Another day...

IF this uploader works, you will see the FABULOUS Miss Cindy running her little tushie off. We've started getting her out, going to the bathroom, then taking a puppy run out to the end of the courtyard and back. It works really well because 1. It takes the edge off that puppy energy. 2. We'll invariably run into someone. And the more someones we run into, the more socialized she gets. 3. It works out her little muscles. We never go faster or farther than she wants to, that she can handle, but she really seems to enjoy it. She might do really well with an energetic family or even as a runner buddy, once she gets big enough to go.

 Above I'd like to label as Exhibit A. Meeting new friends. Earlier in the day we ran into a really nice lady who  gave her loves then went up into her apartment and came back down with her two huge golden retrievers. She told me that her dogs loved puppies and were gentle, and so we let them meet, and it was a big old sniffing love fest. SO: good with people, cats, dogs... she's becoming well rounded. :-)

She doesn't mind being an independent little soul, but she's still a little baby who loves a snuggle...

Little Nibbler...

 Well, we're a week into Miss Cindy's stay. She's over her cough, so we're back to going outside to learn to go potty. And she's pretty much got it down. Obviously, with a bladder the size of a walnut she has to go more frequently, so when I get up to let her out in the morning and after work (yes, she sleeps in her crate at night and when I'm gone... it keeps her from chewing on something in her puppy stage and getting hurt, and she really does like her bed) there's usually a little present in there. But as she grows her bladder is going to grow too, so she'll grow out of that.

It's all about keeping a regimen when you have a pet. It keeps them happy. And it keeps you (me) happy too.  We know what to do, we know what to expect. So every morning We wake up at 7am, and go outside to go potty. We go to one spot, and we stand there IN that spot until she's gone potty and poo. (I can tell when she has to go poo...she gets verbal with little squeaks and ruffs and runs around crazy in circles out to the end of her leash until she goes. One of the main reasons I stand still. If I walked with her until she was satisfied with her "restroom" who knows HOW far we'd have walked..). THEN we play for a few minutes since she was such a good girl, and come back inside for a lovely breakfast of kibble and canned and play. For the next couple of hours or so we play with the Kong, or evil Squirrel (I've become a pro at tossing evil Squirrel while putting my shoes on).

Before I leave for work we go outside again to go to the bathroom... same thing. Stand in one place (We're inside a courtyard, working our way gradually out toward the scary noisy outside) while she goes to the bathroom, then a bit of play for being good.  After work...yup, same thing. Then it's back inside for dinner, for more play, and outside a couple more times (same routine) before bed.

Things I've noticed? That German Shepherd stubborn sometimes comes out, which means that if there's something that she really likes... she can be distracted from it... but it may take a  few attempts. When she gets wound up playing she tends to be a nibbler...those puppies DO like to chew...so once again, something to distract her usually works well. :-D  We're working on being better at this. But that stubborn means just a bit more working. But she's SO worth it. She's just a loving little thing, full of spunk and fun.

Thoughts on puppies:
1. It's all about the routine. Keep a routine, don't confuse them, you'll all be happy...

2. Keep Potty time and Walk time separate. If it's 5 degrees outside and you have to take the dog outside to go to the bathroom but Fifi is used to walking around the block before she goes...it's going to be a loooooonnnggg cold walk. I used to pet sit a dog who did exactly that. To go to the bathroom we'd have to walk around the block...rain or shine... to go. I, on the other hand, trained George the dog (my lovely lovely yellow lab) to go out to go "potty". Once that was done, then he knew it was time for play, or "walk".

3. A lot of times when you get a pet from a situation where there are a lot of other animals together they can develop Kennel Cough. Sort of the equivalent of a dry, scratchy cough in a human with a bit of a retch at the end. One of the best things I ever did was get a warm air humidifier. It soothes their dry air passages and helps them get over it faster. That and mainly moist food while they're sick...which is more soothing to swallow...

4. All puppies are going to be nibblers and full of energy. They're BABIES. :-D We have to remember that. And not hold it against them or give up on them and take them to the shelter.

That's how I got my George dog. A young lady was walking him, and he'd been stuck in a cage all day long so he was running in circles. She couldn't handle it. Her loss became my gain for a decade. Because I COULD and he became the best friend a person could ever have had.

