Adopted!!

Yes, my sweet Spanky found himself a wonderful new home!  Russell and his kids drove 2 hours to come to my house, meet Spanky, and adopt him.  I miss him terribly, but Russell has told me he is doing great, and settling in nicely.  So I'll consider my adventures in dog fostering successful thus far!

glad that's behind us

Neutering, that is!  He went to the SPCA Spay and Neuter Clinic yesterday, and we got the job done, and a microchip put in.  He came back groggy, and slept well last night.  Unfortunately, the meds are not being very kind on his digestive system, and we are dealing the best we can with that.  We went for a nice walk in the park this morning.  When we came back, I thought he'd be ready for a puppy nap.  Boy, was I wrong!  He was zooming around and around like a crazy boy.  He's supposed to be taking it easy, but it's pretty hard to tell a pup that!  I really didn't want to confine him to his crate, esp. with his upset tummy..... so he's been relegated to the back porch - space enough to move around, but kept away from his playmates.  It's a compromise he is not impressed with, but will have to deal with for now.  Let's hope he heals quickly, and his stomach settles down soon.  He has potential adopters coming to visit him on Saturday - he needs to be back to his bouncy, healthy self!!

Spanky hits the www

You tube!!  Yep, he's taking it by storm!! 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w-MRqAX3om0

Great day

What a good boy Spanky is, truly!  He was happy and playful, and just did so well at the adoptathon.  Now my printer is broken, so I had to bring paper to write out my contact details for people.  And I forgot a pen, so I was writing in crayon.  Classy, huh?  :)  Oh well!!  Kassidy, my 3 year old, was wonderful.  She played with the puppies there for 4 hours straight!!  Marly's Cat Tales are such a great group of people to let me come with them!! I think there were several people interested in Spanky - I hope to hear from them soon - he deserves the best.

first adoptathon!

We leave the house in 45 minutes.  I must admit to being a bit nervous.  Spanky is such a sweet boy - I want him to find a wonderful forever home.  He has me wrapped around his little paw - that sweet puppy breath and cuddles.  He has discovered he can adeptly jump up on the couch, and dive into my lap in less than a second flat.  I think of all the love he's missed out on..... and I let him stay. So the dog trainer in me gets a slap on the wrist, but the dog lover in me wins out.  He let me cut his nails last night with not second glance - besides wanting to chew on the clipper handle like a toy.  And then I spritzed him with some dry dog shampoo to make him smell nice - again, not a problem. 

We also went to the park in the morning - he was delighted to go - tail wagging and nice and confident - I know I say it often,  but he is such a happy little guy.

He also had his first long play in the back yard with my Sheperd pup (10 months, 100 lbs) Kodi.  They played and played and played.  I watched from the screened in porch, but did not intercede at all.  They did wonderfully!

I do wish he'd gain some weight -  he is a bit ribby.  He has to be encouraged to eat - and it's kibble with raw egg (fresh from our coop), and some salmon oil.  He is just not much of a morning eater - he tends to eat more later in the day.  And he loves to lick out all of the egg.  :)  He has had no tummy upsets, so I think he has a hearty digestive system, which is a good thing.

If there are any potential adopters reading this - please come out to the Cary Petsmart on Walnut St today (Sunday, Nov. 14th, 2010), from 11am to 3pm.  But I doubt I will stay that long - I have my 3 year old with me, and I was also in a bad car accident on Wednesday, so I am awfully sore.  But finding Spanky a forever home is very important to me - so we will go for as long as we can - hope to see you there!

to the park

Spanky went on his first visit to the park!  This was a people park, not a dog park.  He was a bit tentative getting out of his car crate - it's an awfully big world, you know.  But after a few minutes, he felt confident enough to explore.  He immediately went up to a group of young kids - all under 4 - tail wagging.  He really seems to love the little kids.  He got many pats, hugs, and kisses - all of which he thoroughly soaked up.  We then went around a 10 minute walking trail.  He stopped and said hello politely to everyone he met.  He especially liked a beautiful Golden Retriever lady named Miley - he had a fun romp with her.  He then went back in his car crate, and slept the way home.  Spanky is a great car traveler - doesn't get car sick or anxious - just curls up and sleeps, or looks with interest out the window.  What a good boy!

Life is Good

Dog 1 - Dixie has gone to bed with my 3 year old, Kassi
Dog 2 - Pepper is curled up on the couch on my feet
Dog 3 - Bindi is snoring in her crate
Dog 4 - Kodi Bear is chewing a chew toy in his crate
Dog 5 - Spanky is curled up on the floor on my feet, chewing a dog toy, after a lovely belly rub and cuddle
Toddler - Asleep
Tween - chilling with a book
Teen - gaming (of course, what else would a teen be doing in the evening?)

