7/20/10 I picked up my new foster dog Dani from Nancy last night. She isn't available for adoption quite yet, as we are trying to track down possible owners first. Dani was micro-chipped in 1998, which makes her at least 12 years old, but the chip was never registered :( We contacted the company that makes the chip and got the name and number for the vet that it was sold to. So far we haven't been able to reach anyone, but we are trying.
Dani is a pretty Black Tri Border Collie gal this is looking for her new retirement home. She ended up in Aussie Rescue as the gal who found her thought she was an Aussie/Collie Mix...I can assure you this girl is ALL Border Collie :) She is under weight, currently 32 pounds, and I am going to try and get another 10 pounds on her. She was covered in matts and burrs, and even after a long grooming last night she is still need of more TLC. Tonight I am taking her to my friend Cynthia's house for a "Spa Night" and I know Dani will be much happier once she's all cleaned up.
Even though she's older, her sight is good, hearing is good, and she's still eager to play! Last night she wouldn't stop bringing us the kong to throw for her. She would bring it over, set it on the floor next to us, then back away and get into a very typical BC position totally focused on the toy waiting for us to throw it, once you grabbed it to toss her eyes never left the toy and bang! she's off like a bullet to get it, then set it next to you, back up into croutched BC position again...over and over and over LOL I will be getting video of this for all to see as it's so entertaining :)
I've also discovered that she knows a few basic commands, Sit, Down, Come and Paw (shake hands). She takes treats super softly and even though she's skinny she doesn't appear to have any food or treat issues around other dogs. Actually, the only time she's growled it was more of a grumble and it was because Cache was getting too excited and heading straight for her...like an old lady telling a youngster to knock it off and leave her alone...but that was the extent of it.
I'll be getting pictures and video of her after she's all cleaned up and will have them posted here shortly. She'll also be on the website and Facebook page shortly as well. If you're not a friend of Aussie Rescue on Facebook you should stop over and check it out :)
8/29/10 Well it's been a while since I've be able to sit down and blog. This will be my last entry for a little while...
Dani was returned to her owner who showed up several weeks after she was with me in rescue. It was with a heavy heart that I had to give her to him. I'm not one to bash people, but this guy would never be allowed to adopt a dog from any rescue by the way he treats them...state law (and 4 county sherrifs later) said that since he had proof of ownership we had to give her back to him. I can only hope that he's tending to her medical needs and that she isn't suffering at all. She's too sweet of a girl for the life that he provides...
Since Dani has left I have had to take a break from fostering and rescue. I have too much going on in my personal life to be able to help a dog right now. I guarantee I will be getting back to the fostering and rescue as soon as things are stable for me again. Until then, please visit www.aussierescuemn.org or check them out on Facebook. There are many dogs available for adoption and are just waiting for their new forever home to show up :)
Love you all!
Jessica, Cache and Blur
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Leevi
7/20/10 Leevi is back at Nancy's house. She is a very nice dog but NEEDS to be an only dog. I just couldn't make it work with her and Cache and as much as it hurts me to have to "give up" on a dog, I can't let my own dog suffer (or hide in the bedroom) all day. She is still available with Aussie Rescue, and if you are interested in more info on her please visit www.aussierescuemn.org
7/11/10 Nancy just dropped off my newest foster about an hour ago. She is a really nice, well bred (Nancy has her papers!), dark blue merle with very striking markings. She's super sweet, but very active, so far she's barely stopped moving and now that I'm on my laptop she is insisting that I pay attention to her and has barked at me a few times as well as nudged me with her nose. I think I'll be updating more later...after I take the dogs for a walk :)
7/13/10 I have to say that Leevi really is a very nice dog! She is silly, goofy, and playful, but will also lay down and relax while we are watching tv later in the evening. She is house trained (YEAH!!!), kennel trained - goes right in when you ask her to, she knows Sit, Down, Come, and Shake Hands. When she plays with a toy she ends up on her back wiggling around on the floor and then takes the toy with her front paws and waves it in the air! I will definitely be getting this on video it's so cute LOL
She knows what the frisbee is and got super excited when I brought them out and played with her, she didn't catch any but she ran out and brought it back. I think when she loses all her excess weight she would definitely catch those flying discs :)
Speaking of Excess Weight, I need to get her weighed to find out how bad it is, but so far she is the fattest dog that I've had yet. I picked up frozen cut green beans, carrots, and a small bag of Diet dog food. She's not thrilled about the green bean diet, but this poor girl really needs to drop some poundage.
I'll be taking her to the groomer this week, and will also get some pictures
for a picture (that doesn't do her justice!) and some more info on Leevi, please visit http://www.aussierescuemn.org/
7/11/10 Nancy just dropped off my newest foster about an hour ago. She is a really nice, well bred (Nancy has her papers!), dark blue merle with very striking markings. She's super sweet, but very active, so far she's barely stopped moving and now that I'm on my laptop she is insisting that I pay attention to her and has barked at me a few times as well as nudged me with her nose. I think I'll be updating more later...after I take the dogs for a walk :)
7/13/10 I have to say that Leevi really is a very nice dog! She is silly, goofy, and playful, but will also lay down and relax while we are watching tv later in the evening. She is house trained (YEAH!!!), kennel trained - goes right in when you ask her to, she knows Sit, Down, Come, and Shake Hands. When she plays with a toy she ends up on her back wiggling around on the floor and then takes the toy with her front paws and waves it in the air! I will definitely be getting this on video it's so cute LOL
She knows what the frisbee is and got super excited when I brought them out and played with her, she didn't catch any but she ran out and brought it back. I think when she loses all her excess weight she would definitely catch those flying discs :)
Speaking of Excess Weight, I need to get her weighed to find out how bad it is, but so far she is the fattest dog that I've had yet. I picked up frozen cut green beans, carrots, and a small bag of Diet dog food. She's not thrilled about the green bean diet, but this poor girl really needs to drop some poundage.
