Dogs helping dogs

I can't claim, and don't claim, to be a dog trainer, animal behaviorist, animal communicator, or expert in anything at all. I think that the best thing I do for any dog who passes through here is to provide a port in the storm, a safe place to land, and an opportunity to let nature take its course. The dogs who are permanent residents here do most of the real work in providing comfort, socialization, and what we call "training" to the foster dogs.

Some are particularly gifted with this ability. Our late Trooper could walk up to a new dog who was terrified and somehow calm them down and convince them that we were just here to help. He famously worked that magic on Maya, but I watched him do the same with many other dogs as well. In fact, our protocol for new dog introductions was always "Trooper first," especially for scared dogs, and after that everything would be easier. 

We had a female foster rottie one time, I believe her name was Cheyenne. She was big and very imposing. We fostered a lot of German Shepherds back then, often young males who were quite high strung. Cheyenne would grab them, put them on their back, and sit on them to make them calm down. She did it so quickly that you never really saw how it happened, just suddenly Cheyenne was sitting on the shepherd. And she did it without a fight, and in fact she never put a scratch on any of them. 

Our late Molly, a rottie mix herself, was given the title of Kennel Manager. We fostered a larger volume of dogs back then and had a number of outdoor kennels set up. Much like Trooper, Molly could go in with any new dog and seemed to calm them down. She reduced anxiety and taught them how things worked around here. 

Our current set of dogs, both fosters and residents, are providing current examples of dogs helping other dogs. Sherlock was returned because he didn't get along with the other dog in the house. The two dogs hadn't met, which was obviously a mistake, but we were assured that the other dog liked dogs and loved to play. It was also a mistake how the situation was handled. When Sherlock was returned we had taken in Jericho, and intact male German Shepherd. The two boys barked and snarled through the fence, but after a 24 hour no-contact observation period I put them together and they were playing together within the first minute. They have barely stopped since then. 

Millie also spent a lot of time playing with Sherlock, and with Della. Millie was very scared in the beginning and she still spooks easily, but she has definitely learned that at least some humans are trustworthy. Because she was so scared I kept her indoors around us and the resident dogs almost exclusively in the beginning so she could see them interact with me and learn that I wasn't going to hurt her.

That brings me to the situation of Starfish and Gina. Star has been in the house more than with her puppies for the past week. She has been gradually getting with the program, going into her crate and out to the a/c yard, and hanging out in the kitchen (she has not ventured upstairs). I've seen a number of instances of her interacting with the resident dogs as they pass through the kitchen on their way outside. 

Gina came in right after she had been spayed and she was also very shy and scared so I put her in a kitchen crate adjacent to Star and they started following the same routine and got very well acquainted. Gina seemed to come out of her shell and was lively and playful, but when she had a visitor from a prospective adopter yesterday I realized how scared of strangers she is still. We sat with her for quite a while and she eventually calmed down and came around to accepting some petting, but what seemed to calm her the most was when Star came over and sat down beside her. Now I usually find the two girls sharing the one big crate during the day, although I still split them up into the two adjacent crates at night. Both girls still need a lot of socialization work, but I expect that if we take them out together it will be easier on both of them. They are each other's emotional support animal. 

Jericho (shepherd) and Sherlock (bloodhound)

Millie (merle, left) and Della (harlequin, right)

Starfish (aussie in front) and Gina (shepherd in the rear)

Starfish - getting ready

Starfish has raised her final litter of puppies and is ready for a home of her own. 

Star is about 3-4 years old, a mixed aussie breed of sorts most likely. She came from a horrible breeder/hoarder situation with many dogs living together inside and outside, none of which received decent care or attention. Star doesn't know what to make of humans who want to love her. She's quite shy and reserved still, but she has begun to come around a bit. A busy household full of kids will be overwhelming for her. 

She has learned to use a crate and she's fine with that at night or even during the day. Star has no idea what toys are about and she doesn't know about treats either. She has a good appetite but is not particularly food motivated. New foods or treats confuse her, she doesn't know what they are. Star as a lot of learning to catch up on and she will need a person with a lot a patience as well as love. 

Star has finally learned to walk on a leash but she's never been anywhere and doesn't have the sense of adventure that many dogs have when they are leashed up and ready to go on a walk. This will probably change overtime, but not overnight.

She's got a nice smile but it's only been recently and she's relaxed enough to show it.

She's a beautiful color but we won't really be able to see and appreciate it until she sheds out all of her old coat and grows a new one now that she's had proper nutrition and isn't outside in the sun all day.

And then there were 10

Well, Sherlock's adoption was short-lived so he's back, pushing our canine census back to double digits, 10 adults plus the three puppies. 

That's Maya, Della, Paisley, Candace, and Elvis (how do I have four female dogs?!), plus fosters Millie, Jericho, Gina, and Sherlock, as well as Starfish and her three pups Pike, Mack, and Angel. That's the most we've had in quite a while, but fortunately they are a pretty easy bunch.

Sherlock had not met the unneutered Jericho until yesterday and initially there was a lot of barking and fence running. They were crated in my office last night and Sherlock spent the day in the dog yard because I was away for much of the day for work. When I got home this afternoon I let all the dogs out of the house and let Sherlock out of the dog yard. They met, they sniffed, they humped, and did a bit of posturing initially. Maya happened to get bumped by them and she told them to knock it off. Sherlock immediately submitted and then the two boys ran off playing. They will make good playmates for their time in foster care.

I took Jericho for another walk on Tuesday morning.

Jericho likes the water tank.

Millie and Della on the boardwalk.

Millie has an adopter lined up, hopefully that will happen soon.

Jericho and Sherlock, getting acquainted.

Puppy profiles

The puppies will be eight weeks old this coming Friday. It's time to start looking for homes for them. 

It's difficult to write bios for puppies. I mean, they are puppies. They are more or less the same, and what they become will largely depend on who adopts them and what they do with them. Puppies are lumps of raw clay, ready to be molded.

Pike

Pike is the biggest of the three. He's very outgoing, friendly, and sociable. He loves to be picked up and held. 

Mackerel

Mack looks like he's the biggest, but actually he's just the most fluffy. He follows Pike everywhere.

Angelfish

Angel is the only girl and she's a pretty little princess. She's a bit more shy than the two boys. She may get that from her mother, but believe me, once you win the trust of a dog like that, you'll never know a tighter bond. 

All three puppies play together and they climb up, over, under, and through all the obstacles and toys that I've set up for them. They are active and fearless, except for loud noises like the vacuum or lawn mower. They are quite well trained to the puppy pads, using them probably 95% of the time, thanks to early training in that from the mother. The pups have had their first vaccines and have been de-wormed three times. They will be spayed/neutered prior to adoption. What breed are they you ask? They are presumably aussie mixes like their mother; that seemed to be pretty much all the former owner/hoarder had in his home. They look very much alike and very much like their mother.

Pike (front) and Mack

Mack (left) and Pike

Angel

Pike

Climbing and adventuring

Angel is probably the most agile. She's the one most inclined to climb.

Angel

Pike

Mack

Left to right: Pike, Angel, and Mack