Rainy Steele: Notes on a foster dog

Posted on: March 31, 2018 by: DougB

Rainy is an affectionate, attractive gal who is looking for a stable family to love.
Last updated: Aug 2, 2018

Base Info:

Rainy

Arrival date: March 31, 2018
Breed: Husky mix
Sex: Female
Age: Approx. 2 years
Weight: Approx. 45 lbs
Spay/Neutered: Yes (tattoo found)
General Health: Excellent!
Temperament: Affectionate and obedient

History

Rainy came to Steele Away Home because the shelter she was at closed. Her first foster home handed her off because she killed their pet rabbit. Her second foster home handed her off because she got nasty with the other dogs in their all-in-home foster. She came here because we are set up to give some dogs their own space while they learn to get along with the others.

Rainy was transported to 3 Hearts 4 Paws on Aug 3 for adoption.

Known Issues & Progress

Rainy has taken to being moved around quite well.

She was Heartworm positive, has been treated, and is now fully recovered . She’s in great shape and likes to play with Callie and Josephine.

Rainy’s People Skills

She is sweet and affectionate with all people. She likes to snuggle. All afternoon long she was calm when we were together. This evening, when I took her a blanket for her dog house and to spend some time with her, she got a bit rowdy. I think she got excited thinking she was coming in the house. “Sorry, girl, Callie has the House Dog spot.”

As she has settled in here she has gotten more boisterous, but not unmanageably so. I am working to teach her not to jump up on people. She likes to give kisses and loves a belly rub.

Rainy is quite obedient to voice commands as we go between crate and the door (and back) vids below.

Gets Along With Other Dogs

Not so good at first. Rainy started out with issues about her personal space and especially in guarding food and treats.

These issues have been dealt with and Rainy is now a full-time house dog sharing space with 5 other dogs. Rainy eats in her crate only because she prefers to. The door is left open so she may leave when she’s done if she wants to. She prefers to sleep there at night too. This is her safe place (and it has a really cushy folded up quilt to lie on).

Outside, she likes to run and play with the others. I’ve had no trouble with her getting aggressive in play at all. Several vids below of her behaviors.

Housebreaking

She is housebroken.

Does not bark in the house but her vocalization is decidedly Husky. She sometimes gets conversational (vid below). When kenneled outside, she barks if there is something to bark at. Her first night here was a full-moon. Other dogs on the mountain were barking and the cows were bellowing like elephants. Lot’s to bark at, so we tried crating her inside. That first night went poorly, but she has since settled down and is good in her crate (vid below).

She does call me (Husky speak, not barking) when she needs to go outside, or wants to eat, or is lonely; otherwise she’s pleasantly quiet.

Miscellaneous

Rainy rides well in a vehicle. She loaded up readily and sat calmly as I drove on several trips. She rides behind the seats and makes no effort to force her way up front.

She is good on a leash.

When she arrived she did not seem to know any commands and did not respond to her name. By the end of her first afternoon she had “In your room” down pat. By her second day she will “come” when called regardless of far away she is (vid below). After 6 days we also have “sit” pretty well down. Now we are working on “paw”. She’s smart!

Gallery

In roughly chronological order, newest at the bottom. Click the thumbnails to enlarge.
Some pictures are linked to Doggy Tales about this dog, click those to open the related story or video.

Camera shy	Casual Dining (video)	A good look at Rainy (video)	Snarking Callie (video)
A Fast Learner! (video)	Meeting Cochise and Josephine (vid)	Too cold to stay out last night. Slept all night and is good while I fix breakfast.	Rainy has her own “room” in the den with me.

She is great at going out and coming in without a fuss. (vid)	Rainy is better at sharing space with the other dogs. (vid)	Napping with The Gang (vid)	Now what do I do?
Rainy and Foxy have their first play date. (vid)	The Three Amigos, these girls are a play group.	Rainy chooses to comfort Buddy during thunder.	Buddy stole Rainy’s bone, and she’s okay with that!

Rainy and her love affair with our sofa (vid)	Hello, I’m here to see the doctor!	I’m feeling a little nervous about this.	Recuperating after heartworm treatment
No longer food aggressive (vid)	Enjoys casual dining	Happy to share with a friend	Rainy joins The Girl Gang
So crate trained she even opens the door for herself (vid)	Rainy and Buddy tell me it’s time to dish up kibbles (vid)	Rainy and Blondie confer on my security arrangements.	Who wants to go outside with me? (vid)
Weak … with … hunger. Must feed me.	Rainy has her own “room” in the den with me.	The others sometimes envy Rainy’s bed. (vid)	Kitchen Supervisor.
Ready for movie: bring on the eats!	My blonde dog body guards.	SQUIRREL!	I think I’ll just sleep here tonight, okay?

