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Advantages of a Mentor Dog

Cochise Mentor dogIn previous posts I have talked about Dolly and her amazing ability to nurse, mother and mentor other dogs who have come into or though our home. We lost a really good one when she passed away. But Cochise, who was a paduan learner of hers, has stepped into the void and has proved immeasurably helpful with the dozens of foster dogs that have come here for recovery, socialization and training.

Because we are not dog “trainers” we do not get into the advanced stuff: we focus first on civilized behavior and socialization, then a few basic commands like “sit”, “come” and “shake”, then we get into housebreaking.

The first lesson for any dog is that I am the head honcho, the giver of food, the dispenser of affection, the praiser of good dogs. I share that role with Marie, but since I am the one who is here full time, they see me as the primary honcho: Marie is co-honcho. Then we make sure they recognize Cochise as The Big Dog.

Lupa: Foster Dog

Lupa is a loopy little gal, but quite sweet and compliant.  She loves to run and play, but she learned to be a good house dog quickly and went on to be adopted after she was healed.

10 Tips For Crate Training Your Dog

Originally published November 21, 2014 When used properly, crate training provides you and your dog with multiple benefits. For you it provides a simple, effective means of restricting your dog when you cannot provide close supervision. If your dog is an explorer, he may get into things that will harm him. If she’s a chewer, […]

Blondie Bear: Escape Artist

Originally published Nov. 29, 2014 A report from Cochise on Blondie Bear: The day after Thanksgiving, there was great excitement in the neighborhood: a UPS truck was parked out front AND a stray dog was running up and down the road all at the same time! Smokey and Lupa were barking and carrying on, other […]

The New Chewie

Cochise and Blondie were adopted years ago and are full time members of our family who live in our home. They are very good dogs. So good that we give them toys and chewies to occupy them when they are inside (and not sleeping). Blondie has a whole basket of them on the fireplace hearth. […]

Cochise’s Monster

It was November 1st. Yesterday’s rain had turned to snow: we had a couple of inches on the ground when I got up just before 5:00. Normally Cochise gets up when I do and comes out to keep me company in the living room where I will study for an hour or so. Not today. […]

Still in Infirmary Mode

It is chilly and rainy today: a great day to stay in, snuggle up, and light a little fire in the fireplace … just to take the chill off. We are still in infirmary mode: NiceLady is doing a little better but still feeling pretty poorly, so Blondie and I are taking care of her. […]

Smokey Eunuch: Foster Notes

Smokey is a sweet playful fellow with markings like an Orca whale. Unfortunately all but this photo and all the details on his stay with us crashed and burned as we flew them through cyberspace to relocate them. These articles mention Smokey and survived the move: Search Results for: Smokey Dog Bath Day: When and […]

Home Page

Piney Mountain Foster Care is a small, all volunteer, non-profit kennel facility located on 4 acres of mountainside property in Edwina Tennessee. We got our start in 2012 by caring for dogs going through heartworm treatment.  We still do this and other medical care.  We also work with dogs with behavioral issues.  But we are […]

Blondie Bear

Blondie Bear looking fit.Blondie Bear was the second foster dog we adopted. Cochise was our first. He was our first foster dog and our first “foster failure” (meaning we could not give him up). Blondie was our fifth foster dog and second foster failure. But this time, it wasn’t entirely our fault: Cochise talked us into it. Cochise just loved Blondie and wanted very much for us to keep her.

Cochise is a mentor in our foster dog program; he helps us teach the fosters civilized behavior. He was involved with all three dogs between them, and he was quite fond of Curry, but his attachment to Blondie was evident to all. Maybe he knew what a rough road she had traveled.

Blondie had been taken in by Newport Animal Control. She had been found chained in the back of someone’s yard. She was so severely neglected that they thought at first she was mentally damaged: she seemed autistic. She took little notice of anyone or anything. At the shelter they began working with her. Proper diet and clean water helped her physically, but she still tended to sit just staring at a wall. Then she tested positive for heart worms and they asked if we’d take her on for treatment.

It took very little time after arriving here — and being under Cochise’s guidance — for her to blossom into a personality filled and very well behaved dog. She was very quiet. She’d watch intently when Cochise found something to bark at but she did not bark. It was close to a year before she started speaking up in this way. But she did have her own way of expressing herself. When she was particularly happy — when we would return after being away, sometimes at meal times (especially yummy smelling meals) and when Cochise returned from the animal hospital after being snake bit, she expresses happiness this way:

Dogs and Weather

The Dogtor is in

After seeing Marie off to work I left Blondie Bear and Cochise on guard at the house while I went to spend some time with Babes and Smokey, our foster dogs. After that I went to do the daily gardening chores. There wasn’t much of that to do and it didn’t take long. When I was done with that I considered getting back to work on our deck/boardwalk project. This is a large project I’ve been working on for months, but had to interrupt to build a couple of items that were ordered.

It was a nice cool morning. I scanned the skies: partly cloudy, they were fluffy and white, not gray and ominous, and there was enough blue showing through to be encouraging. It should be a good day to work outside; at least for a while.

