Truffle Update and There's a Honey in the house.

It's weird being fosterless, but we're making up for it by having Daisy (previously my foster dog Honey) and her housemate Hani board with us for a couple of weeks. My once crazy terrier dog is now a couch potato! Lemon has her so tired she can barely keep her eyes open at daycare. And here I thought it would be the other way around.

 

Daisy with her housemate Hani.

Daisy joins the king-sized dog bed.

She's turned into a beautiful girl, not very shy at all anymore! She is still hand shy, but many dogs are anyway. She's living the yuppie puppie life.

 

And speaking of new awesome lives, here are a couple of picture updates from Truffle, who is now 'Abby'. There's no need for words when you see a face so content!

 

 

Abby playing ball with her brother Hunter.

Being retrievers.

Freddie is home too now. Not quite sure who will end up here on the foster front or when, but I'm sure someone will turn up sooner than later.

It's be a relaxing long weekend without any rescue business for me. And then, to the rush of a month September will be with course work to become a dog trainer, work, and my master's degree. It's a good thing my dogs come to work with me, or I'd hardly see them next month!

Emily Out

A New Adventure!

Well, it's official. And, to me it's very exciting!

Starting in September, I will be starting course work to become a Dog Trainer
For more general information it can be found here:
http://westcoastcanineacademy.com/professional-trainer-program/

The course is positive based, and is focused on a 'hands off' type approach where the least amount of negative physical contact is made. It's pressure based too, which is similiar to what we use in the daycare -but sounds more focused from my questioning of trainer Julie Carter when I went to visit her to ask her at least a hundred questions to see if this was the course for me. For six weeks, I will be learning everything from how to temperment test puppies and adult shelter dogs, to doing private lessons, to teaching full obedience classes with large groups.

I'm sure I will learn a ton, grow as a person and see dogs on a whole new level. I will also get to learn a few different dog sports, including agility which I was going to do with Lemon this upcoming year anyway!

My first day's work will be visiting multiple different litters of puppies to temperment test puppies, health test puppies, and overall, how to pick the puppy for myself, or a client. Oh boy! I can barely make it through the SPCA without wanting to take someone home with me, how am I going to make it through different litters of puppies. Better not be any border collie puppies I'm going to be shown! Jerrad is on red alert that he is to provide plenty of chocolate when I get home from that day.

No fosters on the horizon for a few weeks, but that's okay. Daisy (previously Honey) and her housemate Hani are hanging with us while their parents are in Europe, so it's not an empty house.

To a new adventure!

2 Adoptions and..... an adoption pending!!

Wow, what a whirlwind weekend. Although I had thought Truffle's new family wouldn't be ready for her for a few days, as soon as they were approved they phoned and asked if they could come get her! I said, sure come on up. So, Truffle was signed, sealed and picked-up. Her new golden retriever brother coudln't be happier. He was SOOOO happy to see her again.

After that, some running around, some miscommunication in dropping Bambi (a TG dog) off, and getting on the ferry, I landed in Vancouver and spent the night with mum and dad. Today, we picked up Sam, who was saved from California. Back on the ferry lickity split. Sam's new family met him at the terminal.

Then back home to take some pictures of Freddie, have a good snuggle and then I checked the e-mail where I found an pre-approved applicant for Freddie :)

So, that's one whirlwind weekend of Truffle's adoption, Sam's adoption, and now Freddie's adoption pending. Oh, and that will soon leave me with no one and a REALLY bored Lemon, so I suppose I should figure out another foster soon if I don't want her to drive me crazy! Apparently she drove Jerrad crazy last night, as Freddie wouldn't play with her!

Here are some pictures of Freddie I took when I got home. He is a brilliant little dog and ideal companion. Lazy enough to just enjoy, but still active enough to take on a hike. Very social with everyone. Truly fantastic dog. It makes me feel a little better that his stellar temperment should have some bearing on the pups in that puppy mill. Silver lining :)

Where does the bed end and Freddie start?

Such good eye contact :)

This might turn into a really boring blog for awhile :P. I'm feeling less of a foster mum and more of short-term boarding lately. Truly a revolving door -but as long as it's a revolving door by making sure the matches are GREAT matches, that's all that really matters.

Homecheck for Truffle + Next TG Foster

It's been a fun week getting to know Truffle, and boy have the applications been coming in for her! Our first (and potentially final) homecheck is today! A home with a retriever-experienced semi-retired couple and their very handsome 5 year old Golden Retriever "Hunter". Truffle requires a very well-balanced doggy role model, so we will see how they like each other. She will tell me, but I have a good feeling :) I've dismissed a lot of apps too. No one but the very best for this girl!

She's a goof.

The Girls stole Beckett's bed.

The girls on the couch.

