This

That is all.

Formal Training Begins

Yesterday I began documenting formal daily training sessions with Toby to track his progress.  We are doing short 10 minutes sessions.  We began by working on the beginnings of "leave it" (where he is rewarded for not fixating on the treats in my hand) and on the "sit" command.  Filming the sessions allows me to go back and watch my own techniques so I can improve, and make is easy to see and appreciate his quick progress, making training more rewarding.

learning to play

Toby has recently learned to play with "toys."  Not normal dog toys usually, but the most popular plaything we have around our house: empty toilet paper rolls.  Only recently, after living with us for going on a month, has he figured out that he can pounce on them and throw them up into the air and carry them around and chew them, and boy does he enjoy it!  He runs around and jumps into the air excitedly, tossing the chewed cardboard scraps over his shoulder.

Then, he discovered a new interest: empty plastic bottles.  Truman loves the sound they make on the wood floors, so I gave Toby one (under supervision) and he chased it around making a racket.  Toby took interest, and then something completely new happened.  They began to play tug-of-war.  It was awesome to see this frightened, skittish little guy suddenly figure out one of the greatest joys (I suspect) of being a dog.  They were evenly matched.  Sometimes Truman would win and run off with the bottle, sometimes Toby would win.  But they were tugging hard, with Harriet acting as a useless referee, barking at them when she felt they were acting inappropriately.

Seeing him playing, carefree, not anxious that I'll abandon him, appearing so well adjusted and normal-dog-like, it was clear that he's coming a long way.

Since he's coming along so well, I feel like I can also poke fun at him a little.  Recently, I figured out who he reminds me of.  Behold, the likeness:

Pup Profile: Topaz

Official Name: Topaz
Alias:  Topy/Toby
Alleged Breed(s):  miniature poodle
Suspected Breeds(s):  poodle + some springer spaniel
Color, in terms of coffee beverages:  latte-mocha swirl
Approximate Age:  5 years
Background:  Ohio puppymill
Our Foster Since:  Sept. 22, 2012
Temperament/Personality:  Sweetheart!  Loving, affectionate, friendly but also hesitant; expresses trepidation about new people for a moment, but once he finds they mean him no harm he adores them and follows them around; he loves to lay with someone on the couch and sometimes insists on being petted.  He adores being brushed, and is patient for baths and other grooming.  Learns quickly from clicker training.
Level of House-training:  making progress; he is crated overnight and does not eliminate in his crate; he is kept in a room with a linoleum floor during our work day and has twice had an accident during the day.
Behavior Challenges:  some separation anxiety, expressed through barking (no destructiveness though); sometimes jumps up when walking on leash.
Known Health Issues:  none, other than some car-sickness.

Considerations:  He enjoys and is submissive toward other dogs and continues to learn from them. He has met at least one kitten and was curious but respectful of her distance. He has been friendly toward and tolerant of children.  He does not like to go to the bathroom with a person close by and would benefit from a fenced yard.  He barks when left alone at night, but is fine when crated in bedroom with people.

To Adopt, Contact:  Luv4K9s
For More Info:  Topaz on Petfinder

and we're back!

Topaz the Poodle(ish)

This is Topaz.  He is a kind, sweet, loving puppy mill survivor.  He is about 5 years old.  He is, to be honest, my most challenging foster so far.  Which is to say that he is remotely challenging, compared to my previous fosters who were absurdly easy.

His biggest difficulty is that, in his desperate attempt to gain human love, he walks very close to my feet, sometimes tripping me, and every so often jumping up when he's on the leash outside.  I suspect he was trained to walk on the leash using treats, so he is expecting to get something if he jumps, but this will fade quickly.

He gets along beautifully with other dogs.  He loves meeting new people (he backs away at first until he realizes they aren't going to hurt him, then he follows them everywhere).  And he was even a total sweetheart with my sister's new kitten...

...whose name is Frankie.

taking a break

Truman (above/left) and Harriet (below/right)

So, lately we've been taking a break from fostering.  I'm not going to pretend that I was happy about this break, but I share a house with others, so their feelings matter.  I'm pretty sure Truman would be happy to have new dogs come into our house every single day.  Harriet appreciated the break, and I think it did her some good, but she did not request it, what with her being a dog and all.

