An emergency situation brings this big handsome boy to us so another rescue could work with him safely.
Last Updated: April 3, 2021
Base Info:
Arrival date: Jan 4, 2021
Breed: American Staffordshire
Sex: Male
Age: Youth, Adult, Mature, Senior
Birthdate: Dec 2018
Weight: @60 Pounds on Jan 4 .
Neutered: Yes
General Health: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor
Temperament: Rowdy but affectionate.
SAFER Testperformed: No
Departure date: April 2, 2021
History
He was chained to an outbuilding and starved before being taken from his owner by Greenville Animal Control. A rescue worker, Heather, pulled him via Cat’s In the Cradle New Life Sanctuary to prevent euthanasia and wanted to foster him. But she lives in an apartment and has cats. Timmy loves cats, especially with a dab of mustard. She has been working with him while boarded at Animals West veterinary office the last few days to help him learn how to walk on leash. But he needed a better environment, so he came to Piney Mountain Foster Care until he can be transported to Animal Rescue Network of New England.
Timmy’s Progress Summary:
Detailed notes on this foster dog’s progress are posted below the summary.
Relational Behavior
Relates well to other dogs: Seems to. He did well with a dog that he was tested with at the shelter. My whole gang greeted him upon arrival without incident. Timmy has been on a lead in the yard with Blondie Bear. He is “socially awkward” but not aggressive.
Can eat food/treats near other dogs: Yes, he and Blade often push their bowls against their separating barrier and eat inches apart without issue.
Preferred style of play: He doesn’t play. I don’t think he knows how.
Is affectionate: Yes. sometimes he just wants to melt into you because he’s so much enjoying being petted.
Is good with: . Men: Yes . Women: Yes . Children: Probably. . Cats: NO! Definitely not.
Jumps up on people: Not that I’ve seen
Mouths: Only occasionally, when he tries to play with you.
Walks well on a leash: Yes.
Commands:
Comes when called: Most times
Sits on command: Yes
Down / Off: Not yet
Shake / Paw: Not yet
Kennels on command: Yes
Diet
💕 Victor Classic – Professional Dry Dog Food . 2¼ cups + 3 oz. home made stew AM . 1½ cups + 3 oz. home made stew PM 💕 PMFC Peanut butter cookies 💕 Retriever Beef Basted Sticks 💕 Jones Beef Hooves 💕 Pig ears
Gallery
In chronological order, newest at the bottom. Some pictures are linked to a more detailed Doggy Tale about that update, click those to open the related story.
Timmy is a handsome boy!
Timmy enjoys his heat lamp.
Progress Updates
Progress notes are listed below, in chronological order, newest at the bottom so you can read through this dog’s history in order.
Jan 5
Timmy arrived yesterday evening and sent us into a flurry of construction because we needed to increase the height of the privacy wall between Timmy and Blade. They weren’t getting along. I blame Blade for that, he was being a butt-head about having a new neighbor and his dinner being late. They settled down that night and both slept soundly.
This morning I took breakfast out to them and Timmy was curled up on his Kuranda (dog bed) in his bedroom, under his heat lamp and was SO happy. It make my heart ache that this sweet boy was so badly mistreated.
Our arrangement for this boy is something new for us: PMFC is basically boarding him. Heather will be coming to do his training. When he’s ready he will transport to Animal Rescue Network of New England to be adopted.
Jan 8
Timmy has been here 4 days. Heather comes in the evenings to train him after she gets off work, I continue and reinforce during his daily play sessions. He’s doing fine. He is quite affectionate, shows no hostility toward my other dogs. He’s even learned to ignore Blade. He loves lounging under his heat lamp – which I leave on for him during the day because it’s chilly and he’s too thin to ward off the cold himself.
Jan 15
Timmy is doing much better at walking on a lead. Far less pulling and easily corrects when he forgets. He and Blade are playing games with each other through the barrier between them. Timmy has been in the yard with Blondie Bear on the loose. That was a little awkward for Timmy, but it turned out well. He sniffed her thoroughly, propositioned her, she said, “Not interested, sonny” and he wandered off to pee on something.
He now routinely sits on command, in fact he often anticipates and sits before I give him the command, so then I have to redirect by stepping away and asking him to “come” then sit. Most of the time he complies if we’re in his kennel. Still iffy with the “come” command in the yard.
His transport date has been set for Feb 26. Heather will make arrangements for Health Certification and getting him to Bulls Gap to meet the transport truck.
Jan. 28
I took Timber off the lead-line for a few days, just letting him out to run unfettered. The first time he walked out the door, stopped, came back and nosed my hands, “You forgot something.” I had to convince him that it was okay, he can go out without it. It brought him such joy! But that lasted only a couple of days before he began getting haughty and refusing to come when called. If I’d go take hold of the handle built into his harness he’d reach around and mouth my arm. It was done gently, but saying, “Don’t do that.” So I’d go get a leash. He does fine on a leash. So it was back to using the long lead.
About 60% of the time he responds to the “Come” command with an enthusiastic gallop across the yard to receive his small treat and petting. Other times he goes stone cold deaf! Sometimes he works his way over to me slowly, meandering along to eventually stand before me expectantly.
Timber is doing well with the “In Your Room” command, which means to return to his kennel. If I do this when he’s within 30 feet of his kennel he will comply. About half the time he will comply from across the yard. But it does depend on if he’s done all his business. If not he will hasten his search and take care of that before complying. Sometimes if I’m occupied (doing a poop pick-up in the yard or something) Timber will decide he’s done playing in the yard and I’ll find him sitting in his kennel waiting for me. What a good boy!
He is really well behaved while “trapped” in his bedroom at night. I put him to bed around 8:00 PM by taking him out for a leash walk so he can pee. Then back to his kennel. I go around and go inside, he comes in through his doggy door and I give him some small treat and close his doggy door. He will stand up and lean against the fencing so I can scratch the side of his face for a while. If I go inside with him he gets too excited, jumping around. Not enough room for that in there. Then he settles on his bed and sleeps. When I return at 6:00 AM to take him out again for a walk, he appears to have just been awakened, I could probably let him go longer, but I don’t want to risk making him have to spoil his bedroom. As long as I let him out every 2 to 3 hours, he will keep his entire kennel clean, preferring to use the yard to potty.
When Blade and Blondie Bear are in the yard together they roughhouse. Timber watches and gets quite vocal. When I’ve put Blade up and let Timber out he goes bounding over to Blondie, intent on roughhousing with her too. But Blondie gives him a “Not so fast, Junior” look that stops him in his tracks. Then they walk around together and peer through the fence. I give him high marks for his ability to reign in that exuberance.
April 2
Timber went off to New Hampshire last night. The Gabipentin / Trazadone cocktail we gave him did the trick. He snoozed for a little while but most of the time he was awake and watching out a side window or sitting between the seats so Marie could scratch his head. But he was not threatening to eat the other cars on the road. A good things since there were a lot of cars on the road.
The only time he got excited was when we passed the Pizza Plus place in White Pine. I guess he had a bad case of the munchies and wanted to stop for a pie. We didn’t stop and he quieted down.
We arrived at the truck top 10 minutes early and the H.E.A.R.T.S. LLC transport was already there. The driver said that new truck is a hauling monster. Even coming up steep grades, it glides along like it’s got no load at all. They made great time as a result.
