Thinking of getting a dog? Introduction

I have a new series of posts I want to get started soon: 

Thinking of getting a dog?

Short Intro/How does this lady know what she's talking about?

1. My family has had dogs for a long, long time, way before I was born. German Shepherds, Flatcoated Retrievers, Cocker Spaniels, Small Mix Breed dogs and now even what we like to call a 北京路狗  (bad chinese for: Beijing Street dog - it's not the exact word for streetdog, I know that). 
2. I am also half way through my K-9 Security Specialist Certificate at George Brown College, which has taught me so much more about dogs and how to train them. It has also given me great connections for questions I may have. 
3. Sam and I have been foster parents for just over a year now. We are currently fostering our 8th dog and his story gave me the idea for this series of "Thinking of getting a dog?" 
4. On top of that, I myself am considering getting a dog in the near future to start Search and Rescue Training with said dog. This is why I am doing a lot of research on this whole topic in my free time. If there is one academic thing I am somewhat good at, it is researching topics that interest me. 

So I am planning on writing tips on this topic, however I come across them. They will probably be in quite a random order as especially foster dogs and their stories might impact my Tips. They will be numbered and if they relate to a previous Tip, on the top of the post it will say something along the lines of "See Tip ... posted on ... for similar Information".  - How professional, eh ?

I hope that with this series I can help whoever stumbled across my Blog with the decision whether or not you are ready for a dog, and where to find the perfect one for you! Keep in mind, I am planning on going through this whole thing in the near future, so we're all in the same boat.

When I come across a problem, rather than saying "nope, that's it, no dog for you missy!" I want to try to find solutions for it. Remember, those solutions might cost you money, so try to keep all that in mind when you read a possible answer to a problem - just because there is an answer, doesn't mean it will work for everybody.

I welcome comments and any tips you can give me. Correct me anytime I am wrong - these are my opinions from experience and possible research I may have done on the topic, this is not a professional opinion or representation of any kind.

Sophia


P.S.: My posts might contain occasional coarse language. This is a topic I get very emotional about and I like to express my feelings the way they come. I will not make this Blog vanilla just because you cannot deal with the bad f-word. Just keep that in mind.

Watson, Dog n.8 - Full story

"You know my methods, Watson."- Sherlock Holmes

"I have not lived for years with Sherlock Holmes for nothing" - Dr. John Watson

Enough geekery for today, just thought those two quotes were fitting to introduce y'all to our new Black Lab: Watson !
Watson is a:

• 9 year old
• 35kg heavy
• Black Labrador (even though I say he's more like a flatcoated Retriever because he has longer fur, that is not as oily and a longer nose than Black Labs, but anywho)

We picked this cutie up on November 4th, 2012 when my dad was here to visit. He will be with us for 1-2 weeks. From Watson's history, I only know that his family surrendered him because since the kids are off to college, there will be no one taking care of him any more. Why those people would get a dog 9 years ago in the first place f*cking beats me. Excuse my french, but people like that really piss me off - what, were they hoping he'd be gone by then ?! Stop ranting, Sophia...

How did we get him:

I called Megan to see how Black was doing and if we'd get him back. Turns out that he's probably better off at the Society anyways because he keeps chewing on his cast, so I asked her if she had anything else for me and she told me about Watson. I wanted to show my dad the humane society so we walked in there to see Pretty (who is still available for adoption if anyone in Toronto wants an awesome white Pit) and to see Black. And we also walked home with Watson the next day. 

The daily life:

Boy, this dog... He can be so amazing, he sleeps all day (he's an old man after all), and he knows sit, down, stay REALLY well. I was genuinely surprised. I wanted to see what else I could teach him, so I taught him "bark" with a clicker within about a half hour. He is a very easygoing dog, doesn't like being alone, but loves people. He is so soft, I love petting him. He's just been a bit smelly recently, probably because I convinced him to take his pills with a slice of cheese. For the first day we had to handfeed him (as we were instructed), but the second day he already ate off his plate, AND we got him to eat the healthy stuff too (before he would refuse to eat it). I was a proud foster parent ! Even annoyed the humane society people with an email telling them about our fast progress - basically just tooting my own horn...

