Paddy is the prettiest

Here are some pictures of Paddy looking pretty. The second picture is significant because Paddy is in our spare bedroom with me and she just recently decided to go upstairs. Now that is all she wants to do. She thinks she is so brave and we validate her thought. 

Paddy is active, but she is so content to hang out. Her temperament is near perfect. She is just a happy-go-lucky dog. She loves all dogs and people, but bunnies beware. Now that the bunnies are out, she is going bonkers when she sees them. We have had great success with house training now that we are all on a routine at our house. Paddy is crate trained and sleeps in her kennel at night and when we leave. She only makes a small fuss when she wants to wake up in the morning. I can't say enough nice things about this dog, she is just amazing.

Paddy, Ms. Paddy

Paddy arrived about a week and a half ago. She is such a good girl. We are working on things like manners and basic commands. She has done a great job with potty training and prefers a walk to go number two. Paddy is a dog that will need regular exercise, but loves to settle down for some couch potato time too. A daily walk really serves her well. She is super friendly and everyone at HAWS loved her when she went in for a heartworm test last week. We celebrated her negative results with a nice hike. She rides very well in the car.

I am so pretty!

Cleaned out the toy box.

Snuggin with my new buddies.

Manfred Von Dachsund

Maxx for short. Manfred is a German name meaning Man of Peace. Maxx is very peaceful which is why I chose that name. I don't think he is a pure Dachshund because his legs are longer and his snout isn't as long, but he could pass. I'm thinking doxie and King Charles Spaniel. Very fancy. Look at those eyebrows!

Snuggle Head

In addition to being peaceful, Maxx likes: Eating, snuggling, sleeping, belly rubs, going potty outside, warm laps with blankets and candy wrappers.

Dislikes: -20 windchills, snowy paws, cauliflower

Good Buddy

Linda wanted to help me with the blog tonight. So, here we are hard at work.

She is recovering very well from her surgery on Friday. I could not have expected her to be doing any better than she is on all accounts. It's been a week since Linda arrived. She is doing so well with potty training. She's actually going right away when I take her out now. I did not really have any expectations of her and that seems to be working well. Every thing we do is an accomplishment. She loves to follow me around to see what I'm up to. She is pretty curious too. Sometimes our fosters never even go upstairs, but she has gone in every room of our house on her own. Even the basement. I couldn't believe she did stairs. That can be a big deal for some dogs. It's impossible to know what kind of living situation she was in before, but we can only guess it was pretty horrible. Even without taking that into consideration, she is just wonderful. She'll be a really great buddy for the person who adopts her. Hopefully it's soon, because there are always more dogs who want to be Fluffy Dogs!

Coton de Tulear

A quick note regarding Linda's breed. The breeder she came from is who said she is a Coton de Tulear. Who knows if this is accurate, but here is a nice video link regarding the breed.

http://www.animalplanet.com/tv-shows/dogs-101/videos/coton-de-tulear.htm

Linda

Welcome Linda!

Linda is settling in great. She has found her favorite spot on the couch as you can see. We're very careful to help her down though. She's so tiny that we don't want her to hurt herself jumping down.

On Friday Linda was spayed. She is officially retired from breeding. Yay! What a great story for her. She also had a couple of teeth pulled, but the rest were all cleaned up. She is recovering for the next few days, but looks forward to being spoiled. I've been carrying her around and she gets soft food until her mouth feels better.

We've had her about a week, but I can tell already that she will be totally loyal to her owners. She isn't as scared as when she first arrived. Stay tuned for more progress.

Happy Mother's Day

Pirate wants to wish everyone a Happy Mother's Day. He's a little sad because he doesn't have his own mommy yet. I'm just his Lady. He does love my husband and his name is Mister. We don't want him to get too attached by calling us mom and dad.

He's been very happy with the nicer weather. He is so cute and will find a sliver of sun to relax in when he's in the house. Quite a bouncy little guy, but we've made sure it's not okay for him to jump on us. Here he is in his favorite spot. On our laps. He's not always on our lap. He likes to curl up and lean into us and make a little nest.

Pirate also is very attentive to his buddies. He always wants to be by his foster brother. They are best buds. When brother lets him, Pirate love to preen him. Cleaning the other dog's leg like he would his own. He is such a happy little guy and can't wait for a new home.

My buddy!

