Archive for February, 2010

Puppy news and names

paw upSo, they are barking like crazy right now!  My son LOVES playing with this group and I must say that I’m really enjoying them as well.  As long as they don’t infect my home and family with ringworm, this will be easy sneezy!  Really, I had no idea how much work I was doing when I fostered entire litters with their mama.  Three puppies are so easy to handle, they make a small mess – especially these dogs, they are tiny compared to what I’m used to, and they don’t completely overwhelm you with snapping mouths when you sit down.  Really, this is fine.   I could do this all year round!  Except, puppy poop does smell rather stinky.  Don’t like that so much.

Ryan and I are arguing over names.  I like the names for the leads in the TV show I Carly:  Freddy, Sam, and Carly.  The names are cute and fit their personalities well.  Ryan wants names like “Anealduln” (for real, he’s been after me for an entire year to name a puppy that – his own made up name), Crusty, Wet Head, Crazy, Bitey, Barky, Ice Cream, Miss Puppy, Ruffy, Missy, Cutie … sigh.  He was the one to name past puppies “Chocolate Cookie Wrinkly Face, and Madame Puffykins.

pups chowIt is clear that these puppies miss their mama terribly.  When they saw my adult dogs they started crying frantically and trying to get through the baby gate we have set up.  It was really sad for me to see because I really like how nature works – how when I raise the litters, by the time they all leave they are done with their mamas and really don’t react much to her.  It tells me that this group was separated from their mama far too early.  For whatever reason, she wasn’t part of their lives for as long as they needed her.  I am hoping that they are clear of ringworm and that I can bring my own dogs in to help them remember that side of themselves.  For now, they are learning how to play with kids, how to come when called, and how to keep away from the mop.

Puppies again.

So, we’ve got three new puppies at our house.  Here’s their story (as much as I know and I’ll ever know):

swaddled puppy

swaddled puppy

Their mama was a pregnant stray that was hanging around someone’s home.  They let her live in their garage and there she had 7 puppies.  Then, when they were 6 weeks old, she “ran away” and “got hit by a car” and died.  So, no mama.  H.E.L.P. split up the group and we got three of them.  They are really small for 7 weeks so they look like they’ll be around 40 lbs. when full grown.  They seem well socialized to people, not afraid and in fact very willing to follow and interact.  So the original family did a lot right.  Thank you to them, whoever they are.

But they all have a weird and very scabby thing going on with their skin.  I gave them all baths and tried my best to scrape the scabs off with a flea comb but it was really difficult.  It is really strange, I haven’t seen anything quite like it before.  The vet said that it might be “ringworm” and that if it is I shouldn’t worry about trying not to get it because I likely already have it.  Yikes.  But then he said that he believed it was unlikely going to be ringworm.  So I bathed them all and they all screamed bloody murder.  Then I swaddled them in big towels and laid them in my son’s arms with a space heater on them all.  They all promptly fell asleep – except Ryan.  Then I cut all their toe nails and re-combed the one with the worse scabs and fed them.  They are really quiet in their room now.  Probably pee is everywhere. 

grooming

They have little short ears and fluffy fur.  The little black male has a blue spot on his tongue!  Maybe some Chow in them?  I’ll have to do some research to see what other breeds have blue spots on the tongue.  There’s one yellow female and one really fluffy black female.  They are so cute.  It is nice to have puppies again and to have so few!  What an easy time this well be – if they all turn out to be healthy…

New puppies coming!

new pups coming soonGuesssss whaaaat?!

PUPPIES ARE COMING!

Stay tuned.

Pictures of Lily

Here is a note with cute photos of Lily (from Chloe‘s group):

She finally had hair long enough that when she got her nails clipped they gave her little bows..

Lily

Lily with bows
Lily with bows
February 12, 2010 • Tags: , , , • Posted in: Chloe, story update • No Comments

Quaker Parrot Franklin talks and sings

I am excited to announce that Frank Frank (known by his stage name, Franklin) has another video on You Tube! Check out the link below to see a strange new thing he likes to do…in my hair.  Silly bird!

See this video on You Tube.

February 9, 2010 • Tags: , , • Posted in: bird, Franklin, video • No Comments

A different sort of post

Many of you may have noticed a distinct lack of content here on CanineFostering.com of late. Thank goodness for the updates that some of the foster families have sent in!! We are still open for another mama dog and Michelle from H.E.L.P. assures me that a dog will turn up. In the meantime, I’ve been busy launching another site. Some of the readers of Canine Fostering may know that Mike and I have been kicking around the idea of adoption for awhile now. Well, we’ve finally decided to start the process and we’re recording the “journey” on a blog. I’d love for you to visit http://buildingourfamily.com if you’re so inclined.  I will be trying hard to post daily so it will be more fun to check in on than Canine Fostering has been. (It is difficult to find things to write about dogs when there aren’t any fosters around…).

We have been busy though, babysitting some of our puppies while their families are on vacations. We’re loving offering this service to our fosters and it does give us the fun of having a “new” dog in the house. I’ll be sure to let you all know when we get a new family lined up.