Baptist Home Gives our Foster Pup a Great Home

It's funny how things happen. Madison's grade had a cute little school music program that they put on Tuesday, and I walked in the auditorium super excited to find two seats next to Justin and Laurie - the girls' cottage house parents at the Baptist Home. Not only have they devoted themselves to ministering to these amazing girls, but they are really hilarious and awesome people to hang out with!

As we waited for the production to begin, a lady sitting in front of me leaned back and asked what dogs I had up for adoption now, and I mentioned this sweet girl - a German Shepherd puppy that I snagged from our city pound about a month ago. She was to be euthanized the next day.. and my love for the breed made me impulsively take her home.

Laurie turned to me later and asked about the puppy, and said that they'd talked a bit about getting a dog, specifically a German Shepherd. Inside I lit right up! I have had a few people ask about adopting this girl, but none could provide the home a German Shepherd typically needs. (SUPER active, very structured, very disciplined, and very committed.) When you take all of those things and wrap them up into a family - you get the girls' cottage. I knew they would be perfect!

They came to the house that afternoon to meet her. They quickly fell in love, and by the next morning they picked her up, took her to the vet, and that was that! Her new name is Bella, and I am thrilled to know the pure joy she will bring to so many children. "A" and "E" were already in love with her from being over here... I can't wait to hear how they all reacted when they saw her as they got off of the bus after school!

Sometimes people don't really get why we do dog rescue. Why spend the time, the money, the energy on dogs? They're just dogs. Yes, they are. But this is why we do this. Not for the dogs, for the people's lives that these dogs touch once adopted.

Some people seek out our foster dogs simply because they want a dog. Once I figure out what type of lifestyle they have, I have gotten pretty darn good at matching dogs with their perfect people. When a great match is made, it's joy. It's love that some people have never felt from another human that they feel from their pet. It's loneliness healed. It's recovery from illnesses made quicker... easier. Children that are feeling lost in this world find comfort and understanding in the big brown eyes of the dog that loyaly sits at their feet as they cry. That licks their tears away and cuddles on the couch. It's a reason to get outside and become active. It's a way to teach responcibility and understanding to children. I guess they're not really just dogs to me. They are a gift from God to us. They are our helpers here.

To see Bella (who was Stormy while she lived with us) go from the pound, to being rescued and fostered, to now going to a group home for children that are being fostered, and pay it all forward... it just makes it all worth it. It reminds me of why we do this when others question our motives. Her job in this world is likely to be a healer, to be possibly the only one to bring a hurt child out of her shell. God uses his creatures for amazing things, and he allows us to watch his glory shine even through the eyes of just a dog.

When my own dad died (5 months ago), I found the most theraputic thing to be running with my own rescue dog. My own German Shepherd (Ava) that I once saved -  has since then payed it back to me a million times over. She can't talk, she can't understand what I say, but somehow she understands when I need a quiet nuzzle, her head on my knee, or for her to simply keep up with me as I run off my grief, my stress, my day.

I've seen her respond to the children that we bring to our home in such a gentle and loving way. She is truly a mother dog at heart. "A" and "E" immediatley felt at home here because of Ava, and of course Cooper.. our rescue Toy Poodle. If God can use me... a human so full of sin, judgement, and all things of the flesh - of course he can use his animals. So innocent, so oblivious, nothing keeping them from just doing - just being.

 

Ava watching over Sam - as always!

Dogs will never be as important as people, but they certainly have a huge importance to people. I am so, so blessed to get to see that first hand every single day. With this week being an exceptional example of how Bella being just a dog - makes her the best thing ever to a group of girls that deserve every simple joy this world has to offer.

Dog Pound Woes

One of my greatest passions in life is animal rescue. It's something that God pushed into my soul from the time I was born. We're all here for different jobs, and this is definitely one of mine.

One way I am able to help animals is by working with the Humane Society and organizing adoptions of dogs from our local dog pound. Like many 'shelters' it is a kill shelter. Once there for "too long," no matter how much space is available, the dogs are killed. Can I just whine a minute?

