Just One More Dog

I was going through my older posts because I knew I had a post somewhere with a picture (or two) from the previous litter from Monk’s parents.

Who is Kodiak and who is Monk  ….

Today, Monk went to his first vet visit. Of course,  he had his big sister Whitley with him. He got a clean bill of health, the rest of his shots and a goodie bag!

With the weather getting hotter here in cow town and stampede upon us, I figured it was time to get the puppies playing. I purchased a pool a few weeks ago and they have just started really using it. Even my big girl Whitley. Chewy LOVES the pool. He loves to run around in circles with his nose in the water.

I am also working on socializing Monk by getting him out into the “real” world. Today he came to my work and got loved and cuddled by a bunch of different people. He was scared at times but did really well. So when we came home he crashed out …

Well the time has come where I decided I needed an ARF dog of my very own. Meet Monk …

Dogs have such a tough life. Playing sure seems to take a lot of out of them. Over the last few days the pups have settled in fantastically. They have been getting used to all the different household sounds and learning that Foster Mom can sometimes be a Pez Dispenser, especially when they are being well behaved.

Cameron is the biggest help. He makes sure that the dogs are fed, watered and have lots of play time. For a seven year old I am a pretty lucky mom. He loves the puppies and is always excited to see them go to their new “forever” homes because it means that more puppies are coming to our house, and more puppies lives will be saved.

With me taking the Apprenticeship Program at Dogma I have been able to show Cameron how to interact appropriately with the puppies and he is really good at “training” them. Its pretty cute.

The dogs have a lot of play time. Having more than one is great because they entertain each other. Of course, the puppy piles when its nap time are pretty cute too.

Back in the saddle with 4 new foster puppies … they are all 2.5 months old. So, let me introduce …

3447F – Chiclet

I am a very loving girl. My foster mom thinks that I am pretty cute too with my markings. I am a bit shy initially as being in a house is so new to me, but I am getting more comfortable every day. One thing I love to do is to lay in my crate and just chill out watching the world – after I have had a good playtime with my brothers and sister. I do really well in my crate and my potty training is going great just like my siblings! Will you help introduce me to the world?

3448M – Chewy

I am pretty inquisitive and love to explore. I am cool chillin’ outside laying in the sun or chasing around my siblings. I have these really cute markings too and my cute face and expressions sure gets me lots of kisses from my foster mom. Plus, I love to cuddle. I do really well in my crate and my potty training is going great just like my siblings! Now I just need the perfect family to share my cuddles with.

3449F – Cosmo

My foster mom says I have these sad puppy dog eyes, but really I am such a happy girl who loves to chew on bones, play with my siblings and in the doggie pool or just sleep at my foster mom’s feet. I like laying in the grass watching the world around me. I do really well in my crate and my potty training is going great just like my siblings! Can I show you my puppy dog eyes?

3451M – Crash

My name is Crash, its fitting as I run so fast sometimes I can’t stop in time. This makes my people laugh. I also love to play with the puppy in the mirror. I do really well in my crate and my potty training is going great just like my siblings! Now I just need the perfect home.

Do you ever look at a dog and ask yourself “just what is going on in that dogs mind?”

Well, with Dexter there isn’t too much of a question when it comes to watching him. His thoughts are written all over his face. He is a very expressive little guy.

Example (talk of poo’ing ahead) – he was outside the other morning, and I was watching from the kitchen as I am working on him having more independence from me (more on that later). He had just eaten so was outside going poo. Low and behold, a magpie flies into the yard mid poo. Yes. You got it. I burst out laughing because he had this look on his face like “I want that bird, I NEED that bird … BUT … I’m poo’ing … I can’t just stop … BUT I WANT THAT BIRD …

Needless to say, I am still laughing as I think about it. He is pretty obvious with his wants/needs. When its play time he gets the ball and picks it up / drops it over and over again. When he is hungry he paws at the food container. And of course, when he wants to cuddle he just …. cuddles.

Dexter is pretty attached to everyone he meets. He loves to be close to the people in his world. Often, if you are standing anywhere and he is able to just chill out, he is either chilling out between your feet or sitting on them. He is like a shadow, a very cute shadow. He is crate trained and I find that when his puppy playfulness requires a time out the crate works great. It’s funny, he is just like a kid, where I can tell when its time for a nap. There are times when he gets the “PuppyCrazies” and I put him in his crate and its almost an instant snorefest.

