Snow, Cold and Three-Dog-Zoomies

(This will be a short post because even though I was going to write more, I now have a wee pup named Summer on my lap. She has learned that if she barks loud enough and long enough, foster mama will pick her up and cuddle her. Little does she know that tomorrow she goes to join the brindle siblings and Auntie Karen might not have as much time or be quite as quick to respond to the demands of a noisy pup!)

I'z helpin'!

Anyway, what I was in the middle of posting was a series of not very good shots from this morning. We woke to snow and wind and cold. And dark, as the power was out (it came back on around noon). Lucy stepped onto the porch, stood completely still, stared at the white stuff and then.....

ZOOOOM!!!!!

And within minutes she had managed to engage both Charley and Sadie in the fun:

Zoom!

Zoom!

Zoom!

Zoom!

More! Let's do it some more!

Turns out Lucy loves the snow - every time she has been outside today, she zooms and zooms and zooms. She is so full of beans and bounce, I think it is safe to say she has fully recovered from her pregnancy and very large litter.

Poor Charley and Sadie, on the other hand, are exhausted and have decided to spend the rest of the day in bed.

My, it is peaceful around here!

Karen and Norm came to pick up the first five pups a couple of hours ago. We decided it would be best if they came here so I wouldn't be leaving Lucy to her own resources just after five pups disappear.

We decided they would take the five brindle pups (Hubbard, Acorn, Zuke, Patty and Deli), and on Sunday we'll move the five fawn pups (Pumpkin, Nugget, Summer, Peanut and Bo).

I gave Lucy her very favourite, most prized treat - a large kong stuffed with kibble, yogurt and peanut butter then placed in the freezer for a couple of hours - and while she was occupied with that, we moved the five pups, one at a time, to the crate in Karen's and Norm's van.

Everything went smoothly, and I swear Lucy still has not noticed anything is amiss. She padded back to the kitchen with her empty kong, glanced in the puppy pen, checked to see if there were any crumbs on the kitchen floor, and went off for a nap.

Even at lunch time, when the remaining five were hollering for food, the only interest Lucy expressed was in licking out their dishes afterward.

As for the pups? I do believe I sent all the most troublesome ones with Karen. The ones here ate their lunch, played for a few minutes, each went poop once - and very nicely on the paper, and then all settled in the basket for a nap. That means the ones who tear the place apart, shred all the paper, poop a dozen times each and then roll and step in it, poop anywhere BUT on the paper, bark-yell for hours at a time, spill the water, and never, ever seem to rest have all gone to her house. YAY!!! (Oops - sorry Karen!)

Now, I think I shall have a little nap myself.

Puppies in Action

I finally got an old camera to take a video that could be downloaded (uploaded? I never did understand the difference between those two terms) to my computer so you can see the puppies in action on the blog. Yesterday, I gave them one of Allie's big cat toys - a ball with holes in it and two rattle type balls inside. It has been a BIG hit with the dogs. Apparently, it's much more fun to play with a cat toy than any of a dozen dog toys I've given them (with the possible exception of two "Buster cube" treat-dispenser toys).

In this first video, Pumpkin (one of the two largest pups) is carrying the ball, chased primarily by Summer (the smallest pup).



In this second video, you'll notice that Summer (the smallest pup) not only gets the ball, but is able to hang onto it despite several tackles from the bigger players!


By the way, the dog bed used to be against the x-pen fence - it was the pups who pushed it into the middle to make themselves a racetrack!

I have a link to a video Gail took about three weeks ago, which I have been trying to post but have been unsuccessful - neither the photobucket URL nor the link provided by photobucket seems to work. If I can figure it out, I'll add it to this post later. Meanwhile, you can try cutting and pasting this link - perhaps it will work for you:
http://s883.photobucket.com/albums/ac34/Cowichanspca/?action=view¤t=MVI_3233.mp4

Morning Reflections on Perfect Solutions

I stand in my back yard, hands encircling my hot cup of coffee, and watch the sun rise over Saltspring Island, turning the waters of Osborne Bay a golden yellow. It is a crisp, frosty morning, the harbinger of the winter mornings to come. The clear sky overhead belies the snow in last night’s weather forecast.

The puppies have been fed and their nighttime mess cleaned up, and the three big dogs are enjoying the sunrise with me. Lucy has the zoomies, tearing around and around the yard like a whippet chasing a lure. Occasionally, she pauses to playbow in front of Sadie who humours her with a game of kissyface or some happy, growly jump-and-bump.

This is the last full day at my home for five of the puppies. Tomorrow, they will make the next step toward finding their families. And a day or two after that, the remaining five will move on, too.