Once again, the euthanasias are about to occur. Monday morning many dogs will be loaded into a cage on the back of the dog catcher's truck and taken to the vet. They will be held down and injected with medication that kills them. Why? Because no one will help them. No one will foster them. No one will adopt them. These are amazing dogs - especially this particular group. From Boxers to labs... they are beautiful dogs that anyone should be proud to own. Knowing that the next time I go to visit them, they might all be dead.. well, it's draining. It's depressing. It makes me ridiculously sad.

I've had people tell me that they can't even stand to look at our website because it breaks their hearts. Good. It should. I get to see these dogs in person. I get to love on them, give them treats, walk them, and then put them back into their jail cells in hopes that someone will see them as worthy to live as I do. That someone will choose to adopt rather than purchase a pedigree dog. Then, I have to write "soon to be euthanized" in bright red letters over their pictures on our website - praying it will push someone right on the edge to adopt. Usually, I then have to go back and change it to a bright red "euthanized" once they've been killed. Does anyone else care? What else can I possibly do?

We need foster homes like crazy. We need adoptive homes as well. We need our city to stand up and stop letting dogs leave the pound without being spayed and neutered. We need people to stop breeding irresponsibly. We need more dogs in this town like we need more mosquitoes. We need our city to rally together and say "enough!" No more loveable, healthy, social dogs being killed. These animals did not choose to be brought into this world. They did not choose to grow up bigger than what their owner thought they would grow to be, or choose to be a barker, or choose to be a digger. They did not choose to be abused, neglected, and dumped. Yet, they are the ones that pay the price. Not their owners - for we typically never know who they were. Not the city - for what's not seen is forgotten. Just them.

I just had to have a vent fest. I am so frustrated. No matter how much we do, it is just never enough. Until people wise up and start taking advantage of our FREE spay and neuter program and stop letting unwanted litters of puppies be created, then it will just always be this way. It will always be an uphill battle. We have to PREVENT. Euthanizing dogs should not be our means of pet population control. Adoption is not the answer, either. Prevention is.

If you are in Drew County or surrounding areas and you want a free spay or neuter, PLEASE, call Ruby Burton at 367-3377. Let us help you! We would LOVE to!

I do want to make a quick plug for how awesome so many people have been. I have soo many friends that have chosen adoption when they could MORE than afford to buy whatever dog they want. Recently, Hank and Susan Hollinger chose to adopt when their hearts were yearning for another cuttie-pie Jack Russell. I've had many friends adopt NUMEROUS dogs from the pound or from my selection of foster dogs. Amazing, amazing people. :)

 There are purebreds being euthanized EVERY SINGLE DAY. I know.. I rescue many of them. Whatever dog you could possibly want, we can find it for you. You can then not only get the breed you want, but the amazing peace that comes from rescue. Give it a try! Let me help!

New Puppies Needing Homes

Oh, the never-ending problem. Too many dogs, not enough people adopting. *sigh*

Clayton went to the pound this morning and, to my shock, came home with FOUR Beagle mix puppies. They were so disgusting! If you've never taken a puppy directly from the pound, then you can't imagine the stink that comes off of them. They are literally soaked in urine and feces... being so little they aren't with it enough to only use the bathroom in one corner of the kennel - so they pee and poop everywhere, then walk through it, lay in it, etc... 24/7. (well, until it's cleaned out!) Thankfully Clayton called to warn me to fill the tub and get ready for an afternoon of bath times!

I was stunned when he brought in the four nasty, but gorgeous, puppies. There are 3 males and one female - all totally sweet! They love to be held and cuddled and are quite calm! (shocking!) They are probably 3 months old or so. You'd have to see them in real life to grasp just how darn cute they are... really.. beautiful!