The dog:

Watson is AMAZING. He listens to commands really well, and even though I believe he's in pain, he's just the best dog with the nicest soul. Now, he is quite an old man, and he has a bunch of cysts, growths and lumps all over his body. The humane society took samples and is getting them tested - we'll see how they turn out, fingers crossed to hope for the best. But for example his front elbows have growths on them that are really squishy and kind of open wounds that bleed when he licks them too much. I will not post a picture because believe me, it is not a pretty thing. To stop him from chewing and licking we put socks on him, which helped quite a bit. I cannot help but feel so sorry for Watson. He was surrendered because "no one will take care of him any more" but they didn't even talk about his medical issues - his elbows apparently were just covered in dipers to help with the bleeding. WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE ?! I am seriously starting to lose ALL my faith in humanity - someone please restore it !!! 

When I think about what this dog is going through, I start crying. I feel so sorry for him. Imagine living with someone, loving someone for 9 dog years (that would be 63 for all you humans) and then they just give you away ! And they never pay attention to your open, bleeding, itching and hurting wounds either. Some people should not be allowed to have a dog AT ALL. He is the best dog, he has such a calm soul and after all he went through I cannot say I am surprised that he has separation anxiety and doesn't like being alone. Poor thing.
So far he's been having the time of his life though at our place. He jumped on the couch and I didn't have the heart to tell him to get off, and he even chewed on Black's old bone, something I didn't think he'd do because we were told his teeth were really soft and he couldn't properly chew. He kept surprising us within the first few days. That is why I will give him the second name of Chocolate Box because just like chocolate boxes, he is a surprise (for all you "young" people: Watch Forrest Gump and you'll understand this quote). For the third name I will call him Sedated because this dog is the calmest thing, so calm it's like he's sedated... When I was putting those socks on him, he just lay there ! Kind of with that facial expression of "whatever, as long as you're here and I'm not alone you can do anything you want to me". Watson Sedated Chocolate Box. What a nice name. 

I absolutely love this one and I really hope and pray that his tests come back somewhat all right. If this dog has to be put down it would absolutely break my heart, maybe he'll at least get a nice few weeks with a foster family in palliative care - I now know that I would never be able to do it. I don't think I am strong enough. Sorry for the emotional post, this dog is just really getting to me - maybe he reminds me of my family's old dogs that had to be put down because of cancer. I hope this one gets another few years with someone nice - he deserves them.

Update December 5th:
Finally the test results are in, Watson does not have cancer ! He does have some sort of Arthritis, which we got medication for. The vets want to operate on his elbows, take off the growths (whatever they are) and then put him up for adoption !! How awesome. I am so glad, this dog deserves it. Recently he's turned into a trash-raider and he's living with Sam's parents dog, Darcy. They two get along quite well, they're even starting to share the couch ! I am so relieved. Lucky guy, what a lucky guy, now his life can turn around and get a lot better. 

The end:
We brought Watson back on December 14th. He was then put into palliative foster care, from what I hear he is doing well, but it's sad to know he wont get adopted by anyone. On the other hand palliative care is just as good as being adopted as he will stay with this family until the end of his life (which can be months, possibly years). He should also be very happy as the new foster family has a small dog, considering how much he loved Darcy he should be having the time of his life.

And now for some closure:

Oh Watson. You completely broke my heart when I first saw you. Such bad condition, no spirit, so skinny... For the first week I was sure you would die in my care and I wasn't sure I would be able to handle it. Then I taught you "speak" - that uplifted your spirit a lot. Then Darcy came into the picture and you started looking 5 years younger already. You were awesome with her, you absolutely loved her and you were an awesome dog with everyone. So calm and forgiving. I know you hated the socks I put on you, but I hope you know it was for your own good. Good luck with your palliative foster family, I am sure the rest of your life, however long it may be, will be amazing.

I am not sure I have any more pictures - if I do they are on my camera and I will load them on here as soon as they are on my computer.

Black, Dog n.7 - Full story

When we first met him (1 week before
we actually got him)

Today, I will introduce you to a Black !
Black is a:

• (my best guess is about) 2-3 year old
• 28 kg heavy
• Black Labrador

I picked him up on September 11, 2012 and got a ride back by one of the employees at the humane society cause Black is not supposed to walk stairs. Now to Black's history... There's not too much I can tell you really as I've heard all different stories from different people. 

