Archive for the ‘Hermes’ Category

Checking in after a bit of a break

I have been out of the posting loop for a spell, given that my life has taken a few twists and turns. I’ll have a post coming shortly on things to consider before acquiring a dog from the holidays. But first a few updates…

Bella and Hermes, 2012

Bella and Hermes, 2012

Our foster, Buddy was renamed Pupidaly by our son. We had Pup for about 4 months before it became clear that he and Lollie were going to be vying for the number one (alpha) dog position. This created too much stress in the house so Kristin’s parents agreed to give Pupidaly a try. They are now all deeply in love and have been living together for a year! Yay for a happy ending.

Lollie is still with Kristin and she is still learning every day how to manage such a strong willed and slightly off kilter dog. So far no more stitches have been required to fix any scuffles and most nights there is peace among the three dogs, Hermes, Bella and Lollie.

Lollie, 2012

Lollie, 2012

Pups at play video

Spring is here and the pups got to play in the BIG kids yard with my dogs, Hermes and Bella and our friend Abby (who is Willow‘s daughter). They had a blast and were tearing around for nearly an hour.

[flashvideo file=http://caninefostering.com/images/pups032910.flv /]

March 30, 2010 • Tags: , , , , , , • Posted in: Bella, Hermes, pups, video, Willow • 1 Comment

Correcting puppy and dog behavior

I have been training people to teach their dogs to be well mannered for a few years now. I have been teaching myself even longer. But it is always amazing how simple it is for a dog to teach another dog how to behave.

I have a puppy class I’m currently teaching at The Water Bowl. I brought Hermes tonight to show the class what they can shoot for, what is possible. Hermes is a great dog. Very self possessed but still funny and playful. Smart as a whip and very willing to work for me. He always makes me look good and when he bucks my authority it is usually either a helpful teaching moment or a message that I’m asking him to do something I shouldn’t be asking him to do. So, I brought him and as soon as the wiggly, overexcited, and uninhibited puppy, Abby, came in I knew we’d have a “teachable moment.” Abby is old enough to know better. Her family is tired of her antics. In a baby pup her behavior would be considered cute but she is big now and so it is just plain rude. We all are seeking ways to help her understand what parts of her behavior are unacceptable. Hermes did what her family has been trying to do for 2 months in less than 2 minutes. Abby understood him completely.

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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 Goodies from Kongplanning 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 Hermes vs. Kongthe 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

Lollie guards her kong

Feature Article

Elburn Herald photo by Sarah Rivers

Elburn Herald photos by Sarah Rivers

There is a feature article in the current edition of the Elburn Herald, a local paper that has been publishing for more than 100 years.  Susan O’Neill wrote the feature and Sarah Rivers took the photos. Fun!

Read Giving Puppies a Chance for Life

Update: The Elburn Herald is updating their website, so you can try this link also. Or just navigate from www.ElburnHerald.com

It’s a really good article, farily long too.  We kind of weave through the story of our foster experiences as well as our own dogs.  Enjoy – and submit your comments at the end of this post!

photo by Sarah Rivers

Letting Go

Hermes

Hermes

Today my son cried and cried at breakfast. He said through his sobs, “I don’t know why I am crying!” I think he is missing his puppies. No matter what I said though, he denied it but I’ve seen this before. He needs to grieve their leaving and I don’t blame him. I miss them too, but my missing is much less intense. He was their primary playmate and they were his. He, being an only child, really enjoys having little ones who are ready and eager to play with him. And they were there for him, without requiring anything more from him than his company. Of course he misses them. I could try to convince him that having the pups in their new homes is best for everyone, I could remind him of how unavailable I was during their last few weeks with us, I could try to avoid his grief by telling him we’ll get more (more…)

January 13, 2009 • Tags:  • Posted in: fostering dogs, Hermes, observations • 1 Comment