Archive for December, 2010

Catching up with Jubilee

I received a nice note from the family of Jubilee:

Hi Kristin!!

Hope all is well!! Looks like you made it through another happy journey on being a Foster mom for all the puppies and Momma dog. It truly is a great thing you do for these animals.

Jubilee is doing great!! Completely healthy and a little over 50 pounds now. She is loving all the snow and it’s hard to get her back in every once and awhile (but as long as she is burning off extra energy I’m not complaining). She is 100% done with her crate and loves being free all day with Shena. Jubilee is such an easy going dog and it’s hard not to spoil her (like letting her lay on the couch with you). She is awesome with Delilah and since D is on solids now Jubilee knows where her free treats are (instant vacuum). After the Holidays I am going to scout out some dog play areas. She needs someone more her age and energy level to romp around with, Shena is was way past that point of playing. Keep me in the loop if you ever start up a playtime again.

So from my family to yours Merry X-mas!!

Story update on Boomer (Moonlight)

We received a lovely note from Boomer’s (formerly Moonlight) family…

Boomer loves the boat! This photo is from mid October.

Boomer has been a delight since the first moment he ran into our home and ran straight to the “toy box”! He has never met a toy he does not like or want to play with!

He is now 11 months and if we had a nickel for every time someone asked us what kind he is we could retire and play with Boomer and Bella all day! Since he is 60 pounds we figure he has something else in his mix beyond German Shepherd and Black Lab. We affectionately call it his “secret sauce”. We think his secret sauce may be Basenji as he has this sweet wrinkle on his forehead, does not really bark, is black with white markings and looks a lot like the Basenji on the main page of one of those dog breed web sites. : )

We have enjoyed taking Boomer to “Dogs Best Friend” for training classes. He is in his fourth 6 week class series! He had two puppy classes, basic obedience and now we are in Advanced Obedience. I think we will take the “Off Leash” class in the spring, too. He is incredibly bright and has been the best or near the best behaved, trained and smartest of all the dogs in all of the classes we have taken. His latest accomplishment this week at class was “a flying lie down”! With him off leash and running away from me I can get him to lie down and stay as he is running away from me. My classmates and instructors consistently comment on what a great dog he is. : )

The small dogs in our classes also love Boomer because he adjusts his “game” to the size of his play partner! We find this charmer as do the instructors and the owners of the small dogs he plays with. The instructors have pulled us from the “big dog play group” a couple of times to have Boomer play with a small dog that was having trouble with some of the other small dogs. He is also wonderful with our rescue house bunny, Kooper!

Boomer in his play area - Note the purple ball hiding under his paw!

Boomer has gone on many adventures with us including several boating adventures, a week “up north” at a cabin with Grandma and a trip to the Christmas tree farm to cut our Christmas tree – where he met and played with his first Mastiff! We are looking forward to taking him snow shoeing with us on our property now that we have so much snow! Boy, he can’t get enough of the snow and being outside! He just sits on “his” hill side and watches all of the wildlife off in the farmers field and runs in the deep snow.

We think the world of our Boomer Moonlight and can’t thank all of the people at H.E.L.P. enough – especially Kristin and family. I think what all of you do is absolutely amazing. You all gave Boomer a great start to life that is so evident in his demeanor and happy, laid back approach to everything and everyone. Bella, our Puggle and Boomer’s sister, was rescued from a shelter and has issues that we continue to work on. I wonder if she had been fostered like Boomer if she would be as balanced as Boomer.

Anyway, perhaps this was more information on your sweet Moonlight than you were seeking! :> We adore him and could go on and on ….

My response:   Thank you for this wonderful email! Thanks also for the warm words for what our family does for our fosters. It means a lot to me. I am grateful that you’ve given him such a wonderful, full, and happy life. Have a great holiday season.
-Kristin

Greta finds her forever home

Greta has found a forever home!! I don’t have many details but I do know that she has found a home where there are children to play with and people home a lot. She loves it and they love her. So, a happy ending for her. She deserves it!

Last weekend we had a mini reunion of Greta’s pups – 4 of the 5 were in attendance at the Petco puppy playtime I host. The interesting thing was, after the initial happy tail wagging greetings, the four of them fought like madmen!! We literally spent the entire hour pulling little bully puppies off of their sisters and brother. And it wasn’t like there was one who was trouble. It seemed like all of them have learned to “play” that way. I gave it some serious thought and came to the conclusion that their time in my puppy room confined their movements, and Greta’s young age caused her to react like a peer rather than a parent, so they had no choice and weren’t discouraged from acting out their urges to practice social dominance.

