Day 17/24 Alley's Been Adopted!

The family that came to visit Alley on Friday decided that they would like to adopt her.  She'll have lots of fun playing with two little girls and get tonnes of love from the whole family.  It's always a good sign when there are ohhhs and awwws before everyone gets in the door.  Alley's new family will be picking her up on Friday so we've still got a few days to spend with Alley.  The good thing is the cone is off and Alley seems much happier.  I've never had to wear a cone (I think I've mentioned this before, pugs aren't very bendy.  So when I was neuter....well, you get the picture) so I don't know what it's like, but some of the fosters say it's not that much fun. 

Alley's always been fond of lying on a chair under the table so now she can get back onto them.  Mom pulled out all the chairs when she had the cone on, but it's just not the same if it's not under the table.  Maybe later there'll be a bit of sunshine and Alley will like that even more.









Speaking of sunshine, the weather has been very nice here.  The -30 degree cold is gone and while there's still snow (at least in our yard) we're all enjoying going outside.

Yesterday Sierra and I spent some quality time together on my Mom's lounge chair.  This is my favorite place to be in the summer and yesterday was just like summer...well minus the white stuff on the ground.  But it was still really warm and sunny!








Mom also talked to Nicky last night.  Y'all remember Nicky?  She helped us when we had Willie so that he would learn it's OK to be on his own.  Sierra is still showing fear when greeted by unfamiliar dogs. Mom thought she could use some advice about how to best introduce Sierra to new dogs.   Mom wants Sierra to be comfortable around new dogs because she sees how much fun Sierra has playing with me and wants her to experience this with other dogs as well.  Mom got some tips to work on with Sierra so we are going to go on lots of walks to practice and help Sierra get over her fears.  Sierra is pretty smart so lets hope she learns quickly that new dogs are great to be around!

Day 13/20/39 Goodbye Gio

Today Gio went to his forever home.  He's was with us for 39 days.  It sure doesn't seem like it was that long.

I'm going to miss Gio.  Mostly because he liked to play with me.  He was really great at playing chase around the coffee table or dining room table.  Some times I did the chasing, but sometimes Gio would chase me too.  I didn't like it so much when he tried to chew on my tail when I was sleeping but overall he was fun to have around.  Mom says she'll miss him too...and not just the fact that she'll be able to open and close a door without removing him from the other side of the door.
 
Of course Mom took some pics of our last few days with Gio.  This is Gio, Alley and I sleeping on the bed.  Mom says it's a good thing we're all small and sleep in a straight line or there would be no room on the bed for her.

Gio likes to share to love and spent some time with Sierra too.  Even though Sierra would chase Gio when he was acting crazy, Gio still liked to hang out with her.  I think Gio liked Sierra because Sierra knows how to open the patio door by herself and Gio was hoping he'd get a chance to run outside.  Mom knows this trick and gets to the door before Gio.

A nice family came to see Alley last night.  There were two adults, two young girls and they even brought their dog.  It's good that the whole family gets to meet Alley and agree on her so the more the merrier.  They all seemed to like her, but who wouldn't.  She's very pretty (for a cat...oops, Mom says cats are just as good as dogs) and Alley turned on the charm.  She was very playful and friendly with them all.  Alley has really come out of her shell the past few days so it's good that she showed off her true personality for the family.  We're still waiting to hear back from them so stayed tuned for the next update.

Day 9/17/36 Alley has an Adoption Application

Alley went to the Vet on Saturday morning because her incision didn't look very good.  The Vet said it was infected so Alley got some antibiotics and a cone.  Mom wanted to take a picture of her with her cone on but we took a vote and decided it was bad enough that she has to walk around the house all day with the cone on, we don't need to document it for all eternity.

The Vet also checked out Alley's ears.  Alley had ear mites so we all got some topical medication so we don't get them too.  Because ear mites can spread with any physical contact with other animals the Vet suggested that neither Alley nor Sierra go to the Adoptathon. Mom still went to the adoptathon to check it out and there were lots of AARCS cats and dogs there.  Mom also heard that there were some adoptions so it's too bad neither Alley nor Sierra were able to go.  However, we got an adoption application for Alley today!  Mom hasn't heard from the family interested in her, but she's hoping they contact her soon.

