Seriously, this dog would have the perfect secret of weight loss to plaster on every magazine and if she were a woman who could speak.
When she first arrived we fed her approximately the same as Lemon -1/2 cup a day-, plus goodies such as popcorn, cheese pieces, etc. Last week I noticed she was trimming down a tad and she already has a really nice figure -especially given she's a pug, and they are prone to putting on weight to begin with.
We haven't been doing too much exercise with her -approx 30 minutes walking day- and we are making sure she gets plenty of rest time to be cautious on her leg. She's a bit of a busy-body so better safe than sorry! She probably puts on a kilometer in just zooming round the house. With her it's either 'busy, busy, busy' or 'cuddle, cuddle, cuddle'. She's like one of those kids you don't realize they're getting tired, but when you put them to bed all of a sudden they zonk out on a dime. Momo can be bouncy silly pug, put her to bed and not even a minute later she's snoring away. Sometimes she's kind of like having a toddler!
But back to the food/metabolism.
So, she's up to a full cup a day now and still wolfs it down like we haven't fed her in for bloody ever. I'm surprised. Lemon does minimum an hour of exercise a day plus plays like mad with Beckett for at least 30 minutes, and she's still looking a little chunky with her half cup a day. Sometimes I think she sneaks some extra from somewhere. Maybe she has a stash :P
Man, I wish I could eat like Momo and keep trim! I'm sure so does every other female out there.
She's got a few more days here before she heads home. Still haven't made huge strides with the housetraining, but I think we're at maybe 50/50 now? Thankfully her new parents don't mind working on the housebreaking, and her canine brother isn't 100% housetrained either.
In other quick news: phone interview was postponed, hoping to hear back from them soon, and a new foster comes in today. Suzie is with Ocean Dog Rescue and is apparently a shy pup who isn't doing well in her current foster home (fearful of the world I guess). I give her a week to get into the bootcamp groove.
It's so hard to tell sometimes if I'm going to get a really shy dog (one that it gets down to basic temperment -IE: an Allie), one that comes from not being well socialized enough as a pup to 'the world'. IE: Honey, Toast -though part of her issues were at the basic temperment stage too-, DimSum and Chowmein). Or if I'm going to get an avoider that has gotten away with people thinking they are shy but really it's a form of control. IE: Kahlua.
As long as we're not talking an Allie we should be okay. The truly shy/fearful dog is a hard one as you not only have to shape new behaviour, but you have to work with the genetics as well which is the hard part. You can rewire the behaviours, you can't so easily change the nature of the dog.
Will update more about Suzie when she gets here. As usual, I'm psyching myself out thinking she's going to be the hardest dog I've ever had and she'll never be adoptable, yadda yadda. After 40+ fosters and only one being close to unadoptable, you'd think I'd be a little less paranoid!
Nope, no matter what anyone says about any dog, the night before they come I go through the few hours phaze of worst case scenarios.
I'm a realist at best :P
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.
1 comment:
I often think that "expecting the worst" is a good way to go.... makes sense doesn't it?
That way you are more likely to be pleasantly surprised!
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