Rosie, Mocha, Benji, and Junie B.

Another delayed post...this time because I spent the weekend sick.  :-(  Just a bad cold I think.  I woke up today feeling like nothing was wrong!  I'm a little annoyed by that, because I had things I really wanted to get done this weekend.  Anyway...on to the dogs!  They were extremely accommodating this weekend with me.  There were really minimal accidents in the house, and I will say that they were all my fault because I did hear them try to tell me they needed to go out, I just wasn't feeling up to open the door.  The rest of the time, they were all very good.  I spent most of the time napping on the couch (so that they could run around instead of being cooped up in their crates while I napped in bed), and I woke up several times with 5 dogs laying on top of me.  It was so cute, and they kept me warm!  I wish I could have taken a picture, unfortunately I couldn't get a good angle while I was laying under them.

All the pups being good while mommy is sick.

As far as housebreaking, I have updated Rosie, Benji, and Mocha's definitive guides to say they are.  I'm just a smidge away from saying Junie is too. 

Rosie was such a motherly figure for me while I was sick.  I think I've said in the past how if the other dogs are coughing, she will run over to check on them.  She did that once when I coughed too.  Well this weekend I was laying on the couch being mopey, and she jumped up next to me and put her paw on my shoulder!  It was the sweetest gesture.  Other than that, Rosie really is progressing.  I had visitors on Friday, and she wasn't shy at all!  And like I said above, she is housetrained.  I've known for awhile that she is, but every time a new dog came in, she'd regress a bit.  Well, she was much better when Junie came around, so I'm more than comfortable saying she's housebroken now.  She's also getting really good at coming back inside when called.  Well, called might not be the right word...she comes in when I whistle for her.  And as the leader of the house, if she comes, they all come.  It's really wonderful!

Mr. Mocha is improving all around too.  Remember when I first got him, how he wouldn't let me touch his face?  Well, we've almost completely stopped that behavior.  He now lets me pet his face, and even lets me clean out his eye boogers (as long as I do it quickly and don't pull his hair).  He also tolerates short time spans of hair cutting, which is good, because he's in need of a face trim again.  Mocha is also housebroken.  It took a long time with him, I think just because he's a small dog and in my experience they take the longest.  Anyway, he does pace by the door when he wants to go out. 

Mocha got a tennis ball!

Benji is just a little sweetheart.  He tries and tries to play with everybody, and he usually succeeds!  He even got Hardy to play the other day, and Hardy doesn't play with anybody!  I've also marked Benji as housebroken, which I should have done a while ago, but just didn't get around to it.  Like Mocha, he paces by the door when he wants to go out.

Junie B. is still the perfect dog.  She has an adult attitude with a cute puppy face.  She is such a good listener, and will always come when called.  She has recognized the door that will get her outside, but only goes to it about 75% of the time when she wants to go out.  So I'm thinking another week of practice and she'll have it.  She's another pacer.  I don't know why all these pups don't want to use my beautiful bells!  Oh well, whatever works for them will have to work for me.  Junie is opening up more with the other dogs.  She's starting to initiate play with Benji and Rosie.  They all play at pretty much the same energy level, so it works out.  I have noticed that she tends to growl when she plays.  But it's never in a way that makes me concerned that she's getting aggressive.  It's always a soft, playful growl.  And she's also getting more comfortable with me, taking naps in my lap on occasion.

Junie B. cuddling with mommy.

Definitive Guide to Junie B

Updated 15Apr15

Age: ~5 years
Weight: ~10lbs
Food:   1C Purina One dry food
Treats:  Any and all treats.  Pup-eronis, Greenies, Milkbones...you name it, she loves it.
Good with Men: yes
Good with Women: yes
Good with Children: yes
Good with Dogs: yes
Good with Cats: unknown
Housebroken: No, but is learning quickly.
Crate Trained: yes
Leash Trained: yes
Other Skills: 
Personality: Junie B. is such a great dog.  She is playful at times, both with herself with toys and with the other dogs.  Other times she just likes to relax on the couch and watch the other dogs play.  She is the ultimate sweetheart.  She does like to cuddle, but knows that sometimes her person just isn't in the mood.  So she will give a quick kiss to acknowledge that she loves you, and then curl up on her own.
Toys:  small toys like tennis balls and kongs are her favorite.  She will occasionally get in on a game of tug of war with a rope.
Nicknames: Junie, June Bug
Ideal Family: I honestly can't think of a family that Junie B. wouldn't fit in with.  She could get along with an older couple, a single parent, a family with kids, an active family, a calmer family...anyone!