No, my co-human requested we take a break for a little while.  And I wouldn't normally address relationship issues here, but since this was directly related to dog fostering, I will, because I can't imagine it is an uncommon scenario.

It was hard for me to understand why B cared one way or the other about me fostering dogs, because I am the one who takes care of them when they're here, and we already have two dogs who he has no problem caring for, so in my eyes, it's not that big a deal adding another dog. 

But he explained that it was simply the stress of having another dog who isn't as comfortable and adjusted to our home, who may or may not be fully house-trained, who may or may not be afraid of loud noises and sudden movements.  And perhaps writing that just now is the first time I've really grasped why it might be a burden on him even when I'm doing the caretaking.

Regardless of my ability to accept and understand on an intellectual level, however, I had found myself getting increasingly irritable and angry over the past couple weeks, as people asked if we were currently fostering any dogs, and I felt my answer for why we weren't to be slightly unjustifiable.  We can!  And there are plenty of dogs that need foster homes!  Why aren't we fostering? "Because my partner doesn't want to right now" was what it came down to, and that made me a little bit resentful.

So, I told him that today.  I said "intellectually, I totally respect your decision and care about your needs... but emotionally, I'm finding myself feeling increasingly angry about not being able to do something I really care about, and I'm not sure what to do about it."  This was followed up by a really good talk about what he needed from me if we were going to start fostering again, and now, he has kindly agreed to let another dog be a visitor in our house if I am a little more active about minimizing its affect on him as he enters into a potentially more-stressful-than-usual phase in the coming months of work.

As a result, we will hopefully have another foster dog again very soon, and I am thrilled about it! 

At this moment, I am sitting on the couch in the living room with my laptop, B is on his laptop in the recliner, and I am flanked by our two sleeping dogs.  It is quiet and peaceful, and I can totally understand the appeal and comfort of this little family.  But I feel such a sense of purpose from fostering dogs, of bringing another dog who has suffered because of irresponsible people, and helping that dog be comforted in this peaceful environment, even as the foster dog disrupts some of that peacefulness.  I can't wait to meet our next house guest.

hard reality

The Boston terriers my sister has been taking care of went to new foster homes this week, because she could only take care of them for a little over a week (she had initially agreed to take them temporarily because they were in need of emergency foster homes). 

Both dogs were fixed on Wednesday, and at that point, Daria went to her new foster home to recover from surgery.  Bart stayed with my sister until yesterday when he went to his new foster home.  We took him to Luv4K9's adoption event at Petsmart to do the tradeoff, and it was kind of a rough goodbye.  This was my sister's first foster experience, and saying goodbye was difficult and teary.  One of the Luv4K9s volunteers tried to comfort her by reminding her that if she hadn't stepped in and helped those little dogs, they might still be stuck in sub-standard conditions, which only made my sister feel more emotional.  Then, a customer at Petsmart took "pity" on her tears, and offered to help her "buy" Bart...

Now, this was where I started to get rather frustrated.  Because I know that this woman believed she had good intentions, but she was showing evidence of the whole systemic problem with pet-overpopulation.  She kept saying "How much is the dog? I'll pay for half of it for you." This was a lovely and generous idea if we were talking about a piece of furniture or a painting, but Bart is a living creature who requires an ongoing financial commitment.  If my sister, a 20 year old college student living on her own for the first time, can't afford $200 to adopt a dog, what happens when the dog needs to go to the vet?  The woman simply didn't seem to comprehend this.  She felt pained by seeing my sister cry, and thought the solution was "buy her a dog to make her happy right now" rather than considering "what is best for the dog?" 

And that is so often the way people get dogs, thinking "this will make me happy" and projecting those same feelings onto the dog, rather than thinking honestly "what would be best for this animal, who has needs that are different from mine?"

To her credit, my sister made the right decision, a difficult one, despite strong social pressure from an older lady, and despite her own desire to take care of sweet, affectionate little Bart.  She said goodbye and exchanged numbers with the new foster mom so they can stay in touch. 

So many people get dogs without being ready for the full commitment, without taking into account how many areas of one's life this decision can affect.  This is exactly why there are so many abandoned and unloved dogs.  I mean, seriously, it is so unbelievably common.  One (i.e. me) can become quickly jaded by the commonness of stories like "we found this dog abandoned, tied up outside the pet store" or "this dog was pulled out of an un-ventilated shed along with 40 other dogs that all needed vet care."  Seriously? Yes, seriously.   Every day.  Some people seem to think "they're animals! Can't they take care of themselves?"  No, they can't.  Because this particular type of animal has been bred and designed by humans to need us.  So... they need us.