They are truly lucky little pups. Instead of going to the shelter, all ten are moving to Karen’s and Norm’s Puppy Prep School. Okay, I made that name up – but it suits the situation. (Regular readers will know Karen from the Wednesday Walks, and be familiar with her many dogs, especially the passing of Pearl and the loss of Luger). Karen and Norm have fostered literally dozens of pups, and have recently renovated their detached garage into a comfy sitting room/dog room/puppy training room.

There, where Karen and Norm spend much of their time, the puppies will have a cosy place with a dedicated puppy yard, and they will learn to go outside to do their business. They will also receive their first shots, be cared for after their spays/neuters, and be available to meet with approved applicants for adoption. It is a perfect solution which keeps the pups in a home environment and continues with their socialization. Thank you, Karen and Norm, for providing them safe haven.

As I return to the house from my morning reverie, Lucy charges through the door ahead of me and tears off after the cat. The honeymoon is over – Lucy is a two or three year old dog with all the exuberance of youth, the cat is pissed off, and my old girls are not sure what to make of this new, young, joyful dog. Charley opts to stay outside – like me, she enjoys her morning hour of quiet reflection – and Sadie dodges left and right to avoid Lucy’s joyous jumps and playful nudges as we negotiate the hallway back to the kitchen to refill my coffee cup. Allie, the cat, retreats to the top of the fridge, safe from bouncing butternut squashes named Lucy.

Though the pups are leaving, Ms. Lucy will stay with me for a bit longer. Her milk has nearly dried up, and once that is complete she will be spayed. Applications for her adoption will be reviewed, potential adopters will meet her, a homecheck will be done, and the transfer to her forever home arranged - all done with Lucy’s needs at the forefront. She, too, will be kept in a home environment rather than returned to shelter life. Another perfect solution. Well, perfect for Lucy - though I think Allie, Charley and Sadie would disagree.

One creature's perfect solution may be another's challenge. But we've made it this far, and together we'll see Lucy and the pups the rest of the way to their forever homes.


If you, or someone you know, wishes to adopt a pup or to adopt Lucy, can make the 15-20 year commitment required to give a dog a home forever, and can provide excellent training, healthy food, appropriate vet care, and a safe and loving environment for this new family member, please apply to the Cowichan and District SPCA. Lucy and the Butternut Squash Kids will be ready for adoption once they have been spayed/neutered.

Acorn

Acorn

Acorn is a small pup with his mom's short stumpy legs. He has a perpetually worried look, and whether due to real wrinkles or the impact of a fair bit of grey in his brindle, he reminds me of a little old man when he sleeps. He has white tufts of fur on one of his back paws, and distinctive brindle stripes on his belly and sides.

As the quietest and most sedate of the pups, he’s been a bit hard to get to know. At times he comes over to me and whimpers to be lifted up, but mostly he keeps his own counsel and blends in with the pack. He sometimes initiates play with one of his siblings, but when the others rush over to join in, he bows out. He's easily overwhelmed with the mob scene and has the sense to quietly slip away.

He isn’t too sure what toys are for, but he proudly parades around the pen, head held high, waving large sheets of newspaper grasped tightly in his mouth.

For his photoshoot, he sat quietly in the basket without attempting to climb out or explore, and outside he had to be coaxed to move. But after I talked to him in an excited highpitched voice and ran around like a crazed woman, Acorn did engage in some running and chasing and seemed to be having fun.

Acorn would like his future family to know that he will try to be a good boy no matter who adopts him, but he would really like some quiet gentle people to nurture him and teach him life skills – noisy, rambunctious kids might be a bit much for this lad. He does like to have a little company, and he thinks he might be happy with another canine or feline sibling around as long as they were mannerly. And like the polite little guy that he is, he thanks you for your consideration.

Iz a scary world!

Wait! Where you goin'?

I'm comin'! I'm comin'!

I likes peace an' quiet

May I go back to my pen now, please?

(Acorn is one of ten pups I am fostering for the Cowichan and District SPCA. Each is featured in a separate blog entry. The pups and their mama, Lucy, will be available for adoption shortly. All applications should go to the Cowichan and District SPCA. More information on Lucy and the pups can be found by reading the past two months' blog entries - starting September 11/2010 for Lucy, and October 1/2010 for the pups. If you are considering adopting Lucy, feel free to email me with any questions you have about her personality and behaviour, using the link on the side of this blog).