I'll be taking her to the groomer this week, and will also get some pictures
for a picture (that doesn't do her justice!) and some more info on Leevi, please visit http://www.aussierescuemn.org/
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Spice Girl - ADOPTED!!!
Spice Girl has been ADOPTED!!! Congratulations to Lois on your newest addition to your family! We're going to miss having her around :)
3/21/10 Last night Nancy brought me my new foster. She is a REALLY NICE Red Merle with copper trim, Purebred (well bred), little girl, with a split face, her left eye is brown and her right eye is half brown/half blue. She's the right size for a female aussie, she's 19 inches at the shoulder and about 35-40 lbs, but she's a little (just a smidge) heavy. Her coat is AWESOME!!! super soft and nice bone structure. Only "confirmation" flaw I see is her ears are set higher then the breed standard states (actually set more like Sheltie ears). Oh well, so she's not quite perfect! LOL
She seems to have lived in a house before and knew what "outside" meant. She also knows Sit but so far that seems to be it on "obedience" training. She loves the couch and bed, snuggled with us a little while last night, then went to sleep in her kennel. Nice and quiet all night. She didn't make a peep until she heard me get up this morning then whimpered a little.
She came to me without a name, so we got to give her one. After hanging out last night and now this morning I've decided that she is definitely a SPICE GIRL, sporty, punky, full of energy and BEAUTIFUL! She's a little bit dominant, and is showing Cache who's the boss this morning, and she is VERY HERDY! Already she's "gripped" Cache's rear end twice while he was playing "keep away" with his favorite toy. She didn't want the toy at all, just wanted him to move, he didn't so she "gripped" him. I honestly don't think Cache even knew it, but I saw it. She also constantly circles him.
Spice is high energy for sure, but doesn't have any toy drive so far. Cache has been playing with his toy and she has shown zero desire to take it and play with it. The squeek gets her attention, but that's about it. She has played with Cache a little this morning, it goes from play to a little aggressive, but I can call her off with little to no effort if I need to.
With her being as herdy as she is I would not recommend a home with kids under 10 years old or with cats. I'm going to test her with my neighbors kids and cats just to make sure I'm on the right track with that, but I really don't think it would be a good match.
I also have a friend that goes herding a lot, I'm going to see if I can join her with Spice one of these days and see what she does with the sheepies :)
NEWS FLASH!!! Spice just sat at the door and whined to go out, and she went potty immediately! :) YEAH ANOTHER HOUSE TRAINED DOGGIE!!!!
3/24/10 just a quick update. Spice went to the vet yesterday to be spayed and have her teeth cleaned. She left in the morning with some of the worst teeth I've seen, and came back with sparkling pearly whites! I never expected to see such an amazing transformation :) She wasn't in the mood to eat last night and just layed around relaxing for the evening. This morning she ate her breakfast and seemed to be feeling better although still not interested in doing much moving around. I gave her the antibiotic (500mg of Ceph) this morning after breakfast, not knowing how she'd do with me shoving a pill down her throat, but she was fine, just toss it in and hold her mouth closed, she swallowed it easily.
If Spice is still with me come April 25th, I'll be taking her up to Pine City for a herding day :) and starting next Tuesday I'll be taking her to the Basic Obedience class at WatersEdge in Buffalo. Of course she'll also be tagging along with me to my Rally class on Monday's with Cache.
I'll keep everyone updated on how she's doing, we do have a few issues to work on, mostly "high drive" dog issues, but for the most part she's just an angel to have around.
3/29/10 I took Spice with me to my parents house yesterday afternoon. The drive over was great, she's just awesome in the car, lays on the seat, looks out the window, perfect behavior. When we got to Mom and Dad's I put her on a 40' long line so she'd have a lot a room to run and I could watch her behavior from a distance. When she heard the neighbor dogs barking she barked back but quieted down when I told her to with only a few protesting woofs. She saw some people riding their horses down the road and shot to the end of the 40' line trying to get to them, after hitting the end of the line she paced back and forth barking at them. I had to reel her in like a MUSKY just to get her to come back to me and then hold her mouth shut so she couldn't bark until they were out of site.
While we were hanging out walking around my parents huge (2.5 acres) yard a rabbit burst out of the bushes, her first instinct was CHASE! again she about pulled me off my feet after hitting the end of the line in a split second...the rabbit was thankfully just out of reach the whole time! After the rabbit vanished from site it took me a good 10 minutes to get her to forget about it and calm down...we went back into the house and hung out for a few minutes then back in the truck and on our way home.
Based on her reactions to all the activity yesterday, especially to the horses and rabbit, she will need a fully fenced (NOT invisible fencing) yard in a home without small animals. However, if you are being invaded by squirls this could be your girl, she'll definitely keep them out of the yard LOL I really do think she has all the herding insticts that I suspect she has and can't wait to take her herding :) it's going to be a blast!
4/17/10 Spice has started her Basic Obedience class at Waters Edge, she already walked great on the leash and knows sit, but we're working on a better Heal, Swing Finish, U-Turns, About Turns, Down, Stay and Come, it's also helping her with her social skills. I've also taught her to shake hands and other hand which she now does automatically when the treats come out :)
In the last few weeks Spice has also learned the joy of playing with rope toys! She and Cache will play tug and she'll whip the toys around "thwaping" (no better term for it LOL) herself when she's playing alone. I'm seeing less and less agitation from her with Cache now too, and they are actually playing like maniacs. I love seeing the progress of foster dogs in this aspect, initially snarky and now buds, it's a great thing!
