Mini & Pudge

I got a cute picture last night that I can't not share.  :-)

Pudgie Pie on the left, Minaki on the right

I gave all the dogs a treat (milkbones).  Pudgie Pie immediately ran to this dog bed to eat hers, Minaki ran around in circles trying to find a good place for her to eat her snack.  I sat on the floor nearby this bed, and Minaki decided it was safe to eat hers right next to Pudge.  BUT she was torn between eating her snack and getting pets from me.  Unfortunately for her, pets won out and Pudge snatched the snack while Mini was preoccupied.  Mini was upset for a moment, but quickly got over it.

Is it Spring Yet?

Seriously...what's with this weather?  Hot and sunny one day, then cold and rainy for the next 2 weeks?  Not enjoyable at all.  Not by me.  Not by the dogs.  Pudge and Minaki are both afraid of thunderstorms, by the way.  Not in a howl-all-night-and-drive-you-nuts type of way.  But in a shiver-and-stay-close-to-my-person type of way.  I don't believe it's anything that should deter anyone from adopting either of them, but I think it's important for a forever family to be aware of.

You might have noticed that I finally got around to posting Pudgie's definitive guide.  I'm sorry it's taken so long.  I've just been really lazy I guess.  I don't really have anything new or exciting to say to you all, other than both girls are doing wonderfully...so here are a few videos of them playing (on one of our few nice days so far).  NOTE: in the videos below, Minaki is the more tan one and has a black collar.  Pudgie is the lighter, more white one and has a green collar.  Pudgie is also slightly larger than her mom.

Here's a glimpse of Minaki and Pudgie Pie playing.  Isn't it funny how they have the same mannerisms, not having seen each other in a year?

Here's Minaki and Pudgie Pie running around, playing.  Also please note: Hardy's favorite toy is that green guy you see in the beginning of the video.  Around 0:58 you see Minaki steal it from him.  No violence, just good old fashioned muscle.

And last, but certainly not least: a video of Pudgie Pie playing with a (very loud) squeaky ball (until she catches me filming her).

Definitive Guide to Pudgie Pie

Updated 24May17

Petfinder: Pudgie Pie's Petfinder Profile
Age: ~1 year
Weight: ~13lbs
Food:   1C dry food
Treats:  Pudge will eat any treats.
Good with Men: unknown
Good with Women: yes
Good with Children: unknown
Good with Dogs: yes
Good with Cats: unknown
Housebroken: Pudge is housebroken.  She usually only goes outside during our regularly scheduled breaks (or when one of the other dogs asks to go outside), but she has learned to use the bells on the door if she needs to go out too.  When coming into my home, it took about 2-3 weeks for Pudge and I to learn each others schedules/bathroom signs.  I would expect a similar break-in period in her forever home.
Crate Trained: Pudge does not like to be put in her crate, and will occasionally whine or even bark for a short time (<10 minutes).  But after that, she is quiet as a mouse.
Leash Trained: Yes.  She gets very excited when she sees me grab a leash because she knows it means we're going on an adventure!  She doesn't yet have good walking skills, but she doesn't try to escape.
Other Skills: Pudge can sit on command and she is also learning 'wait.'
Personality: Pudge is a ball of energy.  She absolutely loves to play (with toys, dogs, people) and will do it all day if you let her.  She enjoys spending time outside if it's sunny; in the rain she will do everything she can to stay inside.  Pudge is very good at entertaining herself if no one is willing to play with her.  Give her a rope toy or ball and she might leave you alone for hours!  She does like to cuddle at night though.  Once she's all played out, she will curl up next to you and fall right asleep.
Toys:  Pudge does not discriminate against toys.  She will play with anything.
Nicknames: Pudge.
Ideal Family: Pudge's ideal family is one that is active and will spend a lot of time going on adventures with her!  The more time you spend outside, the better!  She is still a puppy and still needs to learn some skills, so a family that is willing to spend some time training her is a must.

Pudgie Pie

Just a quick note to update everyone on Pudge.  We've finished off 2 of her 3 medications, and she's doing exceptionally well.  Her wounds have all healed up and she's no longer itchy.  She does have a few bald patches, but even those seem to be filling in (it stands out on her because of how light her fur is!).  She has a few weeks (maybe a month?) left of her last medication, and then it'll be like she was never sick in the first place!

I've had this peanut for about 2 weeks now, and I have to say she is just the sweetest thing.  She LOVES to cuddle, but she's fine cuddling next to someone, not necessarily on top of them.  Out of all the dogs I've fostered (~20 at this point), she is by far the biggest fan of toys.  Doesn't matter what size or type, she loves them.  I keep them in a laundry basket in the corner of my living room, and every day shes grabs one or two and runs off with them.  If it's a nice day, she likes to take them outside and chew on them.  On rainy days (of which we have had many since Pudge came to stay with me), she will just take them in the kitchen where she has more open space to run around.  She's also very good at playing with other dogs.  She and Minaki play extremely well together.  We had a couple moments the first few days where they were learning each others boundaries, but now that that's all figured out they are like 2 peas in a pod.  She occasionally tries to play with Hardy, but of course he's his grumpy self.  Pudge knows her boundaries with him...sometimes she'll taunt him a bit, but she backs off when he's reached his breaking point.

Pudge's previous foster family taught her to sit on command.  That has stuck with her.  We are having a bit of a housebreaking issue.  It's only been 2 weeks, so I'm not too concerned yet.  She is figuring out the door we go outside from.  I still need to learn her signs that she needs to go outside.  I just got a replacement set of doorbells (mine broke months ago, but I never replaced them because all my dogs were housebroken).  And it's not as if she's having accidents all day, every day.  It's just one accident, late in the evening, maybe every couple of days.  And lately it's been near the correct door...so I really do think she's figuring it out.  Hopefully with the new bells she and I will be on the same page soon!

I did the laundry - including the blankets from Pudge's crate.  They ended up on top of the clean basket, so she thought it would be a good place to nap.