Penny Update

It's really hard to believe it's been 2 months since this wonderful little lady entered my life. I will never forget the day they arrived. Stan met us at 7-11 and he loaded the girls in to crates in my truck. We drove home and after settling our boys in the house I went outside to bring the girls in. Penny came out of the crate like a bat out of hell. Thank goodness she had a chain attached or she would have been gone. Then it was 5 minutes of allowing her to crocodile death roll, trying to get away from me, the leash, the collar, everything. In to the yard and then in one leap she was over the safety fence and a second later the perimeter fence. I panicked, ran out and fortunatly Willow started to cry so Penny decide to come back. I finally got her calm, upstairs and stuffed back in the safety of another crate. I sat down and cried!

Over the next few days I wondered if I had bit off more then I could chew. Should I send one or both of them back? Did I have the time, the ability, the strength to work these girls to adoption? I decided YES! A month later Willow headed home and I was beaming from ear to ear. I couldn't have been happier to see my little girl go from life on a chain in the bush to a family where she attends doggie daycare, obedience and is the center of her mom's world!

A foster placement was attempted with Penny and she came back for her high energy and anxieties after leaving me. When she came back I vowed it was time for Penny's next step in training. No longer was she the timid dog who had been brought to me. She was outgoing, loving, a cuddle bug and in need of some basic obedience. Almost 3 weeks have past since I made this promise to myself and Penny. I haven't had much time to work with her, but I have been consistant and done my best. Penny is now enjoying life off leash! She heals, comes, runs and plays! Again she is a different dog from 4 weeks ago!

These dogs can accomplish so much! They are so smart, so loving, so trusting and so forgiving! I'm very excited to be able to video Penny playing and working off leash and hope to have it posted shortly for everyone to see!

She is no longer the timid girl who arrived but a well adjusted, well behaved, loyal companion!

WILLOW CAME TO VISIT

I'm very excited to say my Willow girl came home to visit yesterday! I can't believe it's been a month since she left, it honestly feels like yesterday! At first she was a little timid as the dogs all started their barking etc. but in no time she was running around. Penny was so excited to see her and the two of them wrestled and played like they had never been apart. It was wonderful to see just how much Willow has bonded with her new momma. She looks so good and is only getting better!!!! She's such a lucky girl to have found such a wonderful family!

Penny Update

Hi Everyone!

Penny wanted me to thank everyone who has been watching her blog and keeping up to date with her progress. She's greatful for everyone who has helped her along her path and now would really like to ask peoples help to find her a home for Christmas. She says it's all she wants, she won't ask for anything else, just a family to call her own!

Penny is progressing very well and today we started working on Sit. She's so eager to please and tries very hard to complete all tasks that are asked of her. With her training program she is now working off leash outside in the cul de sac and is allowed in the yard (under supervision). Off leash she is working on heal, come and an area command and doing very well. She loves to play and tonight our friend's brought their Boston Terrier over for a play date. Penny doesn't care what size the dog is, as long as they will play with her they are her new best friend. She would love a home with another canine companion (who loves to play, run and wrestle)! She is a very sweet dog who loves to cuddle at my feet but at the same time is high energy and needs mental and physical activities to tire her out. We would be happy to talk to prospective adopters in regards to her current training program. It does not take much to mentally tire Penny out but it does have to be a mental challenge or it will not stimulate her. Physically if you love to walk, hike, bike (once she learns to run with a bike), roller blade etc. this is the girl for you! She would also love dog sports, agility, Rally O etc.

Penny is very bonded to me and at this time I am doing independance work with her to help her with some of the anxieties that will come with her leaving us. We are looking for a patient, caring, loving, energetic, fun loving family who is looking for an active, sweet, cuddle bug!!!!

Penny Update

SNOW, SNOW, SNOW!!!! I wish my camera was working because Penny had such a blast today out in the snow. She loved to just run laps of the yard, around and around and around she would go. She would stop quickly to take a mouthful of snow and then off she would go again! She is such a happy girl, she's so smart and so eager to please. We would love to see her continue in her training program.

Although she is doing so well here with us we have our fingers crossed that she can spend her first Christmas with her very own family!