We are totally OVERRUN at the pound right now. We're having to euthanize dogs for the first time in quite a while simply due to overcrowding. These GREAT dogs are dying simply because no one wants them. It is depressing and I am desperate to get ANY of our homeless dogs homes. If you've thought at all about getting a dog, PLEASE let me know. PLEASE do not buy from a breeder... let me help you find the perfect dog for your family. You can save a life! As the awesome organization Dogs Deserve Better says, "Don't breed or buy while shelter dogs die!" I couldn't say it better myself!

Check out some of our available dogs at http://www.searkdogadoption.weebly.com/ - more will be added this week! Some on the site will be removed - I believe several were euthanized. I'll be visiting the pound tomorrow morning (Tuesday morning) around 10:30am if anyone wants to come and see the dogs we have for themselves!

Thank you Mr. Burgess!

Joe Burgess has agreed to relink the website I created for our homeless doggies each week as long as I send him a fresh article to go with it. HOORAY! This is amazing! Here's the first mention of it on Monticello Live.

http://www.monticellolive.com/new-website-for-monticellos-homeless-canines/

Is It Spring Yet?

This morning was so so cold... all I could think, as I scolded myself for not starting the van sooner, was, "I am so ready for spring!" I try to be happy no matter what the weather, but winter is just not my cup of tea. I love to be outside - unless it's below 50 degrees.

I went out this morning to feed all of the dogs (currently we have two of our own and 8 fosters) and by the time I got finished filling bowls and dumping out ice to refresh the water dishes I was in pain from the cold! My hands were completely red and I could barely move my fingers. It didn't help that our newest foster has zero manners from living his entire life at the pound and jumped on me while I was holding a newly filled bowl of water. Splish-Splash and let the frost bite set in!

Samuel was so mad at me that I would not stay outside to let him play any longer. I just cannot take it. What can I say.. born in the South! We like it warm!

I have two training sessions this Saturday in Warren and the forecast is calling for 60+ temps - I pray it stays looking that way! I hate taking clients outside for training in the freezing cold.. and both of these need help with walking. Lord, PLEASE.. help me out with some beams of sunshine!

Please Help

If I ever needed help in blogworld, it is now. I've created a website for our dog pound, though it won't be just for dogs in the pound.. it will eventually be for nearly every homeless dog in our area. For now.. just the pound and the dogs I'm fostering.

The link is: www.searkdogadoption.weebly.com and I would greatly appreciate any and all of you posting about it, putting up a permanent link on your blogs, ANYTHING to spread the word.

The pics of the dogs are not right now what I want them to be, but time was not my friend so quick shots through the kennels had to do. I plan to go back and get the dogs out for better pictures, but I will need mucho help. There are so many of them and only one of me.

We really need to try to help these poor dogs find homes. The city does what it can with our pound, but it's not a happy place to be. No grass, dirt, sun, or warmth. Concrete floors and freezing temperatures are what each of the dogs on this website are faced with day in and day out. My heart aches each time I leave with one or two dogs and yet cannot take them all. Please, please help!! Anything you can do to advertise for this website will be greatly appreciated. If even one of these sweet dogs can get a home because of our community pulling together for the cause.. it will make me very happy.

New at the Moss House

If these aren't the cutest faces you've ever seen on a pup.. then send me pics to prove it! I rescued four Boxer mix puppies from the pound last week.. one already has been adopted and we are fostering the other three. They are ADORABLE! Floppy ears, huge paws, wrinkly foreheads... it doesn't get much better than that! They are all males and they are quite young.. probably only around 8 weeks old. Interested? Know someone that is? Email me at pupfostermom@gmail.com so we can get these adorable little guys into great, loving homes.

See What's New

I made a trip to the pound last week to do a rescue mission on a Doberman. He had been there for around 4 months and no one would adopt him. I got in touch with a great rescue group in Oklahoma that has agreed to take him! I went to pick him up to do a behavioral assessment and decided to just bring him home with me.

