Sir Maxipants went home this weekend to his forever family in Nanaimo. His new doting parents? A young active couple with lots of energy who will get him into some obedience asap and did very well with showing me how they would be able to control Max on a leash and making sure they would be in charge and not the other way around! I'm sure they'll have a few bumps in the road that everyone goes through with their first dog, but I look forward to some great updates in the future.
It'll be nice to be fosterless for a couple of weeks. Though now that my general circle of people know I'm fosterless I don't know how long I'll last.
In the meantime if any of my previous adopters have some updates I'd love to have some. :)
Looking forward to whatever August brings.
Emily Out
Fostering dogs in Victoria, BC. Giving them lifeskills, cushy pillows, structure, confidence and copious snuggles. From chihuahuas to Rottis, to huskies and anything in between, amusing stories, mostly useless dog tips, and cute dog pictures abound.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Saturday, July 28, 2012
HAHAHAHAHAHA... I'm FREE SUCKER and Max's Friend Minnie
Okay, this boy definitely has some Alaskan Husky in there somewhere. Sure, he's loyal Bernese Mountain dog inside the house, shadowing you wherever you go, but give the boy a tidbit of freedom and WATCH OUT!
Yesterday I decided since Max is coming along rather well I wanted to test him off-leash. I might be brain-dead sometimes but I'm not stupid, so I went down to the tennis courts with their 10 foot high chain link fences. I shut the door. I dropped the leash and let it drag. Max did his sniff around the whole court, came back to me a few times. Until...
He found the other gate wasn't firmed latched. He pushed it with his paw and his eyes got so big I knew exactly what was going to come next.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAH I'm FREEEEEEEEE!!!
And thus, for a good fifteen minutes I was herding Max around about 5 acres of flat soccer fields. I'm lucky he didn't feel like going into the bushes and that he likes to mark A LOT so I could generally keep up with him.
I caught him while he was marking a particularly large tree, threw him in the car, took him home and completely ignored him for a few hours. This guy will be firmly on leash for the rest of the time he is with me. Beckett eventually became an off-leashable sled-dog so I'm sure Max can do it in the future, but with me I will not be chasing his stupid husky butt around five acres again. Not this foster mum!
On a really cool note though, Minnie, a shitzu who regularly boards with me came today and Max is twitterpated. She's like, oh, maybe 11 pounds or so, just a bit smaller than Lemon and he gets his flirty ears on and his whiny 'woo-woo' like the hottest girl ever just walked in the room. What a weirdo. He likes his friends on the small side!
There's a couple of applications in the works for Max, so I'm hoping his new home isn't too far around the corner.
Best,
Emily
Yesterday I decided since Max is coming along rather well I wanted to test him off-leash. I might be brain-dead sometimes but I'm not stupid, so I went down to the tennis courts with their 10 foot high chain link fences. I shut the door. I dropped the leash and let it drag. Max did his sniff around the whole court, came back to me a few times. Until...
He found the other gate wasn't firmed latched. He pushed it with his paw and his eyes got so big I knew exactly what was going to come next.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAH I'm FREEEEEEEEE!!!
And thus, for a good fifteen minutes I was herding Max around about 5 acres of flat soccer fields. I'm lucky he didn't feel like going into the bushes and that he likes to mark A LOT so I could generally keep up with him.
I caught him while he was marking a particularly large tree, threw him in the car, took him home and completely ignored him for a few hours. This guy will be firmly on leash for the rest of the time he is with me. Beckett eventually became an off-leashable sled-dog so I'm sure Max can do it in the future, but with me I will not be chasing his stupid husky butt around five acres again. Not this foster mum!
On a really cool note though, Minnie, a shitzu who regularly boards with me came today and Max is twitterpated. She's like, oh, maybe 11 pounds or so, just a bit smaller than Lemon and he gets his flirty ears on and his whiny 'woo-woo' like the hottest girl ever just walked in the room. What a weirdo. He likes his friends on the small side!
There's a couple of applications in the works for Max, so I'm hoping his new home isn't too far around the corner.
Best,
Emily
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Little Max Update
After his five hours of mental and physical activity yesterday, Max slept the whole day away at home curled up with his blanket in his crate. I came home and had to drag him out of bed! After a quick half an hour walk, we came home and he settled right down on my feet like usual. This guy doesn't have much stamina!
The surprise was that, Max finally decided he likes Beckett!
(PS: He wears a belly band as I'm not 100% confident yet that he won't mark in the house. And if he marks, Beckett will NEVER stop...)
In this one, it's cool to note the copying behaviour. I usually ask Beckett to 'shut-up' (not so nice of me is it :P) after a couple of woo-hoos, but in this case I don't mind as Max was trying to figure out how to get Beckett to play while keeping his manners in check! Copying behaviours are GOOD SIGNS! (Of course, you want them copying a good role model!) Sorry whoever Max's new home is, you're going to get a lot of husky 'woo-hoos'. I promise, there is good behaviour mixed it with it though!
The other day I was feeling a little guilty, as Max is the kind of dog that functions best with VERY FIRM, almost bordering on mean corrections. I remember the days of these kind of corrections with Beckett, where I conquered part of the husky brain. A simple "no" or "stop" just bounces right off of him. He loves positive when he is being a good boy, but once his brain is over the edge, there's not a lot of positive to be done. But give him very clear, very loud directions and he gets it! He needs a nurtuing mother 95% of the time, and a drill sargeant the other 5%.
As long as he keeps loyally laying at me feet and showing me this kind of rapid progress, I will continue with what works with him. I am your BOSS. You will do what I ask of you, and in return, I will give you safety, direction and also lots of praise when you suceed.
And now, to sit in front of the fan for a few hours. It is way too hot... especially when Max ALWAYS wants to be on your feet. He's too loyal for his own good...
Emily Out
The surprise was that, Max finally decided he likes Beckett!
In this one, it's cool to note the copying behaviour. I usually ask Beckett to 'shut-up' (not so nice of me is it :P) after a couple of woo-hoos, but in this case I don't mind as Max was trying to figure out how to get Beckett to play while keeping his manners in check! Copying behaviours are GOOD SIGNS! (Of course, you want them copying a good role model!) Sorry whoever Max's new home is, you're going to get a lot of husky 'woo-hoos'. I promise, there is good behaviour mixed it with it though!
The other day I was feeling a little guilty, as Max is the kind of dog that functions best with VERY FIRM, almost bordering on mean corrections. I remember the days of these kind of corrections with Beckett, where I conquered part of the husky brain. A simple "no" or "stop" just bounces right off of him. He loves positive when he is being a good boy, but once his brain is over the edge, there's not a lot of positive to be done. But give him very clear, very loud directions and he gets it! He needs a nurtuing mother 95% of the time, and a drill sargeant the other 5%.
As long as he keeps loyally laying at me feet and showing me this kind of rapid progress, I will continue with what works with him. I am your BOSS. You will do what I ask of you, and in return, I will give you safety, direction and also lots of praise when you suceed.
 |
| Max Happy Face. He is gaining the confidence he needs to be a super well-adjusted boy in all situations. |
Emily Out
Opinions ...
So the old saying goes. Opinions are like butts: everybody has one. The intensity and degree to which some people want to shove their opinion in your face is a different matter. It came as a genuine surprise to me when I first started fostering how much drama there is in the rescue world. How many gosh darn egos get in the way of anything getting accomplished. How many people who should all be working with the same goal in mind: placing dogs into GREAT forever homes, have to put each other down, spit on each other, and turn rescue into a a wrestling ring complete with mud bath. Heck, they'd make a lot more money if they just duked it out in a pool full of pudding for an audience. I'm not sure about other places in the world, but locally, very few rescues could be housed in the same room and be civilized.
At first this made me angry, but after awhile, it just makes me sad. Sad at all the lost opportunities. Rescue shouldn't be a competition of egos, but a lot of the time, that's what it is. I'm in Creative Writing at the Master's level, and the level of nastiness in rescue far, far outweighs the nastiness in a workshop. And in workshop, we ARE actually competiting.
Enough about writing though. We all make mistakes along the line, but it shouldn't be the mistake that defines us, but how we choose to learn from it, fix it if we can, and most importantly apply that experience to all similiar experiences to come. Instead, other rescues see a mistake as a breaking point. "Don't ever deal with this rescue, it's AWFUL." Blah blah. Now... how is that helpful??
My personal philosophy has always been to keep my nose out, sit back and listen to the kernels of information and helpfulness in a sea of insult hurling and keep my focus where it is supposed to be: the dogs in my care. If I have time to go throw some advice-cloaked insults at people, I have time to network my dogs instead, I have time to work on some leash manners, I have time to slowly gain the trust of a shy dog, I have time to be at peace and let the fosters and my own dogs enjoy that calmness. Sometimes I find it baffling that so many people are taking time away from so many dogs just to stick their nose where it isn't needed. Excuse my language, but get off the fucking internet and go do something for the dogs in your care. And if per chance you don't have any dogs in your care, go find one you can help in another way.
I understand people who have been doing rescue for years, possibly decades, have a lot of experience in things, and to cornily quote Spiderman "With great power comes great responsibility." All this knowledge, all this wealth of information and experience, they have such great opportunity to be teachers, to show younger rescuers the way. If you don't educate the young, if you don't provide help and suggestions (in a non-condenscending manner) how do you ever expect them to live up to your 'standards', how do you ever expect them to get better? Not to think doom+gloom, but when your time in rescue has come to it's end, who will you leave behind to carry on ethically if you shut everyone down because they don't do things 'your way'. For me, it's sad to think how many spirits are broken by rescue drama, and how if the extent of the drama wasn't as cruel how many other lives could have been saved instead.
