The Big Chill

Theo, with two balls in his mouth. If one
is showing, you know he's got two.

This is the night of the big chill, I guess. We had a night this cold a week or so ago, although it wasn't accompanied by the wind. For all the hoopla about the cold, it was a bright and sunny day here, quite pleasant aside from the wind and chilly temps. I didn't get out for a walk but I took three shepherds out to the pasture to run.

Blurry, but a nice shot of Smokey's tail.

Theo played ball. Max carried his stick until he got a ball, then he carried that and destroyed it. Smokey kept his distance from Theo. All three boys spent the day together in the dog yard. Everyone is inside tonight, cozy and warm.

Twelve dogs is manageable, you just need a plan. Some help is good too, especially at feeding time and bedtime.

Theo returning the ball, Max on a fly by.

Another nice shot of Smokey's tail.

Smokey

Theo followed by Max

Happy Theo with a ball.

Max

Smokey

Sharing is Caring

We are back to a dozen dogs tonight because Angel was returned today. The lab, Chester, is now upstairs in the office to make room for Smokey in the kitchen when the weather turns cold again tomorrow night. The good news is that Chester has been good inside. The way he lifted his leg on everything outside I was sure he'd be a marker in the house, but he hasn't done so at all. The bad news is that he's still un-neutered and TJ hates that. I just broke up a spat between the two of them.

Sparky wrapped around Maya

Angel is easy although it will mean one more dog in the bedroom at night. She and Cheese will have to work out who sleeps where on the bed. That might be interesting. Cheese has a few good adoption prospects already, thanks to my blog post being shared on the Entlebucher group's Facebook page. It's looking like he may be the next dog to move out. Chester will get neutered on Thursday so he'll be ready by the weekend too, not soon enough to suit TJ.

We are full, overfull really, and preparing to hunker down for the coldest night so far this season. In that spirit, here are some pictures of dogs doubling up on beds. It's not that there aren't enough beds, it's because they often want the same one.

This one's just ridiculous. Theo was in the crate
that Serena wanted. She just walked in, tried a
couple different locations until she found a way
to push him over and lay down next to him.

Sparky and Maya again. That can't be comfortable for him.

Trooper and Maya

Maya doesn't care about comfort if she can
be close to Trooper.

Serena sharing the giant crate again, with
Coco this time. At least the two of them
are a better fit than Serena and Theo.

This arrangement of those new bolster beds
from Costco has worked out well for
Sparky and Serena in the bedroom at night.

Coco sort of got pushed to the back when
Sparky moved in.

Yes, I would like Cheese with that

The bad (cheesy) jokes are going to continue for the foreseeable future, unless and until Cheese gets adopted.

I've only known and fostered two Entlebuchers, but most of their behavior seems typical of the breed. They seem to be virtual clones. Here's what I know about him so far:

- He's four years old (DOB: 12/31/14).
- He's a neutered male.
- He's house trained.
- He doesn't like or need a crate. (He was ok in it the first night, but drove me crazy the second night until I let him out. He ended up sleeping in bed with me and will again tonight, I'm sure.)
- He's dog-friendly and cat-friendly; we met a cat today and he was perfectly fine.
- He's very loyal, attached to me to the point that I can take him out off-leash in the yard. If he gets any distance away from me he comes right back when I call.
- He's cautious of strangers, doesn't like being looked at directly, but will be fine in a few minutes if you just let him check out the stranger on his own terms.
- He likes walks (two miles yesterday, two and four miles today).
- He's cute.

Contact vadogrescue@gmail.com for adoption application.

Sorry, Cheese, you're cute, but Maya only loves Trooper.

He likes a roll in the grass.

Chocolate Chester

I've gotten a few dogs adopted recently, but there are always more than enough to take their place. We were down to nine dogs for a night or two, but Cheese brought us back to 10 yesterday and today's new boy, Chester, puts us back at 11. Coco has an adopter now, but it's going to be a few weeks yet before that actually happens. The young shepherd with hip dysplasia is now safe. They have a couple possibilities for him, but he's not in danger.

Now, to introduce Chester. He just got that name and he doesn't even know it yet. He came from a shelter down in Danville, VA, where he had come in as a stray. He's an un-neutered male, about a year old from what I can tell. Because he was a stray from a shelter we have no history on him and I don't know much about him yet. He's a chocolate lab or lab mix. He's good with other dogs. He's sweet, friendly, and happy. Chester arrived on a private plane today. He has met most of our pack and he's been fine in a crate.

That's about it, anything else I say about him right now would be pure fiction. He's a nice dog. I'm going to call first thing tomorrow morning and schedule his neuter.

Meeting Trooper

Say Cheese

My name is Cheese. Yes, I know it's a stupid name
but I used to be called "Spot." Cheese is my favorite
thing to eat, who doesn't like Cheese?  Maybe not
such a bad name after all.

I'm an Entlebucher Mountain Dog.
You've got google, look it up.

New people and new places freak me out, but
at home I'm quite happy and confident. 

When I have something to say, everyone
will know it. I WILL be heard.

No, I'm not a hound. Entlebucher, see above.
You must know some good looking hounds.

I rode home behind the driver, prime spot.
I hear it's Maya's spot and the blankets in this
crate just reek of alpha bitch.

There's lots of dogs here. Coco told me about
it on the drive, but I could tell from all
the smells anyway.

That's TJ, he's probably the most senior dog
around here.

I'm not sure what that big thing is, but I'm giving it a wide berth
until I figure it out. I hope it doesn't eat Entles.