One was that there was a lot of media and social pressure on this black lab that had a broken leg and needed help, then the humane society took him. 

The other story is that he was part of a circus and broke his leg jumping out a window or a moving vehicle... 

No idea which one (if either) is true, but it doesn't really matter. What matters is that he broke his leg, so they put in a plate. Plates are supposed to help mend the bone, but he was so jumpy he broke that plate too (something that has apparently never happened at the humane society). So now they needed something new to do and they contacted specialists. Black now has rods that go into his bone and that are stabilized on the outside. Kinda hard to imagine, huh... Well it's not all that pretty either.

How did we get him:

Well on labour day weekend I got an email about a dog that needed a foster home cause without a foster home they couldn't do the stabilization and they would have to amputate the leg. Of course we didn't hesitate to take him. We were supposed to get him at the end of September however miscommunications happened and the surgery was done 2 weeks earlier. We got an email again asking if there was any way we could take him earlier, well what were we going to do ?
Say no ?!
I picked him up, got a ride back and for the first 2 days he was just in the bedroom. Just on Sept. 13th I re-arranged the living room a bit so that he is in here with us (in a confined space) so that we can take the cone off him. The only way Sam and I get out is by climbing over our couch. Lovely - that's my exercise for the day !!

Yup, there it is ! That's what it looks like.

The daily life:

Black isn't supposed to walk, jump, play... So our daily life consists of 4-6 trips outside just so he can do his business. No walking around the block and no playing with other dogs. 

In the morning when we get up we have to calm him down so that he doesn't jump around too much and at night we have to clean his wounds and apply a gel to his stomach, this is impossible to do alone, yay for teamwork ! 

He gets a lot of medication but all that goes into his food. A few times he didn't eat the pills, but he is very easily medicated. Pop pill in mouth, hold mouth closed til he swallows, not as horrible Polly was. He also absolutely loves his food so we barely have any problems.

The living room transferred into a dog/work room.

The dog:

Black is the most excitable dog. When he sees people he gets so crazy and just wants to play... That's why we put him in the living room with us, if he sees us all day long, he just lies down and sleeps but when he's in another room he jumps up every time he hears or sees us. 

He is quite food aggressive though so we just let him eat alone (reach into his bowl and I think you might end up missing a few fingers). But we will try to work on that.

It's just been 3 days and he's already really protective. He likes some strangers and not others and will bark and growl at the ones he doesn't like. 

We got him a few treats and among them was a big bone. Now every time we take the leash he runs for his bone, brings it and is basically like "hey, hey, can I bring this ?!", funnily enough he's not aggressive about his treats !

Now for our tick of giving dogs 2 middle names. My first choice is Stinky cause oh boy, be glad you're not here ! The occasional fart this one lets rip is a whole world in itself... The other one is Jump cause even tho though this creature has a freaking broken leg and must be in pain, he jumps around... It's crazy and hurts me just to watch him. So yes Black Stinky Jump. 

Update 1:
It is October 18th, and I have a few updates for you !

• The rods and stabilization plate have come off and now he "just" has a cast on ! Doesn't sound like much, but it's absolutely awesome. He's had a few trips to the vet and specialist (thank you Jason for being Black's personal driver, without you we would not be able to keep him) and they say everything looks really good. Phew !
• Walks are still non-existant, but just wait til the rehabilitation time starts - we'll be doing very slow, 1-3 hour walks in no time !
• With us, Black is no longer food aggressive ! Sam and I took the time to use different methods to deal with his food aggressiveness. A very good trick is to give the dog some food, and as he is eating, add in more food with your hand. Also hand-feeding a dog a few times deals with food aggressiveness quite nicely and fast. That basically did the trick. Within less than a week he didn't care any more if we touched his bowl or even took it away for a second. AWESOME ! However I have no clue what it is like with strangers - that would definitely be interesting to know.
• He is SO protective over us. Barks whenever he hears someone in the hallway - after all, the whole hallway belongs to us, RIGHT ? Well, no... Not really. But thank god we have not had any complaints.

