Just One More Dog

Archive for the ‘Bear Pups’ Category

A close call for this girl. She almost … almost … was going to stay at my house. BUT, a better offer came along. Boo Boo has gone to a home with another dog to torment err love and a mom who will spend a lot of time with her. Days will be filled with dog walks and nights of cuddling. I am so happy for both Boo Boo and her new family.

Again, yes, a bit sad, but in a good way. Its only heartbreaking for a bit, until my son reminds me why it is good that the dogs are adopted!

It has been a very big weekend here at Chez Morgan. Kodiak and Paddington went on successful home visits while Boo-Boo and I were at PetSmart (more on that in another post!) I am happy to announce that they have found forever homes with two wonderful families who will shower them with love and probably spoil them rotten. PLUS, last night both dogs came back walking on leashes.

Kodiak was the first to go.

Of course Paddington gives me a good picture on his last day with me! He was picked up shortly after Kodiak. I will admit that I was slightly verklempt.  I am really happy for everyone.

Its been a busy morning here at Chez Morgan. Both Paddington and Kodiak have gone on day visits. Keep your fingers crossed for them. Both of them are visiting families who have a lot of love to give and will probably come back here spoiled rotten!

Boo-Boo and I are heading to PetSmart today. And Wheatie has a visit with a family this afternoon.

Whitley, well I think she is liking the fact that there are only two other dogs in the house at the moment as she is flaked out on the couch which she hasn’t had the opportunity to do much of with a house full of puppies.

It has been a busy weekend here at Chez Morgan. 6 new puppies were at Petsmart on Saturday. Cameron was with me and we decided that we would take one of them home with us. So, the new member of the Chez Morgan pack is ….

2 month old muttilicious male puppy. He is fitting it quite well with the pack at the moment. He holds his own when they are all playing together and has inserted himself into the puppypile:

A very cute picture of puppypile bliss.

We also had a visitor for a Saturday night sleepover.

Baloo was over for the night. She came running up to the house when her Dad dropped her off and the pups played like crazy the whole day. It was awesome to see. In the week that she has been in her new home she has become quite a bit more independent which was wonderful to see. When her mom picked her up today she was just as happy to see her too! Wagging her tail at her family. I loved it.

Sherri left a great comment on my post about my thoughts on fostering so I thought I would answer it here.

Sherri wrote:

thank you for your post. i’ve been seriously considering applying to foster as well (or at the very least adopting a dog of our very own). my biggest worry is how MY 7-year-old will handle having to give up the puppies when they find a forever home. also, do you work full time? how do you manage with walks, house training, etc.? any advice you could provide would be so helpful. thanks again :0)

Thanks Sherri for leaving a comment. I honestly think it is how you approach what you are doing openly with your child. At least, this worked well for me. I have been very honest with Cameron about why fostering these puppies is a good thing and what we are doing to save them. It has helped him take ownership of the process also. I made a statement the other night when I was goofing around with the dogs and said “how are my puppies” and he piped up from the living room saying “they are OUR puppies mommy”.

Julie, who organizes the fostering, says “don’t kiss the fosters” because its hard to let them go when you are attached. I agree with her. At the same time, I know that if one of the pups came into our world that “had” to stay with us that I would adopt it. I am not saying “no” to that avenue. And trust me, I have thought about the bear pups because they give me so much happiness, but I also know that I am helping them learn to be good pups that will complete some other family.

I do work full time but I have a dog walker who also lets the pups out for me during the day. It was more important when I first got them. Now, at almost three months they are able to hold their “stuff” for 5-7 hours. As for house training, I started off with feeding them in their crates. This helps them associate the crate with their den and they don’t like to go potty where they eat. Of course there were accidents. But, we haven’t had an accident in a week. I have hardwood floors. Whats a little pee? That’s what a mop is for. Of course, I do have the mop bucket fresh each day because with four dogs, a kid and me the floor does get dirty.

Fostering has really enriched my life. Erin, foster mama over at Haven for Dogs, said to me that she tells people she volunteers every day. That is what we do!

