Our Fosters of 2015

It was a slow but good year for us. Typically we foster about 12 dogs a year but this year we just had 5. Part of that is we are only fostering 1 dog at a time now - something to preserve our sanity and keep things calmer and happier for our 4 personal dogs. But also, we didn't get the number of applications that we have in past years and dogs who I would have thought we'd only have for a couple weeks stayed with us for several months. That's okay though because we enjoyed our time with all of them.

But here they are - the five kiddos that we rescued in 2015 and happily all have been adopted into great homes.

Rigby: Rigby with his big brother before heading out for a rainy Northwest walk

Magill: he came to the 2015 Rattiefest with his family. A happy, happy boy.

Gus: he started as a sick little puppy but now is a big healthy guy. Here he is visiting Makeda and Mingus Cafe with his family.

Lizzy: Sweet "dizzy Miss Lizzy" is best pals with her human brother

Harrison: Big boy Harrison is newly adopted and has a furry older brother who has more energy than he does!

Our first dog of 2016 arrives next weekend and we will be sharing him with you soon.

Gus Pupdate!

Remember little Gus? He was the little guy that New Rattitude saved who ended up having parvo. For a couple weeks we weren't sure if he would make it but he rallied and finally was healthy enough to come to us in foster care.

His family reports that he is going great and has grown a ton. He loves anyone he meets - dogs or humans - and the family says he has been an amazing addition.

In August he got to take a camping trip with his family and really enjoyed himself.  Take a look at the cute photos:

Gus is Adopted!

Little Gus found himself a great family in the Greenwood neighborhood of Seattle - a neighborhood that has quite a few New Rattitude dogs adopted into it. He'll have two human siblings to keep him busy and parents who are very excited to welcome the little guy home. He'll get tons of attention and love and they have friends with young dogs so he will get to have puppy play dates as well.

His new brother let us know that they have a camping trip in the works too - Gus will LOVE a camping adventure. Especially since it will be near the beach and he will get to splash around and search for stinky things.

This little guys story is one of those great rescue stories - a really nice dog with a wonderful temperament who never would have made it without the help of rescue. A big thanks to New Rattitude for footing the bill to save his life not once, but twice as he battled parvo and then battled a condition that was a result of getting so many IV fluids during his parvo treatment. His bill was exorbitant and New Rattitude still has over a $1,000 to raise to meet their fundraising goals for Gus. If you can help go to www.newrattitude.org/clinic.htm and scroll down to Gus. There's a button there that you can click to sponsor him.

Gus at the emergency vet in April

A big thank you to all who came together - volunteers from 3 different non-profit groups - and helped with the rescue, medical care, fostering, transportation and adoption of this special dog. Have a great life little man!

Gus Wants to Play

Sometimes Gus wants to play with the big kids and does not take their hints that they aren't interested. This morning Gus  wanted Chima to play with him so bad. He stood over the top of her as she napped, occasionally gently nudging her snout with his foot trying to get her to bite at his leg. He had been trying to get this method to work for a couple minutes and Chima valiantly ignored him. While I don't want my dogs to have to put up with constant pushing, I also want puppies to learn what "no" looks like from another dog and what happens when they don't listen. Natural consequences are the best teachers in life and as long as the other dog isn't getting hurt or overly harassed and I know the dog won't hurt the puppy I will let the situation play out as long as I am carefully supervising.

I know Chima and she will put up with a lot from puppies and I also know that she she does that long slow "look away" like she does in this video, she is giving the puppy their last chance to take a hint before she snarks at them. I tried to back Gus gracefully out of the situation but he moved back for more and learned a good lesson - when a dog tells you "no" you need to respect the "no". 

Gus said "point taken" and moved away to play and roll around by himself. Then later he decided that it would be good enough to just play next to the big girls, even if they refused to wrestle with him. Good boy, Gus! 

Playing with one of his chews while the girls nap in the sun

Last night the girls actually let him lie on the couch with him which is a sure sign that he has been learning how he needs to behave when hanging out with them.

Chima actually let him lie on the couch right next to her

And of course sidekick Sal wasn't too far away. This is her "could we put the camera away?" look

Where's a Pup to Nap?

Gus does not like it when the other dogs sniff around his crate. It's something we've been working on with him since he gets a little growly if the other dogs walk by when there are any good toys or chews in his crate.