Sometimes being a responsible animal lover just sucks.

reunion

Not only did I get to see my old roommates today and see their new house and eat at my favorite Indian restaurant... I got to see Mo/lly!

Molly, formerly known as Mo, formerly formerly known as Michelle, is now over 3 months old, and she is a beautiful, embiggened version of her tiny cuddly puppy self.

I was just a liiiiittle bit happy to see her, and to hold her, and to have her squirm in my lap and even bite my finger with her terribly dangerous puppy teeth.

meanwhile II

Daria

These guys are currently, temporarily being fostered at my sister's house, since they needed an emergency foster home.  Stay tuned...

Bart

meanwhile

Charmin was adopted today!  Co-workers of mine had taken an interest in her almost as soon as I posted the photos to facebook, and they came and visited on Wednesday.  They applied to adopt her that evening, and today (Saturday) she went to her new home.  I miss her calm energy already, but the house is quieter now that she and Truman aren't constantly romping and playing on the floor.  Truman is, of course, bored out of his mind. 

Anticipating this earlier today, I bought him the most amazing dog bone ever, which he loved very much.  But the warning says it is "not to be ingested all in one sitting," and he definitely ingested a quarter of it already, so I had to take it away, for the evening, and now he is bored and sad.  Earlier, he went and sat in the dark on the floor of the room where we fed Charmin and where we confined her when she first arrived.  We went in there, sat on the floor, and just started barking.  He doesn't usually bark unless he can't get to something he wants, or it's time to feed him.  He had already eaten. I think he just wanted his friend back.

discovering herself

Sometimes it's a metaphor, but in this case, I mean it pretty literally.  Charmin appears to have discovered her reflection in our full length floor mirror for the first time today.  At first, she seemed to think it was a door-- she kept trying to walk into it, head-butting her own reflection.  The mirror has some lovely nose-prints now.

The mirror is upstairs, meaning she also discovered how to go up the stairs in our house.  However, she has yet to discover how to come down them.  I had to carry her back downstairs twice, which she was a good sport about.

I started reading about Amish puppy mills yesterday, which is where Charmin came from.  Truman's mother also was, sadly, a puppy mill dog from Arkansas.  Apparently, to keep the massive groups of dogs from barking too loudly, they have a method of "de-barking" the dogs, which means hammering a metal pipe down the dog's throats to destroy the vocal chords.  I respect cultural differences and all, and I get that not everyone views dogs as friends the way I do, which is fine.  For some people it seems acceptable to treat them as livestock.  Unfortunately, we treat livestock pretty horrendously.  If they were treated like the animals on my great grandparents' farm, I could deal with it.  But when they don't get medical attention for oozing sores and exposed bones and eyes falling out of sockets, and when they get carried around by the leg because the farmer doesn't really want to touch them, I think that goes beyond treating them like animals.

Charmin is awesome

You would not believe what an awesome, sweet dog this is.  I'm a little spoiled by extremely friendly, attached, cuddly little dogs, so I can't say I totally fell in love with Charmin's laid back manner immediately.  But after a weekend with her, I am pretty amazed at the way this sweet little girl rolls with whatever changes come her way, and how easily she has adapted to our dogs and our home.  She is so low-key, but also interested and curious.  She likes to follow me from room to room, but not in a clingy way.  She's just so relaxed.  When faced with new experiences, like stairs, she is a little apprehensive, yet open-minded and willing to give it a try with some encouragement.  And she has made very fast, good friends with Harriet and Truman.

Charmin

This is Charmin, our new foster dog guest.  She is a Shar Pei mix (she looks to me like a mix between a Shar Pei and a Shiba Inu), who was rescued from a puppy mill.  She is 2 or 3 years old, and was rescued by an organization called Luv4K9s.  As I understand it, she has only been out of the puppy mill for a month or two, and considering this, she is adjusting beautifully!  She's a little distant and uncertain of people reaching for her, but she will take treats from my hand and will let me pet her if we don't startle her.  She is doing very well in the house-- she's calm and laid back, but social with the other dogs.  She loves chewing on toys, and quickly discovered the dog toy basket in the living room.

