Sweet Obi has scored a great home! He was adopted by a couple who adopted one of my foster dogs a couple years ago.
His last night with us, snoozing with Chima
He'll be living up in North Vancouver, British Columbia where he'll get to hike, have lots of woods to sniff around in on walks and parents who both work from home for the most part. He'll also have a laid back Rat Terrier brother to keep him company. What Obi wanted most was a calm, loving home and that is exactly what he got.
We draped everything in old rags for the drive north since Obi gets very carsick. Poor guy did not feel well
Today we drove him up to the Canadian border where we handed him off to his new dad. Poor Obi did not enjoy the drive up since he gets carsick. But he made it and quickly settled into his dad's car for the last leg of his journey home.
He decided the cold wind was worse than a car ride and hopped into his new dad's car.
We've already seen a couple of photos on Facebook and he is doing great considering the long car ride and big upheaval he has gone through today. But happy times are ahead for him. This is his last move and he now has a terrier loving family of his own.
It usually takes a dog a few weeks to relax and feel at home enough to really play with the toys. Of course this differs from dog to dog but when they are anxious like Obi can be, they tend to take longer.
I was very excited today when I saw that he had grabbed the new toy from the Barkbox. He didn't really play with it that much, Instead he sat with it but he did chew on a Nylabone toy.
Chima tried her standard move of slowly moving into his space until he gets up and moves so she can get the toy. It works for her every time (except with Sal) so I had to call her off and get her distracted with the other Barkbox toy. I want to make sure he feels relaxed enough to continue playing and sometimes we pet parents need to intervene to help out dogs who might be getting "bossed."
At Obi's vet visit our vet confirmed what I had guessed - he was in need of a teeth cleaning and possibly extractions.
Before - right side
Before - left side
The first available appointment they had was April 1st. Since Obi has an adopter interested in him, I really didn't want to wait that long. The other option would be to take him to the discount vet but I have not been happy with their handling of fearful dogs. The staff and my vet at Browns Point Veterinary Clinic are all very good at reading dogs' body language and give them the time and space to relax a bit instead of forcing things on them. Since I am wanting Obi to learn that handling by other people doesn't have to be scary it was worth it to me to wait and take him to a place that will respect him and try to ease his anxiety.
This morning I got a call from the clinic that they had a no-show and if I hadn't fed Obi yet they could get him in that day. Nice to get bumped to the top of the wait list. It pays to be nice to the front desk staff at your vet office. Luckily I hadn't fed the dogs yet so Obi and I jumped in the car and off he went to the vet.
Poor guy couldn't believe his bad luck to have to go on a car trip again. He did great though and seemed more relaxed with the vet techs this morning than he had been at his previous exam.
After - right side
After - left side
He's home resting now with clean white teeth and a bit of a hangover. He just needed one extraction but it was a molar so he is definitely needing the pain meds he came home with.
Obi is not a fan of the car. He gets pretty carsick and really stressed out so to help with this I gave him a supplement to help with nausea and then completely covered the front passenger side of the car with old towels. I also strapped my fully loaded treat bag to my belt so I had distractors to be passing him on the drive.
Poor guy did not love the windy road to the vet
With one hand on the wheel and one hand giving Obi an ear massage we wound our way down the hill to our vet office. Obi was so stressed that he was really checked out. I felt so bad for the little nugget. And then when we got there it was pouring rain - another of Obi's least favorite things - so he actually was happy to get inside the office.
There are so many reasons that I love this vet clinic but one of my top reasons is that my vet is very behaviorally savvy and super respectful of how the animals are feeling. Obi got lots of time to sniff and check things out and the exam was able to be done with great low-stress handling techniques.
His least favorite part was getting his teeth looked at but he let me show Dr. Sperlich his teeth and she was able to observe without having to handle his mouth herself which would have been tough for Obi. He did let her look in his ears and eyes though, stood on the scale, had blood drawn for his heartworm test, and had a rabies vaccine. That is a lot for 1 scared little dog to handle.
