Pupdates ~ Anna and pups

I don't think I've posted recent pictures of the puppies lately, so I thought it'd be about time!! They are now 6 weeks old and are FULL OF ENERGY! Holy jumpin! I thought the last litter was busy! With the last ones, I had to be careful when I had people come to view them because nap time was more often than play time. It is the opposite with this latest litter. They are BUSY BUSY little bees. Even when they are napping, they are quite happy to get up and play more (unlike the last litter ... when it was naptime, a bomb could go off and they wouldn't budge). There's ONE picture I have of them sleeping ... it's a rarity to catch them like this but it was after they had been outside for the first time (they've been out several times now so it's not so exciting or tiring anymore).

We are currently accepting calls about them and compiling a waiting list. They won't be ready to go to their new homes for another 2 weeks but it works best if people come and pick their puppies early so we know they have homes!

Happy Tails ~ Teddy and some others

Thought I'd pass on some really nice news today so rather than giving you a Pupdate of the dogs that are at the shelter, I'm going to let you know some of the ones who have been adopted recently! A bit of good news in a sea of disappointment. It's nice to be able to share some "Happy Tails".

Teddy is the most recent guy adopted. Here is his advertisement: Teddy is a ten-year-old neutered Belgian Shepherd cross with all the loyalty and intelligence the breed possesses. He waited patiently at the pound and now at the shelter for the owner he believed would come. Day by day, his hope dwindled as he looked at each car pulling into the parking lot. He has lovely manners and would like a home for the rest of his days. In return, he will give you his whole heart. Everyone at the shelter was so excited when he was adopted! (Maybe a little sad to say goodbye though) Every time we walked him, he would pull and pull to go see the cars in the parking lot to see if one of them was his. It was very sad and broke a great many hearts at the shelter. Sometimes when we get the real old guys in, the dog walkers all worry that they will be around forever ... scary thing is that sometimes they are faster to be adopted than the middle aged ones!!

Of the dogs from our pull day, Riley, Charlie, and Pip have all been adopted. Jenny has a waiting list 4 families deep and we are waiting to determine who will take her. Heidi still has no takers but she is in today for her spay surgery.

Penny was one of our long term stays. She was eventually adopted by one of our volunteers.

Amy is a real sweet heart. So happy to see people that she just can't stop wiggling!! This was one we never even had to advertise because she was adopted via word of mouth.

Ruby is also a dog we didn't advertise. Another word of mouth adoption. Busy busy gal! So much energy ... and she wasn't a deep "thinker" so things such as a Kong Wobbler (which we give to some of the busier guys) wasn't of interest for her at all!! She needed to burn off energy the old fashion way ... walking, running and swimming!! Luckily, she enjoyed a good game of fetch so that helped our volunteers.



We currently have Tucker, Gracie, Am.Eskimo (no name yet), Heidi, Melody and Jenny at the shelter.



I will be going to AC again this week or next for another pull day.



I have also offered to take a dog I received via email ... one of those "if we don't find a home it will be euthanized" jobbies, but I don't know if we'll end up with him as the person who has him doesn't want him to go to a shelter (even though we are no kill and have a super duper kennel enrichment program ... If she feels that it is better to kill the dog then that's none of my business, right? I did offer to take him. That's all I can do. Some people really have to get their heads out their asses and take a good look at reality.)

Pupdates ~ Others From our "pull" day

I figure I should post real quickly what other dogs we pulled from the shelter. One of them has already been adopted and I think another is going today! Yikes! Here goes ... the black is info about the dogs, the red is my info/thoughts popped in.

Jenny: 2 year old Mastiff mix. Female. Super friendly. Big (72 lbs) goofball. Mastiff rescue wouldn't respond to the requests sent about this dog for placement. She passed all her required tests and still didn't get scooped up! I have 2 different volunteers who are considering her for adoption, though "considering" is the key-word. I'll update this in another few weeks once she's been spayed and is actually listed for adoption!

Charlie: 12 week old. Male. Sheltie / Collie cross. He was surrendered to the animal control because he was biting the children ... hello? Is anybody in there?? HE'S A PUPPY!! You have to teach them not to nip dumbass! ... he had to be quarantined for 10 days as is policy. Charlie has already been adopted!