I have decided that I really like the cat bed.  I've never, ever laid on a bed before; cat or dog, even though we've had lots of each.  This one is very comfortable and just the right size for me to snuggle up in.

Sierra has been practicing her squeaker removal skills.  She can get a squeaker out of a toy at lightening speed.  Once it's out she's done with the toy and she moves on to the next one.  Mom has stitched up most of the toys but sometimes Sierra has taken out so much of the stuffing that Mom won't put them back together again.  Now we have a lot of stuffing-less toys to play with.  (They're not as good though!)





Stay tuned for an update on Alley's adoption application.

Day 5/13/32 Gio has an Adoption Application

It's been a busy week around the house.  Mom as been doing some renovations and we've been helping.

As you can see it's mostly inspection and supervisory work that we've been helping with.  Once we see the day is off to a good start we all go and do our own thing.  Which is sleeping for Alley and Gio or monitoring the neighbourhood for Sierra and I.








On Wednesday Mom got an adoption application for Gio!  The man looking to adopt him is coming by this afternoon for a visit.  I really like Gio because he plays with me so I'm going to make sure this guy is extra special.  Gio and Alley are completely opposite to one another; both in their looks and personality.  Mom figures if AC doesn't like Gio then he might like Alley.

Tomorrow Sierra, Gio and Alley are going to the AARCS adoptathon at the Pet Valu Southland Crossing, 9737 MacLeod Trail SW, Calgary, AB from 10-4.

Hold the presses.....

AC arrived early so we've already got an update on Gio's Adoption Application.  Gio's been adopted!!  Yay for Gio!  AC has to get prepared for Gio's arrival so he's going to pick him up next Friday.  I gave AC my stamp of approval by trying to jump all over him.  Mom says I really need to work on my polite greetings.  I tell her I can't help it if I'm really excited when someone new comes to visit but she's not buying that excuse.  

Back to the adoptathon.  Now only Sierra and Alley will be going.  I wish I could go but Mom says I'm so cute I'd steal the spot light from all the other dogs and cats that are looking for their forever homes.  This sounds like a valid reason so I guess I'll spend the day catching up on my sleep.

Day 1/9/28 Welcome Alley

Last night Mom when out with Sierra and Gio and come home with a new foster kitten named Alley. 

All they could talk about today was a photo shoot they went to last night with Holly at BrindleBerry Photography  As you can see Alley is a beautiful kitten.  Lots of fluffy grey calico fur with some darker grey stripes.















Alley has settled in very quickly.  She is far more laid back that Gio and is putting him in his place when he tries to play to rough ie. he's practicing his ninja skills.  This morning Mom set her up downstairs but with access to me and Sierra if she felt like visiting with us.  It was no time and she was upstairs for a visit. 

Gio is still trying to type and tried this technique today.  He got in trouble for being on the table but I bet he tries again tomorrow!











Sierra has been been very good with both kittens.  Sometimes she feels the need to break up the play, but Mom has been stopping her before she tries to goes up to either of them.  Sierra seems to be OK with the fact that someone is stopping the craziness and settles back down.

Mom says this is it for the fosters...she thinks.  Ike is coming to stay with us in a few weeks so our house is getting full.  Stay tuned as I'm sure there'll be lots of stories with so many fosters in the house.

Day 7/Day 26

It's been an uneventful week around our house...not that anyone is complaining!  Sierra is settling in quite well and so far there haven't been any issues.  Well, one small issue.  Sometimes Sierra likes to lunge at Gio when he's acting all crazy.  She doesn't try to hurt him and Gio doesn't even run away from her.  It's more at night when Gio is running around in the dark.  Still, Mom thought she should tell AARCS about it because her profile says she is good with cats.  Sierra has been a really great dog and we don't want to see her adopted only to come back again.

Then there are times like this where Sierra is so tolerant of Gio's shenanigans that it shows she is OK with cats. 

When Mom went into the office this week we all had free reign of the house.  I showed Sierra that we should spend the day monitoring the neighbourhood and sure enough, when Mom got home there we were in the front window.  Mom could also see that Sierra was quite comfortable lounging on the chair in front of the window.  Mom thought this was funny because Sierra has never even attempted to get on the furniture when she's been home.  I reminded her that there's really not much room to stand by the window what with the chairs and the ottoman that I sit on.  Plus, it would be hard to stand all day!