I am very much enjoying my time with this crazy shedder. Yea, he sheds like crazy. Clean on Sunday morning and by noon there's hair EVERYWHERE again ! Even in our freaking tupperware - HOW DOES IT GET THERE ?! He should be called Harry...

Update 2: 
I received a call on November 13th, 2012 that they ended up having to take off his leg after all. After he ate the cast and so on, it turned out the cast wasn't working as it was supposed to. They took off his cast and decided it was best to take the leg off too. Poor little guy, but I have also been told that he is happy as ever. Sam and I will try to go see him on the weekend, I'll see that I take some pictures. He is now also going out for adoption !!! Yay for Black. Best of luck buddy !!

The end: 
Well, our time with Black ended quite abruptly. After he got his cast, he started doing everything he could to chew it off... Of course, that's not good. On the 21st of October he got picked up so that they can watch over him at the humane society - even with his cone on he would chew on his freaking cast... I just didn't know what to do any more because I was scared of what would happen if he ate it... Jason picked him up and when we went to pick up our new dog (story to follow soon), I was told that Black actually DID eat the cast. He had to be brought to the specialist for emergency surgery to get the cast out of his stomach... What a crazy dog !!! Now I am not sure yet, but we might get him back when it is rehab time, only time will tell. 

And now for some closure:

Oh Black, what a freaking CRAZY dog you are !!! I had an awesome time with you, attacking people on the street and in the elevator, barking as soon as you hear something outside without even lifting your head... Maybe I will get you back, I will definitely visit you every time when I am at the Society for as long as you are there. You'll find an awesome home fast, I am sure. You are a great dog, just tune down the barking a bit. Love you, my crazy black lab.

                      

                                                          

             

             

Pitty (Pretty), Dog n.6 - Full story

Really exhausted Pit Bull...

Here we go again. Let me introduce you to our new Pit Bull Pitty !

Pitty is a

• 9 year old
• at least 30 kg heavy (probably more though)
• American Pit Bull Terrier

We picked her up from the humane society on August 14th, 2012, her story probably being the saddest of all our foster dogs so far: Pitty was owned by a man who asked his neighbour (a woman who fosters cats for the humane society) to watch her while he went on holidays. Instead of going on a holiday, he just moved. That's right, he just left. The dog was with the neighbour and he moved away not telling her where he was going, how to reach him, nothing. The lady tried to keep Pitty, but because Pitty is very dog-aggressive and the woman lived in a dog-filled neighbourhood it was quite hard on her. She decided to give her up to the humane society - however without being able to prove that the dog is "legal" (due to the whole pitbull ban in Ontario) she wasn't able to give her to the humane society right away. Proving a dog is legal requires all the papers that vets normally have (they prove that the dog existed before the ban, etc...), so for 3 months the woman went from vet to vet trying to find those papers. Luckily she got them and also, luckily for Pitty she worked with the humane society cause most other animal services and shelters would've just put her down without the papers. Most horrible story so far, and that's not even the end of it cause Pitty was adopted for 48 hours and then brought back - more of that in the next section.

Morning = Cuddle time.

How did we get her:

Well Sam is doing summer school and apart from occasional things to do (dentist appointments, wii fit workouts,...) Sophia is quite bored at home. So we emailed the society asking if they had a dog who may need fostering. Funny fact: we were supposed to get Pitty about 2 weeks ago but a woman adopted her. 48 hours later the woman brought the dog back with excuses "well I need to travel a lot, I'm not sure what to do with her" and "she didn't settle in well"... Seriously, can Pitty's life get any worse ? Anyhow Pitty needs fostering cause she's not doing well at the humane society cause of the noise, the barking etc... So now she's with us for the next 2 and a half weeks.

The daily life:

Well Pitty doesn't actually have any injuries like all our other fosters so the daily life is just like with any other dogs. Walks, playing in the apartment, cuddling,...