Timber hopped right up into the trailer when they opened the door. They closed the door behind them while they got him settled in the crate: in case he broke away from them and got loose in there, at least he was contained. It took a few minutes before they came out again, so it’s possible he gave then a challenge.
By the time they opened up again and showed me the special box they had for him, he was calm. Confused and sad, but calm. It broke my heart when he looked at me saying, “What’s going on Doug, aren’t you coming too?” But that’s just part of doing what I do. Timber is alive because people cared, intervened, and saved him. I was part of that process. Now he’s going off to a new home and a new, much better, life. That is what rescue is all about.
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Departure date: Jan 29: pulled by BePaws They Matter Animal Rescue
History
This boys owners asked their neighbor to shoot the dog because he was going over fences, charging people, fighting with other dogs and harassing their livestock. The only thing we have seen to be true is the harassing livestock. At some point, I assume it was his original owner, he lived with people who ran a rodeo and trained their dogs to herd the bulls and horses from one place to another. So “harassing” livestock would be expected. As to the rest, he seems quite gentle to us. Val, the lady who rescued him for us, had him at their house for a couple of hours. She has cats, she has dogs, she has kids. She and her husband had no trouble with him except that he likes to sit ON people, not next to them.
Rugar’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: No food aggression noted
Preferred style of play: Undetermined
Is affectionate: Yes
Is good with:
. Men: Yes
. Women: Yes
. Children: Yes
. Cats: Yes (as long as they don’t run: he’s a Lab!)
Jumps up on people: A little
Mouths: No
Walks well on a leash: Yes
Commands:
Comes when called: Not yet
Sits on command: Yes
Down / Off: Not yet
Shake / Paw: Not yet
Kennels on command: Yes
House Dog Training
Willingly enters his crate: No
Is calm/quiet while in crate: No
Understands going outside to potty: Yes
Alerts me of need to go outside: Yes
Is destructive of bedding and/or toys: Yes
Engages in kitchen counter cruising: No
Stays off people furniture: No: foster parents allow him on the sofa.
Medical Data
DA2PPv: Dec 29, 2020 by PMFC
. 1st Booster: January 19, 2021 by Stacy Dekker
. 2nd Booster: Puppies only
Bordatella: Dec 29, 2020
Wormed: Dates | Product | Dose | By
. Dec 29 to 31 | Fenbendazole | 14 ML | PMFC
Flea/Tick preventative:
. Dec 29 Fipronil, 2.68 ML
.
Heartworm preventative:
. Jan 19, 2021 Heartguard Plus
.
Gallery
In chronological order, newest at the bottom. Some pictures are linked to a more detailed Doggy Tale about that update, click those to open the related story.
Progress Updates
Progress notes are listed below, in chronological order, newest at the bottom so you can read through this dog’s history in order.
Dec 29
The first 24 hours have gone well. Rugar’s neighbor, Blade, harasses him, but Rugar simply withdraws. No retaliation. When Blade is in a more congenial mood, Rugar goes over to touch noses with him and try to be friends. They were “discussing” things yesterday evening, just barking at each other through their mutual kennel panel. But they settled down and both slept through the night once “lights-out” came around.
Rugar refused to eat the dry food I gave him this morning. I mixed a pouch meal in with it mid-morning and he gobbled that down.
I had Rugar in the yard this afternoon with Blondie Bear. They were cordial to one another, then went their own ways.
Dennis is to pick him up this afternoon and take him home for fostering.
Jan 1
Rugar is settling in at his foster home. There were some difficulties, mostly stemming from the fact that he is not accustomed to being in a house and that made him nervous. But he seems to be coming to grips with that.
Jan 17
Rugar’s foster parents report that he gets along fine with their pack of dogs and is quite affectionate toward the people, but is averse to confinement. Both work all day and Rugar stays in a kennel outside. Or, he’s SUPPOSED to stay in a kennel outside. But he has been finding ways to break out.
He never goes far, he greets them upon return, but it is clear this boy needs a higher level of daytime interaction.
Jan 23
Rugar came over for a visit today. He was well behaved and calm. His foster Dad says when he’s with them he’s a super sweet boy. He likes to lay on the sofa with his head resting on Dennis’ leg. He gets along great with their other dogs and their cats. He just does not like being confined when they go away to work. In the right home, this handsome fellow would make someone a wonderful, attentive companion.
Jan 29
Our rescue partner, BePaws They Matter Animal Rescue from New Jersey, was in the area today and called to say they’d like to pull Rugar and take him on their run … today. That was sudden notice, but since there had been no serious interest from adopters, Dennis decided that would be a good thing for all.
So Rugar has gone north. Happy travels big fella. We hope you find the perfect home up there.
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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: He likes to frolic. Gets the zoomies sometimes.
Is affectionate: Yes
Is good with:
. Men: Yes
. Women: Yes
. Children: Yes
. Cats: Unknown
Jumps up on people: Some
Mouths: A little, corrects well.
Walks well on a leash: Yes
Commands:
Comes when called: Yes
Sits on command: Yes
Down / Off: Doing better
Shake / Paw: Not yet
Kennels on command: Yes
Diet
💕 Victor Classic – Professional Dry Dog Food
. 1 cup kibble + 2 oz homemade stew AM
. ½ cup kibble + 2 oz home made stew PM
💕 PMFC Peanut butter cookies
💕 Retriever Beef Basted Sticks
💕 Jones Beef Hooves
💕 Grillerz Pork Femur
Medical
DA2PPv: Nov. 16, 2020 by Newport Animal Control
. Booster: Dec. 5 by NAC
. 2nd Booster:
Bordatella: Nov. 16 by NAC
Wormed: Dates | Product | Dose | By
. Nov 20, 2020 Pyrantel Pamoate 2.5 cc by NAC
Rabies: Dec. 9, 2020 by Cedarwood Veterinary
Microchipped: Yes
fi NANO Not registered
To register contact City of Newport Animal Control
Neuter: Dec 9, Cedarwood Veterinary Hospital
Heartworm Test: Dec 9, NEGATIVE by Cedarwood
Flea/Tick preventative:
.
.
Heartworm preventative:
. Dec 10, Ivermectin solution, 0.4 ml
.
Progress notes are listed below, in chronological order, newest at the bottom so you can read through this dog’s history in order.
Dec. 11
Rebel has been here a couple of days and he has settled in nicely. He’s a super-sweet boy who loves attention. He is friendly to the other dogs and he and Josie really want to play together. But they’ve both just had surgery so that will have to wait a while. Blade does NOT like Rebel and is giving him a hard time by throwing himself against the metal privacy panel between their kennels. He has done this so much and so hard that he’s broken the panel and jammed the door to Rebel’s kennel. I’ll need to repair that today. When he does this Rebel scampers off into his bedroom and hides out there. It’s a good safe place for him.
Dec 16
Rebel is SUCH a doll: he is so calm and accepting. He’s affectionate too, but not demanding. Check out the Random Thought on Guillotine Doors for an example.
Josie Darkshep will be leaving on the 18th, that will open a House Dog position that Rebel can audition for. I expect he will do well and be accepted by all.