I know that whatever family he goes to will fall in love with him. He does have energy and needs to burn that off, but I have found that even just training him can tire him out. I have trained him to sit, laydown, crawl, shake both paws and sit pretty. We are working on leave it and take it too. He is great when I call him to come too. I think that it helps when he goes to Dogma for daycare. He gets great socialization and he also comes home wiped out. He has actually been crashed out in his crate for the last hour without a sound!

Well it has been a very busy week in Chez Morgan and I owe a post to update y’all.

Denny:

Denny went on a day visit last Sunday. Funny enough, it was with a family where I went to junior high with the Dad. The day visit went really well – okay, except for an incident in the truck on the way there – but other than that he seemed to really take to them. They decided to adopt him. It was great on Monday when the family came to pick him up and he was so happy to see them. It was like he knew what was going on. His last night with me, he cuddled me all night long. I know that he has adopted a great new family.

Luna:

Luna went for a day visit also. She met her new families family and the day went exceedingly well. The visit went so well that when she came home she was even more out of her shell than normal. It was great. She has been adopted by a family that is so excited to see her every day. I am so happy for her.

And of course, when one dog is adopted, there is room for another one in my house. So it is with great pleasure that I indroduce you all to Dexter (initially known as Glen).

When Dexter first came to ARF he was a bit of a wild child. With the help of a lot of dedicated volunteers – both human and canine – this boy is going from wild child to chillin’ dude. He has been going to daycare to be socialized and to wear him out. However, starting this week I am going to cut back the amount of time that he goes. On Thursday when I picked him up he was pretty excited and hyper. The meeting with Whitley and with Cameron went well. So, when we got home, I decided that this time, I was going to actually set rules and boundaries in my house.

First off, I decided that he would not come up on the couch without permission. So I found an old blanket and have it beside me on the floor. I gave him his bone and told him that was his “bed”. He is such a smart little guy. He got it right away. Not only did he lay there and chew bones, he did it over and over willingly. He has come up on the couch once, and that was late last night when he was quiet beside me on the floor. So I let him up on my lap where he promptly fell asleep.

Secondly, we are doing a lot of training. Starting with “sit” and moving forward to “down”, “leave it” and “take it”. He follows me around everywhere and is often right beside me as I walk around the house. He is crate trained and sleeps very well in his crate at night. And he is learning to mellow out. Since Thursday, I have already noticed a difference. The first night he was here he had the zoomies around the house. Now, he will run around but its not insane. Its laid back.

Anyways, this lil’ dude is really sweet. There will be more to come on this guy as days go by. I will take more pictures soon.

ARF is having an Adopt-a-Thon, tomorrow Sunday March 21, 2010 and LUNA will be there.

When: Sunday, March 21, 2010 11:00am – 4:00pm
Where: Ruffhouse Playcare Daycare for Dogs (2173 41 Av NE)

Luna has come a long way. She no longer goes running when it looks like we might pass each other in the hallway. She still is apprehensive about approaching me when I first get home, standing a bit away and whining excitedly. If I sit down though she is all over me. She DOES love to cuddle. That seems to be a running theme in my house. Must be because I love to cuddle. In the morning she crawls up onto the bed (if she isn’t already there) and wakes me up by putting her nose in my face to tell me she has to go to the bathroom. She is pretty good at doing it at 6:19am every morning. Yes, 6:19. Its like having deja vu. She is one of those dogs that just makes you want to smile because she is so gentle and kind but has had a past that wasn’t. Every little moment of improvement is celebrated.

And she is a TAIL WAGGER.  She can be asleep and hear her name and it starts to wag. I will be having a bath and if I am talking to one of the other dogs and mention her name her tail wags. I like to call to her from different rooms just because I like to hear her tail twapping on the floor!

So come on out and see her.

• get up
• go pee
• see what the kid of the house is eating
• crawl back into bed with foster mom
• cuddle and sleep a bit more
• get up again
• go for a quick walk
• eat
• go play – wrestle, chase and goof off
• THEN – come inside because foster mom is cooking and get given a few pieces of spicy sausage

Hard to pick a favorite part of the dogs day when it isn’t even noon yet.