Bweather dogut Blondie and Cochise both were insistent that it was going to rain and they wanted to go inside NOW. The weatherguessers said rain was possible later in the day: I should have at least 5 hours to work before that. But they are often wrong, the dogs are generally right. The workshop is a good 200 feet away from where I would be working. Do I dare drag tools and lumber over from the shop to work out in the open? MMMmmmmm … I don’t think so.

Dog Treats, Toys & Expectations

frozen dog treats
Janet enjoys a home made frosty treat
The Dogtor is in

When we treat our furkid companions as family members instead of livestock it’s easy to spoil them with dog treats and toys. Sometimes they can become so accustomed to getting treats that they become demanding. This can be a disruption to training and an aggravation in your home-life. Usually it’s more of a hopeful anticipation – which is not an undesired behavior.

Dog Treats and Proper Diet

The impact of dog treats on a dog’s diet is similar to handing out sweets to a child: if done indiscriminately it can have a seriously adverse effect on their health and well-being. Choose wisely when selecting treats.

Being a Shop Dog and Housebreaking

The Dogtor is in

Housebreaking any dog, whether a puppy or an adult dog can be a trying phase of dog ownership. Housebreaking is more than just teaching them not to urinate or defecate in the house: there are also rules concerning destruction of household items and acceptable indoor behavior. Rules will vary from family to family and may depend on the size of the dog. A pair of four pound chihuahuas running up and down the hallway is not as hazardous as a pair of 90 pound bull dogs. Some will not allow the dogs on the furniture; or only on specific pieces, others don’t care or even encourage it. Learning proper behavior at meal time, and learning to share toys and treats are all important lessons to master before getting their Really Good Dog diploma.

Babe: Foster Dog

Babe is a doll-face of a dog.  A cattle dog, she is highly energetic, but rarely hurtful.  She can jump higher than any dog I’ve come across, Babe the Amazing Flying Dog!

Bye, Bye, Babes

One of our current foster dogs has gone out to seek her fortunes in the world. Babes, a 48 pound cattle dog has been staying with us for treatment of heart worms, but she is fully recovered and healthy once again. Babes is bright, energetic and playful. But she also likes to curl up and […]

Spencer Steele: Notes on a rescue dog

This is a foster dog diary post. Updates will be added to the end of this post rather than as a myriad of separate posts so all information on Spencer is right here and in chronological order. This should help potential adopters and rescues easily learn about this dog. Last updated: February 20, 2017 Spencer […]

Dogs and Weather

After seeing Marie off to work I left Blondie Bear and Cochise on guard at the house while I went to spend some time with Babes and Smokey, our foster dogs. After that I went to do the daily gardening chores. There wasn’t much of that to do and it didn’t take long. When I […]

Smokey Eunuch: Foster Notes

Smokey is a sweet playful fellow with markings like an Orca whale. Unfortunately all but this photo and all the details on his stay with us crashed and burned as we flew them through cyberspace to relocate them. These articles mention Smokey and survived the move: Search Results for: Smokey Dog Bath Day: When and […]

Home Page

Piney Mountain Foster Care is a small, all volunteer, non-profit kennel facility located on 4 acres of mountainside property in Edwina Tennessee. We got our start in 2012 by caring for dogs going through heartworm treatment.  We still do this and other medical care.  We also work with dogs with behavioral issues.  But we are […]

Smokey Eunuch: Foster Notes

Smokey is a sweet playful fellow with markings like an Orca whale.

Unfortunately all but this photo and all the details on his stay with us crashed and burned as we flew them through cyberspace to relocate them.

These articles mention Smokey and survived the move:

Dog Bath Day: When and How to Wash Dogs

Originally published on Apr 16, 2014 This was supposed to have been MEGA DOG BATH DAY here at Piney Mountain Foster Care. What I mean is that all 5 dogs, ranging from 50 pounds to 85 pounds, would be getting a trip through The Dog Wash. That being the bathtub I left in place when […]

Blondie Bear: Escape Artist

Originally published Nov. 29, 2014 A report from Cochise on Blondie Bear: The day after Thanksgiving, there was great excitement in the neighborhood: a UPS truck was parked out front AND a stray dog was running up and down the road all at the same time! Smokey and Lupa were barking and carrying on, other […]

Dog Park Update

For the past three days we have been hosting an installation crew from Stanley Fencing Inc. in Sevierville TN. In a previous post I described what we hoped to do and asked for help with the cost: we just didn’t have enough to cover the cost – and we want to get it done before […]

Still in Infirmary Mode

It is chilly and rainy today: a great day to stay in, snuggle up, and light a little fire in the fireplace … just to take the chill off. We are still in infirmary mode: NiceLady is doing a little better but still feeling pretty poorly, so Blondie and I are taking care of her. […]

Drake’s Farewell Party

Hi, Cochise here. It was Drake’s last night with us, he was leaving on the Rolling Rescue trip to New Jersey the next day. NiceLady wanted to do something special for his last night: a farewell party, so she stopped off at a Dollar store and bought a box of glow-bracelets and some little LED, […]

