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Josie Darkshep

 

A rough start in life for this young sweetie.

Last Updated: Dec 19, 2020

Base Info:

  • Arrival date: Nov. 20, 2020
  • Breed: German Shepherd
  • Sex: Female
  • Age: Youth, Adult, Mature, Senior
  • Birthdate: June 2020
  • Weight: 27.2 lbs.  Oct 29
    .              33.8 lbs. Nov 24
    .              34.0 lbs. Dec 8
  • Spayed: Yes
  • General Health: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor
  • Temperament: Affectionate, unruly.
  • SAFER Test performed: No
  • Claimed by: Animal Rescue Network of New England
  • Departure date: December 18, 2020

History

Picked up as a stray, riddled with mange and coated in motor oil, this sweet girl has much better days ahead than she’s had behind.

Josie’s Progress Summary:

Detailed notes on this foster dog’s progress are posted below the summary.

Relational Behavior

  • Relates well to other dogs: Yes but too rowdy for small dogs.
  • Can eat food/treats near other dogs: Some food guarding if others stick their nose into her crate while she’s eating. Okay with sharing toys and chewies.
  • Preferred style of play: ROWDY, but not aggressive.  She uses her forepaws a lot and likes to wrestle.
  • Is affectionate: Yes
  • Is good with:
    . Men: Yes
    . Women: Yes
    . Children: Probably.  Too active for toddlers.
    . Cats: Unknown
  • Jumps up on people: Yes..  She likes to hug.  Working on that.
  • Mouths: Yes: nippy.  Working on that.
  • Walks well on a leash: Yes

House Dog Training

  • Willingly enters her crate: Yes
  • Is calm/quiet while in crate: Yes
  • Understands going outside to potty: Yes when crated
  • Alerts me of need to go outside: Yes
  • Is destructive of bedding and/or toys: Not in her crate
  • Refrains from kitchen counter cruising: Undetermined
  • Stays off people furniture: Undetermined

Terms of Adoption:

  • Contact ARNNE for an adoption application.

Commands:

  • Comes when called: Yes
  • Sits on command: Working on it
  • Down / Off: Yes
  • Shake / Paw: No
  • Kennels on command: Yes

Medical

  • DA2PPv: Oct 29 by NAC
    . Booster: Nov 16 by NAC
    . Booster: Dec 8, by PMFC
  • Bordatella: Oct 29 by NAC
  • Wormed: Dates | Product | Dose | By
    . Nov 26-28, Fenbendazole, 7 ml, PMFC
  • Rabies:  Dec. 8th, by Claws and Paws 4 A Cause
  • Microchipped: DATAMARS Not registered
    To register: https://www.freepetchipregistry.com/
  • Spay/Neuter: Dec. 8th, by Claws and Paws 4 A Cause
  • Heartworm Test: Dec. 8th, by Claws and Paws 4 A Cause
    . Result: NEGATIVE
  • Flea/Tick preventative:
    .
    .
  • Heartworm preventative:
    . Dec 10, Ivermectin, 0.4 ml
    .
  • NOTES:
    . Credelio for fleas and ticks.
    . Amoxicillin started Oct 29 for mange
    . Cephalexin 500 mg started 11/12 for 14 days.

Diet

Victor Classic – Professional Dry Dog Food
1½ cup kibble + 2 oz. home-made stew AM
1 cup kibble + 2 oz. home-made stew PM
PMFC Peanut butter cookies
Retriever Beef Basted Sticks
Jones Beef Hooves
Grillerz Pork Femur

Gallery

Feeling bad after surgery

Enjoying some free-play time

Other Videos: Josie: A First LookJosie and Buddy Beagle |

PIC PIC PIC

Progress Updates

Progress notes are listed below, in chronological order, newest at the bottom.

Nov 22

Josie has been here a couple of days.  She is intensely affectionate, quite bright but easily distracted (she’s a puppy), she is eager to please, so should train easily.

My first order of business with Josie was to trim those NAILS!  Slender and very sharp, as bad a s cats claws!

Second was a bath.  Not only did she have the usual shelter stink, but she’d been coated in motor oil as a home remedy for her mange.  Animal Control bathed her and got most of it off, but but she was still greasy and it added to the funk smell.