Dec 25
Rebel has been a “house dog” for three nights now. All three nights he has slept soundly in his crate all night long, not needing to go outside until I get up in the morning. That is normally between 4:00 and 4:30 AM. Today, being Christmas, I slept in until 5:20 when Buddy Beagle decided he needed to go outside. Rebel went too.
Normally Rebel will take quite a while to finish all his business: peeing quickly but needing to investigate multiple potential sites for making his deposit. It was 22° this morning. Rebel went out, took care of everything all in one spot then RACED back to the door. Being an hour later than usual probably played into the swiftness of this task.
He has had no accidents in the house: mostly because when he’s in free play I watch him constantly and if he seems to be “seeking” we go right outside. We are having no inter-dog-relationship issues. After recovering from his surgery his energy levels went up and he’s a bit too rowdy for the other dogs to want to play with now. He intimidates Josephine, annoys Buddy (everything annoys Buddy: he a grumpy old Beagle) Blondie is too old to cavort with him, and Callie is undecided about him. He could be fin to play with, but she’s protective of Josephine, and Josie is scared of him. So she’s conflicted.
He;s getting more free-play in the house. Learning the rules. He is intelligent, mischievous, and inquisitive. He is still a puppy, so he still has puppy mannerisms. But he can be shaped into a great companion because is does seek affection and wants to please. I have another week to work with him, then we’ll hand him off to his next caretaker as he goes North to seek a forever home.
Also, he has the most wonderful, plush, soft coat of fur. Petting him is such a pleasure!
Jan 1
Are we there yet?
We put Rebel on his long haul transport (HEARTS LLC) for his ride up north. He rode in the cab of the truck with us for the first time. Because I’ve always been alone when I transported him before he rode in a box in the back (not to worry, it’s under a shell and strapped down, he’s well protected) because of his tendency to need to snuggle. Snuggling is great when in the house, not so much when I’m trying to drive us at highway speeds. He rode really well. Partly because it was 2 hours past his bed time and he was tired. He slept much of the time. But whenever I’d change speed or direction he head would pop up between the seats to ask, “What’s going on? Are we in New Hampshire yet?”
We arrived at the truck stop in Bulls Gap TN with just enough time to take Rebel for a walk. Just as I was loading him back into our truck, the HEARTS transport pulled in next to us and Rebel got really excited about the big truck. He greeted the driver affectionately, and when the door was opened, instead of shying away like most, Rebel saw all those dogs and said, “PARTY TRUCK, let me in there! Let’s PLAY!” He was ready to ride!
Farewell, and happy tails to you, sweet Rebel. You start the new year with a new location and beginning a new life.
If I get updates and photos of Rebel in foster and his adoption I’ll post them here.
Feb 6
Rebel had some issues getting through NH state quarantine, but these were resolved and he went into a foster-to-adopt home. We are happy to report that Rebel has been officially adopted by that home and is happy and well cared for. He gets along famously with is “brother” Dax, too.
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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 Testperformed: 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
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
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!
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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.
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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Departure date: October 23, 2020 (ARNNE via HEARTS LLC)
History
Sarah’s owner moved away and left Sara with the roommate. The roommate then got sick and was put on Hospice care. When Sarah could no longer be cared for she was surrendered to City of Newport Animal Control.
Sarah’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: Likes to play chase
Is affectionate: Yes but not yet a snuggler. That spooks her.
Is good with:
. Men: Yes
. Women: Yes
. Children: Undetermined, but probably.
. Cats: Undetermined
Jumps up on people: Occasionally, but gentle about it.
Mouths: No
Walks well on a leash: Yes
House Dog Training
Willingly enters his crate: Yes
Is calm/quiet while in crate: Sometimes
Understands going outside to potty: Yes, but is not committed
Alerts me of need to go outside: Goes to the door – I need to be watching her.
Is destructive of bedding and/or toys: No
Refrains from kitchen counter cruising: LOL, she couldn’t reach if she wanted to!
Heartworm preventative:
. Oct 3, Ivermectin solution oral, 0.15 ml
.
NOTES:
. Severely underweight working on that.
.
Diet
Victor Classic – Professional Dry Dog Food
½ cup kibble + 2 oz Stew, AM and PM
PMFC Peanut butter cookies
Dreamstick twists
Canine Carry-outs (asst. flavors)
Gallery
In chronological order, newest at the bottom. Some pictures are linked to a more detailed Doggy Tale about that update, click those to open the related story.
Hanging with the big dogs
Frolicking in the yard
I’m being REALLY good Dad.
Enjoying a fire with the other girls
Sharing a sunbeam with Buddy
Progress Updates
Progress notes are listed below, in chronological order, newest at the bottom.
Oct. 2nd
I’ve received word that Sarah has passed her heartworm test and has been accepted by ARNNE. We will foster Sarah for them through her spay surgery and preparation for travel. She is severely underweight. I’ll be picking her up from Newport Animal Control tomorrow. First I need to sanitize the kennel Charlie Bear was using. Though he stayed here only a few hours, he messed it up and it needs a thorough cleaning and disinfecting.
Oct. 3rd
Marie and I picked Sarah up from Newport Animal Control late this morning. Normally I transport new dogs in a transport crate strapped down in the back of my truck (under a topper) because you never know for sure how a new dog will react to riding in a vehicle. But Marie insisted that she hold Sarah on her lap instead. She rode very well. Sarah, I mean — well, Marie did too for that matter. They were both very well behaved.
When we got home Sarah took a walk in the yard with me then went into her kennel. She was fine with that as long as one of us was near, but when we both went inside Sarah started crying and fussing and pawing the kennel walls. We thought she’d settle down. She didn’t. We discussed how cold it’s supposed to get tonight and how scrawny little Sarah will do in the cold, even with a dog-house stuffed with blankets. Marie said “She smells really bad. She’ll need a bath before she comes into the house.” So I gave her a bath. Sarah stood stock still for me and actually seemed to be enjoying it. Then I set up a small crate and put the biggest, softest blanket I could find in there for her. She was happy as a clam in silt as long as one of us was in visual range. When we both left, Sarah got upset and repeated her performance from outside.
I thought maybe she needed to potty and took her out on a leash. We had a chat while outside. I told her that that sort of behavior will get her sent back to her kennel. If she wants to be a house dog, she will need to behave like the other house dogs. Well, not like Buddy Beagle: he goes all Beaglesaurous on us if he hears a squirrel or a loud car, or a horn honk, most anything will set him off and he races through the house baying and hollering. That’s Buddy. He’s old and set in his ways, and thinks he’s Superbeagle and charged with protecting the whole lot of us. Don’t be like Buddy.
To my TOTAL amazement, Sarah made a huge turn around and was fine with us leaving the room. Sometimes for extended periods. I did see Blondie Bear sitting near her crate in a conspiratorial manner. I think Blondie was explaining the house rules to her in dog-speak, and she listened. Since then, she’s been an absolute doll!
At dinner time I gave her some kibble with home made stew on top, like everyone else got. She watched them digging eagerly into their meals and was equally eager when I set her bowl in her crate. She stuck her head in the bowl, sniffed at it, lifted her head to glare at me, “What is THIS stuff? Do you expect me to eat that?” and she curled up in the far end of her crate. I went outside to feed the rest of the pack. They each get a potty run after they eat, so I was gone a while. When I came back, Sarah’s bowl was licked clean. I suspect Josephine came by and said, “Hey, if you’re not going to eat that, can I have it? I LOVE that stuff.” and Sarah decided to eat it herself.