The good news is that he checked out as very healthy.
Back in the car and getting strapped in to head for home
We then made it all the way home without any vomiting or excessive drooling and he deservedly crashed on the dog bed downstairs. He earned a nice long nap.
As Obi relaxes and settles in more it is so fun to see his personality come out.
In the last couple days he will scratch his back occasionally by rolling around on the floor. I've been trying to get it on camera but he always stops before I can get my phone recording. Well today I finally got it!
Since January we have been prepping our living room, dining room, kitchen and entry to get new floors. During that time the dogs spent most of their time on the basement level wondering what the heck was happening upstairs.
Troy, working to remove the entryway tile
Well, last week the time finally arrived and the floors were installed! They are a type of product called luxury vinyl plank that are a bit like a click together laminate but are tougher and also WATERPROOF! Since we tend to regularly be house training our foster dogs and we have dogs who hate the rain so much they will pee in the house to avoid it waterproof is a big plus for us. The finish is also tougher than most laminates and hardwoods and has a lifetime guarantee.
The entryway now
Needless to say, we are very excited about this after living with worn out and stained carpet for years. But would the dogs agree with the change? Well, kind of.
(Above video) Chima listens curiously (and Frodo barks) while floors are being installed
(Above video) Dogs get to come upstairs and check out floors for the first time
Little old Tilly could care less. She had spent most of her time on vinyl flooring so she was used to the smooth surface. And Frodo and Obi just walked around, sniffed a bit and then went back to life as usual. I had gotten Frodo's long lost beloved chicken out and he was too busy making it honk to worry about a change in flooring.
Obi, who arrived at the tail end of the project, didn't understand what all the fuss was about.
"I think I need a belly rub"
Obi (front) and Sal relax on some dog beds in the living room
Sal at first was not a fan and tiptoed around, going from area rug to area rug. Sometimes she doesn't mind it and at others she remembers that she could slip and gets a bit worried. It doesn't stop her from going up and down the stairs (still waiting to be finished so just bare wood now) from floor to floor to see what I'm up to.
Sal (left) and Chima preferring to wait on the entry rug and avoid the floor.
Chima though was beside herself. I knew she didn't like smooth floors but she is horrified by the changes. She tears, slipping and sliding fearfully from one rug to the next like she's playing a real live "hot lava game". In fact, she hates them so much that when I put their food down in their food cubbies at breakfast she wouldn't move from the rug she was on the 3 feet to her food bowl and sat there whimpering while Obi tried to make his move and help himself.
Chima gingerly walking to the kitchen to assess the extent of this flooring disaster
Chima and Sal's food and water bowls back in their original locations as we reload the bookshelves. Chima won't eat there now so we need to change things up.
So what happens now? Do we just make her "get over it"? No way. While a dog's fear of smooth flooring may not seem rational to us, it is a very real fear and we need to be compassionate about that. Chima slipped on the smooth floor at the emergency vet when she was there being seen for another issue and hurt her back very badly. She has reason to be worried about the floor. With Chima we have a few ways we are working on it. First, I just ordered stair tread rugs and anti-skid tread pads so that when the stairs are finished she will easily be able to get up and down from the basement to main level without losing her footing. Then I am going to buy a runner to put in front of the shelving unit that holds their food bowls and the water bowl. And then finally we will do some reinforcing her when she chooses to walk on the floor or stand off the rugs. My hope is that given these changes, some reinforcements and a bit of time she will start to feel at home in her space again.
What a difference a good night of sleep can make! When I came down on Monday morning Obi was dancing around with Chima and Sal and ready to go outside. I opened the gate and out he ran, jumping up on me and trying to get some pets from me. Who was this dog? He was like a completely different guy - confident, relaxed, and acting like a normal dog.
On the hunt for a good place to pee - maybe on Frodo's favorite spot?
