Pasha progress report:)

Earlier today I was just trying to figure out exactly when I first learned of Pasha, and how long I've had her... Feb 22 from Laurie @ Brooklyn Foster Animal Network... "April, a very needy case. Read the safer test. Volunteers are raving about her. Can we have her delivered to you asap?"  she was on the euthanasia-list and I was suddenly available to foster because of a cancelled trip, things do happen for a reason;)


So this pup has been in my life for exactly 3 weeks and I couldn't be happier to have her here!  she has the sweeeetest disposition and we are getting to know each other, pleasant surprises, problem solving, working out logistics of becoming a dog OWNER again... no matter how awesome the dog it's never eeeasy but it is worth it, she's definitely worth shuffling some things around.  I'm happy to have a permanent resident again, it's been a little tough getting attached to the foster pups, watching them learn things and improve and then handing them over (although honestly I couldn't have been happier with the adoptions I've had!!!).  Next time I foster, which I'm thinking will be sooner than later, somebody will be staying with me. Plus she'll make an excellent big sis to the new foster pups!


So on to miss Pasha's progress!  She's suuuuch a good girl, so sweet and eager to please, fun to train, happy to go with the flow, loves car rides, hiking, making friends at the dog run, kissing the kitty;)  blows my mind that somebody abandoned her, but I'm glad she ended up with me!  It's never totally smooth sailing with a new dog, you have to be realistic and expect a few issues, we have a few here, they're minor but still... She did get into things once or twice while I was at work, the recyclables, the quinoa and cat food, nothing terrible but worth preventing!  So for now she's in a confined space while am out, baby gated the hallway so she has the hallway and the bathroom to play in, with some of her sturdier toys and bones and her bed etc...  perhaps most helpful, I don't put food in her bowl in the morning, she gets her dog food + treats and peanut butter or yogurt frozen into a kong overnight!  I timed it yesterday, since they are frozen it took her a good 40 minutes of solid effort to empty it (and she gets 2!), FOOOOOD!!!!  she is very motivated to empty those suckers, I'm sure it burns off some of her mental energy and gives her "an appropriate dog hobby" so she doesn't get bored (tip from Dr.Ian Dunbar of http://www.dogstardaily.com/ works like a charm!).  Also she is a bit of an excited/submissive peer, this has happened a handful of times, she is clearly housebroken but this seems to be something different, we're off to the vet next Monday to rule out physical causes and if not then we'll work on it (I've been reading up...).  


I love my new doggie, fostering has been a great way to find a forever dog and to help other guys in the process.  Can't wait to see how excited she will be to have doggie house guests, I'm hoping to get back to fostering in early April, who will be our next visitor???

teaching the beast patience!

awesome trick interrupted by falling bicycle!

Another favorite game of ours is hide and seek!  She has to sit and stay while I hide in another room (with a toy or treats) and when I say "OK" she has to find me:)  shes' veeerrrry proud of herself when she does and then she gets cookies or we play catch.  Whatever kind of mutt she is whether shepherd, dobie or rottie they are all working dogs and need some kind of problem solving to challenge them and keep them from getting bored!  she also has a backpack like Dingo;) 

Wha' Happened?

Dearest Pasha is only a 1 1/2 years old(ish) and I had been amazed at her excellent house manners, extra impressive considering she has not been allowed any serious exercise since she was recently spayed... Today it got the better of her, when I came home surprise!!!! things were not where I left them, 5 shoes were on her bed, she had carefully extracted some of the wool from my UGGS (similar to stuffed toys right? perhaps it would have been better if she had done visual damage, then maybe I'd stop wearing those ugly things), also her plastic food dish (plus the food measuring cup!) were shredded, a bottle of vitamin E oil left an oil slick on the rug and bottle in tatters and IS THAT QUINOA ALL OVER THE FLOOR, and the COUCH???

Yup, predictably cabin fever struck.... probably didn't help that I had taken away her real bones, the duck she gutted, the rope toy she shredded, the ripped up tennis balls, leaving her with only a Nyla Bone and her Kong bone, unacceptable!  Pasha is great at keeping herself entertained, she looooves to throw things for herself and chase them, but these things are usually hard and super clanky on my mostly hardwood floors which I fear will annoy the downstairs neighbors!  I've been trying to leave her with the least aurally offensive toys when I'm gone, which has clearly resulted in a protest.

Todays carnage. 

The gutted duck is especially pitiful.

$100 later... (+ treats unpictured)

I call this picture "Hope"

Kong Wubba, please hold up to her abuse!

(I deserve kickbacks for promoting Kong products so frequently on Fosteroni!)

The irony of Pasha's timing is that tomorrow was the day I had chosen to declare her officially healed and able to run around and had planned a trip to the woods to celebrate!  This morning we had played a little fetch to make sure the incision site looked alright after some running around.  Oh well, trial and error... hopefully with the new batch of more rugged less loud toys will keep her more appropriately occupied while I'm hard at work earning money to pay for all her toys and to buy myself more quinoa.

P.S. Pasha has been trying to get treats out of the Kong with laser like focus for a good 45 minutes now:)  I'm ignoring the slobber all over the rug, it's worth it and the rug is washable...

She's my best friend:)

Soooo turns out I may be the lucky someone ending up with foster pooch number four!  I am officially considering adopting Pasha and am in the process of "test driving" our arrangement, I want everybody to be happy!   I've owned a dog before but Lulu was a tiny (super duper amazing) maltese who potty-wise was like a house cat.  I am a big fan of wee-wee pads, not instead of all walks but they sure can come in handy and make it possible to go out after work once in awhile and keep the poor pup from crossing her legs if she really has to go(!).  We'll see what we can do, I'm sure paper training is totally possible and since that's my only reservation I think I'm going to get right on that (I am teaching her the words "go potty", poop and pee when we go out for walks, I think she knows what they mean!  but she's so proud of herself for being housebroken she doesn't want to go on the pad, she feels like she'sbacksliding ;)

As my friend Jeanette pointed out, she is both cute and ambitious!

I love her to death, what a find!

Who am I kidding, she already has her Pasha Kelly dog tag and the enormous doggie bed is coming in the mail!  When you are a "single parent" (certainly feels that way!) it's extra important to make your pup a solid canine citizen who is welcome everywhere and whom people will delight in babysitting, at the moment I am working on avoiding bad habits!

My big plan:

1. Teach her to walk perfectly on her leash!  she already pretty good but she's strong and low to the ground so any pulling is unwelcome.  I'm not too worried about this.

2. Barking? she doesn't :)

3. Beggin'?  nope, not really, but just to be sure I tell her to "go" and point away from the table and she has to wander off a few steps.

4. I made the mistake of letting her on the couch for snuggles ( I figured she wouldn't be staying for long anyway), and then she started jumping on everyones couch when visiting!  easy mistake Pasha but now we've gotta change the rules on you.  Luckily she catches on quickly! 

5. Letting her sleep on the bed (see above)...  the fancy plush dog bed will make it up to her though right??

6.  Jumping up on people to say hi!  again, pretty unwelcome by most people, she's kinda big and her paws are muddy if she's in the woods or dog run... teaching her "up" and "get down" so she can be invited up if somebody wants hugs!  also I'm teaching her to sit for pets when I come home instead of the jumping.

7. Attempt to teach her to ring a bell when she needs to go out for a squirt, first I need to find a bell though, it's not christmas time?

I'm sure there's other stuff which I'll remember later, but for now we are in pretty good shape, she needs a few tweaks but not a major overhaul!  and don't worry this does not mean the end of fostering for me, once she's settled in we may get dog number 5 in here and they can learn from her good example:)

xoxo

April and Pasha!