At the pound he was a bit nervous, but showed no signs of aggression. He loaded up into the back of my van with ease and rode quietly the entire way home. Once getting here he let me get him out and lead him around the yard. I put him on a run leash (not being sure how he'd act with our other dogs.) and he found the dog house, hulled himself inside of it (it was raining) and immediately started snarling, growling, and barking aggressively at Clayton and me. YIKES! He had a quick change of personality! I had to come inside and think of how to handle this dog. I had to figure out what the problem was.

I went back out with him the next day and made a slight bit of progress when I discovered that he would not growl at me if I had food. The next day it was nice and sunny outside, so I spent the day with him. I figured out that his problem was not aggression, but fear. I avoided eye contact with him, and walked almost backwards towards him (giving the minimum amount of energy to him) and I kept a large walking stick with me to help me appear more powerful. IT WORKED! He came right out of the doghouse, sat beside me, and has been a completely different dog since. He loves us now! He loves to be walked, he loves to have a good scratch behind the ears, and he even likes the other dogs! (he hated the other dogs at first.. again.. just afraid of EVERYTHING.) How funny to see a dog that most people would be completely afraid of, be completely afraid of everyone and everything around him. Poor guy.. he has so little life experience. He's made awesome improvements already, and I know that this rescue group is going to get him an amazing home! The guy that's going to foster him and I have been in touch and I'm so happy to see that he uses the exact same training methods as me. I'm so happy for Foster! (that's the Dobe's name now.)

While I was there to get Foster, I had to snatch up a puppy that looked a bit sickly, too. Madison has named her Casey and she's just a floppy, silly, bouncy kind of girl! I'm not sure what breed to list her as... obviously a mixed breed, possibly a hound of some sort? Anyone got an idea of what this big pawed, floppy eared, long legged girl may be?

Her belly was VERY bloated when I got her and I noticed you could see her spine and hip bones - she's very underweight, despite regular feedings at the pound. WORMS. I wormed her and by the next day she looked much better. Her stomach size decreased by at least half, and today, she looks normal. She's eating like a crazy dog so I'm sure her face and body will fill out soon. I hate how their faces have such a alien like, deformed look when they go without food or are sick like that. We'll have her all beautiful in no time!

These are the new additions at the Moss house! Spread the word about Casey to anyone that you think might like to have a fun-loving pup!

Back on Track

The holidays are over (almost.. one more round of Christmas to go for us...) and I can honestly say that I am tired of eating! By the fifth Christmas dinner, five days in a row, I felt like I might develop sudden on-set high blood pressure or Gout from consuming way too much, in much too short of a time span. Each night I went to bed feeling completely sick and vowing to not eat that much again the next time. Each following day, I failed to resist eating ALL of the yummy food, and so suffered again another night of sluggishness and stomach pain.

Now, we are almost done visiting people, and entertaining people, and I am getting back to my normal eating pattern. I've started back with what I call my "feel good" shakes, that I get from the Shake Shack. I have one for breakfast almost every morning and it just starts my day off so well. I've also managed to lose several more pounds since trying them out! So, back on those for breakfast... and I feel the water weight starting to melt away. When you cannot get your wedding rings off after your third day of crazy eating... you know you're eating way to much!

Clayton, the kids, and I headed to Petco when we were visiting my mom for Christmas and picked up two Dog Backpacks to try to drain Brooklyn's - our Pittie girl - energy on walks. So, she and I have been one walking-jogging duo the past couple of days. When she sees the backpack, she just sits down and waits for me to hook her up. It's amazing how it calms her immediately! The one thing it doesn't cure, unfortunately, is her wanting to chase and kill cats. Ugh... this issue is the ONLY issue she has that I have not made a dent in. She's the first dog I've ever had that I have, so far, failed to stop the cat crazies! This might actually cause me to give her back to the pound... it's a serious problem that's taking a ton of time. When I think of all of her progress though.. I just cannot give up on her, yet!

