Just One More Dog

• 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!

Meet Luna:

This girl is pretty sweet. She is approximately a year old and hasn’t spent much time around people. She is shy at first and will keep her distance from you. But, once she gets comfortable she comes closer and closer. Her tail constantly wags, sometimes just a little bit and other times so fast it is going in circles.

Luna has been with me a week yesterday. I picked her up at the vet after she had been fixed and checked over. After the car ride to my house, she slowly crept out of her crate to check out the garage. Once outside I introduced her to Whitley, Boo Boo and Denny. She pretty much kept her distance from me, watching everything that was going on around the house. However, she never gave off the air of the fear/shyness that would lead other dogs to bite. Rather, when she felt it was required, she would lay down on the floor and basically shut down. Then, Luna discovered my bed. Oh, and the couch.

We really started to bond once she realized that me laying on the bed meant that I was at her level. She slithered like a snake up onto the bed head first, her tail thwapping against the bed and wall and anything else it came into contact with. Once she was on the bed she got so excited. She pushed her nose into my face and gave me kisses and I scratched her ears. I think for her that was heaven. She closed her eyes and got this look of bliss on her face. And then we had a nap together.

She is very good with Cameron and the other dogs. I feed her each meal from my hand and that has really built the trust up between us. She also now comes to me when I get home to say hi. Before, she would stay back halfway across the room and whine because she wanted to be close and say hi but just couldn’t do it. Amazing how much can change in just a week. I can’t wait to watch her grow that much more, trust more and blossom as a loved part of our foster family.

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!

Denny is a 5 month old prairie dog. He is an absolute doll. Initially he was reserved about meeting humans but seems to have gotten over that quite quickly. At PetSmart on Saturday he really came out of his shell. I am very proud of him. He loves to curl up with me and be close. At the same time, he loves to play with the other dogs and is really good with my son. He is crate trained and we are working on him slowing down how quickly he eats. He needs to understand that the food is not in short supply!!

He looks bigger in these pictures than he is. He is quite a dainty boy for 5 months compared to the bear pups that were here.

Well, this post is a wee bit late. Wheatie went to his forever home a week ago. I think that his name is going to be changed – perhaps to Dexter or something like that. I am really happy with the match!

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.