She proceeded to have a great evening while I made a scratch-built pizza and salad for people-dinner, which Marie and I ate in the living room while watching an episode of The Waltons. That’s what we do on Saturday evenings. After dinner Marie lit up the fireplace and all the girls camped out in front of it. Including Sarah.
It’s bed time now. I’ll take her out for a final walk, move her crate into the bedroom, and I expect we will all have a peaceful night.
Oct. 4
After a reasonably successful night, we needed to leave Sarah in her crate while we went to church. She was not thrilled with that, but she settled down after we were out of the house and she was still in her crate — and it was not trashed — when we got home.
This evening she got some free-foot’n time to explore most of the house (closely supervised). The two carpeted rooms are off limits for free-ranging right now. As she progresses with housebreaking that limitation will be lifted.
Still loose but out of traffic
Sarah has been intimidated by the bigger dogs, especially Callie Roo and Blondie Bear. Not that they are rude to her, just that they are much bigger than she is. She’s been fine with the two Beagles. They’re only a little bigger than she is. Blade — now Blade terrifies her. He’s MUCH bigger than she is.
After wandering around with me for a while Sarah decided to settle on a blanket behind Marie’s desk chair in the dining room. She felt secure there. Out of the way but pat of the group. She slowly accepted that even Blondie Bear, though six times her weight, isn’t going to eat her. Soon, she was running with the big dogs, “‘Scuse me, ‘scuse me, coming through!”
When she had enough, she asked to go back in her room (safe space) and finish the kibbles she didn’t eat at dinner. It has been a very pleasant day.
Oct. 7th
Sarah slept through the night last night. I got up around 5:15 AM and she was ready to go out. Did all her business and rushed back inside eager for breakfast. Unfortunately she is being spayed later this morning, so no breakfast for surgery patients. She’s not happy about that. She got another bath last night to get rid of the remaining shelter-funk. She is now Sweet-Smelling Sarah-Sue.
When I went to pick Sarah up from the Vet, she was NOT happy. She felt awful and cried the whole way home. I settled her into her crate and she continued to cry. I crushed a pain pill and mixed it into a tiny bit of wet dog food. She didn’t want it, so I scooped it up on my finger, opened her mouth and scraped it off on the roof of her mouth and tickled her throat to encourage swallowing Her mouth worked but she wasn’t spitting it out. She swallowed it. After a bit she settled down and went to sleep.
At bed time I tried to get her to let me carry her outside to see if she needed to pee. Not interested. Completely not interested. She hasn’t had anything to eat or drink since yesterday so she probably doesn’t need to go. I’ll let her rest. She should feel a little better tomorrow. Hopefully. Stoic, she is not.
Oct. 8
Little Sarah Sue drank some water last night but refused to eat. She slept all night, with Nurse Blondie attending. This morning she woke @5:30. I took her outside. She peed and pooped and came right back inside. She accepted a small treat then curled up to sleep some more.
Still feeling rough, but not crying. She’ll have breakfast and another pain pill in a while.
Today is Thursday: errand day for us and we have many places to go as we prepare for the upcoming Meat-N-Greet fundraiser. But we’ll break them up into sessions and come back here between to check on our little patient.
The day is now half over and Sarah is feeling much better. Up and around and starting to eat again. YAY!
This day is over now and Sarah has done very well. Tomorrow should be even easier for her.
Oct. 13
Sarah Sue is gaining a lot of confidence. Today she wandered off during a potty run. She can’t go far: we have a fenced play yard, but it’s big. Until today she has never ventured more than 50 feet from me and even then she’d keep checking to be sure she could see me. Today she went loping down the yard, tried to get the Beagles to play with her, then trailed after Blondie Bear who had gone down to The Low Corner. This is way around behind the barn. Then she scouted out the far fence line, by herself. When play time was over I called and she came trotting over, quite pleased with herself.
The past few mornings have been wet out, even if we wait for the rain to abate before making our first potty run. Sarah stands on the porch and looks down at the gravel and step stones like she’s afraid of something. So I pick her up and carry her around to the play yard. While she’s laying along my left fore-arm she gets this imperious look: “Look at *me* peasants, *I’m* being carried.” She makes me laugh.
This independence also shows up in her choice of resting places. in the past she would be close to wherever I was. In her crate if I was in the kitchen, on the dog bed in the corner if i am in the Den, and in the evening when I’m sitting in bed reading, she is here, beside the bed.
Lately she has been spending more and more time during the day right here, often all by herself. One night I decided, since she’s been good with her housebreaking, to let her sleep there that night. But when I was ready to call it a day and went to brush my teeth, Sarah went over to the corner where her crate always sits at night and was looking distressed. So I got her crate in place and she happily trotted in, circled around three times and settled in for the night. She still needs that added security to be able to sleep soundly and know she’ll be unmolested.
Oct. 19
Sarah got her Health certification today, so she is free to travel next Friday for her transport to New Hampshire.
When Sarah arrived here she was a timid little thing and was scared of the other dogs, especially the bigger dogs. She’d refuse to come in the house if Callie Roo or Blondie Bear were still in the laundry room, and she’d hide in out of the way corners to avoid them while loose in the house. Her crate became a safe haven for her, a place she could always go to be comfy and protected.
But in her time here she has gained a lot of confidence. A couple of evenings ago she even got spunky with Callie Roo and the two of them played.
That confidence is spilling over into misbehavior, though as she’s started challenging some boundaries.
Oct 26
Sarah Sue made the long trip up north, did her two days of quarantine, and is now decompressing at The Sousa Spa. These are wonderful, kind folks who will take great care of our little sweetheart until she is placed in a forever home. To follow along with her adventure in New Hampshire, check in with the Sousas on Facebook. They are good about posting “letters home” and photos.
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A kill shelter called Boston Terrier Rescue of East Tennessee saying they had a couple of Bostons for them. Diana went to see them. They were NOT Boston Terriers, but she could not leave them there to die, so she pulled them. A local rescue took Charlie Bear’s brother, but not Charlie. Diana reached out to PMFC to see if we could help. And here he is!
Charlie Bear’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: Can but probably won’t.
Preferred style of play: Undetermined
Is affectionate: Yes, once he gets to know you.
Is good with:
. Men: Yes
. Women: Yes
. Children: Yes
. Cats: Yes. Will chase if they run.
Contact information for your veterinarian is required and we will do a reference check. We do not adopt to people who neglect their dogs.
An adoption Contract must be signed by PMFC and Adopter. This is a legal document and an actual signature is required. If the form must be mailed back and forth, allow time for that to happen. Electronic PDF is allowed if you can print/scan.
Adopter arranges transport. We have worked with PETS LLC and HEARTS LLC (fees are paid to the transport service).
Adoption fee is $200.00 This generally does NOT cover what we have invested in medical care and room & board. But it helps.
Taste of the Wild Dry Dog Food
1 cup AM, 1 cup PM.
Gallery
In chronological order, newest at the bottom. Some pictures are linked to a more detailed Doggy Tale about that update, click those to open the related story.
FEATURED VIDEO
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Progress Updates
Progress notes are listed below, in chronological order, newest at the bottom.