What is funny though, when it comes time to take a nap, Gus prefers Sal's crate. In fact if he is relaxing in her crate and I go downstairs with the other dogs he doesn't follow. He'd prefer not to interrupt his comfortable nap. While he likes the Molly Mutt beds downstairs it is Sal's bed that he wants the most.

Good thing for Gus that Chima and Sal don't mind little cranky puppies sleeping in their crate.

Gus Visits Makeda and Mingus

Waiting patiently - we had to make a stop at the REI flagship store and Gus and I waited in the garage while Troy ran in to pick up his race packet

We had to run some errands in Seattle and to take Gus to meet potential adopters. Since the adopters live Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood we decided to stop in at a Rat Terrier hot spot - Makeda and Mingus Cafe.

On the "red" carpet at Makeda (photo by Prashanthi Reddy)

Waiting while the humans chat

Introductions with Mingus

Thanks to Mingus being such a superstar the Greenwood Neighborhood has become a Rat Terrier hot spot. New Rattitude has several adopters who were referred to us after meeting Mingus. In fact there is a Facebook page for the Rat Terriers of Greenwood - The Greenwood Rat Pack.

Snuggles and kisses for Prash

As usual Gus was an amazingly polite and easy going little guy, meeting the owner, Prashanthi Reddy and her Rat Terrier Mingus (a New Rattitude alum) and then just kicking back and waiting patiently while we ate.

"Hey, any of that cookie for me?"

A little bored but quiet and patient - not common traits in a Rat Terrier puppy!

Gus stopped and got his picture taken on the Makeda Red Carpet and then sat politely while we had tea and delicious cookies. Besides the great coffee, beer, wine and food another reason to stop by is that Makeda and Mingus is a dog friendly restaurant. How cool is that? They have dog treats, water bowls and your furry friend is welcome to join you inside. So if you are in the neighborhood be sure to stop in. It's located on N 78th Street at the intersection of 78th and Greenwood Ave. 153 N. 78th Street.

Dogs On Dirt

We have a summer long terracing project going on in our lower yard that includes retaining walls and lots and lots of dirt work. The dogs think this is just fabulous and think we should be creating these giant piles of loose dirt for them more often. Weirdly they aren't doing much digging in them but they love to lay on it after it's been warmed by the sun.

Tilly enjoys a nap in some freshly turned dirt

Gus came to visit so Tilly decided she was going elsewhere

"Please get me away from this whippersnapper!"

Today while I was working on digging some compost into some very bad soil the dogs all kept me company.

Chima and Gus

Chima likes to nose through the compost looking for any choice bits to eat that might not be fully composted. 

She is not happy with me interrupting her compost inspection 

Meanwhile, Gus continues his nap in the sun

For several hours Troy worked on building the stairs and wall and I worked on digging and thinning some plants. The dogs worked on catching up on their sleep.

Frodo

Frodo and Gus

Salinas during a rare moment where she chose shade over sun

Out and About with Gus

After Gus' visit to the vet and the good news that he just had a minor sprain we decided to stop a Lowe's on the way home to pick up some gardening things. Lowes or Home Depot are great places to take puppies and expand their world.  Lots of places to wander and sniff, shopping carts, fork lifts, fountains - you just never know what you might find.

We were just in the garden section so took some time to wander around and smell the flowers and vegetable plants. Along the way he met a couple people who he sniffed for a bit and then was happy for more attention from them.

Checking out the tomato cages

Wandering through the vegetable garden section

It was another fun puppy socialization adventure - complete with tripe treats!

Gus the Klutz

Gus isn't the most coordinated of guys - he's in that awkward stage where he's growing like crazy and has more legs than he knows what to do with. Add to that the fact that he is a typical puppy who likes to jump up on everything and fling his body around, and it was a recipe for disaster.

On the way to the vet. He thinks these vet visits are sure getting old.

I was carrying Sal to the deck table so I could trim her nails and Gus was following us, jumping up and trying to bit Sal's tail. I turned sideways when he jumped and it must have thrown off his balance because when he landed he shrieked. He was putting weight on his injured leg after a few minutes so he was given crate rest for the rest of the night and then yesterday morning I took him to the vet.

The good news is she felt all over, extended and bent the leg and Gus showed no signs of any discomfort with the manipulation. She felt it was a minor sprain and for now he just needs to limit his jumping. Easier said than done!

