Rowdy meets Momma Sable

Sable is a rottie that I adopted to Chad and Mary some time ago, one year? two? more? (I'm very bad with time frames.) Sable is a sweetheart. She has a problem with recurring perianal fistulas, a rather unpleasant and painful problem that her new owners have worked hard to control. In spite of being a sweet dog, she was not adoptable with that problem, but they are great people, great dog people, and (my highest compliment), great rottie people. They saw the dog's need and her potential, and they took her on and worked through the problem.

Mary contacted me about fostering little Rowdy. He's come quite a way from the scared and snarling little pup I first brought home from the SPCA, but he's still scared of people. He will come up for treats now and I can eventually get him to stop running around the yard so I can approach him, but he's still not what he should be. Rotties typically crave human attention, petting, or any form of contact. He needs to move into a home where he will have more individual human attention as well as a good canine role model. Sable will hopefully teach him the ways of the rottweiler. There is also a younger lab (mix?) in the home who will make a great play buddy.

So Rowdy and I drove up to my meeting spot in Culpeper and he met Chad, Mary, and Sable. He was scared but not trembling, and he loved Sable. It will be a good experience for him. If anyone can socialize this dog, these people and their dogs can do so.

I'm left with just Sparky, Teddy, and Trooper for foster dogs right now, but I'm going out of town next week for about 5 days, so this is a good time to be low on foster dogs. With just 5 dogs of our own now, we have only 8 dogs around here. I can't remember a time when there's been so few since we first started fostering. There are a few waiting in the wings, however, so it won't be this way for long.