We went to the dog park this week too.  Mom thought Sierra would be OK off leash because she really likes Mom and comes when she's called around the house.  Sierra was a little unsure around the other dogs.  She didn't like them coming up and sniffing her butt.  She snapped a bit to tell the other dogs to back off.  Mom could tell she was afraid and we're going to work on boosting her confidence around other dogs.  She did love the people though!  She also loved going off leash.  Sierra is a wanderer so it's a good thing that we were in a fully enclosed area.  She went much further away from Mom than I ever do but of course I had to follow her and explored some areas of the park I'd never been in before.  Sierra did come back when Mom called her so that's all that really matters.

Day 1/Day 20 Welcome Sierra

dioa aasd lse uivnalse aoeoe wasa lsosn!!












OK, Gio wanted to type the blog today, but clearly his typing skills are worse than mine.  Therefore, Mom has taken over typing.

Yesterday afternoon Sierra came to stay with us.  Sierra is a little over 2 years old and is already up for adoption. 














Sierra was adopted before, but the people who adopted her returned her.  They said that she wanted too much attention and that she jumped a lot.  Mom says that she hasn't exibited either of these, but she's only been here a short while.  What Sierra has already shown us is that she's a great dog.  She already knows which door to go to to be let outside, knows how to sit, doesn't get on the furniture or the bed.  Sierra even seems to like Gio.  She's a little unsure of him when she's lying down and he comes up, but she hasn't shown any aggression towards him.  Best of all, Sierra started to play with me within the first hour of coming into the house!  I think I like her the best of all the foster dogs so far.

Because Sierra is a bit older than the other fosters we've had she is much more calm.  There's been lots of lying around, which is fine because I certainly appreciate the value of a good nap. 











Mom says later, if the wind dies down, we'll go for a walk and she how Sierra is on a leash.  Maybe soon we'll get to go to the dog park too, but Mom says we have to wait until she knows Sierra will come back when she's called.

Day 17 Happy Anniversary!!

Can you believe that it's been a year since I started working on my Wish and started my blog!  Time sure does fly when you're helping others and having fun. 

It doesn't seem like a year has passed since our first foster dog, Nanook, came to stay with us.  And what a great first foster dog he was!










We have had some ups and downs with our fosters (remember The Fluffies that dug a hole through the wall?) but over all Mom and I have had a great time fostering and have no plans on stopping now!  As you can see by the recent posts, I've extended by wish to includes cats.  Gio has been a great addition to have around but I think Mom might spend a bit too much time snuggling with him.  She still leaves room on her lap for me so I guess it's OK.

Bonnie and Gio had some great play time together.  Bonnie went back to her foster family on December 26th so it was just Gio and I for a few days.












Diesel came back to stay with us over New Year's Eve.  I was really excited to see my new friend back and we had lots of fun together.  

Now it's back to just Gio and I.  As you can see we get along great.  Gio really loves this water dish.  He plays in it, drops his toy in it and he drinks out of it too.  He had his own water dish for awhile, but was always drinking out of mine so now we share it.  Some days I think he'd like me to share my food as well but that's not going to happen!

Gio has been exploring the house.  This picture was taken when Diesel was still here and Gio was watching him outside.












Gio would really like to go outside. When Mom goes to the door and asks if anyone wants to go outside Gio is the first one there.  I don't think that cats are as smart as dogs because if I didn't have to go outside in the cold to go to the bathroom than I sure wouldn't be going outside!

Day 4 A Visit from the Princess

Things have quieted down a bit around the house now that Diesel has left.  Diesel and Bonnie had some great play time together, but they were a bit to wild for my liking.  Now that Diesel is gone I can play with Bonnie and we've become good buddies.  We went to the dog park again and we ran and ran.  Mom can't figure out why I had so much energy as I have been entertaining Bonnie all day and usually I'm exhausted when there's a foster puppy in the house.

We've been playing in the yard too.  The weather has been pretty warm and Bonnie, being part Husky, loves to be outside.

Sometimes she just likes to be close to outside.  It's hard to find a few rays of sunshine to nap in, but Bonnie found a spot.










