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.  

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.

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

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.

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.

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!