Penny's training and update

Penny has been back for 4 days and we have seen a whole new Penny. Since coming back we have decided it's time to bog down and work hard with this little girl. She was bred for speed and endurance so no long walk with ever tire this girl out. She needs a mix of physical and mental work to tire her out. Penny's training started the second day she was home and we instantly began to see a new side of Penny, she was tired. Mentally the obedience work was exhausting for her and she was happy to just settle down on the dog bed and go to sleep. Each day we are taking her out and working her for 20 minutes or so to bring her energy level down and then continue working with her through out our day. She's a much happier dog, more settled and calm. She's learning she can stay away from me and survive, she can be found sleeping in the dog bed while I'm in another room. She will look up and check for me but doesn't have to follow from room to room. I hope to take Penny to class in the near future if and when I can find the time. Her obedience work will continue till her new home is found. We can only hope her new family will continue as it is benefiting Penny more then anyone could know.

PENNY HAS GONE HOME!!!!

I'm very excited to day that Penny just left with her new mom! Of course my house was quiet and nothign had happened all morning and then while I was trying to talk to her mom I had 2 different people at the door, the kids were fussy and someone had an accident on the livingroom, MURPHY'S LAW!!! Back to how excited I am though! Penny was all over her new mom and she brought a male friend with her who Penny was quick to jump all over as well. My goodness this little lady is not the dog who first arrived! She loaded up in her crate and off she headed for a new life. It was so hard to see her go and I had to hold back the tears. Fortunatly for me my little guy was crying so it made it easier for me to turn away and let her go.

Good luck Penny girl! I know you will make a good city girl!

Willow and Penny and a very embarrassing moment!

Okay so I can't believe I'm about to put this on the blog but everyone has had a moment like this, well maybe some of you have! Well we can all laugh at the situation! Tonight I took the girls out for their regular bathroom break. They walked me all up and down the street until we ended up at the little park area at the end of our street. They were running around in circles, sniffing, jumping, checking out the edge of the ravine. All of a sudden Willow came charging back to me, no problem she does this all the time. She caught me off guard though and jumped up on me, as she came down her paw caught my pajama bottoms (yes I snuck out in my pj's) and down they came. Okay now my winter coat is long enough to cover everything and it all lasted about 10 seconds. We live on a quiet, dark street so no problem accept in the split second that it happened the neighbourhood pizza delivery boy was heading off the street so it all happened in the glow of his headlights!!! I was so embarrassed!!!!! I'm positive I'm still glowing a bright shade of red from the whole incident.

The good times, the bad times and in this case the UGLY times, hehe!

Another TG girls update!

We are pretty excited! Willow had a visitor today, not just any visitor but a potential adopter. She was quite timid and wasn't ready to approach but she did run around the house with her tail up and show off just how beautiful she is. She is coming out of her shell slowly but what's coming out is just a sweet, loving and wonderful personality. She is starting to show signs of being very athletic (like her sister) and would love to attend dog sports. Just like Penny she's now jumping our baby gate to be with us or head back to her crate if she feels scared. She's very smart and eager to please and once bonded to a new owner is going to continue to improve by leaps and bounds. Willow is taking her medication like a trooper and hopefully in no time this little girl will feel as good as new. Once she feels better it should help her socialization as well. Feeling under the weather never helps anything.

Penny did wonderful and was all over Willow's visitor. She was a little timid if she moved quickly but she brought peperoni and that's more then enough to win Penny over!!! Penny is feeling much better today since her spay. You honestly today wouldn't know she was spayed a few days ago. Today I have to keep her quiet, she's not willing to keep herself rested, hehe!

Out on our walks these girls are becoming far more adventurous. They are no longer staying close and prefer to head to the end of their Flexi's (often at full speed) to explore the world around them. They love walking up and down our street as we are on a ravine and they sniff and rustle through the leaves. I know they would love to run but it will be some time before they are ready to go off a leash anywhere. I often try and run back and forth with them but I can tell they are barely at a trot. I can only imagine how beautiful and fast they would be at full speed. The girls do often come back to me to check in and if someone starts walking past they are quick to run back and hide behind my legs.

