Lemon Packs her Bags -A New Adventure About to Begin

It has been a few months and a few dozen phone calls to plan in the making, but Lemon is making a new adventure very soon! Jerrad's Granny has dementia which is becoming more and more pronounced. In the last year or two she's had to move away from her home where she always had the company of a dog, into residence with one of her daughters. They have found in this time that WITH dog companionship Granny's memory vastly improves. They have a nice little five minute walking path just outside the loop and with the right dog, Granny might be able to take herself and a nice well behaved pooch out for little walks.

Now, about five or six months ago the idea was to find Granny a companion dog and adopt someone. However, I know in my gut that Jerrad's auntie doesn't know much about dogs, and that they would need a very special dog with some good foundation training on them to be a therapy pet for Granny without becoming a nuisance. AND, I'm pretty sure if/when Granny gets to the point where she would either need to go into a nursing home, or worse, that Jerrad's auntie most likely won't want to keep a dog. What a recipe for disaster all the way along. Get the wrong dog and it spells heartache for everyone, get the right dog but give them up in a few years (or sooner) due to Granny's health, and what a sad repayment for that dog's love and energy.

However, reality is, WE have the perfect dog for Granny. It's been witnessed the two or three times Granny has come to visit us, the two of them just hang on the couch most of the day, with Lemon in her absolute glory and Granny talking to her about goodness knows what, but talking! Lemon is flawless off-leash, quite impeccably trained in general (though her leash manners could use some work since she's rarely on a leash!), in the last year and a bit she has become very low energy, complete lap-dog.

So with permission of rescue of course, Lemon is going on an adventure -trial version- until around Christmas time when we will see if she is aiding Granny. If it is a good match, Lemon will stay until she is no longer needed -weeks, months, possibly years though you never can be sure-. At well over eighty years of age, it's a long shot that Granny would outlive Lemon. If Lemon can bring joy and function into someone's life that wasn't there before, and be snuggled with all day it is for the betterment of both. She will be coming straight home if she isn't working out at any time. And that is the important part. Even when Lemon's working life of therapy pet comes to an end -sooner or later-, she will have us waiting with open arms to bring her back. You never know. She might be a little bugger and get sent back home quicker than we'd think.

It will be bittersweet dropping her off and I'm sure I'll blubber like a baby (Jerrad too), but in my heart I believe this is one special adventure little Lemon is supposed to take.

What, an adventure?

No couch sharing... I could get used to that!

I will have all day snuggle privileges? 

Therapy Pet... we'll see.

We'll update how Lemon is doing as she gets settled in. We've always joked that Lemon was meant to be adopted by a person who ran a group home or similar with how much she loves people. I guess it wasn't so much of a farfetched idea to begin with.

Have fun little Lemon!! The pack will feel strange without your big ears and dose of little dog attitude.

Cashew Goes Home

Cashew went to her new home yesterday. I should have updates soon :) Typical of her happy-go-lucky nature, she met her new mum, jumped into her arms and away she went. What a balanced little dog with a lot of spunk to her too. One of those fosters I almost forget I have around because they are so easy to have around and integrate into daily life here.

Not sure when another foster will be coming, but I get to hang with Suhki and Veda for a week and we have Poncho here for the weekend, all great balanced dogs to have around. I'm training a fair bit these days, so my Saturdays are becoming quite busy, but that's good.

Lemon has a potential new adventure coming up. More on that once things are firmed up. She is going to be one special little dog.

Emily Out

Cashew Goes for a Homecheck Tonight

Not much to write about in regards to Cashew. She's social, her person resource guarding has mostly melted away with a firm "no resource guarders in my vicinity" motto. She meets all people well, no accidents, sleeps excellently in her crate, does well at daycare, is okay for a few hours alone at home. She's an easy keeper. She's gotten to visit her sister Peanut at daycare once this past week and the two had a blast zooming around. Hopefully Peanut was tired. Cashew has the better "off-switch" of the sisters, but I think Cashew can play longer and harder. She is also the smallest bit bigger than her already adopted sister.

Cashew is also going for a homecheck this evening, so fingers crossed. It's a good app! Lately, I haven't even bothered networking. People are just starting to come to me. Makes me a little lazy, but I can't complain.

In small other news. Beckett is now a senior and I can't be in denial about it anymore. After coming back from vacation I looked at him and knew. He's got awhile yet -many years hopefully-, he's happy, healthy and going to go in to have his teeth cleaned soon, but he's a senior. My old man is old!

Jinks is starting to frisbee. She's also starting to find her off-switch in the house at least for brief moments at a time which is nice. I have to stop calling her the puppy! She is now a young lady and will soon be an adult!! I doubt she'll start fully acting like it until 4 though.

Updates as they come. Hopefully we'll get some agility video soon. I just have to drag Jerrad along or something.

Emily Out

A New TG Foster

I'll post some wedding photos when the professional ones roll in and make me look half decent :)

For now, we're enjoying our newest foster from TG. Cashew is Peanut's sister, and pretty sure Lemon relative from somewhere back. Personalities and looks too similar to be a coincidence.

She's an easy little thing. We had her down to Pet-a-Palooza, a big rescue dog event here in Victoria and she met 500+ people and 100+ dogs with ease. She sat quietly while we watched some dock diving, begged for some hot dogs and in general, was quite the well-behaved little dog. We also had her dragging a leash on our hike today and she stuck to us like glue. She's going to make a really nice little trail walking buddy.

Miss Cashew

She encountered the neighbourhood cat and wasn't fazed, met children which she seemed to enjoy and has had lots of cuddles. She's been housetrained so far, and sleep soundly in her crate last night. She has some initial separation anxiety, but settles down after a few minutes. We're going to work with her for a few days on being home with us, but crated for a few hours every day to get her used to being alone before we actually leave her. Set her up for some really good success.

Her only fault is that she is very minor possessive of her people. Just a growl and a lip lift and hasn't gone further. She did it to Jinks and Jinks just laid on her with that knowing "I call your bluff," attitude. Each time she does it, I just remove her from the couch with no ands, if, ors about it. Privilege removed. She'll get it. I think ideally she'd love to be an only dog. Not that she isn't good with other dogs, just that she's a people's dog.

I can almost guarantee she'd pass her assessment to become a therapy dog and visit hospitals.

An easy first-timers dog, would fit someone retired, a family with kids, or anyone in between. More on her soon.