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Bed Check

Posted on: March 19, 2018 by: Doug

Callie is a sweet, gentle, lovable gal. She is a Staffie mix after all. She gives us almost no trouble at all and so she has earned the right to be a full-time, free-range house dog — except when we leave the property for an extended period of time. But that’s not Callie’s fault.

Josephine likes to play rowdy. If I’m here I can monitor that and shut it down before anything gets torn up. When I’m not here, she and Blondie sometimes knock into things, moving furniture around a bit, but rarely tear anything up. If Callie gets into the mix, Callie likes to play tug-o-war. Dog beds are handy tug toys because all three can pull on it at once. That leads to tearing. Tearing leads to stuffing poking out. Stuffing poking out gets everyone excited about pulling out all the stuffing. We’ll arrive home again to find an “exploded” dog bed. Not good!

So when Marie and I are both going to be gone a while, Callie gets crated. But she doesn’t mind.

Buddy Beagle and Going Ballistic

Posted on: March 16, 2018 by: Doug

Buddy Beagle is normally a pretty calm little fellow — unless there’s a squirrel outside, then he has to bay and bark and try to get at it. There’s something about squirrels that sets him off. All the other dogs ignore squirrels, but will react similarly to free-ranging cats. Buddy also goes ballistic if I walk out the back door to go into the play yard.

He will throw himself at the bedroom window and make such an excited fuss and racket! Then he goes from window to window along the play yard side of the house to try and get the best view, all the while barooing at the top of his lungs. Sometimes he loses his bladder and leaves a trail of urine. Too much excitement for an old dog to handle!

Josie says, “Come with me, come with me!”

Posted on: March 15, 2018 by: Doug

I was working at my desk late this morning. Josephine came in and did her little eye-batting, butt wiggle, nose whistle thing that she does when she wants me to go with her to accomplish something: open the door so she can go out, come to the dining room because dinner is ready and they’re waiting on me, or look at something she’s trying to tattle-tale about. So I got up and followed her out of the room.

But she went right past the laundry room — where the door to outside is — going straight on. She glanced back over her shoulder with those big eyes of hers to be sure I was still in tow, tail swinging madly when she saw I was. She danced into the kitchen, bore to the right and stopped in front of the stove.

Two trays of fresh-baked dog treats just begging to be sampled!

“They’re cool now Doug. Time for SAMPLES!”
“Right you are darlin, right you are.”

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Buddy Goes Into The Wall

Posted on: March 8, 2018 by: Doug

On Wednesday afternoon Buddy Beagle and Josephine were running around in the yard – more like racing around – and as they passed a corner fence post, Josie knocked into Buddy and “put him in the fence” (as the auto racing folks would say) right here:
vicious fence post
That bolt — which is turned around the wrong way — dug into his side and tore a hole in his skin. That’s his fur still clinging to the bolt.

He howled and cried something awful, so I knew he got hurt.

Buddy Beagle: Protector of Toys

Posted on: March 7, 2018 by: Doug

Buddy Beagle is a sensitive, caring soul. Gaze into his eyes and you can see that. He is a beagle who has come through a horrible experience of his own. He came here from Cedarwood Animal Hospital for a lengthy recovery and we just let him stay. Now he takes on the roll of household protector.

For the most part he is a good little guy who is devoted to his people (especially Marie) and gets along well with his siblings. But make a toy cry and you’ll feel his wrath!

Innovation In Dog Treats

Posted on: March 1, 2018 by: DougB

The old saying about necessity being the mother of invention is absolutely true. In so many instances I have cobbled together something or other specifically to meet a need in the life of my family or friends. Even my life as a furniture maker was made successful because I could design pieces to meet the specific needs or desires of my clients. I find that even in making dog treats, I’m looking for ways to innovate.

Being Fussy About Dog Treats

For the past few months I have been helping out our canine rescue group: Steele Away Home, by making healthy dog treats that are sold in Cedarwood Veterinary Hospital. The purchase price of these treats gets applied to the rescue’s medical bill at Cedarwood. This is one of several efforts Marie and I do as The Julian Fund, which raises funds specifically for S.A.H.’s veterinary bill.