Puppy play

I've named the little German Shepherd pup Jess.  He spends most of his time with Bella.  She's the youngest dog around here and is the most playful with him.  Most of our dogs are older and have no use for a puppy, but Bella seems to enjoy him.  I think playing with Bella is good for Jess, too.

We don't have a lot of toys around our house, but I dug out a few.
Costco had a set of three for $10 that looked pretty durable.
They are proving to be a good investment.

Jess had spent a lot of his time being crated and alone, so he developed the neurotic behavior of tail chasing as a result.  Playing with Bella gives him something better to do, although he periodically relapses back to chasing his own tail.  I hope (and if I did so, would pray) that this behavior will diminish as he grows and learns that there are better things to do.  He does a lot of excitement urination still too, and I really hope that will go away.  Those were two of the things that his owner cited when the gave up the dog.  Of course, crating him and yelling at him make both things worse, so he wasn't likely to improve in his former home.

Jess has an appointment to get neutered on Tuesday, after which it will be time to find him a home.  He has brought in a flood of inquiries, emails, and applications to Green Dogs Unleashed, most from people who shouldn't even have a concrete shepherd as a garden ornament.  One person asked about his bite strength, and another clueless individual asked if we would stud him out.  The application of two simple rules can weed out most applicants: 1. no assholes; and 2. you must be smarter than the dog. There are a few good apps, however, and I'm sure more will be coming.

Those blue eyes are mesmerizing.

Bella is still a bit hand shy, but she's sweet and friendly, and she's very good with the puppy.  Bella has a penchant for chewing shoe laces and has already destroyed a few, but not the shoes themselves.  She will also steal food off the table if given half a chance.  She's a good girl but needs to learn some house manners. She's really pretty good indoors, though, and she crates without a problem.  

Bella is a happy dog now, but still has a lot to learn.

I mixed up a batch of Satin Balls for Bella and have been supplementing her dog food with that in order to put some meat on her skinny frame.  She is about Maya's height and length, but Maya has a lot more meat on her bones thanks to good food and hiking.  I have a feeling that Bella could be a fence jumper or climber, so I'm still keeping her indoors only, with occasional access to the AC yard, which is surrounded by a six foot fence.  Although, now that I think of it, she hasn't jumped the gate that keeps her confined to the kitchen with the puppy.  Maya jumps over it regularly like it's only a minor obstacle.

Bella still has enough puppy in her to make her a good playmate for Jess, but she hasn't entirely grown out of the inclination to get into everything.  She's smart and a little sneaky.  She's going to make a really nice dog for someone who will put in a little time and effort.  She is bonding with me already so I'm less concerned about her trying to run.  I need to make an appointment to get Bella spayed, but would like to see her put on some weight first.