Deli

Deli

Deli (Delicata) is a beautiful brindle girl. At almost seven weeks, she weighs in at 10 pounds 13 ounces - but she is not chubby at all. She is tall, slender, lanky, and active. This past week, her long legs have become even longer and she is now as tall as (or maybe taller than) her brother Zuke. With the exception of her black muzzle, she is all brindle - no white anywhere, and glossy brindle smooth, short fur everywhere. Her long tail rides straight up in the air behind her - all it needs is a little orange flag! Or maybe hot pink to match her collar.

Deli has two speeds: fast forward and stop. She plays hard - loves tossing her toys up in the air, loves to pounce around catching shadows, curious about everything in her world, and a very speedy runner. Deli is full of spunk and courage - she chases me around the yard and doesn't hesitate to climb stairs and ramps or check out plastic tunnels. She might well enjoy participating in a dog sport like agility or rally, activities which will help channel her energy and exercise her bright, inquisitive mind.

Once she has her zoomies out, she likes nothing more than to sit nicely in my lap and be cuddled. She is an all-round good pup, a quick learner, and will make a very nice companion for an active person who likes bigger dogs.

I'm watchin' you!

Whazzat over der?

I can sit!!

An' I can run!

And I can point!

Or maybes I be a trackin' dog!

Foster mama!!!

Dat not fair!!!

You makes us sound like howwible dirty liddle pests.

We's not.

We's cute. We's good. We's clean. We's roughly perfect!

Jest lookit us:

The big ones takes care of de little ones

an' we plays nicely wiv our toys,

we kin play peek-a-boo

an' tug-o-war

evens three- way tug-o-war!

An' we are really, really smart!

We can sort ourselves by colour!

An' figure out how to open gates!

So there!

Grrrrrr!

Okay, sumtimes we makes a mess on de blankies,

But mostly we is angels!

(Even if some of our halos are a little bit crooked)

You ask Mary V. who puppysat us today. She'll tell ya we is good, smart, clean puppies!

We hardly pooped all afternoon! Not even after she fed us our lunch!

We waz saving it alllll up fer when you got home. Heeheeheeheeheehee!

So cud you pwease clean our pen now??????

We luvs you, foster mama.

De Butternut Squash Kids.

No new profiles today

Or: The realities of living with puppies

I have two more foster pups to profile - one male and one female - but it isn't going to happen today. Today the pups will be lucky if they even get fed again - it has been one of those days where I truly, totally, completely regret having said I would foster them. I certainly will not be taking cutesy photos and trying to describe the last two pups objectively.

The morning begins, of course, with cleanup at six o'clock. During the night they have each pooped and pee'd at least a dozen times, walked in it, eaten it, rolled in it, smeared it on the tarp and sheets and basket. They have backed their butts to the x-pen fence and pooped through the fence into places that can't be reached for cleanup.

I quickly clean what I can while they eat their kibble, put down another couple of dozen papers and a clean dropsheet, and step into the kitchen for my coffee. I turn around, cup in hand, and one pup has pooped right on the clean dropsheet (which is the play/eating area), and two more are wolfing it down. Another is attempting to drink her brother's pee before it hits the floor. GROSS! GROSSGROSSGROSS. I do not handle GROSS well.

I clean up the mess, then walk away to my office before my blood boils over and squirts out my ears. An hour later, calmness restored, I return - the pups are napping but the pen is destroyed. More poop smeared from one end to the other, more pee every imaginable place, newspaper shredded, wood chewed, tarp scratched bare. The pups wake up as soon as I approach and run to the gate screaming for me to pick them up. I toss all the pups in a crate and give the whole pen its daily thorough cleaning - throw out all the paper, mop out the tarp, get down on hands and knees to try to remove poop from the wire, floor, creases in the tarp, the bed, and water and food dishes. Half the bedding is okay for the laundry, the other half of the bedding and the drop sheets go in the garbage - there is only so much poop I'm willing to put in my washing machine.

Pen prepared, I put the pups back in. I run out to the SPCA to pick up some more puppy kibble (they go through 25-30 cups per day now). By the time I get back an hour later, the pen is destroyed for the third time. I swear they invited extra dogs in for a party - ten pups cannot possibly make all that poop. We repeat the crate/clean/replenish routine. I am down to one drop cloth and three bundles of paper (of which over two thirds will be flyers that are useless for absorbing poop or pee and must be seperated from the papers and recycled).