Husband and I - on the couch with our respective glasses of wine in hand, just chilling, watching "Pit Bulls and Parolees."  Yes, life was good last night!

Cruising!

Spanky and my girls and I cruised over to Petsmart in Cary today.  He was a bit scared to go in (who wouldn't be - it was loud and packed).  So I scooped him up and carried him - he reminded me how puppy he still was when he laid his head on my shoulder.  Sweetness.  After only about 3 minutes, he was acclimated and ready to explore.  Tail wagging and nose sniffing - we spent at least an hour in there - talking to lots of 2 legged creatures and playing with many 4 legged creatures.  He did so well!  Enjoyed everyone, and let everyone love all over him. He then slept the entire way home - he really loves to ride in the car.

Earlier, he went for his first official road walk in his new harness. I held my 2 older dogs - Dixie and Pepper, and my daugher Eva held Spanky.  He loved it - he just such an easy going little fella.  He will be somebody's dream dog, that's for sure!

Zap!

Poor lil fella got a noseful of electric wire!!  He was saying hello to the horses through the fence, and Kassi said something, I looked at her - at the same moment his nose made contact.  I felt like a heel!  He cried and pulled away from the leash - he nearly slipped his collar (thank you Stephanie, for making it smaller!).  He was not my friend for about 20 minutes.  And he was very grouchy with everyone.  Kind of like he was saying, "you know, I'm only young, and you've thrown alot of changes at me in 24 hours!"  So I brought him in and put him in his crate for a sleep, and dinner.  He ate a bit, and is curled up fast asleep.  Let's hope when he wakes up the electric fence will be a distant memory.

Spanky's first night

It went great!  Stephanie dropped Spanky off to me at work, and then we had an hour drive home - he slept quietly the whole time.  When I got home - all my peeps weren't home, only the furry and feathered.  So, I was able to maneuver one dog out at a time to the front yard, to say hi to Spanky. Dixie first, then Pepper.  All went wonderful.  Spanky bowed and played.  Then I moved the introductions to the back porch.  Bindi first - she was wonderful - very tolerant.  Then Bindi and Spanky had a play in the back yard - great time.  I waited until Paul came home to introduce him to Kodi.  Kodi is a 100 lb 11 month old Sheperd (probably Anatolian Shepard) mix.  Very gentle, sweet, and playful - but still HUGE compared to Spanky's 25 pounds.   It couldn't have went any better - Kodi rolled right over on his belly, and the games were ON!  They played and played like puppies should.  Spanky was just great - playful and interactive - neither fearful or dominant.  Because he's not neutered, he did do a bit of the humping game, when Kodi was lying down.  Kodi wouldn't just stand up and Spanky would be rolled off - pretty amusing.   Spanky had his dinner of kibbles and a fresh egg in his crate.  So far, all but one pee has been outside.  Smart little fella - only took hime 3 treats to learn how to sit.  Not food or toy aggressive at all so far - but I've just tried with people, not dogs - too early for that kind of test.  He whined a bit when he was put to bed in his crate, but once he was asleep,  he didn't make a peep until we woke up at 7:00am!!

This morn- he's had individual plays with all the dogs outside, and has played beautifully with Kassidy, my 3 year old daughter.

And cats - he couldn't care less about them - many gold stars for that reaction.  If you've read this far, you are truly a dog nerd like me.  :)  Spanky is going to make someone a wonderful companion, that's for sure!  Please keep your eyes and ears open for a loving forever home for him.

Because I'm a dog nerd

Here's a great link with wonderful resources on dog behavior:  http://www.hsmo.org/pet-training/behaviorresources.html

He's a-coming!

Spanky, Spanky, Spanky.  Our household members are either: A - oblivious (this would be the furry or feathered members) or B - very excited!! Spanky is a 6 month old puppy that will be our very first foster animal.  His background is sad - tied to a 3 foot leash and barely fed his whole life.  Have you ever seen a puppy without that cute, round pink puppy belly?  That was Spanky.  Thank goodness - after several weeks of feeding and TLC from the PAWS wonder team, he is round-bellied and tail-wagging.  He came to the shelter with Hope - her story is heart-wrenching, and she too is looking for her forever home. Both dogs (and all of Hope's puppies) are now up for adoption.  I could use several choice words to describe their former owner - but I might get kicked out of BlogWorld.

What have I been doing to prepare for Spanky's arrival?  First - a big backyard clean up.  It's mostly done, but will be finished off tomorrow.  Second - reading up on proper dog introductions, and fostering.  Spanky looks like a Boston Terrier mix - a breed I have no experience with.  However - I do have 4 rescue dogs, and have lots of experience with rescue introductions.  Bought a new crate, washed old dog bedding for him, prepared my family as best as I could, and cleared my calendar for this weekend.  I think I'm ready!!  I sure hope so!