Obi Adopted -A Break from the Foster Front

Obi went home with his new family on Saturday. Good luck Obi! He will get to go on long, active adventures, run the beaches and continue learning how to be a city dog. Hopefully he meets up with his brother Captain (Onyx-Vudu) sometime in the near future. Obi had two really good applicants and it was hard to choose between them, but in the end we figured Obi would benefit best from having another dog in the household.

In personal news, we get married this upcoming Saturday. It's still a little surreal and hasn't quite sunk completely in, but it probably should soon. I drop Jinks off to my friend Tricia who owns a new daycare facility out in Sooke. Her own dog has similar behavioral quirks to Jinks, so she should be prepared.

Beckett and Lemon are staying home with a co-worker to pet-sit. I'm sure Lemon will completely enjoy the break from her sister! Now that Obi is gone, Jinks' extra energy just HAS to be put to good use annoying somebody else ;)

We have board dogs for most of August. Daisy (previously Honey) and her sister Hani will be staying with us for a few weeks, and then Suhki (previously Dayo) and Veda will be hanging here for just over a week.

So it's doubtful we'll have a foster for August.

---Just for fun Jerrad asked me if I remembered all of my fosters without looking at pictures/my lists of contacts. So I gave it a go for him.

I missed two!! I apparently forgot about Alice and Sunday.

Alice was here just over a week. She wasn't even supposed to come,
but Sunday couldn't hitch the flight so they sent her instead!

Sunday had a family interested in her before she even came,
which made her adoption a quick one. She was a very outgoing puppy!

I'm sure Jerrad missed a lot more than I did. He's not a names kind of guy. All he knows is, he'll be glad to have a foster break. Fostering is great, but it does take a lot of energy out of you.

Emily Out

Homechecks

I just realized it's been 10 days since I last wrote. I don't know if I've ever gone that long between posts before. It's been busy!

Obi had two homechecks last night, one in Victoria and one in Vancouver so hopefully one of those families gets to be Obi's new forever home :)

Obi has been doing well in foster bootcamp though the more comfortable he gets, the more annoying he gets too. It could just be my general level of stress right now that is making him seem annoying though.

Obi's awesome points: house-trained, super dog social, off-leash now in quiet places and the beach, knows lots of commands, gets really attached to his people. Recovery time on things that spook him has VASTLY improved. He's crate-trained and goes in willingly every night. He isn't so fond of his crate during the day for a few hours, but tough bananas.

That said, he is still super shy with people. Every second day we've been taking him the 30 minute walk to McDonalds and sitting on the outdoor patio and throwing cheese for him when people walk by. His bubble has grown -before he was similar to Jinks in that if a person even looked at him for 30 feet off he would try to bolt- and sometimes he will even let people feed him but he still has a bubble. He'll get there though. He's not defensive or shown any sign of aggression/reactivity whatsoever. He needs lots of continued heavy POSITIVE or neutral exposure.

He is also very noise sensitive, though this too has been coming along in spades. He is the type of dog that might never get over the initial "knee-jerk" reaction to louder noises, but will have it and move on right away afterwards.

In annoyingness Obi has one really annoying factor. He seemingly can't leave my dogs alone or settle for more than a few minutes. He is such a submissive lad that Lemon is the only one that will tell Obi where to shove his needy nose. Jinks has taken to going to hide behind the couch with a toy to get him to leave her alone. It's not that Obi is high energy, he is just BUSY and when there is a dog he likes around, their undivided attention. He's kind of like a 3 year old. He was with just Lemon for an afternoon though sine Jerrad took Jinks and Beckett out for a long hike after Obi had gone to daycare (he gets either daycare for 6 hours, or a 3 hour adventure a day). He did settle with just Lemon. So as an only dog or with a dog he isn't madly in love with, maybe he'll settle more?

It also comes down to having a challenge in the day. The daycare days (3 days a week) are the hardest in terms of him having a bunch of extra stupidity. Because daycare isn't hard for him. He plays, he sits with a chewie, he sometimes just lays by my feet. (He's in with small dogs, Jinks is in with big dogs.) It's the meeting people and dealing with noises that is work, but when he has some work in him, he's a lot calmer. McDonalds outings tend to do him in for the rest of the night.

In a nutshell, good dog who needs some hard work to be the best that he can be. He is no where near a "Jinks" level though, (though she too is slowly becoming a suburban dog) so I believe as long as he gets out every day to continue experiencing the world, he'll be just fine.

Injuries of a Fetch Fiend & Do-A Goes Home

Today will be the first "Beach Sunday" in a long time where Jinks is down for the count. She tore a pad yesterday out on the trail fetching ball a few too many times much too exuberantly and in typical Jinks fashion, she never stops the retrieve for a silly old "flesh wound." I caught on to her before she started limping (she will fetch limp and all), but she is one mopey, sour little girl today and has been hanging with her momma on the couch all morning. I don't really mind the sudden departure from "I MUST MOVE" but it's weird to see her so mopey. Oh the sighs she gives me! Little drama queen. She's torn her pads much worse than this before, but she's sure laying it on thick :P

Some coconut oil, a couple of cleanings and a day or two to heal up with no fetch and she'll be just fine. Hopefully we can make it to agility on Monday. Even if we don't sequence there's lots of minor grunt work to be done.

