Scruffy keeps himself busy

When your foster brother is too "busy" to play with you.

Click on pic to play video, and turn up the volume.

Scruffy having a lazy day

Scruffy loves car rides

He was just a tiny bit hesitant the first two minutes on his very first ride, but.....

 

 

Now he LOVES to ride!!!

 

Scruffy says, "Where to next?"

 

 

 

Scruffy has a good Christmas

He absolutely loved my son, who spent several days with us. 

He also did really well with my two year old grandson. 

No barking at the door and no anxiety of any kind.

Scruffy has found a favorite spot.

AND..... The best news of all......

No belly band and NO accidents.

Scruffy 5 day upate

Normally I do an update at one week, but with the crazy weekend ahead, I thought it might be a good idea to do this today.

 Keep in mind that Scruffy only just arrived, and the things listed below can change as he settles into his new life.

Housetraining – After a couple of mistakes the first two days, Scruffy has now been accident free for almost four days. I could tell from the beginning, he had a strong grasp of the concept. He just needed a little reminder of how things worked and he soon figured it out. We are using the belly band less and less. I think by the end of this weekend, we will put it away. He has not tried to mark anything since day one, but we use it when both my husband and I are busy and can’t keep our eyes on him 100% of the time.

Crate- Scruffy does well in the crate, although we occasionally need to negotiate to get him in. He is not fooled by the toss of a treat, and we are working on finding what works best. Once inside he doesn’t seem to mind and is comfortable, quiet and is resting nicely when we get home.

Leash- What a difference a few days makes. Scruffy does great on the leash 90% of the time. The other 10% he seems to forget he is connected and will follow a scent or bunny trail and is suddenly surprised when he feels the jerk at the end of the leash. (ha ha) It’s kinda cute. He listens and takes direction very well. This will be a piece of cake very soon.

Food/Eating- Scruffy has a good appetite and is not at all particular about his food. He is eating a dry kibble that was donated to the rescue and is doing well on it. He likes treats of all kinds and takes them nicely from my hand. He is fed in the same room at the same time as our resident dog without issue and is not irritated if I approach or touch him while eating.

Socialization- You would never know that Scruff spent time in a shelter. He is friendly to both humans and dogs. He and our Charlie immediately hit it off and are best buds. We had several guests over the past few days and he approached each as if he knew them all his life, did not jump up or get over excited and seemed to really enjoy the attention. He did a great job. He also seemed to really enjoy a short ride in the car.

Personality – Friendly, playful, gentle and very adaptable. He seems to learn quickly and has a desire to please. Comes when called and takes direction well. Loves his toys, especially if they squeak. Scruff is a well-balanced, all around great guy. We have only heard the occasional bark.

Coat/Size Sorry, I have not yet taken any measurements, but I promise I will soon. You can see from the pics and videos that he is a nice medium size. You know….. just big enough to get in and out of the car himself, but not take up too much room once inside ;-)    His coat is a great read color with a small tuff of white on the very top of his head. I can’t help but wonder what he would look like after a day at the groomers, and although is coat is rough now, I bet after some love and good food, it will be beautiful.

Will post new pictures soon !!!

Welcome Scruffy

True to his name, this is a scruffy fun-loving guy.

 

Here are a few things we noticed after a short time in our home.

(He only just arrived)

 

 

 

Scruffy seems comfortable indoors.

He is not afraid of household noises or movements.

 

He loved our dog Charlie immediately

and we had EPIC wrassle matches all night long.

 

Click pic below for video

 

You will notice that Scruff is wearing a belly band.

ALL my foster boys wear them at first until we are confident there will be no marking inside.

 

Scruff really likes toys.

Especially the ones that squeak.

 

Another video

 

 

Too soon to tell about housetraining,

but he has kept his crate clean, and he does his business on our walks.

 

 

 

Brooklyn enjoying the snow

Click on pic to see video

Brooklyn 36 hr update

Brooklyn has been in our home 3 days, and here is what we know.

Keep in mind that any and all of the below can change as she settles in to her new life.

Housetraining – Accident free for nearly 48 hrs and she sleeps through the night without needing to go out. Wow !!! That’s great for her age, don’t’ you think?

