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Articles from December 2018

The Rebel Review for Dec 31, 2018

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Here we are about to exit 2018 and start a new year, so I thought I’d recap Rebel’s progress here at Piney Mountain Foster Care.

You may recall that when Rebel arrived here, he was critically underweight.  With the help of probiotics and special kibble from Cedarwood Veterinary Hospital, his guts have healed up and he is eating regularly.  I am still over-feeding him to help him gain weight, but he is filling out and his energy level is way up.  More like a Husky ought to be.

My main issue with this boy has been is need to go outside to potty every hour and a half to two hours.  This, combined with his need for companionship, prompted me to start sleeping in the living room near his crate.  That keeps him comforted and quiet.  Over the past two weeks he has evolved a new sleeping pattern.  I put Sable and Hudson in their crates in the bunkhouse and bring Rebel in our home about 9:00 pm.  He will go back out to the yard once or twice before settling in to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00.  For the past few nights, Rebel slept through the night and didn’t wake me until around 5:30 AM.

Josephine does tend to wake me about 2:00 am.  Rebel watches as I wait on her to come back, but stays bedded down and goes back to sleep once the door is secured again.  Actually, it is often the Beagles who wake me at 5:30, but Rebel is ready for a yard run once the Beagles have returned.  By the time he’s back I’m wide awake so I might as well start my day.

Rebel and I move into the den.  No crate here, I use a tether to keep him from wandering off while I’m concentrating on my bible studies.  He has been well behaved.

Blondie has been sleeping in the den at night, and she’s still there when we arrive in the morning.  I bring Rebel’s bedding from his crate into the den, and provide him with a couple of chew toys.  A big ropey bone is his favorite.  He snoozes or amuses himself with the toys until 7:30 when it’s time to get kibbles dished up and the outside dogs to their kennels for breakfast and AM potty runs.  That includes Rebel.

Rebel has become accepting of his crate, and willingly walks inside when I ask him (and offer him a bribe).  He has plenty of cushioning in there and a bowl of water.  I was leaving a bowl of kibble to snack on, but lately he’s not interested in that at night.

As he has become stronger, he is a bit more assertive, especially with Buddy Beagle, the only male house dog.  I’m working with him on that, and he is scheduled for neutering January 4th.  He is NOT scheduled to transport on the Jan. 18th, so he will be with us at least another month.  I’ll use that time to continue teaching him Social Graces.

He is great with people.  He has become affectionate and playful with me.  I am working on teaching him not to mouth when we play.  He gets it, but forgets.  When I remind him, you can see it in his eyes, “Oh, yeah — I forgot.  Sorry.” then invites me to play some more and does well for a bit.  I suppose it’s like a soccer player having to learn to move a ball around without using their hands.  It’s what we’re designed to do, but mustn’t.  He’ll learn. He’s doing fine.

Go to Rebel’s Summary Page

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The Beagle Box

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Buddy Beagle has an odd habit of going bonkers any time I leave the house.  That’s a technical dog training term: bonkers.  It means to bark vehemently, run through the house looking out windows and, if he hasn’t emptied his bladder recently, leaving a trail as he goes.  He claws at shades and curtains.  His hyper-excited state often sucks Callie into his fit.  She can get destructive when in that state.  So it is better to not let Buddy get all lathered up.

I can crate him when I have to go outside.  He will still bark like a hunting dog on scent, but any leakage or destruction is limited to his own environ.  Callie does not get sucked into the excitement this way.  But the loud, frantic barking is annoying, at the least, and disruptive if there is anyone trying to rest or accomplish anything in the house.

I can take him outside with me as long as no beagle-unfriendly dog will be loose in the yard with us.  This keeps him quiet for about two minutes, then he’s up on the back door baying and howling and clawing the screen wanting back inside.  If Marie lets him in, he’s good for a minute then goes bonkers because I’m outside.

So I bought a Beagle Box.  My thinking is that this will provide protection from unfriendly beasts and keep him away from the house door.  And, if he gets tired of being summarily removed to the Beagle Box any time he goes bonkers as I’m leaving he may come to a point where behaving will be preferable to being beagle boxed for the duration of my outdoor chore — especially in bad weather.  Buddy does like his comforts.

And when this training exercise is over, the cost of the Beagle Box will not have been wasted because this is actually a portable kennel.  It folds up into a package compact enough to be carried in its own case.


This could be used if we take a dog (or two) to an event or show.  This would be way better than crating them when we’re not actively working them.

It’s not sturdy enough to be used as containment for small foster dogs.  This is for well behaved guests, not those who will be trying everything they can to escape and run off.  But I’m sure we will get good use out of it.

Go to Buddy’s Summary Page

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Highland Steele

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Highland was at the top of Animal Control’s “At Risk” list because he has a gimpy leg. He needed help right away.