Sit still

It's very hard to get a great picture of Pirate. 1. Because he's black and fuzzy it's hard to get his features and 2. He's a wiggle worm. Here are a couple that are pretty good. He's really a tiny fella. About 12 pounds.

Stealing Hearts

I pick on Pirate about stealing treasures because that's what pirates do. This Pirate is guilty of stealing hearts. Awwww! I can say with confidence that he is 100% housebroken*! *In our house. :) We've gone on a few walks and he is very curious about all the new sounds and sights. He is very confident in our house, but walking will take a couple of weeks practice. He isn't scared, just cautious. Pirate loves to play with our dogs and will go crazy for a short time, but loves to settle in for a nap after 1/2 hour. He's a good snuggler and loves to curl up in a ball on our legs. Some dogs don't like males, but Pirate loves my husband equally. He can't wait to make it to his forever home.

Happy PI-rate Day!

Not only is it Pi day, but it's Pirate's big day as well. Here's why:

Pirate was treated for his heartworm 30 days ago which means today he's off of "rest". Thank goodness. If you've ever tried to keep a toddler calm for 30 days, you'll understand. I've felt so guilty when I know he just wants to run and play and wrestle with the other dogs. But that's over now. If you don't know what's involved in heartworm treatment, I'll spare you the lecture here but please understand the importance of heartworm preventative.

Trying to sit still in the sun!

Pirate is our little monkey. That's just what he looks like. His potty training has progressed so well during the weeks we had him. Praise, praise and more praise. Now he goes right away when we take him out. At first we would have to stand outside for a long time in the cold before he would go. We're very please with his learning ability.

The information in Pirate's profile is from his foster home in Alabama. We crate him here so I cannot attest to how he would be during the day if not in a kennel. He can hold his potty for a very long time though.

A poodle doxie mix?

Coleman, whose real name is Oreo but also responds to Co-co and poodle-head is quite a lovely dog. The poor guy was very nervous for his first week with us, but now is right at home. He was surrendered in Alabama because his owner had to move. The owner listed him at 10 years old. I'm not sure how this happens, but it does and we are here to help him now. We can surely understand why he was so unsure when he first arrived.

So far we've learned that he is very much housebroken! Yay for him and for us! People often don't consider adopting a dog who is 10, but I love them. Don't be fooled though, Coleman is not a couch potato. He sure loves to snuggle, but he has found a ball that is just perfect size for him. He loves to play fetch. He will fling the ball in my lap when he wants to chase it and could do this for hours. He sleeps in a kennel at night and as soon as he gets out in the morning, he runs around looking for his ball. I think we will need to send that ball with him when he gets adopted.

Meet Fran

Fran has been at our house for about a week and a half. She was treated for Heartworm last week. After one month she can be adopted. Fluffy Dog gets dogs with Heartworm all the time and once they go through their treatment, there are no effects from this.

What a wonderful girl she is. If you can't tell from her photos, she is quite a beauty with eyelashes and all. She would love to play, but is on bed rest  until the end of this month because of her treatment. She's a good girl and potties and poops outside. Sleeps in her kennel at night and doesn't fuss. Loves to sit on the couch with us and snuggle for pets. It's been a real pleasure so far to have her here. I can't wait to let her play and take her on walks. She gets along fine with our dogs and they all eat together without issues. The only hard thing so far is that she didn't like the fireworks, but I can't really fault her for that.

I shall call her Pretty Face.

So Mr. Ben is perfectly content living here with us, but I'm sure he would really like to go home. He is an easy dog and would fit in with any family. He is very polite and will sit on the floor until you invite him to snuggle on the couch. Tonight he has been wanting to sit on my lap while I'm at the computer desk. Honestly a good companion, but not clingy.

Last night he rested nicely while receiving a good brushing. His coat is quite interesting. He has a very thick double coat like a Husky and really needs to be raked out. Since he is small though, it's very manageable. 

Ben gets along with my dogs just fine and wasn't bothered by the stray cat I found outside our back door. He is so easy going and just wants to be wherever you are. At the same time, he can be independent if necessary. A very well rounded personality and warms up to anyone right away.

I do sit for treats, but you have to ask real nice!

Benny and the Jets

This is Gentle Ben, or just Ben, Benny or Mr. Ben. Yes that story on his profile is true. Thank you to the city employee in Alabama who stepped in to help. As soon as I saw him I knew I had to help. So here we are. 