Sniffing a mint plant
I let them outside and off he went to explore, regularly checking back in with me to make sure I was still there. When I sat down on the deck with my coffee. He edged up next to me to get some pets and seemed to prefer to hang out with me than to be out sniffing for critters like the rest of the dogs.
Checking in with me after Tilly yelled at him
He met tiny old Tilly and when she snapped at him to get out of her way, he jumped back and decided to keep his distance from the cranky old lady.
Watching Chima snarfing bird seed off the ground
Standing tall, back straight and his nub and ears are up.
When we were inside and I was checking email on the couch he curled up next to me and when I pet him he rolled over for a belly rub.
He's still a skittish guy. New things scare him and he startles easily, but he's decided he is safe here and I'm trustworthy. Now we'll work on building up our "trust account" so that when I have to take him to the vet for a check up and a Rabies vaccine in a week and a half he will have some security. There will be a history of my behavior being gentle and kind that he can start to rely on as my baseline behavior. Be sure to watch the trust account video because it really is the basis for all that I do with my dogs. To learn and to try new things there must first be a trust between the learner and the teacher. So the first lessons that a new dog is learning is that he can trust me.
We will also start with some vet prep training games too so that hopefully he will come away from his visit a happy boy.
I always start introducing the dogs by bringing out just one of them - typically Frodo or Sal. This time I had Troy send out Sal and Obi walked around on a long line. Sal is great meeting dogs and normally has good body language and isn't pushy. She gives them a close inspection, lets them get a few sniffs in and then she's bored and off to go see if she can find a rodent somewhere. She is totally different though if I have both her and Chima out meeting a dog. Chima can be pushy and overbearing for new dogs and if she and Sal meet the dog at the same time Sal acts more like her sister and feeds off of Chima's anxious energy. They will corner the dog to sniff them and for Chima to do a bit of posturing - not something I want another dog to have to go through.
Sal is ready to say hi
Once Sal is bored with the new dog then I assess how the new dog is doing and decide whether to bring out both Chima and Frodo or just Frodo. Obi was doing great and didn't seem at all bothered by the dogs, even Chima barking at him through the sliding door. So I let out both Frodo and Chima for sniffs. Frodo is a bit like Sal is quickly bored with the new dog but Chima will start to obsess about them so I have to follow them around for awhile and regularly distract Chima to give the dog a break and also to keep the situation from escalating into a scuffle. First impressions count! Starting off with a fight is the last thing I want. Sometimes it's a few days before Chima even gets to see the dog because I don't want to introduce them until she has calmed down enough.
Then we wander around the back yard until the dogs are all off doing their own thing and are completely over the newness of another dog in the house. For some dogs we need a week for that newness to wear off and we do some separating until everyone is comfortable. But for other dogs like Obi who have very polite body language, 30 minutes (carefully monitored) is usually plenty of time.
Then it's time to go inside and explore the dog area, which for now while new flooring is being installed on the top 2 floors, is in the basement. It's a smaller space with less room for dogs to move away from each other and that's why it's important that the initial meetup happens outside. The dogs feel like they have room to move away outside and so you start out with a more relaxed dog to introduce the others to.
Inside Obi waited to be invited up on the couch but he was fine sharing the couch with the other dogs once he was up there. Frodo did his spastic back scratching routine along the front of the couch and Obi found that interesting but otherwise he was ready to kick back. It had been a long day. Heck, it had been a long month for him since he had been in the shelter since January 19th.
Just invited onto the couch and still not sure he's supposed to be up there.
Watching Frodo scratch his back on the couch
On Sunday night he clearly was not too sure about me still and even though he was up on the couch, he was curled up fairly tightly and tensed up if I touched him. That will change though, and sooner than I thought it would.
We were heading down to Vancouver Washington on Sunday to hand over our foster boy Tolkien to his adopters so it made a perfect time to stop by the Humane Society for SW Washington shelter to check out Obi.