Riley: 5 years old. Neutered Male. Owner surrender due to an unfortunate incident in which the foster-kitten came too close to Riley's food bowl ... I'd have a pretty nasty reaction if someone came close to my food bowl too; "Joey doesn't share food!" (can you place this quote?) ...  Super friendly ... just like you would expect a Golden to be! ... No cats. Gets along great with other dogs. Housetrained. Potential adopter to let us know decision today about wether or not they are adopting Riley.

Heidi: 2 year old. Female. Looks to be a German Pinscher cross. Head shape VERY similar as seen from profile angle. She was pulled by the SPCA but was returned right away as she was "too hyper" for them ... ok. she's NOT that hyper!! In fact, she is less active than most of the Beagles we've had go through the shelter in the last 6 months!! ... SPCA returns reportedly do not have a great chance for being pulled. Housetrained.

Pip: 1 year old. Pug/JRT cross. Male. Super friendly with both people and other dogs. Busy guy with lots of energy (yep, more than Heidi above!). Housetrained.

 

For the dogs who are not altered, they will be going for their surgeries this week. We may list them next week if all goes well. Cross your fingers for them!

My hope is that we will create a good working relationship with this facility and will continue to pull dogs out of there on a regular basis. That is my plan for this anyway. Hopefully I don't walk away with litters of puppies each time I visit ...

Pupdates ~ Must be Crazy

Ok. Call me crazy. It's true. You might as well because the only reason why I did what I have done is if I was certifiably crazy. I went last week to one of the high kill Animal Control facilities in Ontario. I made the mistake of going BY MYSELF! That's right ... 


What was I THINKING!?



Why would I have thought that I could do this without doing something stupid?!? IDIOT!!



*headdesk headdesk headdesk*


 
I went there as a representative for my local (No Kill) Humane Society. I was there for one job only ... to pull 2 - 3 dogs out of there and bring them to our shelter so we could re-home them.




I left with 10.



Now, to be truthful ... of the dogs who went to the shelter, 4 of them are adults and 1 is a 12 week old puppy ...... Have you counted up?? Do you know what that leaves??? Let me give you a hint:



(please disregard the messiness in the background of this picture)

Did you figure it out?? Need another hint??

No, they aren't stuffed animals lined up in a row ... here's your last hint:

If you haven't figured it out yet you should have another coffee. Or maybe something stronger.




I brought a JRT/Beagle home who had 4 puppies. They were 5 days old when I brought them home. The pictures were taken immediately after I brought them home. I had to put them in a crate for the first few hours until I had my husband bring the Ex-Pen in from the barn and disinfect it for me.



Oh ... did I tell you that my husband didn't know that I brought the puppies home?? Truth be told, I didn't know I was going to bring them until I already had them in my truck.



He's a wonderful husband. He didn't divorce me ... he didn't kick me out of the house ... he didn't even yell at me. All he said was "And you thought it would be a good idea for you to go to this facility without me while you were pregnant?? ARE YOU NEW??"




Anyway ... here we go again, eh? See? Told you I was crazy.



On the bright side, the mom is totally housetrained so we aren't having to clean her several times per day. Not having to clean up constantly gives a lot more time to spend doing Early Neurologial Stimulation for the puppies, which is nicer not to rush through.



The puppies will be available for adoption via the Humane Society when they are 8 weeks old. They are 2 weeks old (as of today!).

Happy Tails ~ Albert

I figure some good news is always welcome. We have a Happy Tail from this weekend. One of our resident dogs at the shelter was adopted! He's been with us for several weeks now ... another lost soul who came in from the pound.



When Albert came in, he was crawling with fleas and had lost much of his hair. He was thin as a rail (you could actually see his ribs since his coat was so thin) and very scared. Here is a picture of what he looked like when he came in:

We treated the fleas with Advantage Multi. Once he settled in, he was given dewormer (since Multi doesn't kill off tapeworms), received vaccinations, had surgery for castration (neuter) and we plumped him up a bit.



When we got to know Albert (who was named for the street on which he was found), we realized that the growling and snarling was simply a defensive mechanism. It turned out that he was a super friendly guy whose personality more resembled a cuddly teddy bear rather than a piranha.

The good news is that Albert found his new forever home this weekend. He will be living with another dog and a young couple who absolutely adore him. They have already sent a new picture of him!

 Good luck Albert! Fare thee well.

Pupdates ~ Gracie

The shelter has been one crazy place lately. Dogs coming in, dogs going out, cats everywhere, small animals adopted left right and centre ... Crazy crazy crazy. There has been one constant though and that is Gracie.