Bonnie decided that she would give Gio a second chance and boy is she glad she did!  Bonnie has decided she wants to be Gio's best friend.  Her whole body wiggles because her tail is wagging so hard anytime Gio comes around.  She's been very gentle with Gio; no pouncing on him and she's given him space.  As a result Gio isn't running away.  They have the most fun when they are on opposite sides of the baby gate and play with one another through the spindles.

Princess Annabelle came to visit today and brought us Christmas presents!  She thought Gio was pretty nice.  She threw Gio's toys so he could chase them and gave him some hugs as well.  After she left we all had to have a long nap!  Mom says tomorrow is another busy day so we should get lots of rest.  But she also said that it's OK if we all want to sleep in.   I'm going to sleep in for sure!  Bonnie might have a different plan. 

Day 1 Welcome Giovanni

Well, it's happened again.  Yesterday Mom came home from work with a new foster.  A kitten this time!  When will the madness stop?  Diesel went back to his foster Mom last night so it is a lot more quiet.

Gio is about 3 months old and is pretty small.  Zoe and Oscar were both adults when I came to live with them so I've never seen a kitten before.  I really, really, really want to be his friend!













Gio doesn't want me to come to close to him though.  I'm trying very hard to be polite and Mom says I'm doing a great job.  Gio is very curious and isn't afraid of dogs, he'd just rather keep some distance right now.  I'm sure in a couple of days we'll get to say a proper hello.  Bonnie hasn't been quite as polite but she's still done a very good job at giving Gio his own space.  Gio hissed at her and Bonnie has pretty much decided that he's not worth her time.  Girl's are funny like that.

Gio has some very nice markings, but doesn't really like to have his picture taken.  Mom took a lot and he was always looking the other way.  At least in this one you can see how handsome he is.

Mom would like to say that no, we didn't get new, bright red carpet.  When we moved into this house there were two big industrial mats in the basement.  Since most of the house has carpet, they've come in handy when we have puppies that aren't house trained....and pee a lot!





Speaking of puppies that pee a lot, Bonnie and I went to the dog park today.  We both had a great time.  Bonnie had to stop and say hello to everyone we saw.  At first she was a bit hesitant with some of the big dogs, but then decided she was Queen of the Park and made friends will all the dogs too.  We were both so tired when we got home that we had dinner and then immediatly had to have a nap.  Bonnie is still asleep and it's time for me to go to bed as well.  It's hard work entertaining a puppy and a new kitten all day!

Bonnie Comes to Stay Until Christmas

Today another puppy came to stay with us!  Mom and I need to have a serious talk about the visitation schedule around here.  I'm already exhausted from entertaining Diesel and now there's an even younger puppy in the house.  Mom reminded me that Diesel is going back to his foster Mom on Monday so it'll only be a couple of days with our two visitors. 

This is Bonnie.  She's a 10 week old Husky cross and as you can tell she's super cute! She's already decided she really likes my bones.  Thankfully no one is fighting over the bones so Mom says they can stay in the toy box.

As some Huskies do, Bonnie has one blue eye and one brown eye.  This did it for Diesel, he is in love.  He hasn't left Bonnie's side since she arrived and has been (mostly) gentle with her.  She is by far the feistiest puppy we've had so far.  Bonnie can certainly hold her own with Diesel and (although I'm ashamed to admit it) can put him in his place better than I can.

There's been a whole lot of this going on though.  It's all in good fun, but it's the kind of fun I'd rather not have today so I'm staying out of it.  We went for a really long walk before Bonnie arrived and I'd really just like to have a nap!








Well Mom says it's dinner time so I guess I better go.  Stay tuned for more adventures with our new house guests.

Diesel Comes for a Mini Break

Tuesday night a nice lady that Mom works with dropped off her foster dog Diesel.  Diesel is going to be staying with us until Monday.  Am I the only one that thinks it's weird that Mom comes home from work with new fosters and other people that she works with has fosters too?  I'm still not sure about this 'work' place she talks about, but I think some day I need to go and make sure that it's really an office like she says and not secret code for 'place where dogs hang out'.

Anyway, Diesel is about 8 months old and we're not really sure what breeds of dog he is.  He has mange, like Willie did, so it's hard to tell what his coat will really look like once it's all grown back in.  Diesel is mostly black with little bits of white on him.