Obi is pretty miffed he doesn't have his playing buddy though. We'll take him, Beckett and Lemon out for an adventure this afternoon and leave mopey Jinks and her torn paw to heal.

In other news, Do-A has gone home and they couldn't be happier with him! He toddles along on the acreage, up and down the hills but will never leave their sight. He will even bark at cats to get them off the property, but doesn't give chase. His dad is really pleased because they are active bird feeders and watchers, and the local feral cats have been a little too comfortable on the acreage lately. Do-A has been getting used to a big cushy orthopedic dog bed, gobbles up his food and is having a right good time.

I'm a bit of a tough cookie. It's the rare time that I get emotional about an adoption, and I have yet to cry but I would be a liar if I said I wasn't close. From everything Do-A has been through in Taiwan, to how good of a dog he still is, how he doesn't hold any baggage, and his family who have had labs all their life and now in their early seventies, just want a middle-aged dog to enjoy. It was a touching moment.

Here is Do-A and his new family!

Adoption is usually about making families whole, but this one a little more so than usual. I'm SO glad I could be apart of Do-A journey. What an exceptional dog in every way and SO deserving of hitting the adoption jackpot.

Fun with Sticks

Obi and Do-A

We've had a familiar face around for a few days. Obi, brother of Onyx-Vudu who we fostered about a year ago now, was returned when his living arrangements changed and he didn't enjoy the hustle and bustle the change brought about.

Obi is very well-mannered, house-trained, knows lots of commands VERY well, is superbly dog social and just a joy of a dog really. Where he is weak is in day-to-day skills, like walking on a leash, walking on a street, doing traffic lights, meeting strangers, etc IE: being a city dog. With Beckett he gains a lot of confidence out and about, but he will need someone patient to work with him. Out in suburbia he acts a bit like he is in a minefield and that anything he steps on has the potential to explode. He is a very sweet, and smart fellow though, not a mean bone in him. He could really benefit from a very social dog to teach him the ways of a city dog. Making a routine of it he will come around quickly. He is shy with people, but treats win him over quickly, as does just ignoring him for a bit. As he was originally living with a man, he tends to prefer Jerrad over me, he always gets excited when Jerrad comes home. Obi rides well in the vehicle and although doesn't particularly like his crate, he will sleep in it. Sorry buddy, rules are rules. Night-time and when we're away are crate-times. That's just how it is for the first two weeks minimum.

He's had a bit of separation anxiety here and there but nothing big. Just pacing when I went to get things from the car, or when I went to pick up poo last night and left the dogs inside for a few minutes. I think it will go away when he has a more stable environment.

Here's a couple of videos of him and Jinks having a blast in the yard.

And a few pictures. Being a black dog who doesn't like to look at the camera he was VERY difficult to photograph.

Vegging after a play with Jinks.

Jinks (37 pounds), Obi (33 pounds) ---Jinks is very tall!

He's a nice medium energy, loves to play but isn't too crazy. He's also crazy good looking! Apparently there is some interest already, so I will work hard this week to start Obi on some city skills. A bit tough when I have to give them to Jinks at the same time.

Obi has been a blessing the last few days though. When Jinks realized we had neighbours for the first time she was on high alert even in our own yard, slinking about like something was going to eat her. With a young, active dog to play with, she has been able to deal with more noise in the background, the odd head bobbing up into view, the guy playing basketball behind us. Win-Win. We help Obi, Obi helps us!

Do-A has also been a gentlemen. Finally got a good couple of pictures of him too:

DOH! I think I got stuck.

Being a Silly Boy

What a Lover

Always Smiling.

Do-A is a bombproof dog. Been on the streets, injured severely at some point (his ear has been stitched back together, you can only tell from the inside though) -no idea if dog, person or environment was to play-, was skin and bones only a short while ago, yet everybody he meets is his best friend and his tail doesn't stop wagging... ever! He is priceless. No grudges against the world here. His homecheck went awesome -a huge 7 acre paradise of hills to explore and squirrels to chase-, and he should be going home tomorrow. There's a reason everyone loves a lab.

And a few of my girls in the new abode. I'll take some official pictures of the place once our main room gets the laminate put in. Right now everything is kind of shoved wherever it fits. Hopefully by the end of this upcoming weekend we will have our real room though. Somehow Beckett has evaded new pictures, but I'm sure his time will come.

 Lemon's sporting a well toned body this season.

Jinks says: "You sure this baby gate applies to me too?"

Lemon, perched on her own couch. 

Doh, Jinks just HAD to raid the couch. What an obnoxiously sisterly thing to do!