Last updated: Oct 31, 2018

Base Info:

  • Arrival date: Oct 5, 2018
  • Breed: Retriever, Black Lab mix
  • Sex: Male
  • Age: Young, Adult, Mature, Senior
  • Weight:45 pounds
  • Spay/Neutered: 10/27/2018
  • General Health: Excellent
  • Temperament: For a Lab, he’s unusually calm. He is affectionate and gets along with everyone.
  • Gets Along with Dogs: Yes
  • Gets Along with People: Yes
  • Housebroken/Crate Trained: Yes and Yes.
  • Departure date: November 2, 2018

History

Highland and a cat were abandoned in an apartment by the apartment’s tenant when she moved out. The landlord found them when he came to clean-up sometime afterward. He called Newport Animal Control. No one knows for sure what happened to his leg, but I suspect he was kicked.

Known Issues & Progress

Behaviorally, he has no issues: he’s GREAT. We took him to Cedarwood Veterinary to have him examined and X-rayed to assess his right rear leg and see what, if anything, could be done to restore it. They said it had been broken some time ago, was not addressed and healed with the leg bone rotated laterally. It causes him no pain and he has learned to function with his disability. They recommend AGAINST surgery. He just needs exercise and love.

Commands he knows: Comes when called, “sit”, “shake”, “in your room”, “go inside”, “go outside”, “hush”.

He plays fetch well. Not fond of tug.

He is non-destructive of his bedding. Gets barky when separated from his people.

He has earned his full-fledged House Dog badge. We let him run in the house when we’re here. He sleeps on a dog bed in the bedroom with the rest of us at night. He gets up with me in the morning, goes outside to pee, then settles down in the den with me while I study. The only time I crate him is when I leave the house and he stays behind. And he gets fed in a crate. All but three of the dogs get fed in a crate just to keep them out of each others bowls. My three all-star house dogs have moved beyond that misbehavior. They eat around the dining table (on the floor, but around the table). I’ll try him on free-range dining before he leaves and update this note.

Medical

  • DA2PP: 10/05/2018.(N.A.C.)
  • Bordatella: 10/05/18 (N.A.C.)
  • Wormed: Oct 5, 6, 7 2018, Panacur: 10 ml (PMFC)
  • Rabies: Oct 28, 2018 by Claws & Paws
  • Spay/Neuter: Oct 28, 2018 by Claws & Paws
  • Flea/Tick preventative: Oct 5, Advantage
  • Heartworm preventative: Oct 30, 2018: Nu Heart
  • Heartworm Test: Oct 28, 2018. Test was NEGATIVE

Gallery

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

 

PLEEEASE take me home with you!

His stiff legs makes him sit funny too

Enjoying some yard time

Highland and Josie do gentle play (Video)

Out on the town

He is black gold!

Highland says, “and this is all I need.” (Story)

Highland responds to the “COME” command (video)

Highland and Callie Smooching

Highland and Blondie cuddle

Christmas clothes – sent by NJ Fosters
The happy ending!
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Where Rebel Sleeps

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When Rebel arrived here, he stayed in Kennel #1 and had Hudson and Sable as neighbors to keep him company.  That was okay with him as he is accustomed to being an outside dog.  Being a Husky, he LIKES cool, even cold, weather and being in the house makes him uncomfortably warm — according to his former Mom.

But he was exceedingly thin: 45 pounds where he should be around 70 pounds.  As the weather got cold I was not comfortable leaving him outside.  He has a plush coat of Husky fur but absolutely NO fat in his skin.  Plus he is weakened by his starved condition making him more susceptible to infection.  So I started bringing him inside the house at night and in bad weather.

The other two are being crated indoors at night because they don’t like the cold.  Hudson is a lanky hound with short fur that offers little insulation, and he refuses to use the dog house I provide him.  Even when we got a bigger one, he will not go into it.  Sable is a blonde German Shepherd mix and has thick fur, but she’s accustomed to being indoors and does NOT like being out in the cold and will tell me about it.  All night long if necessary.  So they both get crated in another building that is kept heated, but minimally so (50°), to reduce temperature shock when they go back outside in the day.

Rebel can’t be crated in there because his potty habits demand that he go outside every 2 to 3 hours.  Or, so he says.  So I crated him in the den of our house, where I could hear when he needs to go out and accommodate him.  I opened a window a crack and closed the door to let him have a cooler environment than the rest of us.  He liked that for a couple of nights, then decided he was lonely.  Rebel can be quite vocal when he wants something.  He’s a Husky, they do that.

In the past, when we had a needy dog I’d sleep on the floor next to their crate in the den.    But that tends to seriously mess up my back and hips: I’m getting to old to “camp”.  So I moved his crate into the living room where I could sleep on the sofa near him.  That worked for a couple of nights, then he started getting antsy and wanting out of the crate every hour and a half.

I did try crating him in he bedroom with the rest of us, but the largest crate that fits in there is too small for him and he spent the whole night kicking and thrashing about because he could not stretch out.  That plan was quickly abandoned.  Back to the living room.