 He does have big ears though!

















Diesel hasn't been around a lot of other dogs so he's a bit unsure of himself and there was a lot of barking the first day.  I don't understand why other dogs like to bark to get attention, they should learn that acting cute will get you all the attention you need...works for me anyway.  I don't really like barking so I just ignored Diesel.  Since he wasn't getting what he wanted he gave up pretty quickly and now there's hardly any barking at all.  Mom says that's a good thing because she has a bad cold and the barking wasn't helping her headache.

Because Diesel hasn't had any vaccinations he can't go to the dog park.  It's unfortunate because he has lots of energy and I bet he would really like to run and run until he's all tired out.  We did go for a long walk yesterday and afterwards Diesel had a nap as soon as we got home.  He's good on a leash when we're on the sidewalk, but a bit less so when we were off on a pathway.  Mom says she's cutting him some slack because there's so much to smell on either side and that leash is only so long!

Diesel knows how to sit and shake a paw.  He is also very polite.  He really loves treats and will sit and wait (impatiently) for a treat and is OK with me getting a treat too.  Diesel's foster Mom though he might have an issue around dinner time with some food guarding, but he's been great.  We both eat in the kitchen together.  Diesel would like to eat my food but Mom says 'No' once and he goes off to eat his own. 







Well, Mom says her cold medication is kicking in and it's nap time.  I'll update again soon.

What's Been Going On

Have y'all missed me?  I haven't posted in a few weeks because we haven't had a foster dog come to stay with us since Willie left.  But that doesn't mean that we haven't been helping out AARCS when we can.

At the beginning of November Mom picked up a newly rescued dog, named Precious, after work and drove her from Calgary to Nanton.  Mom said that I couldn't go because she wasn't sure how Precious was around other dogs and she couldn't risk any fighting while she was trying to drive.  I decided this was probably best because Mom likes to use the highway as her own personal indy track and doesn't need any distractions.  Mom did manage to get a picture of Precious while she was waiting for the foster Mom to arrive.

Mom says Precious was really friendly and great in the car.  She's still up for adoption so go check her out.

















A couple of weekends ago we had not one, but two puppies, named DW and Binky, come and spend a Saturday and  Sunday with us.  Because they were only here for a short time they pretty much played with the toys, napped and played with one another.  There wasn't time for them to settle in and play a whole lot with me.

Binky is on the left and DW is on the right.  Aren't they super cute?  They were very good puppies too.  They really liked their kennel and would go into it all on their own whenever they wanted some quiet time.  They were good at going to the door to go outside too.  They're not up for adoption yet, but it looks like their sister might be Fern and she's up for adoption so I'm sure it won't be long until Binky and DW are up for adoption too.




Lastly, Mom picked up another dog, named Conway, after work one day and brought him home with her.  Conway's new foster Mom then came to our house to pick him up.  Conway is up for adoption as well.  His profile states that he doesn't like other dogs and Mom knew this when she picked him up.  However, I need a pee break as soon as Mom gets home from work and Conway was at the Vet's so he needed some fresh air too.  Mom decided we'd have a meet and greet in the back yard and see how Conway would react to me.  He gave one little growl and that was it!  Off for a walk we went.  Conway and I got along great on our walk.  He wasn't mean to me at all.  Things might have been entirely different in the house or when toys or food are around though.  Conway's new foster Mom was waiting when we got back from our walk and Conway was soon on his way. 

Mom didn't get any pictures of Conway, but there are a few on the AARCS website.  Mom and B both commented on how the pictures don't do him justice.  He is much cuter in real life.  And boy does he love people!  He was very friendly to Mom and B and acted like he'd known them for years.

So, that's what we've been up to.  Still keeping busy. 

Day 62 Goodbye Willie

Tonight Willie went to his forever home.  Already to house is way too quiet.  I'm about to start the 24 hour nap that happens every time a foster leaves and Mom says she's going to have a big glass of wine. 

We're both really excited for Willie.  He's going to a great home where he'll get lots of love and never be unwanted again.

Here's one last picture of Willie and I together.  Sometimes I thougth Willie was a bit of a pain, but at the end of the day he was a really great buddy and I'm going to miss him.









Mom says there's presently no foster dog lined up to come and stay with us, but that's likely to change at any moment.  Check back often to see who I'm going to help next.