Windy Play Day

We all had a good play time this morning. I was running with The Boys: that made HairyFace happy. He wants me to do more running. It’s part of my job to be Playground Monitor, so when they’d start getting too rowdy I’d come galloping by, practically side-swiping them, and get them to chase me. […]

Bye, Bye, Babes

One of our current foster dogs has gone out to seek her fortunes in the world. Babes, a 48 pound cattle dog has been staying with us for treatment of heart worms, but she is fully recovered and healthy once again. Babes is bright, energetic and playful. But she also likes to curl up and […]

Dogs and Weather

After seeing Marie off to work I left Blondie Bear and Cochise on guard at the house while I went to spend some time with Babes and Smokey, our foster dogs. After that I went to do the daily gardening chores. There wasn’t much of that to do and it didn’t take long. When I […]

Being a Shop Dog and Housebreaking

Housebreaking any dog, whether a puppy or an adult dog can be a trying phase of dog ownership. Housebreaking is more than just teaching them not to urinate or defecate in the house: there are also rules concerning destruction of household items and acceptable indoor behavior. Rules will vary from family to family and may […]

Postpartum Depression

  Kingsley and I took our last ride together this morning. Kingsley has lived with us for the past 3 months. Almost 3 months: tomorrow would have been his anniversary with us. During that time we helped cure him of a heartworm infestation and taught him “civilized” behavior. He was pretty unruly when he came […]

 

Boomer: Foster Dog

Boomer is a big fellow, part Pit, part St. Bernard, but he has an extreme camera aversion.  But otherwise he’s a great dog.

All of our details on Boomer were lost in transit as we moved this web site.  These articles that mention Boomer survived for your browsing pleasure.

Treating Heartworm: Recovery

Originally published May 30, 2014 Boomer had his Immiticide treatments for his heartworm condition last week and spent several days feeling quite puny. He’s doing better now. He’s got a sparkle in his eye and a bounce in his step again. He’s ready to run and play. So this is an especially dangerous time in […]

The Pop-up Thunderstorm

We had a pop-up thunderstorm roll in this morning as we were getting our day started.  It gave advance notice in the form of continuous, distant thunder so I dashed out to feed The Brown Dog Gang and let them run in the yard to relieve themselves before it arrived.  Lennon and Blondie went with […]

Pit Bulls We Loved Before They Were Feared

According to nationalpitbullawarenessday.org, Jodi Preis of Bless the Bullys, a non-profit rescue and education effort in Tennessee, introduced the idea of National Pit Bull Awareness Day in 2007 and it took off like wildfire. Now, the entire month of October is known as National Pit Bull Awareness Month, while devotees of pit bulls recognize October […]

Gator Steele: Notes on a rescue dog

This is a foster dog diary post. Updates will be added to the end of this post rather than posted as a myriad of individual posts. That keeps all updates on Gator in one place and in chronological order. The last update was posted: March 28, 2017 (photo gallery) Individual Adventures: Gator the Adventurous Pibble […]

Blondie’s Concern for Fido

Before I begin, let me remind you that Blondie Bear is scared of gunfire and thunder. When she hears these she bolts to HairyFace’s side and insists on being petted until the scariness passes. It had been an unsettling morning. Millie went for a truck ride with HairyFace. Almost surprisingly she came back. Usually when […]

A Meet n Greet for Buster

Hi, Cochise here. HairyFace has been talking to Jen at the Newport Animal Shelter about a meet & greet between Buster and Melissa. We know this because Blondie sneaks into Hairy’s computer to look at his e-mail and Facebook when he goes out to garden. We’re not sure what a meet & greet is but […]

Postpartum Depression

  Kingsley and I took our last ride together this morning. Kingsley has lived with us for the past 3 months. Almost 3 months: tomorrow would have been his anniversary with us. During that time we helped cure him of a heartworm infestation and taught him “civilized” behavior. He was pretty unruly when he came […]

Home Page

Piney Mountain Foster Care is a small, all volunteer, non-profit kennel facility located on 4 acres of mountainside property in Edwina Tennessee. We got our start in 2012 by caring for dogs going through heartworm treatment.  We still do this and other medical care.  We also work with dogs with behavioral issues.  But we are […]

Kingsleys Facebook Award Ceremony

Facebook logoAs is noted on our Home page we use Facebook pages to promote our foster dogs. The idea is to build interest in adopting these deserving animals before they leave us.

Until recently the process was that we get them healed and work on any behavioral and training issues, then send them off via Rolling Rescue to a rescue or shelter or foster home in an area where adoption is more likely and they work on finding the dogs permanent homes. We follow along on those web sites and hope our furbabies find homes soon. Sometimes it takes a while.

The first two that we created Facebook pages for were adopted while still in our care, so when we took them to ride The Bus we were not sending them off on an uncertain venture, but directly to their forever home. This made for a much happier end to our involvement in their lives!