maxie...but typical of such a cute little thing...there were applications and one in particular that were were waiting for a home visit on.  I had plans to go away for the long weekend and didn't want to take Maxie with me in case the home visit went well and she could go 'home'.  So Maxie went on to Aunty Gloria's foster home and was then adopted on Monday.  It was quite strange to drop a dog off somewhere other than an adoptive home and then to know I might not get to see her again before adoption, which was sad.  But considering she was a bit distraught when I left her behind at Gloria's it was all for the best that she didn't have to come back to me before adoption, as we avoided one more transition.  Here are a few pictures from my brief time with Maxie.  



The ride to the beach...carefully watching my every move.



Guess who loves the water?



I didn't catch it...but I think she even swam
a bit after this pic was taken.



What a great smiling face!!



The ride home....the pic says it all!

 

A little blurry but a wink good-bye from little Maxie.



DARRYN GOES HOME AND MAXIE ARRIVES

Darryn went on his merry way with Brian and Dave today to meet up with Chris from Kamloops.   I already called her to see how the pick up went and she said it all went well and she's definitely not disappointed. From his pictures she had thought he looked like a 'party waiting to happen' and she said that's exactly who she met today. 

Maxie came on this dog run and what a cute personality she is.  Gentle, sweet and playful.   When TG took her to the vet for spaying...low and behold she already had a spay scar so she was vaccinated and without the spay she wasn't sedated or shaved down.  I was quite happy to have the honor of helping this little girl transform. 

I took her to the groomers in Tsawwassen as Linda D's daughter Bonnie had agreed to help this little sheep lose her coat.  I am so grateful for the time Bonnie and her co-workers put in as Maxie was really less than impressed with the buzzing and vibration from the trimmers and it was a challenge to give her the long overdue haircut.  Bonnie finished the process with a nice bath with special shampoo and then finished trimming the hair on her feet, ears, head, etc....she wasn't stopping until Maxie was 100% beautiful!  Thankfully part way through the process Maxie started to resign herself to it and she stood on the table at the end like a trooper.   Studio One Dog Grooming's Facebook page has their contact info in case you're ever looking for a great professional groomer with awesome staff http://www.facebook.com/pages/Studio-One-Dog-Grooming/191391002448.

After leaving the groomers, I was so happy to see Maxie wagging her tail and feeling pretty good about her new look.  Sporting a nice doggy perfume and a sparkly flowered bandana, I just had to take her to show off.  TG adopter Nancy lives in the area and she had been at the dog run this morning so had seen the 'before' dog, so we stopped in at her place to show her the 'after'.  

Nancy's pic of Maxie, in the driveway

And here's a pic she sent me of Maxie with her TG dog Willow