After several months, Gracie is still at the shelter. She went out on an adoption and was returned to us within 3 weeks. Now, she is back at the shelter. She came back with a severe bladder infection that included crystals! How painful is that!? So, she went on antibiotics for a few weeks and is now on a special food. The vet says she has to stay on this special food forever ...

When it comes to dogs that are hard to adopt out, Gracie is one of them. She's estimated to be about 6+ years old so she's nearly a "senior", has to stay on medicated food, is NOT good with other dogs, chases cats, is a "talker" and isn't purebred.



On the bright side, Gracie is a cuddler, has nice manners and is a superb fisher-dog! Unfortunately, not many people need a fisher-dog anymore since the invention of supermarkets.

Pupdates ~ Xena

Well I was going to blog about one of the other dogs at the shelter today but I found I don't have any pictures of them! I guess I'll have to get a bunch more while I'm there tonight so I can Pupdate! Due to a serious case of slacking on my part, there are no pictures of Maggie the senior Beagle. She was adopted yesterday after being with us for 2 weeks. She is a super sweet dog and I'm glad she's got a new forever home.



Xena

The only other dog I have pictures of is Xena and they are all similar to the one posted. Xena came in with her brother Zeus. (She used to live with a dog named Hercules ... are we seeing a common theme?) Xena is approximately 13 months old and has spent the last 6 months of her life in a shed with very little light. The first 3 days she was at the shelter she was so photosensitive that we were working off the emergency lighting to get her accustumed to brightness.



As I'm sure you guessed by now, she is the pregnant dog who came to us with 10 days' left of her pregnancy! Too far along in her pregnancy for an abortive spay; therefore we knew we were going to have puppies! After some trials and tribulations, a decision was made that the best place for Xena was a foster home. Can you guess whose home she went to?? Come on ... guess! I'll give you 3 chances but the first 2 don't count.



In the picture above, the puppies are 2 days old. There are 3 white, 1 black and 4 tan. Of the 8 puppies, there are 6 males and 2 females. What you see in the pic is what they do most of the time ... sleep ... that is, unless they are eating or squeaking. They squeak a lot. Xena doesn't seem to know not to sit on their little heads. She also tends to lie down on top of them. She's learning but it's obvious she's never done this before.



You can see the whelping box my husband made ... he found the designs on the internet ... it's designed for a Great Dane ... his theory for most things is "go big or go home". It's a little large but it will do. They'll need the room as they get bigger.



I am putting together an action plan for "Early Neurological Stimulation" for puppies. I've been looking into what they do when prepping puppies for therapy dog work and also what other exercises are recommended. I figure if it works for dogs who will be therapy dogs, then why wouldn't it be a good idea to do the exercises with these puppies? In the coming weeks we are going to be going crazy with puppies and puppy exercises ... what is it they say ... It takes a village to raise a child? How about 8 puppies? Think I can haul in the village?? I'll try to keep this blog updated with not only other DDF related topics but also with puppy pictures for your reading pleasure.

Know anyone who is going to be looking for a Husky mix puppy in about 8 weeks' time??

Pupdates ~ Penny

Well, Charlie was adopted, but after a week the adoption fell through so he's back at the shelter. Turns out that the child living in his new home had allergies ... the people adored Charlie (let's face it - he's a super cool little dude!) but they were unable to keep him.



I have many stories to share with you as we currently have several dogs but I promised I'd write a little about Penny next. She deserves to have her story told just as much as the next guy!



In case you are wondering, we still have Gracie and Charlie. We've had two long haired chihuahua's come and gone (they lasted a week at the shelter before someone took them home!) and several other dogs come in. There is an older beagle who we have called Maggie; a Lhasa-Poo called Molly; a Border Collie / Labrador mix coming in today; and two Huskies. One of the dogs is pregnant ... Is that enough of a teaser?




Penny

Penny was picked up by Canine Control on October 1, 2010. She was very nervous and frightened. Canine Control recommended that we euthanize Penny and he asked for a behaviour assessment be done. So, on October 3, 2010, I packed up my stuff and wandered over to the Kennel who acts as Municipal Pound for our area. I recommended that we do not euthanize since she's a good dog once you get past the nervousness. Unfortunately, no one was available to foster her so she sat at a boarding facility until the shelter was open. We moved her into the shelter on December 23, 2010 and it has been her home ever since.