Unfortunately, by now it is two o'clock and time for their second meal of the day. I feed them, go outside with the big dogs, and come back to disaster number four. The day is a non-stop poop fest - after every nap, after every meal, after every play time. Why anyone would ever want to breed pups is beyond me - the costs, the work, and the continual annoying high pitched yipping, is just not worth the rewards of puppy kisses (though who would ever want to be kissed by potty-mouth pups is beyond me!)and certainly doesn't come close to the money that breeders (whether good breeders or - like most - bad breeders) charge for their pups. And besides, if people would quit breeding puppies maybe we wouldn't have all these dogs coming into the shelter! Grrrr.......people who willingly breed dogs and/or fail to spay and neuter are not my friends. I am on a rant.

My frustration is complicated by the fact that I don't feel well. I woke with a sore throat yesterday which has not gone away, and today I ache and I'm tired and I feel like sh*t - which is rather ironic, given the source of my frustration! I have an appointment for my flu shot tomorrow, but it probably is not wise to be innoculated while I am not feeling well. I seldom get sick, but obviously fatigue and stress and poor eating habits have caught up with me.

I fix a nice cup of ginger tea, sit down in my favourite chair, turn on a rerun of "The Waltons" and relax. I can hear the pups tearing around their pen behind me, shredding paper, barking, growling, playing, howling, squealing, running and - no doubt - pooping.

Yup. I get up to take my cup to the sink and there it is - newspapers all shredded into a kajillion teeny tiny pieces, many of which have been somehow shoved through the x-pen onto the carpet and kitchen tiles. And where the newspapers used to be? Wall-to-wall-to-wall poop-smeared tarp. I reach down to lift up the first pup to put him in the crate in order to do the fifth major cleanup of the day, and jerk my hands away as I feel the grossness of his fur - he is covered in poop. Holding him at arms' length, I deposit him in the kitchen sink and try to bathe him. It is not successful and I end up wetter and dirtier than he is. I drop him, soaking wet, into the crate, toss his brothers and sisters in with him, clean up the pen again, toss the pups back, and walk away. Charley is cringing in the corner, Lucy is looking at me with great concern, and Sadie is barking her head off at some imaginary passerby.

And so I am not going to profile the remaining two pups today. Maybe tommorrow. Or the next day. Or never.

The good news is - half are leaving on Friday and the other half shortly after. But that's a whole 'nother post.

Bo

Bo

Bo (Bohemian squash) is quite a character. Though he often looks like a quiet, serious pup, he is actually quite lively when taken out of the pen. He is the only one of all the pups to be unwilling to pose for a picture in the basket - he kept clambering out (though eventually I managed a shot or two). Outside, he happily trotted after me when I called him, but also was interested in exploring the new surroundings. He likes to pounce and bounce around the yard, chasing imaginary grasshoppers. Placed on the adirondack chair, he immediately jumped down.

Bo often asks to be picked up (with a VERY loud, high pitched voice!), but wiggles when you do so. While occasionally submitting to cuddles, he is more of a "play with me!" type of dog, merely using a human as a mode of transport to more fun places. I suspect he will quickly learn to like games of fetch - if he doesn't get too distracted to bring the ball back. His human may be the one doing most of the fetching.

Bo is one of the larger pups, weighing in at 9 pounds 6 ounces just after his six-week birthday. That puts him about third or fourth in size, and his paws suggest he will be quite a large dog. He has somewhat fluffy fur, a black muzzle, light brown markings just above his eyes, and a generous amount of black peppered throughout his brown fur.

He doesn't think much of collars. He quickly outgrew a nice red bejewelled one, and repeatedly managed to remove the plain red one he was given instead. He now goes nekid, identified only by size and colour and a lack of a collar. He says he'll wear one when I find something more suitable than kitty cat collars. That's okay, Bo - at the rate you pups are growing, you'll soon all need new collars.

I follows you anywhere!

Whazzat in fwonta yer face?

I don't wanna sit in de basket!

You got sumthin fer me to eat?

Is dis how ya want me to pose???

(Bo is one of ten pups I am fostering for the Cowichan and District SPCA. Each is being featured in a separate blog entry. The pups and their mama, Lucy, will be available for adoption shortly. All applications should go to the Cowichan and District SPCA. More information on Lucy and the pups can be found by reading the past two months' blog entries - starting September 11/2010 for Lucy, and October 1/2010 for the pups. If you are considering adopting Lucy, feel free to email me with any questions you have about her personality and behaviour, using the link on the side of this blog.)

Patty

Little white-chinned Patty

Patty (pattypan squash) is another wee girl, just six ounces bigger than Summer. She has her mama's short stubby legs - the shortest legs of all the pups. She sports white tips on both back paws, a few white hairs on her chest, and - her distinguishing features - a white goatee and white eyebrows. Her brindle colouring makes the goatee stand out, giving rather a comical effect for this little girl pup.