A new TG foster coming tomorrow. I might end up jinxing things, but he should be on the bus soon. Soooo.... I'll take my chances.

My next TG foster will be:

Freddie! A maltese x poodle mix.

I've also saved a California dog for a repeat adopter of mine. He'll be coming in on Sunday and go directly to his new home :) It's exciting that I know he'll be going to an awesome home, and so cool to think that one little chihuahua I kind of fell into (Antoinette) lead to three more adoptions within the same home.

More as it comes.
Emily Out

Ahha! I Found the Shy Dog!

So, I did in fact find the shy dog I had been told about. Put Truffle in a pack with my dogs or the daycare small dogs, or the dog room on the ferry and she is a normal girl, take Truffle away from other dogs, and she turns into a total chicken, afraid of big dogs, and afraid of people. Hide in corner, tail tucked, doesn't know what to do, doesn't want to walk close to strangers. Food will get her so far, but food doesn't give direction. She needs a role model!

She will eventually need to learn to be okay without a pack, but as I get to know her more, I know she needs another dog around -a confident dog and hopefully a smaller dog. She is great with big dogs one on one -she plays lots with Beckett- but is a little hesitant in a bigger group. Truffle is a soft soul.

She's like Barley! She's a dog's dog. Doesn't know how to function without someone to mimic the behaviour of.

We've already had some interest in Truffle, but at least until she makes some progress on the 'being just one dog' front, she'll need to go to a home with a dog that will act as her social guide. For now, she's got Lemon :)

And... Lemon has grown quite the love of Truffle. The two girls play all day long and at daycare today they decided instead of swapping partners throughout the day, that they would just play with each other and take breaks to cuddle or for Truffle to have some playtime with her ball. If Truffle gets scared of something when we're out and about, she hides behind Lemon or Beckett. She will follow Beckett into a group of big dogs at the beach too, but the time we had her out by herself when she saw even one big dog she would tuck her tail and cower. So, we've got some things to work on.

I will either know the application when it turns up, or my dogs will fall too in love with her. Time will tell. For now, we will strive to make slow and steady progress on the areas Truffle has a lack of confidence in.

For tonight, she sleeps well.

Truffle with her surrogate family.

Uh-Oh... I've got another Trunk!

On Friday we picked up Truffle, who a retriever mix from Taiwan. Although there was a lot of fuss made about how shy she was, I haven't seen a lot of shyness. She is curious, she is wanting to be with people, she is food-driven to the extreme, she handles herself well in big crowds and enjoys being dotted on. She isn't confident in herself yet, but that's a different issue than being shy (though the two do go hand-in-hand). And... I think I might be in love with her.

About this time last year I was fostering Trunk and had the same thing happen. In almost every way Trunk was MY dog, we matched perfectly, became insync and at times it's like we shared a brain. I knew I could give Trunk a good home, she liked Beckett, Beckett liked her, but as the month went on and I kept saying no to applications I knew in my gut though I could give Trunk a fantastic home, I was probably not her home. As good as Trunk was with other dogs, as much of my dog that she was I would always have other dogs around (it's part of my work) and there would always be someone that stood in the way of mine and her relationship. She deserved someone who was HERS. Another dog or two sure, but not my revolving door. It takes a different personality to truly enjoy living here full-time with all the comings and goings. To this day I miss Trunk, but I know I did what was best by Trunk and I let her go.

At least this time around with Truffle, I see it, but I know what will happen beforehand. No matter how much in love I fall with this dog, she deserves something different. Not necessarily better, but different. I admit though, I might go through a lot of applications before I find her family because in the back of my mind, I am their competition. I'm a solid 8/10, but I'm looking for that best family for her. The PERFECT family. I always look for awesome families, but this time, it's just a little bit more. An 'extra mile' family. I have the feeling Truffle would love to have some kids too.

In a nutshell Truffle is super-duper sweet, a velcro dog who loves to follow you around, and a soft dog who in general would much rather play with small dogs than big dogs, though she is social with all. Cats, kids and farm animals -she loves them all. She loves to play ball, and likes to swim (though she isn't too sure about waves yet!) I've had her off-leash already and she's reliable to boot! She bonds very closely with her person and is really that soft personality people think of when they think 'Golden Retriever'. At the same time she is fun and goofy.

Some pictures over the last few days:

I have some videos to upload tonight, so more tomorrow. We're all a little tired from our morning out, so it's time for a nap! I look forward to enjoying Truffle as long as I have her :) Each and every foster I find things to enjoy about, but once in awhile you get a foster you REALLY bond with. I'm both excited and somewhat sad about having another experience like Trunk.

Maybe I'll see about tracking down an update for Trunk. Seeing the updates make it all the more worthwhile knowing they are having amazing lives with their new families.