Life is slowly getting back to normal for us here... especially in the eating department. I think back a couple of years ago when we were trying to get pregnant with Samuel and how I used to eat like that several days each week. It was what I turned to when I was sad, frustrated, disappointed, etc. It also became what I liked to do when friends were over or I was happy! I felt so awful, all of the time back then. Low energy, expanding waist-line, and the lack of caring to do anything about it. I don't know what kicked me in the rear after Samuel was born, but I am so thankful to be back to my old self! Feeling good feels good!

New Fosters Pictures

Here our the two newest babies of the family.

The first one is the "horse" I spoke of yesterday. She is a brindle colored Pit Bull. She is SUPER sweet! She loves the kids, loves other dogs... but not so hot with the cats. I'm working with her on it. If the cats are simply by her, she's fine. However, if one makes the mistake of running past her... her strong prey drive kicks in and she simply wants to catch them and probably mangle them. So, I'll probably be recommending a home with no cats for this girl. Other than the cat issues, I've seen no others. Today we went for a jog together and she barely pulled on the leash at all after the first few minutes. (she pulls A LOT at first.. working hard on it! She's much improved already.) I can see that she is really going to turn into a fantastic pet for someone. So far a name for this powerful yet gentle girl escapes me. If you'd like to help name her, drop me some doggie girl name ideas in the comments! I don't do 'silly' names so please avoid "Cookie, Princess, or Tiny." She needs a big dog name that still sounds sweet... any takers?

The second is the one we've had the longest. This is Lilly. Though I'm not certain of her breed, she resembles a Chihuahua. She is only around 4/5 months old and quite the little squirt. She is likely to grow to be a bit bigger than a standard sized Chihuahua, but I cannot see her getting past the "small" size. Lilly is SWEET. No other word can describe her. She's just a jolly, happy-go-lucky, ready to go everywhere you go, kind of girl. She is in love with Samuel and follows him everywhere, tail waggin'. I cannot picture a wrong family for her. As long as she gets plenty of exercise and attention... she'll be happy as can be!

Both of these dogs were rescued from our city pound. Both would have been put to death simply due to overcrowding... please help find homes for these sweet girls so that I can go rescue more before their "time is up." They will be be put on the national websites.. but word of mouth is helpful as well. A friend of mine helped find Lilly's brother a home within the first week I had him simply by asking people in her office if anyone knew of someone looking for a puppy. ANY help you can offer is greatly appreciated.

Interested in adopting either pooch? Drop me an email at pupfostermom(at)gmail(dot)com.

Rescued a Horse Today

Today I went to the pound and rescued a wild horse... I mean a huge dog. She is a Pitt Bull Terrier that appears to be pure-bred and has been in there for around two months. She was SOOO excited to get out that she nearly drug me down the driveway! I ran her around the pound area for a while to try to get SOME of her energy out and then opened the back hatch of the van. To my shock she leaped right in and lay down on the towel I had for her! She looked completely relieved to be going away from that place. (away from constant concrete, freezing weather, and barking dogs...)

Realizing that she is definitely the strongest, though not the largest, dog I've ever rescued, I had to devise a plan for what I would do when we arrived home. She had to know from second one that she is NOT in charge.

Clayton took Samuel into the house and I opened the back of the van. She tried to leap out and I blocked her..making her calm down. After several minutes she finally sat down, gave me eye contact, and her body language obviously changed to show she was calmer. Then I called her out. After that she actually walked fairly well on the leash, considering she's likely never been on one. She was really excited to meet our dogs and they all got along really well! She is super playful, silly, and sweet. I think I need to hook her to the van and let her run about 15mph down the road for about 10 miles to make up for all of her confinement at the pound. She definitely wants to RUN.

So, I have pics of two new foster dogs to show soon. One is a puppy, her name is Lilly. She is SO SWEET and very cute. The newest is the one I was just discussing. I'll have to work with her for a bit before I'm ready to place her for adoption. Lilly has been with us for two weeks and is coming along wonderfully. She's typically the picture-perfect calm-submissive girl. Her brother was with us for a short time before he was adopted... now we just need to find her a good home. She's a great "portable pet" since she LOVES being inside, and LOVES riding in the car. She would do great with someone that wanted a pup to cart around everywhere.