Crate- Brooklyn crates easily with or without a treat. There was just a little fussing the first time, but has been great ever since.

Leash- Not a perfect walking partner yet, but she just loves to be outside. We give a lot of freedom on the leash, and she has done quite well. When on a shorter leash she does like to crowd your legs, but I’m sure practice will make perfect.

Food/Eating- Brooklyn is a hungry girl. She gobbles up her grain free kibble in no time flat and is looking for more. She also loves treats and takes them gently from your hand. She has also been caught “swiffering” the floor and sniffing the counters for food. This girl can eat. That being said, there is no food aggression and she is fed in the same room at the same time as our dog.

Socialization- She and our Charlie get along fabulously. She follows him everywhere, and he loves it. They played together the first day they met, but she is not the pesky puppy that is relentless in asking. She is equally happy to just lay next to him and chill. We have not yet met other dogs or people. More to come on that.

Personality – Brooklyn is happy and inquisitive. Currently she is very busy checking out the house, finding the toys and following us everywhere. Most fosters are like that at first. We see them settle and relax after a few days. She is a huge love bug. No lap is safe once you sit. Sometimes she will beat you to the chair and is waiting for you. Ha ha. She snuggles in and loves to nap while you watch TV. We haven't heard much barking.

Coat/Size- Her coat is jet black with just a hint of red on the tips of the fur on her legs and tail. She has a small white patch on her chest. And her fur is oh sooooo soft. It’s silky and is heaven to touch. We haven’t noticed any shedding. She is about 12 lbs and slightly longer than she is tall. I will post measurements soon.

Welcome Brooklyn

Happy puppy.

More to come tomorrow.

Minion one week update

Here we go... Has it been a week already?

Housetraining – Perfect! Very reliable.

Crate-Minion crates easily and rests quietly all night in our room. She has a crate in our kitchen/dining area that we use when we go to work. She crates easily there as well as long as we are still moving around in the house. She does fuss some when we leave. From what I observed, her anxiety is not about being in the crate, but about being left behind. This social little girl thinks she should go everywhere with us ;-)

Leash-Minion loves her walks and does well on the leash. However…. I do not require my dogs to heel, and they get a lot of freedom on the leash. She’s easy breazy and will be happy going for a walk with you, whatever your requirements are.

Food/Eating-No problems here. Minion is a good eater and has enjoyed all treats. She eats in the same room at the same time as our dog, Charlie with no issues.

Socialization-Minion has gone on several car rides, has met lots of people and has done very well. She does NOT like the big dog from down the street however. But in her defense, he did not make a good first impression. He’s about 80lbs and came running toward us at about 100 mph. She had no idea that he is a big goofball and he and Charlie love to play and wrestle. He was just looking for fun, but Minion did not see it that way and got more than a little vocal with him. For now, I would suggest slow introductions to BIG dogs.

Personality –Happy and friendly. She is beginning to show more independence. She no longer feels she needs to follow me from room to room, and has found a favorite place on the sofa.

Coat/Size- Minion is about 17lbs. Measures about 13 inches, floor to shoulder and is aprox 17 inches from collar to base of tail. She has a soft, low shed, long coat that has been pretty low maintenance (so far)

Keep in mind, all of the above can change as a rescue dog gets more comfortable in their surroundings.

Minion mid-week update

Minion is doing great. She's a piece of cake to take care of.

 

I will give more detail at the one week mark,

but here are a few tid bits.

 

 

I'm declaring her officially housetrained.

No accidents and very reliable.

 

She's very comfortable in our home.

 She loves being outdoors.

 

 

Very happy girl.

 

 

She's been sleeping in a crate in our room at night.

She crates easily and we don't hear a peep all night.

 

She crates easily in the crate we have in the kitchen/dining area when we need to go to work.

 

However, she does fuss some once we leave,

but is resting nicely when we get home.

Minion video

Once my husband as proclaimed the end of lawn mowing season, we build a fenced area off the deck.

 

This serves two purposes.