Earlier this last week the yard guys came to do "spring cleaning" and they unhooked my dog chains from the steak in the yard. We didn't notice this when we let the dogs out and within seconds Spice figured out she wasn't attached and took off! We chased her down and caught up to her when she came upon another dog, that dog wanted to play, Spice not so much, but it gave us time to grab her and get her home. Yet another reason that she will only be adopted out to a family that has a securely fenced in yard, even though she is a good girl in the house, she gets a little rowdy outside. She will also not be a good canidet for taking with to the dog park or walking off leash in the woods/trails.
I don't want to end on a bad note with her, she's just too great of girl to have that be last thing I say, so I'm also very pleased to announce that she is no longer kenneled at night or when we are gone! She is so good in the house that we have decided to let her stay out all the time (except for breakfast and dinner times). She waits for me to get into bed at night and as soon as I say OK she jumps up and snuggles in for the night right next to me :) She's such a lover!
Oh! this morning I gave both dogs a good brushing again and decided it was time for their "Paw-dicures" which I hadn't done for Spice yet since she's been here. I worked on Cache and let her watch me which I do with all the fosters, for some reason this seems to really help, Cache is totally relaxed and just sits there with no fuss and I think it sets the tone for the new kids too. So, I went to clip her nails, no problem she just sat and relaxed, then scissoring the wild hairs on her feet, also no problem, then the clippers to clean out the hair in her pads, she didn't like it too much, I think it tickles them for the most part, she tried to pull her paw away, but after I told her to stop it she was great, just layed there and let me finish :) She really is such a good girl!
4/25/10 I took Spice Girl herding this morning. Kim, the instructor thinks she's been allowed to "chase" live stock at some point, but hasn't ever been offically herding prior to today. Spice was a good girl, she did better then I expected her to, and Kim said she has potential as a herding dog. I took some video of her on the sheep, and I will be taking her back to Kim's next weekend to the "Herding Fun Day" for round two.
I'm having troubles uploading the video to my blog, so here is the link to it on my YouTube page:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwwbfePSOcs
5/9/10 Where do I start? Well, I took Spice to the herding fun day on 5/2, along with Cache and my friend Amanda and her dog Lanie. We left the dogs in the back of the truck which has a topper on it, and somehow this sneaky little girl managed to open and escape twice! while we were watching the demo's and the other dogs working sheep. Both times she was quickly caught and put back in the truck but we're not quite sure how she got out. Finally after an almost 3rd escape, another UMASC member let me put her in an extra kennel that she brought with her in her van for the rest of the day :)
When it was Spice's turn to see the sheep she did good, but there was probably close to 30 people standing around, talking and watching, and Spice is such a social butterfly that she was almost more interested in visiting then chasing the sheepies. I have a short video clip (actually Amanda has it) that I'll be trying to either upload here or I'll put it on my YouTube page again for all to see.
Spice has 2 more weeks of Basic Obedience class left at WatersEdge, she's doing really good on the Healing, About Turns (I turn to the Right go back the way we came), her Sit's are perfect and fast!, she doesn't like to Down without a treat, but with a treat she lays Down nicely, her Stays (both Sit and Down) are getting really good, even with squeeky toys, laser pointers, balls rolling past her...yes, Dan is EVIL LOL...and she has learned to Stand although we're still working on Stand and Stay :) Once we are officially done with Basic Obedience I will be taking her with me to actually partake in Rally class on Monday nights just to keep her going on her training.
I really need to get video of her "Talking" to me, she does it all the time and I still haven't figured out what exactly she wants. She just sits here, stares at me and starts to tell me stories (she's doing it right now!) it's super cute and keeps me laughing :)
She got to meet my neighbors kids, James and David were a little too much energy for her to take, she almost nipped them while they were running around and screaming (like little kids do), but Mary (she's 11) was fine. Mary is my little dog trainer in training, she likes to come over and help me teach the dogs new things and when I say to do or don't do something she listens to me.
I've also taught Spice to Wait, so when I go to put the dogs outside, I have her sit next to the door, I tell her Wait, put the chain on her, and she doesn't actually go outside until I say OK. She's about 95% on this one, but I do have 2 men that live with me that aren't exactly "dog trainers" although they try to keep what I do consistant :)
That's all I got for now, stay tuned for more updates and pictures as I'll be continuing to work with her until the right forever home can be found!
3/21/10 Last night Nancy brought me my new foster. She is a REALLY NICE Red Merle with copper trim, Purebred (well bred), little girl, with a split face, her left eye is brown and her right eye is half brown/half blue. She's the right size for a female aussie, she's 19 inches at the shoulder and about 35-40 lbs, but she's a little (just a smidge) heavy. Her coat is AWESOME!!! super soft and nice bone structure. Only "confirmation" flaw I see is her ears are set higher then the breed standard states (actually set more like Sheltie ears). Oh well, so she's not quite perfect! LOL
She seems to have lived in a house before and knew what "outside" meant. She also knows Sit but so far that seems to be it on "obedience" training. She loves the couch and bed, snuggled with us a little while last night, then went to sleep in her kennel. Nice and quiet all night. She didn't make a peep until she heard me get up this morning then whimpered a little.
She came to me without a name, so we got to give her one. After hanging out last night and now this morning I've decided that she is definitely a SPICE GIRL, sporty, punky, full of energy and BEAUTIFUL! She's a little bit dominant, and is showing Cache who's the boss this morning, and she is VERY HERDY! Already she's "gripped" Cache's rear end twice while he was playing "keep away" with his favorite toy. She didn't want the toy at all, just wanted him to move, he didn't so she "gripped" him. I honestly don't think Cache even knew it, but I saw it. She also constantly circles him.