Oct. 2nd
Charlie Bear arrived today. He was okay with Diana, got really skittish with me after she left. Settled down some as the afternoon wore on and he got used to me being around. Charlie will be going into a foster home – probably tomorrow – because the kennel he’s in right now has been promised to another dog due to arrive soon: probably tomorrow!
Oct. 10
Charlie Bear wore out his welcome at his foster home quickly. There were various issues but it became apparent that this was not the place for him to relax and learn to be calm. I have no room for him here. So Charlie has been returned to Diana. She said it’s okay … she was missing him anyway.
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Victor Classic – Professional Dry Dog Food
1¼ cups AM, 3/4 cups PM.
PMFC Peanut butter cookies
Retriever Beef Basted Sticks
Jones Beef Hooves
Grillerz Pork Femur
Gallery
In chronological order, newest at the bottom. Some pictures are linked to a more detailed Doggy Tale about that update, click those to open the related story.
PIC
PIC
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Progress Updates
Progress notes are listed below, in chronological order, newest at the bottom.
Sept 14
Valley has arrived. She seems to be a friendly playful girl in great need of a bath. She smells, many shelter dogs do. I’ll take care of that. She resists walking on a leash and needed to be carried from NAC to my ruck and from the truck to her kennel here at PMFC. She’s been fitted with a collar, and fed, and I’ll start working with her this afternoon. First impression: the term “Velcro” comes to mind!
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Her story, as it was told to me, is that she was born to a nice family who gifted her as a puppy to their son, daughter-in-law and grandchild. Son and daughter-in-law divorced, daughter-in-law kept the dog. Then she started acquiring more dogs, mostly chihuahuas and terriers. This turned into a hoarding situation. Siri was retrieved from that situation by her original owners, but escaped from them and was picked up as a stray. They saw her posted as a found dog and called to get her back. But they didn’t come in. The shelter hounded them (pardon the pun) and eventually the fella came and surrendered her. So Siri became “available” and the shelter asked Piney Mountain Foster to take her.
Siri’s Progress Summary:
Detailed notes on this foster dog’s progress are posted below the summary.
Relational Behavior
Relates well to other dogs: Benign dogs, yes. Better with males than females. That may abate now she’s spayed.
Can eat food/treats near other dogs: Seems okay with food, protective of her squeaky toys.
Preferred style of play: Loves squeaky toys!
Is affectionate: Yes
Is good with:
. Men: Yes
. Women: Yes
. Children: Not small children: too active
. Cats: Yes (See Oct 22 entry below)
Jumps up on people: Sometimes
Mouths: No
Walks well on a leash: Doing better
House Dog Training
Willingly enters her crate: No Yes
Is calm/quiet while in crate: No Yes
Understands going outside to potty: No Yes
Alerts me of need to go outside: No Yes
Is destructive of bedding and/or toys: No Yes
Refrains from kitchen counter cruising: No Yes
Stays off people furniture: No Yes
Terms of Adoption:
Submit a completed Adoption Application (PDF form, print, complete, return). IMPORTANT: Dennis, our Adoption Coordinator, is on vacation. E-mail your application to Doug@PineyMountainFoster.org NOT to Dennis.
Contact information for your veterinarian is required and we will do a reference check. We do not adopt to people who neglect their dogs.
An adoption Contract must be signed by PMFC and Adopter. This is a legal document and an actual signature is required. If the form must be mailed back and forth, allow time for that to happen. Electronic PDF is allowed if you can print/scan.
Adopter arranges transport. We have worked with PETS LLC and HEARTS LLC (fees are paid to the transport service).
Adoption fee is $200.00 This generally does NOT cover what we have invested in medical care and room & board. But it helps.
Heartworm Oct 16, 2020 Negative Claws & Paws 4 a Cause
Flea/Tick preventative:
.
.
Heartworm preventative:
. Oct 20, 2020, Ivermectin solution oral, 0.4 ml
. Nov 12, 2020, Ivermectin solution oral, 0.6 ml
NOTES:
.
.
Diet
Victor Classic – Professional Dry Dog Food
1½ cups AM, 1¼ cups PM.
PMFC Peanut butter cookies
Retriever Beef Basted Sticks
Jones Beef Hooves
Grillerz Pork Femur
Gallery
In chronological order, newest at the bottom. Some pictures are linked to a more detailed Doggy Tale about that update, click those to open the related story.
Checking the fencing
Wandering the play yard.
She LOVES squeaker toys!
PIC
Progress Updates
Progress notes are listed below, in chronological order, newest at the bottom.
Sept 9
PMFC’s kennels are chock full so we’re boarding Siri until we get a vacancy. Once she’s here I can work with her and get to know her much better. During her SAFER test I found that she reacts in a friendly, playful manner to friendly dogs, with indifference to dogs who are barking and being rowdy, as long as it’s benign. But a dog who gets nasty toward her through the gates gets that attitude dished right back at them.
There were cats wandering the halls of the shelter. Siri was curious about them and approached several with caution. If they’d run, I’m sure she would have given chase. One puffed up and hissed at her and she backed away. A wise move, those critters have wicked claws!
She pulls hard while on a leash. That needs work. But she loaded up fine and rode well. She greeted our groomer sweetly, sat when offered a treat, and crated up without incident. So far, so good.
Sept 14
I was in town this morning to run some errands. I dropped off a squeaky ball toy i bought for Siri’s at Kathy’s, where Siri is staying for now. Kathy says she’s really a very sweet dog, well behaved and lovable. They had her in a crate upstairs at the time, instead of the big kennel downstairs. Steve gave her the ball and immediately SqueakSqueak-SqueakSqueakSqueakSqueak-SqueakSqueakSqueak. She loved it! She may drive them nuts with it, but she loves squeaky toys.
Sept 23
Siri joined us here at PMFC two days ago. So far all has gone well except that she REALLY want to be in the house. Until I determine how she will do with all of the four dogs already living in the house, that isn’t happening. House dog is an earned privilege. But she is doing well, keeping her room immaculate, waiting for yard runs to potty. She’s been a little testy with Blondie Bear. That needs to settle out before we could consider coming inside.
She is not a howler or screamer. She sleeps well at night. She is doing better about not standing up and flailing me with her forepaws (and claws) when in the yard.
Sept 28
Siri has settled down a LOT! She no longer “boxes” me (standing up on her hind legs and flailing me with her forepaws), she no longer plays “demolition derby” with me by ramming my legs when she is allowed to run in the yard, and she is much more affectionate, desiring being petted. She’s turning into a sweet girl!
When left in her kennel, she likes to play hoofie hockey, and will squeak a squeaker ball for HOURS … if it lasts that long. Otherwise she lounges on her Kuranda and watches the goings on.
Oct. 10
Siri is calming down in her interaction with me: less insistent, much less injurious. She can be bull-headed, but that comes with being a Husky. She sees Blade playing the Chase Me game in the yard and she tries it too, but she slips back into bashing into me, so that game ends as soon as she tried that once.
She has been pulling some dominance moves on Blondie Bear, so I’m keeping Blondie inside during play time.
Siri really, REALLY wants to be a house dog. I think that’s part of the dominance thing: jealousy. But even mild aggression against any of the house dogs keeps a dog from being invited inside.
She has does a great job of keeping her room clean, always waiting to potty until a play break.