Ben has been with us since February 16th and his Alabama foster mom said he is perfect. That is so true. He settled right in with us. After two nights, I decided he didn't need to sleep in his kennel. He sleeps with our lab on the couch downstairs. I just love dogs that are Ben's age because they're past the chewing stage, past the hyper stage, don't get into things and are completely content just hanging out. Ben loves nothing more than a good snuggle. He can hardly wait to be invited up on the couch. A very important fact is that he has not had one potty accident in our home and when we take him outside he is quick to go.

Will you snuggle with me?

Now that Ben has been with for a few days, he received a bath. What a good boy he was and stayed very still even though he wasn't thrilled to be in the sink. He's pretty small so is very manageable both in the bath and outside etc. His skin was dry and flakey when he arrived so I gave him a deep condition and it seems to be better. He is also eating Taste of the Wild which will really help with his skin and coat.

This is not what I signed up for, but I do feel better.

Ben's grey face would lead one to believe he is a senior, but that isn't the case. He is such a little love bug and his personality is really what makes him great. He can't wait for his new forever home, but he is really happy to be wherever until his family finds him.

Erickson's Top Ten

May I please have some dinner?

10. He is overcoming his fear of cars! 75% better than when he first arrived

9.  Very happy boy and not yappy or growly

8.  Loves to be around people (takes a few minutes to open up)

7.  Doesn't mind the snow or cold

6.  Very easy going

5.  Plays well with other dogs

4.  Good snuggler

3.  Smart guy and is learning very fast

2.  Is in his kennel all day with no complaints or accidents

1. His little teddy bear face and sweet personality

I just know that Erickson will be very happy in his new home when the time arrives. He's asked me to write a letter to Santa and all he wants for Christmas is his very own family.

Erickson

So it took me a while to write about Erickson. I wanted to make sure I knew him well enough. He is a sweet  bundle of bounce and snuggle. He loves to wrestle with his big foster brother and chew on bones and toys. Once he is done, he loves to get snuggled in on the couch with me.

He seems to prefer me over my husband and gets a little scared of loud voices. Also, he is afraid of cars passing when we walk, but is getting more used to them every day. He's very smart and learned sit right away. Now we are working on "off".

At night he sleeps in his kennel and has learned that he is safe there and goes right to sleep. I'm sure he would love to snuggle in bed when he gets to his forever home.

Madeline's Top 10!

I picked up Madeline on Monday and now that she's been with us almost a week, I thought it would be a good time to talk about her. Here is Madeline's Top 10!

10. She's just a little tiny girl
  9. Not a lot of barking
  8. Sleeps all night in her kennel without a peep
  7. Eats her meals next to our dogs with no fuss
  6. Loves our dogs
  5. Loves everyone she's met
  4. Wags her tail constantly and is always happy
  3. Goes potty and poo-poo outside
  2. Loves to snuggle
  1. Her sweet little face

Time for a bath

Jaxson sporting a handsome new scarf

Now that Jaxson is done with his therapy, I thought it would be a good time for a grooming. This was my treat to him for his hard work. His fur was growing out kind of crazy so hopefully it will be more even now. He was such a brave boy and went with his foster brother Dexter.

Both boys with their new haircuts

Middle aged guy

We think Jaxson is about eight years old and I know what most people think about that..."I want a younger dog so I can have more time with him" or "Having a dog from puppy age creates a special bond with them". Now that our lab is almost eight and through the various ages of foster dogs we've had, I have to say the older ones are they way to go. Maybe it's the white faces or the extra snuggle time; I honestly don't know. I just think that the guys who have weathered the storms really have the extra good love to give. This is the case with my friend Jaxson. He loves the simple things:  Naps, snuggles, short walks, bird/rodent watching and meals. In my opinion, that sounds like the best kind of life.

Success!

Just a quick update...

Last night Jaxson successfully jumped up on the couch. This of course means that he is building strength in his hind legs. We will see what the next week brings with two sessions of water therapy and some of the exercises that were given to us by Karen.

Have I mentioned that he does not even think about lifting his leg in our house? Not one accident since he's been here. Low energy and loves to snuggle. I would consider not putting him in a kennel during the day, but I think my Dexter would want to rough house with him too much. He is still recuperating after all.