Pictures to come, once I can snap a few!

Sad But True

I try to avoid posting too much of the sad realities of dog shelter and rescue... I like to keep a positive attitude with the few dogs that we are able to save. However, a good friend and fellow dog rescuer emailed me this article and I had to at least link it. If you can ignore the poor writing quality and simply listen to the message, I think the impact will be great. Everything this person is writing is what I am seeing myself in our small town. I can only imagine how much worse the problem gets in bigger cities.

You can read the article here if you are interested.

New Feature

You may notice the new picture of the cute black lab on the right hand side of my blog. This is the section that you will likely be seeing several dogs over the coming months that are all looking for new, and permanent homes. You can click on the picture of the dog to find out more information about him or her, and to find out how to complete an adoption application. Live out of my area? That's okay! Dogs can be adopted out to nearly anywhere, so if you fall in love with a cute face, let me know.

Another Foster Adopted

Well, Ruth has already gone to her new home! A great family that lives on 80acres down our road saw her and fell in love with her. I got an email from someone that saw her on the pet adoption websites that really wanted her, and I had to tell them she was already adopted! I am a bit surprised she went so quickly. The bigger dogs can be really hard to place... she's just so gorgeous, people couldn't help but want her.

So, now we're down to just our two dogs again! That's so weird! I'm enjoying a few days just spending time with them before I go get another foster. I saw a very pretty white male dog, looked like a shepherd mix, at the pound last week. If he's still there, I think he'll be the one I'll be bringing home.

Amanda posted on her blog that a big Chihuahua hoarder/breeder was shut down in NM. Once they get some more info on those pups and dogs, we might be fostering one or two of them. I have a hard time with the smaller breeds, for some reason. It takes me a while to realize they're dogs, too. lol I'm so used to big labs and dogs of the sort.. a tiny lap dog takes some adjusting for me!

So, Moss Dog Rescue, Adoption, and Rehabilitation Center is going quite well! ;)

Ruth and other doggie news

This is Ruth! She is approximately 2 years old and is a 66 pound white lab. She is BEAUTIFUL! She is in desperate need of a gentle, patient, and loving home. Her previous home was full of abuse and neglect and has left her with a lot of fear of people. We have had her for two weeks now and she loves our children, our dogs, our cats, and me! She is still afraid of Clayton, but his lack of time to spend with her is the reason. Even with him not being around her very much, she is much better around him than she was.

Even though she has been so mistreated by humans in her life, she is absolutely a gentle giant. I have not seen one second of aggression in this girl - even when she was very afraid. She loves to be loved on, and is desperate to belong. She now likes to go for walks and she is happy to jog or stroll. I cannot stress enough how incredibly sweet this girl is.

She was just spayed a few days ago and is recovering very well. She is soon to get all of her shots and will be completely vetted before being adopted. As soon as she heals from being spayed, I am going to start some more complex psychological obstacles for her, like taking her to the park to walk amongst other people and strange noises. These things make her want to shut down, and I have to make her face them and learn that she can trust people so that she will be a great dog.

If you are interested in Ruth, email me at pupfostermom(at)gmail(dot)com.

Also, Justin Dreyer emailed and said that a large Chihuahua puppy breeder/hoarder just got shut down. There are MANY puppies and dogs in desperate need of a good home. If you are interested, email me at the same address.

New Foster

Well, we have been back to the pound and rescued another. Our 4th foster is a giant white lab. She is a female, around 2-3 years old, and was taken from her owners. She was at the pound for over a month before I took her. I assumed someone would adopt her from there, but no such luck.

She is definitely going to be the hardest foster we've ever had to date. I've handled aggression, house training, jumping, barking, destruction of property, and those kinds of troubles, but this girl has deeper rooted issues. She is very VERY fearful. Of what? EVERYTHING.

