Placements and arrangements

Everyone who reads this knows that the most difficult part of going on vacation is being separated from your dogs. Making arrangements for 10+ dogs is challenging sometimes. We are going on a two week beer tour in Belgium. It's an actual tour, so we will be driven around to five different cities, taking in a number of breweries and two different beer festivals while we are there. We will also have free time on most days to explore the cities on our own to soak up some history. Should be fun.

Keyla is one of the few rottweilers I've had with an intact tail.
I had another one at an adoption event one time, and some
idiot kept insisting that the dog couldn't be a rottweiler because
he had a full tail. This guy apparently didn't know and couldn't
understand that most rotties only have short tails as a result
of them being docked. People can be so stupid.

We are fortunate to have a housesitter (Benny's adopter) who will stay here with six of them: Maya, TJ, Theo, Vince, Rugger, and Sparky. We are even more lucky to have found one person who will board Trooper. He likes her, and she likes him and isn't afraid of him. Max gets along there as well and I'll be taking them over on Thursday evening.

Jackie went to some folks up in northern Virginia who have adopted five?, six? dogs from me in the past. They like seniors and are well set up and suited for Jackie. I met them in Opal yesterday and they brought along Keyla, their most recent adoptee. Keyla is a rottweiler who had been brought to the U.S. from Mauritius by the former owner. I'm not sure if Keyla remembered me or not, I didn't have her for long, but she was very happy to see Jackie.

I hated putting Jackie through another transition,
but she's in good hands.

Axel came along on the trip to drop off Jackie to meet a couple who live just down the road. They had a completed application with Promises and were interested in Axel. They loved Axel of course. They've got about 14 acres in a rural area. I let Axel off the leash, which is something I never do at first meetings, but I'm pretty confident in this dog. He ran around the immediate area checking everything out (marking all the trees) and always came running back when called. They have two small children who may be too young to play with Axel very much right now, but they were interested in him and they will grow. They will be growing up with one of the best dogs I've had the privilege to foster. They were very nice folks who seemed like a good fit for Axel and he for them.

Axel loved the place that will be his new home. 

I brought Axel back home with me for now, to give them a couple days to get ready, but we will drop him off and complete the adoption on Friday morning on our way to Dulles.

Meanwhile, actions were underway to find a place for the puppy, Havoc. A new foster was found, which is great, but we also heard back from an approved adopter who is coming to meet him on Wednesday. If that doesn't work out he'll move to the other foster probably on Thursday. Lucky for me, I still have Axel as a puppy sitter this week.

I received this picture of Jackie later in the day,
she seemed to be settling in nicely.

Cry Havoc, and let slip the dogs of war

Havoc is a Belgian Malinois puppy. That explains his name, Havoc, and it also explains why most of my pictures of him are blurry. He's a temporary foster for Green Dogs Unleashed because his foster home went out of town (to escape Havoc?) and we are going out of town in a week ourselves.

Havoc (center) meeting Trooper (rear) and Axel.

He's absolutely gorgeous, and absolute puppy. All I can say is thank Dog for Axel, who is still puppy enough himself to entertain and cope with Havoc and mature enough to play the role of puppy sitter. Axel's stock jumped several points again this week hitting an all time high. Axel's stock has risen steadily since the first time I met him and it has never dipped. We are meeting a potential Axel adopter on Sunday.

But back to the new guy Havoc. He apparently flunked out of some kind of Malinois training school because he didn't have the level of drive they were looking for. That may be, but he still has far more drive than most people are looking for so he's not an easy placement in spite of his looks.

I'm going to say right here that I'm not in favor of using dogs for military or police work other than search and rescue that relies on their superior sense of smell and tracking ability. As a species, humans fight with one another and can't get along. I see no justification for dragging another species into our conflicts and putting them in harm's way in order to save our own asses. Dogs are willing to do it and some of them, such as the Belgian Malinois are particularly useful, mostly because we've bred those qualities into them for our own purposes.

Aside from my philosophical opposition to using dogs in dangerous situations, the fact of the matter is that we've created a demand for them that has generated an artificially high level of supply. They don't all make it as police dogs or military dogs. Those that don't often end up dumped into the world of shelters and rescues, where they are difficult to place in the right homes. Although Havoc and others who have washed out of the working dog system might not have all the qualities they were looking for as a working dog, they still have levels of energy and drive that may make them poor choices for people looking for a family dog. Their look and the allure of the working dog makes them popular, but few people are willing or able to commit the time and energy they require for training and exercise.

Everything that makes German Shepherds difficult applies even more Malinois. About 10 times more. Havoc is no monster in the making; he's cute, he's sweet, he's a puppy. But he will require an adopter who is knowledgeable and prepared to take on the challenge that is Havoc.