Puppies first day outsideMost of my litters have been in the summer where the group spends the majority of the time outside, in a big fenced space with trees and rocks to hide in. They can romp and run if they want, or wrestle, or just get away from the group. But stuck inside in one room, with a mama who not only allowed the fighting but participated in it created a little group of monsters!! The funny thing was, they reacted with submission to puppies not of their group. And one little dog helped the group realize there were other ways to play. She taught them that running and chasing was a game worth participating in. So it seems, Greta’s group has some learning to do – they need to learn other methods of interacting and playing that don’t involve fighting and wrestling.

Tips for taking home your new puppy

Remember these tips to make your transition go well:

* Limit the space in the house where the puppy gets to go. Expand it over the next few weeks.
* Walk the dog (not carry) to the door and show where they should potty.
* Potty the pup after every transition – after eating, drinking, playing, sleeping – potty them!
* Withhold food and water after 8 pm, do the final potty around 11pm, and wake yourself (and the puppy) up around 2am to potty again, and then again at 6am. That should do it! You will need to keep this up until the pup isn’t pottying at the 2am time.
* If there is a potty accident in the house DO NOT correct the puppy unless you see it happening! Pups only relate a consequence to the behavior that happened 3 seconds prior. So if you see a puddle, call the pup to you and scold it, you are in essence, scolding the puppy for coming to you.
* Remember this rule – any talking, comforting, and removing from the crate will reinforce the behavior that happened right before (usually crying, whining or scratching at the crate). If you don’t what those behaviors, don’t reinforce them!
* Keep the energy low for the first two weeks. It will feel like you are ignoring the puppy but it is the nicest thing you can do to give them the time they need to acclimate. If you have kids, limit the amount of time they get to interact with the pup.
* Keep the crate open and accessible during the periods of the day where the pup isn’t confined – that way when she/he needs comfort or respite, she/he can retreat there.
* Try to match the energy of the puppy – when they’re quiet do quiet activities (cuddling) and when they’re active do more active things (playing and not cuddling).
* Remember to give them access to food four times a day for the first two months home. Then move to three until 5 or 6 months old and then to twice a day. Feed amount suggested on bag.
* DO NOT keep a collar on a young pup who is confined to a crate – it is a strangulation hazard.
* DO teach leash manners, inside, after the first few days home – just let the leash drag for a day, then pick it up and encourage the pup to follow you, do not tug or reel them in.
* Do consider signing up for a puppy class anytime after the pup is 2 months old.

AND MOST importantly …

Good luck!! Trust your instincts and you’ll do fine.

Greta’s puppies settling in

I’ve been getting updates on Greta‘s pups! It seems all are doing really well. This is such a relief to me. It seems they are all good with potty training and sleeping in their crates. I am so pleased with what seems to be their easy transition. And I can not tell you enough how much I am enjoying my free time!!! The down stairs has been cleaned, the puppy room sterilized (ready for the next crew when we are – which should be a bit I think), and the tasks I’d put off for the past two months are beginning to get tackled. Thanks to all the families for their hard work with these puppies. Hopefully we’ll have some new photos from our reunion of sorts at the puppy playtime this coming Saturday.

Fare thee well, little family

So today Greta left for her next foster family. As sad as that may sound, all her pups were adopted and she was “left behind,” it is actually my preference. It gives her a chance to get accustomed to being just a dog, not a mama dog. And she gets to go through that transition with a wonderful volunteer, Ruth Ann, who loves all her fosters so much she lets them all pile up in bed with her! Greta will LOVE the attention and the cuddles. I expect her to make a smooth transition to simply being a young dog quite easily at Ruth Ann’s house. Then once that is accomplished, she will be much easier for her new forever family to deal with. So, many thanks to Ruth Ann for giving Greta the time she needs to settle in. I will miss her so much. I get really attached to all the mama dogs but she was especially sweet. She and I cuddled on the couch last night and I really felt sad that I had to say good bye to her. It is for the best. She will be a wonderful loving addition to her family. And I know they will love her just as much as I do.

Tomorrow, her puppies leave for their new homes. The end is near.