Oct. 12
I heard back from Vanfine in regards to my complaint about Siri’s “indestructible” squeaker toy lasting only a couple of hours. They apologized for their product being a disappointment (see video above). They are working on an improved version that is not on the market yet, but since Siri is such a serious chewer they would like to send her one and ask her to do ‘product testing” for them.
Siri said she’d be happy to test their new squeaker toy.
Oct 21
Siri’s new squeaker toy has arrived. She loves it. I’m limiting the time she gets to play with it though: partially to help it last longer and partially because CONSTANTLY chewing on it for hours upsets her GI tract. Too much saliva maybe. She knows where I keep it, though (a large metal mailbox retired from service as a mailbox, now used to hold treats, toys, tools, and small equipment near the kennels) and goes straight over there when I let her out of her room and beats on the box with her fore paws, “I WANT MY SQUEAKER!”. When I don’t comply, she wanders off to take care of business.
She is recovering nicely from her surgery. We’ve had little trouble with her licking the incision so I did not need to cone her. Coning a Husky is an exercise in frustration anyway.
She also seems calmer — less hyper — now that she’s been spayed.
Siri has been watching me play with Blade in the yard and is trying to emulate him, except where Blade evades me, Siri likes to collide with me. I’m working with her on that, but it’s good to see her wanting to play. She’s also becoming more affectionate: seeking petting not just treats. She has become very good at keeping her room clean, holding everything until she gets out in the yard — as long as I am at all reasonable on the amount of time I make her wait.
Oct. 22 — Cats
While we were evaluating Siri in the shelter, we encountered several free-ranging hallway cats. Most of them gave Siri a wide berth. One sat in her way and dared her to start something. Siri was on a leash, so I was able to control her. She was fascinated by the cats and wanted to sniff them, but was not aggressive at all. She talked a little at the tough-guy cat, but didn’t bark at them. Tough-guy growled at her and she backed away, big-eyed.
I am quite sure that had any of them run, she’d have given chase. She’s a dog. That’s what dogs do. But she gave me no indication that she would intentionally hurt any of them. The only issue might come from the fact that she thinks she’s a small dog. I’ve been working with her on that, and she’s doing well. But she sometimes forgets how big she is. If properly acclimated to a house cat and taught to co-exist I think she’d be fine. She dos not seem to have that high prey drive that some Huskies do.
Nov. 11
As we are preparing Siri to board the Husky Bus tomorrow and journey to New Jersey, I have noticed that in the past week or so Siri has become much more affectionate. She now comes to me when we are in the yard and seeks petting. If i sit down she practically crawls into my lap. She still gets rowdy sometimes, but it’s less often and less determined. She has developed a nice temperament.
She REALLY wants to be a house dog – and would be if she could get along with Callie. But she gets highly excited whenever Callie walks by her kennel, so we’re not taking that in the house. She seems fine with everyone else.
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This handsome boy was named Kilo, but I mis-heard it as Helo (HEE Low) when we were introduced and liked that so much I decided to keep it.
Last Updated: Sept 19, 2020
Base Info:
Arrival date: Aug 26, 2020
Breed: Siberian Husky
Sex: Male
Age: Youth, Adult, Mature, Senior
Birthdate: Feb 2019
Weight: 47.2 Pounds Aug 31
. 49.7 pounds Sept 8
Neutered: Yes
General Health: Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor
Temperament: Typically hard-headed (it’s a Husky thing), but exceptionally calm and non-vocal for a Husky … at least when he’s happy. Working through separation anxiety.
SAFER Test performed: Yes (short form) PASSED
Departure date: Adopted Sept. 19, 2020
History
Helo appears to have been well cared for, but his former owner decided to re-home him. Reasons are unknown. Two ladies offered to help find him a home. One of them contacted Friends Animal Shelter who immediately referred her to Piney Mountain Foster. And here he is. His friends say he shows signs of depression and anxiety. My task is to help him with that so he’s ready to move yet again as he seeks a forever home.
Husky Hindrance
Huskies are a unique breed. Many people adopt them because they are GORGEOUS but don’t stop to investigate the breed-specific traits that come along with these dogs. Many of these dogs end up abandoned or surrendered to shelters because these people are not prepared to care for a Husky. Some of those issues are:
Huskies shed like fiends! Seriously, if you can’t handle dog fur all over, you don’t want a husky. Their fur is long and soft and a pleasure to pet, but it floats around. You NEED to brush them daily or they get matted. If you don’t have a good vacuum cleaner and time to do the brushing, don’t get a Husky.
Huskies are very intelligent. And clever. And devious. You need to be the leader of the pack and set your boundaries and stick to them or the Husky will train you to do things the way SHE wants to. That is NOT good. Dominance leads to aggression.
Huskies are sensitive. Do not use violence to discipline these dogs — it will not end well.
Huskies are adverse to confinement. This breed does especially badly in shelters, spiraling quickly into depression and despondency. They also do not do well confined to a crate for long periods. They are social and enjoy companionship and interaction. If you plan to go off to work and leave your dog alone all day you probably don’t want a Husky.
Huskies tend to be vocal. They will talk to you – and argue with you. They will sing to you. It’s what they do. Helo is unusual in this respect in that he is quiet most of the time. He will talk to me when he gets playful and wants to argue. He talks to me when he needs to go out. He will sing along with the other dogs when they get up a glee club session. But otherwise he’s unusually quiet.
Huskies are athletic dogs with tremendous stamina (think sled dogs). They enjoy running and will need regular exercise. If you are an apartment dweller and plan to leash walk your dog briefly twice a day, you definitely don’t want a Husky!
But, having said all that, because they are smart, and strong, and devoted they make excellent companions — if you are prepared for their eccentricities. Because of all this, we are seeking an adopter who has experience with Huskies or a similar breed.
Helo’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: Not so much. Is possessive about food, treats, and toys that are “his” (see Sept13).
Preferred style of play: Likes running and chasing another dog. He likes to play soccer with a human!
Is affectionate: Yes in an aloof sort of way right now.
Is good with:
. Men: Yes
. Women: Yes
. Children: Yes
. Cats: Yes. Will chase, shows no aggression to calm cats.
Walks well on a leash: Does well with a front-clip harness. Pulls hard in Std harness or collar.
House Dog Training
Willingly enters his crate: With a bribe
Is calm/quiet while in crate: Not if left alone
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, but learning.
Stays off people furniture: No, but learning.
Terms of Adoption:
Terms of Adoption:
Submit a completed Adoption Application (PDF form, print, complete, return to Dennis).
Contact information for your veterinarian is required and we will do a reference check. We do not adopt to people who neglect their dogs.
An adoption Contract must be signed by PMFC and Adopter. This is a legal document and an actual signature is required. If the form must be mailed back and forth, allow time for that to happen. Electronic PDF is allowed if you can print/scan.
Adopter arranges transport. We have worked with HEARTS LLC (fees are paid to the transport service).
Adoption fee is $200.00 This generally does NOT cover what we have invested in medical care and room & board. But it helps.
Commands:
Comes when called: Sometimes
Sits on command: Yes
Down / Off: Yes
Shake / Paw: No
Kennels on command: Yes
Medical
DA2PPv: Aug 27, 2020 (PMFC)
. Booster: Sept 19, (PMFC)
Bordatella: Aug 27, 2020 (PMFC)
Wormed: Dates | Product | Dose | By
. Sept 1st to 3rd, Fendbendazone, 16 ml PMFC
.