Rosie, Mocha, Benji, and Junie B.

UPDATE: What!? Pending Adoption!?  Yippee!

Another fabulous week in the crazy dog house!  We've had such nice weather, I've been able to keep the door open a couple times, and the dogs just love it.  I think I've sealed up all of Mocha's escape routes because he hasn't gotten out in a while.  That is of course a good thing, but as I type this I'm realizing that I'm going to be moving the fence soon (as soon as it's nice out and the ground dries out a bit) so I can start digging up the backyard to make my new super fun dog area!  So I just need to keep aware of any future escape routes when I do move the fence.  Potty training has been going great for all the dogs.  Rosie, Mocha, and Junie all go by the backdoor when they want to go out.  Rosie is the only one who rings the bells though.  Benji doesn't let me know yet when he needs to go out, but that may be because between the other three, he's out about every 1-2 hours anyway.  He doesn't have any accidents in the house though.

This post is chock full of pictures today...so enjoy!

Rosie: "Am I in the shot?"

Mocha

Junie B.

Benji

Benji

Benji

Benji and Rosie: best buds

Junie B.

Mocha

Mocha

Mocha just LOVES sitting in the sun spots!

Mocha

Rosie and Benji

Benji

Rosie

Rosie loves the close ups

Rosie

Mocha

Mocha

Junie B. and Mocha

Junie B.

Stella (formerly Shelby) Update!

Prepare yourselves for an overload of awesome pictures! 

New Pups at Fluffy Dog!

I had the pleasure of walking the new pups that arrived on Saturday, 3/14.  I know people like to see videos of how the dogs react to certain activities, so on our walks I took some videos.  Enjoy!

Selzer:

Teeka:

Junie B.:

Izzy:

Coco Carin:

Harlie:

Katie:

Paddy:

Rosie, Mocha, Benji, and Junie B.

I guess I'm still behind!  It was awfully nice out this weekend, so I was out and about.  Writing a blog was the furthest thing from my mind.  I have some great update pictures for Shelby (renamed Stella) to post sometime.  And I also want to post some videos of the dogs that came in on the transport on Saturday.  I just took some short videos while I walked them.  I think both of those will be separate posts from this one, because they could all get a bit long with all the pictures and videos I have!

We had a long day of running around outside and chasing laser pointers!  Early bedtime tonight!

Rosie.  My dear Rosie.  She is still my little doll.  She is getting so good at potty outside.  Of course, it probably helps that it's been nice enough to leave the door open for her.  But in the evenings when it's cooled down and I've had the door shut, she's still not having any accidents.  She is starting to be a little obnoxious toward the smaller dogs.  She likes to play with them the way she plays with Benji, and they don't like it.  She's pretty good about stopping when I tell her to though.

I really wanted a pictures of all the dogs standing up there together looking out the window, but I'm not fast enough.  Here's Rosie peering outside on a nice day.

Mocha has become an escape artist.  All the snow melted and revealed holes under my fence.  He found them.  He's luckily not a runner.  He just wanders around exploring until I can get around the fence to get him.  He will come back when I call him, and once I get to him he rolls over on his back like "I'm a good boy mommy, see!"  His potty habits have also improved with the weather.  I haven't had his belly band on in a few days, and there haven't been any accidents. 

Here's Mocha, doing his best to peer outside on a nice day.

Benji is my fun child.  I recently discovered that he LOVES to chase a laser pointer.  Rosie and Mocha like to chase him while he chases the laser, and it's so funny to watch how he completely ignores them.  He needs to get that dot, and he will go over, under, or through anyone standing in his way.  I need to get a video of this.  Funniest part of my afternoons lately.  Benji also has excellent potty habits, and he is also belly band free for the last couple days!

Here's Benji peering outside on a nice day.

