Pup Profile: Stuart

Official Name: Stuart
Alias:  Stuart Little, Stu (He was named after Stuart Little from the E.B. White story.)
Alleged Breed(s):  beagle mix
Suspected Breeds(s):  beagle, terrier, dachshund, hound.  We can guess all we want, but there is no telling how big or small he'll be.
Color:  light and dark brown
Approximate Age:  10-16 weeks (born probably in March or April, 2013)
Background:  found abandoned with his sister as a puppy in rural southern Ohio
Our Foster Since:  June 30, 2013
Temperament/Personality:  Sweet and calm! Stuart is a playful, happy puppy who can hold his own in a wrestling match with his crazy, energetic sister, but when he's away from her he is content to sit on your lap and take a nap. He is a sweet, short-legged, tumbly pup who is just about as sweet and cute as they come.
Level of House-training:  Stuart is learning quickly to sit at the door when it's time to go out, but he is a puppy so his house-training is still a work in progress.
Behavior Challenges:  I think this guy is destined to hear the words "good boy" an awful lot in his future.
Known Health Issues:  He has been vaccinated and received all worming medication. He is waiting on his full vet check and neutering (and will not be adopted out until these happen), but he appears to be a healthy, happy puppy.

Considerations:  Stuart loves other dogs and is naturally social.  He has obviously high emotional intelligence and adores people.  He is going to grow up to be laid-back and well-behaved given proper training and a safe, enriching environment in which to grow.

To Adopt, Contact:  Luv4K9s
For More Info:  Stuart Little on Petfinder

Pup Profile : Margalo Louise

Official Name: Margalo
Alias:  Louise (we originally named her Margalo after a Stuart Little character, since her brother is named Stuart.  But Louise suits her so much better.  Unfortunately the rescue has already had a Louise and can't repeat names, so her official name is Margalo.)
Alleged Breed(s):  beagle mix
Suspected Breeds(s):  beagle, wire-haired terrier, other terriers, hound.  Absolutely no idea, really, so no guarantees. Your guess is as good as mine!
Color:  white and brown
Approximate Age:  10-16 weeks (born probably in March or April, 2013)
Background:  found abandoned with her brother as a puppy in rural southern Ohio
Our Foster Since:  June 30, 2013
Temperament/Personality:  Energetic! She is a smart, bold, curious puppy.  She is friendly and affectionate, loves to lick.  All puppies love to play, but I don't see her growing out of that any time soon.  She especially loves playing outside and exploring.  She loves to learn, and she learns so quickly!
Level of House-training:  Louise prefers to go potty outside.  She is a puppy and is still learning housetraining, like any puppy, but she's on the right track.
Behavior Challenges:  Remember how I said she learns quickly?  Super smart dogs pose unique challenges, meaning you do not want to let them get bored.  Louise can be an impressive escape artist.  She figured out how to climb out of the 3ft tall puppy playpen, and was quick at learning how to climb stairs.  She will need good training and discipline to stay occupied, happy, and safe.
Known Health Issues:  She has been vaccinated and received all worming medication. She is waiting on her full vet check and spaying (and will not be adopted out until these happen), but she appears to be a healthy, happy puppy.

Considerations:  Louise is athletic, with long legs and tons of energy.  She is not as naturally calm and socially relaxed as her brother, but with good socialization and training she will be an amazing dog.  She is not a laid back dog who will sit at your feet or on your lap all evening; she is an active dog for an active person who wants to spend time training and building a trust-filled relationship with a very loving, adorable, intelligent dog.

To Adopt, Contact:  Luv4K9s
For More Info:  Margalo Louise on Petfinder

fraternal twins

B napping with Stuart

These two litter mates are siblings.  I'm sure of it because of their eyes and the colors of their brown fur.

But that is where the similarities end.  They are so completely different.

I think these photos do a pretty good job of highlighting their differences.

Margalo, who might be renamed Louise
because it suits her better.   Here she is
doing pull-ups.   She can also escape, quickly and easily, from the puppy
play pen.

The puppies have landed.

The puppies are here.  They are underfed.  They are covered in fleas, though not as many fleas as before we gave them a mini, baby-safe flea bath.  (We also found a tick on one of them where the sun don't shine.)  They are probably full of internal parasites.  But that's how it goes with puppies. That's why they're here: to get all dewormed and bug free and non-reproductive before they get adopted.  This is like their spa, you know?

It's also puppy boot camp.  I started training them this evening.  We had a little 5-10 minute session of learning to not be grabby with treats.  They learn quickly.  So excited to see these little guys grow.

The one on the left is Stuart.  The one on the right is Margalo.  (Both named for E.B. White characters in the book Stuart Little.)

numerous updates

Topaz

Ok, so it's been a long while.  Topaz was adopted a while back.  This happened while I was on a 2 week trip for work, which was weird because I never got to say goodbye to him, but I suspect that was best for him, because hopefully he'll forget all about me.  The hardest part is not being able to explain to the dogs that this arrangement was only ever temporary, and I'm not passing them along because I don't love them, but because that was the deal, and that they are going somewhere where they'll get to stay forever.