The dog:

Well at first she was a tiny bit shy, she explored the apartment, let us pet her and played with us, but only with a bit caution on her side. We let her sleep outside the bedroom and when we got up in the morning she lay in front of our door and was all cuddly, waiting for us to walk her, and wanting to be pet. Now during the day she'll follow us around the apartment, lay down and watch very intently on what we're doing.
She doesn't eat normal treats that we had, but she loves the bacon-cheese treats that Sam got her (spoiled brat). We also got her a toy that lasted about 3 minutes then it was just bits and pieces that we got to clean up (fun times). She's already quite protective (Sam coming home is greeted with deep barking that can be quite scary) and we also know that she's loud when alone so we need to figure out something to do with her if we both have to leave.
Pitty may just think she's a cat. She rubs herself along the couch and she kind of purrs when you pet her. Yes, her head will be in your lap, you pet her head and she'll start doing a growl/purr thing. Because of the cat-behavior traits her first middle name will be Cat and the second one is Shark cause when I do my Wii Fit workouts or when she's bored she starts circling people like a shark would in the water. Also, she loves chasing her tail - it's quite entertaining really. But it's so good to see a Pit Bull without cut ears and without a cut tail - looks a bit weird even cause most Pit Bulls don't look like this. So, Pitty the Cat Shark who is actually a Pit Bull.
She knows sit, down (lie down) and give paw. She knows her commands and follows them pretty well, but apart from that I'm not sure how smart she ist (runs into glass doors all the time, doesn't get out of the way when I try to open a door, it's funny really...). Oh and did we mention she loves to chase shadows and lights on the wall ? It drives me crazy... 

The end:
Oh Pitty... We had to bring her back a lot earlier than expected. We brought her back on August 23rd, 2012 due to an unforeseen problem. The son of my parents friends came over to visit us, he's 13. And boy, Pitty did not like him. She circled him like a shark the whole time, wouldn't let him walk around, snapped for his hand and face. I called the humane society and told them that it was a problem and we couldn't keep her like that. I felt horrible, she is the first dog that in  a way we gave up on (well she had nothing wrong with her, she just needed some time in a home away from the shelter), but still. But we just couldn't risk her biting my 13-year old friend and we didn't want to lock her into the bedroom 24/7.

And now for some closure:

Pitty, I'm sorry you couldn't stay with us for the time we had planned. I really am sorry that we gave you back, but what were we supposed to do ! You just wouldn't leave the kid alone and you know that you're strong. I hope someone properly adopts you soon, you deserve a good life after it's been so bad. I'll visit you every time I'm at the humane society until you're gone. 

Update on Pitty (October 18th, 2012):
I was informed that she was re-named by the society as "Pretty". I like that so much better than Pitty. However she is still waiting to be adopted (it's been nearly been 2 months), I am sure someone will come along that will be perfect for her. Too bad that Pit Bulls are having such a tough time in Ontario.
Please, if you want to get a dog, consider adopting one at your local shelter !

Yea she was probably searching for shadows...

Such big teeth...

Polly, Dog n.3; Anook, Dog n.5 - UPDATES

Let's start with Polly. The dog that has been waiting for 2 months in the humane society was finally adopted (it seems every time I sit in a plane a dog gets adopted - first Harry, now Polly)... Polly took a while to get adopted because she had a bit of attitude issues (attacking people on bikes, carrying heavy objects and trying to grab people's hands with her mouth (not biting, but nibbling). And she barked a lot at random people... God knows what she has gone through before she came to Toronto. The other issue was that she had hip dysplasia at only a year and a half, which means it's likely for the other side to happen (soon) too - something some people don't want to go through with their pet. BUT now she has found her forever home. I am happy for her - I know she'll be happy there.

Anook, our little devilish impaler puppy... She was spayed just a day after we brought her back and I received an email saying that people are going through the adoption process with her right now. I knew it wouldn't take her long to find a place with that cute face - but if the people were convinced by her cute face they'll be in for a surprise... She can be SUCH a devil... But that's all puppies I guess.

Anyways - great day to wake up to. Both dogs adopted and Sam's arriving in Austria today.

Paris, Dog n.4 - UPDATE

Paris has found her forever home.
After about two weeks of being back at the humane-society, a Pit-loving person decided to adopt our cherie, Paris. The lady is a dog-groomer so she can take Paris to work with her which is great. I am sure she will have a great life with her, Paris adapts so greatly to everyone.

