Just One More Dog

Archive for March, 2010

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.

Everyone is settling in nicely. Luna and Denny are coming out of their shells and becoming accustomed to life in my house.

Luna Update:

On Saturday, Luna came to an ARF meeting with me at Dogma Training and Pet Services. ((we had also gone there on Thursday for her to have a bath)) It was a turning point for her. There were a lot of people there. She stayed distant, I sat on the floor with her, and she basically “avoided” everyone. However, she did engage with some people and also had a good sleep and by the end of the day she seemed more open to experiences and wasn’t so quick to shut down. She even tried to jump into the back of the car to get into her crate! Such a brave girl.

After the weekend she has been a bit more courageous when I come home, not running and hiding. She has also stopped getting up when I get up. She is more relaxed and moreso each day. It is wonderful to see. She is a huge cuddle bug too. Her tail wagging as she crawls up onto the bed or couch. And she has realized that Cameron will give her lots of pets and cuddles while also sneaking her treats.

Denny Update:

Denny is also settling in. He is a pretty funny little guy. He is so excited about food (as I’ve mentioned before). But now I am starting to get him to sit and wait before diving into his food dish at feeding time. **heavy sarcasm** and there seems to be a problem with him relaxing …

All in all, life is good in Chez Morgan. Each day is a learning experience, for all of us!