Heinz, RIP

Unfortunately, Heinz was not doing well when I got up this morning. He went to the vet and the decision was that the time had come. RIP.

Heinz, the visiting sick puppy

From The Foster Dog Tails

The shelter asked me to leave Karma at the shelter and to take in a puppy we have that has Parvovirus. Can't keep the puppy at the shelter without keeping it on the cat side of the house and having someone who can only be around the puppy. Here at my house, I can work from home and clean up after the dog all day. He is a sweet little guy and I hope he makes it. He isn't eating and all he wants to do is curl up in my lap. If he makes it through the next couple of days, he will be here for a month. I am having to adjust my wardrobe to find stuff that I can wash in bleach or even better, spray bleach on. I found a rain suit that I have is a good one because I can wash it in bleach and I can also spray myself down with bleach during the day if I need.

Food

I was out of food for the dog this morning. I used up the last of it last night and didn't feel like going to the pet store. What's a foster dad to do? I did what seemed obvious, I made her matzah brie and salami and gave her some pizza crust. She seemed to like it.

Names

It struck me while walking the dogs that the 2 dogs I have right now are named Karma and Mojo. Somewhat of a genre of naming.

1 year of Karma

Okay, I haven't written in 6 months. What can I say, things settle into a routine and I don't feel like writing. Yesterday was 1 calendar year for Karma. She is officially my longest foster. She is so sweet, I constantly wonder how she is still with me. She has her shortcomings, but if you are aware of them, you can manage them. You can't leave her with a rawhide around anyone who is younger or anyone unconfident around dogs because she guards them with a nasty growl. She isn't that wonderful with a lot of other dogs because she is dominant and plays rough. Interestingly, I did find a dog from the shelter who she gets along well with and who can take what she dishes out and dish his own back. Little 21 pound Mojo mixes it up with her quite well and they have been together quite a few times now. Here is a video of them playing in the backyard earlier today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egrjeo8KAYE

For a little guy, he keeps up with her really well.

Adoption fees waived

The shelter is doing a special promotion right now on our longer term residents. The dogs / cats who have been at the shelter more than a year are having their adoption fees waived in August. I think this is on the right track though if not successful, we should probably extend it a bit. I have been busy lately on weekends with school about to start again for Ben and with projects and family visits, etc. Next weekend Ben will move back up to Dallas and after moving him up there, I should have more time to devote to the shelter and to Karma's advertising.

Things have been going pretty well with Karma other than an issue we have been having where she will growl/bark at Ben and sometimes charge him when she is laying in a room with me with a rawhide (or even sometimes with just a stuffed toy she is enamored with at the moment) and Ben walks by or comes to the doorway. If I tell her no, then she drops her head and skulks away, but it is concerning to Ben and also to me. I have started taking up the rawhides and need to only give them to her with the door shut.

Karma has spent 3-4 day weekends at the shelter a few times over the past month or so and she doesn't like it. Now when I take her to the shelter she won't get out of the car. I driven in the back gate a couple of times and closed the gate and opened the car. She gets out, but after the first time, she figured out that I am putting her up and she hangs out by the car until I get a leash on her and bring her to her pen or inside.

I need to brainstorm with the shelter folks some additional advertising ideas on our long term dogs. Karma/Oreo/Rigby deserve good homes and we need a way to show them off even at the expense of the more easily adoptable dogs. I need to start taking Karma to all the adoption day events I possibly can and also putting on the "adopt me" vest. It is a bit hot to be wearing a vest, but she needs to find a good home.

When I picked Karma up on Monday,I heard that Baxter came for a visit to play with Karma this weekend. From what I heard, she wasn't sure about him for a few minutes and then they remembered each other and played and played. Wish I had been there to check that out and to say hey to Baxter. Baxter's new owner is a shelter volunteer, so we may be able to do it again sometime.

The shelter has been trying to match up Karma with another dog so that she has a playmate, but we haven't hit on the right combo. We tried her with our big chocolate lab, Buster, but she got after him and he didn't like it and shied away. We her to behave and took them in the meet and greet area and let them off leash, but they just ignored each other. There are a few new dogs this week, so perhaps we can try again with another.

Thundershirt

Linda mentioned the thundershirt for dogs with fear problems and I bought one for Karma. This morning we went out the door for a morning walk and a minute later she was pulling her way for the front door. I didn't hear anything, but it is a bit misty here and there and she headed right for her closet hiding place, so I assume it was thunder. I went in the closet and put her shirt on and made it nice and snug. It was a bit harder because she wasn't standing up, but was sitting. I left her there in the closet and a few minutes later she came out to see me. I adjusted her shirt a bit and she wandered around with me. I took her out back and she didn't run right in the house. I pushed around the manual mower and she wandered around. I was hoping she would go to the bathroom, but she didn't, but she also didn't run inside.

I tried taking her out on a leash again but we only made it down the driveway. Inside she seems fine. She is laying here in the computer room with me on her comforter chewing on a rawhide. No running to the closet in fear, so I take that as a good sign that it is doing something.