Friday's Furry Friend in Need

Meet Brewster:

8 year old. Neutered Male. Siberian Husky/Golden Retriever mix. 90 lbs. I’m a big fella and I’m looking to take it easy! I am pretty laid back and I enjoy going for walks. I know a few tricks and enjoy a nice snack! I arrived at the shelter on June 5. I was surrendered by my family because they were moving and couldn’t take me with them. I have lived with cats before and we got along fine. My previous owner said that I do not like male dogs so if your family already has a dog, a dog-to-dog introduction will be very important. I am a large dog who hasn’t lived with children before so it would be best if I went to a home with children 12 years old or older. I should not be left off leash because I was allowed to wander the neighborhood in my previous home and may still want to continue with that habit. If an easy-going guy is what you are looking for then come on down! Oh, and could you bring me a treat?

To find out more about Brewster, go here

Canine Heroes

Play Time
U.S. Marine Lance Cpl. Max W. Donahue plays with Paco, his military working dog, in Lahib, Iraq, June 16, 2008. U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Stuart Wegenka.

De-wackifying, Day 18

Simba's been doing just great. Housetraining is going really well, and he's only had two accidents in his crate the whole time he's been home.

Mom moved from the handfeeding exercises to feeding him in his crate. She can stick her hands in his bowl now, and he doesn't even make a sound. She started by tossing little bits of food into his bowl as he was eating, and then moved to making the SHHH sound to get him to lift his head out of the bowl. When he did, she'd put a little treat in the bowl, and then release him. She also sometimes takes the bowl away, and then puts a treat in, and gives it back. Now he actually seems happy when he sees a hand coming towards his bowl, or when his bowl goes away, 'cause it means he usually gets treats, or gets pet.

He will also let Mom take a toy or a bone or almost anything away from him, and he doesn't growl when one of us gets near him when he's drinking.

And the other day in daycare, he got a bag of treats, and was eating them with a few other dogs. When they took the bag away from him, he didn't growl or snap either! Pretty good.

He plays great with Bear; they're best friends now. Sometimes he still gets on my nerves, like any little brother. But Bear loves him, and never seems to get annoyed with him, even when Simba still gets a little cranky sometimes.

He does SIT and WAIT and DOWN and SHAKE and STAY (mostly) now, and walks right at Mom's side, just like he's supposed to.

Mom says he's still a little too interested in the kitties, but we're going to work on that a little later.

Friday's Furry Friend in Need

April
Hopkinton, MA

About April:
"April come", "okay but I need a belly rub first". "April want to go for a walk?" "Okay but I need a belly rub first". "April who is the best girl?", "me, me oh, but I need a belly rub first". That's our April, one big belly rub. This girl will make a great companion for a quiet couple or single person. April is not good with other dogs so she needs to be an only pet. She is about 6 yrs old. Our organization offers 24PetWatch microchips, which include free registration into the 24PetWatch pet recovery service. For more information visit www.24petwatch.com or call 1-866-597-2424. This pet also comes with 30 days of pre-paid pet health insurance. For more information please visit http://www.sheltercare.com/ or call 1-866-375-PETS.

Time for Me to Take the CGC

Today I'm taking my CGC test, and I have to admit I'm a little nervous.

CGC stands for Canine Good Citizen. It's a test that tells you how good your dog friend's manners are, and is pretty much a must for any dog looking to do therapy work.

The test has ten different parts:

1. Accepting a friendly stranger

2. Sitting politely for petting

3. Appearance and grooming

4. Out for a Walk

5. Walking Through a Crowd

6. Sit Down Stay in Place

7. Coming When Called

8. Reaction to Another Dog

9. Reaction to Distractions

10. Supervised Separation


If you pass them all, you get a certificate from the AKC! And then your Mom or Dad can buy you a patch, bandana, or even a special CGC leash to show everybody how cool you are!

Besides letting your community how good you are at manners, sometimes the CGC will allow your people to get home insurance even when you're one of those breeds that people think are always dangerous. The CGC lets people know that you know how to behave, no matter what breed you are.

I think I can do all of them, but there are a couple I'm worried about. I don't always like other dogs, especially when they're rude to me, and sometimes I get really excited when people want to pet me. Mom and Dad and I have been practicing all of the parts of the test, so hopefully I will pass. Now, if they had "chasing the laser pointer" and "finding the cookies" parts of that test, I know I'd pass!

Wish me luck!



UPDATE:
Woohoo! I got it! I got my CGC!

