Sunday, October 31, 2010

Camera Shy Baby

What a silly girl. She was cuddled up inside her blanket with just her head poking out, half asleep. So cute. I very slowly reached for the camera, because she is all the way across the room, and really - why would she mind???

It takes me a few seconds to zoom in and focus, and during that time Baby, in slow motion, stood up, turned to the side and slunk under the blanket. I'm sure her tail was between her legs.

For some reason, this dog does not like cameras!

But I bought her a new jacket last night at the Misty Creek silent auction. So I pulled her out from under the blanket and put the jacket on ...

The New Jacket

Notice my feet holding baby on the chair. The more you tell Baby to stay, the more she tries to crawl into your arms for comfort.

As good as it gets.


I finally got her to stay without holding her there. But notice those sad brown eyes. And notice that her legs are no longer through the leg holes, because this is after I have stuffed her back into the chair and the jacket about six times. But I won. Sort of.

Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Baby learning that dogs are good

Baby is nervous around strange dogs, probably from having to look out for herself more than a little dog should have to. So I've been throwing her into the middle of them as often as possible. She's come a long way from Day 1, as you can see ...

#1

'Okay, fine. I will walk with Iggy as long as you promise it will just be Iggy.'

#2

'Hey! This doesn't look like Iggy! Who is this? What's going on here?'

#3

'You're a big fat liar.' (Baby/Tibby, second from the back in the right-hand row.)

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Tibby the Whirligig

Baby arrived last night after flying from Texas. On a plane, of course, but if she had even the tiniest of wings she would have been able to fly here on her own power. What a bundle of energy!

The first thing I did was pick a new name for her - one that sounds like 'Baby' but isn't, because she isn't a baby, and she bit my thumb. This is nothing to worry about - after a traumatic day, a strange hand reaching into her crate was just too much. By the time we got home, Tibby's tail was wagging so hard it just about shook her little bum off.

Her first experience in Canada was to watch the Rangers beat the Yankees, which made her tail wag.

She slept in a crate with less than a minute of whining, and this morning I let her up on the bed for another nap. She snuggled into my armpit and kept right on sleeping.

We went for a walk with resident dogs Ginny and Iggy, and I let her go with the leash dragging. She stayed right with us except when she decided the airplane passing overhead was chasing her. I had to send Ginny to round her up and bring her back. But she'll get used to airplanes, and also to all the big dogs that worry her.

Who's Yer Baby?

I keep the cushy part of the crate by my computer so foster dogs can sleep in it while I'm working. But Ginny, usually very independent, likes to make sure she's always the most Special of Dogs. So here is Ginny curled up in Baby's bed...
And here is Baby. She is inside the blanket I put on the floor for her after Ginny stole her bed. She nosed around and found her way inside of it all by herself. As it turns out, Ginny is the Baby but Baby is the Innovator!

Saturday, October 9, 2010

Toby has been adopted...

... in record time - three days.

Which didn't surprise me, because he was such a precious little guy. He was adopted by the perfect family. When they came to meet him the first time, he trotted out the door with them as though he had been theirs all along. He was just as happy to see them the next day, making it one of my favorite adoptions.

Next is Baby, who arrives on October 22. I am giving Don a 2-week break - a real sacrifice for me!

If you are interested in the Don conversation, here it is:

Me: On October 22, Baby is coming. I have to foster her because in her photo you can't even see her tail. That's how much it wags.
Don: Ah. I knew there would be a good reason.

Baby is a Dachshund cross, and we haven't fostered a Dachshund yet. That's another good reason.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

All About Toby


Yes, I know I say this about almost all of them. But Toby is a great little dog - quiet, loving and content. I think he's not more than about a year old, 11" tall, 20" long and 17 pounds. This is in case you're wondering whether or not he'll fit into your family life.

He's comfortable with other dogs and with cats, neither submissive nor aggressive, so they are relaxed around him. He doesn't show much interest in playing with dogs though. He would sooner play with toys or be cuddled by humans

He will be very attached to his humans. He brings his food to me piece by piece so he can chew it beside me instead of in the other room by his dish. He still has some puppy silliness - he climbed into my lap while I was driving, saw his reflection in the window and scared himself half to death. And when I pick him up, he tips over backwards as though he's used to being carried like a baby.

Toby isn't completely house trained, but he'll figure it out soon. It's dawning on him that he gets a CH! when he pees in the house, and he doesn't like that at all. I think he may not have lived in a house before.

He also doesn't know any of the basic commands, such as sit, stay and lay down. He thinks everything means 'come'. That's why his photo is a close-up. As soon as I'm out of arm's reach he follows me.

And that's all I can think of for now. Toby is an awesome little guy with all the good traits of a small breed and none of the bad ones. And on top of that, he's pretty darn cute.