You always want to stack the deck in your favor when meeting a dog who is worried about meeting strangers. So before leaving I made sure to chop up a hot dog. Right away he will know by the smell of my treat bag that I am someone worth investigating further.
I buy all beef, nitrate free hot dogs and keep them frozen individually in the freezer for occasions that require super high value treats. Chopped bits of roasted chicken works well too.
I also loaded up the car with a crate, lots and lots of old towels and a collar since it was pretty likely that he'd be going home with us. In his owner surrender papers it mentioned that he gets car sick so I figured the extra towels might be needed.
First stop was to meet our last foster parent Tolkien's adopters and to hand him over to them so they could head back to Bend Oregon. That went great!
Tolkien meets his new mom
After arriving at the shelter Troy and I were led to a large room and the shelter coordinator went and got Obi from the kennels. I had my treat pouch on and hot dogs at the ready. When he first entered the room he stopped a moment when he saw strangers but then his nose twitched a bit and he quickly crossed the room to investigate what it was in my hand that smelled so good. I sat on the floor to meet him which is less imposing than standing or even sitting in a chair and towering over him.
Obi watching the treat bag very closely
By his body language - tucked tail nub, looking away, lip licking, one paw lifted - I could tell that he was not super comfortable but he was willing to stick around and when I didn't give him treats for a bit he would just step back a little bit and then watch my hands and the treat bag. The video cut of the end part of all that touch I was giving him - he got a big hot dog jackpot since I could tell it wasn't easy for him. The reason I was touching his back, even petting over the top of his head and his ears was to see his reaction and if he would back away - which he totally had the option to do - but he didn't. Brave boy!
Next I had him meet Troy since his owner surrender papers noted that he was afraid of men. I didn't notice much difference in how he greeted Troy from how he greeted me, though. So that was good news.
Getting some treats from Troy
I walked him around on the leash a bit and then knew we would be taking him home so the coordinator went and got his shelter paperwork and we signed the agency transfer papers to officially make him a New Rattitude dog.
Introducing New Rattitude's Obi
The next part was scary but he did great - we had to exit through a lobby full of people and lots of kids. Hot dogs helped.
One problem that Obi had with this shelter is that it is located next to a gun range and Obi is extremely fearful of loud noises like that. So in the parking lot the gunshots were much louder and he froze up and couldn't walk. In the first video above you can see him stop and look up when the semi-automatics are shooting. I didn't really notice it much when inside but Obi was clearly very aware of it. To help Obi out Troy brought the crate from the car over to him and I threw a generous handful of hot dog pieces in the crate and helped him inside.
He does get car sick and by the time we had driven the 160 miles back home he had vomited and done tons of drooling. Poor boy was really feeling awful. After a short walk around the front yard area though he quickly seemed to be perking up.
Stay tuned for the next post when he meet the Rat Pack for the first time...
A few days later when the shelter employee was back at work she sent me 4 videos to review and see if I was still interested in meeting him for an in person evaluation.
When I watched the first video of Obi with a volunteer that he knew in his kennel, I became very worried. If this was his normal then he was more of a project than I felt ready to take on.
In the video you can see how he is taking treats from the lady which is great, however after taking the treat he avoids touch and runs back to his bed creating distance between them. If this was someone that he knew well then how would he be with strangers?! Of course, the setting is in the kennel and you can hear the commotion that goes on in that part of the shelter. And every time he is taken from that area he has to walk past the dogs who often will charge the kennel doors growling and barking. Scary for a little guy!
Time to watch the next video - Obi meeting someone he's never met before.
Well, I felt much better after watching this one. It became obvious that it was the noise that was causing the majority of Obi's avoidant behavior. This video was filmed in what looks like a lobby area and it is away from the noise of the kennel area. While he still isn't feeling entirely comfortable with this man, he is taking treats from him and allowing him to pet him without trying to retreat. Very good to see!