:)

Little Miss Cindy and Evil Squirrel...

 Miss Cindy decided she liked my boots much more than a boring old kong (even food filled), so to redirect her attentions I stopped in after work the second night to get her her own animal to kill and skin. When I brought it into the bedroom and let her out to investigate she wasn't quite sure about it. Especially when the evil Squirrel squeaked at her. She decided that under the bed was a MUCH safer spot.  After a few minutes, and no evil Squirrel squeak, she cautiously climbed out and onto my lap and decided to sniff the weird, fuzzy thing.  Not five minutes later, ignoring the occasional squeak, she was grabbing it and sliding across the floor on it and occasionally giving it what-for with a rowdy "bark!"  By the end of the night, Miss Cindy and evil Squirrel were best of friends, with Cindy dragging evil Squirrel to the couch and begging me with her puppy eyes to give them a lift up. Which I willingly did.  And after a few moments.... they nodded off to dreamland.

So here's what I've learned so far about Miss Cindy: She's VERY smart. And while she's not potty trained, she tries her hardest to let me know by sniffing that she's got to go potty, and when she's close enough to be able to get to it fast, she runs to her crate to go. Because of some unforeseeable conditions the outside potty training (which she was already starting to pick up on on the second day) had to be put on hold... but I think she'll do great at learning... all we need to do is pay attention to her cues...wild sniffing, a bit of whining...and remember that she's just a baby so she has to potty a lot more often than a grown up dog with their big old bladders.

She's also independent... She doesn't like to be rolled on her back, she's a bit of a wiggler when you pick her up, but when her feet are solidly on you she's fine.  She's not going to be a lap dog. Maybe a sit beside you on the couch and snuggle dog... She loves to be scratched under the chin, and on her chest, and when you're standing there brushing your teeth she'll sit down and rest her head on your feet. She's a lover, but not a clinger. Which I find charming.

She's a bit shy of new things, but then she's a baby. Everything's new. It doesn't take long for her to want to investigate. She even still wants to investigate Mr. B... who, in true cat fashion, ignores her.

In most cases when I call her she'll come right to me. She DOES love sitting under my jewelry box on top of a pile of my Converse, but even then, with a bit of a coaxing, she'll come.

She's obviously not trained to walk yet.... so I'm always prepared to keep my eyes down so I don't accidentally trip over her, but the fact that she'll come with me when I call her gives her a gold star. :)

And lastly, after her first night in her new crate, she's settled down, and doesn't mind being put in her "house". She'll settle down and snuggle onto the blanket and should I need to go get something, there isn't any urgent whining to get her out.  She'll look up, and if I open the door, she'll come out. And get smooches for being such a good girl.... :)

Cindy

02-21-2012. This is Cindy (I like her name...), who is just a little bit of a pup. According to the Anti Cruelty Society she's 1 month, 20 days old, and is a shepherd mix. She's a foxy blonde color, with a tiny bit of white on three of her paws, a little raindrop of white on her chest, and a bit also under her chin. On the tips of her ears, a bit under her chin, and on her tail  it darkens into a mixture of the all over color and black.

I just brought her home today. She's never been anywhere, really, but she was a brave little soul on the cab ride home. I brought her into the apartment, introduced her to the crate, with her little bed  fixed in and left her there for a bit before I brought her out so she'd know that it was a comfy place and she wasn't going to be left there forever. She did cry a bit, but I waited until she quieted down then got her out. I didn't want her thinking that the barking was what made me come open the door. After a bit of exploring with me close by, she wandered back into her little house (so I know she's not minding it...score!) before we went outside for a little bit, just in case she had to go potty.

Once in a while she'll give a little baby cry (but that's to be expected...after all... this is all new) but I think the first day she's passed like a champ. And now... she's passed OUT like a champ. Before we go to bed we're going to take another detour outside.

FREEDOM!!!

Today my charges... Princess Leia, Gracie, Little John, Frankie, and Loverboy... were let out of quarantine. Once one is strong enough to jump the gate, I pretty much know that that's the time. The gate slid up (low enough to keep Mr. B. out, but high enough to let them in to go potty and to eat. I'm keeping the food separated, much to Mr. B's consternation, because he doesn't need the calorie rich food like the babies do to gain weight and get healthy. He's already doing VERRRRRY well in that regard.