Josie did well with both the nail trim and the bath.  She has already learned “come”, so I have dispensed with the lead line.  Working on “down” and “no bite”: she likes to nip affectionately.  That has to be stopped early.

She is difficult to get good photos: I’ll add them as I manage it.

Nov 26

I added a new Featured Video (up in the Gallery).  This one tests Josie with Buddy Beagle.  I would not have dared do this a few days ago because Josie was still too insistent and energetic in her affections.  But she has calmed considerably.  She now knows “come”, “in your room”, “down”, and is working on “sit”.  I have also tested her with little Josephine, that went well too.

Nov 29

Josie moved into her new space this evening.  See video above: Josie’s Inner Sanctum.  There is still much work to do, but she has a place to get away from the cold snap and snow due to arrive tomorrow.

Dec 8

Josie is being spayed today.

Yesterday afternoon I brought her inside to get her accustomed to a crate. As we came up to the porch, she acted like she’d never seen steps before and it took a few minutes to convince her she *could* come up them.  Once inside, she’s done really well. She gets excited when Marie comes into the room, but otherwise she’s calm in her crate. I can even leave the room for extended periods (like to go eat my dinner) and she remains calm. She even slept through the night!  What a good girl!

She returned home from the spaying and rested in her crate, mooing at me because she was in pain.  I was not able to secure pain relief for her.  But she’s taking it well.  I gave her the 3rd DA2PP shot while she was still calm from the sedative.

I gave her dinner, but she passed on that until 3:45 AM.  Otherwise she slept through the night and waited until around 5:30 to go outside to pee.  She and Buddy Beagle went together.  She went right back to her crate drank some water and is mooing at me again.

Dec 16

Josie has fully recovered from her surgery and did excellently: she didn’t even need to be coned to prevent licking at the incision because she just didn’t do that.  She has been a house dog since her surgery.  She is crated most of the time because she wants to play too rough with the other house dogs.

While in recovery she did play with Josephine, Buddy Beagle, and Blondie Bear.  Once she was feeling good again she’s too enthusiastic in her play and none of these will play with her any more.  I tried her with Rebel, and Rebel backed out of the play session by going back to his room.  She’d probably be good with Blade, but I’d need help supervising that play session.

Josie is good about resting in her crate.  I can leave the house for extended periods and she does not get anxious – unless she needs to potty.  She likes to be where I am, so I move her crate if I’ll be spending time in the kitchen.  She gets an indoor free play session in the morning after she goes outside to potty, while the other house dogs are still asleep.

She is doing better at showing affection by licking instead of nibbling.  She likes to cuddle.  Sometimes she gets talkative using a moaning-growly sound.  We have conversations.  I often get head-tilts from her after I “speak” to her in the same kind of sounds, “What did you just say?”.  She’s still a big puppy.  She’s bright and wants to please.   With continued structure and consistent guidance she will make an excellent companion for an active family.  Just don’t expect this exuberant girl to be a couch potato.

Dec 19

Josie transported out yesterday.  No, not like in Star Trek – though I wish that were possible.  She rode well: I had her in a transport crate instead of the extended cab because I worried that she’s insist on sitting in my lap while I drove.  Not a good idea if we want to arrive at the transport site alive.  Once again she rode well in her private compartment.  I put a warm blanket in on the floor of the box for her and the only time she got active or vocal was when I stopped at the bank drive-through for a moment.  Other wise she was still and quiet.  She may have done okay inside the cab, but with no one riding shotgun with me to help control her — at least for the first leg of the trip: I picked up Marie from work after stopping at the bank —  it was not a risk I was willing to take.  By our mid-day rendezvous time it was sunny and warm enough that it was comfortable inside the topper-covered bed of our truck.

The hand-off went exceptionally well.  I was three minutes early and they were already there and set up to receive passengers.  Josie was calm and compliant.  Now I am awaiting word that she arrived safely at the quarantine center in New Hampshire (state regulation).

I’m told she has an adopter awaiting her arrival, so after the two day quarantine, she will be going immediately “home”.  I love it when that happens!

Happy Tails, sweet Josie!

