Update on Mandy

Mandy is doing very well at our house, and is becoming another model dog. She has not had any accidents in the house, no problems with Remi or George (the cat), and really no issues at all. We went on a hike at the Lewis & Clark hiking trail nearby, and she was perfectly well-behaved with all the other dogs she met, as well as all the strangers. I think she’ll be adopted pretty quickly.

Introducing Mandy

Both Angel and Coal went to their new homes today. So of course I brought home another foster! Mandy is a shepherd mix, and a very sweet dog. I had considered fostering her previously, but when she met Remi she was terrified of him. Still, she is stressed out in the kennel environment she is in, so we hope that by being in a normal household environment with just one other dog, she will be able to relax a little bit. I took Mandy and Remi out for a walk when I got home, and once she figured out that even though Remi is very big, he’s just a big baby, she was fine with him. Ever since I fostered Dolly, Remi thinks that playing with another dog requires a lot of growling, barking and wrestling. Obviously, when the dog is three times your weight and size, I can see why that would intimidate other dogs!

Coal meets his new family

The people who want to adopt Coal met him last night, and even though the meeting didn’t go as well as I would have liked, they’re still interested in adopting him. Coal was playing with Remi as usual, until the doorbell rang. Then he ran under the kitchen table, and wouldn’t come out. Eventually I brought him out on his leash, but he just lay in my lap and wouldn’t move. Still, the people still want him and if everything is approved they will get him on Saturday! I have tried to sufficiently prepare them for Coal’s special needs – I hope they’re ready for him, and that he does really well with them.

Applications for Adoption

We’ve received applications on both Coal and Angel in the past two days! Angel’s application doesn’t surprise me – someone saw her at the vet’s office where she was staying before she came to Heartland, and fell in love with her there. She still has to be spayed this week, but as long as that goes okay, it sounds like she may be going home this weekend. Coal’s application was more surprising. The people met him at PetSmart on Saturday, and even though he was so scared they still were interested in him. I’ve invited them over to my house in hopes that they can see Coal when he’s more comfortable, so they can get to know him a bit better.

Introducing Angel

I took Coal to the adoption event at PetSmart today. He was terrified, and tried to make himself invisible in his crate the entire time. He was very relieved to get back home where he felt safe. I felt so bad putting him through that, but I want him to find a forever home, and I feel like he’s doing well enough at my house now to start looking for that home.

Heartland recently got a beautiful golden-retriever named Angel. She’s a great dog, with no issues – she’s housebroken, and gets along with all people and all other animals. She was a stray, but she must have been someone’s pet, yet no one came forward to claim her. We’re sure she will get adopted by someone right away, so I talked my husband into letting me keep her at our house for a week. I’m sure she’ll be adopted by next Saturday, but if not, I’ll just have to talk him into letting her stay another week! She came home with me tonight, and is a beautiful, perfectly well behaved dog.

Latest Update on Coal

I’ve continued working with Coal, and he’s showing real improvement. He was afraid of stairs, but now he’s going up and down them with no problem. He now loves to play with Remi, and loves squeaky toys! Of course, he’s still terrified of strangers, loud noises and the outdoors. I think that’s hurting his housebreaking, since he will never voluntarily go outdoors. I don’t think he’ll ever be a watchdog – if he sees or hears someone coming to the door, the only way you get any notice is if you see him quietly sneaking out of the room to find a quiet corner to hide in. He’s still the quietest dog I’ve ever met – I think I’ve only heard him bark twice since I met him. And he’s still really sweet and huggable. I always think of him as my real-life teddy bear.

Update on Coal

Coal is doing much better than when we first brought him home. I had to pick him up to get him to move out of the car, and then when we got inside, he jumped on the couch and wouldn’t move the rest of the evening. I have to pick him up to carry him outside, because he is so afraid of being outdoors. Also, he is not housetrained, so I’m doing a lot of carpet cleaning. He is a really sweet dog though. He never barks, and is very loving. He is getting braver every day, and has started running around the house and even playing with a dog toy! Its great to see him start to feel comfortable. Now if I could just get him to not be so afraid outdoors!

Introducing Coal

We went from a two-dog, two-cat household last week to only one cat and one dog this week. The house is much quieter. It’s time to liven things up and get another foster dog! I took Remi and my step-daughter Rachael out to meet the rest of the Heartland dogs that are waiting to be adopted. It was fun to get to meet several Heartland dogs that I had not met before, and interesting to see how they interacted with Remi. We were hoping to find Remi another playmate, since he had so much fun playing with Dolly. However, when I met Coal, I just couldn’t leave without him. Coal had no interest whatsoever in playing with Remi. I decided I would compromise by spending more time playing with Remi myself, and took Coal home with us. Coal is the most terrified dog I have ever met. He is very sweet and very cute, and reminds me of a big shaggy teddy bear. He is scared of anything he hasn’t met before, scared of loud noises, and very scared of the outdoors. The poor dog doesn’t appear to have been socialized at all. For those of you who aren’t familiar with that phrase, socializing an animal means taking it new places and around new people and other animals, so it can learn to get along with everyone. Commercial breeders often don’t socialize the dogs they breed – they leave them in small crates, with no interaction - sometimes for their entire lives. We think Coal is a golden-doodle, and its possible that he came from a breeder. But as with most rescue dogs, we don’t really know his exact breed or his exact age or what he’s encountered in his past that makes him so afraid.

Good-bye to Spock

I had to put my cat Spock to sleep today. He was very old, and had medical issues, and it was time to let him go. I will miss him very much. I got Spock as a kitten when I was young (and a Star Trek fan). He was the cutest little ball of white fur. He used to love to sleep in bed with me, draped across my neck. When I moved out, he stayed behind with my parents and they cared for him for a long time. I recently took him back to live with me when they moved, and was able to enjoy having him back in my life every day for a short time. My niece considered Spock her cat. She love to pick him up and carry him around the house. He was very patient with her – I know she misses him very much too.