Why is it that we preach love for animals, but we don't have enough integrity to love (not necessarily like!) each other and our collective efforts. I might not like every rescue I've come across, indeed, there are a lot that I personally would never get involved in, but still, I am thankful for the lives they have saved. One rescue can not do the work alone. We're not going to join hands and sing kum-ba-yah or anything, but an ounce of compassion would go a long way.
***
The above isn't really meant about anything in my personal rescue circle lately, just a lot of posts I keep seeing on different threads. I am a young, sometimes hot-headed, sometimes silly, and definitely on a steep learning curve sometimes foster mum. I've hit some snags, and I'm sure until I'm wrinkled I'll hit more of them. I have almost quit fostering at a few points for different reasons, but NEVER because of the dogs. I try my best to put myself in someone else's shoes, and I know, things are never perfect, but that shouldn't be a reason to give up.
I am lucky that my heart rescue (TG) is a great teacher, a non-judger. Are they perfect: no. Do they make mistakes: rescue wouldn't be rescue without it's glitches. Are they the holy grail of rescue: most definitely not, but if they thought they were I would have been long gone by now.
It's not the dogs that will break you in rescue; it's the drama.
So please, ask for help when you need it and don't be afraid.
Give help, advice and constructive criticism when you can, but check your ego at the door.
Be willing to teach and guide, as well as being taught and guided.
For those experienced, please note that younger rescuers are trying to be like you. Take it as a compliment! How you view them is up to you, but I would rather see a garden with the possibility to bloom than weeds to hack away.
Become a little bit more like a dog. Live in the moment -and try to make each one the best that it can be.
Find something to compliment. People, just like dogs, will wither with solely negative training.
At first this made me angry, but after awhile, it just makes me sad. Sad at all the lost opportunities. Rescue shouldn't be a competition of egos, but a lot of the time, that's what it is. I'm in Creative Writing at the Master's level, and the level of nastiness in rescue far, far outweighs the nastiness in a workshop. And in workshop, we ARE actually competiting.
Enough about writing though. We all make mistakes along the line, but it shouldn't be the mistake that defines us, but how we choose to learn from it, fix it if we can, and most importantly apply that experience to all similiar experiences to come. Instead, other rescues see a mistake as a breaking point. "Don't ever deal with this rescue, it's AWFUL." Blah blah. Now... how is that helpful??
My personal philosophy has always been to keep my nose out, sit back and listen to the kernels of information and helpfulness in a sea of insult hurling and keep my focus where it is supposed to be: the dogs in my care. If I have time to go throw some advice-cloaked insults at people, I have time to network my dogs instead, I have time to work on some leash manners, I have time to slowly gain the trust of a shy dog, I have time to be at peace and let the fosters and my own dogs enjoy that calmness. Sometimes I find it baffling that so many people are taking time away from so many dogs just to stick their nose where it isn't needed. Excuse my language, but get off the fucking internet and go do something for the dogs in your care. And if per chance you don't have any dogs in your care, go find one you can help in another way.
I understand people who have been doing rescue for years, possibly decades, have a lot of experience in things, and to cornily quote Spiderman "With great power comes great responsibility." All this knowledge, all this wealth of information and experience, they have such great opportunity to be teachers, to show younger rescuers the way. If you don't educate the young, if you don't provide help and suggestions (in a non-condenscending manner) how do you ever expect them to live up to your 'standards', how do you ever expect them to get better? Not to think doom+gloom, but when your time in rescue has come to it's end, who will you leave behind to carry on ethically if you shut everyone down because they don't do things 'your way'. For me, it's sad to think how many spirits are broken by rescue drama, and how if the extent of the drama wasn't as cruel how many other lives could have been saved instead.
Why is it that we preach love for animals, but we don't have enough integrity to love (not necessarily like!) each other and our collective efforts. I might not like every rescue I've come across, indeed, there are a lot that I personally would never get involved in, but still, I am thankful for the lives they have saved. One rescue can not do the work alone. We're not going to join hands and sing kum-ba-yah or anything, but an ounce of compassion would go a long way.
***
The above isn't really meant about anything in my personal rescue circle lately, just a lot of posts I keep seeing on different threads. I am a young, sometimes hot-headed, sometimes silly, and definitely on a steep learning curve sometimes foster mum. I've hit some snags, and I'm sure until I'm wrinkled I'll hit more of them. I have almost quit fostering at a few points for different reasons, but NEVER because of the dogs. I try my best to put myself in someone else's shoes, and I know, things are never perfect, but that shouldn't be a reason to give up.
I am lucky that my heart rescue (TG) is a great teacher, a non-judger. Are they perfect: no. Do they make mistakes: rescue wouldn't be rescue without it's glitches. Are they the holy grail of rescue: most definitely not, but if they thought they were I would have been long gone by now.
It's not the dogs that will break you in rescue; it's the drama.
So please, ask for help when you need it and don't be afraid.
Give help, advice and constructive criticism when you can, but check your ego at the door.
Be willing to teach and guide, as well as being taught and guided.
For those experienced, please note that younger rescuers are trying to be like you. Take it as a compliment! How you view them is up to you, but I would rather see a garden with the possibility to bloom than weeds to hack away.
Become a little bit more like a dog. Live in the moment -and try to make each one the best that it can be.
Find something to compliment. People, just like dogs, will wither with solely negative training.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Ginger Update, and Max Seeks Quality Time
Here is a shortened update from Ginger's family. Jade, Ginger's mum and I are cut from a similiar cord. We have a knack for writing novels instead of blurbs :) But that's okay with me!
She has spurts of playfulness, I bought her a larger than normal sized tennis ball from Bosley's and she really enjoys chasing it all of 4-5 times and then it's too much work after that :) On tonight's walk after dinner she HAD to meet this older couple and in general she feels the need to MEET EVERYBODY that comes our way, but not everybody is that friendly and when we did come across a family with another big dog like that, Ginger had this disappointed look on her face as they all quickly walked on by, wondering why there was no "greeting." I also just realized that she's about 93 lbs., well I'm only 96 lbs., ... she's a whole other me in dog form :) Thanks again for recommending Ginger to us ... she really is the right match for our family :) Smiles, Jade (& Mark).
I didn't take any of my own pictures of Ginger while she was here as Piper had such great ones, but here are a few my co-worker Brianne snatched of her at daycare.
Max continues to do well. I am making sure to continue mentally challenging him with new things. He is a dog that although isn't really fearful is hesitant to tackle new things on his own, but it's important he does, and that while doing so, he is reminded who is in charge of the situation. It's like having Beckett all over again (minus the fact that Beckett wasn't reactive, and was probably more stubborn overall). Still, the way the two of them will sneakily take advantage of the situation is EXACTLY the same. Hahahahah, oh Max, you have lots to learn from the old man! I'm over you like a dirty shirt ;)
Our learning curves over the past two days have included:
1) Daycare, where he did well with 20 big dogs in a group today --quite a large group for our daycare--. He needed a few reminders that he was safe and didn't have to protect himself, and quite a few (non-literal) kicks up the rear for marking (lifting his leg and claiming things as his). Although he is a bit of a pain in the butt, he would do well to continue being in a bigger group of dogs. On the brighter side, he did play some today. He doesn't quite know how to ask to play with another dog yet and kind of just expects that someone will come and ask him. Like the shy, awkward guy at the dance.
2) I took him with our dogs to a fenced in dog park last night. What better place to tackle leash reactivity than a place where most of the dogs are very social. I had to brace myself as people give you dirty looks if your dog is being a jerk, but it wasn't too busy, and we met, maybe 20-30 dogs total, maybe 4-5 of which were bigger male dogs. Max will get his hackles up long before he actually meets a new male dog, and he automatically assumes he isn't going to like said other dog, or that other dog wants to do him some damage. Then, the submissive dog suddenly switches and becomes the dog that's going to show he's a big tough male. Enter: he starts the mad pull towards them. Put him in his place right there and make the other dog pass him and you get absolutely no reaction out of him. You have to make sure that the other dog doesn't invade his small bubble, to show that you have the situation under control on both sides, but if you are proactive in the smaller stages, there is no longer a flare up. Does he have the potential to be quite reactive on a leash -MOST DEFINITELY, but does he have the ability to be an awesome K9 citizen, OBVIOUSLY. He needs a 'master'. Someone he can devote himself to, someone that makes him listen, someone that isn't going to let him get away with anything.
3) Time at home by himself. Max has been easily crate-trained, and being wiped out on Monday he was a-okay left at home by himself for 7 hours while I worked Tuesday -IE: crazy day at work-. Although Max shows some signs that he could develop some seperation anxiety, I'm beginning to realize he's a dog that seeks QUALITY TIME. He's a dog that would be okay home by himself 3-4 days a week providing his person or people pays him a lot of attention when they are home. He is a dog who wants to lay at your feet, a dog that wants to go for a walk, and a dog that in general, just wants someone to love him. I've met lots of QUANTITY TIME dogs, where they would rather you around a lot but don't really want quality time (walks, playtime, training, etc.), but Max, much like my own two dogs, would rather have the quality time. With that quality time, he will sleeps the days away!
I believe Max has an app with a homecheck to do, so we will see where that leads. For now, we will continue challenging him to be a better dog, while at the same time making sure he feels safe in the process.