Heartworm preventative:
. Sept 8, Ivermectin solution, 0.5 ml
.
NOTES:
.
.
Diet
Victor Classic – Professional Dry Dog Food
1½ cups plus 3oz Stew AM and PM (to gain weight)
PMFC Peanut butter cookies given as rewards for compliance.
Occasional treats include:
Retriever Beef Basted Sticks
Jones Beef Hooves
Grillerz Pork Femur
Oinkies
Gallery
In chronological order, newest at the bottom. Some pictures are linked to a more detailed Doggy Tale about that update, click those to open the related story.
Enjoying the cool indoors with the family
Bed time snack
Hanging with Doug in the den
Yes, can I help you?
Discussing the “no dogs on sofa” rule with Buddy Beagle.
I’ll navigate, I can sniff out the Sonic.
Progress Updates
Progress notes are listed below, in chronological order, newest at the bottom.
Aug 26
Helo arrived for an evaluation around 5:30 pm. The eval went well and we decided to accept him into our program. Laurie filled out the surrender form and they donated a crate, his collar and leash, and food, and a case of Eternal Beverage bottled water, and some cash! Their generosity is appreciated.
Enjoying the cool indoors with the family
He had done well with the meet-the-gang session, so I set up our largest wire crate in the living room where he could see us as dinner was prepared and consumed. I fed him when I fed the other dogs, but he wasn’t interested in dinner until much later: 8:30 or after, he got a drink and decided to have a bed time snack.
Then we retired to the den so I could build this web page. Once it’s posted I’ll get ready for bed and go sleep on the sofa next to Helo’s crate. That should keep him calm tonight so everyone can get some sleep.
He’s done exceptionally well at dealing with and relating to the other dogs, even when Buddy decided to go all Beaglesaurous on him, Helo just walked on past him without getting snarky in return. Good Boy!
Want to keep up with developments on Helo? Use the Subscribe thingie below and we’ll automatically e-mail you when this page is re-published. That should be about once a week.
Aug 27
We had an excellent night. I slept on the sofa next to his crate so he did not get lonely and anxious. I waited for him to go to sleep and tried sneaking off to the bedroom, but he was on his feet instantly, ready to go with me if I left the room. So I stayed put.
I woke up several times and found him sitting there staring at me, but being really quiet and well behaved. He woke me at 2:30 by whining. I left him long enough to erect a baby gate in the hallway, to make sure we did not get charged by a roaring Beaglesaurous, and slip my shoes on, then I released him from his crate and clipped on his leash. He RACED to the back door, went out onto the gravel walkway beside the house and peed. He did not try to go around the back of the house (which would have set off the Beaglesaurous as well as the outside dogs). He came back inside, got a drink, I got him a snack, and he went back into his crate to eat his snack. He went back to sleep for another hour when I decided to get up. He explored the house for a while as I made coffee, then we settled into the den and I worked on his admission paperwork and some other quiet chores.
Catching a few more winks
Helo went back to sleep. He has been a very good boy!
I will be taking him to Kathy’s Grooming later this morning to board for a few days. We have a doctor’s appointment on the far side of Knoxville today and will be gone most of the day. Leaving him crated indoors while we go away is probably not a good idea, and it will get too hot in his “contingency” kennel to leave him there in the daytime. Once that building is renovated, it will be insulated and air conditioned. Things will be different then.
There is a strong possibility that Hunter will be getting adopted on Saturday. He’s been in Room #4 – which is a light security room sitting on gravel with kennel decking on the ground to keep him out of the mud in rainy weather. Hunter has been very happy there and makes no attempt to escape. But Helo has a history of digging out of a kennel if left alone all day. I can move Bailey into #4 and put Helo in Bailey’s room which is a standard room on the main concrete pad – there is no digging out of there!
I hope to have him in the house with me when I’m inside so I can work on easing his separation anxiety and preserve his housebreaking. That’s my plan right now, anyway.
Aug 31
Hunter was indeed adopted Saturday and I moved Bailey to room #4 to see how he would do in this new enclosure. He has done well. So Room #1 is available for Helo to use when he’s not in the house with me. I’ll be going to retrieve him this morning.
He rode really well in the truck last week, so I plan to take him with me on some of today’s chores.
* * * Helo has arrived * * *
Kathy said he did well while staying with her. He hated being crated (tore up the crate) but was good in a kennel. He rode well again today as we went to the bank drive through (where the ladies were saying what a beautiful dog he is) and to Cedarwood Veterinary Hospital (where the ladies commented on what a calm, well-behaved boy he is). While there I weighed him. I expected to see 70 or 75 pounds on the readout based on his overall size, but it came up 47.2 pounds! “That can’t be right”, we all said, so I did it again, making sure the scale was not up against the wall and nothing was blocking it … 47.2 pounds!
When I feel around his hips, he is pretty bony under all that fur, I’ll do my best to get some pounds on him before he leaves.
Yes, can I help you?
Helo spent all day running loose in the house with us. He got along well with the 4 other house dogs. He rode along with me on a couple of runs. Then he picked out a bed in the bedroom to sleep on. “No, Helo, not THAT one. Any of the others.” He did get down, got huffy about it but he did comply, and chose a dog bed. He alternated between that and sleeping on the floor in the hallway.
Buddy Beagle needed to go out around 3:00 AM. Helo wanted to go along. I leashed Helo and took him out on the walkway but not out where we would disturb the outside dogs. Helo was compliant and both he and Buddy were back inside quickly.
Helo suffers from separation anxiety. I am working on that.
Sept 3 – Helo’s Adventure
Helo has proven to be a fine, companionable fellow while he is with us. He’s been quite calm, except for one night when he got the zoomies, he gets along well with the 7 other dogs who are here. He’s gotten a little snippy at meal times, but otherwise they all get along fine in the house or in the yard.
He gets upset when we leave him alone, though. Crating is not an option unless it’s a plate steel crate. Kenneling works if it’s on concrete and is well secured. He’s a digger, and will tunnel out of a kennel on dirt.
Seeing this happy face in my mirror just makes me smile.
Today we had a number of errands to run, so we took Helo with us. He was an excellent rider, sitting or lying on the back seat of Marie’s car as calm as could be. Sitting up to look out the windows when something interesting was happening, snoozing quietly otherwise.
We went to the county animal shelter to evaluate another Husky that was picked up by Animal Control. There are lots of dogs there, not all of them were pleasant to Helo as we walked around. Helo just kept walking and sniffing. There were several cats roaming the hallways when we went into the main building, Helo was curious about them. When one came sauntering by, Helo sniffed at it, then dropped into a play-bow and woofed at it. The cat puffed up and backed away, “You’re too big. No play.” Helo let it go.
We visited the Wags to Wiggles boutique and Helo was gentle and mannerly. He knocked nothing over, and made new friends among those who were shopping.
We then stopped in at a Subway Sandwich shop to buy lunch which we took up on the Foothills Parkway to sit in the car at an overlook and eat. We brought things for Helo to munch on, but he wasn’t interested in those, just the water we offered him. But he sat on his seat and left us unmolested while we ate our sandwiches. Then I took him for a walk before we headed back home on Interstate 40.