Hazel’s foster family sent me an update the other day about her which warmed my heart and re-enforced just how awesome doing this is – Hazel has taken to walking on her leash, she goes out for a walk with her human sister every morning before school and then gets to go on another walk during the day. The sense of happiness I get from them is rewarding.

Finally, this month’s ARF newsletter brings it home. In December, there were seven puppies that were sheltered in a tree with their mom. They were only a few days old. Because there weren’t any open foster homes ARF couldn’t take them. Recently, when ARF went back to check in, there were only three puppies there. Had their been homes these pups could have survived and could have made the perfect companion to some family out there.

It’s about doing what you can. If you aren’t sure about taking the step with fostering, there are many other ways to help out. We are at the PetSmart across from Chinook every Saturday from 1-3 and need volunteers to help there. We have the Pad for Paws campaign, the annual golf tournament, people to screen potential adopters and then those people who are able to help out with other fundraising campaigns. Just a few of the volunteer opportunities are listed on the ARF Website. If there are other questions about ARF or volunteering you can always send them an email and someone will contact you. Every little bit helps.

WOW … I can be long winded. So, if you have stuck with me this long, here is your reward …

Yes, that is Paddington, discovering the fresh water of the toilet.

What is it with these pups and the lack of desire to have their pictures taken. I swear, I maybe get one good one for every 25 I take. Tonight, they were sharing the pillow so I figured I would try to take some shots.

Great I thought. I can take a picture of them. So I tried. Kodiak and Boo Boo were semi helpful.

And then there is Paddington. The camera shy boy – or maybe he is just into being coy or playing hard to get. This was the best I could get.

I love how much they have changed in the couple of weeks they have been with me.

Baloo went to her new home today. She has been adopted by a great family who will have a ton of time to play with her and kids to grow up with. It was a wonderful feeling to walk into their home with her today and watch her sniff around, wagging her tail and eventually fall asleep on one of the kids blankets.

Although its hard to say “see you later” to Baloo, its a very rewarding feeling knowing that she is with a wonderful family and her being adopted opens my home up for more puppies.

Yes people, its not all pointy ears anymore (except for Baloo … hers are still straight up!)

As you can see with this last picture, Kodiak and Baloo were pretty wiped out on Saturday.

We had a great day on Saturday. I took Kodiak and Baloo to Petsmart and they were great. Both of them were pretty mellow which is normal for the most part. They had played for about a half hour before we left and all the new action around them tuckered them out. It was a very quiet ride home! However, once we got here Paddington, Boo-Boo, Hazel and Whitley had to sniff them and of course instigate some more play time. It was pretty funny. You would think they hadn’t seen each other in weeks the way that they acted.

I have started working on name recognition with them. Nothing elaborate, its pretty elementry really. I say their name while looking them in the eye and give them a piece of kibble. If the other dogs aren’t around we work individually on “sit”. This week we may even tackle the “leash”!

Hazel goes to the vet this week for a check up on her foot. Keep your fingers crossed because she may get the all’s good to go to her forever home.

The “bear” pups have been here for a couple of days now and everyone is finally becoming used to one another. I am getting up twice a night to let them out for a pee. Last night there were no accidents in the crates. Hazel has taken a bit of time to adjust to sharing her toys and belongings with them. That I can understand, who wants to share all these great plushy toys. Today however, was the first day where everyone actually settled down and slept OUTSIDE of their crates. Whitley was in the chair, Hazel was on the couch, Paddington had put himself into his crate, Kodiak fell asleep on a plushy and the girls went into Hazel’s crate.

These dogs crack me up. After about an hour of rest they had more play time and we went out for a pee. They followed me out by basically tripping over my feet. Paddington and Boo-Boo usually walk between my legs once I am standing outside or after going to the bathroom come and sit between my feet while I am waiting for us to go inside. Baloo likes to rub herself against my legs like a cat as she walks on by. Kodiak on the other hand will do his thing then comes over for some praise. We came inside and now all four of them are asleep in Hazel’s crate which they just barely all fit into. It is one big puppy pile.

After I took this picture they all got up, had some water, went back in and then Paddington came out of the crate, followed by Boo-Boo and curled up just outside of the crate and the other two are stretched out which looks way more comfortable (okay I lied, they have now all gone back into the crate!!)