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Echo Hugghusky

This is a sweet girl who got caught up in circumstances not of her own making.  Yet she came through being sweet, affectionate, and desiring love.

Last Updated: Nov 20, 2020

Base Info:

  • Arrival date: Nov 13, 2020
  • Breed: Husky
  • Sex: Female
  • Age: Youth, Adult, Mature, Senior
  • Birthdate: ??, 2018
  • Weight: 51 Pounds
  • Spayed/Neutered: Yes
  • General Health: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor
  • Temperament: Calm for a husky. Didn’t chase shelter cats and was living with other dogs in her former home.
  • SAFER Test performed: No
  • Being fostered for: A Pathway to Hope
  • Departure date: Nov. 19, 2020

History

Echo was adopted as a pup by a family: Mom, Dad, Daughter and Echo as Daughter’s dog.  But Mom and Dad got divorced and Mom moved away.  Then Daughter went off to college.  Dad had no intention of taking care of Echo, so he surrendered her to the Friends Animal Shelter of Cocke County.  The shelter called on Piney Mountain Foster to come take her.

The shelter has a policy of not adopting out Huskies because they always come back.  It seems our local folks love the looks of a Husky, but have no clue what they’re getting into.  Huskies are a special breed that require an owner familiar with the breed and prepared to handle them properly.

Piney Mountain got in touch with A Pathway to Hope (a Husky rescue) to see if they would be interested in Echo.  They were.  We went and got her.  And here she is.  It will probably be a short stay: she is healthy and well behaved.  We’re just giving her a place to stay while waiting on her bus ticket.

Echo’s Progress Summary:

Detailed notes on this foster dog’s progress are posted below the summary.

Relational Behavior

  • Relates well to other dogs: Yes
  • Can eat food/treats near other dogs: Yes
  • Preferred style of play: Rowdy bouncing and running
  • Is affectionate: Yes
  • Is good with:
    . Men: Yes
    . Women: Yes
    . Children: Probably
    . Cats: Yes
  • Jumps up on people: Likes to give gentle hugs.
  • Mouths: No
  • Walks well on a leash: Sort of.

House Dog Training

  • Willingly enters her crate: Yes with a bribe
  • Is calm/quiet while in crate: Mostly.  Talks when bored.
  • Understands going outside to potty: Yes
  • Alerts me of need to go outside: Yes
  • Is destructive of bedding and/or toys: No
  • Refrains from kitchen counter cruising: No: she peeks up there.
  • Stays off people furniture: So far.

Terms of Adoption:

Commands:

  • Comes when called: Sometimes (a Husky thing)
  • Sits on command: Not yet
  • Down / Off: Not yet
  • Shake / Paw: Not yet
  • Kennels on command: Yes

Medical

  • DA2PPv: Nov 6 (Friends Animal Shelter)
    . Booster: date (by)
  • Bordatella: Nov 6, FAS
  • Wormed: Dates | Product | Dose | By
    .
  • Rabies: Nov. 10 (Claws and Paws 4 A Cause)
  • Microchipped: Nov 19, 2020 PetKey Not registered
    To register: https://www.freepetchipregistry.com/
  • Spay/Neuter: Done prior to surrender, has tattoo.
  • Heartworm Test: Nov 10 (Claws and Paws) NEGATIVE
  • Flea/Tick preventative:
    .
    .
  • Heartworm preventative:
    . Nov 13, Ivermectin solution, 0.5 ml
    .
  • NOTES:
    .
    .

Diet

Picky eater!  So far the only thing she’ll eat reliably has been Pedigree Ground Meat dinner pouches.  Not much nutrition in those, so I’ve worked her into one pouch dinner on top of a cup of Victors Classic Professional kibble per meal, and she’s cleaning her bowl.
PMFC Peanut butter cookies
Retriever Beef Basted Sticks
Jones Beef Hooves
Grillerz Pork Femur

Gallery

In chronological order, newest at the bottom.

Transporting to New Jersey
PIC

Progress Updates

Progress notes are listed below, in chronological order, newest at the bottom.