Anooks' mother Calispo, has also been adopted. A nice couple that already had a dog walked out with her when we dropped off Calipso. It's great to see that she didn't have to spend much more time in the shelter after being passed around quite a bit at the SPCA in Quebec.

However everyone in Toronto please keep in mind that Polly (Dog n.3) is still waiting for adoption. If you know anyone that is experienced with dogs and wants an energetic dog, tell them to check here and they can see Polly.

Please remember: Before you buy a dog from a breeder, consider adopting one. They are not all aggressive dogs with horrible histories, as a lot of people seem to think ! A lot of the dogs had to be given up by their owners because they couldn't afford it any more. They have been treated greatly so far, and a lot of them are just really, really nice dogs to have, whose owners suffered bad fates having to give up their best friends. Those dogs deserve nothing but the best. If you can give it to them, consider getting a dog from the SPCA or humane society in your city :).

Anook, Dog n.5 - Full story

Let me introduce you to Anook !
Anook is a

• (When we got her) 7 week old
• 15 pound heavy
• Husky/Mastiff mix 
• With one brown and one blue eye

We picked her up on April 8th, 2012 right when we brought back Paris. 

Anook came to the Humane Society in Toronto with her mother Calipso (now up for adoption here) from the SPCA in Montreal. We don't really know anything else about their history, apart from that her mom is a Husky and it looks like her dad might have been some sort of Mastiff.

How did we get her:

The Humane Society sent out an email about a lot of moms with pups that all needed fostering. We knew we would only have Paris for a few more days so I told the Society that if they have anything that only needs fostering for 2 weeks we could take it (because we're leaving for Austria soon). I was told that a Husky mom with a pup were coming in but they weren't sure about foster yet.

The next day I received an email that the puppy needed fostering (but without the mom as she wasn't nursing any more). What were we going to do... Say no to a puppy ?! The day we brought back Paris we went home with Anook. We are keeping her for 2 weeks and then she will probably be spayed to then finally be put up for adoption. She wont have a hard time finding a home though.

The daily life:

Man, puppies are stupid... Don't get me wrong Anook is the cutest thing ever, but she does things that just make you shake your head or eve face-palm. I found her chewing on a thumb tag yesterday, or chasing her tail and biting on it so hard that she starts whining, wondering why she was feeling pain.

Life with Anook is great though. She's a great dog. Active every now and then, where she will scratch the hell out of you with her cat-like claws and bite you so hard with those needle-sharp-puppy-teeth til she draws blood. However she gets tired really fast, which is always a plus. 

We take Anook out between 2-6 walks a day (depending when we have time), but she never goes outside ! We'll be walking her for an hour, come home and she'll immediately run to her puppy pad to pee. Thank god for puppy pads.

The dog:

Oh Anook. She doesn't recognize her name yet (who would at 7 weeks ?) and I swear to god, I can actually SEE her grow. He face has gotten longer (in just 3 days) and she's already gained one Kilo since she started living with us. When we leave her alone we put her into the bedroom. When we get home she's on the bed, between our covers - funny thing is that when we are actually in the bed, she sits on the side, whining cause she pretends like she can't get up. We pick her up, put her on the bed and the "I'll bite til you scream"-game begins. It's like a Horror Movie. 

Once you look into her brown and blue eyes though you can't do anything but forgive her. Also, her fur, I need to mention that SHE HAS PUPPY FUR ! It is so soft, it makes me understand Cruella De Vil for wanting a coat made out of puppies. I'd totally buy one. Maybe from now on we will only accept to foster puppies.

For her name we have decided on Anook Devil the Impaler. Devil because - I think you can guess, and Impaler because she bites and scratches EVERYTHING in sight. Whether it's your hand, shirt, toes or your breasts in a bra. 

The end:
We brought Anook back on April 22nd, 2012. She was fine just walking away with the vet and just before we left we saw that Anook got to meet her mother, Calipso, again - before Calipso's adoptive parents walked out with her. Anook will now be spayed and in about a week she should be up for adoption, finding a home in no time.