Canine Heroes

Check it out - another great picture of doggie Hero Freida:

PAW PALS - U.S. Army Capt. Stephen Johnson shakes the paw of Sgt. 1st Class Freida, a specialized search dog, after a re-enlistment ceremony on Forward Operating Base Hammer, Iraq, June 9, 2008. Johnson is commander of the 1st Armored Division's Headquarters Company, 2nd Brigade Combat Team.U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Michael Schuch

Friday's Furry Friend in Need

Today's Furry Friend in Need is from the same shelter Bandit got adopted from!

Sato Irving

Beagle [Mix]

Sato Irving is a male mix who was rescued through Save-A-Sato in Puerto Rico. He is about 8 months old and weighs ~ 20 lbs. Irving has been working on his leash walking with our volunteers and is doing well. He is very playful and friendly. He does well with most other dogs. Irving would do best in a home with kids 10 Sato Opal is Irving's sister For hours, availability and directions, please visit our website at www.daws.org or contact us via email at dogs@daws.org

Happy Birthday Dad!

From me, Bear, Simba, Zoe, and the rest of the zoo.

And Mom, of course.

(Just remember I posted this when it's time to pass out the ice cream)

Hi, Y'all

It's me, Simba. I am still getting used to things at my new house, but I like it so far. I was born in Tennessee, and then I got a new house up here. Tennessee was not a very nice place for me. I got my leg hit with a baseball bat and it hurt a lot. My leg is all better now, but I am glad I'm not there anymore.

I got a family up here, but I had to go somewhere else 'cause I didn't get along with the other dog there, and I guess I didn't fit in there too well. They are nice people though, and I am glad I got to stay with them for a little while. I got to see them again last weekend when my new Mom and Dad took me to this fun dog fair, where I got to go in a pool and eat ice cream, and meet all sorts of dogs like me, who ended up looking for new families. My old family was happy to see me, and they gave me all sorts of pets and told me I was being a good dog.

So now I have another new family. I like it here. I am learning all sorts of things, like SIT and STAY and WAIT and COME, and something called MANNERS.

I'm not really sure what 'manners' means exactly, but it sure seems to have a lot of sitting and waiting that comes with it. I have to SIT and WAIT for all sorts of things. I have to SIT and WAIT before I go outside, and I have to SIT and WAIT before I go inside. I have to SIT and WAIT before I can eat, and I have to SIT and WAIT before I can drink. I even have to SIT and WAIT when I come out of the crate, so my new Mom can put my collar on. And I have to SIT and WAIT for cookies, but that I don't mind so much.

There's sure a lot to learn around here.

WAIT and STAY can be confusing. They start out the same, but they're different at the end.

WAIT means that you SIT still until you get called with COME. COME is fun - you have to run as fat as you can to get to your Mom or Dad, while they make happy silly noises. Then you get pets and cuddles when you get there, and they are really happy to see you! I'm really good at COME.

STAY means that you SIT or DOWN (which I don't like as much). You have to stay very still until they come back and say a special word that means you can get up. My special word is FREE. Any time I have to STAY, I know I have to be still until Mom or Dad says the word FREE. Sometimes I forget, though, and get up to early. I know I got up to early when Mom or Dad say SHHHH, and put me back where I was. STAY isn't as fun as WAIT and COME, but your people are really happy when you do it right.

You have to pay attention to everything, too, 'cause they only tell you what to do once. If you don't do it right away, they say SHHHH and you know that you should hurry up and SIT or DOWN.

And I'm learning to share. I don't think share is very fun, but I guess it's part of that Manners thing. I share toys most of the time now, and Bear and I get to play with toys every day. I am not so sure about this food thing, though.

I guess I wasn't doing my manners when I was eating before I got here, because Mom and I are spending a lot of time with how I eat. I have to SIT and WAIT before I eat my breakfast or dinner, and Mom used to make me eat all of it very slowly, little bits at a time, out of her hand. Now I eat out of my bowl, but only a little at a time. When I finish that, Mom makes me SIT and WAIT again, and then I get more! I used to eat really fast, but Mom kept saying SHHHH, so I am eating more slowly now.

I used to be real scared when I ate that someone would take my food away. I did my best to growl and hold onto my bowl and bite and eat real fast so I could keep everybody away from it. Mom taught me that manners means you don't growl and bite when you eat, and you have to let your people pick up your bowl - when Mom picks up my bowl, it usually means I'm getting more food - Yay!

I am still not sure about the other dogs, though. Right now, I eat and drink all by myself, but sometimes the other dogs are near me. Mom says SHHHH when I growl, so I guess she doesn't think they are gonna steal my food or water, but I'm still not so sure.