Junie B is...dare I say it...the perfect dog.  She's affectionate, but not clingy.  She has great potty manners, and except for the expected breaking in period she's not had any accidents in the house.  She does not bark...ever.  She's been with me for 4 days now, and I still don't know what her voice sounds like.  She gets along with all the dogs.  She plays with them all in their styles.  She gets along with new people.  She's not scared or aggressive toward kids.  She willingly goes into a crate at night.  She doesn't always go into her crate, but always a crate.  She doesn't chew on things she shouldn't.  She doesn't beg for food.  She loves getting her hair brushed.  She doesn't argue when I have to give her medicine.  And she's adorable.  How many more wonderful things do I have to say about this dog before someone adopts her!?

Sweet Junie B. napping on the arm rest

Meeting Junie B.

Introducing Junie B!

Junie B. is the latest addition to my foster family.  She's only supposed to be here temporarily until she finds a full time foster home or she's adopted.  She's a very calm, sweet little girl.  I picked her up from the daycare at about 1 this afternoon, and we just now got home.  We went straight from picking her up to a day with friends up in Appleton.

Junie B. laying on the couch

Junie was EXCELLENT on the car ride.  I put her in the back seat with a towel provided by Fluffy Dog.  She just curled up and slept almost the whole way up.  Even when she woke up, she didn't whine or bark or anything.

She was also FABULOUS with meeting new people.  Including 3 kids under the age of 4.  I was very skeptical about her being near them, because I hadn't had time to see what her temperament was.  But after about 15 minutes I was so comfortable with her being around new people, that I let the oldest boy come say hi.  (Just to be clear, I was very comfortable with these kids around her.  I have known all three since birth.  The two boys have a small dog of their own, and they've spent plenty of time around Hardy, so I knew they wouldn't pull tails and such.  And the mother of the girl is a vet and they have a cat, so I know she also knows how to interact with small animals.  I would not be comfortable with just any kids around her.)  She was so great.  She let all three pet her, and even let the youngest give her kisses!  She didn't growl or whine at all.  Several times she rolled over on her back indicating she wanted her belly rubbed!  She stayed near me most of the time.  At one point she was sleeping on the couch and I wanted to get something in the kitchen, so I got up and 2 seconds later she followed.

Junie B. getting kisses.

Junie slept the whole way home again too.  If I hadn't heard her little collar jingle when I shut the car off I might have forgotten she was in the back seat!

Meeting the rest of my brood was a little overwhelming for her.  Mocha, Rosie, and Benji pretty much all wanted to sniff her at the same time, which she wasn't ready for.  She accidentally ran over Hardy, and he got scared and barked a bit.  But Junie remained cool.  By now, Rosie and Benji are over her and they're off playing by themselves.  Mocha is still trying to see what she's all about.  I think they're going to be best friends since they're not too far off in size.

Rosie, Mocha, and Benji

BONUS VIDEO POST!  Yippee!


Every morning while I'm getting ready for work, the dogs like to roll around on my bed.  You can see that Benji and Mocha are still wearing their belly bands.  I'm using it intermittently.  They did not wear them at all yesterday afternoon, and we had 0 accidents in the house. 

Yesterday I took Rosie and Benji for a walk.  It looks like we're really cruising along, but we were on a very leisurely pace.  Notice I can hold both leashes in one hand while I film...they are VERY easy to walk with.  Rosie prefers to stay near me, while Benji prefers to walk ahead...but not far enough ahead that he's straining on his leash.

Definitive Guide to Benji

Updated 30Mar15

Age: ~1 year
Weight: ~15lbs
Food:   1C Purina One dry food
Treats:  Any and all treats.  Pup-eronis, Greenies, Milkbones...you name it, he loves it.
Good with Men: yes
Good with Women: yes
Good with Children: yes
Good with Dogs: yes
Good with Cats: unknown
Housebroken: Yes.  He paces near the door when he needs to go out.
Crate Trained: yes
Leash Trained: yes
Other Skills: Sits on command, comes when called (unless enjoying a sunny day outside)
Personality: Very playful.  Benji occasionally will play with a toy, but much prefers to play with the other dogs.  He loves to get attention from people, and will return any love he receives. 
Toys:  Benji plays with all toys, but his ultimate favorite is a laser pointer.  If he was just locked in a room with a laser pointer all day, he would be the happiest dog alive!
Nicknames: Benj, Benji-man
Ideal Family: A family that is active, willing to train and spend a lot of time with him, and is playful would be perfect!