 

1. The pups get a chance to run and play off-leash.

 

2. Although we still go on two good leashed walks each day, I don't have to go outside in the cold for every potty break.  :-)

 

 

 

Click on the pic below to see Minion enjoying the new space.

 

Minion's breed is still a puzzle,

but when I look at her face I see Papillon ???

 

I know she's too big for that, so maybe something else ??

 

What's your best guess ??

 

It's fun to speculate.

 

 

 

 

Minion pics

Welcome Minion

Since we have had Minion for just less than 24 hours this update will be very brief.

But stay tuned for more........

Housetraining – So far so good. No accidents

Crate-We did have a short tantrum when crated, but once she settled she slept quietly all night and was resting nicely when it was time to be let out in the morning.

Leash-Minion did well on our first few walks. She seems to really enjoy the outdoors.

Food/Eating-She loved her food and ate quickly

Socialization- Minion does equally well with both my husband and myself. Played nicely with our resident dog, Charlie and seemed very comfortable in our home.

Personality – WOW…. How was it said?...... I think it went something like “Minion is the BOMB!”  She’s friendly, playful and fearless, and just melts like butter when given attention. A very fun girl to have around.

Coat/Size-Minion is just a little longer than she is tall, and her coat is soft and graduates from a blonde to a very pretty red color. I will try to get weights and measures soon.

Boo goes to her new home.

She has found great new parents with a Mom who works from home and promised to be the designated walker.

Lucky, lucky girl!!

We're gonna miss this face.

Boo on the move

And enjoying the sunshine

Boo settling in

Every foster we've had, big and small, just loves this old worn out bed.

Boo. Now that was fast !

( Told ya it wouldn't take long... ha ha )

Welcome Boo

What a perfect name for this time of year. And what a perfect dog.

Young, smart and not to mention, beautiful.

 Act fast on this one. She won't be with us for long.

Here is our 24 hour update.

Housetraining – I know it’s too soon to tell for sure, but I think we have a winner here. No accidents and she does her thing every time we go out for a walk.

Crate- Boo does well in the crate. She does need a treat but rests quietly once inside.

Leash-This is one area that could use some work, however in the two days we have had her she has made great progress. She listens to direction well, and learns VERY quickly. She will have no problems catching on to what you expect on a walk.

Food/Eating- Boo has not had much of an appetite yet. She did eat a good breakfast this morning, so things are headed in the right direction.

Socialization-Boo has done well with our resident dog, Charlie. (We have not introduced her to any other dogs just yet) She does EXTREMELY well with all the people she meets. She LOVES people. I think she prefers them over our Charlie. Poor Charlie. Boo even met my 18 month old grandson, and was very calm, sat, and just watched him. Even though this is a wonderful response to a small child, because Boo is a Wheaten mix who are renowned for their “Wheaten Greeting”, I would suggest she goes to a home with older children.

Personality –Friendly, loving and very, very, very smart. She is more into her people than toys, or play right now. This dog is no lap dog. Because of her youth and high intelligence, she will need both physical and mental stimulation. Don’t get me wrong. She is not hyper, or even very active. She is calm indoors and very well behaved. In fact, I think she may have come from a very good home. There is no counter surfing, or garbage hunting. No shoe chewing and she learned the household rules immediately. For example, she jumped up on the sofa, and I told her “doggies are not allowed on the sofa in my house” and gave her the off command. She has not once tried to jump on a piece of furniture since. The same happened when my husband left the door open to the carpeted bedroom, and he told her that she was not allowed in there unsupervised (until we are sure of housetraining), she now sits at the doorway and waits for permission to enter. Scary smart !!!!!  Soooo much potential.

Coat/Size- If I had to guess, I would say that Boo is somewhere between 35-40 lbs. I have not put her on the scale, or measured her yet, but she is about the size of a pure bread Wheaten or a Border Collie. (perfectly medium sized) Her coat is soft, but because she was shaved down, it hard to tell much more right now. Whoever cut her last, skipped her head and her feet, and I was worried it was because she didn’t like to be handled, but that’s not true at all. I took out the scissors last night to give her feet a trim, and though she was wiggly, she seemed to welcome the attention.