From Jade and Mark:Our Kia Sportage is now officially the "Ginger Mobile" -- full of her hair already and slobber marks all over the back door and windows, and this is just after two car rides :) Ginger and the cats are still adjusting, with every interaction monitored, but they don't seem to hate us as much as we thought they would :) Ginger just can't figure out why these two furry house mates don't want to be "instant" friends with her :) Ginger LOVES her food and especially LOVES to mooch for our food ... we're working on her manners ... tonight she was so tired from a full day today and her nightly walk that when Mark & I were finishing some homemade pie, Ginger was struggling to keep her eyes open, but gosh darnit, she wasn't about to give up on the possibility of getting something at the end ... it was quite comical to observe her trying to muster enough energy to see it through :)
She has spurts of playfulness, I bought her a larger than normal sized tennis ball from Bosley's and she really enjoys chasing it all of 4-5 times and then it's too much work after that :) On tonight's walk after dinner she HAD to meet this older couple and in general she feels the need to MEET EVERYBODY that comes our way, but not everybody is that friendly and when we did come across a family with another big dog like that, Ginger had this disappointed look on her face as they all quickly walked on by, wondering why there was no "greeting." I also just realized that she's about 93 lbs., well I'm only 96 lbs., ... she's a whole other me in dog form :) Thanks again for recommending Ginger to us ... she really is the right match for our family :) Smiles, Jade (& Mark).
I didn't take any of my own pictures of Ginger while she was here as Piper had such great ones, but here are a few my co-worker Brianne snatched of her at daycare.
 |
| The Lion |
 |
| I have a cookie -she is thinking she might stand up for it... |
 |
| Too lazy to stand for cookie, but will follow it with my eyes... |
Our learning curves over the past two days have included:
1) Daycare, where he did well with 20 big dogs in a group today --quite a large group for our daycare--. He needed a few reminders that he was safe and didn't have to protect himself, and quite a few (non-literal) kicks up the rear for marking (lifting his leg and claiming things as his). Although he is a bit of a pain in the butt, he would do well to continue being in a bigger group of dogs. On the brighter side, he did play some today. He doesn't quite know how to ask to play with another dog yet and kind of just expects that someone will come and ask him. Like the shy, awkward guy at the dance.
2) I took him with our dogs to a fenced in dog park last night. What better place to tackle leash reactivity than a place where most of the dogs are very social. I had to brace myself as people give you dirty looks if your dog is being a jerk, but it wasn't too busy, and we met, maybe 20-30 dogs total, maybe 4-5 of which were bigger male dogs. Max will get his hackles up long before he actually meets a new male dog, and he automatically assumes he isn't going to like said other dog, or that other dog wants to do him some damage. Then, the submissive dog suddenly switches and becomes the dog that's going to show he's a big tough male. Enter: he starts the mad pull towards them. Put him in his place right there and make the other dog pass him and you get absolutely no reaction out of him. You have to make sure that the other dog doesn't invade his small bubble, to show that you have the situation under control on both sides, but if you are proactive in the smaller stages, there is no longer a flare up. Does he have the potential to be quite reactive on a leash -MOST DEFINITELY, but does he have the ability to be an awesome K9 citizen, OBVIOUSLY. He needs a 'master'. Someone he can devote himself to, someone that makes him listen, someone that isn't going to let him get away with anything.
3) Time at home by himself. Max has been easily crate-trained, and being wiped out on Monday he was a-okay left at home by himself for 7 hours while I worked Tuesday -IE: crazy day at work-. Although Max shows some signs that he could develop some seperation anxiety, I'm beginning to realize he's a dog that seeks QUALITY TIME. He's a dog that would be okay home by himself 3-4 days a week providing his person or people pays him a lot of attention when they are home. He is a dog who wants to lay at your feet, a dog that wants to go for a walk, and a dog that in general, just wants someone to love him. I've met lots of QUANTITY TIME dogs, where they would rather you around a lot but don't really want quality time (walks, playtime, training, etc.), but Max, much like my own two dogs, would rather have the quality time. With that quality time, he will sleeps the days away!
I believe Max has an app with a homecheck to do, so we will see where that leads. For now, we will continue challenging him to be a better dog, while at the same time making sure he feels safe in the process.
 |
| Max -by Brianne. He says: "Look into my eyes, I need love!" |
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Ginger on a Sleepover, and a Max Update
Ginger went for a sleepover with a family that was screened for Brojack a few months ago, but wasn't emotionally over the loss of their old dog quite yet. Since Ginger is pretty much a Brojack clone (despite that she's even LAZIER) I sent them an e-mail. I had one that would fit them :) I should learn this afternoon if she is good with the resident cats.
Max is making improvements. Yvette confirmed my suspicions that Max was a chained dog -he has a lack of experience in well... most everything. That said, he is amazing with people and school-aged children, has the most gentle mouth, and is a loyal Velcro dog. Once he feels safe, he looks for direction instead of lashing out. He is not aggressive at all, he just has poor social skills with other medium/big MALE dogs and can't read their body language to tell if they want to play with or if they want to pick a fight with him so without feeling protected by his handler, he will make sure he isn't going to be bullied.
He is submissive and makes himself into a victim sometimes. He is okay at daycare, but not fantastic, so he will be going with me on the smaller days to slowly build his confidence but hopefully not overwhelm him. He does better when he can meet dogs in very small groups, or even one on one, and that will help him out better in the long run. Yesterday, once he figured out a) I wasn't going to let anything happen to him and b) I wasn't going to let him be a jerk to anybody else, he spent the rest of the day glued to my leg. Providing you make yourself someone that is going to protect him, he looks for direction ALL THE TIME. He isn't stubborn, he's just unsure of himself. I think with some more exposure he will feel safer to go out and explore some more. The only dog he's wanted to play with is Ginger, so I think once he has a few shifts to make friends, he'll become playful. He'd much prefer to shadow his people around though! Max is a people dog through and through.
Max is currently spending 2-3 hours at home alone all days, and once or twice a week he will be staying him himself for about 6-7 hours (the heavy days of daycare). He is easily tired out, as new experiences take a lot of mental energy out of him. He is about a medium energy guy, settles super easily in the house. I'm pretty darn sure there's Alaskan Husky in there somewhere, as he displays a lot of the characteristics of one. There's definitely Bernese too though, as an Alaskan Husky would doubtfully be so loyal :P
Max is housetrained so far, but you have to watch him or he might want to lift his leg to mark. Luckily, he's a glue dog, so whichever room you're in, he's in, usually right at your feet. Max is crate-trained for night-time (granted he doesn't overly enjoy getting in the crate, but once he knows it isn't up to discussion, he goes right in). Without a commitment to a routine, Max has the definite signs that he could show seperation anxiety. It will be a balance of building confidence in him and his handler, and at the same time, making sure he has times where he has to function on his own. The first step is making him comfortable in his handler, but the second is that he needs to develop some confidence in himself. His confidence will be found in the every day socialization with people and new friendly dogs, so it isn't something that is going to a huge commitment time wise. Basically, he has to get used to be a pet and not a backyard fixture.
He has shown little interest in the cats when they are just wandering the yard, but gets alert and wants to chase when they start running (normal, it's rare even a cat-loving dog won't chase if they run). I believe Max would love to be an only dog with a family with older kids or couple or single person that want to continue building his confidence with at least daily walks. At the same time, he could live with the right female dog. He needs continued exposure to make sure he becomes the best dog he can be.
I need to get some better shots, but here are some from the other day.
More as it happens :)
Emily
Max is making improvements. Yvette confirmed my suspicions that Max was a chained dog -he has a lack of experience in well... most everything. That said, he is amazing with people and school-aged children, has the most gentle mouth, and is a loyal Velcro dog. Once he feels safe, he looks for direction instead of lashing out. He is not aggressive at all, he just has poor social skills with other medium/big MALE dogs and can't read their body language to tell if they want to play with or if they want to pick a fight with him so without feeling protected by his handler, he will make sure he isn't going to be bullied.
He is submissive and makes himself into a victim sometimes. He is okay at daycare, but not fantastic, so he will be going with me on the smaller days to slowly build his confidence but hopefully not overwhelm him. He does better when he can meet dogs in very small groups, or even one on one, and that will help him out better in the long run. Yesterday, once he figured out a) I wasn't going to let anything happen to him and b) I wasn't going to let him be a jerk to anybody else, he spent the rest of the day glued to my leg. Providing you make yourself someone that is going to protect him, he looks for direction ALL THE TIME. He isn't stubborn, he's just unsure of himself. I think with some more exposure he will feel safer to go out and explore some more. The only dog he's wanted to play with is Ginger, so I think once he has a few shifts to make friends, he'll become playful. He'd much prefer to shadow his people around though! Max is a people dog through and through.
Max is currently spending 2-3 hours at home alone all days, and once or twice a week he will be staying him himself for about 6-7 hours (the heavy days of daycare). He is easily tired out, as new experiences take a lot of mental energy out of him. He is about a medium energy guy, settles super easily in the house. I'm pretty darn sure there's Alaskan Husky in there somewhere, as he displays a lot of the characteristics of one. There's definitely Bernese too though, as an Alaskan Husky would doubtfully be so loyal :P
Max is housetrained so far, but you have to watch him or he might want to lift his leg to mark. Luckily, he's a glue dog, so whichever room you're in, he's in, usually right at your feet. Max is crate-trained for night-time (granted he doesn't overly enjoy getting in the crate, but once he knows it isn't up to discussion, he goes right in). Without a commitment to a routine, Max has the definite signs that he could show seperation anxiety. It will be a balance of building confidence in him and his handler, and at the same time, making sure he has times where he has to function on his own. The first step is making him comfortable in his handler, but the second is that he needs to develop some confidence in himself. His confidence will be found in the every day socialization with people and new friendly dogs, so it isn't something that is going to a huge commitment time wise. Basically, he has to get used to be a pet and not a backyard fixture.