Spice is high energy for sure, but doesn't have any toy drive so far. Cache has been playing with his toy and she has shown zero desire to take it and play with it. The squeek gets her attention, but that's about it. She has played with Cache a little this morning, it goes from play to a little aggressive, but I can call her off with little to no effort if I need to.With her being as herdy as she is I would not recommend a home with kids under 10 years old or with cats. I'm going to test her with my neighbors kids and cats just to make sure I'm on the right track with that, but I really don't think it would be a good match.
I also have a friend that goes herding a lot, I'm going to see if I can join her with Spice one of these days and see what she does with the sheepies :)
NEWS FLASH!!! Spice just sat at the door and whined to go out, and she went potty immediately! :) YEAH ANOTHER HOUSE TRAINED DOGGIE!!!!
3/24/10 just a quick update. Spice went to the vet yesterday to be spayed and have her teeth cleaned. She left in the morning with some of the worst teeth I've seen, and came back with sparkling pearly whites! I never expected to see such an amazing transformation :) She wasn't in the mood to eat last night and just layed around relaxing for the evening. This morning she ate her breakfast and seemed to be feeling better although still not interested in doing much moving around. I gave her the antibiotic (500mg of Ceph) this morning after breakfast, not knowing how she'd do with me shoving a pill down her throat, but she was fine, just toss it in and hold her mouth closed, she swallowed it easily.
If Spice is still with me come April 25th, I'll be taking her up to Pine City for a herding day :) and starting next Tuesday I'll be taking her to the Basic Obedience class at WatersEdge in Buffalo. Of course she'll also be tagging along with me to my Rally class on Monday's with Cache.
I'll keep everyone updated on how she's doing, we do have a few issues to work on, mostly "high drive" dog issues, but for the most part she's just an angel to have around.
3/29/10 I took Spice with me to my parents house yesterday afternoon. The drive over was great, she's just awesome in the car, lays on the seat, looks out the window, perfect behavior. When we got to Mom and Dad's I put her on a 40' long line so she'd have a lot a room to run and I could watch her behavior from a distance. When she heard the neighbor dogs barking she barked back but quieted down when I told her to with only a few protesting woofs. She saw some people riding their horses down the road and shot to the end of the 40' line trying to get to them, after hitting the end of the line she paced back and forth barking at them. I had to reel her in like a MUSKY just to get her to come back to me and then hold her mouth shut so she couldn't bark until they were out of site.While we were hanging out walking around my parents huge (2.5 acres) yard a rabbit burst out of the bushes, her first instinct was CHASE! again she about pulled me off my feet after hitting the end of the line in a split second...the rabbit was thankfully just out of reach the whole time! After the rabbit vanished from site it took me a good 10 minutes to get her to forget about it and calm down...we went back into the house and hung out for a few minutes then back in the truck and on our way home.
Based on her reactions to all the activity yesterday, especially to the horses and rabbit, she will need a fully fenced (NOT invisible fencing) yard in a home without small animals. However, if you are being invaded by squirls this could be your girl, she'll definitely keep them out of the yard LOL I really do think she has all the herding insticts that I suspect she has and can't wait to take her herding :) it's going to be a blast!4/17/10 Spice has started her Basic Obedience class at Waters Edge, she already walked great on the leash and knows sit, but we're working on a better Heal, Swing Finish, U-Turns, About Turns, Down, Stay and Come, it's also helping her with her social skills. I've also taught her to shake hands and other hand which she now does automatically when the treats come out :)
In the last few weeks Spice has also learned the joy of playing with rope toys! She and Cache will play tug and she'll whip the toys around "thwaping" (no better term for it LOL) herself when she's playing alone. I'm seeing less and less agitation from her with Cache now too, and they are actually playing like maniacs. I love seeing the progress of foster dogs in this aspect, initially snarky and now buds, it's a great thing!
Earlier this last week the yard guys came to do "spring cleaning" and they unhooked my dog chains from the steak in the yard. We didn't notice this when we let the dogs out and within seconds Spice figured out she wasn't attached and took off! We chased her down and caught up to her when she came upon another dog, that dog wanted to play, Spice not so much, but it gave us time to grab her and get her home. Yet another reason that she will only be adopted out to a family that has a securely fenced in yard, even though she is a good girl in the house, she gets a little rowdy outside. She will also not be a good canidet for taking with to the dog park or walking off leash in the woods/trails.
I don't want to end on a bad note with her, she's just too great of girl to have that be last thing I say, so I'm also very pleased to announce that she is no longer kenneled at night or when we are gone! She is so good in the house that we have decided to let her stay out all the time (except for breakfast and dinner times). She waits for me to get into bed at night and as soon as I say OK she jumps up and snuggles in for the night right next to me :) She's such a lover!
Oh! this morning I gave both dogs a good brushing again and decided it was time for their "Paw-dicures" which I hadn't done for Spice yet since she's been here. I worked on Cache and let her watch me which I do with all the fosters, for some reason this seems to really help, Cache is totally relaxed and just sits there with no fuss and I think it sets the tone for the new kids too. So, I went to clip her nails, no problem she just sat and relaxed, then scissoring the wild hairs on her feet, also no problem, then the clippers to clean out the hair in her pads, she didn't like it too much, I think it tickles them for the most part, she tried to pull her paw away, but after I told her to stop it she was great, just layed there and let me finish :) She really is such a good girl!