Day 58 Willie has been Adopted!

Yesterday was a really busy around our house.  Mom had to run some errands first thing in the morning and Willie got to go with her.  I was quite upset that I had to stay home and even more so when Willie told me they went to the Dog Park!  Then a very nice family came to see if Willie was the right dog for them.  I didn't get to go for a walk with them so I was upset again.  My day was not starting off well.  A bit later I got to go to Pugoween!! This explains why I was forced to sit around all morning.

This year I dressed up as a cow.  Mom says I look pretty cute, but it took a lot of pictures to get one where I wasn't scowling at the camera.

There was an AARCS dog, Reggae, at the pug meet up.  Reggae is about 10 years old and has some medical issues.  He's an AARCS forever foster, meaning he'll stay in AARCS care for the rest of his life.  He had a great time.  I hope he gets to come to more meet ups. 
Here he is meeting the youngest pug at the meet up.  Beau is only 10 weeks old.  People were practically lining up to have a snuggle with him.




When we came home from Pugoween another nice family came to visit with Willie.  Both families loved Willie and wanted to adopt him, so Mom had to make a decision on which family would get to adopt Willie.  She said that sucked (her words, not mine.  I'd never be so vulgar) because she really liked them both.  In the end she chose the family she thought would be best for Willie.  Now Willie is officially adopted!  His new family will be picking him up on Thursday.  Yay for Willie!

Day 54 Still up for Adoption

The family that came to see Willie on Saturday decided that they were looking for a dog older than Willie.  It's good that they now have a better understanding of the age of dog that they want and I'm sure that Willie won't have a problem finding a forever home.  As a matter of fact, Mom got another adoption application for Willie on Monday.  Mom has been emailing with the family, answering lots of questions (Mom says she likes when they ask lots of questions) and the family might come see Willie tomorrow.

Other than that we've been hanging out and enjoying the cooler weather.  The afternoons are warm and it's still light out so we have been going for some long walks.  Willie is recovering from his neuter surgery really well.  He hasn't had to wear the cone; which is a good thing because Mom put it on him the first day for about 15 minutes and he looked pretty silly.  Plus, it was huge so he kept bumping into everything and could hardly get up the stairs.  As you can see he's feeling just fine.

Mom has been trying to get some pictures to show Willie's interesting coloring.

He likes to pose for the camera rather than have a sneak attack shot from the back.  She's managed to snap a couple though.

Look at how interesting his tail looks! 

Day 50 Willie is up for Adoption

Willie went up for adoption late Thursday.  And the really great news is that he's already had an application submitted and the family came to visit him today!  But let's back up a few days and I'll tell you all the stuff that's being going on.

On Wendesday Willie went to the Vet to be neutered.  While Mom worked I spent the day wandering around with my sad face on and my tail down.  I missed my buddy Willie.  Mom said I should have spent the day sleeping, but I was too worried about where Willie was.  Later we went to pick up Willie and I sure was happy!  Willie wasn't feeling 100% on Wednesday night so we had a quiet night.  Thursday he was back to normal!  You would never know he'd had surgery. 

Since he'd been neutered he could go up for adoption and Mom sent in his website info on Thursday and he was on the AARCS adoption website by the end of the day.  Less than 24 hrs later Mom got an email and a phone call about people interested in adopting Willie.  Mom talked to them Friday night and they scheduled a visit for this afternoon.   They came to visit Willie and brought their dog Diego.  Diego was more interested in checking out the back yard than in visiting with Willie, but he seemed to like him.  At one point we all started to play; running around the back yard and some physical playing.  Mom was shocked to see that I was trying to protect Willie when I thought Diego was getting too rough.  He wasn't, but I wasn't going to let anyone be mean to my foster brother!  I even barked at Diego and Mom said she isn't sure that she's ever seen me bark at another dog.  Sure, I like to bark at the mailman and those crazy people called 'teenagers' riding their skateboards down the sidewalk, but never at another dog. 

When we were in the backyard Diego noticed that one of the nylabones was out there.  Before Diego had a chance to pick it up and have a closer look Willie snitched it away.  He's been keeping it close ever since.  He even guarded it while he had a nap.

