Annie still loves to fetch
Here we have an update on our foster mama from last Christmas, Annie!
Annie with Gertie
Kristin,
Annie is still and will always be obsessed with retrieving, but that is part of her charm. She continues to bring us joy everyday. The girls and I had the best time with her up north at the lake and she stayed right with us. We had to be very patient with Annie. It is so much for the mother dogs to adjust to. First the foster home, puppies being weaned, and yet another adoptive home. Feel free to share our story with Annie.These pics are of Annie and Gertie in the summer at our lake house in WI. Annie loves retrieving objects from the water and is quite the swimmer.
Marsha
Mama dog gets a bath
Well, today was SO hot that I figured if I bathed Sandy? Daisy? Angie? (still haven’t found a name right for her) outside she wouldn’t mind the cold water and she’d dry off in a snap. Plus I figured she’d like the time outside. Boy was she freaked out by the water! It could be that it was spraying at her from the hose (I tried to be gentle but there isn’t that gentle a way for one to spray another with a hose) or that it was cold, or that she’s never had a bath or a hose bath before – I’m not sure which it is. But once she realized that all I was doing was hosing her down and that she couldn’t get away from me, she submitted. It sort of was humbling to me, how dogs let us submit our will on them rather easily. Now I know what I was doing was for her own good and she ultimately seemed to really enjoy being clean (you know how dogs do that rubbing thing on the carpet once they’re clean? She was rubbing herself along the garage door!!) but it sort of hit me how I could have been doing anything to her and she would eventually give in. How trusting, and how sad that so many people betray that trust. It just really hit me today for some reason.
But anyway, hopefully she will be ok with her next bath and hopefully I didn’t teach her to be deathly afraid of them…I think not as, like I said, she clearly got into it after a bit. And it is nice to have her clean!! Birth is a yucky business and that first week continues to be a bit yucky. Add to that her bout of whipworm and the poop that goes a long with that, and her pups crawling all over her and THEIR loose stool and… well, you get the picture. The dog needed a bath. (more…)
Muddy puppies will grow into dogs
Yesterday was a rainy, humid, day. But puppies don’t care about muddy feet, floors or food bowls – they just want to play! And so, against my wishes but in line with my instincts I let them out when the rain had let up a bit. They had a blast! They were rolling around with Chloe and chasing each other and basically getting into the best kind of puppy trouble – the dirty kind. And I noticed something, how much Chloe seems to really enjoy being a mama.
Now we’ve had a series of mamas and each has been different; Bella, our first, was a strict mama, her tag line would be “now cut it out all of you and behave!”. Sweetie, our mama from last year would have the tag line, “Here’s how to be in submission, and here, and here and here…now get me out of here!”. And Annie’s would be, “Where’s my KONG? Where is it? Oh, you want to nurse – FINE, hurry up I have to find my KONG!!” But Chloe’s would be “Hi you guys! How are you? Wanna wrestle? OK! I love you all.” It is heartwarming and so sweet to watch. I can’t wait for a warm sunny day to get some video on it to share with all of you.
Puppy adoption interviews are going well. I’ve met some wonderful families full of love and eager to share it with a puppy. Watching them choose a puppy makes me wonder what is it exactly that we respond to in a puppy? Mostly I think it is looks and what those looks tell us about the kind of dog we hope it will be. But what most people don’t realize is that the description of the kind of dog the puppy will be is really just a story – an invention made up of what that puppy represents, how it reminds them of a past pet, or is the opposite of a past pet, that sort of thing. Most people don’t really chose based on temperament (though, with this group you can’t go wrong – with a mama like Chloe) or energy level match – though some do go into the process with those ideas in mind. But I tell you, I can tell a family that given their set of criteria one puppy would be better than another but most don’t listen once they have gotten their eyes on a pup – they just fall in love and the story line begins.