So Princess Leia was the one to jump the gate. I pretty much could have predicted that. Mr. B's doing pretty cool except for yelling at the little monkeys if they want to run up on him too close. Only one small potty problem, with Frankie thinking the bathroom rug (and hey, she's never been on a fluffy rug before, and right next to the litter box she probably thought it WAS a litter box, so I have no problems with her) was to go potty on. Grab her, take her to HER bathroom, wash the rug and scrub the floor, and it's all good.

They all seem much less wound up now that they have a lot of room to run and hide and play. Frankie discovered she likes sitting in the window watching the world go by, Gracie loves sitting in the sun snoozing on a white fuzzy blanket that I used to cover the ottoman, and Little John loves to lay UNDER the ottoman while Loverboy has staked out the top with P.L. sitting in the chair. Right now they're ALL zipping from one place to another while Mr. B. hangs out on the couch with me. Zip...stop. Zip....stop. Tackle. Stop. Zip.... and so on.

 Everyone checking out the comfy place....

 Frankie in the foreground, with Princess Leia and Loverboy wrestling in the background.

 Helloooo!!!!

 Gracie napping in the sun....

 Frankie and Little John snoozing under the ottoman...

 Frankie and Princess Leia wrestling....

 Gracie just can't hold her head up....

 Gracie and Frankie....

BONK!  There it goes....right into the rug...

Hey, it was a long and adventurous day.....

Don't forget.... these little lovies will be ready for adoption in about three months.  If you want to talk about them, and find out more about their personalities... just leave a message!  I'll be happy to talk about them with you. Everyone needs someone to love, and I just know that with this wide range of personalities and cute kitten bellies, I could find just the right one for you...  :-)

Kitties!!

The Five are getting bigger and bigger. What felt like bird bones now feels like little full bellies. What used to be cautious tapping has turned into full blown skirmishes. In other words, Princess Leia, Gracie, Frankie, Loverboy, and Little John are becoming kittens. They're learning how to play. They had their first manicure (and did very well, I might add). They are, of course, using the litterbox, and we're working on that whole "cover your bathroom" stuff.  But overall they're doing brilliant. Which is sort of scary. Considering the fact that in a week or so they'll be out of quarantine and the Five will be unleashed on the rest of the apartment.

Oh who am I kidding... it's going to be great..... :-D

And as always...remember... Visit the Anti Cruelty Society and find a new friend. These adorable fuzzballs will be available in just about a month.

New Furbabies...the Quintuplets....

Last Wednesday I called Lydia at the AntiCruelty Society and told her I'd foster someone. It didn't really matter who.  She suggested two different sets of kitties that had been ready for fostering for a week. I said OK, and she set me up with the Five. One month, 23 days old. That at first look are all alike....

I sat down the carrier and opened the door, and out they slowly came to check out the alien landscape. All except for one. Who has now become known as Gracie. More on that in a bit....

They had been named Toes, Shoes, Boots, Mittens, and Socks. Alas, ALL of their descriptions were listed as "brown tabby", so this did me NO good in figuring out who was who. But leaving them nameless wasn't really an option, so I decided after a few days to give them names from what I saw, and their personalities... I'm still working on the names part...

But so far I have Frankie (after Frank Sinatra, old Blue Eyes...even though she's a girl. She plays like a tomboy, anyway) and Gracie (after Gracie Allen, from Gracie Allen and George Burns...she's so cute and petite and girly with big eyes [one is just ever so slightly crossed] and she'll tap politely on your leg to get your attention to be picked up and loved. Then there's Leia [after Princess Leia...another tomboy...with her big ears looking like Leia's hairdo], Loverboy [who LOVES LOVES LOVES to give face rubs and get petted and loved], and Little John [from Robin Hood, the biggest boy of the bunch, who loves to wrestle].  And they're ALL sweeties who love to play king of the mountain with me as the mountain and perch on my shoulder...sometimes two at a time...

Remember, they'll be hanging out with me until October 1st, then it's back to the Anti Cruelty Society to be spayed and neutered and out for adoption.... and one of these sweeties could be YOURS.  Please pass the word...and pass the love....