THEEYO ASKS: 'WHERE'S MY HOME?'

Theeyo has been with me for 1 month now and not a single inquiry about adopting him.  He's an amazing little dog so it baffles me why he doesn't have multiple applications.

He does well with other dogs, he is friendly with people, good with cats, he rides well in the vehicle, he is cuddly (and don't forget he's cute too!), he walks pretty well on the leash, he is happy to go for walks but is not too high energy that he won't sit and watch movies with you too.  He is smart and very treat motivated.  He plays well with toys although you can't leave him with ripped toys or he tears pieces off and might eat them.

Theeyo is losing weight and is starting to look more like his young age.  He came into rescue at 21.5 pounds and is now 18 pounds!! He is eating a raw food that he loves and we add a bit of kibble for treats throughout the day.  Treats are used either in the Aikiou dish or in an orange ball that he has to roll around so they will drop out of the hole.  He seems to like both activities and gets faster each time.  

Treats are also used when we're walking as we're working on 'leave it' for things he tries to pick up off the road or sidewalk to chew on - things like dried worms, dead bugs, etc. (yuck!).  He is getting much better at leaving things on his own and better at 'leave it' for things he's still too tempted by.

At dinner time he sits and waits for his dish to land on the floor and we've added eye contact to the requirements before the 'okay' signal to eat.   He is also waiting very nicely in the truck to be invited to come and be lifted out.

We went into Steveston on the weekend and he navigates through the crowd of people really well.  He walks a nice straight line through people and he is relaxed about it all.  If he sees a dog he will meet them nicely but if we keep moving he's fine without meeting too.   If we sit for a bit he'll stand on a loose leash and watch people and dogs go by.  He'll also sit on your lap and do some serious people watching for a while.

He loves the bread store in Steveston as the guy that owns it came out and gave him a chunk of bread....he made me look like I hadn't fed him in days the way he wolfed that down.  After touring the main streets we went down to the docks and he learned to walk across a few different surfaces.  One ramp that he wouldn't go down a few weeks ago he decided he'd give it a try and went all the way down and back up like a champ. 

Theeyo - walkin' the docks

All of the small challenges that he overcomes teach him to be a more confident dog.  It shows in small ways like not barking at as many strange things, approaching more people without hesitation, sitting up to ride in the truck to watch the trip, asking for affection, etc etc.

Again I ask "where's my home?"

THEEYO LOST A POUND!

For a dog Theeyo's size 1 pound has got to be like 10 in human pounds.  He's looking more trim to me and we tightened up his harness a bit too.  His color is also getting richer.  So YAHOO for Theeyo....lets keep it going.

The first week he was with me we didn't focus on learning too many new things but with some boundaries and manners comes safety so we are raising the expectations.  Things like 'wait' at a door teaches them to not dart out into possibly dangerous situations.  'Wait' has many uses - at the door, at the gate, at the curb when waiting to cross the street.  We are also using a sit and wait (without command) at meal time and an 'okay' as a release word.  With food being his number one favorite thing this has been a good exercise for him in some self-control. 

This may or may not seem like a very big thing but any accomplishment by a foster makes me extremely proud, no matter how big or small.  Every bit of learning is a stepping stone to something that may improve their life.

We are also working on having him not rush in to grab food as he is the fastest thing on four legs when something drops to the floor.  So, starting tonight after he'd had his own dinner I had him stay at the kitchen doorway by putting a dog bed down for him and herding him out of the kitchen while I made a pot of food to pack for lunches.  While chopping I would pretend to drop a carrot down and just before he made a move for it I'd tell him to 'leave it'.  His reward for leaving it was a piece of sweet potato from a different source and fed by hand.  After a few tries Theeyo had it all worked out and even when the carrot rolled right up to his bed he avoided.   I will continue to reinforce this and teach him that treats only come from me.  I'm hoping this will help when we're on our walks and he darts to pick things up as he thinks so many things might be worth tasting.   A good 'leave it' or 'drop it' command is great to have for a dog that will pick up different things, but its even better to teach them to make the good choice in the first place.

Theeyo's personality is starting to shine through and I find myself smiling at him more and more.  For example, in the morning he's ready for breakfast around 7:00 and he starts by staring at me and willing me to wake up.  I pretend to be asleep to see how many things he will try.   He bats you in the face with a paw, then moves into the big stretch with front paws pushing into me, then comes the face lick and the hand lick and then he climbs up to stand on me and then lays down on top of me with his paws under my chin and continues the staring contest.   Once I sit up in bed he gets playful and then jumps down to head for the door and breakfast.  After this routine and a trip outside he's actually quite happy to go back to bed for a bit so I haven't had to give up on that extra bit of weekend sleep in.

Theeyo has been alert barking at the comings and goings around home and around the vehicle but he's starting to feel more secure with me and is learning that other people move about their business and aren't worrying about him either.   It's a work in progress but he's figuring out his city life quite well.   The next picture shows both Theeyo and his friend Bella watching something out in the parking lot.  Bella is a TG dog who was adopted by my neighbour and she is usually the first dog friend my fosters have when they arrive.

A final comment:  In case anyone wonders why his food looks all white in the video....he was getting some chicken and rice for a few days to help bring him back into balance with his diet and has since been moved to raw food to help him feel more satisfied with his portions and to help with losing his weight.  He really loves it!  So a BIG THANK YOU to Jake & Daisy's for making such great food and to Linda D. for picking it up for me.  You guys rock and Theeyo agrees!

CLICK HERE to read about Jake & Daisy's ....there's a retail store close to just about everyone, that carries their food.

DOG BOSS LADY WANNA-BE?

Theeyo and I had a great first week together and a really good weekend to cap it off.  He's settling in very well and is quite honestly one of the easiest fosters I've had in a while.  He's seen more of the city and is pretty chill about it all.  Pics and more stories will come later this week.

As I'm sure most of you read the Turtle Gardens blog you know Yvette as the "dog boss lady".  Occasionally you might see an inside photo showing multiple dogs on Yvette's desk and when I'm talking to her on the phone she's often heard struggling to claim her desk space for its intended purpose (keep in mind she is the one who lifts them on and off).  Some of the more computer savvy dogs have been known to contribute to her emails and blogs with a few extra clicks of the mouse or by standing on the spacebar.

Theeyo was a little restless tonight while I was searching on the computer for pictures to send Yvette for a Theeyo blog she's planning on, so I put a little dog bed on my table and he was really comfortable with his new location.  Within minutes he was snoozing away.  So since Yvette will be blogging about Theeyo I figured I'd use my blog space to show her a TG foster dog boss lady wanna be.  

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.