He has shown little interest in the cats when they are just wandering the yard, but gets alert and wants to chase when they start running (normal, it's rare even a cat-loving dog won't chase if they run). I believe Max would love to be an only dog with a family with older kids or couple or single person that want to continue building his confidence with at least daily walks. At the same time, he could live with the right female dog. He needs continued exposure to make sure he becomes the best dog he can be.
I need to get some better shots, but here are some from the other day.
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| Max always makes eye contact. No matter where he's sitting in the room, he's got his eyes on you! |
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| Max wasn't too fond of posing for the picture. |
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| The face of a loyal dog. |
Emily
Saturday, July 21, 2012
Thanks for the Pictures Piper :)
I'm spoiled rotten and don't have to take my own pictures! Thanks for the great photos on my new fosters Piper. :)
I was supposed to be fostering Brady and Ginger, but as usual there was a little turn of events. Brady was adopted instead of Max, so Max came home with me. He is a good boy, is easily handled, makes good eye contact, is social with the little dogs, was nice and gentle with an eight year old on the ferry and so far hasn't met a big female dog he doesn't like. Unfortunately, he's got the evil stinky eye out for Beckett. Hoping to break that soon. For now, I'm just treating it as the transition period. Safety first! I'm lucky in that I can easily direct Beckett wherever I want, and no matter the behaviour another dog seems to throw at him, he ignores. Hopefully Max does better with the other male dogs at daycare on Monday.
On the brighter he got furminated and licked me throughout the whole half hour I was doing it, went for a two hour walk to integrate with our pack (he's still not quite there, but there's progress), and met the chickens with no interest, and showed no interest in the barn cats, though he didn't go nose to nose. With basic direction and a firm approach, he walks well on a leash though is somewhat leash-reactive with other male dogs his size and bigger. He needs to learn introduction skills.
He's supposed to be a Bernese x Collie, but I see a lot of husky in him -sled dog style, not really a sib. The tail curl, the stubborn streak.He doesn't have the body type though. I do see Bernese too. He seems so far like quite a laid back dog inside, doesn't seem to need a lot of exercise (that might change as he gets adjusted). He is a little shorter than Beckett, but probably weighs about 60 pounds.
Our other foster waltzed in like she'd always been here. Ginger is a lovely, sweet girl, who is quite horrible on a leash! I'm used to pulling the shy ones out, but today, I felt like a leaf on the end of her pulling me. :P Tomorrow, we get a halti! She is super social, was very excited to see so many people at the ferry, and is LAZY. Chickens, cats, other dogs, whatever, she takes it all in the typical stride of a Great Pyrenese. She adores Beckett so far, and cause she's a lumbering slow girl, we dropped her long leash so she could go run (well okay, she more trotted) around with Beckett. She is just a little bit taller than him, but is about 75 pounds to Beckett's 50. She likes to body slam. They play really well together.
We had her to my friend Ashley who's a groomer and also my co-worker at K9HQ. A lot of the matts were taken off of her. She looks a little funny with a few almost bald patches but she is feeling much better. Once her elbows were shaved down she was very eager to jump in the car. It must have hurt before.
Here are the picture Piper took. I'll take some more in the next few days.
More as it comes. I think Ginger would do well in almost any home, but will definitely need someone who will train her not to pull on a leash and keep up some grooming. She'd make an excellent farm dog, and EXCELLENT family dog. She reminds me of Nana from Peter Pan actually. Just a big, loveable, super friendly, quite lazy girl.
I'll know more about Max as he settles in. I'm hopeful with firm boundaries, guidance and patience, the edge from his travel will come off. Safety though, will have to come first.
I was supposed to be fostering Brady and Ginger, but as usual there was a little turn of events. Brady was adopted instead of Max, so Max came home with me. He is a good boy, is easily handled, makes good eye contact, is social with the little dogs, was nice and gentle with an eight year old on the ferry and so far hasn't met a big female dog he doesn't like. Unfortunately, he's got the evil stinky eye out for Beckett. Hoping to break that soon. For now, I'm just treating it as the transition period. Safety first! I'm lucky in that I can easily direct Beckett wherever I want, and no matter the behaviour another dog seems to throw at him, he ignores. Hopefully Max does better with the other male dogs at daycare on Monday.
On the brighter he got furminated and licked me throughout the whole half hour I was doing it, went for a two hour walk to integrate with our pack (he's still not quite there, but there's progress), and met the chickens with no interest, and showed no interest in the barn cats, though he didn't go nose to nose. With basic direction and a firm approach, he walks well on a leash though is somewhat leash-reactive with other male dogs his size and bigger. He needs to learn introduction skills.
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| MAX: "THANKS FOR THE PHOTO OP" |
Our other foster waltzed in like she'd always been here. Ginger is a lovely, sweet girl, who is quite horrible on a leash! I'm used to pulling the shy ones out, but today, I felt like a leaf on the end of her pulling me. :P Tomorrow, we get a halti! She is super social, was very excited to see so many people at the ferry, and is LAZY. Chickens, cats, other dogs, whatever, she takes it all in the typical stride of a Great Pyrenese. She adores Beckett so far, and cause she's a lumbering slow girl, we dropped her long leash so she could go run (well okay, she more trotted) around with Beckett. She is just a little bit taller than him, but is about 75 pounds to Beckett's 50. She likes to body slam. They play really well together.
We had her to my friend Ashley who's a groomer and also my co-worker at K9HQ. A lot of the matts were taken off of her. She looks a little funny with a few almost bald patches but she is feeling much better. Once her elbows were shaved down she was very eager to jump in the car. It must have hurt before.
Here are the picture Piper took. I'll take some more in the next few days.
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| Gorgeous face shot. Ginger needs to be on a calendar :) |
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| Ginger showing the Great Pyrenese roots. Most people today thought she was just a great big Golden Retriever, but I see the Pyrenese :) Her elbows have been shaved down now, as you can see the matting. |
I'll know more about Max as he settles in. I'm hopeful with firm boundaries, guidance and patience, the edge from his travel will come off. Safety though, will have to come first.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
When it's Not the Right Dog
(Not about any of my own dogs or fosters, so please breathe a sigh of relief if you need too)
Many of you know, I oppose trials -where a dog is 'test-drived' so to speak-. I look for the best home, a FOREVER home. A home that says "Yes". Not... "Maybe, with conditions." Yet, there are times when everything seems right, just to go wrong.
Personally, I truly believe there are times when a dog just isn't a good match, when despite a want to work through things, the fundamentals of said dog in said family is just not going to work out in the end. It's kind of like having a man. You can dress him up and take him out, you can mold his behaviour, but you can't change the basics of who the dog is. Temperment, energy level, prey drive, to a degree socialbility -all things that change isn't truly possible. Management is, but some buidling blocks you can't change. Don't get me wrong, most of them (first two mostly excluded) you can definitely work on, and if you're a single person or devoted couple with a lot of time to work on it, go for it. Sometimes though, you have to realize you've bitten off more than you can chew.
Now, if you've raised the dog since a puppy, I don't think you really have any excuse, as you've got the dog with a completely blank slate, but adult dogs are a little bit different. I'm talking about the recently-rescued dog, the one that has been living with you for only a little while. One that although going through a lot of change, so minor issues are expected, but at the core, just isn't meshing.
The biggest stumbling block I've seen lately is children and dogs. Many dogs love to live with school-aged children, (and some younger, although that takes a very patient dog and very good adults managing) but just because a dog is good with children out and about, doesn't mean they can handle living with them full-time. Shy or skittish dogs have a really hard time living with children as they are more unpredictable, they don't follow 'the rules' as often, and they often want the dog to interactive with them, even if the dog is giving them signals to 'go away and leave me alone'. A family then has the hard decision of working the whole family through this stage, developing lots of rules and regulations for both kids and pets, and 'trying to make it work', in which the dog might never truly become comfortable with the children, or, giving up the dog (back to rescue) and being labelled as a bad family.
Of course it depends on the individual dog and the individual situation, but to me, if a dog is truly having a hard time interacting with children in the home at all, is it fair to the dog to have them live in whole life in that scenario? And is it fair to the child, who so desperately wants a friend to have a dog that never wants to do anything with them? That they must leave alone all the time unless the dog wants attention? This might sound extreme, but, if you had to be adopted, think of the kind of home you wanted. Now picture children running around you all the time. If this scares you -would you want to stay in this home? If the children thing didn't work, just imagine three people who really push your buttons LIVING with you. (Well... if you had a ton of siblings, you might just be one of those dogs that can deal with everything ;) ).
I've had two flip sides to this story. Lexi, a little chihuahua I brought up from California almost a year ago was adopted into a fantastic home with a ten year old girl. Since Lexi was fostered with another dog, (my friend's Xolo mix) she was always quite a confident little dog, but being adopted into a home as an only dog, most of her confidence went away. Something we couldn't quite realize would happen until it did. Her family kept her and worked through the fear and shyness however, a year later she still doesn't want much to do with the eleven year old and it took months before they could really interact together without Lexi being fearful. Since there's only one child, they are able to effectively manage, and Lexi as well as her girl do have a good life together.