She is of course available for adoption-- already fixed and up-to-date on shots.  For more information about Luv4K9s or how to adopt Charmin, visit their website.

always be prepared

I recently bought a new car.  This is the first new car I have ever owned.  And it's little-- a Fiat.

Days after purchasing the car, we stumbled upon tiny, tragic Tank (Possum/Oliver/Dodger/Terrence/whathaveyou) and this obnoxious woman walking by on the sidewalk was insisting we have to take this dog because she couldn't take it. "Just pick it up and put it in your car!"

"Well, I just bought a new car," I said.

She acted appalled at me. "Your car?! Who cares! This dog is going to get hit by traffic."

She was rude. But she had a point. I mean, no, I didn't want a flea infestation in my car, possible ringworm spores or who-knows-what, potentially risking the health of my own dogs and me.  But this was a matter of life and death for this little guy.  Why she "couldn't" do anything is beyond me, but I could do something.

So I picked up the dog, wishing I had rubber gloves, and put it... in my trunk.  To be fair, my trunk is safe and significantly roomier than a crate, and while I felt like a criminal putting a dog in my trunk, it was the safest option for the 10 minute drive home, where I set up a safe place for him in the garage.

But the dilemma prompted me to think of the supplies I wished I'd had ready in my car.  So this week, I assembled a dog-helping kit for my car.

It needed to be small so it didn't take up much room in my tiny car, and I didn't want to spend a lot of money.  So I tried to use things I already had and inexpensive, multi-purpose, compact items.  So here it is.  Everything (except the blanket) fits inside of a Swiffer Wet Mop refill container.  Build your own with the following materials.

1. Plastic container -- I repurposed a Swiffer Wet Mop container with lid, but any container works.
2. Plastic poncho -- to serve as a tarp for protecting seats from wet feet and such.  I already had this collecting dust in a closet.
3. Sealed bag with a handful of treats -- for luring dogs out of dangerous situations.
4. Small can of dog food -- with a pop top lid (unless you also happen to store a can-opener in your car.) I spent about $1 on this.
5. Little bottle of water -- I bought a case and stored the rest in the basement. The entire case cost about $3.
   
6. Looping "animal control" leash -- for any sized dog, no collar required.  Goomers, kennels, and vet's offices often buy these in bulk. I asked my vet if I could buy one from them, and they gave it to me for free.  You can also find them for purchase online.
7. Spoon -- for mixing up food.
8. Rubber can lid -- in case you have leftover food.  I got a set of 2 at PetSmart for $3.99
9. Small plastic container -- stores extra plastic bags, collars, rubber gloves; serves as a water dish.  2 for $1 at Target.
10. Container lid -- to serve as a food dish. Came with the container.
11. 1 large and 1 small collar -- Goodwill happened to have a bunch of unused pet supplies one day, so I got these for less than $2 each.
12. Self-adhering bandage -- $3 from PetSmart
13. Sealed bag with 4 rubber gloves -- the supply that prompted this whole endeavor.

Not pictured: 
gauze/bandage -- for use with the self-adhering bandage (I have yet to purchase this or steal it from another first aid kit)
blanket -- to store in the trunk, along with the kit.

So, there it is.  Total cost to me: $14
(This includes some purchases that were not used in the kit, like the entire case of water bottles and container lids that came in a set of 2, but does not include the cost for things I already had on hand, like rubber gloves and the spoon.)
Total value, probably about $16 (plus the blanket)

It fits neatly in my tiny trunk, alongside a blanket.  I included an inventory list on the front so that I can replenish any supplies I end up using. (Because I'm a librarian. Cataloging is important to me.)  I didn't even mean to make everything blue, but I like that it turned out so visually cohesive.

And now I have emergency supplies, not only for my own dogs, but for dogs that I encounter on the street who need help.  I am not advocating approaching strange dogs, which can certainly put you in danger.  But if approached by a dog in need, being prepared for the situation can make it safer for everyone.  Since I seem to find myself in these situations lot lately, having some supplies on hand made sense.

