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.

Meet Abby

Welcome to our Pack Abby

Yesterday afternoon I picked up Abby another new foster.



Abby is a 2 year old purebred border collie. She was an owner surrender. She is a FANTASTIC dog! Her owner was met with a change in circumstances and chose to place Abby in rescue in the best interest of the dog. People like this really impress me. To take the time to contact us and make sure their dogs go to good rescue organizations rather than the pound or *shudder* Craigslist - says alot. (Thank you Melissa!)



Abby's family bought her from a local breeder as a puppy. I asked them to contact the breeder prior to placing her into rescue. When they did she told them she couldn't take her back because she already had to many dogs. *sigh* So now we have her!



The introductions went smoothly with Ranger, Beth and Bonnie. Beth's nose is a little out of joint but it will smooth over.









Later, as you can see from the pictures, Abby came with us to the river to run off some anxiety and steam. I kept her on a nice long soft drag line so I could catch her easily if she bolted.









Her recall is good & she likes to stick very close to people. She is a spry little girl. She kept checking herself and runnning back to me when she got to far away. I can't wait to see her let loose to run & play.

Abby did lots of sniffing, exploring and getting acquainted with the others











Bonnie is Abby's self appointed Welcoming Committee. She has been keeping a close eye on Abby, making sure she is comfortable and has everything she needs. Bonnie's customer service skills are improving every day.





Abby has a solid foundation of obedience and is smart as a whip! I am going to take her down to Fido's in the next few days to try her on some sheep. Keep your fingers crossed - she has a ton of potential!

Kibble Puzzle Toys

Our dogs rarely get something for nothing - meaning they need to work for their food. I try to use every opportunity for feeding as a chance to train and or keep their brains engaged. Which is why we love kibble puzzle toys!

The main rule for a puzzle toy in our house: It must be virtually indestructable & withstand the chewing it will get.

Our favorite puzzle toys are (right to left)



Busy Buddy Tug-A-Jug - this one the dog needs to use a combination of problem solving skills to get their food. Beth is not as food driven as the other two - so this toy is boring for her. She just doesn't get into it like Bonnie will. Ranger likes it but I think he gets frustrated with it too. Bonnie loves this toy so much she hauls it around with her even after it is empty. If I give Ranger or Beth their food in this toy I need to maker sure to put Bonnie outside - because she will freak.

Busy Buddy Egg / Kibble Nibble - This is Ranger's favorite. It is easier to get the food out than the Tug-A-Jug but still keeps them busy. They have to roll the toy end to end to get it to dispense food. They figure this out pretty quickly. It is very durable and the dogs will try and play with it after their food is gone.

Canine Genius - This one is a hit for all the dogs, however it did not pass our durability test. As you can see in the picture - it is missing it's top - because Beth decided she wanted to try and chew the food out instead of rolling it around. Needless to say, this one is used under strict supervision.

Puzzle Ball - All the dogs love this one! However if I feed Beth in this toy she morphs into 'Ball Bonkers Beth' and tries to get me to throw it for her constantly (as seen in the video). If I leave the room she will get all of her food out of it. Bonnie and Ranger just roll it around until all the food is dispenses. It is very challenging and depending on the dog I can change the rate of kibble dispensed

The trick in our house for using these toys is to give the dog their toy in a separate room, then when they are done immediately put them away. If I do not do that I have guarding issues with Bonnie - she will take all the toys when they are empty. She then puts them in a big pile near her and tries to rip snouts off of any dog who comes near her. Bonnie can really be a Brat. *sigh*

I put together a goofy little video of the dogs working for their dinner. Enjoy!

Apple Thieves

I bought some Red Delicious Apples at the grocery store. I arranged them on the table in a lovely stoneware bowl. After I was done with the chores I was enjoying some peaceful computer time in another room when I heard what sounded like apples falling on the floor, then Beth was at my elbow nudging me. I got up to investigate...

Sure enough 'someone' snagged a couple of apples for a nice afternoon snack.

Ranger and Bonnie were completely engrossed with their fruity treats - so I grabbed the camera and recorded it.

I wonder...does an apple a day keep the Vet away?



Oddly enough the only thing that was missing was two apples. The bowl remained in the center of the table - apparently undisturbed. Perhaps I dropped a couple of them when I brought the bag in the house? I will never know...

Thankfully we saw no obvious 'end results' of their foray into fruit nirvana.