Updates soon on pending adoptions and such. Getting ever closer to wedding day. Makes me tired just thinking about all the stuff we've still got to accomplish. Here's hoping both boys can be adopted over the weekend and give us some time to do a bunch of running around.

Emily Out

New Adventure, New Foster

Well, we've just moved in and have a ton of boxes to get unpacked, but we had a great app for a middle-aged lab come in from here in Victoria, actually through good friends of a previous adopter. SO, off I was a few weeks ago to find a pretty much purebred lab, and of course there were more than twenty of them that fit the bill waiting in Taiwan at a rescuer who saves strictly labs and golden retrievers from death row.

So, flight came in for the first. What can I say, we're crazy.

On the bright side, Do-A is a super dog. No accidents, sleeps like a rock in his crate, follows me around the house and lays at my feet whenever I stop to do something. Fetches like a machine (especially being a hulk of a middle-aged yellow lab who doesn't quite know where his feet are), and is a gentlemen with the other dogs. He's what people imagine getting a dog to be like I think. Just a GOOD dog.

Here's Do-A, my camera found it's way out of the boxes, but the stick to plug it into the computer hasn't surfaced yet. So this is the only pic I have of him.

He goes for his meet + greet on Sunday. When I get too old to have a collie and all the work they require, maybe I'll just get a typical middle-aged lab like Do-A. So easy to have around!

Our journey into surburbia is also opening a new world for Jinks too, and unfortunately I don't have the means to introduce it to her slowly. Our cul-de-sac is very small, though very quiet, but beyond that are mostly busier roads. Her galloping in the field needs to be replaced by some form of other exercise, and unfortunately we don't have any good parks within a twenty minute walk, and the one there is, we'd have to cross a busy highway for. She's not ready for that. I'm also not prepared to ALWAYS drive her somewhere more rural.

So today we had a little adventure I didn't plan on taking. I don't know the roads around here very well, so we set off for a walk, with a pocket of goodies to sidetrack her from anything scary, and took a quieter road -IE: we'll see the odd person, but nothing constant. We did pretty good for the first twenty minutes or so, passing people, getting rewarded when passing men nicely (IE: no severe alertness or tension in the face/body).  Unfortunately, because Jinks eats up almost all of my attention as we're walking, I kind of loose track of where we're headed, so just try to head to where I know I can turn myself the right way again. Of course, this means I have to head up to one of the main roads. Just before we hit the main road, I run out of goodies, and about two minutes before we get to the main road some idiot jogger with a big black hoodie and sunglasses almost clips Jinks as he passes. So she goes all squirrely, nearly rips out of her halti and is tantruming.

Joy. At this moment I wish I had of taken Beckett. But anyway, coral Jinks back to some form of thinking and not reacting, and have no idea how to get back home EXCEPT for along the main road. This is a road with a McDonalds on it, lots of busses going, we're going to have to almost constantly be moving around people. Great. But I know from here it's about 15 minutes home, and only 10 of those minutes will be along the busy road if I can somehow keep Jinks moving. So, before getting on to the road, regig the halti, loop the handle of my leash through her collar from some extra security, and find out it makes kind of a neat bridle thing.

It's a tough slog for both of us. Most of the time I can bring her in a wider arc around people but there are a few times I can't really arc, so she almost has to brush some people. She is tongue flickering away, lots of stress. She is a good dog though, she isn't being reactive even though I am flooding her now, overloading her learning. She is scared, but she is not a raging lunatic. She's close though. We do A LOT of sits with eye contact.

She evens out about 5 minutes in and starts to get in a good rhythm, starts to trust more that I won't let anyone come into her bubble, though her bubble is much smaller than she'd like. It takes longer to get home than planned. She drinks a whole bowl of water and is out for the count for the rest of the night. Pure mental exhaustion.

I am going to try a route with Beckett tomorrow that does much of what we did today, without doing the busy road. Which is probably what I should have done in the first place.

I have the feeling it will be a really tough few weeks getting Jinks on a totally new page. I have prepared her for the odd person passing us, for some odd traffic and bus noises, for cooling her jets, but until now I haven't put all the pieces (or even all combinations of the pieces) together. In the end though, if we can preservere and get through the problem areas, it will be in Jinks' best interest anyway.

She will NEVER be a "normal" dog like Beckett, EVER. End of story. She will never be the type of dog who is willing to meet a stranger walking towards her without any food or toy motivation. I do have faith though that she CAN be a dog who appears normal and can function in suburbia.

Some days it's amazing to realize just how much work I have put into her, and yet how much more I still need to put into her before she is the equivalent of most "normal" dogs. Dogs who don't mind people, or dogs, dogs who might pull on their leash and be inappropriate at at times, but dogs who aren't afraid of any new experience life throws their way.

--We have a TG foster coming this weekend. More on that soon. Do-A and him will be the only fosters until after we get married. With Jinks being a extra handful or two, we might have to slow down the fostering anyway. Not stop, but hey, at many points over the last year we've had 3-4 fosters at a time.

1-2 tops now! Preferably one.
Updates soon,

Emily Out