The other side of the kid/dog coin comes from a previous client of mine who had two little dogs and brought a third dog -a Beagle mix- home from the SPCA. They had an eight year old and an eleven year old. When the dog started showing fearful, nipping behaviour they went through training, had many rules for the children who had grown up with dogs, and worked around the issue. Unfortunately, even with good training and a 'good home' with people who would 'never give up a dog', the dog eventually ended up biting the eleven year old's face and sending her to the hospital and in need of surgery. The dog was subsenquently given up, and had to have a 'dangerous dog' labelled attached to him. If the family realized early on that the dog just wouldn't be happy in their situation, he might have gone on to find an adult-only home and live a fantastic life. Of course, there are a ton of what-if's in every situation.
It is easy to look at an application and see a family has given up a dog, but I think as rescues we need to look closer at the true reasons. If a dog was given up very quickly (within the first month or two), you can look at it as they didn't try, but at the same time, I think it takes a brave person to admit when something just isn't going to work.
This isn't an excuse for adopters not to educate themselves on what they NEED in a dog, and making sure the rescue you are working with is on the same page. And I'm not trying to say that adopters shouldn't be willing to deal with issues that come up, especially in the transition period to a new home. Mostly, this is just to say: Sometimes, even with the best intentions of everyone involved, 'it's not the right dog for the home'.
If the wellbeing of anyone in the household is in serious question -whether it's a new dog eating a cat, a new dog petrified of children, or the children in possible danger from a new dog, or two canine siblings doing more than a simple power struggle over terrain and sharing the roost, things need to be examined quickly. We are lucky in BC ---few dogs face euthanasia, and although it might take awhile, almost all dogs find forever homes. Minor things can be worked on, and some of the big things too with proper training and management, but personally, I think safety should come first.
(There's is also a difference between a safety concern and comfortableness, as many dogs are just anxious by nature, or have quirks that make them a bit harder to live with. Being 'happy' and being 'safe' is different... but that's for another time.)
Feel free to share your thoughts and/or experiences. I'd love some more insight. I just find sometimes we are quick to judge anyone that has ever given up a dog for any reason whatsoever. Of course it raises a BIG red flag for me, but I try to go into applications open-minded.
Perhaps I just try to look on the sunny side of the street! If anyone wants to talk me down from that cloud, that's fine with me :)
Emily Out
Many of you know, I oppose trials -where a dog is 'test-drived' so to speak-. I look for the best home, a FOREVER home. A home that says "Yes". Not... "Maybe, with conditions." Yet, there are times when everything seems right, just to go wrong.
Personally, I truly believe there are times when a dog just isn't a good match, when despite a want to work through things, the fundamentals of said dog in said family is just not going to work out in the end. It's kind of like having a man. You can dress him up and take him out, you can mold his behaviour, but you can't change the basics of who the dog is. Temperment, energy level, prey drive, to a degree socialbility -all things that change isn't truly possible. Management is, but some buidling blocks you can't change. Don't get me wrong, most of them (first two mostly excluded) you can definitely work on, and if you're a single person or devoted couple with a lot of time to work on it, go for it. Sometimes though, you have to realize you've bitten off more than you can chew.
Now, if you've raised the dog since a puppy, I don't think you really have any excuse, as you've got the dog with a completely blank slate, but adult dogs are a little bit different. I'm talking about the recently-rescued dog, the one that has been living with you for only a little while. One that although going through a lot of change, so minor issues are expected, but at the core, just isn't meshing.
The biggest stumbling block I've seen lately is children and dogs. Many dogs love to live with school-aged children, (and some younger, although that takes a very patient dog and very good adults managing) but just because a dog is good with children out and about, doesn't mean they can handle living with them full-time. Shy or skittish dogs have a really hard time living with children as they are more unpredictable, they don't follow 'the rules' as often, and they often want the dog to interactive with them, even if the dog is giving them signals to 'go away and leave me alone'. A family then has the hard decision of working the whole family through this stage, developing lots of rules and regulations for both kids and pets, and 'trying to make it work', in which the dog might never truly become comfortable with the children, or, giving up the dog (back to rescue) and being labelled as a bad family.
Of course it depends on the individual dog and the individual situation, but to me, if a dog is truly having a hard time interacting with children in the home at all, is it fair to the dog to have them live in whole life in that scenario? And is it fair to the child, who so desperately wants a friend to have a dog that never wants to do anything with them? That they must leave alone all the time unless the dog wants attention? This might sound extreme, but, if you had to be adopted, think of the kind of home you wanted. Now picture children running around you all the time. If this scares you -would you want to stay in this home? If the children thing didn't work, just imagine three people who really push your buttons LIVING with you. (Well... if you had a ton of siblings, you might just be one of those dogs that can deal with everything ;) ).
I've had two flip sides to this story. Lexi, a little chihuahua I brought up from California almost a year ago was adopted into a fantastic home with a ten year old girl. Since Lexi was fostered with another dog, (my friend's Xolo mix) she was always quite a confident little dog, but being adopted into a home as an only dog, most of her confidence went away. Something we couldn't quite realize would happen until it did. Her family kept her and worked through the fear and shyness however, a year later she still doesn't want much to do with the eleven year old and it took months before they could really interact together without Lexi being fearful. Since there's only one child, they are able to effectively manage, and Lexi as well as her girl do have a good life together.
The other side of the kid/dog coin comes from a previous client of mine who had two little dogs and brought a third dog -a Beagle mix- home from the SPCA. They had an eight year old and an eleven year old. When the dog started showing fearful, nipping behaviour they went through training, had many rules for the children who had grown up with dogs, and worked around the issue. Unfortunately, even with good training and a 'good home' with people who would 'never give up a dog', the dog eventually ended up biting the eleven year old's face and sending her to the hospital and in need of surgery. The dog was subsenquently given up, and had to have a 'dangerous dog' labelled attached to him. If the family realized early on that the dog just wouldn't be happy in their situation, he might have gone on to find an adult-only home and live a fantastic life. Of course, there are a ton of what-if's in every situation.
It is easy to look at an application and see a family has given up a dog, but I think as rescues we need to look closer at the true reasons. If a dog was given up very quickly (within the first month or two), you can look at it as they didn't try, but at the same time, I think it takes a brave person to admit when something just isn't going to work.
This isn't an excuse for adopters not to educate themselves on what they NEED in a dog, and making sure the rescue you are working with is on the same page. And I'm not trying to say that adopters shouldn't be willing to deal with issues that come up, especially in the transition period to a new home. Mostly, this is just to say: Sometimes, even with the best intentions of everyone involved, 'it's not the right dog for the home'.
If the wellbeing of anyone in the household is in serious question -whether it's a new dog eating a cat, a new dog petrified of children, or the children in possible danger from a new dog, or two canine siblings doing more than a simple power struggle over terrain and sharing the roost, things need to be examined quickly. We are lucky in BC ---few dogs face euthanasia, and although it might take awhile, almost all dogs find forever homes. Minor things can be worked on, and some of the big things too with proper training and management, but personally, I think safety should come first.
(There's is also a difference between a safety concern and comfortableness, as many dogs are just anxious by nature, or have quirks that make them a bit harder to live with. Being 'happy' and being 'safe' is different... but that's for another time.)
Feel free to share your thoughts and/or experiences. I'd love some more insight. I just find sometimes we are quick to judge anyone that has ever given up a dog for any reason whatsoever. Of course it raises a BIG red flag for me, but I try to go into applications open-minded.
Perhaps I just try to look on the sunny side of the street! If anyone wants to talk me down from that cloud, that's fine with me :)
Emily Out
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Onyx Vudu goes Home
Onyx Vudu was adopted tonight :)
His new name is Captain and he will be living close to two big dog parks, get to go for lots of walks, and have his human mom around almost all day to hang out with him. He will sleep in his new young boy's room, and will continue with training. Once he is full-grown he will probably even get to do some Fun-gility (IE: non-competition based Agility courses).
The family might have applied for one of the golden pups, but they got the dog they truly wanted. A dog that knew a few tricks (kids love tricks, as the dog is much more interactive with them), and he's a bit older so not quite so much 'little puppy'. To be honest, young puppies are totally overrated! Thank goodness there are many families that want to adopt them so they don't stay with me long ;)
As far as I know, they'll be two new fosters for me on the upcoming bus run. I'll post them in the sidebar when I get comfirmaton which ones are for me :) For now, I will be lazy with my own two couch potatoes. I must admit, the nights out at the empty playground were much more interesting with Vudu to stir up the play. Lemon doesn't play with Beckett in the fields -he's five times her size, mostly blind and has no idea where he's running, so I don't blame her. Vudu could stir them both up. Beckett would get tired and Lemon would take his spot.
Good luck in your new home Vudu! You were such an awesome foster buddy.
His new name is Captain and he will be living close to two big dog parks, get to go for lots of walks, and have his human mom around almost all day to hang out with him. He will sleep in his new young boy's room, and will continue with training. Once he is full-grown he will probably even get to do some Fun-gility (IE: non-competition based Agility courses).
The family might have applied for one of the golden pups, but they got the dog they truly wanted. A dog that knew a few tricks (kids love tricks, as the dog is much more interactive with them), and he's a bit older so not quite so much 'little puppy'. To be honest, young puppies are totally overrated! Thank goodness there are many families that want to adopt them so they don't stay with me long ;)
As far as I know, they'll be two new fosters for me on the upcoming bus run. I'll post them in the sidebar when I get comfirmaton which ones are for me :) For now, I will be lazy with my own two couch potatoes. I must admit, the nights out at the empty playground were much more interesting with Vudu to stir up the play. Lemon doesn't play with Beckett in the fields -he's five times her size, mostly blind and has no idea where he's running, so I don't blame her. Vudu could stir them both up. Beckett would get tired and Lemon would take his spot.