If you've got an update, send it in :)
Emily Out

Silly Picture

Okay, I found a program I might get addicted too. Most of the dogs would rather me not dress them up in real life, but man is it fun to put glasses on them!

On the top we have Barley, Gio, Pika and Max and on the bottom Hank, Onyx-Vudu, DimSum and Buckwheat.





I'm heading off this afternoon to get our new foster, Truffle! She is from Taiwan though doesn't look it!

Truffle getting ready to board her plane in Taiwan.

Going to miss Suhki and Veda as they go home today too! This past week has sure been a quick one.

Updates on Truffle when she gets here :)
Emily

We Four TG Dogs

Suhki (previously foster pup Dayo) and Veda (previously Fala of TG) are hanging with us for the week while they're people are vacationing and it's really quite amazing how much of a pack these four dogs become. Beckett's the sensai, Suhki the mellow guy content at the bottom of the totem pole, Veda the spitfire redhead and Lemon the confident leader. Without any fosters or other board dogs at the moment, the four of them really make we realize we've probably a four dog family. Somewhere down this road I'm sure. As Jerrad pointed out this afternoon, four just 'feels right'. I'm also a fan of even numbers.

Here are a few pictures of the crew since they've been here:

Girls getting frisky!

Suhki-pants and Darth-Veda

Being crazy at the park before Hanna went to her new home.

The dirty look Suhki gave me on Tuesday when I had to get my textbook from under his head.

Veda lounging at the park.



Consensus is: time for shade.

Suhki is so proud to be in the spotlight!

And some videos of Lemon and Veda playing. The boys go off to do their sniff and pee, but the girls ZOOM!

Here they go....

And another round...

And another. Okay, they do this around the whole two soccer fields about four times before they stop. You get the drift!

It's nice being able to go places with no leashes. But maybe I'm just being lazy ;) It's so hot lately that after an hour of being out, everyone crashes until it gets cool enough (not until about 9 most days) to have another small run in the yard.

Incoming Taiwanese foster soon -she looks like a black golden retriever! (Not big enough for a flat-coat). TG bus run isn't far off now either. Time to get back to work for this foster mum :) For now, I'll enjoy my pack of TG dogs (temporary and full-time).

Emily Out

Hanna is a Downtown Dog

Hanna went home last night, to her new mum in a condo right in the heart downtown. Although this kind of home might not be the best for many dogs, Hanna made it known very early in our adventure downtown that downtown was the place to be! It was like she went back to civilization. Her little tail couldn't wag fast enough and she was always eager to go meet something new. It was then I knew, she'd LOVE being a downtown dog for a human mom who wants a laid-back little lap-dog with a big personality.

Here are some pictures from Hanna in her new home:

Couch Potato

Hanna gets to sleep in bed too!

Helping her mum with her law homework.

Ahhh.... bed all to myself!!

Be good in your new home Hanna! It was a pleasure getting to know you. I know you'll enjoy being an only dog with people all to yourself :)

Max Update

Max's family writes:

Max is great! We are very happy with him. He's learned sit and lay down as well as
shake a paw and we are working on come and stay right now as we have learned that if
he gets the chance he likes to run far and fast but He starts beginner classes on
the 28th an hopefully he'll continue to learn as quickly as he has been. Him and the
cat have the occasional run in but for the most part he still doesn't show a whole
lot of interest in her. We've taken him to the ocean and he loves bounding through
the water tho he's not completely keen on swimming. Went to the vet and he weighed in
at 66.5 lbs. he is a very happy, playful, loving dog and fits in perfectly. He's
definitely the perfect dog for us.

Thanks so much for bringing us together.

Ashley, Matt and Max.
You'll have to tilt your head for the picutre as I couldn't manage to right it!

From chained backyard dog, to cushy cushion and beaches! Puts a smile on my face for sure :)

No Couch for You!

Ah, you can never truly take pampered out of a Chihuahua who has (most likely) been a spoiled little brat at some point.

Hanna is a great little dog, -she is pretty quiet, she isn't overly needy but will put the bug-eyes on to try to woo you to fuss over her. She knows she's tiny and cute and for the most part indepedent. But with her newfound 'good life', she's decided the couch should belong solely to her and people. She started with guarding the couch from Lemon a day or two ago and got her little Chihuahua butt promptly handed to her. After screaming like the world was going to end she figured out she can make faces at Lemon but she better not actually pick anything with her. So, there was peace.

However, today, Hanna's picked a new victim: Beckett. Snapped the big guy right in the nose and of course, Beckett being Beckett, he went 'okay, I won't even go near the couch then.' Too bad little miss six pounds! I gave her one chance, when I called Beckett over for a pet she did it again, despite a small correction. So Hanna learnt: you mess with Beckett, you answer to a force worse than Lemon! You answer to: the foster mum! That person you thought was so great... maybe not so much now...