Chloe and pups settling in
Getting the family at week 3 is so different! I realize that usually by now I have all the puppies identified by personality – who is more outgoing, who is more vocal, that sort of thing. But the best I can do now is count them, and there always seems to be the same one missing… she’s always off in some corner snoozing all by herself. It could be the same puppy each time, or another one who looks like her, there are three tricolor pups…who knows? I made sure that I held each one tonight and said “hello.” The one mostly white male with back dew claws does stand out for me but that’s about it. The rest I can identify in my mind but have no idea who is who. There are two pairs of pups who look similar, one male and one female each. And I think one of the golden ones that looks like the white one is a male too – he’s got the cutest face! It is crazy how cute he is. I know I say this each and every time but THESE are the cutest puppies ever…
Chloe is a dream. I walked her today with the “pack” – my four and my neighbor’s. She did well, better than Sweetie and way better than Annie. She is a calm dog, submissive and willing to listen but likes to run away from me when I want to “nab” her to bring her inside or to brush her. She has asked for snuggles a lot more than I thought she would so soon. She is a very loving dog. Someone is going to be WAY lucky to have her.
Puppies are coming! Puppies are coming!
The phone rang early this morning. H.E.L.P. has a mama dog and her seven 4-week old pups in need. As is often the case, we know very little about this group, but we will soon enough – they will be here in a few hours!
Here is what we do know. The mama is believed to be a 40lb Golden Retreiver mix. She had her litter of pups four weeks ago and is coing to us via the same shelter in Fulton County Illinois that brought Sweetie and Annie into our lives. If you haven’t, you should read up on their stories here on CanineFostering.com.
So put CanineFostering.com back on your daily reading list – we will be writing, posting photos & videos of this new fostering experience!
Bauer Report – 4 months
Here is a report on one of Annie’s litter, Bauer from his forever family. We love getting and sharing these updates!
Bauer at 4 months old
Bauer has turned into a very well behaved large puppy. I first noticed this when I was walking with him. I now can give him slack on the leash (which makes the walk so much more enjoyable for me!), and he doesn’t lunge or pull or even try to take the lead (90% of the time on this last one). When he does start to forget he needs to walk by my side, I say “with me” and tap my leg and he waits for me. This has progressed into us (when we’re sure no one else is around) dropping his leash during the walk. He has yet to stray more than 2 feet from my side — occasionally he’ll smell something and stop to sniff, but I say with me or catch up and he’s back at my side.
The other HUGE step he has made is with his stay. He always had a good stay, but we wanted him to have the best possible. We’re not there yet, but we’re getting there! Our new “trick” is to have him outside with us and a large basketball the neighbor boy donated (partially because Bauer found it when we first brought him home as a puppy — he managed to dig it out of a snow pile when some poor child lost it…..), and partially because (and I’m using the (more…)
Annie settles in
Here is an update from our beloved Annie’s new forever family…
We can’t believe it has been nearly a month and a half since we made Annie a part of our pack. She is settling down well in her new home and learning the routine very quickly. Annie is also fitting in so well with our other two dogs. Lebowski loves to run after her as she flies across the yard fetching her Kong or freshly made snowballs that the girls make and throw for her. Even our fifteen year old, Tama has extra spring in her step ever since Annie came. She has brought so much joy to us with her enthusiastic spirit and playfulness.
The only habit of Annie’s that we are still getting use to is what we call her happy, slappy tail. Whenever we come home or let her out of her kennel her tail whips anyone and everyone in the room. Little bruises on our legs are a small price to pay for such a great dog. We thank H.E.L.P. and her wonderful foster family for all the care and hard work they provided to bring Annie and her puppies into their much deserved forever homes.
-Murray, Marsha, Hannah, and Mairin
Ebbie gets a home plus an Annie update
My sister has a new member in her family!! Ebbie came home on March 1st. I am so excited for her.
Annie and her Kong
As she told me about Ebbie’s foster owner, I was reminded of my goodbyes with Annie this January. It is the hardest part of fostering, the trusting another to do the work of taking care of an animal you’ve grown to love, and the saying goodbye. I saw myself as my sister described how the woman who had cared for Ebbie gave her all her favorite things – her crate, her bed, her collar, her leash. We who foster love these dogs and want to give them a part of us when they leave. We forget that we’ve given them the greatest gift of all by simply being willing to open our homes to them when they are at their worse. I think of all the fosters I’ve gotten and how dirty they all are when they arrive. How badly then need a bath, and how much they smell. How they are full of fleas, worms, ticks. How scared they are, and distrustful, and angry or shy. How long it takes some of them to warm up. The significance of that first time they come to you for just a pet, a little comfort brings tears to your eyes. When they start trusting you and reaching out for you, then you know they are ready to go. And that is what is so hard – saying good bye right when they are ready to love again. You tell yourself that they (more…)
