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

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.

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

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.

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.