Ta-da!

too many goodbyes

Well, little Tank has been handed over to the Montgomery County Animal Resource Center.  He is apparently very old, and they did not have much hope for his health, so unfortunately it seems they decided to put him down.  I'm pretty bummed that I couldn't do more for him, but I'm also glad that I could provide him with a safe, comfortable place to rest during his last days, giving him food and water and respite.

On the way home, the song I'll Fly Away by Gillian Welch came on my ipod (which was on shuffle).  I heard this song shortly after dog Lucy died, and it always made me picture her romping and frolicking happily through a sunny field of green grass and wild flowers.

I guess now she has a playmate.  Rest peacefully, little Tank.

(And Lucy.)

straydar

Straydar: n. (strā-dahr): The unintentional ability to spot stray or unaccompanied dogs or cats when driving, walking or during one's lunch hour at work, prompting the need to always have a leash and pet treats in the auto. This may also include the ability to have pets brought to one by others who are aware one has this ability. There is no cure once one becomes afflicted with "straydar".

urbandictionary.com

Apparently, that's a thing.  I know, because I seem to have come down with a classic case.  Examine the symptoms and history:

• I suspect I inherited the gene from my dad, who once found a litter of three puppies at the laundromat of our apartment complex when I was 4 or 5.  It was a Saturday morning, I was watching the Smurfs, and my dad walked in with a box of puppies.  I was giddy.  Of course, they ended up being taken "to the pound," but that's how it began.

• My own straydar seems to have lay dormant for most of my life, until I adopted Lucy, a lhasa apso from some friends when they could no longer care for her.  

• When her life ended sooner than it should have years later, my then-boyfriend purchased a puppy from a pet store, over my staunch objections to the likelihood that the puppy came from a puppymill.  Turns out, he was from a classic puppymill, but that's another story for another time.  Regardless, when then-boyfriend dumped me and ever so responsibly realized "wait, I can't take care of a dog!" I won custody.  That is how my beloved Truman came to be mine.

• Years later, I was living with my then-fiance (now husband, Bryan) and Truman, when a frightened little poodle-mix emerged from the woods across the street from our house.  Fate, along with a little human and animal intervention, saw to it that we took her in and cared for her, and eventually, she joined our family too.  Harriet's full story is here.

• I came to realize the full extent of my love for dogs, and my passion for helping them, so I became a volunteer at SICSA, a local organization that is just plain awesome.  

• One day my sister called me, having found a tiny Maltese wandering busy streets and getting honked at.  My sister was leaving town so dropped off the dog with me.  The dog was clearly someone's pet, well cared for, but without a collar and with an unregistered microchip.  But knowing where the dog was found, I used my super-librarian skills, mixed with a little facebook stalking prowess, and tracked down the owners.  They came to pick her up within less than 6 hours of her arrival.

• I fostered two amazing and adorable tiny puppies, Mo and BB, for three weeks.  No sooner had wonderful adoptive homes for them (just this past weekend) do we arrive at the present situation...

• Yesterday.

We were meeting friends for breakfast at a restaurant called Tank's near downtown.  It was raining, and as I pulled up, we saw a little Pomeranian hobbling down the street.  He approached people without fear, but as we got closer, could see he was severely matted and looked worse than Harriet had when we found her.  While Bryan & I were trying to decide what we could do, some awful woman entering Tank's started hounding us about what we were going to do, saying the dog was going to get hit by a car and we had better take her, and of course she couldn't take the dog, but demanded we do something now.  I had just gotten a new car and didn't have a blanket in it yet, so I put the dog in my trunk to avoid flea infestation.  (This sounds bad, but the dog seemed quite comfortable and safe.)  I drove it home, penned him in in the garage with blankets, water, and food, and headed back to breakfast.

He's still in the garage, and I think he's injured, and I've been trying all day to figure out how to get him the care he needs.  I'm still working on this, so I will continue the updates.

P.S. I'm calling him Tank.

UPDATE: After this post, I ended up changing the name of this blog, from "Help for Harriet" to "Straydar."

Good bye, little ones!

tiny little BB

slightly less little BB

BB has been adopted by a lovely family with a black dog to remind her of her sister.  I got to talk to the adopters, and had the chance to tell them some of how smart BB is, how she seems to learn really well with clicker training, and we got to hug her and hold her one last time.  I hope you are happy in your new family BB.