We have since learned that Penny is a great big goofball with a silly sense of humour. She thinks she is a lapdog and won't hesitate to climb into your lap if you are kneeling, squatting or sitting. You will note in the picture to the right that she looks like she is laughing ... that is because she had just knocked me over into a puddle of urine when she climbed into my lap as I was trying to take her picture. I'm sure I was cursing up a storm when I took this picture (under my breath of course! Haha). She is learning not to pull on the leash and is almost a pleasure to walk now! She knows Sit, Stay, Paw, Other Paw, and Wait. 

She is probably a Chow / Shar Pei / Labrador mix or something ... certain parts of her anatomy are purple! She was very overweight when she arrived but has lost most of it and no longer jiggles when she walks.

Penny needs a home that will continue teaching her manners including appropriate greetings. She has been learning a lot during her stay at the shelter but would be happier in a home environment. She is still nervous of strangers but now takes only a few moments to get over her fears rather than several minutes.

Penny for your thoughts?

Pupdates at the Shetler ~ Charlie

Well I have some good news! Ralph has been adopted! Yahoo! You go, ol' man! I have to admit, I was rooting for him. There's something about a 12 year old GSD at a shelter that makes my heart cry ... We still have Penny, Gracie and Charlie and apparently have 4 more dogs coming this week sometime. Penny isn't even listed as adoptable yet ... I will tell her story either later this week or next week. For today, I am going to tell you about Charlie ...




Charlie

At 6 months old, this guy has already been through a LOT. He was at his last home for only a week before they decided that he was too much energy (he was chasing their cat all over the house) ... before that, he stayed with a family for about a month. That family found him in a card board box covered in mange. They took him in, treated the mange with a local clinic, had his vaccinations administered and then rehomed him. We don't know any history before that ...



Charlie is a drama queen - and can you blame him?? If you touch or grab him the wrong way, he screams. You'd think you're killing him. He startles even the most steady of the volunteers with his theatrics.



He is a very chatty guy and will wow you with his "Beagle Bugle". He is mouthy and loves to get his own way ... but ... I do believe that deep down, he is going to be a really good dog. We are working through the mouth-i-ness and he is a lot better this week than last. I think he is stressed at the shelter and has too much energy to be cooped up in a kennel all day. Sometimes he just seems to forget his brain ...



Charlie LOVES to play fetch and will play with just about any toy. He seems to love everybody equally - there's no favourites here! Luckily, many of our volunteers will play fetch with him for a while, which seems to make him happy.

The picture to the right is him singing ... a-woo-woo-woo!! (I asked him to sit/stay and this is what he did!) He'll need someone who understands the breed or at least is willing to learn about them ... someone who will love him for who he is ... I shudder to think what would happen to a guy like this if someone took him home and didn't like his singing ... can you see a shock/citronella bark collar in his future? I hope not ...

Pupdates at the Shelter ~ Ralph

We currently have Penny, Ralph, Gracie and Charlie at the shelter. We had hoped that Charlie would be adopted this weekend but it fell through. Today I will tell you a little about Ralph ...



Ralph

Ralph is 12 years old ... he will be 13 on October 30, 2011. How do I know this so exactly? Well you see, Ralph was picked up by canine control in December. He was scanned for a microchip and one was found. After a long and frustrating search (three phone numbers later!), his owners were found but they did not want him back. We learned a bit about him from his previous owners ... he's only ever been with one family (lucky dog!), the date he was born.



You know, he's a great dog and anyone would be happy to have him ... except perhaps his old owners. Funny how that happens when you get old, eh?



Ralph is the nicest old man I've met in a while. Most German Shepherd Dogs I've met get cranky when they start to age and ache but for some reason, Ralph is not! He seems to always be in a good mood, though some days he has more trouble walking than others. Ralph walks with a hitch in his step. Sometimes he falls down because he loses his balance or he's trying to run and move too quickly. He just gets right back up and continues with whatever he was doing - it doesn't seem to bother him at all.



Ralph is on Metacam to manage any pain he is experiencing and he has decided that since he feels better, he should move faster (which is not good since his balance is so terrible!) Ralph's new home will need to continue administering Metacam daily.