Coffee

One of the most annoying and angering parts though, is when the dog is adopted and then RETURNED.  This happened with Coffee, who was our next foster after Topaz.  Coffee was sweet as can be, and much lower-maintenance than Topaz, much less demanding and so easy to be with.  From the first day I brought her home, within minutes we were taking a nap together on the couch with her sleeping right on my chest.  She was just really laid back.  Bafflingly, she had been with the rescue for like 2 years already.  I couldn't understand it.  She had some housetraining difficulties, but that's not unusual, and that was really the only problem I could find.

After a few weeks, she was adopted.  After maybe 2 weeks, I got a call from her new adoptive "mom" who seemed a little tentative about things, not very positive, and said Coffee seemed indifferent to her.  As the conversation moved along, I learned that Coffee had been diagnosed with strep.  STREP.

Imagine for a moment that you are a little creature who has just been moved to a new, strange home with a person you don't know, and then you come down with strep.  You are sick, miserable really, in a completely new environment, and you are with a stranger.

So, the lady told me she though maybe she adopted the "wrong dog" and that she might look into "exchanging her for that other gray poodle."  Em.  No.  You seem to have confused adopting a dog with buying a sofa, said I. (In my head.)

Needless to say, Coffee came back to the rescue and that woman was not permitted to adopt another dog.  But then I went on vacation for 2 weeks, so I never saw Coffee when she came back, and the weekend I came back, she got adopted again, this time (itdamnwellbetterbe) forever!  But oh, I miss her sweetness quite a bit.

Transporting

Today, I participated in an across-the-country dog transport run.  4 dogs were traveling from North Carolina to Michigan, from a high kill shelter in the south to a rescue.  I only had to transport them across one leg of the trip, from Dayton to Lima.

They were a wonderful, well-behaved bunch.  Three males had the back seat to themselves.

Tripp, the sleeping guy in the front there, had the right idea.  And soon, everyone else followed his lead.

Up in the front seat next to me was a sweet, parasite-ridden girl who was absolutely fascinated by the windshield wipers.  (Until it was her nap-time too. She was alert and awake most of the time, though.)

This poor girl is carrying around a litter of puppies inside her, in addition to a horrible case of heartworm.  As I stroked her head while I drove across the Ohio countryside, I couldn't stop thinking about how strange pregnancy must be for a dog, who doesn't get to have the knowledge that she's pregnant the way a person does.  It never actually occurred to me before: animals can't really plan, so they're never "expecting." No one explains to them "you are going to have babies."  They just do what they know, follow their instincts, and one day, crazy weird things start happening to their bodies, and they kind of know what to do, and then puppies are coming out of them.

Meanwhile, in this girl's case, worms are crawling around in her blood.  Who knows what kind of horrible discomfort heartworm causes, and she certainly has no knowledge or understanding of that either.

Thinking about it made my heart ache, so I just kept scratching her ears.  She seemed to like that.

Up Next...

Tomorrow I go to pick up 2 little pups out in Nowheresville, Ohio.  More on that soon.

not quite

It was a tumultuous weekend.  Early in the week, I learned someone had applied to adopt Topaz.  Then  on Friday, I learned that their application was approved.  So, we prepared to say goodbye to him on Saturday, when he would be adopted.

When the prospective adopters met him, it was at Petsmart and Toby was not himself.  He was more shy than is typical, and was a little indifferent to their dog.  So, they weren't sure and said they'd have to think about it.  I said if they wanted, we could bring him over for a play date at their house, and we could see if he was more himself there.  So we arranged to take him to their house later that afternoon.

It went much better.  He was way more himself and his playfulness and affectionate side (i.e. his regular side, because he's always affectionate) came out.  He even hopped up on the couch and laid his head against her chest.  As we left, she said to her dog "don't worry; Topaz will be back."

But the next evening, I got an email from her saying she didn't feel 100% sure, and to her that meant that it wasn't right.

I certainly don't begrudge her that decision.  As I said to her, if everyone took the decision bring a dog into their home so seriously, there would be a lot fewer pets surrendered to shelters and rescues all the time.

But it was also emotionally rough on us, as we prepared for Toby to move on, and experienced the emotional ups and downs of getting ready to say goodbye to our sweet little guy while being really happy for him, and then then the let down and the frustration at all the time spent trying to prepare him for his forever home.  Bryan commented on Sunday night that he felt like he'd been on a bit of an emotional roller coaster.  Toby seems more convinced than ever that he belongs here, and we can't do anything to prepare him for his eventual relocation.

It's hard to understand why more people aren't taking an interest in this awesome little dog.  He's healthy and he's just so incredibly full of love.

still here

Sweet, loving little Topaz (Toby) is still here with us.  It's been 4 months that we've been fostering him.  He's a great little dog.  Incredibly loving and affectionate.  Crate trained.  Comes when called and sits on command.  No health problems.  No major behavioral problems.  He's laid back and eager to please.  His chin is resting on my leg as I type.

It's difficult emotionally, though, to know that at some point he will go live somewhere else and he doesn't know that.  I feel like I'm keeping a secret from him, no matter how many times I tell him he'll eventually be adopted.  Dogs don't understand the future, so I can't warn him not to get too attached to me.  He thinks this is his "forever home" as they continually call it in the rescue world.

I refuse to let myself get too attached to him, because I do understand the future, at least to some extent. I do not have the gift that dogs have, of always living in the now.  I am a human, with knowledge of my vulnerability and thus, guarded with my love.  

So, spread the word. Adopt this good little boy who only wants to sit beside you and be warm and have dog food twice a day, and to sometimes chew on his toys... but mostly to sit beside you.