I don’t trust him to be left loose to wander, but crating him doesn’t really work either, so I tied our longest leash to the foot of the sofa and made that up for sleeping.  I put a blanket down for cush, but he pushes that out of the way, preferring the coolness of the floor.

He tucks in right next to the sofa to sleep.  Before he lays down he sits beside me and rests his head on my shoulder and chest for some pets.  When he’s satisfied he settles in and sleeps until the need to go out wakes him.  I am NOT opening a window while I am sleeping in the same room, but the heat is turned down to a minimal setting (62°).  Any colder than that is too cold for me to be able to sleep, especially on the sofa.  In bed with a quilt and blankets maybe, not on the sofa with a throw.

Rebel gets me up every two to three hours to let him out.  He wanders the play yard freshening his markings for about 10 minutes then comes back inside.  We repeat the settling in routine, then get a little more sleep.

The first night all the other dogs came and slept on beds and in crates (open doors) with us.  Since then, they have returned to the cushy comfort of the bedroom dogs beds — and avoiding the frequent fuss and bother of night time potty runs.  Josephine generally joins Rebel on his @ 2:00 AM run, but the rest stay hunkered into their snuggle beds all night.

Right now Rebel is eating a TON of food to get his weight up.  Hopefully as we taper that off his need to go out so frequently will taper off as well.  Once he learns his house manners, he can sleep in the bedroom with the rest of us and we’ll both abandon the living room.

Go to Rebel’s Summary Page

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Foster Dog Notes December 8th, 2018

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Rebel

Since his arrival, Rebel refused to eat much of anything.  Often, what little I did get him to consume came back up and the vomit was bight yellow.  That’s bile.  Bilous vomiting is usually the result of an inflamed stomach lining.  There are several reasons why the lining would be inflamed, but often it’s just that the stomach has been empty too long.  The remedy for that is a carbohydrate rich food — such as rice. I tried everything I could think of with no success.  Linda Daniels pointed out that Huskies don’t like “mixed” foods — like people who can’t stand having foods on a plate touching each other — so we tried some plain boiled chicken breast.  We had some success with that, but not enough.  On November 30th it was time to take him to the vet..

Rebel spent 5 days at Cedarwood Veterinary Hospital getting some intensive care.  When he came home on Dec 5, he was again eating (voraciously) and gaining weight.  On that day he was up over 51 pounds.  He needs about 15 more, but it’s a great start!  Since then he has been eating regularly and eagerly.

Go to Rebel’s Summary Page

Husky Demands New Sleeping Arrangements

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Rebel has been coming inside at night for two reasons:

  1. He is severely underweight and it’s been getting cold at night: down in the 20’s.  He is a pure Husky and has the thick fur of a Husky, and loves being outside in the cold, but with absolutely no fat in his skin I fear it would be bad for his health.
  2. He gets lonely when he’s out in a kennel by himself, and his two kennel-mates (who are NOT Huskies) INSIST on going to their inside crates at night because of the cold.  I can’t crate Rebel inside with them because we’re feeding him a TON of food and he needs to go outside during the night to defecate.  When he gets lonely, he howls and yaps in what I call his Rebel Yell.
Husky says “NO CRATE! I want to sleep free like the others!”

I’ve been crating him indoors.  Most of the time he does okay in a crate, as long as I am in view.  If I leave the room, he fusses loudly.  I tried crating him in the bedroom with the rest of us at night, but the crate that fits in there is too small and he kicked and thrashed against it all night long.  So we moved to the living room where he can sleep in a large crate (we borrowed Callie’s crate and swapped out the bedding) while I sleep on the sofa.  That was better but he tended to get too hot and would paw the crate wanting out.  Often.

Last night we compromised. I fastened a long leash to the leg of the sofa where I was going to sleep. This kept him close enough I could monitor (and away from other dogs so they could sleep in other rooms — Rebel tends to want to trot through the house constantly) and he was near me so he could get skritchies and be told what a good boy he is as needed. He could choose from his open-door crate (rejected), two dog beds (tried each, rejected) or a blanket (liked this much of the time), or the bare floor (when he needed cooling off).

We only had to get up three times last night (it was twice that the night before) to let him out for a breather. One time Blondie and Josephine went out with him and they all investigated something up in the woods. The yard is fenced so they cannot GO into the woods, but can see up there.  It got them excited, but they didn’t bark much. Bless their hearts: it was 2:30 AM, and the neighbors appreciated their self control, I’m sure! They all got along fine. Time for breakfast now as we launch into a new day.

Go to Rebel’s Summary Page

Foster Dog Notes for December 1, 2018

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Rebel was pretty stand-offish when he first arrived here.  That is not at all unusual, especially in owner surrender situations.  He’s confused, and hurt, maybe angry.  But as we got to know one another he has become quite affectionate.  Now that we’ve been bunking together in the living room for a few weeks he likes to snuggle and gets gently playful when we first wake up.