4/25/10 I took Spice Girl herding this morning. Kim, the instructor thinks she's been allowed to "chase" live stock at some point, but hasn't ever been offically herding prior to today. Spice was a good girl, she did better then I expected her to, and Kim said she has potential as a herding dog. I took some video of her on the sheep, and I will be taking her back to Kim's next weekend to the "Herding Fun Day" for round two.
I'm having troubles uploading the video to my blog, so here is the link to it on my YouTube page:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwwbfePSOcs
5/9/10 Where do I start? Well, I took Spice to the herding fun day on 5/2, along with Cache and my friend Amanda and her dog Lanie. We left the dogs in the back of the truck which has a topper on it, and somehow this sneaky little girl managed to open and escape twice! while we were watching the demo's and the other dogs working sheep. Both times she was quickly caught and put back in the truck but we're not quite sure how she got out. Finally after an almost 3rd escape, another UMASC member let me put her in an extra kennel that she brought with her in her van for the rest of the day :)
When it was Spice's turn to see the sheep she did good, but there was probably close to 30 people standing around, talking and watching, and Spice is such a social butterfly that she was almost more interested in visiting then chasing the sheepies. I have a short video clip (actually Amanda has it) that I'll be trying to either upload here or I'll put it on my YouTube page again for all to see.
Spice has 2 more weeks of Basic Obedience class left at WatersEdge, she's doing really good on the Healing, About Turns (I turn to the Right go back the way we came), her Sit's are perfect and fast!, she doesn't like to Down without a treat, but with a treat she lays Down nicely, her Stays (both Sit and Down) are getting really good, even with squeeky toys, laser pointers, balls rolling past her...yes, Dan is EVIL LOL...and she has learned to Stand although we're still working on Stand and Stay :) Once we are officially done with Basic Obedience I will be taking her with me to actually partake in Rally class on Monday nights just to keep her going on her training.
I really need to get video of her "Talking" to me, she does it all the time and I still haven't figured out what exactly she wants. She just sits here, stares at me and starts to tell me stories (she's doing it right now!) it's super cute and keeps me laughing :)
She got to meet my neighbors kids, James and David were a little too much energy for her to take, she almost nipped them while they were running around and screaming (like little kids do), but Mary (she's 11) was fine. Mary is my little dog trainer in training, she likes to come over and help me teach the dogs new things and when I say to do or don't do something she listens to me.
I've also taught Spice to Wait, so when I go to put the dogs outside, I have her sit next to the door, I tell her Wait, put the chain on her, and she doesn't actually go outside until I say OK. She's about 95% on this one, but I do have 2 men that live with me that aren't exactly "dog trainers" although they try to keep what I do consistant :)
That's all I got for now, stay tuned for more updates and pictures as I'll be continuing to work with her until the right forever home can be found!
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Gibson - ADOPTED!!!
GIBBY'S BEEN ADOPTED!!! CONGRATS TO MATT AND ANNIE ON THE ADOPTION OF THIS VERY COOL BOY!!! WE'RE GONNA MISS HIM
1/16/10 Our first foster dog for 2010 is Gibson, he is an approximately 1 year old pure bred Australian Shepherd and is a WILD marked Blue Merle, with Blue and Brown Marbled eyes! I personally think he is a really pretty dog and his eyes are really cool (sorta looks cross eyed). He has "Kennel Cough" which is basically bronchitis in dogs, is full of worms and is about 20 pounds underweight. He is actually about an inch taller then Cache and his paws are HUGE!!!
Even though he has obviously had a rough start to life he is a very sweet and loving boy. He is constantly looking for affection and doesn't believe that he is a big dog. He is a little mouthy, but again he is only about a year old and has NO training what so ever. He is also not house trained, but so far (with a regular potty break) we haven't had a single accident (fingers crossed it stays that way).
Due to the fact that he is so underweight I am feeding him 3 times a day so we can get some weight back on him.
Now I've only had Gib here for 24 hours and he is already showing me how smart he really is. He didn't like the kennel at first but is very quiet and learning that the kennel is his "bed" and not a punishment and he is also already getting really good with Leave it, Sit, High 5, and sorta understanding Lie Down.
Last night Cache brought out a rope toy to play with Gibson and at first it seemed like it was going to be fine, but then, when Cache started to play "tug" with him, Gib went after Cache. I immediately corrected him, took the toy (all the toys) away, and now the boys are fine together. I did play tug with Gib on my own, he played nice but didn't want to let go. He is already showing great toy and treat drive which is awesome for training!!! and who knows, after he's feeling better maybe he'll make a good agility dog :)
1/23/10 Gibson saw the vet on Tuesday, he was given a clean bill of health! No Kennel Cough, Worms are gone, Neutered (now), up to date on all his vaccinations, and ready to be adopted!!! He is very under weight (you can feel every one of his bones), he had broken his rib at one point in his life, and has suffered some sort of Trachia damage (hence the cough), but he is healthy and loving and the sweetest big boy I've had in a long time!
Last night Gib was groomed by my friend Cynthia, she did an AMAZING! job on him :) he no longer smells like a farm animal is living in my house, his coat is super soft and shiny too. She said he was good for grooming, didn't like the blow dryer (most dogs don't the first time LOL), and kept trying to get off the grooming table, but all in all he was a very good boy for her. She also said she can't believe how big he is! and thought my dog Cache was the only Aussie that came this size LOL. He is currently 50 pounds and should be about 70 when he's at a good healthy weight (think Black Lab size without the tale).
