Guess Who Has a New Home?

ELF! Yes, ELF!

A wonderful family came on Tuesday to meet Abby. The family consists of Grandpa, Grandma and their adult daughter who takes care of them. I was concerned due to their age and lifestyle that Abby had too much energy and would overwhelm them with her hyperactivity. Meeting with Abby they were able to see she did indeed have the potential to drive them insane.

While talking to them Elf was very bravely coming to the doorway and peeping at them, then whoosh...gone in the flash.

Grandpa asked about the dog that was peering into the room. I told them a little bit about Elf and his history. I didn't hold anything back. Then Grandpa pulled out his wallet and showed me pictures of the border collie he just lost. He said Elf reminded him of her. Then grandpa slowly slide off the couch and onto the floor where Elf could see he wasnt a threat.

Remember Elf is terrifed of men and strange people - which makes this even more remarkable.

Elf slowly made his way over to him and his daughter. To make a long story short - Elf liked them both after a little bit of warming up.

Later we went for a walk with their German Shepherd to make sure they would get along. No issues. When we were on our way back - Elf saw Grandpa waiting for him at the drive way, he almost yanked my arm out of its socket so he could get to him. When we got close he zipped right behind him and stayed very close to his legs then he looked at the car and acted like he wanted to get in it with them. Grandpa was in love. The deal was sealed. Elf was going to them after they passed their home visit.

They are prepared for the housebreaking issues, the panic attacks and the extreme fear. They are commited to Elf and aware of all his issues.

I am so happy for Elf. He is going to be spoiled ROTTEN! I will be bringing him to his new home Friday where his new name will be McDuff (Duffy for short).



Goodbye Sweet Boy...

Abby & Elf Update

Abby Update: I posted Abby's bio and adoption information on the rescue site. ABBY'S ADOPTION INFORMATION. I also made a video of her.



When we were down at Fido's Farm on Saturday I had a chance to test Abby on sheep with Sylvia. It didn't go well. Abby was afraid of Sylvia. She warmed up quickly then had to contend with the sheep. Once she realized they were there Abby was afraid of them. She would occasionally circle around behind them - then fear would kick in and she would shut down - completely ignoring them. We are going to wait until next weekend and try her again. She may have just been too overwhelmed with all the changes in her life to deal with woollies.

When we were at Fido's Abby met Barbara who is Peak Agility. She was at Fido's for her husband Jorgen's herding lesson with Karen Child. I tried to con Barbara into taking Abby home with her. I think I almost had her. Barbara did say Abby would make a fantastic agility dog! WOOHOO! Barbara and Jorgen foster Border Collies with PNW Border Collie Rescue too.

Beth and Abby are now mortal enemies. Abby is a strong female. Beth is the alpha in our pack. Abby is challenging her constantly. Poor Beth, She is a wee bit stressed and counting on her claws the days until Abby gets a new home.

Elf Update: Elf is like a different dog! He got a bath on Friday. No more Stinky Poo Poo Butt. I am amazed at how wonderful his coat is. He feels just like an angora rabbit. He is finally coming out of his shell. He will leave the bathroom now when John is in the house. Loud noises will still cause him to cower in fear then dart for the nearest corner. If you are holding anything in your hands the poor guy hits the deck and shakes. (I am trying to desensitize him to this by carrying something with me all the time). He is scared of the camera so taking pictures has been very difficult. We learned that Elf is completely TERRIFIED of the TV. So it has been a TV free weekend much to the kids chagrin.

Elf has been staying in the kitchen/dining room/living room when we are eating together at the table. He sticks close to the walls and hides behind the chairs, but is nudging elbows and inserting his nose between the occasional elbow and table. He has mastered the "I am starving" look at the same time managing to look scared & pathetic. It is a winning combination. Lets just say he learned begging was rewarding...

Elf has been sleeping 75% of the time. When he isn't sleeping, he is eating or venturing out to explore the downstairs. We are working on the housebreaking. Given all the things he is scared of - I am going to make the assumption Elf has never been in a home before (the TV clinched it). From observing his behavior - someone somewhere did this poor baby serious harm. He will be staying with us for a long time. He needs to learn how to trust all people will not hurt him. It will come in time.

Today Elf went for his first walk. We kept the long drag line on him just to be safe. Which was a good thing because he has NO recall and tried to make a few breaks for it.

Elf is in love with Grace









It was difficult getting pictures of Elf because he is frightened of the camera - but I managed to sneak a few. I can see why they called him Elf.

The ears ... totally the ears.

Meet Elf

Yesterday evening I met with Jeri from Klamath Falls, OR. She and her partner extraordinaire Shawna are dedicated to rescuing dogs and cats of every shape, size and color. Shawna regularly springs dogs & cats from their local shelter - where due to a small population base they do not stand a good chance of being adopted. She shelters many of them and rehabs them both mentally and physically. Some she keeps, fosters and adopts out, others she sends elsewhere by coordinating transport to larger population centers for placement into foster homes. Jeri transported a truck load of cats and dogs up here yesterday. I picked up two. One for me and one for Vicki (another local foster home).

Meet our other new foster: Elf (name will be changed soon)



Elf is a gentle soul who is in 'shelter shock'. He has spent the last three months in a shelter. The shelter folks were deeply concerned for him since he is such a wonderful boy & arranged his placement into a foster home. The poor guy was transported to Shawna & Jeri's place last week (long drive) where Shawna spent alot of time with him. Then yesterday he was loaded up in the car for a 8 hour drive to Olympia. By the time he got to our place at 10PM he had been crated while traveling for 13.5 hours. He was completely shut down.

Last night when we got him home he crawled across the floor to the living room where he immediately let loose with a stream of runny poo on the carpet. (Poor Jeri already had a problem with him defecating in his crate on the drive up & he is covered with feces, so a bath is in order too). When we got him in the back yard - it took us over an hour to get him back into the house.

He spent the night in our bathroom with a cushy bed, water, and a floor covered with pee pads. This morning when I let him outside he darted right out the back door did his business then hid in the doghouse. When I let the dogs out he would go out and greet them, tail wagging abound. It is people he is not sure about...

Elf decompressing in the doghouse







After letting him be a while I went to check on him. I talked very softly to him at the door and viola! He came right out of his doghouse, walked right past me into the house! WOOHOOO! I was so happy! I left the door open so he had an escape. He explored the downstairs lots of sniffing and unfortunately he marked a couple things (thankfully not carpet or furniture). He let me pet him a few times, made eye contact & WAGGED HIS TAIL!

After a few trips in and out of the house Elf is now laying on a bed about 3 feet behind me in the office cuddled up in a nice quiet corner. Elf has taken some treats from my hands and let me pet him quite a bit. All I need now is a clothespin for my nose because PEEEE-YEW he is stinky!





He has a long way to go, but this little bit of progress is very encouraging in such a short time. I think with some peace and quiet, a friendly stable pack of dogs, good food, warm bed, steady routine, and lots of confidence building positive reinforcement he will snap out of this and make someone a lovely dog someday. Until that point he has a home here with us...no questions asked.

Gosh I love all of these dogs...They truly are our best friends.