Good luck in your new home Vudu! You were such an awesome foster buddy.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Summer -Watch the Fosters Fly
It comes as no surprise, that now that the kids are out of school and the weather is amazing, many more people are looking for their new family member. There are lots of applications, lots of people looking, and many great families. For a rescue dog, it's a great time to be in rescue. Sometimes it's down right depressing over the winter months how slowly some dogs -even puppies- take to get adopted. Of course they are in loving foster homes, but a foster home isn't a forever home, and a forever home is really where dogs want to be.
We did a nice little homecheck for Vudu yesterday in a comfy townhouse with a down-to-earth family. He did really well with the nine year old son and even practiced his sitting and shake-a-paw with him. Mum is home for the summer -she is a teacher- and even during the school year, the longest he'll be home on his own is a few hours. There's a dog park down the street and two schools right near by with big soccer fields that many dogs romp on after school hours. Some camping, some training and a whole lot of fun awaits him. He will most likely be going home tomorrow :)
Which will mean my last 6 fosters basically flew out of here.
Starting with Pika, who within a week garnered three awesome applications and she went to a home near the beach in Sooke with a mum gung-ho about training who had a challenging shepherd mix before Pika. Pika is now a Calgary resident as her daddy got transferred, but I still get the odd picture here and there :) She also gets to go to daycare once a week to keep up her social skills -a good thing for almost any dog!
Next came Rupee, my little Californian dog no one claimed off transport. I knew Val through my grapevine and knew she'd been looking for a little condo-suitable dog for awhile. Rupee fit the bill right away. Within a week, she was adopted too!
Here is a picture of Rupee, now Nixie, hanging with her dad. She's a man's dog!
Then came Twist the Mexican dog who I had a home lined up for already. When she proved more energy than what I knew the family could handle, I had to break their hearts and keep her to foster. Two days passed, and my co-worker fell in love with her. Currently she either goes to work with her mum at the daycare, or goes to work with her dad at his lanscaping job.
Here is a picture of Twist -now Lita- with her daddy Benny.
After Twist came my Golden puppies, who garnered many applications between the two of them -of course they would! Very quickly they found homes with two people within my grapevine, and they even get to attend daycare together on Tuesdays! They lasted exactly a week each and were adopted on the same day -Canada Day!
Here is Buckwheat (now Skye) enjoying a chew while his sister goes to play in the kiddie pool!
And now Mr. Vudu is slated to go home. I am so happy these dogs are finding awesome homes so quickly. As much as I love getting to know them better, the goal is a great forever home. It's not about what the foster mum wants, but what is best for the dog :)
Some stay a long time -like Zeph and Jas- and some leave their foster spot open much sooner for another dog in need. Regardless how long they stay, they each hold a special spot for me. I think Vudu will tug at my heartstrings harder. Another time, another situation, he might have become our third dog. But instead, he will leave his foster spot behind for many more to come, and there can be nothing sad about that.
I have my fingers crossed for all the dogs in rescue over the summer that they find their families soon. Summer truly is the best time to welcome a new addition into the home. :)
Emily Out
We did a nice little homecheck for Vudu yesterday in a comfy townhouse with a down-to-earth family. He did really well with the nine year old son and even practiced his sitting and shake-a-paw with him. Mum is home for the summer -she is a teacher- and even during the school year, the longest he'll be home on his own is a few hours. There's a dog park down the street and two schools right near by with big soccer fields that many dogs romp on after school hours. Some camping, some training and a whole lot of fun awaits him. He will most likely be going home tomorrow :)
Which will mean my last 6 fosters basically flew out of here.
Starting with Pika, who within a week garnered three awesome applications and she went to a home near the beach in Sooke with a mum gung-ho about training who had a challenging shepherd mix before Pika. Pika is now a Calgary resident as her daddy got transferred, but I still get the odd picture here and there :) She also gets to go to daycare once a week to keep up her social skills -a good thing for almost any dog!
Next came Rupee, my little Californian dog no one claimed off transport. I knew Val through my grapevine and knew she'd been looking for a little condo-suitable dog for awhile. Rupee fit the bill right away. Within a week, she was adopted too!
Here is a picture of Rupee, now Nixie, hanging with her dad. She's a man's dog!
Then came Twist the Mexican dog who I had a home lined up for already. When she proved more energy than what I knew the family could handle, I had to break their hearts and keep her to foster. Two days passed, and my co-worker fell in love with her. Currently she either goes to work with her mum at the daycare, or goes to work with her dad at his lanscaping job.
Here is a picture of Twist -now Lita- with her daddy Benny.
Here is Buckwheat (now Skye) enjoying a chew while his sister goes to play in the kiddie pool!
And now Mr. Vudu is slated to go home. I am so happy these dogs are finding awesome homes so quickly. As much as I love getting to know them better, the goal is a great forever home. It's not about what the foster mum wants, but what is best for the dog :)
Some stay a long time -like Zeph and Jas- and some leave their foster spot open much sooner for another dog in need. Regardless how long they stay, they each hold a special spot for me. I think Vudu will tug at my heartstrings harder. Another time, another situation, he might have become our third dog. But instead, he will leave his foster spot behind for many more to come, and there can be nothing sad about that.
I have my fingers crossed for all the dogs in rescue over the summer that they find their families soon. Summer truly is the best time to welcome a new addition into the home. :)
Emily Out
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Beach and Off-Leash
It is unbelieveably grey out today, so I bailed on our usual playground run. The school just five minutes from the house has the most amazing sports fields to play in now that school is out, but three soaking wet dogs just isn't my idea of fun. Luckily, everyone is still tired from the fun we had yesterday.
It was Vudu's first time visiting the beach yesterday, and since tide had just gone out, there were numerous teeny tiny crabs skittering along the sand. That got our little black guy all excited and Jerrad too. It was like watching ten year olds.
A picture of Jerrad's crab.
Everyone took the beach in stride:
He did very well. He has a switch for a recall. He's either completely on and focused and running full tilt towards you like a crazy dog, or he doesn't realize you've called him/has better things to do. Over all though, he won't be too hard to be reliable off-leash, at least if his family starts off in places with lower levels of stimulation. We're lucky in that Beckett and Lemon have generally good recall, and he usually wants to follow them around. On his own, I don't know if he'd recall too well until he got a lot of training in him. Hard to say.
We also found a tennis court, which no one seems to use. So, what the heck, it's a completely fenced in area, good to know for down the road! It's got at least fifteen high feet chain-link too, so a great place to start off-leashing. Providing it stays empty. Maybe I should take up tennis? Jerrad and I have talked about getting more active, and you know, having the odd night a week without a bunch of dogs kicking around :P
Here is Vudu playing his version of tennis on the court:
After about ten minutes of zoomies and twenty minutes of ball, and the five minute walk each way, Vudu got home and promptly put himself to bed.
For now, some pictures from the schoolgrounds.
It was also funny to watch Lemon get so many zoomies. Usually she gets one good bought for a few minutes and races until she collapses and is good for the night. With Vudu to chase her, she'll go MUCH longer. She'll tell him off when he gets too rough with her though. I don't think he'd like a 'real' chihuahua sibling, but because Lemon thinks she's a miniature husky, they get along really well. Vudu might pester a small dog without a big attitude.
We're off to a homecheck today. Actually for a home that was interested in Buckwheat and Barley, but mostly they're just looking for a really good fit for them. I'll be showing them Vudu, and there's a couple of others at TG I'll probably talk about too if Vudu doesn't float their boat. He's the right energy match for them, but when you're after a golden retriever mix, a 25 pound black dog with a curly tail might not be what you're looking for :P We shall see!
It was Vudu's first time visiting the beach yesterday, and since tide had just gone out, there were numerous teeny tiny crabs skittering along the sand. That got our little black guy all excited and Jerrad too. It was like watching ten year olds.
A picture of Jerrad's crab.
Everyone took the beach in stride:
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| Curly tail and pointy ears. Beach is sweet! |
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| The boys playing with the crabs. |
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| Anybody else think they kind of resemble each other? Like if Jerrad was a dog, he'd look like Vudu? |
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| Lemon posing for me. |
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| Beckett trudging along. |
The dogs were extra spoiled yetserday, as although the beach run tired them out for awhile, at about 8pm suddenly everybody became nutty. I don't mind play inside -actually, I encourage learning to play appropriately inside-, but after almost an hour of roughhousing with no end in sight, it was time to head to the school. We were a little hesitant about giving Vudu some off-leash time since he's been with us only a week now, but I wasn't going to burn off his steam just walking him. He wanted a run. So, I dropped the leash!
He did very well. He has a switch for a recall. He's either completely on and focused and running full tilt towards you like a crazy dog, or he doesn't realize you've called him/has better things to do. Over all though, he won't be too hard to be reliable off-leash, at least if his family starts off in places with lower levels of stimulation. We're lucky in that Beckett and Lemon have generally good recall, and he usually wants to follow them around. On his own, I don't know if he'd recall too well until he got a lot of training in him. Hard to say.
