Toys, toys, TOYS!

Our monthly BarkBox arrived and it was cram packed with great stuff this month: two toys, two boxes of treats and a bully stick.

The December BarkBox loot

Chile, Chima, and Frodo inspect the goods

The dogs got to join in on a a very fun play time with the new stuffed animals and it was a great time for all. Salinas and Frodo pretty much just stole things back and forth from each other but Chima was the one who REALLY got into it. When she gets a new plushie it is hilarious to watch her go to town killling it.

Chima being goofy

Chile was loving the toys too but he took his somewhere safe where it wouldn't get stolen.

Chile decided to play with his toy somewhere safe

Chile and Chima weren't sharing the new toys much so I brought out a bunch of other favorite plushies so everyone had a toy.  Here you see Salinas checking out a Skinneeez Skunk.

But all good things much come to an end. I could tell the dogs were getting a little over stimulated and Chile began hoarding his toys on the chair and was so busy watching for thieves he wasn't playing anymore. I gathered all the toys up and that was the end for the night.

If you want to get a BarkBox in the mail use this link and it will earn our foster dogs an extra Barkbox. I believe for the month of December you'll get $10 off your subscription too. It's a pretty good value for what you get in each box.

Tug Time

Chima and Salinas aren't always happy about playing with Chile since he has been known to get overexcited and bounce so much that he lands on their head occasionally.

Today during some supervised play time they ended up playing a game of tug which was pretty fun to watch. Good job gang!

Chile and the Rule of Three

Patricia McConnell did a great webinar called "Increasing the Odds of a Successful Adoption" and in it she talked about the "rule of 3". The idea was that when working with a rescue dog it is going to take time before you are seeing the real personality shine. So at the 3 day, 3 week and 3 month points (or thereabouts) after a dog comes out of the shelter into a home setting one will likely see some changes. If you are interested in learning more I believe you can still listen to the Webinar through the ASPCA Website.

This concept has been true for Chile. At the three day mark he really started interacting more with the dogs but by the 3 week mark I am actually seeing that his underconfidence in the way he interacts with other dogs really sets him up to get picked on. It's minor things but the poor guy always ends up being the odd man out unless I step in and manage interactions and redirect the other dogs at times.

Of course we are working on helping him gain confidence and doing the extra work of carefully monitoring all interactions between the dogs. If one of us can't be with them then they are separated. The reality is it takes very little to trample down the spirit of a shy dog so that makes it doubly important to make sure all of his interactions are positive.

Don't get me wrong, he's friendly and sweet and loves his people, but he also would love to play with other dogs and sometimes sets himself up for being picked on. That's why we are working with him.

With his placement we'll be looking carefully at how he and any other dogs in the house interact together. Some people think this is overkill, but my end goal with the dogs that come through my house is to help them overcome the fears and anxieties they've been living with and give them a start where they can be happy and  successful and that means making sure all members of the family, furry or non-furry, are a good fit.

"Ears" to you, Chima!

Many of you have followed as I worked with Chima on her issues with touch.

She's really come a long way from that girl who came here in May and didn't want to be on the same side of the room as me. We've done a ton of work desensitizing her to touch and look at her now:

She's still not completely comfortable, but she actually will lean into touch now, especially when her ears are rubbed. Good job, Chima!

Goodbye Sweet Boy

This is a really tough post to write. In fact I'm still kind of reeling from the shock of it. Yesterday morning Langley passed away on the way to the emergency vet with his dad, Bruce.

Langley has had several unexplained bouts of diarrhea and lethargy lately but initially the blood tests came back pretty normal so they figured with Langley's habit of snarfing everything in sight that he had eaten a mushroom or something else that made him sick. This time though his liver and pancreatic enzymes were off the charts and his organs just couldn't pull back from it. The vet believes it was pancreatitis but they just aren't sure what caused the illnesses.

Langley was by far the most difficult foster I've ever had. He was too smart for his own good and honestly I think his high speed brain was part of the cause of the anxiety and compulsions that he suffered from. With other dogs he was pretty clueless about their body signals and he had the tendency to irritate the heck of most canines he crossed paths with. But the thing that stood out about Langley was the pure guilelessness of him. He loved his people - all people really - with every fiber of his being and he showed that love in the most exuberant of ways that always kept me smiling.

He loved to train and I swear he would train 24/7 if someone was always there to work with him. And with that work came a very strong bond. In fact, even though Bruce had adopted him, Langley has changed me so much in how I work with dogs that he still felt like part of this house. It was Langley who ignited my interest in animal behavior and started my addiction with attending every seminar I had time and money for so I could learn more about why dogs do the things they do and how I can help them more peacefully exist in this human world they have to adapt to.

My heart goes out to his dad who gave Langley such a great home. They were immediately the best of friends and Bruce loved Langley with all his heart. Nothing is quieter and sadder than a dog loving house that suddenly has no dog in it so please send your thoughts to Bruce as he deals with the loss of his best friend.

So wherever your spirit is, sweet Langster, I hope there's lots of birds to hunt and dead and disgusting stuff like old turds, road kill and slugs to eat. I hope you can sprint to your hearts content and then curl up happy and content where it's warm. Because that is how I'll remember you always - the fastest, most lovable, disgusting, goofy, dog that ever lived.

Chima and Chile

Chima has been the one hold out when it comes to Chile. Everyone else thinks he's a great little guy - well, Salinas tolerates him because he listens when she tells him to back off.  But Chima has this new found connection with me and we are working on her sharing me with new dogs. It just takes time and a few days of managing their time together and she moves past it but initially she struggles a little. And since Chile really is a lover and always wants to be in my lap, she's had a hard time with that.

We had one scuffle because Chile was hanging out in Chima's crate chewing on one of her favorite toys but otherwise she has just been sizing him up.

Well today this happened:

Yep, she actually let him not only lie near her but let him lie ON her. Looks like she's starting to accept him. I'll still be very careful when they are together because anytime two dogs are getting to know each other it's very important to keep things positive and if the dogs seem to be getting uncomfortable, redirect them and give them a break from each other.

The Snuggler

I've shown you that Chile likes to play a lot. Well, here's proof that he has an "off button."

This little guy absolutely loves cuddle time in the evenings and likes to wedge himself in with the dog pile on the couch and catch some zzz's. Chima and Salinas are a little perturbed that he's moved in on their lap space but they will get over it. In fact their snoring lets me know that they already have.

Going...

Going...

Gone.

Can you find all three foster dogs, snuggling with me on a cold winter night?