Anyway, I have my very own crate, and my very own toys, and I have new brothers and a sister. Zoe is my older sister; she kind of acts like a Mom sometimes. Bandit is my oldest brother, and he's fun but he sometimes barks or corrects me to let me know I'm not doing something right. And Bear is a little less than a year older than I am. He's lots of fun and we play as much as Mom lets me. We do wrestling games and tug games and all sorts of stuff.

And I even got to go on a trip this weekend - we went to a place where Bear and Bandit and me and my Aunt Wendy's dog friends got to run around and play. Bandit was jumping up to catch water from the hose - I don't like the hose. It's scary. Besides the hose, though, we had a really good time. Bear and Bandit got a bath afterwards - yuck! I didn't have to have one, and I'm glad, 'cause I don't like baths.

Oh, AND I had to go see the vet last week. That was OK. Bear says he doesn't like the vet's but Bandit does. Zoe doesn't like it either. I'm with Bandit. It's kinda fun there, and they give you treats. I got checked all over, and weighed, and they gave me two shots which weren't fun but they didn't even hurt. And you get to go in the car to get there and back. I like the car.

Anyway, I wrote a lot and now I'm tired, so I think I'll take my nap.

See y'all later!

Friday's Furry Friend in Need

Jasper

PLEASE HELP JASPER FIND A HOME!!! Poor Jasper was abandoned and found running around on Interstate 20 in Dallas, Texas in June. He was picked up by a truck driver, but she is obviously unable to keep him, as driving around in a truck is no life for wonderful Jasper. He is only about 1.5 years old, and weighs about 55 pounds. He is a VERY sweet and friendly dog, and will give you kisses on the mouth if you bend down to talk to him. He does not get along with dominant dogs, but he might be okay with very submissive dogs. He is probably not good with cats. He walks well on a leash. Jasper is quite strong, and tends to jump up and likes to mouth hands. He needs a dominant owner who will continue his training and be firm with him and not allow him to jump up, etc. He is too strong to be in a household with small children. He is crate-trained, and needs to stay in a crate or a kennel when he is unsupervised because he chews on things. Jasper has been neutered and vaccinated. PLEASE help Jasper to find a forever home!!!


Jasper is in a shelter in CT. More information, and more pictures, here

De-wackifying, Day 2

Simba had a pretty good day yesterday, except for one little glitch I would like to discuss.

When we were eating yesterday, Mom was getting Simba out of his crate to go eat his dinner. Well, I guess puppies can get pretty slippery, 'cause he got past Mom and ran to MY spot - and started stealing MY dinner! Well, let me tell you, I was so shocked I didn't know what to do. I just looked at Mom. MY DINNER!

Mom got him out of there right away, and he grumbled a little at her but didn't do anything else, which Mom says was really good. Really good?! He ate a whole bunch of my dinner! After Mom was done feeding him, she gave me some more to make up for what naughty Simba stole, so I guess it was OK.

He went to the vet's yesterday - I think he's going to tell you about that later.

This morning, Mom fed him by hand and put food in his bowl while he was eating again. She said he was pretty good, and that he ate a little slower this morning than yesterday. That's a good thing, 'cause when he was eating yesterday, he was eating REALLY fast.

He hasn't met the kitties yet, but he's being more friendly to us.

I just hope he doesn't eat my dinner again.

De-wackifying, Day 1

Simba came home last night, and me, Zoe, and Bear all said hi.

He was a little nervous about things, and he got a little grumpy, but he went to bed like he was supposed to, and we all got a good night's sleep.

Mom was real happy that he had a clean crate this morning, and he peed and pooped outside. He was nicer to us this morning, too, except for grumping at Bear a little when he walked by Simba's crate while Simba was chewing on one of his toys.

Mom has been working with him about food for the past couple of weeks, so while we all ate our breakfast in our spots, she took Simba out in the kitchen to have his.

Mom started with the bowl in her lap, and Simba had to sit down and wait until she was ready to give him his breakfast. She fed him most of the food a few bits at a time, with him sitting and waiting each time, and he had to be gentle when he took it out of her hand. Then mom left a little bit of food in the bowl, and added a few bits at a time to the bowl by hand.

Mom says he was really good - didn't get growly or crazy or anything.

She says he's still a little unsure about everything around here, but she still has all her fingers so it's a pretty good start so far.

Me, I'm just chilling in the living room and taking a nap on the couch.

Meet My New Little Brother

What a ham. He's five months old, and nobody's really sure what kind of dog he is. I met him the other day, and basically, he's an annoying little brother. He kept following me around all over the place. He and Bear should get along, 'cause all they want to do is play.

Mom and Dad say Simba has "issues." No surprise to me. He was adopted by a nice family, but he had to look for a new one because he gets a little weird about food and toys.

Well, a lot weird, actually. He gets all growly and stuff, like that's all the food he's ever going to get. I guess he didn't learn that people were nice when he was little.