We also found a tennis court, which no one seems to use. So, what the heck, it's a completely fenced in area, good to know for down the road! It's got at least fifteen high feet chain-link too, so a great place to start off-leashing. Providing it stays empty. Maybe I should take up tennis? Jerrad and I have talked about getting more active, and you know, having the odd night a week without a bunch of dogs kicking around :P
Here is Vudu playing his version of tennis on the court:
After about ten minutes of zoomies and twenty minutes of ball, and the five minute walk each way, Vudu got home and promptly put himself to bed.
For now, some pictures from the schoolgrounds.
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| Pooped after about ten minutes of running around. |
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| Three tired dogs in a soccer field. |
We're off to a homecheck today. Actually for a home that was interested in Buckwheat and Barley, but mostly they're just looking for a really good fit for them. I'll be showing them Vudu, and there's a couple of others at TG I'll probably talk about too if Vudu doesn't float their boat. He's the right energy match for them, but when you're after a golden retriever mix, a 25 pound black dog with a curly tail might not be what you're looking for :P We shall see!
Saturday, July 14, 2012
Onyx Vudu -New TG Foster
First off, thank you to everyone for the support regarding the Pet-a-Palooza. Unfortunately, when I inquired, all the booths were already booked! I think I will take an hour or two and go scope it out though :) TG has been put on a list for next year so they will contact me about the event and see if we want a booth. I have to be honest, I'm kind of relieved. Speaking to the public is not my strongest suit. When it's about dogs, I'm a bit better, but I don't do crowds well.
Now, onto a more interesting topic. A foster!
He's been tagging along with me for a week and I just haven't had the time to do a real write-up on him. Meet Onyx Vudu.
Why does he have two names you ask? Well, cause we couldn't pick just one I think. I had named him Vudu before he came to us, and when he got here, he looked like an Onyx. For the most part we're calling him Vudu, or 'little black dog'. Sometimes the odd 'Black Magic' slips out (which Onyx is another word for black, and Voodoo is a type of magic.) It's like translating him name a bit :P Luckily, he responds to almost everything you call him.
Onyx Vudu is a 7 month old and about 25 pounds. He'll probably hit 30 but he has really small paws for how big he is currently, so he might not even grow any more. He possibly Shiba Inu mix, but more probably, a Finnish Spitz mix. Here is a pic of a Finnish Spitz as I haven't come across one in person.
Here is a body shot of Onyx Vudu
Granted, this was after daycare, so he is wiped! Usually his ears stand up pretty like in the first photo of him, and his tail curls up in a perfect cricle. He also resembles a little bit of a Karelian Bear Dog -almost exactly like Miika! He is carema shy, and black, so getting good pictures is difficult. Hopefully today we'll get a few good ones out at the lake.
Overall, Onyx Vudu is an AWESOME boy. He has shown himself to be low-medium energy, though obviously being a puppy still has puppy moments. He is overly dog social, has ignored the barn cats and chickens, has only had one accident (my fault, didn't monitor the gigantic water dish), and is nicely crate-trained. Besides the old foggies, he's the only foster I've had who puts himself to bed. Nine pm comes around and he diligently trots into his crate. Sure beats the ones you have to coax into bedtime!
Sometimes we have to drag him out of bed for his 6:30am pee. He has been okay left alone (crated, he'll be trustworthy lose in a month or so once he stops the chewing stage) for 2-3 hours, he is perfect at daycare -he LOVES daycare.
He has some commands down already. He can sit, shake, down, touch. Recall is hit and miss, but I think that's because he's getting used to a new name and new people. He walks well on a leash providing it's leash-time with rules. He will pull if he can get away with it. Overall, he's super easy to redirect and get eye contact out of. He'll play dumb for the first few corrections, but falls into routine quickly. There's a small stubborn streak in there somewhere but really eager to please guy.
Only point of possible concern so far are that he will bark his silly little head off at big wildlife like deer -which we get lots of on our property-. He hasn't shown any prey drive towards small critters, but I think he would go after big wildlife if he could. That makes me wonder if there is indeed some Karelian in there somewhere, as that's a total spitz/karelian type behaviour. They are big game hunters, and will ignore the small game most of the time. He would make a great dog to camp with though as he will definitely alert you to anything coming to get you :)
He is also an alert barker with people at the door. We've been practicing that instead of barking at the door, when someone comes he must go sit on his dog bed until invited to come visit. He's doing well -MUCH better than bratty Lemon-, but it's a command his new home will want to maintain unless they want their visitors barked at.
After a week, I feel his ideal home will be with someone that can be with him most of the time as I believe he will get lonely quickly with someone gone a full work-day. Someone that has a current playful dog already would be a great, as Onyx Vudu loves to wrestle and play chase games and he plays well with all sizes of dogs. He could be an only dog too, as long as his people clock some serious dog park hours and/or consider daycare once or twice a week for him to burn some playing energy out. He will need about an hour exercise a day, plus a couple of play sessions and someone who will continue and maintain his training. Just because he is an easy and well-rounded boy does not mean he can be let off scott-free. His training definitely isn't over yet!
Some more pictures of him :)
More to come on him soon.
Emily Out
Now, onto a more interesting topic. A foster!
He's been tagging along with me for a week and I just haven't had the time to do a real write-up on him. Meet Onyx Vudu.
Why does he have two names you ask? Well, cause we couldn't pick just one I think. I had named him Vudu before he came to us, and when he got here, he looked like an Onyx. For the most part we're calling him Vudu, or 'little black dog'. Sometimes the odd 'Black Magic' slips out (which Onyx is another word for black, and Voodoo is a type of magic.) It's like translating him name a bit :P Luckily, he responds to almost everything you call him.
Onyx Vudu is a 7 month old and about 25 pounds. He'll probably hit 30 but he has really small paws for how big he is currently, so he might not even grow any more. He possibly Shiba Inu mix, but more probably, a Finnish Spitz mix. Here is a pic of a Finnish Spitz as I haven't come across one in person.
Here is a body shot of Onyx Vudu
Overall, Onyx Vudu is an AWESOME boy. He has shown himself to be low-medium energy, though obviously being a puppy still has puppy moments. He is overly dog social, has ignored the barn cats and chickens, has only had one accident (my fault, didn't monitor the gigantic water dish), and is nicely crate-trained. Besides the old foggies, he's the only foster I've had who puts himself to bed. Nine pm comes around and he diligently trots into his crate. Sure beats the ones you have to coax into bedtime!
Sometimes we have to drag him out of bed for his 6:30am pee. He has been okay left alone (crated, he'll be trustworthy lose in a month or so once he stops the chewing stage) for 2-3 hours, he is perfect at daycare -he LOVES daycare.
He has some commands down already. He can sit, shake, down, touch. Recall is hit and miss, but I think that's because he's getting used to a new name and new people. He walks well on a leash providing it's leash-time with rules. He will pull if he can get away with it. Overall, he's super easy to redirect and get eye contact out of. He'll play dumb for the first few corrections, but falls into routine quickly. There's a small stubborn streak in there somewhere but really eager to please guy.
Only point of possible concern so far are that he will bark his silly little head off at big wildlife like deer -which we get lots of on our property-. He hasn't shown any prey drive towards small critters, but I think he would go after big wildlife if he could. That makes me wonder if there is indeed some Karelian in there somewhere, as that's a total spitz/karelian type behaviour. They are big game hunters, and will ignore the small game most of the time. He would make a great dog to camp with though as he will definitely alert you to anything coming to get you :)
He is also an alert barker with people at the door. We've been practicing that instead of barking at the door, when someone comes he must go sit on his dog bed until invited to come visit. He's doing well -MUCH better than bratty Lemon-, but it's a command his new home will want to maintain unless they want their visitors barked at.
After a week, I feel his ideal home will be with someone that can be with him most of the time as I believe he will get lonely quickly with someone gone a full work-day. Someone that has a current playful dog already would be a great, as Onyx Vudu loves to wrestle and play chase games and he plays well with all sizes of dogs. He could be an only dog too, as long as his people clock some serious dog park hours and/or consider daycare once or twice a week for him to burn some playing energy out. He will need about an hour exercise a day, plus a couple of play sessions and someone who will continue and maintain his training. Just because he is an easy and well-rounded boy does not mean he can be let off scott-free. His training definitely isn't over yet!
Some more pictures of him :)
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| Beckett finds the many uses of foster siblings. Use #21 -good pillows. |
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| Crew having a nap/Lemon finally looking like a little dog! |
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| Beckett and Vudu playing. Thankfully only Beckett talks while he plays. Vudu only does a 'come get me' bark. |
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| Good looking little man. |
Emily Out
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Victoria Pet-a-Palooza
On August 12, there will be a fantastic rescue event in Victoria, right in one of the best and busiest off-leash dog parks -Dallas Road- we have. I'm wondering if we might be able to get Turtle Gardens involved. I would need some help -some adopters with their TG dogs, someone that wants to sit with me at a table. Oh and I guess we'll need a table too! Most importantly though, we'll need some dogs! People who love to talk are encouraged, as I can be a bit of a wall-flower. Cute dogs will help me though :)
Hopefully we can get a couple of adoptables out, but this far away time-wise, I'm not sure who will still be in foster care! If anyone wanted to come over from the mainland with their foster, that would be awesome too. I think I need to get the word out to the co-ordinators if we want to be involved, but it would be a fantastic resource to hit up so many dog people and let them know of us.
There will be no actual adoptions at the event, but we are allowed to bring an example of our critera for adoption and application form. Think of this as a big daddy of Tisol. This will be most likely over 4,000 people.
I'm thinking even if we had 8 dogs total -fosters included- that would be a good amount to keep civilized but look full :) Let me know if you'd like to help!