We still haven't had a single accident (knock on wood), he has hit the bell on the back door a few times already, which I'm not sure if it's on purpose yet or not but he gets to go outside when he does it. He isn't counter surfing too much anymore either, only occassionally looks at/puts his head in the garbage can, he has even given up carrying my boot around (which was actually cute since he didn't do anything but carry it), and for the most part he and Cache are co-existing peacefully together although I'm not saying they are best buds by any means but they are co-existing :)
1/16/10 Our first foster dog for 2010 is Gibson, he is an approximately 1 year old pure bred Australian Shepherd and is a WILD marked Blue Merle, with Blue and Brown Marbled eyes! I personally think he is a really pretty dog and his eyes are really cool (sorta looks cross eyed). He has "Kennel Cough" which is basically bronchitis in dogs, is full of worms and is about 20 pounds underweight. He is actually about an inch taller then Cache and his paws are HUGE!!!Even though he has obviously had a rough start to life he is a very sweet and loving boy. He is constantly looking for affection and doesn't believe that he is a big dog. He is a little mouthy, but again he is only about a year old and has NO training what so ever. He is also not house trained, but so far (with a regular potty break) we haven't had a single accident (fingers crossed it stays that way).
Due to the fact that he is so underweight I am feeding him 3 times a day so we can get some weight back on him.
Now I've only had Gib here for 24 hours and he is already showing me how smart he really is. He didn't like the kennel at first but is very quiet and learning that the kennel is his "bed" and not a punishment and he is also already getting really good with Leave it, Sit, High 5, and sorta understanding Lie Down.
Last night Cache brought out a rope toy to play with Gibson and at first it seemed like it was going to be fine, but then, when Cache started to play "tug" with him, Gib went after Cache. I immediately corrected him, took the toy (all the toys) away, and now the boys are fine together. I did play tug with Gib on my own, he played nice but didn't want to let go. He is already showing great toy and treat drive which is awesome for training!!! and who knows, after he's feeling better maybe he'll make a good agility dog :)
1/23/10 Gibson saw the vet on Tuesday, he was given a clean bill of health! No Kennel Cough, Worms are gone, Neutered (now), up to date on all his vaccinations, and ready to be adopted!!! He is very under weight (you can feel every one of his bones), he had broken his rib at one point in his life, and has suffered some sort of Trachia damage (hence the cough), but he is healthy and loving and the sweetest big boy I've had in a long time!Last night Gib was groomed by my friend Cynthia, she did an AMAZING! job on him :) he no longer smells like a farm animal is living in my house, his coat is super soft and shiny too. She said he was good for grooming, didn't like the blow dryer (most dogs don't the first time LOL), and kept trying to get off the grooming table, but all in all he was a very good boy for her. She also said she can't believe how big he is! and thought my dog Cache was the only Aussie that came this size LOL. He is currently 50 pounds and should be about 70 when he's at a good healthy weight (think Black Lab size without the tale).
We still haven't had a single accident (knock on wood), he has hit the bell on the back door a few times already, which I'm not sure if it's on purpose yet or not but he gets to go outside when he does it. He isn't counter surfing too much anymore either, only occassionally looks at/puts his head in the garbage can, he has even given up carrying my boot around (which was actually cute since he didn't do anything but carry it), and for the most part he and Cache are co-existing peacefully together although I'm not saying they are best buds by any means but they are co-existing :)
I'll keep everyone updated on his progress, he loves to work/learn so I'll be teaching him all sorts of tricks and commands as the time goes on, granted, he is so sweet he probably wont be with us very long which is the ultimate goal in fostering :)
1/27/10 Just a quick update on Gibson. He's coming along really well on his leash training, learning to follow and not drag me. With his trachia damage I am hoping he'll figure this out quickly so he doesn't cause himself to choke and gasp for air while out on a walk. I have been using the "Prong" Collar with him, I actually use this collar on all my dogs, some people find this collar cruel, but the truth on these collars is that they are far less harmful to dogs then the standard "training/choke" collars. Gibson is learning that when he pulls even a little he gets a pinch and self corrects the pulling :) When someone comes to see him and potentially adopt him I will gladly show them how the properly use this collar.
The other night I brought him downstairs for the first time, he was terrified of the steps, and finally I just dragged him down. He hung out downstairs for a little while, we went back up, and few minutes later when we went back down he did the stairs all on his own :) Now I have to make sure the gate is closed at the top of the stairs so he wont disappear on me LOL
Gibson has learned to Sit, give High 5, and with a treat he will drop to the ground so fast you would think he hurt his elbows to go into the Down! He is also learning to Sit Pretty/Sit Up which is so cute for such a big boy to do this :)
2/1/10 Hi Laura (and everyone else who checks my blog), Gibby is a really nice boy, but he is BIG and full of energy, and with him being young he is constantly getting into things. I've been working on staying out of the garbage/recycling, not taking our shoes, not counter/table surfing, as well as basic obedience like Sit, Stay, Come, Leave it, Down...none of those are perfect yet, but he's learning. I do keep him in a kennel during the day while we are gone at work, and also at night while we are sleeping. Right now, I'm home and we're all just hanging out, but if I were to leave him in a room on his own he'd do something "fun for him" and naughty for me :( This weekend when I was working on laundry, he was out the entire day following me from the laundry room to the bedroom, to the kitchen...I thought he was laying on the floor in the living room while I was hanging up my cloths and when I came out he had killed one of my couch pillows. Basically, he got bored and made up his own amusing game.
Gibson is a very busy boy, if you don't watch him, keep him entertained, or have him in his kennel, he WILL get into things, even if he has dog approved toys out and available to him. Don't get me wrong, he's not a bad dog, just a young dog that is still learning the propper ways to behave. He is sweet, snuggly, loves to cuddle, loves to play, and LOVES to be with his people. But this guy will need a job to do. I'm thinking agility is right up his alley! with his crazy "Aussie Hops" and enthusiasm for fun and games, I just know he would LOVE to be an agility dog. He'll also play fetch all night, but is still getting the hang of actually bringing the toy back to me LOL!!!