And now for some closure:

Anook, you little devil. We need an exorcism for you more than anything else ! You didn't seem too worried when you walked away with the vet to get weighed and you seemed quite surprised when you saw your mom again ! She must've thought how different you smell now... Anyways, I had great times with you (and some times where I just felt like crying, because of your devilishness to be honest), but I know that once you're ready to be adopted, you'll be snatched up by the first person that's interested in you. I hope that your one blue eye stays the way it is, it's gorgeous !! I'll miss you little one. Stop being such a bitch/devil and become just a tiny bit nicer, ok ? You can't bite your new owners like you bit me... That's not good. I'll never forget you Impaler, find a home and stay there.

Paris, Dog n.4 - Full story

Vive la France !
Paris is a:

• 7 year old 
• 26 kilo heavy
• American Pit Bull Terrier (American Staffordshire Terrier Mix)

We picked her up from the Humane Society on March 2nd, 2012 after a little mix-up. 

Paris was given up by her owner, sadly.
A ligament snapped in her knee, which had to be replaced. The Humane Society replaced it and now she'll be with us for 6-8 weeks. On March 10th her stitches are coming out.

How did we get her:

There was a small mix-up at the Society. We were supposed to take a Rottweiler mom with 11 puppies, but due to another foster parent asking just a day before us, we didn't get them. I was quite disappointed because we didn't actually know we wont get them until the day they were supposed to arrive. Sam emailed the Society telling them I was really looking forward to another dog and if they had any other needy animals. One of the organizers just went straight to the vets and asked if they had anything coming up for foster and there she was, Paris. 

                         The daily life:

Due to her knee surgery we're only allowed to take her on 4 walks a day, 10 minutes each (which is fine by us because it's a nice break from what we had to do with Polly where we walked her 7-8 times a day). Short walks are nice too, but especially on nice days I wouldn't mind making it a longer walk - which we will have to do with her soon anyways. 

As there is a APBT (American Pit Bull Terrier) ban in Ontario, she has to be muzzled and leashed on all walks. Now, how is she still allowed even though there's a ban? Well good question, I asked that same one. She was born before the ban was put into effect on August 29th, 2005, which means her owner got to keep her. Adopting her out is going to be a bit harder though, but maybe someone form Quebec or another Province finds and takes her. 

The dog:


Paris is the most cuddly dog we've ever had. She puts herself into your lap when you're sitting on the couch and she just starts sleeping as if you're holding a Baby. The first night she jumped straight into the bed and we let her stay in there, but the second night we made her a little bed for herself, next to my side. She is so great with people, it's mind-blowing how these dogs have such a bad reputation. Even when we have to give her her pills and we have to open her jaw, put them into her mouth, keep her jaw closed so she swallows them, she doesn't make a big deal out of it. She's definitely one of the best dogs we've had so far (along with Dakota). 

Now for her names, I have chosen lucky, because she is lucky to be alive (all dogs born after the ban were "destroyed or given up for research"). And the other one was smiley, because I swear to god, this dog can smile. So this makes her Paris Lucky Smiley. 

The end: Paris got well a lot faster than any of us (including the vets) had expected. She has been using her leg ever since her operation so there weren't many issues to begin with. On Sunday, April 8th we brought her back to the Humane society. Her leg was fine and there was another, younger dog that needed our help.

And now for some closure:

Paris, Paris, Paris... You were a great dog, at least to humans. I know you don't like other dogs, but you are the biggest baby, EVER. It was great that when I felt a big down from all my studying, all I had to do was sit on the couch and you'd come to be cradled like a baby, but sadly our time together has come to an end. I know you will find a great home, you're an awesome killing machine !! I also know that you had NO TROUBLE walking away from me when that guy came to pick you up - you just love everybody huh... 
Au revoir Paris, keep on giving people that massive smile, you are an awesome dog, even if you're quite loud when left alone... 

Bitch is stealing my man...

Dakota, Dog n.2 - UPDATE

Dakota has found his forever home !!!
It didn't even take him 2 days in the shelter until he convinced a person to take him home, but with his pretty face, I am not surprised...

So glad that all my dogs have been adopted in less than 3 days of me bringing them back to the shelter. Guess Sam and I are doing something right.

Polly, Dog n.3 - Full story

Our first female dog - gonna be interesting...

