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…)
About instincts – Mine and the mama dog’s
Daisy May? Angie?
Tonight I tentatively let out a sigh of relief…it seems our mama, Daisy May? Angie? has again decided to act like a mother. Her pups seemed content and are quietly sleeping when alone and vigorously crawling when she’s nursing them. They seem cleaner and as I watched her tonight she is attending to each of their elimination needs. although somewhat frantically. So it seems whatever derailed her a few nights ago is past us, that she’s back on track.
So, thinking this, I took her out for her last potty of the night. And I see her sniff and squat and I think “FINALLY” and then she sits down and watches the fireflies…sigh. But sooner than usual she gets down to business and potties…hurray. These little steps, like her realizing that she gets only a few times outside and that is the time for her to do her business, are huge accomplishments for her. As I was scooping up her liquid poop with a plastic bag in the dark while trying to hold onto her leash the thought hit me, “do veterinarians really know what they are talking about? Really?” I was told that whipworm is extremely contagious and that I should pick up all the poop immediately. As the vet told me this I said, “really? How?” and then as if an after thought they say “do the best you can” But when I ask abut how to protect myself and my family they say “make sure you wash your hands with soap and water.” SO, this highly contagious parasite that can live in the soil for FIVE years is adequately done away with using common soap and water. Why then can’t I just carry a spray bottle of the stuff and after unsuccessfully removing the poop blob just spray the whole thing with the apparently toxic bathroom staple?? Something doesn’t jive; either the parasite’s virulence is overrated or the merits of soap and water are. Either way, I think it is clear that NO ONE IN MY VET”s clinic (and I have to say I like these people a lot) have had to deal with a dog with whipworm or her poop lately – otherwise they would never advise me to remove all the poop, they’d say, “get the majority of it up and then NEVER WALK ANY ANIMAL ON THAT STRETCH OF LAWN FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS.” Right?
Whatever.
So, the puppies are all sounding snotty and nasally. Sigh. I also feel sort of duped by the vet for bringing them all in and then getting no advice (or treatment) on how to stop what I knew was going to be an outbreak of kennel cough across my entire litter. I also suspect that the vet visit was a major contributing factor in making mama Angie or Daisy May or whatever we are going to call her feel like rejecting her pups….Sigh. Should have followed my gut there. Next time.
Now don’t get me wrong. I like medical advice. I also like medicine. But we need to always listen to our instincts and not follow other people’s advice without checking it out with ourselves first. Lesson learned, again.
Mothering doesn’t come easy to some dogs
It has been awhile since I last wrote. I’ve been in a very resistant place regarding this new mama we’ve got. I now think that taking on another foster so soon is extra difficult because the comparison between the dog and puppies that are leaving and the new group isn’t fair…one set is used to your routine and are a known entity, all fun and cuddly and ready to go to their new homes, and the other set is clueless to what you want and skinny and needy and frail…
So, needless to say this transition has been difficult on me. Added to that this new mama… the name Angel doesn’t fit, I like Angie better, or Daisy May. Anyway, this new dog is really young and doesn’t know what to do. So I was full of resistance to what is…I wanted her to be like Chloe (who I really miss and who was such an amazing mother) and she’s not. She’s not like any of the dogs we’ve had but she isn’t all that bad…but just as I was sitting down to write this, about how our stories cloud our true vision and how when we stop resisting what is, we get all this new energy for dealing with what is…she started drinking the mop water…with bleach in it! So, she is sort of really stupid on some level…or really clueless, a real Daisy May…very sweet and skinny and cute but DUMB.
Ok, no more stories… Here is what has been happening… She seemed to be gaining her mommy legs after the tragic death of her puppy, nursing them well and all that, but then something (more…)
New mama – and pups – arrive early
WEEELLLLLL, Things don’t always go as you plan do they? Sometimes you need to roll with things, have loose hips, let yourself be moved by the world rather than trying to control everything. We had a good plan – new mama, named Angel, comes North to Chicago (from Southern Illinois) on Saturday, spends the day with a temporary foster and arrives Sunday afternoon after Chloe and her final five pups have gone to their new homes. Sort of stressful but doable.
Ha!
So, Michelle, our wonderful dog coordinator for Homes for Endangered and Lost Pets (H.E.L.P.) calls me on Saturday afternoon asking if we can take Angel early, on Saturday after I get off work. I think, ok, that’s doable.
New mama Angel and her 9 pups
Ha.
So as she is describing Angel’s heavy panting, rejecting food, and restlessness I say, “Ah, I think you need to come over here as soon as possible” And sure enough she was starting to have her pups on the ride over. We got her into the house and settled into a temporary room, as Chloe and pups are of course still in the puppy room, and she gets down to business. It seems clear that this is her first litter as she seemed a bit clueless in the beginning. But with Michelle’s and my help she got the bulk of the group (8 so far) delivered by 11:00 pm. But I fear she isn’t done. I am, however, heading to bed after this post and one final check. It figures, another large litter. But when I saw her I guessed 8-10.