Nov 13

I went into Echo’s kennel at the shelter and she stood up and hugged me, chattering at me, “Please get me out of here.  Please take me home.  I miss my girl.”  We went for a leash walk before loading up into  the truck.  She chatted softly at me as she gazed out the window all the way home.  She rode well.  Very calm and well behaved.

Once we were here, I put her on a long lead and let her out into the play yard to explore.  As most dogs do the first day or three here: she spent her whole time wandering around with her nose to the grass.  She did NOT want to go into her kennel.

At the moment, Echo is an unhappy gal.  The only family she has known has abandoned her and she’s confused.  I will do my best to get her settled, but it would be best if she didn’t stay too long.  If they stay long enough to get attached, it hurts them all over again when I put her in a box and send her away on a big truck.  Huskies are especially sensitive to this.

Nov. 15

When Echo first arrived here she was … ummm … agitated.  She’s clearly distraught over losing her family.  She becomes fascinated and eager to investigate if she hears Marie talking.  We know that she was “Daughters” dog.  And I’m thinking Daughter spoiled her pretty much.  Dad on the other hand clearly (from the shelters account of his surrendering her) held no affection for Echo at all.  I’m guessing he was not good to her after daughter left.  At first Echo was nervous around me, but she’s settling down now in that regard.  She’s starting to return my affection when I give her a good loving session.  She still really REALLY wants to be in the house.  I’ll give her a trial visit tomorrow and see how everyone gets along.

Echo has been trying to play with Blondie Bear in the yard.  She’s a little too rowdy for Blondie’s taste, but when Blondie tells her to back off, she does.  And all the rowdiness is done in bouncing around and going into play bows.  There are no aggressive or dominance moves at all.

But she IS a Husky!  Strong willed and bull-headed as any Husky.  She’s not as vocal as most, and she’s not as active while kenneled as many: she spends a lot of time stretched out and napping.  In the yard she wants to run and zip all over the place.  I’m keeping her on a long lead for now because she spends time looking longingly at the top of the fences and the open spaces beyond.  She hasn’t tried climbing any yet.  When she takes a mind to try to get out she digs.  Close supervision is warranted until she settles down.  Once she gets into the house, I expect she’ll be happier with her lot in life.

Nov 18

Echo’s stay almost became a pass-through!  The transport had a opening for her, but I’d need to get an Interstate Health Certification done on her by TOMORROW when she would be leaving.  Not impossible.  The receiving rescue isn’t sure they can be ready for her that soon either.  That doesn’t look like it’s going to happen.  Next weekend is Thanksgiving, so it will be at least two weeks more.  But Echo is settling in and getting to know our pack.  Here’s a video of Echo playing with our mentor dog: Blondie Bear.

UPDATE:

All of what I just said could not be done has been done!  Echo will get her Health Certificate tomorrow afternoon and leave us for New jersey tomorrow night.  She has a foster home awaiting.

I brought Echo inside this morning.  I set up my largest crate in the living room since I would be in the kitchen baking dog cookies this morning.  I let her explore for a few minutes then took her to her crate and gave the “in your room” command that I’ve been using with her and her kennel outside.  She went right in, accepted the treat, and settled down to watch me work on cookies.

When the cookies were done she got fussy.  I took her outside to let her run in the yard.  She peed, then ran back to the door of the house.  I let her in, she got a drink and I put her back in her crate.

Trial by fire time.  I left the area to go do some work in the den.  She was chattering a little, but did not throw a fit.  I think she was just chatting with the other dogs.

After lunch we all went outside for the afternoon.  We all came back in toward evening.  Echo got really excited when Marie came in the door: Echo really wanted to get out and interact with Marie.  There is a definite preference for women here.  I don’t blame her: the Dad in her former family didn’t like her and probably was not nice to her.  I hope I’ve changed her perception of men a little in her brief stay.

It’s good that she’s moving on before she gets attached to us.  It would be rough for her to be “abandoned” several times before finally reaching a forever home.  Some dogs are more resilient, Echo is the sensitive type.

Nov. 20

We successfully connected with the long-haul transport last night and handed Echo off.  She was not keen on the idea of jumping up into the van full of crated dogs, but she did relent and I slipped her into a crate.  She’s such a good girl.  I liked listening to her talk in her friendly, contralto voice.

.

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