Maya's half marathon

My last couple of weekday walks have only been about three miles. That's about all the Maya's walking companions can handle in the heat. The water sources are drying up and not flowing so I've been discouraging them from drinking the stagnant water, which is another reason to limit the length of the hikes. On Saturday, however, we did a series of hikes that totalled over 10 miles, which combined with the last weekday hike added up to a half marathon.

With his tipped ears, Axel looks quite a bit
like a smaller version of Trooper.

Maya doesn't care who accompanies us, but
Trooper is her favorite walking companion.

When Maya walks with Trooper, she sticks
close by his side more often than not. At one
point Trooper dropped back to walk behind
me and Maya soon joined him back there.

TJ is our most frequent walking companion, but
in the summer he really can't do more than 3 miles.

Today's rain should give the river and streams
a much needed influx of fresh water.

Axel is loving the hikes and he's got the stamina to go
farther than I care to.

Gigi came along on one of the 1.5 mile segments we did on Saturday.

Sparky came along on the final 1.5 mile walk on Saturday.
I haven't been walking him in the summer, but he enjoyed it.

Gigi likes to come on the walks, as long as I
keep it short. She's always glad to be back home.

We covered about half of the
trail system at Pleasant Grove in
the course of four different walks
throughout the day on Saturday.

Recent pics of former fosters

I like to do one of these posts occasionally. It's no work on my part, I just use pics that have been sent to me or that I steal from adopters' Facebook posts. It's always nice to hear updates and see our fosters happy in their new homes.





Duke is now known as Otis. He has a black lab for a sister and the two dogs adore each other. Who could ask for anything more?



























































Athena is the black Great Dane who had, and still has, a heart murmur. She went to live in Georgia. She has several children in her new home who adore her and she loves them back. Apparently kids are her thing so she found the perfect home.

Champ is the rottweiler that I took in from a cat rescue group in Greene County. That was a weird and unusual situation but they found themselves in possession of this dog and they took care of him and got him to a rescue group and foster home (me).  Champ now lives with two other rotties and all three boys are getting along well.

And of course, there's my dear, sweet Nora. Nora reminded us that she's still a puppy by chewing up Clay's toothbrush the morning that she got adopted. Nora was bored because of her activity restriction following her spay surgery. She's doing well in her new home (no word on what she has chewed), but she will be happier when she's free to romp and play big-dog-style with Felix. For now it's just leash walks and indoor play for the most part.

Axel's outing

Axel went to the vet on Thursday to be neutered, but on Wednesday I took him out for a three miler with Maya. It had rained late in the afternoon, so it was extremely muggy when we out Wednesday evening.

I sort of debated whether or not to take Axel for a hike. I wasn't sure if it would be an act of kindness or cruelty to show him a life better than he would have when he went back home. I decided he might as well get as much enjoyment as he can while he was here, so off we went. He clearly wasn't leash trained, but like TJ and other dogs who have lived on a chain, he was very adept at keeping the leash out from under his legs and avoiding entanglement.

He enjoyed every minute of it and he and Maya got along very well. They are pretty much the same size and build. He had his nose to the ground quite a bit, taking in all the smells. He really didn't pull me at all once we were out on the trail and he wasn't too bad about stopping to mark everything because he wanted to keep moving. It was very hot and humid, which generally results in a slow walk, but Axel kept us moving right along. His attitude seemed to be "go, go, go."



p.s. Thursday evening: Axel is back here, post surgery, and acting like nothing happened. He didn't want to eat yet, but that's not surprising. I'm sure he will tomorrow. He's in a crate in my office where he has been staying at night and he's been very good in there.

Nora is going home

Nora will be going to her new home on Thursday. I'm very happy and excited for her. The adopters are happy and excited to have her. Their dog, Felix (a former foster of mine) may be the happiest and most excited of all.

She was spayed on Monday and is leaving her incision alone so it can heal up. I've been keeping her as quiet and clean as possible and the adopters will continue to do so until she's fully healed. We left her uncrated in the house yesterday evening and she was good, but she still crates up without a problem and the adopters will be using the crate that came along with her.

Nora meeting Felix

Two noses are better than one.

Nora will be nine months old at the end of this week. She's remarkably well behaved for a dog this young. She had lived with small dogs in her former home, but Felix will be a more suitable playmate for her size and age.

The adopters have a great piece of property that
includes a loop of trail through some woods.

She is going to love it there.

After meeting Felix and romping through the woods, Nora
made herself at home on the porch sofa.

Felix didn't seem to mind sharing the sofa.

That's what I like to see.

Location, location, location

It's all about location. Most of our 8 to 10 dogs vie for the position of being closest to "He who feeds." Whether it's about status in the pack, an attempt to curry favor, or just love and devotion, I can't really say. Each dog's motivation may vary. But the result is that I'm surrounded by at least half a dozen big dogs at all times. Not that I'm complaining, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Maya is not just close to me, she generally has her head
resting on my foot so that we are in direct contact at all times.

Vince attaches himself to the "human in charge" at any given
moment. When I'm gone and Clay is home, he's attached to
Clay. When the housesitter is here, he's her constant companion.

That's Nora right next to my chair, and TJ next to her.
I have be very careful moving my chair when I get up to
avoid rolling over a dog's paw or tail.

That's Gigi in her coveted spot on the bed underneath my desk.
If Maya is on the bed, Gigi will move in and step over her to
squeeze in behind, which generally causes Maya to move enough
to make space for Gigi to lay down.

Maya and Gigi sharing the sweet spot at my feet.

TJ never acted like a "new dog" or a foster. He moved in and
proceeded to claim his spot right next to me. At first he would
snap at other dogs who dared to come close to us, but I have
finally, mostly, stopped that behavior. He still claims a spot
next to me in the bedroom, and generally next to my chair in the office.