Once home he got a big drink of water, went in the yard to do all of his business, then crashed next to my desk chair as I got caught up on some office work while Marie went back out to do the weekly grocery shopping.
When she returned I crated Helo, Callie and Buddy to keep them from running out the door as I carted in the supplies. Helo howled a little, but did no damage to the crate.
He had a great time on his outting. We had a great time, and everything went as smoothly as it could possibly go. He’s a great traveling buddy. In fact we were joking during lunch that since Helo’s two favorite things are sitting on the couch looking out the window and riding in a car/truck, his ideal adopter might be some retired folks who do a lot of RV traveling. Then he could sit on a sofa looking out the window WHILE riding. What could be better?
Sept 5
Piney Mountain Foster Care’s Board of Directors met today. There was much to discuss, so we knew it could run long. We decided to take Helo with us rather than kenneling him while we were away. We appointed Helo temporary Sergeant At Arms, and he greeted everyone at the door – to make sure they all smelled of dog. Anyone not bearing the scent of a dog would not be welcome, according to Helo. Fortunately even Pam, who has goats and cats, but no dog, had been around a dog that morning so she too was admitted.
Bored at the Board meeting, but being quiet.
Once the meeting was called to order, Helo went into stand-by mode: alert in case anyone acted up and needed to be ejected, but not interfering otherwise.
All the board members were amazed at how well behaved Helo was, not interjecting his own comments, not begging treats, not wandering around being distracting … he changed positions a few times, going to lie next to different people, but being completely unobtrusive. In fact he was SO good we decided to treat him on the way home with a trip to a small park by the river.
When riding, Helo wears a safety harness and strap that snaps into the seat belt buckle
Sometimes things outside fascinate him.
Helo liked the riverside park
He enjoyed walking in the grass.
And playing among the rocks
We weren’t sure if he’d be interested in the water.
Once he dried off we headed for home. I like to ride. I don’t want to get out …
… and you can’t MAKE me. “Actually, yes I CAN.”
Oh, but, DAAaaad!
Once back home we had lunch, and yard play, and headed inside for nap time (some of us take naps, some of us don’t), then on to the usual Saturday chores, and dealing with minutes from this morning’s meeting, and posting this update because we’re out of broccoli and I can’t make doggo stew like I planned. I’ll pick up some greens on our way home tomorrow and make stew then – post this update now.
Sept 13
Helo had visitors yesterday afternoon: Erin and Michael drove in from North Carolina to meet him. They have been discussing Helo with Dennis, our Adoption Coordinator, checking him out on our web site, and decided they really needed to meet him in “person”.
During the meeting Erin asked me if Helo tries to climb over our 5 foot chain link fence. In answering I kind of went down a rabbit hole about what I do to discourage that and never did offer a proper answer to the question. So, if you’re reading this update, Erin, the answer is “no, he has never tried to climb the fence. But he is reported to be a prodigious digger, having tunneled out of a dirt-floor kennel twice before he got to us.” Anyone wanting to kennel him while away for long periods will need to put the kennel on a concrete slab or at the very least put down heavy wire fencing on the ground under the kennel and wire it to the kennel rails so he can’t dig tunnels. Anyone insisting on leaving him for long periods had better put some of that fencing across the top of the kennel too, just because he hasn’t tried scaling a fence doesn’t mean he won’t, Huskies are known to be excellent climbers.
Playing soccer is FUN!
The visit went well, mostly – more about that in a moment, and Michael even got Helo to play soccer with him! Helo enjoyed that immensely. Blondie Bear watched from her position on her Coolaroo up by the house.
When Helo got tired he went back into his room for a drink of water. He snagged his pig ear that I keep in there for him, but he doesn’t chew on because he refuses to chew, or eat, or even drink, if he’s “incarcerated”. It’s the same thing in the house with his crate: if the door is closed he will not eat, only lie on the floor and look dejected. If I open the door, (once the others have finished eating and gone outside to potty) Helo will walk out of his crate, turn around, go back in, and eat. He’s SUCH a Husky!
Helo snagged the almost unused pig ear and took it out to lie in the grass and chew. A red flag popped in my mind, but I squelched it and let him go.
A couple of minutes later, Helo came back over to where all the peoples were and he sought some loving. While he was getting lovies, Blondie sneaked down to check out that pig ear. Helo saw her over there and ambled over to see what she was doing. Apparently he tried to take it back from her, she resisted, so Helo initiated an argument. It was loud and vicious sounding, and Micheal and I jumped in to break it up. Blondie came away with a couple of minor scrapes, Helo was unharmed, and the pig ear went back into his kennel. And stayed there.
Helo is possessive of HIS stuff. The funny thing is that there are yard bones scattered around the play yard. Other dogs can pick up one of those and chew on it and Helo doesn’t care. Community property. Buddy Beagle and Callie Roo swap crates all the time, no one cares, including Helo. But if Buddy goes nosing into Helo’s crate, Helo will come warn him off. So I keep the door closed if Helo isn’t using it somehow. This possessiveness is really Helo’s only down side — other than shedding like a fiend. And we are working with him on that … the possessiveness, not the shedding. We can’t do anything about his shedding: Huskies just do that.
Sept 15
Guess who slept on the people bed last night.
In our house we have like 800 dog beds (slight exaggeration) scattered around the house, so the ONE people bed we have is off-limits because we know full well that if they conquer that we will be sleeping on the floor.
Helo was sacked out on the tile in the hallway, in front of a fan. (his favorite place) when I handed out bed time cookies. He came into the bedroom with the rest of us to get his little treat, and turned to return to the hallway. I asked him if he wouldn’t like to sleep on the empty dog bed in the bedroom. He looked it over and said, “Nah, thanks anyway.” and turned to go out.
Marie said, “Oh, come on Helo, come sleep with us.”
He spun around, “Really? With you? ALL RIGHT!” (I knew what was coming I could see it in his face) and he made an amazing leap up onto the bed and curled up between us.
“That is NOT what she meant.”
“Don’t care, it’s what she said.”
We figured he wouldn’t stay long anyway, he gets too hot on beds of any kind. And he is such a good boy otherwise. He hung in longer than I thought he would but eventually did get down and returned to his cool spot in the hallway.
Now we’ll just have to see if this becomes a new bed time routine.
Sept 19
Yesterday Helo and I went to take Valley to meet the big transport to New Hampshire. Just as I was pulling in to make the hand-off my phone rang. It was a repair company needing access to the church where I am a Deacon. I told them it would take about an hour to get there from where I currently was (and to make the hand-off). They agreed.
The hand-off went smoothly and Helo and I went trucking off to Cosby.
While the repairs were being made, there was nothing at all for me to do except make sure everything stayed secure. So Helo and I conducted a thorough examination of the building, looking for scuffs and scrapes needing paint, cobwebs that needed removal, anything that might need attention. As I went around, stopping to look an area over then moving on, Helo was perfect about staying with me:
Michael, Helo, Erin a happy new family
A Michael and Erin came to adopt Helo this afternoon. Michael is a contractor who hopes to take Helo with him when he goes out on job sites. I think Helo will love riding around with Michael and accompanying him on the job. It seems the perfect match for this big, low key, devoted, boy. I will miss him, but he’s going to have the time of his life.
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Arrival date: Jan 4, 2021