She loves the fenced in area of the yard we keep our fosters in because she feels safe in there. When not in the fence, she typically has her tail tucked tightly between her legs and her head held down to the ground, as if she's just waiting for something horrible to happen. Any noise will make her want to run and hide. Cesar Millan always says that the hardest thing to deal with in dogs is low self-esteem. This girl is an extreme case of that. I am up for the challenge, though! I'm excited to see if we can turn this dog around and show her how to enjoy life!

She's already learning to walk properly on the leash after only three days with us, and she's never been on a leash in her life. (and she was terrified of that whole experience at first.. just like every experience!) Having a good pack of dogs to influence her has proven to be more beneficial than anything. All of the dogs sleep in the fence together at night, and this morning I saw her finally playing with them. Three days and she finally played. I could have cried watching her wag her tail, bark playfully, and pounce around with the other dogs.

I'll post pictures of her when I can. She is simply BEAUTIFUL.

Dogs, Dogs, and More Dogs!

My days lately are completely filled with dogs and I love it! Yesterday was no exception.

I met with Christina at her lovely home to see what I could do to help her with her BEAUTIFUL 4 month old Cocker Spaniel. This was no ordinarily 'cute' Cocker Spaniel, by the way. This is possibly the most gorgeous Spaniel I've ever layed eyes on. I can see why it is hard to discipline such a sweet and gentle little girl.

The only major issue I could find with Miss Sui (how do you guys spell her name?) was her low self-esteem. On walks, she first threw quite a temper tantrum (she apparently hates a collar style leash system) but was calmed once we switched her to a harness system. Now, I typically do not use a harness because it is incredibly hard to control a dog with one. With this girl, however, her problem was one of hiding behind us when walking, not pulling and charging ahead, so it was okay in this situation. The harness seemed to make her feel safe and comfortable, so it was the best option.

Within a few minutes she was greatly improving on the leash. Four month old puppies that have little exposure to leashes do tend to resist and fight. Knowing how to properly control them during that period of time is vital in teaching them to become great walkers in the future. It's all about patience and consistency.

Christina was very comfortable with her pup and did a great job making her stay at her side and not allowing her to hide behind her. After a few romps around the backyard, I could see the dog's confidence building. She started looking to Christina for further instructions instead of having her nose pointed to the ground and she held her head up to look around on walks instead of trying to bury herself into the backsides of our legs. Dogs are great because they are so good at just simply moving past their issues.

We did a few simple 'pack-leader establishing' food exercises so that Christina and her family could have numerous times a day to show the puppy that they are her leaders and she is the follower. She was a pretty easy case. I wasn't able to help, in person, with her problem of jumping on the children, because they were all napping. Hopefully with proper use of the leash and timely corrections, the jumping will gradually improve and eventually totally stop. (If it remains a problem, let me know! I can come when the kids are awake to work it out with you.)

So, my first 'practice' case was quite easy. Dealing with small cutesy breeds is a bit harder for me than the big dogs I'm used to around here. I have to make myself remember that the small breeds are to be handled in the same way as large breeds to make them good, calm-submissive dogs.

I have more things coming in the future with other people and their dogs. We'll see how they go! Thanks again, Christina! I loved getting to meet your gorgeous puppy.

After leaving her house I headed to Warren to meet Ruby's adoptive family. We spent an hour at the park together walking her and they were super eager to learn more about how we managed to make her the dog she is. They are just a super family. They are NATURAL pack-leaders and I know they are going to continue keeping Ruby a calm-submissive follower for the rest of her life.

Another foster dog adopted... time to move on to the next!

Calling All Dog Owners!

Do you have a dog? Do you have a dog with annoying behavior issues like jumping, dragging you on walks, making you drag him on walks, trying to attack your cats or other dogs, or any other behavioral issue? If you do, and you would like some help, perhaps we can help each other.

In order to better hone my dog behavior-altering skills, I need dogs to practice with. I would appreciate any experiences I could get with dogs of all breeds and it would be wonderful if I did manage to really help a dog owner with an issue or two. (or more...)