Patty may be small, but she is big on activity. She pounces and runs and plays at superspeed. And she is fearless. Most of the pups, when first taken outside, crouch in the grass afraid to move. Not our Patty - she immediately bounced around on all fours like a little wind-up toy dog, and her whole demeanor expressed pure joy.

And can she ever run!!! She races from one side of the yard to the other, as fast as any big dog could run. Trying to get a photo of her in the yard was next to impossible as she was sure we were playing a game of tag and she was IT. I ran to the other side of the yard to try to get a body shot and she came barrelling after me as fast as those little legs could go. Sometimes, just before racing toward me, she stands with all four feet firmly planted and her chest expanded, a little bull in doggy skin about to charge her toreador. But before I can focus the camera, the charge is on!

In the house, she is just the same - busy, busy, busy and always up for a game of tag or wrestling or touch football with her much bigger brothers. However, she also enjoys having one-on-one time with her two-legged caregivers, sitting nicely in a lap and appreciating strokes and bellyrubs. When returned to the pen, she often stands up at the gate crying for me to come back and pick her up again. But she is soon distracted by her siblings and off she goes for another round of play.

This social butterfly will likely do best with either an at-home caregiver or another animal for company. Patty, dressed in her pale pink collar, just wants to party, and everyone's invited.

Here I comes!

Short little legs

I kin take on de world!

Mah feets got wet in the grass!

Patty in the basket

Could you pick me up, pwease????

(Patty is one of ten pups I am fostering for the Cowichan and District SPCA. Each is being featured in a separate blog entry. The pups and their mama, Lucy, will be available for adoption shortly. All applications should go to the Cowichan and District SPCA. More information on Lucy and the pups can be found by reading the past two months' blog entries - starting September 11/2010 for Lucy, and October 1/2010 for the pups. If you are considering adopting Lucy, feel free to email me with any questions you have about her personality and behaviour, using the link on the side of this blog.)

Summer

Summer

What can I say about this sweet pup that the pictures don't show? She is my favourite (but don't tell the others I said that). She is a gentle, tiny girl with the most beautiful face in the world. I'm not good on colours, but Summer's head is a richer, deeper red-brown than any of the other brown/fawn dogs. Is that auburn? chestnut? mahogany? She does have a black muzzle, though the black does not extend as far across the face as her siblings' markings do.

The shape of her muzzle is a bit softer than the others, perhaps due to a bit of an overbite (or is that an underbite?) which shortens her chin and makes her face appear more round. Her eyes, too, are rounder and shine darker than her siblings. She has some black hairs down the centre of her back and on her tail, and like so many of her siblings, a flash of white on one back toe. She will likely have short little legs, though she is such a tiny girl it is hard to tell at this point.

Summer is the smallest of the pups, weighing just seven pounds this evening, their six-week birthday. That makes her more than five pound lighter than her biggest sibling. However, her size doesn't stop her from having fun - she plays rambunctiously with the other pups, and even initiates rough and tumble play with the big boys. She is a bit of a monkey, chewing anything she can get her teeth into and sometimes following her siblings around the potty area in hopes of a not-so-tasty treat (a habit of which I am trying to rid her!).

Most of all, Summer loves to be cuddled. She runs up to me and stretches up to be picked up. She will sit on my lap for hours, nuzzling the inside of my elbow, or licking my earlobe and showering me with kisses if given a chance.

I had a hard time picking Summer's name because none of the squash names seemed quite right for her. Sweet Dumpling came the closest, but she isn't a dumpling in the 'roly-poly' sense of the word, and a name with two words and three syllables was just too much of a handle for such a little pup. But summer squash - summer - summer describes this little girl.

She is sunshine and joy and warmth and beauty. She is something to look forward to when skies are grey, and to relax with when you are ready for some downtime. She is a child's laughter on a sandy beach, a bird's song amidst the apple blossoms, a flower's beautiful scent. Summertime and the livin' is easy, and this is a very easy dog to love.

Summer posing in her bed

Wee little girl

Oops - caught in the act!

Pensive Summer

High five!

(Summer is one of ten pups I am fostering for the Cowichan and District SPCA. Each is being featured in a separate blog entry. The pups and their mama, Lucy, will be available for adoption shortly. All applications should go to the Cowichan and District SPCA. More information on Lucy and the pups can be found by reading the past two months' blog entries - starting September 11/2010 for Lucy, and October 1/2010 for the pups. If you are considering adopting Lucy, feel free to email me with any questions you have about her personality and behaviour, using the link on the side of this blog.)