Dobby and Hammer Walk

I took Dobby and Hammer out on a walk today. Hammer wasn't bad, he mostly stayed on my left side about a leash length away. I let him wear Maya's harness, which was too big for him but it worked. Walking Dobby for the first time was an experience. He can't see or hear, of course, so I had no idea how he'd react. He enjoyed it, I think, and I know Hammer did.

I started out with him on a three foot leash. That was either too long or too short because it allowed him enough freedom to walk right in front of me, which he did, back and forth. I had an extra six foot leash with me and I ended up using it like a rope harness, around and under his belly. That kept him on a short lead and gave me a modicum of control.

I walked Hammer on my left and Dobby on my right. Dobby's lead was short so he would frequently brush his head against my hand. I think that was good, it let him know I was there, and as I've said, he is a very trusting fellow. The biggest benefit was keeping him moving forward in mostly a straight line.

We were a chaotic mess starting out, but at the end of two miles we looked at least somewhat better organized.

Dobby Eats

Dobby is a big dog, but since he arrived here he's been eating like a small dog. I think I finally fixed that today.

I had two bags of food supplements that I had got in a gift bag from The Animal Connection's anniversary a while back. I wasn't sure what to do with it because we don't have a problem with dogs not eating around here normally. I stuffed it up on a shelf figuring that I'd need it sometime, and I did.

I don't know if it's the new location, new food, or what, but Dobby just wasn't eating very well. I sprinkled some of the Magical Dinner Dust over his food, and a threw in a handful of the Digestive Boost Dinner Morsels, and he really went to town on it today.

I put Hammer out in Daneland with him again, it really seems to comfort him to have some company. I've discovered that it's easy to lead him in at night just by shining a flashlight at the ground in front of him. He can see the light and he follows it. He's learning his way around Daneland and at least in and out of the house. He's a wonderful dog, extremely trusting and loyal. He will make a great companion for someone.

 Maya has been out of the walking rotation lately because she's got a sore foot. She's licking it excessively, between two toes on her left front foot. She had this problem once before. I took her to the vet then and no one could really find anything wrong with it. I'm not sure what we did for it either, but it got better. I tried soaking her foot in a betadine solution this evening. That wasn't particularly successful, but I've got several bottles of spray stuff too and I'm going to give that a try for a few days before rushing to the vet. She's not limping on it around the house, but if we walk out to the gravel driveway you can tell she definitely favors it.

Della and Serena have become a really adorable couple.

They are about as cute together as Maya and Trooper.

Maya has been moving into the Danish girls' sleeping space lately. Not all the time, but
enough to assert her right to do so. So far at least, it's all been fine.

Fun in the Sun

For Theo, running in the pasture means playing ball.

The pictures of the dogs romping in the pasture were taken Sunday on Monday when we had some sun. I kept waiting for it to come out again on Tuesday, but it just couldn't quite make it. There was a pretty good break in the clouds about mid-afternoon and I got Della out for a two mile walk.

Kami and Della engaged each other in very active
run and chase style play.

Dobby is settling in. I had him out in Daneland again today, but he seemed lonely and started making some noise. I put Hammer out with him for the day. Hammer needs a buddy now that his brother, Hatchet, has been adopted, and Dobby is more than enough dog to fill that slot. They both seemed happier when they were out there together, at least they were quiet. I even put R.W. out there for a while late in the afternoon after he had dinner. After bringing Hammer and R.W. in when it got dark, Dobby started barking again, not wanting to be left alone I guess. I brought him in and put him in a crate next to his new buddy, Hammer. The problem is that it was dark by 6:00 p.m., and that's too long to leave everyone crated until morning, so I'll have to get them all out again before bed. Last night I was up in the middle of the night because of barking from the office. I didn't know which dog it was, so I had to get all four of them (Dobby, Hammer, Kami, and R.W.) down and out in the middle of the night. I'd like to avoid that tonight.

Kami and Della, facing off before a run.

Kami was happy to run after Theo when I threw the ball too.
But only Theo actually gets the ball.

The pasture is sloped, so the run back up the hill
gets the dogs a good amount of exercise quickly.

Serena and Della at play. I'm not sure exactly what was
going on here, but it looks like Della jumped over Serena.

Dane play is generally more jumping and wrestling.
Kami is more into flat out running and can't really
join in the Dane play.

Kami does try, however.

I need to get this girl adopted soon.

Kami is fast, but she can not match Della's stride.

On our walk, Tuesday afternoon.

Dobby's World

He's blind as a bat, deaf as a post, and sweet as sin. His name is Dobby, which I'm told is the house elf from the Harry Potter world.

We were told that he was partially hearing impaired but no one mentioned that he was blind. He may be able to hear some sound at some frequency, but not really enough to do him any good. Erika made that ear piercing shrill sound that she makes to get dogs' attention for photos. His ears perked up, but he couldn't locate the sound. He was facing the wrong direction and didn't even turn around. His eyes are small and underdeveloped. He bumps into things; he bumps into everything. His is a dark and silent world that he navigates by scent and by touch. His pink nose seems to work fine and his big head resembles a concrete block, which is good because it doesn't get hurt when he bumps into things.

I brought him indoors to a big crate in my office last night. The stairs were a bit of a challenge but he must have done them before because he figured them out quickly, even going downstairs the next morning. He is a very trusting dog and he show's no fear. He's been great with the nine other dogs around around here. I let him have Daneland to himself for most of the day to learn his way around. He's using a giant bed in the former Puppy Palace covered with some of the blankets that came along with him. He knows where the food and water can be found and he's learning where things are located in the outdoor space. Late this afternoon I took Maya, Hammer, and R.W. out to Daneland to meet and socialize with him. He's very friendly to everyone he meets and he's always happy to "see" me.

Meeting Della and Serena upon arrival

Della is proving to be better at meeting new fosters than
I had expected her to be.

Meeting Hammer, now cone-free!

I don't think Dobby saw R.W. here.

R.W. enjoyed some time outdoors today, but when I let
him out the gate he went directly to the back door of the house.

Maya, Hammer, and Dobby