Hopefully his new home comes along soon ... he's been with us a long time for an old guy! I'm sure he'd prefer a nice warm house (with no stairs) over the shelter's cold concrete floors (ok, he's being spoiled at the shelter ... he has 3 different beds and a special room to himself but that's beside the point!). Cross your fingers for this guy. He may need all the help he can get.

Pupdates at the Shelter ~ Alice

Goodness! It's been a busy week this week with adoptions ... I have some good news! Traveller has been adopted and so has Alice! I haven't even written out Alice's story yet so I'm going to take the opportunity to do so now.



Alice

Poor Alice was an owner surrender. Sometimes the going gets tough when people lose their jobs (and their house!) and unfortunately, the intact, 1 year old, female dog is one of the first things to go.



Alice is super friendly and very gentle. She is prone to excitement and submission urination so we had to be careful and quick when removing her from her kennel!



In the first few days, Alice had shredded two beds and stolen the hearts of many volunteers. We quickly learned which beds we could put in with her and which ones would end up in little itty bitty pieces! She was super stressed out in the shelter and did not do very well there despite the kennel enrichment provided. There are some articles about shredding that I've read which actually suggests that in a shelter environment, you should actually allow it (provided you give them appropriate things to shred) because it is an outlet for that stress. Interesting, no?



I'm glad she only lasted a week before being adopted. The family who took her home actually came to look at another dog but decided that the other dog was just "too much" for them. They went with the more quiet girlie, Alice - lucky for Alice!

Hooray for Alice!! Hooray for Traveller!!

Best wishes in your new lives with your new families. I hope they are your forever home and they give you all the love and affection you deserve.

Pupdates at the Shelter ~ Gracie

Well it's been a few days since my last Pupdates post. We've had quite a bit happen in the last 2 weeks ... We still have Traveller, Penny, Ralph and Gracie but now we also have Charlie and Alice. Both Charlie and Alice are owner surrenders and they are both stressed at being in a shelter environment. Neither have been spayed / neutered so this will have to be done before we can adopt them out. Today's Pupdate features Gracie.



Gracie

Gracie came in on December 31st lactating like crazy. The poor gal had puppies out there somewhere! Unfortunately, the owners never came looking. Not even a phone call. This poor gal was beside herself with worry. She broke one of the kennel doors trying to get out to her puppies. Poor baby. Anyway, she's dried up now but it has been quite a trial to get her there.



Any guesses for her breed?? She's got a pretty long barrel and the pic's not blurry - she's got wire hair!



Gracie comes with a few surprises ... she not only knows "sit" but she also knows "heel" and "finish"!! Someone loved her at one point. She was someone's pet once.

They all were ...

Pupdates at the Shelter ~ Traveller

Here's my first installment of Pupdates at the Shelter. At this point, I don't really know where this type of post is going to go so we'll just have to see how it changes!



We currently have 4 dogs at the shelter. Traveller, Penny, Ralph and Gracie. The first three arrived on December 23rd ... Gracie arrived on December 31st. I haven't got picures of all the dogs yet but am working on it. Hopefully I'll have some soon for future pupdates.



Traveller

 This is Traveller the Beagle. He arrived at the shelter December 23rd ... he was one of the very first dogs at the shelter! Traveller is a super friendly little guy who thinks that everyone should love him. He has been recently nutered so he is supposed to be "staying quiet" ... yeah right ... I don't think anyone told him that! He is such a busy guy. While I was at the shelter on Friday, he was climbing the kennel door! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture ... though from that point onwards I have been carrying my camera with me everywhere!



Traveller knows "sit" but that seems to be about all he knows. He's been learning how to stay "off" but that's a challenge ... he's a tiny dancer you see and loves to dance around upright on his hind legs. Traveller is also in the process of learning how to walk nicely on a leash. If he's not pulling to go left, hes tugging right and this makes for very tired volunteers!

 

This is such a happy go lucky guy that I wonder if he takes much seriously? He seems to love everyone and to think that EVERYONE should rub his ears. Who wouldn't love a mug like that?

Traveller has had some people come to look at him but he's often so busy a-rwoo-ing up a storm that people think he's too loud. If that doesn't bother them, then they simply have to take him for a walk and have him tow them up the driveway! So far no one has opted to take Traveller home. I'm sure the right person is out there - it's just a matter of finding them. In the meantime, however, the volunteers at the shelter will be given training how to work with the shelter dogs to resolve some bad manners (like walking on a leash).