Mo, on the other hand, I absolutely know will be happy in her new family, because I used to be roommates with them.  Two of my former roommates, who are now engaged, were able to adopt Mo, and I am so happy I will get to see what she grows up to be like.  She'll be living down in Cincinnati, but hopefully we can set her up for play-date-reunions with Truman every once in a while.

Mo, whose name will likely be changed

UPDATE: Mo is now known as Molly.

in a rare moment of peace

BB sleeps happily, using her food dish as a pillow

I must take this rare quiet moment, between grad school assignments, while the puppies are playing quietly and don't seem to be chewing on anything they're not supposed to be chewing on, or jumping off anything they're not supposed to be jumping off, to share an update. 

Both puppies have amazingly passed the 3 lbs. mark.  In fact, Mo, the tiny runt who I was afraid wouldn't even make it through one night less than 2 weeks ago when we brought her home, is just 2 oz. away from 4 lbs.  We're guessing the tapeworm she was hosting had something to do with her tininess, but now that it has been taken care of (sorry, I don't have any pictures of that to share; it was pretty shocking) she's doing so, so much better.

I have some video that I haven't had a chance to upload yet, but expect that to be coming soon.

settling in

BB

The puppies have been settling in very well, and I'm really amazed at how well they're doing.  At first, we had some trouble getting them to eat-- they seemed hungry and would try to eat it but the puppy kibble was too hard for them to chew and too big for them to swallow.  They'd hold it in their mouth a while but then it would eventually fall out. So we started grinding up their food, which seemed to help a lot.  In fact, this morning, when I brought them food, they both chowed down pretty hard.

They've both gained a couple ounces.  When they first arrived, Barbara Bush puppy (I would like to point out again that I did not choose their names) weighed 2 pounds, and now she weighs 2 lbs. 2 oz.  Michelle Obama puppy weighed just 1 lbs 14 oz when she arrived, and now she weighs 2 lbs. 5 oz.!  Tiny differences, I know, but this is only their second full day with us, so any progress is good progress.

This morning we had playtime outside.  It was just slightly raining, and there was a little bit of thunder, which I think gave them an opportunity to get used to that.

Mo with Bryan

It's incredible to see what distinct personalities they have already.  Mo is much more energetic and extroverted, and way more talkative.  BB is a lot more laid back and takes things in stride.  She loves to sleep, but handles new experiences a little more confidently.  Both of them, however, seem to equally love the opportunity to chew on earlobes.

the babies are here

Ooooh, dear.  I was not prepared for this level of cute.

It's surprising to me that any dog could make Harriet look big, but they've done it.  Mo and BB appear to be some sort of lab mix. Their official names are Michelle and Barbara; all the puppies of the litter were named after presidents or first ladies.  But it felt really awkward calling a dog Barbara.  So we're going with their initials.

Mo (Michelle)

BB (Barbara)

They are supposedly 6 weeks old, but oh my goodness they are tiny and skinny. You can particularly see it in the photo of BB, how boney she is in the hips and ribs.


We were originally supposed to get two puppies from a different litter last week, but that group turned out to possibly have ringworm, so they have to recover before they can be fostered.  Though I'm worried about the fate of those puppies, for our sake these girls were worth the wait.  They're eating a little bit at a time.  Mo can't figure out how to eat puppy kibble so we've been crushing it up and mixing it with water so she'll eat.  They are playful and talkative.

But most of all, they are sleepy. 

The toughest part is keeping them isolated from our other dogs for the first 2 weeks.  Truman wants to sniff them SO badly!

the babies are coming!

Truman is way, crazy excited.  His excitement is because we have laid down vinyl flooring on the wood floor of my home office, and we've put up a playpen with some dog toys, and two stuffed puppies in it.  Truman loves stuffed animals.

He's kind of been freaking out, actually.  But he's getting used to it, which was exactly the point.  Because this week-- hopefully this afternoon-- we are going to be adding two real, live puppies to that playpen.  And Truman will freak out all over again with excitement, but at least he's getting use to the playpen itself before then.

This will be our first fostering experience.  This summer I became a volunteer at SICSA, and through my volunteering I offered to become a foster home (with B's support, of course).  Within a day or two of applying to foster, I was contacted about 11 lab mix puppies (9 weeks old) that are in need of foster homes willing to care for them at least in pairs.  We expect to be meeting them later today.  Let the adventures commence!