There's an Application in for Penny and updates

We're very excited to say there's an application in for our Penny girl. Hopefully we can organize a home visit this weekend and then potentially Penny can head home! I know it's premature to post this but we're so excited for our little girl and just had to share! We know the transition will be difficult for her. She has bonded very strongly with me and then to loose her sister as well but we know she's going to do great! It only took the vet tech half an hour to start winning her over the other day in the vet clinic (it's easier if I'm out of the picture) so we know with a little patience, love and care her new owners would be able to do the same.

Penny is healing nicely after her spay. She was feeling pretty sorry for herself but this morning came out of her crate tail up and wagging and was all bounce on her walk so I think she's forgiven me, hehe! She continues to do great sleeping in her crate and on housebreaking. She's such a sweet girl and so eager to please. Feeding has become much better and she is now eating two full meals a day so hopefully will put some much needed wait on soon!

Willow started antibiotics yesterday for a terrible bladder infection. She is such a strong girl we would never have known she had one since she has never had an accident in the house or her crate. Hopefully 10 days of strong antibiotics will be enough to clear it all up. Willow is really coming out of her shell on our walks. She loves to bounce around and when on the flexi will run to the end of it and do laps around me bouncing like a gazelle. She's such a beautiful girl!

Penny and Willow

Willow went to Bosley's today for some socialization time around new people, noises, smells etc. It was a great time to go as the store was busy and the staff were restocking shelves. Willow did wonderful! I was pleasantly surprised by her response. She slowly approached several people. She was not ready to receive attention but was willing to come up and take a small piece of food. Willow is coming along in leaps and bounds!!!! Hopefully she will feel better when we get her urinary tract infection all cleared up.

Penny did well a the vet. She was quite stressed being away from her home, her people and her pack. She was very happy to see me when I arrived and quickly rested her head in my lap. She has been home resting and should be back to herself in no time at all.

Penny and Willow

I just got back from dropping Penny off for her spay. She was pretty excited to be back at the vet for all the love and attention. She was quick though to change her mind when I took her back to her run. Within minutes of me leaving her in her run she scaled the chain link and came over the top. So we have now learned that chain link fencing will not keep this little girl in. She was happy though to go off with the vet tech and this time be put in a kennel and not a run. She was quiet when I left.

Willow went in to have her shots today and she suprised me. She was timid with everyone but did approach one of the vet techs and the vet for lots of cookies. Although not as outgoing as her sister she is coming around to strangers. Willow was startled while in the clinic and peed a little on the floor. Totally understandable but a good thing as well. There was a little blood in her urine and it also appeared cloudy. A sample has been sent away for testing as it's believed she probably has a bladder infection. Willow has never had an accident inside so I have never noticed anything with her urine. So her accident in the clinic turned out to be a little bit of a blessing in disguise for us.

These two girls are becoming so bonded to me it's going to be harder and harder to part with them. They are so ready to head off to their forever homes and would do better going sooner rather then later so they can break their bond with me and start forming new ones with their new owners.

Willow and Penny

Today was the big outing and so out we went!!! I decided to leave Willow at home today so that the girls could work independantly from each other and we could see how they would do solo.

Willow did really well at home without Penny. She cried for a couple of times and did a house search for her but all in all was comfortable with her not being here.

Penny's trip started with an outing to Bosley's. Although a little leery she approached all the staff who had wonderful peperoni for her. She was slow to approach the first staff member but then became quicker and quicker each piece of peperoni she received. By the end of our visit she was even approaching shoppers incase they had a piece of peperoni for her! She did very well at the vet. She allowed all the techs to come out and give her some love and attention. She wasn't so keen on the vet cookies, hehe! All to be expected after a trip to the petstore where she was given peperoni!!! She allowed the vet to give her a full physical without any protest. She will be going back on Thursday to be spayed and receive the remainder of her vaccines. She did meet the vet cat and was interested in saying hi. He wasn't so interested and told her off which was enough for her to decide he wasn't worth dealing with.

Both girls met our cat tonight and Penny got quite up close and personal. Sylvie hissed and swatted at her. Penny tucked tail and ran and hid behind the bed. Willow then had to see what had caused such a fuss with Penny and Willow only minutes later did the same as Penny. I would be comfortable to say that both these girls could be placed in a home with a cat.

