Author Archive
Basket of dog & puppy toys from Kong
I am done!! All my foster dogs are out to their new families!! Hooray!
I can’t describe the level of contentment that swept over me after last Friday when all the puppies and Willow moved to their new homes. The past week has been a breeze with just my dogs and Chloe. Unfortunately, Chloe still hasn’t found her forever home but she has fully recovered from her last experience. She is back to her sweet, very smart self. Today she left for her permanent foster home. I’ll still see her at The Water Bowl when I work there. I’m 
planning on doing some training with her and working with her shyness around some men. It will be good to have contact with her. And it is VERY good to have her out of my house.
Tonight we received a box full of samples from Kong. We tried some of their toys I’ve never used before! I’ve talked about how much I love their products before but now I can describe how my dogs liked them:
We took a large bone and filled the ends with treats and Kong Stuff’n and gave it to Lollie. She immediately became VERY possessive of it and is still chewing it. We had to put her upstairs so 
the other dogs could enjoy their treats. If you have a dog who is at all dog aggressive or toy possessive, this treat will set them off…it is that good.
Hermes got the regular sized Kong bone, also filled with treats and stuffing. He is still working on his. He has also confiscated Bella‘s stuffed large sized puppy Kong and is currently chewing on that one while his lies nearby. Unfortunately, Bella preferred the cattle bones we have lying around, but hey, two out of three ain’t bad.
Lollie guards her kong
Benjamin Moore paint stands up to puppy grime
I have done the final cleaning of the puppy room. I used WAY too much bleach in the water and my poor hands (and sinuses and eyes) paid the price. I tried to ventilate but I really did use more than I should have. I really wanted to clean that room out good. Having two litters, back to back, made me concerned about transmitting illnesses. In fact, it seems we have a case of coccidia at our house. I hope my dogs won’t get it. I think most healthy adult dogs can clear it on their own but clearly we’ve got it. I think it came with Chloe‘s group but it could have been here from last summer from all I know (we had a dog with it last summer, that’s the only one who tested positive). These illnesses can last for a long time on surfaces and in the lawn….crazy, that.
Anyway, back to the bleach and the cleaning. So, the walls were gross. You may have noticed in some of the videos the film of dirt on the lower part of the white walls. You may have asked yourself, “why did she paint the walls there white?!” Well, I did it so I could see just how dirty it really was. I like white and light colored things for that reason – cuz when they are dirty you know it. But you also know when it is clean!! Anyway, I used a very heavy, wet rag and just soaked the walls with bleach water. I let the water sit on the walls for about 5 minutes and then scrubbed them hard. And I noticed what a great product Benjamin Moore makes…I always use Benjamin Moore paint because I like how thick it is, I like how it goes on, and I like how it holds up. But I did not expect it to hold up as well as it did! Not a bit of paint came off after all that soaking and scrubbing. And now my walls and nice and white again! Yeah.
 walls before |
 walls after |
So, the door is closed to the puppy room and after I do some research on coccidea and how long it lasts in lawns I’ll let you know. That will determine when our next litter can come, that and my need for peace and quiet. But that only lasts about 4 months…usually.
Juno update a photos
An update on Juno (formerly Cherry) thanks for the kind words!!
Juno is a great little puppy! She is doing very well and adjusting quickly to her new home. She is extremely friendly and has enjoyed all the new people she has met in the last week. After the first night, she has not cried or protested sleeping in her crate, and she now seems to enjoy sleeping and napping in there. We can’t believe how easy she has been. We even left her at home crated alone for about and hour and she was just fine when we came back—although I’m not sure she even realized that we were gone. Her potty training is going better than anticipated, and she has not had an accident since Saturday (she only had two accidents in the house—on the day she came home and the next day). We’ve now established a good schedule for Juno, which seems to be doing the trick (and she also sits by the door when she wants to go out). She’s learned to sit and come, and we are working on down and walking on a leash; Juno is a smart little girl and very willing to please.