She's been sulking for awhile now, but I can tell she's not sulking cause I hurt her physically or anything, but her ego is bruised. So, for the rest of the night she's couch-evicted. Too bad, I don't care about her sob story. Rules are rules. You don't share, you don't get to participate. Once a dog gets over the fact that there are in fact rules and consequences for not following them, they do really well. It's the ones that were most likely spoiled only dogs in an old home that have the hardest time accepting 'rules'.

There's a good chance Hanna will probably be adopted into a 'spoiled only dog' kind of home though which is really fine for who she is. Her homecheck went very well, and despite my reservation that Hanna might find downtown a lot to handle Hanna LOVES downtown. She was so happy to be off the farm and into civilization. All the people and traffic didn't bother her one bit, instead, I think she was excited by it all. She strained to see in shop windows, walked over gutters, didn't care when busses came zipping along beside us. She doesn't better in downtown than I do!

I'll know more in a couple days if the adoption will go through. There's an application or two waiting around, but having seen Hanna so thrilled about downtown we'll wait on those and see if this is 'her one'.

In other small funny news, after more than thirty foster dogs I've discovered another 'first'. I have a habit of not closing the bathroom door all the way when I take a bath so the small bathroom doesn't steam up. Well, yesterday Hanna decided to come join me!?!?! I thought maybe she didn't know it was full so in a rush I took her out of the tub only to have her jump right back in! Maybe she liked it because it was warm water? (She hasn't seemed too interested in the lake.) After the second time I decided the door was best left closed. I prefer my baths alone :)

No pictures of Hanna today, but here's one of Lemon and I, being the looney tunes we are.

Homecheck for Hanna Tonight

I have a homecheck right in the middle of downtown tonight. I've gone through some generally unfavourable applications -I think there have been six total, (ALREADY!) and four that I've written off early. Of course Hanna would like to be a 'purse dog' at points, but she will not go to a home that want her as more of an accessory than a companion! She is a DOG first, and ITTY BITTY dog who can ride in a purse second.

It'll give me a good chance to see how Hanna reacts to the business of downtown too as she's been here only a few days so I haven't had her out with lots of traffic or people yet. Most dogs originally from Cali adapt to downtown living quite well though. We shall see!

It's a great little application with two young female law students who although young have definitely thought things through! I for one know the good company a dog makes when you're studying at home :)

I would cross my fingers, but there's really no need to. The dogs are amazing at telling me about the people at the homevisits combo meet+greets. I can ask all the questions I want, but when I see the dog has 'chosen', I know that's their family whether it's the one that's best on paper or not. Why bother doing a homecheck when your gut knows it won't be right to begin with. Go with the gut on the app, and the dog's feelings in the homecheck (barring any big red flags that you come across at the homecheck.)

A few pics of Hanna from the last day or two:

Darn it foster mum, turn that flah off!

The generic 'on the red/purple couch shot'.

What a nice face she has. (Warning, this picture is lifesize!)

I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow :). I have to admit, it would be nice to have a foster a little bit longer than a week and a half every once in awhile. But families come when they're supposed to come, and Hanna has already been waiting for hers for quite some time! (Just not with me!)

Emily Out

Welcome Hanna!

It never fails. I don't stay empty long.
Apparently neither does Jerrad!

One snuck in while I was in Van!

Welcome: Hanna.

A little 6 pound Chi originally from the high kill shelters of CA. A super healthy -though maybe a touch underweight- 4 year old who made herself quite at home with Jerrad the night I left for Vancouver. I've had the pleasure of hanging out with her today, and she is a darling. I might be biased, as she's the first Chihuahua that has liked me better!

Here are some pictures. She was a bit of a hard model as she kept wanting to come and snuggle me instead!

Size perspective. Lemon is only about 12 pounds and is about double Hanna's size!

Hanna my snuggle-bum.

 And a couple of the best shots from my dogs. Lemon has such character to her I'm always taking pictures of her. But I'll limit the pictures of my own guys. This IS a foster blog after all.

Me and the pooches. Hanna snuck in for a cuddle.

FREEDOM!!!

 More on Hanna as I get to know her better, but she's going to make someone a fabulous little lap dog. I don't think she's been out and about much as she isn't too sure about leashes in general, but once out she loves to feel the grass under her paws and smell the flowers. Will fit most any low-energy home who just wants a lovely quiet companion.

Oh, did I mentioned she's already housetrained, crate-trained and is okay at home for a few hours, possibly a full work day, by herself. Great with other dogs and fine with cats. And NOT a yapper! Know anybody who needs a little cuddly friend?