For more information on the event, you can find it here: http://www.jlasociety.com/#!events
Hopefully we can get a couple of adoptables out, but this far away time-wise, I'm not sure who will still be in foster care! If anyone wanted to come over from the mainland with their foster, that would be awesome too. I think I need to get the word out to the co-ordinators if we want to be involved, but it would be a fantastic resource to hit up so many dog people and let them know of us.
There will be no actual adoptions at the event, but we are allowed to bring an example of our critera for adoption and application form. Think of this as a big daddy of Tisol. This will be most likely over 4,000 people.
I'm thinking even if we had 8 dogs total -fosters included- that would be a good amount to keep civilized but look full :) Let me know if you'd like to help!
For more information on the event, you can find it here: http://www.jlasociety.com/#!events
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Good News for Cindy
Cindy is due for arrival from Taiwan tomorrow, but she has a few different interested family (yet no official applications) in her on the mainland already, so she's going to go to a temporary Vancouver foster home so they can introduce her to possible new homes! I'm a little sad I most likely won't be fostering her -I'm here if she needs me-, but it's easiest on a dog to not move around more than they have to.
As a foster mum, it's never about me, but what's best for the dog. Still, I admit I'm a little mopey she probably won't be landing here. This blog will become pretty boring over the next few weeks until the next TG bus run, which is sloted for the end of the month. I'm a week in fosterless and a little bored to be perfectly honest -my own two dogs are amazing dogs, but they are... well, boring. Boring is good for day-to-day live-with-you-forever-ness, but not for keeping me occupied. Also, I will have no excuses not to get the cleaning done :P
So, I will try to focus on my writing, perhaps catch up with some old fosters, try my hardest to stay away from faces calling to me, and hopefully make a good dent on an online French course I started this month.
I've always wanted to catch up with some old fosters though and take some pictures of their new lives. If any of my previous adopters is reading this and wants to catch up, let me know. You will keep me occupied until my next incomings.
For now, here is Cindy, getting ready to come to Canada!
I'm trying not to be selfish and think none of the interested parties will want her ;)
As a foster mum, it's never about me, but what's best for the dog. Still, I admit I'm a little mopey she probably won't be landing here. This blog will become pretty boring over the next few weeks until the next TG bus run, which is sloted for the end of the month. I'm a week in fosterless and a little bored to be perfectly honest -my own two dogs are amazing dogs, but they are... well, boring. Boring is good for day-to-day live-with-you-forever-ness, but not for keeping me occupied. Also, I will have no excuses not to get the cleaning done :P
So, I will try to focus on my writing, perhaps catch up with some old fosters, try my hardest to stay away from faces calling to me, and hopefully make a good dent on an online French course I started this month.
I've always wanted to catch up with some old fosters though and take some pictures of their new lives. If any of my previous adopters is reading this and wants to catch up, let me know. You will keep me occupied until my next incomings.
For now, here is Cindy, getting ready to come to Canada!
I'm trying not to be selfish and think none of the interested parties will want her ;)
Friday, July 6, 2012
Picture Update: Barley now Mika
Mika is getting settled :) You know where Kobi is, she is!
Feeling kind of weird being fosterless, but I should try to enjoy it while it lasts.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Tough Life
Looks like Buckwheat (now Skye) has life really rough!
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| Nap on the Porch |
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| Chew time with Sister Tegan |
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| Cuddling with his Big Sister |
Mika's doing very well although does not like it at all when her dad takes her brother (Kobi) for some 'special first dog time' and will whine and howl by herself. She is slowly learning she is okay being an only dog for brief periods of time, but loving her hikes, snuggles and play times. It'll take a little bit for all of us to adjust to having a baby in the family, but she is a perfect balanced energy for our family.
Oh the joys of puppy. No matter how good they are... they are still a puppy! The update also confirms my suspicion that she would have drove some poor family absolutely bonkers if she would have been adopted as an only dog. Some dogs are just not equip to handle being 'the one and only' (just like some of them really want to be the one and only!) Barley/Mika is a dog's dog -it's in her wiring.
Cindy coming soon. A couple of weeks until the next TG bus run, but most likely someone(s) there too. I'm never empty for long ;)
Monday, July 2, 2012
Puppies Find their Matches
It's a quiet holiday Monday. Yesterday both pups found their forever homes :)
It was obvious when Tegan -TG alumni- and Buckwheat met at our playdate, that they were kindred spirits. They're both submissive, playful, somewhat chicken type dogs.
They played all through the signing of papers. Their parents will have their hands full with two 'puppies', but at least they have each other to chase around the acreage.
Before we went to sign papers for Buckwheat, we went for another meet+greet with a family I hike with quite frequently (we have a big group walk every two weeks for daycare. About 20 dogs off-leash in the woods. It's a blast). Their dog Kobi is a flat-coated retriever mix, serious dog who likes good manners. Social, but doesn't put up with shenanigans. Think a little bit like a military man. Very orderly!
When Kobi met Barley, they gave each other a quick sniff, mutually decided they were each okay. I left her with them for a walk and such as I went to sign papers. When I came back, Barley was hanging out right beside Kobi. He had apparently lead her around the house and she diligently followed. It was obvious looking at the two dogs they were spitting images of each other. Kobi must have been exactly like Barley as a puppy!
I was expecting that they would have to think it over, however it was obvious to all, this was exactly the pup for Kobi and Barley truly wants to be in a home with another dog to follow around. Papers were signed. Barley didn't even come bid me farewell -she just clung to her new brother's side as if she was saying 'see you later, I'll be fine thanks.' Such a serious, no-nonense girl.
The one thing I feel horrible about is all the applicants for Barley and Buckwheat that weren't chosen. There were so many good applications -especially for Barley-, and sometimes I wish I could clone dogs and place them multiple places. There are dogs that get floods of applications, and dogs that stay in rescue for months or sometimes years with no interest. I sincerely wish all the applicants of Buckwheat and Barley much success in finding their new family members through rescue -regardless Turtle Gardens or not. I truly believe dogs have a knack of picking their own home, and that does not mean whatsoever that any other homes that applied weren't also amazing. These dogs were so lucky to have so many great homes willing to open their lives to them.
Also, as a side note, Cindy -a golden retriever adult female, guessed at 3-5 years old- will be coming to foster with me on the 6th. She is with a different rescue than Turtle Gardens, so if any applicants would like to apply for her, you can apply with Ocean Dog Rescue.
Here is a link:
http://odr.john-son.ca/adoption
Providing she isn't scooped up before she comes to foster care, pictures, updates and video of her will be posted here.
Here's a shot of Barley on her last night here. Usually she's completely pushed up to Beckett, but she managed to flop over so for pretty much the first time, there wasn't another dog in her pictures. Well, if I cut off her butt just a little bit so you can't see Beckett's butt. I betcha she's all cuddled up with Kobi today. Family that sleeps together stays togheter :)
It was obvious when Tegan -TG alumni- and Buckwheat met at our playdate, that they were kindred spirits. They're both submissive, playful, somewhat chicken type dogs.
They played all through the signing of papers. Their parents will have their hands full with two 'puppies', but at least they have each other to chase around the acreage.
Before we went to sign papers for Buckwheat, we went for another meet+greet with a family I hike with quite frequently (we have a big group walk every two weeks for daycare. About 20 dogs off-leash in the woods. It's a blast). Their dog Kobi is a flat-coated retriever mix, serious dog who likes good manners. Social, but doesn't put up with shenanigans. Think a little bit like a military man. Very orderly!
When Kobi met Barley, they gave each other a quick sniff, mutually decided they were each okay. I left her with them for a walk and such as I went to sign papers. When I came back, Barley was hanging out right beside Kobi. He had apparently lead her around the house and she diligently followed. It was obvious looking at the two dogs they were spitting images of each other. Kobi must have been exactly like Barley as a puppy!
I was expecting that they would have to think it over, however it was obvious to all, this was exactly the pup for Kobi and Barley truly wants to be in a home with another dog to follow around. Papers were signed. Barley didn't even come bid me farewell -she just clung to her new brother's side as if she was saying 'see you later, I'll be fine thanks.' Such a serious, no-nonense girl.
The one thing I feel horrible about is all the applicants for Barley and Buckwheat that weren't chosen. There were so many good applications -especially for Barley-, and sometimes I wish I could clone dogs and place them multiple places. There are dogs that get floods of applications, and dogs that stay in rescue for months or sometimes years with no interest. I sincerely wish all the applicants of Buckwheat and Barley much success in finding their new family members through rescue -regardless Turtle Gardens or not. I truly believe dogs have a knack of picking their own home, and that does not mean whatsoever that any other homes that applied weren't also amazing. These dogs were so lucky to have so many great homes willing to open their lives to them.
Also, as a side note, Cindy -a golden retriever adult female, guessed at 3-5 years old- will be coming to foster with me on the 6th. She is with a different rescue than Turtle Gardens, so if any applicants would like to apply for her, you can apply with Ocean Dog Rescue.
Here is a link:
http://odr.john-son.ca/adoption
Providing she isn't scooped up before she comes to foster care, pictures, updates and video of her will be posted here.
Here's a shot of Barley on her last night here. Usually she's completely pushed up to Beckett, but she managed to flop over so for pretty much the first time, there wasn't another dog in her pictures. Well, if I cut off her butt just a little bit so you can't see Beckett's butt. I betcha she's all cuddled up with Kobi today. Family that sleeps together stays togheter :)
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