Juno really loves the backyard, so we hang out with her a lot during the day when she’s not sleeping. She is full of beans during the day, and she enjoys gardening (chewing up the plants and fertilizing the soil), geology (picking up rocks), travel (through some gaps in our fence to our neighbor’s yard, which we promptly fixed), snorkeling/diving (for toys in her pool), sports (chasing her balls and toys), slalom (frenetic zooming around the yard darting in and out around and through the plants), and hosting parties (playtime with the dog next door). When she’s not outdoors, she likes lots of cuddles, belly rubs, training, sleeping, playing, and hanging out with us watching animals on TV. Juno is the cutest and sweetest little bundle of joy, and we are having a great time trying to keep up with her!
We cannot imagine what it was like for you to raise the litter yourself—you are amazing! You have also done a terrific job with the litter– we can tell by our very happy, well-socialized pup. Thanks for being a terrific foster mom and raising such a good little puppy; it has made it so much easier for us and Juno!
Birch update at 9 weeks
Here’s an update on Birch at nine weeks…
Everything is going really well here. Birch is very comfortable in her new home. She loves playing with all the kids and is sleeping well through the night. She just was at the vet and got her nine week puppy shots. She had a puppy parasite but the doctor said it was common. Here are some pictures of Birch and we’ll talk to you soon!
A personal note from puppy Tucker
This is a loving update from Tucker‘s (formerly Oak) new mama to me. Thank you SO much for this!!
Hi Mom, I asked my new Mom to send this for me. I know you must be resting after taking such good care of me, my brothers, sisters and mom Willow!!
I LOVE my new house!! Mom says I am a great addition. I am working on my potty behavior but thank goodness they have plenty of little towels as I am not there quite yet, but improving daily with my training. I know when I get scooped up and suddenly have grass under my feet this is where I should be. My sister is awesome, she tolerates me playing with her fluffy tail…. man what a lot of hair!! We wrestle, play bite and play tug of war with the toys, more toys than I have ever seen in my entire life! Mom got me these little puppy bones that I love to chew on and it makes my teeth feel better. Oh-oh-oh and the best part, at nite I have this HUGE bed to sleep on, and it is sooo soft!
Don’t get mad but we do watch TV for awhile before turning the lights out, you will be proud though, I am sleeping through the nite since Saturday and Mom usually is up before I even think of it. I do still love lots of naptime during the day though so no new news there. The only thing I am not liking right now is having to stay in this big crate if Mom has to leave for work for a couple of hours. Montana, my sister, does come in to eat while I am in there and lays next to it which makes me feel better. Now that I think of it, she only comes in when I quit yelping like a banshee… maybe I should work on that? I did make another new friend yesterday, a little stray tiger kitty who is a new mom. She seems nice, but did whap me on the nose when I got a little too friendly, we are about the same size. Mom says as soon as she brings her babies around for food she will take them to the shelter so they get good homes like I did!
Well, I better go for now..Mom says if I sit still long enough she will get some pics to send next time. We go to the doctor Saturday, I don’t know if that will be a good thing, kinda scared, but I am willing to try it. I am listening, learning and getting tons of affection, so no worry there! I’ll sneak another note soon when Mom isn’t using her laptop.
Thanks for all you did for me to get me off on the right paw and I do miss you! Say hi to everyone for me…….
Lots and lots of licks and tail wags,
Tucker
Update on puppy Sugar
We received a note from the family of Sugar (known as Sugar Maple from Willow’s litter)…
Hello,
Just a little update on Sugar, she is such a sweetheart, she is really starting to feel more comfortable at her new home as she is exploring and very playful. The first night in her crate she did not do so well, a lot of crying and whining so I let her sleep with me, needless to say neither one of us got very much sleep. The second night we let her cry for awhile and she did calm down and sleep until 3:00. The third night she slept from 11:00 until 6:00, no crying. Right now as I’m writing this she is asleep in her crate, we leave the door open in the day and she goes in when she wants a nap. My son Sam is really getting comfortable with her too. He is constantly picking her up and carries her from room to room, she seems to like all the attention. It is so funny the difference in the way she plays with Sam and his friends other than with adults. She likes to run with the kids and she loves shoelaces. Thanks again for letting us adopt Sugar, we just love her so much. Oh I forgot to mention, she hasn’t had one accident in the house!