Then I watched the next video showing Obi with his volunteer friend in a quiet room. MUCH better. His behavior change from the noisy area to the quiet is like night and day. He could easily have moved to another part of the room but he is enjoying the attention and stays with the volunteer.
Finally I watched the video of Obi being leashed up (which he finds scary according to the shelter employee) and then being led into a room where there is another small leashed dog.
Nice body language on Obi's part and he didn't freak out when initially meeting nose to nose on leash. They circled nicely getting their sniffs in and Obi does his best to calm things down a bit since the other dog is so excited and pushy. He looks away and moves away a few times until he feels ready to approach again.
I shared the videos with my friend to get her opinion but after watching them felt very comfortable with meeting Obi at the shelter to assess him in person and if all goes well, transfer him over to New Rattitude's care and take him home with me. I am feeling about 95% sure that I will pull him from the shelter when I meet him later today. Stay tuned...
Deciding which foster dog to rescue has to be a careful decision and the variables that go into the decision change based on the foster parent, their current skill set, and also what is going on in their life at the time.
While I do a pretty good job working with foster dogs who have fear and anxiety issues, it doesn't mean I love doing that kind of work. It can be intense and emotional and finding a good fit in an adoptive family can take a long time and extra careful screening on my part. Because I tend to ride the line of rescue burnout fairly closely, I rarely feel up to taking a dog who needs a lot of extra emotional care and training. That's a long term commitment and a lot of work.
However after 2 easy house-trained foster dogs in a row, when I recently received an email from the Humane Society of SW Washington in Vancouver, WA they had caught me at a good time.
The email stated that they had a Rat Terrier named Obi at the shelter who was extremely stressed out by the noise and activity and they were looking for a foster spot for him where he could relax more. This is the same shelter where New Rattitude's recently adopted senior foster dog Skeeter was from and I know I can trust the employee who contacted me to give the full story of a dog and not gloss over behavior issues. It's important to know in advance (as much as possible) what you are getting into. A good shelter is going to tell you the truth about a dog so you can make a good decision and building up a network of shelter employees who you trust to evaluate dogs for you is a great resource.
The shelter sent me the owner surrender form, the evaluation form that was filled out by the employee who evaluated him and a basic description of what was happening at the shelter. After reading what she sent, I followed up with several questions about him: How was he with other dogs? Or with strangers? Can he meet another dog on a leash? I also asked for some video of him with people and with another dog. Then I emailed a friend and sent her the paperwork to review so I would have an opinion from someone who was outside the situation but who has a great knowledge of working with fearful dogs.
The only photo they had for me was this tiny little shelter picture but definitely looks like a Rat Terrier. Some shelters are not so great about identifying Rat Terriers and often call them Jack Russells or Chihuahuas.
One of the reasons to get all this information beforehand is that it is almost impossible to say no to a dog once you've met them. It breaks your heart to say no and leave them there so if there was a reason I needed to pass I wanted to know that before I took the trip to meet him. I knew that I didn't want a dog who was so fearful and skittish that I couldn't touch them as I don't currently have the time and energy to give my all to a dog who needs that much work. However, often dogs who are mildly anxious become total train wrecks in the shelter and if that was the case, he could be a very easy dog who was unadoptable in a shelter setting because he was such a mess.
The employee sent me back some great video of Obi and in my next blog post we will talk about what I saw in those videos and how I made my decision.
Our family fosters for "New Rattitude Rat Terrier Rescue." This blog keeps a record of the wonderful dogs that we foster and of our current ratties' progress on their road to adoption.
Be sure to join us on Facebook. "Like" us on the New Rattitude Northwest community page to follow the NR foster dogs of the Northwest as well as hear about local Rat Terrier events and training information.
New Rattitude is an all volunteer group so any donation you make will be fully used to rescue and treat a rat terrier in need. Donations can also be mailed to New Rattitude at P.O. Box 14064; Lansing, Michigan, 48901. Thanks for your assistance. Woof woof!
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