The evening I came home with Havoc, he and Axel
played in the kitchen, nonstop, until I needed to go to bed.

Rugger is a bit jealous because Axel had been
his playmate until Havoc came along. I'm
making sure that they still have time together.

Rugger has been fine with Havoc, but he isn't
so inclined to engage in hardcore puppy play.

A rare moment of a still Havoc. He's beautiful with a reddish
coat with jet back muzzle and lower legs. Looks like a fox.

Axel is the only dog around here capable of
taking on the role of puppy sitter with Havoc.

He has a nice "sit."

Outdoor kennel time during the day makes them both
ready for crate rest indoors at night. So glad it's spring.

Yesterday afternoon I looked out the window and Havoc was sitting
in the water tank to the left.

Home at last

Benny (formerly Lenny) officially has a new home as of today. I hoped and thought that they would make the final decision to adopt although I expected it after we returned from our trip rather than before. I'm thrilled regardless of the timing. He's still a work in progress and he may always be, but it's a good home for him and they are committed to making it work.

 As is so often the case, the other dog in the home was the key to making the adoption a reality. Benny needed a role model who was confident in home. Here it was Maya. In his new home it's a girl who looks very much like him, but is a little bigger, a little older, and much wiser.

They share the bed nicely. Not sure where
the humans sleep.

Lenny had been rather food aggressive here, but
Benny waits for his sister to finish before he eats.

He follows her everywhere and does what she
does. She is exactly what he needed.

Both dogs sit and take treats simultaneously.

Benny has a home.

Five miles that feels like fifty

I took Maya, Rugger, and Axel on a five mile hike today. It was a beautiful day and these three are all ready, willing, and able to do five miles or more. I had all three dogs in harnesses which are the perfect pulling apparatus. They knew that and took full advantage of it. Consequently, for me the five miles felt more like 50.

I could use different equipment that would give me better control and maybe I will in the future, or at least not take these three dogs together. I can't blame much of it on Maya, in fact, she was rather annoyed at them herself for not following proper protocol. It meant more exercise for me and I'm sure my arms, shoulders, and back will feel it tomorrow more than my legs. That's not a bad thing really, I need the exercise. It also meant more exercise for the dogs because they were pulling part of my weight as I was trying to hold them back. At one point I wrapped the leashes behind me and actually encouraged them to pull me when we were going uphill.

It was a good walk. They could have done five more miles, but it was enough to make everyone sleep soundly tonight.

It was best if Maya took the lead and set the pace, but she tired of the boys' behavior and spent
more time walking back by me. 

I usually crop the pictures to focus mostly on the dogs, but I'm tired tonight so I thought I'd show
more of them in large format to give a better sense of the surrounding woods. Of course, if you
are viewing the pictures on a smart phone or tablet, much of the effect will be lost.

It wasn't hot today but we were all ready for the water crossings for a drink and a break.

I'm pretty sure Maya would rather walk with Trooper, TJ, Sparky, or just me.
The two boys together were a bit much.

You can see that there is no slack in the leashes. This was an
uphill section and I have the leashes wrapped behind me so
the dogs are pulling me. It worked well until one of the decided
to stop to sniff or mark and the others kept going.

I should know what this is but I don't. The
foliage is very pretty, the blooms are not.

I sometimes bitch about driving a van, but there's nothing else that would be even close to being
as practical as it is for transporting dogs. These three fit easily in the back end, and there's two
crates behind them that would carry two more dogs if needed.

Sunshine and exercise

Trooper in profile

It was a beautiful day. I got out for a three mile hike with Trooper, TJ, and Maya, and then took Max, Theo, Sparky, Axel, and Rugger out to the pasture to play ball and run. Vince and Jackie spent quite a bit of time outside today too, just doing their own thing around the yard.

Maya and Trooper on our hike.

Trooper's big smile

L to R: TJ, Trooper, Maya

Maya and TJ

Sparky bounced around a little bit, but then mostly just
followed me around the pasture.

Rugger, Axel, and Theo

Sparky

Max

Axel and Rugger

Axel didn't care that much about the ball, but he likes to run.

Once Rugger got a ball, he was satisfied and didn't feel the
need to run after all of them like Theo does.

Axel, good-looking, smart, friendly,
equally good with dogs and people,
good indoors and out, the closest thing
I've had to the perfect dog.

Max engaged in the ball play more than usual, but his main
objective is to get a ball and then destroy it.

Rugger loved the run.

Sparky enjoyed the spring air and sunshine.

Theo and Sparky

This is Max, but all the shepherds' coats are beginning to look
a little rough. The shedding season is on us and it's time that
I started some serious brushing.