If you'd be willing to let me use your beloved pooch as a "guinea pig," let me know! Leave me a comment or email at: pupfostermom(at)gmail(dot)com.

Keep in mind, you are possibly doing this more to help me than for me to help your dog. God has given me the ability to transform dogs in my own home, but working with dogs in THEIR homes is an entirely different situation. It is one that I'm really looking to learn more about.

Also, I am not a dog "trainer." My goal is not to teach dogs to sit, roll over, and play dead. My desire is to transform relationships between humans and dogs. The "training" will really be more from me to the owner.. not me to the dog. Sound interesting? If you live relatively close by and are willing to let me experiment with your dog, let me know! I would greatly appreciate it!

Another New Addition to the Family

This is not the best picture in the world.. but this is RUBY! I rescued her from the pound yesterday and she had to be banished to the pen outside until I could get her properly bathed and brushed. Now she's all beautiful and fluffy, and gets to enjoy living indoors. (I am without a camera or I'd show nice, fresh, cute pics of her.)

Ruby is an adult dog, probably around ages 1-3. She appears to me to be Cairn. (think Toto from The Wizard of Oz) She actually is possibly pure-bred. She is quite small, probably topping out at around 7 pounds. Her cute little frame and that super expressive face have made her quite a comical dog! You've got to love that red hair she's sporting!

The only issues I've seen from her in our two days together are some serious food aggression. She will actually try to bite other animals if they get near her food. She has spent most of her time around the food pinned down, on her back, by me. I make her lay this way until she calms down and can sit close to the other dogs while they eat. She's only had two eating sessions with her new pack so I'm not expecting miracles anytime soon. Her otherwise TOTALLY sweet disposition lets me see that she is absolutely mold-able and I can work her through that one mean issue.

Get this: She is HOUSEBROKEN. She goes and sits by the front door anytime she needs to potty. Zero accidents in the house.. ZERO.

She LOVES to ride in the van. Someone toted this sweet girl all over the place. When I open the door for her she just does this cute little hippity-hop (is that a word?) into the front passenger seat. Then she either looks around or lays down and sleeps during the drive.

She loves the crate! After making her submit to the crate the first day, it is now her favorite place to hang out. If you show her a place to stay, she will. Awesome indoor dog!

I have no idea why this dog was at the pound. I don't know if she ran away or if she was causing trouble because someone did not know how to handle her issues when they arose... but she is the equivalent to a move in ready house.

She really loves all of the kids and likes the other animals too! (until eating time.)

If you're interested in Ruby email me at pupfostermom(at)gmail(dot)com. I've already received one email of interest so email fast if you even THINK you might want her. These small dogs go quick!

Dakota

This is Dakota! She is our newest foster pup. She is a white pit/mix that is around one year old. She possibly the sweetest dog I've ever had the pleasure of being around. She is scheduled to be spayed this Thursday and is totally up to date on shots/worming/heart worm preventative, etc.

She has been turned into an even more "calm-submissive" dog by our Dog Whisperer techniques and she loves our dogs, our cats, and our kids. She had some very minor food aggression issues when we got her, but she's only shown it by growling. Never bitten. (and that's only with our other dogs, not with us.) I've been supervising all meals and letting her know that aggression, over anything, is a no-no. Other than with food, she is a totally easy-going dog! She's never had a family before us, at least not in a LONG TIME. She's still underweight, weighing in at 28 pounds currently. Her entire life has been filled with neglect. She is a very loyal dog... that's a trait you can usually find with a well handled rescue. They simply long to be with someone.

She's not a barker, not a digger, and is super low maintanance. She's an outside dog but, with her nature, I'm SURE she could easily be housebroken if anyone wanted to try. (I simply do not have the want-to.)

If you're interested in Miss Dakota, email me at pupfostermom(at)gmail(dot)com and we can get the ball rolling.

It will be super hard for me to let her go. She is just so easy, and so wonderful. She'd be a great dog for anyone.