He forgot about it after awhile and then I chewed on it for about an hour.  Mom says we're like a bunch of 5 year olds after a new kid has come over and seen our toys.  Neither of us have played with this bone for days; but now that a new dog has shown an interest it's our favorite toy and we can't let it out of our site.









Now we'll wait to see if the couple that came to visit think Willie will be a good fit into their family.

Day 44 Neuter Time!

Willie is going to be neutered on Wednesday!  Y'all know what that means...then he'll get to go up for adoption.  I've told Willie that being neutered isn't as bad as what Mom has told him, but we're all pretty sure Willie is going to be the first foster that has to wear a cone after being neutered.

We've been getting lots of exercise.  While Willie is a very calm dog, he is still a puppy and likes to run and play.  We saw lots of new people on our walk the other day.  When we were on the ridge there was a little boy and his Dad walking in front of us.  Near the beginning they were close to us and we got to say hello.  Then we got distracted by bugs (Willie) and smells (Me) so they moved about 40 feet ahead.  It was great training for Willie because he really, really wanted to go and say hello again but Mom kept calling him back when he'd get about half way.  Willie came back every time!  Then when we were walking back home we met a group of about 1000 kids.  OK, Mom says there were about 8, but they swarm and reach from all angles and it seems like a lot more.  Willie and I did great at not getting over excited and letting the kids pet us.  And the kids thought it was the most incredible thing they'd ever seen when they asked if we could do 'tricks' and we both sat when asked.  Kids...they're so easily impressed.

Willie and I are really good buddies.  Sometimes I get sick of his constant wanting to play but I do like having him around.  He's good at playing chase around the coffee table in the living room or around the dining room table.  Every once in awhile he'll even play a game of tug o war!  Then we nap.

Day 35 Dog Days of Summer

We've been holding onto summer and enjoying time outside as much as possible.

Soon it'll be too cold for me to lie on my Mom's lounge chair and I won't get to spend afternoons napping in the sun.  You can already see the leaves turning on the tree and this photo was taken last week.

Willie is enjoying the warm weather as well.  He spends a lot of time frolicking around the yard.  He bounces around like a little colt jumping here and there or running full speed around in circles.
















Willie especially likes a 'toy' that he snitches off the table outside.  I'm pretty sure he knows he shouldn't be playing with Mom's hat.  I know enough not to join in on this game.  And as you can see, it was all fun and games until someone knocks over a table.  And really, did Willie think if he jumped up onto the chair and pretended like he'd been there the whole time we wouldn't know he was the one who knocked over the table?

Willie went to the Vet yesterday to be vaccinated.  The Vet says he's doing really well and he's up to 30 lbs.

As you can see he's bigger than I am now.  Thankfully he doesn't know it yet and I'm still the boss.  I win our wrestling matches and can still pin him down.  Willie is the gentlest puppy that we've had so far.  He constantly chews on my legs or my tail or anything he can put his mouth on, but it's very, very gentle.  I don't seem to mind at all; although sometimes I'd just like to lay around and do nothing all day.

Day 28 No More Mange!

Wednesday Willie went to the Vet and she said he doesn't have mange any more!  Let's hear it....YAY FOR WILLIE!!  Willie will still be on his medication for a few more weeks, but he goes back to the Vet next week to get vaccinated.  Then the Vet will decide when Willie can be neutered.  Willie is making huge progress and Mom says later today we're going to celebrate with a special treat.

Yesterday Mom talked to Nicky from AARCS who gave her some suggestions to help Willie learn that it's OK to be by himself.  So now we're doing some new things around the house; like eating in the dog room.  We're trying to show Willie that it's a great room to be in so that when he's in there by himself he's not unhappy.  Mom and Willie have been hanging out in the dog room as well.  Nicky is a professional dog trainer so if you'd like to learn more about her she has a business called Pet Potential and a facebook page.  Stop by her page, say Hello and let her know that Willie sent you. 

It's not always craziness around the house.

There is some nap time fit into the daily schedule.  Thank goodness because this puppy is going to be the death of me.  I'm exhausted.  I don't know where he gets his energy from, but I like to have several naps during the day and Willie needs to learn the value of a good nap!

He is super cute though so it's hard to stay mad at him.  Mom tries to entertain him so that I can have a much needed rest.  See me napping in the background?