Gus is bowlegged with a little duck-footed walk and I think that because of this structural stuff he will always need to be a bit careful about jumping too high or doing sports that put too much strain on his joints.

The vet also checked a bald spot on his back that I thought might be ringworm but it wasn't typical for ringworm - the skin was ultra smooth and pink, like new skin in an area that was burned. The vet said from the location between his shoulders and the size that it might be a burn spot from flea spot treatment he got awhile back. So bad news that he had that chemical burn, but good news that it isn't ringworm and that the skin has already healed up.

Snip Snip

Gus went in for his neuter this morning and is home now and doing great although he's still pretty out of it.

Heading home after the surgery - still a bit stoned and channeling Yoda

That's not a bad thing though since it will slow the little guy down while recuperates. The rest of the dogs are reveling in their well deserved break while Gus sleeps off the anesthesia.

Cone-free Snooze Time

I'm sure by this evening he'll be back at nearly full speed but for now he gets to be cone-free while he naps.

Playing with the Big Girls

You just never know when one of the big girls are going to decide to lay aside their grouchy anti-puppy stance and decide that it would actually be fun to play with a puppy. Gus has realized this so he just keeps trying to get them to play with them, hoping one of these days they will take him up on it.

A rare occasion where Sal played a little tug with Gus

So far his attempts with Chima have not gone so well. Chima's still not comfortable around him so when she "plays" it is so intense and close to her threshold that I don't feel it is safe, even though Gus doesn't seem to mind the intensity level. Little guy is up for everything, even if it involves getting screamed at by Chima. In those cases I have to be the bad guy and break things up. Below is a video where Chima just outright says "NO". Gus had been trying for about 15 seconds to get her to play by playfully waving his arms around and tapping her leg. By the time I got my camera rolling I just caught the end, which wasn't pretty.

However, she isn't always mad at Gus.

Salinas mostly rebuffs him when he tries to play with her but yesterday morning when Chima was sleeping next to me so couldn't interfere Gus and Sal had a grand old time wrestling and chasing. It was a bit one sided in that Sal always had Gus down and pinned but Gus didn't seem to mind since he kept coming back for more so I didn't break things up.

Chima later woke up and had to go be the fun police which put a damper on the playtime so Sal and her decided to soak up a bit of sun and Gus had to find something else to do.

Chima deciding to catch some sun, right in the middle of the wrestling area

Chima keeps an eye on things to make sure Gus doesn't get a sneak attack in

Waterlogged

Gus absolutely LOVES water. The bath, not so much, but when it comes to the hose, sprinkler, watering can, fountain, etc. he goes crazy. Yesterday I had the watering can and was watering some ferns. Before I knew it Gus had jumped into the fern bed and was tearing around in the mud, running through the water pouring out.

He gets this way when the hose is turned on and likes to stand in our water feature in the backyard. I wonder how he'd react to the beach. We'll have to plan a field trip over to Browns Point soon and find out.

Busy Dog Day

His last afternoon of sunning with the girls

Today was Rigby's day to head to his new home. It was a tough goodbye since he has been here 4.5 months and is the kind of dog who really wants to connect to his people. He is headed to a great home though. In fact his new mom brought him some of his favorite tripe treats and even better, she bought one of the big Snoozer car seats that Rigby so loves to lounge in during car rides. We will all adjust but a few tears were shed as I folded up his bedtime crate and put his Molly Mutt bed in the wash.

Rigby's "go home bag"

I brought Gus along on when we met Rigby's mom and after Rigby was on his way we headed over to Mud Bay to pick up some puppy food. Gus is growing fast and used up his first bag of food quickly! We timed it just right for a socializing trip because it was a shift change and there were 6 employees in the store at the time. Of course they all wanted to meet him and brought him treats and by the 3rd meet and greet he was ready to leap up to give kisses and get his treat.

Gus greets an employee

Sniffing kibble - a very fun pastime

And even better - sniffing some of the dehydrated Sojos. 

Checking out the buckets full of chews and wondering how he landed is this magical doggy wonderland. 

Along with meeting people Gus was able to walk past some other dogs calmly while on leash and he got to sniff so many yummy things! This shop is a busy place with tons to take in but Gus handled it like a pro. After we had purchased the puppy food it was out to the car for the drive home and that meant time to chew on a bully stick. Gus is starting to really love trips in the car since they've led to some pretty cool spots.

Enjoying a bully stick on the drive home