Problems with Dogs

 Hey! He's a good dog but.... 

Yeah, I hear that all the time.  Mostly because people don't know the basics of dog training or where to turn to for help.  

So you adopted that adorable dog. Cool. Now let's help him unpack. 

    He came with a past. Before this pup got to you he was somewhere else. Either with his mom and siblings or abandoned or maybe with a different adopter or a rescue. When he was there he learned their ways (not your way) and knew what was expected of him there. Now he comes to your house and doesn't even know where the bathroom is or if he'll be fed today.

   So what do you do? First thing on your list should be patience. He may not pick up on your clues the first time, or the second or even the tenth. But he'll get there if you give him time and patience. Be consistent. Use the same command every time. If you say "Go out!" a couple of time then "Go potty!" it could be confusing. Make sure the whole family knows the commands and what they mean. 

   Dogs are usually treat driven. BUT be smart about this. The dog gets the treat for good behavior. Make sure its a healthy treat and don't give too much. 

One of the first things you should teach your pup is to sit on command. That way they should sit when getting a treat. They'll soon know sit gets rewards.  Don't force their butt down but encourage the sit by repeating the command and slowly moving the treat backward over their head so they sit. Once that butt is down give lots of "GOOD BOYS!" and the treat. Repeat, repeat, repeat. 

Off topic I once had a Golden Retriever who went after the mailman. She raced out the door before I could grab her and raced toward him. Terrified the poor mailman jumped up onto the hood of the mail truck. I yelled the one command I knew she understood well, "DUSTY, SIT!" The dog dropped in her tracks, sat down and looked back at me.  This is a good example of how knowing the right command at the right time can help. :) 

    

Now about all that unpacking. Your dog might come with some quirks like they're jumpy when you move your feet or cower when you pull out the broom. This could be a sign that they were abused with that before they got to you. Solution? Go slow with them. Trust is earned and not automatic especially in dogs that have seen rougher times. 

   If your dog jumps every time you get up from the couch and move your feet then give them a warning. Say, "It's okay, good boy." as you get up. This alert them you're going to move and they won't be so startled. 

   If your dog panics at the broom or other item? Take them out of the room so they don't see it. Direct them to their bed or other safe place like the couch. My dog sits on the couch and watches me vacuum. It's all good. 

   Rescue dogs are the best but they just need time to learn what you want from them, where the bathroom is, what time they eat and what to expect from the household. 

Time and patience are the key to a happy dog and a happy family. 

   

To Foster or Not to Foster

I hooked up with another Animal Rescue. I go once a week to take care of the pups and work in their store. Cleaning, stocking, and, my favorite part, playing with the pups.

There's a little dog there named Bindi. Doxie mix, brindle like my Love Bug, and sweet and shy. Maybe a few years old, tossed in a shelter, very pregnant. She had the babies under the kind guidance and care of the wonderful people at the rescue. I soooo want to foster Bindi.

Right now I'm watching my daughter's cat while she tries to sell her house. Will the dog get along with the cat? Should I wait till after the cat goes to her new home?

Some foster dogs bring chaos. Some bring hugs. I don't think this little one would be a problem if she gets along with LoveBug.  LoveBug is pretty laid back. Eight years old, just wants to hang on the couch, maybe go for a couple of walks. Eat good food and score a couple of treats. Yep, that's LoveBug's ideal life.

Decisions, decisions.....
What do you think, LoveBug? Need a little sister?

Week 2 Rescue Dog - Love Bug

So, we brought home Love Bug about two weeks ago. Seven year old Bassett mix. She fit into our home just fine. Totally house trained, doesn't chew the furniture (knock wood!) and loves car rides.  Even when walking around the neighborhood, if someone gets out of their car she wants to jump right in!


My daughter sent her a Bark Box as a welcome home gift! Yum!

Sunday we took her to the blessings of the pets. She was a little nervous with all the bigger dogs, but stood on the little table and let the minister say a prayer over her for health & to not be afraid of big dogs.