Along came Polly !
Polly is a

• 1 and a half year old
• currently freakishly skinny and light (she only weighs 25 kilos even though her size is more like Dakota's)
• Chesapeake Bay Retriever Mix

We picked her (yay, our first bitch - oh how I love saying that) up at the humane society on January 11th, the same day we brought Dakota back to be put up for adoption and will have her for about 2 months (longest time so far).

Polly was brought to the humane society from an animal shelter in Quinte (near Kingston) with a case of severe hip dysplasia. Hip Dysplasia in dogs basically results in very painful arthritis and she was in so much pain that she wouldn't even stand (or walk) on her left hind leg. In Toronto they operated on her and she now needs a lot of attention and will need to go to rehab.

Two cuties :D

How did we get her:

When we went for Dakotas first (and only) checkup at the humane society a week after getting him, the vet told us about another, needier dog that would need attention by foster parents as good as us (apparently every dog we bring back looks 1000 times better than he did before, so I guess we are doing something right). He told us about the fact that she had surgery and just wont use her leg (even though she should be able to) so she'll need foster parents to try to push her off balance while walking her, try to walk her up and downhill, etc... On top of that she'll need to go to a rehab facility 2-3 times a week. After Sam and I talked about it, we decided we'd take her in and help her - after all that's why we became foster parents. To fix the broken dogs. I arranged a dog switch, brought Dakota back and didn't even have enough time to start crying as they brought me Polly.

In her bed :)

The daily life:

Polly probably has the most energy of all (she is a Retriever after all), but she is pretty good at entertaining herself. She attacks her toys and plays with them all by herself, without demanding much attention.
At the beginning she especially needed a lot of attention as: Walks outside: 6; Peed outside: 0; Peed inside: 2.... But we did get her "issue" under control within two days. Sam didn't let me give up on her (knew I said yes to this guy for a reason...) Walking her (even though she only walks on 3 legs) is such a challenge !! She weighs 25 kilos, only currently uses 3 legs and still manages to pull so hard that I sometimes have to lean back to get a proper hold of her. She loves to "attack" and bark at random strangers and boy, don't even get me started on how she reacts with other dogs...

Her first rehab appointment was on January 20th where she was assessed and was introduced to the water-treadmill-thing they have. The water-rehab didn't work as planned so they gave us instructions on what to do with her at home, to get her to start using her leg. It worked really well and she gained about a cm of muscle mass in one week.

She tried to pull down my shirt...

The dog:

As mentioned Polly is a Chesapeake Bay Retriever Mix, and she really does look like that perfect hunting dog she's supposed to be (she also has that bark). They are supposed to love water (which I think today - rainy day - I really realized), she loves loves loves snow, and Chesapeake Bay Retrievers are one of the best hunting dog breeds. Chesapeake bays have a bright brown colored fur and so does Polly, just her paws and tip of her tail looks like she stepped into a can of paint. It's why we chose her last name. And then Polly's face reminds us a bit of Timon (from The lion king), these two reasons are why we decided to name her Polly Paint-Timon. 

New (temporary) family member

The end:
We brought Polly back on Friday February 24th, 2012 so we had her for about 6.5 weeks. She was a very energetic dog, but it's good that she's back because now she can try to find a home. She had gained about 3 kilos since we had gotten her and she just filled out a bit in general, which made her look so much more healthy than she did before.
Anyone interested in adopting this gorgeous hound, you can find her on the adoption page of the humane society (link opens in a new window).

And now for some closure:

Polly, I know you were sad when Sam and I walked away, and it was painful to close the door while you stood there, staring at us with your ears perked up and that whiny look that you get, but I know (and I think you do too) that it's for the best. You'll now be put up for adoption and someone will come and take you because girl, you're gorgeous and I know it wont take long to find you a loving home with people that love to go for runs and long walks with you. You'll have a great life my baby-bear I just know it.
Bye Polly Paint-Timon ! You'll always be my "baby-bear" even though you annoyed the hell out of me at times I'll always remember you. 

"MY TOY" !!!

Gorgeous Chesapeake Bay Retriever
Shepherd Mix

CRAZY EYES !!