Hello there, I know… it’s been a while. At least 6 months in fact since my last blog. Life got a little bit busy on me and unfortunately this blog fell to the back burner for a little bit. Hopefully, now that I’ve gotten a few things taken care of I can get back to blogging on a regular basis. With that being said… did you see the title? Yup, you read that right, it say’s 2 foster puppies. That’s right, we’ve started fostering again and decided to just jump in feet first and take not 1 but 2 foster…PUPPIES!
Meet Gypsy a 3 month old 25lbs Shar Pei mix. She is the first of the two foster puppies I will be introducing to you on this blog in the next day or so. Isn’t she adorable!
Sweet Gypsy Girl
Gypsy came to be fostered with me because she needs to build her confidence with herself and around new people. She was a VERY shy girl when she first came to stay with us but is slowly but surely coming out of her shell. The first day didn’t want to come out of her crate, and if she did venture out, she kept her distance from us humans but was perfectly comfortable playing with her 3 foster brothers. Over the next few days, we made sure when she met new people that they remained calm and let her come to them. When she did, she was rewarded with yummy treats. Every day she started getting more confident. She started to play with toys and solicit attention from me and foster dad. She has also had the opportunity to visit a few new dog friendly places around the area and have positive associations with strangers in public as well. She has made A LOT of progress over the last 8 days. For the first time this weekend, a new person came to visit the house and instead of walking away and hiding under the table or sitting behind/beside foster dad and me, she approached our guest with tail wagging and gladly accepted a yummy treat and a gentle pat underneath her chin near her chest and around her shoulders.**Note: We made sure to tell people not to move quickly and reach over her head because actions like that (although seem perfectly normal to us humans) can be a little scary and even threatening to a timid/shy dog**
Gypsy gathered all these toys one by one before settling to play with them
Along with building her self confidence over the last week, Gypsy is now also completely potty trained. She hasn’t had 1 accident since she’s been here with us, and when she needs to go, she approaches you with a wagging tail and a little whimper to get your attention before walking towards the “potty door”. She is also learning her basic life skills. She knows how to “sit” and target “touch” your hand (only of people she knows, not so much strangers). She is also learning how to “down” and seems to be responding fairly well to her name in “recall.” These are all things that can be transferred to her new family when she gets adopted.
Gypsy working on “Sit” with her foster brother Bandit.
She is going to make a wonderful addition to someone’s family. She has not yet been tested with kids under the age of 7yrs old. But with children who understand that they need to be calm and approach slowly she has done fine. We are also recommending that she go to a home with another dog. I don’t think Gypsy would be making as big of progress as she is today without the help and confidence of her foster brothers. Sort of a “monkey-see monkey-do” type thing. If the other dogs approach something new and scary without any sign of anxiety or worry, Gypsy is less anxious or worried to approach as well. It’s a win-win for her.
Gypsy cuddling on the dog bed with her older foster brother Brewer.
If you are interested in adopting this sweet Gypsy girl go to Mutts Matter Rescue and fill out an adoption application http://www.muttsmatterrescue.com/adoption_app.html.
Stay tuned for our next post on our 2nd foster puppy Bandit. He is a cutie!
Bandit!
Dora will be living with “REP”, “B” and Max in their home with a nice big back yard to run and play in. “REP” takes Max everywhere she can and she plans to do the same thing with Dora. She also is excited to have a larger breed dog that can accompany her on longer walks and runs around the neighborhood.
The best thing about Dora staying in the family is that she gets to come visit and play with her former foster brothers now new “cousins” Brewer and Bailey whenever she wants. Although I am sad to see Dora leave my home, at least I will still get the opportunity to watch her grow up with my sister-in-law. I couldn’t be happier with the outcome of Dora’s forever home! Congratulations Dora!