For anyone that is interested in adopting Gibby, I HIGHLY suggest using a kennel. He is comfortable and used to being in one and it keeps him out of trouble as well as keeps your house intact while you are unable to watch him. Trust me, it's for the best when they are this young and not exactly house trained.
I'll try and get a video of him this week playing with Cache and playing fetch so everyone can see how full of energy this guy is. He's already a far cry from the sick, starving dog that originally came to us just a few weeks ago, I'm excited to see what he's like once he has some muscle and more weight on him.
Oh, and in addition to the basic obedience he's learning a few tricks, High 5/Shake hands, Sit Up/Sit Pretty, and my personal favorite...Take a Bow!!!
3/16/10 Ok, I'm sorry, I've been so busy lately I haven't had a moment to update my blog so here I go...on 3/7 I took Gibson to the Minneapolis Pet Expo with UMASC and Aussie Rescue. He was amazing! Perfect behavior, loved on everyone, young, old, in a wheel chair...it didn't matter. I took him for a walk around the Expo, stopped near the Bunny Agility so he could "see and smell" the bunny's, he was great, loose leash and relaxed, just layed down and watched. I'm not saying that he wouldn't have run over if given the chance, but he knew that he was on the leash and didn't even bother to try. The whole day was beyond great! I was in total awe on how well he did for NEVER being in that type of situation before.
He was adopted at the Expo :) it was a great day!!! He'll be with me until this Friday (3/19) then he'll be going to his new forever home! I'm so happy for all of them :)
Sunday, January 3, 2010
A Look at the last year
Looking back over the last year at all the dogs that we have fostered and that we have helped find their new forever homes really makes my heart glow! We've gotten updates from a few of the families that have adopted our dogs and I guess no news is good news for the one's that we haven't heard back from. Some of the dogs were hard to let go of, and some of them we couldn't find a home for fast enough LOL, but all of them will forever hold a place in our hearts.
Fudge was the first dog that came into home, he was sweet, quiet (during the day), and very laid back. He came to us not knowing any basic commands or being house trained. By the time that he left he knew to sit, lay down, was house trained, and leash trained. Cache even taught him to play Tug-o-War with the rope toys.
Sway was the first "Puppy" that came to us, she was one of the coolest looking dogs I think I've ever seen! Her dark chocolate coat was as thick as an otter and her crystal blue eyes were just amazing! She was so smart, sweet, snuggly, and played great with Cache. I will never forget the two of them racing back and forth in my house bouncing off the walls and using the couches as their own personal trampolines and wrestling mats. I'll admit it, I cried when she left to go to her forever home. I've gotten a few updates from her Mom on how she's doing and she has her own "dogbook" page on "facebook".
Bruno was only here with us for 4 days, that was the fastest adoption that we had. In those 4 days he went from shy and unsure to sweet and loving with me. He was leary of men so the guys didn't get to see the same Bruno that I did. He was here for such a short time we almost can't count him as a foster LOL
Kirby, he was the goofiest of all the dogs that we have had this year. About 10 years old, bounced from shelter to home to shelter to rescue for almost a year before we got him, and it didn't seem to phaze him a bit. He lived for the game of FETCH!!!!! balls, ropes, discs, you name it, if it could be thrown he would go get it :) I took him with to play dates through TCDDC, and everyone got a kick out of him fetching 3 discs at the same time, and even with how over weight he was he would still jump up and pull the discs out of the air! I even competed with him a time or two through the TCDDC. I'll also never forget the way he "danced" after he gave me the tennis ball to throw again, left foot, right foot, left foot, click click click click, smiling from ear to ear just begging to have the ball thrown again! Such a sweety, I'll always miss this guy :)
Daisy, also referred to as "Little Daisy", was quiet the learning experience. She was the most terrified little puppy that I've ever seen. She only ever wanted to be in her kennel, her "safe zone", didn't offer any type of affection and cowered when you forced her to come out and sit with you. She did eventually come out of her shell a little, but only with me and only at night after everyone in the world had gone to bed. I would occassionally see glimpses of "puppy", like her laying on her side and waving at me when I peeked around the corner, or playing with the toys on the bed with me at night. After a while it became evident to me that she wasn't going to get any better than that in my care. I truely felt that she needed a "pack" of dogs to help her come around more. I moved her to another foster home that had more dogs and after a few months in foster she found her forever home. They love her and accept the fact that she will never be a normal dog and I'm very happy for her.
Dayze (aka Big Dayze), was a silly, happy, goofy, laid back, nice dog. She had been in foster care, then adopted, then returned 2 times before we got her. She was a big dog that needed some basic training. The first night she was here I thought we lost her but couldn't figure out where the heck a 70 lb. dog could disappear to in our rather small house??? after about 30 minutes of searching I found her crashed out sleeping on our bed LOL She was fun dog that played hard with Cache which he LOVED and after a few days of basic training she learned not to drag me down the street :) She's now in her forever home and they have since become a foster home for BCRofMN too!!!
Willie, man I loved him! He was wild, intense, crazy, some may say PSYCHO, but he was everything that I wanted in a dog. He learned at a lightening pace, looked at me like he was saying "what next? what do you want me to do?" He wasn't capable of doing anything slow, it was always quick and with intense purpose! I worked with him agility over the summer, played disc with him in the evening, took him to his first Disc Dog Comp where he scored 17.5 points and won the Novice class!!! I cried and cried when he was adopted, I even thought of quitting foster work, I couldn't let my heart get broken like that again. After a few weeks off and some serious reflection on why I opened my heart and home I decided I couldn't stop helping other dogs.