Although she can look bigger in pictures, Love Bug weighs on at about 34 lbs and is small in statue. Little bitty legs!
One issue? She's a chip monster! She loves Tostitos and don't let her hear the bag crinkle or she comes running.

Overall, Love Bug is fitting in just fine. She has her place on the couch and sits in the window waiting for us to come home.

Rescue an older dog. They're full of love.

Walk through a Shelter

Getting settled in a new state, creating a new business and a new home is stressful like an adventure. You go a little crazy trying to get everything done but eventually you get there and land where you'll be for a while. Settled. Or kind of settled.

When we listed our home in New Jersey for sale it took about 3 months to sell. Not bad since we listed it before the holidays (mistake) when the market naturally slumps anyway. We should have waited until spring when people are ready to buy.  During those three months I lost my little Shih Tzu, Gracie. Now almost 3 years later I still cry for her.

This week my daughters and sons in law took me to a local shelter. There were mostly big dogs and I needed something smaller. Then as I moved through the little halls of the SPCA I saw beautiful dogs that were just too big for me.

Then I turned the corner and found

Love Bug.

She was trembling. Sitting there looking up at us and shaking.

And there goes my heart.

Still, getting a dog is a big move. There was also a Chihuahua mix that was super friendly.  We asked to see both. I love Chihuahuas. They are such people dogs.
They moved us to a little fenced in yard with benches and we waited.
They brought out the little Chi first and she ran right to the men. She eventually got to me and I petted her and talked to her and she ran back to the men. I figured she must have been owned by a man. I sat on the ground and she came over to me then moved away. 
Then they brought out Willow. A Basset Hound mix, a real low rider. Willow walked over to me and crawled into my lap and laid down.
Then we left.

I had to think about this. I texted photos to my husband. I mentioned her to people at work. I thought about her sitting in that cage shaking with fear.

I called my daughters.

This is a photo of Willow's - now named Love Bug - Freedom ride.

Choosing a Dog Rescue

Dog rescue is just like everything else in life. There are places you fit and places maybe not so much.
I came from a rescue up in New Jersey that had the most amazingly giving and sacrificing people I've ever had the good fortune to get to know. They jumped up and ran to each dog in need. They gave up time, money and their hearts to these dogs and always went the extra mile. I loved each and every one of them for the goodness in their hearts and the kindness in their souls.
Then I moved 900 miles away.

So here I am in Florida and getting settled in to new digs. We have boxes of stuff everywhere and really can't find things because they're somewhere... here. 
I'm unpacking and all I can think about is fostering a dog again. Or maybe two.

I think about the shelters that are over crowded. About the dogs who sit in shelters confused and scared. I think about that space on my couch that could give them comfort and security even if its just a bridge to their furever life.

So now I'm on the search for a rescue like my rescue in New Jersey. That mystical group of people who give more then they take and then give some more.

So my rescue friends, where is that special rescue of love and sacrifice?

Not Fostering Now

I've fostered dogs for about 10 years now. Its been a crazy, wild ride and I wouldn't change one minute of it. Not the sad, sick pups I had to nurse back to health, not the wild, untrained dogs who gnawed on my table legs and not those who made me a foster failure.          ---->


Those days were full of fun and laughter and also some heartbreak. There were dogs I was happy to see move to their forever home and those that took a piece of my heart with them when they left.

Now I'm beginning a new life adventure and can't foster where I'm staying because of these two rambunctious beauties.

They are big, they are young, and they would probably squash any little dog that happened by. Not because they're mean, but big dogs play rough. They can push the couch 5 feet when they rock into it.
I'd hate to see them trample a little guy and due to an old shoulder injury I usually only do small dogs.

I miss fostering so much! I miss those sad little eyes looking up at me when they enter my house for the first time and I miss watching them transform into the happy-go-lucky pups they always should have been.

As soon as our house situation is settled I'm back into fostering. There are too many dogs out there who need me, you, us.

To Love a Dog