Thursday, September 26, 2013

Lemon Update!

My little critter has been settled in for the last two weeks and has apparently been having one heck of a good time! She goes to the adults' day program 2 days a week with Granny and they have a hard time getting her to leave. She has over 20 laps to herself! Of course she wouldn't want to leave... she probably thought she'd died and gone to heaven.

They really enjoy having her there, she is acting as a therapy dog for not just only Granny, but for many of these seniors who can no longer have a pet themselves. Admittedly I am missing her lots, but to know just how much she is giving back to the community, how happy she is to do it, and how happy people are to receive it makes my heart glad.

She gets out for a little walk every day and I guess already Granny can take her around the cul-de-sac by herself. Lemon will stick to her side like glue, -as suspected- and apparently instinctively knows the boundary around the house set up. She will not leave the cul-de-sac! So Granny when the weather is good takes her out once a day to do a loop, talk to some neighbours, and get a little exercise. I guess Lemon will always lead Granny back home.

In the evening she zooms around the house like a loony toon for a few minutes, and around the property too.

I have no pictures yet, but am bugging for some. Aunty really likes her too, as Lemon is very well-trained, a great recall, a natural heel (that was more her than me there!), LOVES people and will go to bed on command. I have to admit, they got a pretty damn good dog. I don't think they quite realized the level of training she's had until she started living with them. I put a lot of work into that little dog! She makes every other dog in the family look stupid, even my cousin's border collie and german shepherd. Too funny.

I look forward to having her back sometime in the future but for now I am really glad she is able to bring so much joy into the lives of others. In a way I feel she is fulfilling a bit of destiny. I'm not a huge believer, but I do believe that things have a way of happening for a reason.

Just like when Beckett came to us, with him a string of 70+ foster dogs that no one would have guessed when we first adopted him. Perhaps Lemon never had any interest because something out there knew she would be needed, she just needed to stay put a bit in order to get there. And Jinks... well I'm sure I just got Jinks cause no one would put up with her (and she's exactly like me in dog form), she's my project dog to learn and grow and pull my hair out over, and then snuggle with on the sofa at night because no matter how much of a pain she is, she is MY pain.)

I'm looking forward to finding out why Shane has come. Of course I have an idea, but it's really interesting to see how time shifts perspectives.

Enjoy the therapy work Lemon!

More soon,
Emily

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Whilrlwinding

What a crazy two or three weeks it has been since the last post.

Lemon has gone on her adventure and is doing amazing so far. I guess she barely leaves Granny's lap and she has been going for 15-20 minutes a day around a couple of blocks with Granny and Aunty. She didn't even give me a kiss goodbye. I think she knew, she didn't seem phased or sad, just that she was ready for a new journey. We'll be getting updates on her, but so far so good. Hasn't been mopey. It's been similar here. I thought I'd miss her more, but although my lap is very lonely I know someone else's lap is well loved. She'll be back eventually. A few weeks, months or years, she'll be back.

In other adventures we came home to find poor just escaped from his petsitter and put about 8 stitches in his foot. SIGH. I think without another dog around he starts to go a little senile. He's okay, bandaged on will be tagging along with me for a few days to make sure he's good to go. Not the first time he has gotten away on someone, but the first time he's done damage to himself. Another reminder on why we will probably never have another husky mix! I swear his bones are made of Jello.

Angel stayed with a friend of mine who is herding dog experienced for a few nights and did well. She was as both Piper and I believed, smarts for days but unfocused, a few little handling quirks, needing someone experienced or she has potential to turn into a real menace -not just a brat-, but not enough dog to appeal to a sports-experienced handler.

We found her app though, and the homecheck went really well. Dad is high-energy dog experienced, a runner and has a current older dog who is very well behaved. Dad's grown children rent out portions of his home, and one of them includes a vet assistant who wants to get Angel into some foundation agility and possibly more. Between 3-4 grown kids to provide her with different outlets, and dad who will run her when she is full grown. So, not in the bag yet, but I think it'll be a real good match for a busy dog who needs her mind worked to be the best that she can be. Will update if the match finalizes.

We also had Angel up on some agility equipment for a bit, and she did some tunnels with little hesitations and tried her paw on the wobble board. She'll be fun to take through any training and thankfully doesn't have so much drive that it becomes difficult for a first time handler.

And, in perhaps the biggest news. We've added a new member to the pack.

This is Shane. We weren't planning on getting another member so soon, but with Beckett starting to show his age, and the fact that Jinks thrives so much with another dog (it makes her much less people reactivity MUCH more manageable) made it time. Shane (known as Romeo in rescue) is now 8 weeks old, and a rescue from Hull's Haven Border Collie Rescue in Manitoba. He is very outgoing, brave and bold type guy who is still pretty soft and biddable. Providing I raise him good he'll be exactly what Jinks needs and Beckett's got another bit in him yet before his trail days will mostly retire.

So, might be no blogs for a bit as we get used to have a baby around.

Emily + family out

Saturday, September 7, 2013

A New Foster

We're on countdown for Lemon. A week today she will start work as a Very Important Pet (VIP). I have moments when I'm truly excited for her, and moments I start to realize how strange it will be without her. Though I can definitely say I'm not going to miss the girls bickering at one another. They have days of being good sisters, but like most sisters, they sure know how to push each others' buttons. I'm sure they will in their own strange way miss one another though!

Tomorrow we also have a new arrival. Angel (Salter as Piper has been calling her) has had a good amount of interest, but requires a home with "more". So the hope is that by coming here I can find her a really nice little sports home. She will be off to agility practices two times a week with me and I'll put some cool tricks on her. She doesn't need a super experienced home, just one that is going to make her the center of their universe and make sure her head is occupied.

I'm really looking forward to having her!



Jinks will enjoy having someone to keep her occupied. I think she's been a little bored lately with no board dogs or fosters around. Updates on Angel/Salter soon.

Emily Out