We did have one scary moment – pup number 5 came out and it was clear in an instant that something was terribly wrong. He was opening his mouth and struggling to breathe but nothing (more…)
New mama dog coming Sunday
new mama dog coming soon
ATTENTION EVERYONE!
We are getting some new puppies again!
Here is the new mama – seems we are having a run on Golden mixes. She looks like she’s going to deliver any day now. Keep yourself tuned in for more news on who the new little ones are going to be! And to think… the current litter isn’t leaving until the day this new mama comes…Sunday the 14th.
(Sorry to let you know this way Mike!!!)
New mama dog and pups
Chloe the mama dog is beautiful and so even tempered. For some reason she was barking like crazy the first night so we nipped that in the bud and she’s been an angel ever since. I was torn about using the “bark collar” as we call it. An electronic collar that gives a “correction” when the dog’s bark sets it off. As it was her first night I expected a bit of a struggle for her to acclimate but I am someone who NEEDS sleep so I gave into my need and strapped the collar on. It took her about 10 minutes to figure out that her barking caused the shock and then she stopped. She has been quiet since. I think barking is self reinforcing – meaning I don’t need to do anything but let her bark to get her to bark more often. For that reason I am a user of electronic shock collars to stop barking. In my own dogs I have trained them to quiet on command. Franklin the bird has even learned to yell “QUIET” when the dogs start to bark. It’s crazy how fast he learned that! Anyway, back to the puppies.
They have just started to cut their baby teeth, putting them at about 3 and 1/2 weeks old. So I will now officially set their birthday at April 22, 2009. Luckily for us the home that had Chloe (our name for the sweet Irish setter looking mama) kept her until Friday because if we had gotten her while she was still pregnant it would have interrupted some important family birthday celebrations! See, everything works out as it should.
So, after settling Chloe in the first order of business is always a bath. She did not seem to like the whole idea of bathing but allowed it. She is a very willing and submissive dog. Her coat is beautiful and full, reminding me of a Chow Chow’s coat. She also looks like an Irish Setter to my untrained eye and does “point” with her front leg when interested in something. And of course, she also looks like a golden retriever. A very pretty girl.
a puppy pile!
Her puppies are so cute! They look like they’re going to have their mama’s thick beautiful coat. Their are some interesting color markings on them all and the one boy who is mostly white seems to have sky blue eyes! Wow, that will make for a stunning dog. They seem to have been handled and aren’t afraid of me, wagging their tails as they explore my hand. They are just starting to walk and talk and like I said, their little baby teeth are just coming in. I introduced them to “formula” in a saucer today and about half of them took to it. We’ll keep presenting it once a day for a bit, there is no rush. But when the mama’s are as thin as Chloe is, it is good to start supplementing them sooner rather than later. For now, everyone seems to be doing good. Chloe is eating well but not overly ravenously, the pups seem active and happy and I am relieved. Another fostering experience seems to be off to a good start.
She really is quite thin, as they all are, and her puppies seem weaker than I remember 4 week old puppies being. More Chole & pups coming to CanineFostering.com ~ stay tuned!!!
A new mama dog in need?
Nisha is a mama in waiting
I got an email I was expecting to get. You know how you get a feeling that something is going to happen and then when it does it isn’t that surprising because you were expecting it? Anyway that’s what I felt when I got an email from Michelle (from H.E.L.P.), telling us about another dog that needed a home. She is a cute dog and the usual size, around 50 lbs. I’d take her in a heart beat. The time with Annie and her pups has faded into memory and the puppy room is just gathering dust anyway.
But here’s the catch – we are DEEP into remodeling our kitchen. And I mean DEEP. Like, today my neighbor and I sledge hammered our tile floor out, kind of deep. The thought of taking on another mama and her pups at this point seems exhausting and impossible, which means it will probably happen. See, I told Michelle that I’d prefer to have another foster (more…)
Adoption Process Underway
Annie and her no-nursing shirt
Yesterday was a busy busy day for everyone. We had numerous viewings of the puppies as well as a few families who came by to play with and cuddle their new family members. The puppies are now 7 weeks old and aren’t ready to leave just yet. I like to wait until closer to 8 weeks to give them as long as possible with their littermates and mama. Annie continues to be a stellar mother, nursing them whenever they ask for it. I have to keep chasing her out of the puppy room to stop that as she will be leaving soon. I was up until 11:30 last night sewing her a little shirt to keep her teats in and away from the puppies. I was using an old t-shirt but the pups were climbing into the shirt through the arm (more…)