Rosie, Mocha, and Benji

Sorry for the delay in posting, and for not getting Benji's definitive guide up as promised.  We had a bit of a crisis this weekend, and my priorities got all shifted around.  The dogs and I are all ok, and I think I can get back on track today.

Rosie is doing spectacularly.  She's getting really good at letting me know when she needs to go potty outside, and we've barely had any accidents in the house.  A couple Saturday night/Sunday morning due to events beyond our control, but for the last week or so I want to say she's had maybe one or two accidents total.  So significantly improved.  She really gets along with Benji, and they play just like she and Shelby played.  She's also started picking on the little dogs, which they do not like, so I constantly have to tell her to back off.  Which she does, but reluctantly.  She is getting really good at sitting on command, with or without a treat.  I'd say she's got about a 95% success rate at that right now.  And she may be starting to pick up "lay down" too.  It's not one I work on with the foster dogs, but sometimes I ask Hardy to do it and I think they listen.  So she has once or twice laid down expecting to get a snack.

Mocha, my little peanut, is completely off heartworm watch!  Thank goodness for that, because his energy is so high at times!  He likes to play with Benji the most, and they often run around or play tug of war with a toy.  Since I got him the belly bands last week, I was noticing that he must have been having more accidents in the house than I knew about.  But because of the belly bands we're getting him outside much more frequently (both my choice and his), so it's only a matter of time before I can say he's housebroken! 

Benji has spent almost a week with me now, and I am loving his energy.  He is always happy to see me, and gives kisses and playful nudges like they're going out of style.  I had friends stay with me Saturday night, and he loved it (all the dogs did, but especially Benji).  He isn't scared or shy in the least.  I think I said in my intro post that Benji is a great listener.  That is still true...except when it's nice outside.  I could not for the life of me call him back in the house yesterday!  He just wanted to stay out in the sun for as long as he could!

Benji caught mid roll on the couch

Shelby has been adopted!

In the fastest adoption in history, Shelby has found her home.  And it was like she knew they were her family from the moment they met.  I didn't even exist once her new mom and dad walked in.  She was so happy her whole butt was wagging. 

So now Shelby has a mom, a dad, and a new (really big) brother.  I didn't get to meet her brother, but it sounds like Shelby has already accepted him.  I am so excited for Shelby and her new family, and I can't wait to get more pictures!

Shelby and her big brother, Norman

Introducing Benji!

With Shelby's pending adoption, I picked up another dog last night.  Yes, I really might be insane.  But they needed space at the daycare, and we all know I can't say no to those puppy dog eyes, so here we are.

Benji is very sweet.  He and Shelby have nearly identical personalities (from what I've been able to gather in the few hours I've known him), so once she's adopted it'll be like the same dynamic we've had for the last month!  At least I can hope, right?  We have him listed as a wirehaired terrier, but his fur is pretty soft, not like the other wirehairs I've fostered in the past.  He did mark his territory first thing when I let him in the house.  But I had ordered some belly bands for Mocha a while back and they happened to arrive yesterday and they also happened to fit Benji (Mocha is a solid little guy!), so you'll see in one of the videos below that they are both wearing them.  I didn't see him even attempt to pee once I put it on him, so maybe he is housetrained.  We'll have to see.  I'm also seeing some potential for knowing 'sit.'  The first time I was talking to Shelby, and out of the corner of my eye I saw him do it.  So the second time was after I let them in from outside, and I always have them sit before I give them a treat.  I had to say it 3 or 4 times, but he did eventually sit without me pushing his butt down.  I'll keep you updated on that status as well.

I'm thinking I might be able to get a good portion of his definitive guide done by the end of the weekend.  But until then, enjoy these videos of all the pups meeting each other!

Rochester Update

I almost forgot about this!  Rocky is doing great in his new home.  He's playing with his new sister, and he's found the door to get outside.  His new family is going to start taking him on short road trips to get him used to the car.  His mom got him to wear a sweater too!  Here he is, in his sweater with his dad and sister who is in her sweater too.  How adorable!

Doesn't he look so proud of that fancy sweater?