When the nice people who help doggies find new homes first found him, some really mean person had hit him with a baseball bat. One of his back legs was broken. I can't imagine anybody being mean enough to do that! Anyway, when he got his new home, he was doing OK, but he started being really wacky around food, growling and snapping and all sorts of crazy stuff. Mom and Dad and my Aunt Wendy all help teach dogs not to be naughty, and they started teaching Simba not to be so wacky. Mom says he's doing much better now, but the first family who took him couldn't keep him, 'cause there's a little boy living there and Simba doesn't know how not to be wacky.

So anyway, Simba needs a special home where there are people who know how to help teach him to be nice when he's eating - and how not to hog all the toys. That's where we come in. He's coming home tomorrow, and I'll be telling you about how things are going with the de-wackifying.

Until then, here are some things to make sure to do with your new little doggie friend, so you can help him or her start learning how to be good:

Buy a Crate!
I'm not in my crate much anymore at all - at least not with the door shut. But I still always eat in my crate, and I go there when I need some private space, like when Bear wants to play and I don't. Crates are a great way to keep a puppy out of trouble, and they help him or her feel safe - it's like our own personal den.

Your new puppy friend should be in his crate whenever someone isn't watching him. That way, you can help teach him not to piddle in the house, and you don't have to worry about him eating something he shouldn't. Take it from me, puppies like to chew on everything.

Which brings me to my next point...

Chew Toys!
Puppies need to chew. When they're teething, chewing helps make their mouths stop hurting. And when they get their new big-dog teeth, puppies need to set the teeth in the jaw. That means - you guessed it - more chewing. Petstages Orka toys and West Paw Design's Hurleys are Mom and Dad's (and my) favorite chew toys. Pet Stages also has some really great toys that people can put in the freezer so puppies can chew on something cold.

Don't let your puppy chew on anything you don't want a grown-up dog to chew on. For instance, don't let a puppy chew on an old shoe if you don't him chewing on a new one - or if you don't want your grown-up dog chewing on shoes.

Be careful of plastic and rawhide chews - make sure that any plastic or rubber toys specifically say "non-toxic," and you might want to stay away from toys made in China. Mom says that's tough, but there are toys you can find that are made right here in the U.S.A.

Rawhide can get stuck in a dog's tummy, which is not fun.

It's a good idea not to leave your puppy unsupervised with any toy he can destroy while you're gone. And make sure to check toys often for signs of wear.

Set the Rules from the Start!
One of the mistakes people make with puppies is giving them too much attention. Me, I don't think you can get too much attention, but Mom and Dad say that you have to set the rules right away - especially the Big Three:

1. No Jumping. It might look cute when he's five pounds, but that 200 pound Mastiff isn't going to be as cute when he jumps on grandma.

2. No Biting. Puppies need to learn right away that people aren't OK to chew on. What looks like play can hurt a lot from a big dog. Puppies need to learn right from the start that their teeth should never, ever touch people.

3. Poop and Pee Outside. Remember that puppies haven't learned how to hold it yet, and they have to have help to learn. Make sure that you use a crate divider so that your puppy has just enough room to lie down, and turn around. No more. No dog likes to pee or poop where he has to sleep, so if you don't give the puppy room to get away from it if he does, he's going to hold it.

You also have to make sure to take the puppy outside often enough so that you make it easier for him not to have accidents.

Puppies can, most of the time, hold it for one hour per month of age, plus one. So a four month old puppy can hold it for about five hours.

Puppies should also go outside to pee or poop:
- when they wake up
- after eating / drinking
- after a short amount of playing

If you work all day, like my Mom or Dad, you should come back at lunchtime if possible to let the puppy out - or consider having someone come and help. Lucky for Mom and Dad, they work at different times, so Mom can take Simba out before she leaves, and Dad can do it when he comes home. Other than that, Simba is going to be in his crate during the day.

Remember to be patient; puppies need time to learn. And don't correct a puppy for peeing in the house if you don't catch him while he's doing it. We dogs don't understand what we're in trouble for if you don't catch us in the act.

Setting the rules from the start helps your puppy grow up knowing how to behave, and avoids trouble later on. We dogs are happier when we know the rules, rather than having to try and figure them out for ourselves, or worse - making up our own.

So anyway, my little brother is coming home tomorrow - I'll keep you updated.

He is so not getting my bone - or my space on the bed.

Baby Pictures

Check these out - was I cute or what?

My first Mom and Dad were nice enough to send these along to Mom and Dad when I got adopted.

Just under 4 months old and cute as a button!

Me practicing my earliest "Are you gonna eat that?" look

4 1/2 months old