Fudge was the first dog that came into home, he was sweet, quiet (during the day), and very laid back. He came to us not knowing any basic commands or being house trained. By the time that he left he knew to sit, lay down, was house trained, and leash trained. Cache even taught him to play Tug-o-War with the rope toys.
Sway was the first "Puppy" that came to us, she was one of the coolest looking dogs I think I've ever seen! Her dark chocolate coat was as thick as an otter and her crystal blue eyes were just amazing! She was so smart, sweet, snuggly, and played great with Cache. I will never forget the two of them racing back and forth in my house bouncing off the walls and using the couches as their own personal trampolines and wrestling mats. I'll admit it, I cried when she left to go to her forever home. I've gotten a few updates from her Mom on how she's doing and she has her own "dogbook" page on "facebook".
Bruno was only here with us for 4 days, that was the fastest adoption that we had. In those 4 days he went from shy and unsure to sweet and loving with me. He was leary of men so the guys didn't get to see the same Bruno that I did. He was here for such a short time we almost can't count him as a foster LOL
Kirby, he was the goofiest of all the dogs that we have had this year. About 10 years old, bounced from shelter to home to shelter to rescue for almost a year before we got him, and it didn't seem to phaze him a bit. He lived for the game of FETCH!!!!! balls, ropes, discs, you name it, if it could be thrown he would go get it :) I took him with to play dates through TCDDC, and everyone got a kick out of him fetching 3 discs at the same time, and even with how over weight he was he would still jump up and pull the discs out of the air! I even competed with him a time or two through the TCDDC. I'll also never forget the way he "danced" after he gave me the tennis ball to throw again, left foot, right foot, left foot, click click click click, smiling from ear to ear just begging to have the ball thrown again! Such a sweety, I'll always miss this guy :)
Daisy, also referred to as "Little Daisy", was quiet the learning experience. She was the most terrified little puppy that I've ever seen. She only ever wanted to be in her kennel, her "safe zone", didn't offer any type of affection and cowered when you forced her to come out and sit with you. She did eventually come out of her shell a little, but only with me and only at night after everyone in the world had gone to bed. I would occassionally see glimpses of "puppy", like her laying on her side and waving at me when I peeked around the corner, or playing with the toys on the bed with me at night. After a while it became evident to me that she wasn't going to get any better than that in my care. I truely felt that she needed a "pack" of dogs to help her come around more. I moved her to another foster home that had more dogs and after a few months in foster she found her forever home. They love her and accept the fact that she will never be a normal dog and I'm very happy for her.
Dayze (aka Big Dayze), was a silly, happy, goofy, laid back, nice dog. She had been in foster care, then adopted, then returned 2 times before we got her. She was a big dog that needed some basic training. The first night she was here I thought we lost her but couldn't figure out where the heck a 70 lb. dog could disappear to in our rather small house??? after about 30 minutes of searching I found her crashed out sleeping on our bed LOL She was fun dog that played hard with Cache which he LOVED and after a few days of basic training she learned not to drag me down the street :) She's now in her forever home and they have since become a foster home for BCRofMN too!!!
Willie, man I loved him! He was wild, intense, crazy, some may say PSYCHO, but he was everything that I wanted in a dog. He learned at a lightening pace, looked at me like he was saying "what next? what do you want me to do?" He wasn't capable of doing anything slow, it was always quick and with intense purpose! I worked with him agility over the summer, played disc with him in the evening, took him to his first Disc Dog Comp where he scored 17.5 points and won the Novice class!!! I cried and cried when he was adopted, I even thought of quitting foster work, I couldn't let my heart get broken like that again. After a few weeks off and some serious reflection on why I opened my heart and home I decided I couldn't stop helping other dogs.
Jag, was a sweet little Mini Aussie that loved to snuggle. He would hang out with me snuggling on the couch for hours. He loved to play with the toys and even though he wouldn't "play" with Cache, they would snuggle together on the couch and take naps together. There isn't much I can say about him, he was simply a nice dog that needed to find a good home and I was thrilled when he was adopted and he will forever be spoiled rotten by his new Mom!!!
Ben, he was the most difficult dog that we had fostered. He was an owner surrender, was put on a single prop plane and flown to St. Paul by a pilot who volunteered her time. When I went to get him he was one angry dog. Growled at me the first 12 hours that he was here and it wasn't until after a few days that I was able to really get my hands on him. He became a really nice guy who just had issues with new people. He wasn't house trained, no basic commands, and no social skills, but after a while he learned all sorts of things. I took him to obedience class for training and socializing, had friends come over and after he was allowed to do things on his terms he was a good boy with visitors. I was really making progress with him, but the BCRofMN board decided he needed a new foster home so he could get more experience with other people and was moved. I'm happy to say that he was found a home where he is loved very much.
Our last foster dog for 2009 was River. She was a very sweet, goofy, silly girl who fit in nicely in our home. Mike D completely fell in love with her! She was his "Willie" and he's pretty upset that she was adopted. I guess we'll all go through this with one of the fosters.
Other dogs have stayed with us over the last year in between our official fosters, Pilot a blue merle BC stayed with us a few days, Homer an old deaf goofy bad breath blue merle Aussie stayed with us a few days 2 different times, and Anna a black and white BC puppy stayed the night so I could take her to her new home in WI the next day.
Now that River has been adopted just 2 days ago, our home is a little empty feeling. Even Cache is obviously lonely. Since we have company staying with us for a few days this week we decided to wait to get a new foster until after they have left. We'll have a new foster dog this weekend from Nancy and we can't wait to start the next chapter in our "Foster Dog Book".
Happy New Year to everyone and keep coming back to see who we have available for adoption in the coming weeks!!!!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