Willow is off to the vet on Thursday to receive the rest of her vaccines. She will be alone all day since Penny is in being spayed. Willow will have her turn to visit the pet store that day.

Penny and Willow

Penny and Willow continue to improve daily. Penny is off to the vet tomorrow for a check to see if she's ready for her spay. Her heat cycle ended a few days ago and we want to give her a chance to recover a little from it before spaying her. She will also be checked for what we believe might be a bladder infection.

Check back tomorrow to see how the girls did on their outing to the pet store. We have decided tomorrow will be the girls first really big adventure into the world. Both girls will be taken in to the pet store independantly to help socialize them around new sounds, people, actions etc. It should be a fun filled adventure and maybe we'll even come home with some new treats!!!

Penny is coming out of her shell very nicely. She has started approaching strangers for love and attention. She is slow to approach but is deciding it's well worth it. Once spayed she is ready to go to her new home. She would do well in a quiet or busy house as she is good with other dogs, kids and even cats. She does need some time to adjust though and her new family would need the time to continue to socialize her with the outside world. Formal obedience classes would be very beneficial.

Willow continues to be a very sweet and loving dog with me. Unlike Penny she is still very hesitant with other people and has not made the decission to approach strangers yet. Once bonded with someone she will be your best and loyal companion for all of time. Willow will need more time to come around to strangers and her world around her. She is not spooked by loud noises and is doing well out on her walks etc. She is interested in people from across the street just not ready to approach them yet. She does great in a busy house but would be happy in a quieter home where she could be the center of attention. Formal obedience classes would be very beneficial!

WIllow and Penny playing with Riley

Both these girls have been doing wonderful with big dogs but I have not given them full access to our little Riley as he's only 8 lbs. This morning I decided to go ahead and let them meet Riley. Well not only did they get along with him they had a rip roaring play session (on our bed of course!!!) So I'm happy to say that both girls have passed both big and small dog 101 and would place well in a home with a dog of any size. Willow needs more time to adjust to new dogs and is a fairly dominant female so would place best in a home with a submissive male (not another dominant female). Penny is fairly submissive and would place well with just about anyone!

Wilow and Penny Updates

The girls continue to improve and come out of their shells daily. With each passing day we see more and more of their true personalities.

Penny is just a love and wants to be with everyone and everything. She doesn't care what's going on. The other dogs are running around, the kids are throwing toys, I'm vaccuming etc. and she just wants to be in the middle of all of it! She doesn't care if another dog growls at her, she just shrugs it off and heads off to do something else. She loves her cookies and her treats and is doing better about eating now that we are adding canned food to her meals. She's becoming more adventureous out on her walks and is now going to the end of the flexi leash although quickly coming back to my side. Yesterday she went walking with my husband and although checking in with me she was walking with him tail wagging. Penny would be happy in a busier home after a settling in period. She would love to attend obedience, agility and other dog sports. Obedience is a must for her but dog sports are not. SHe would be happy with an active family who will take her for walks, hikes, camping etc. She's just one great dog who is learning how wonderful life really can be.

Willow is more of the mellow quiet girl. She would prefer a home that has a slower pace of life, maybe older children or a couple without kids. She gets along with other dogs but would love a home where she might be the only dog or a 2nd dog. She loves lots of cuddles and attention and would prefer to have more of it then less. She is very smart and thinks hard about what is asked of her. She is eager to please and would love to attend obedience classes to help her learn her obedience skills, continue her socialization with the outside world and bond with her new owners. She is more tentative when outside then Penny with strangers but is the first one at the end of her flexi to explore the world around her. When feeling overwhelmed she retreats to her crate for some quiet time.

Both girls continue to do well in their crates and are doing all their bathroom duties outside. Penny is doing much better about pottying on leash (due to her fence jumping, our fence is only 4.5 feet high. We feel she would be safe and secure in a 6 foot fence).

Willow and Penny Update

It's been 4 days since the girls arrived and they are already night and day from day 1. We're really starting to see their true personalities emerge and they are both so different.

Penny is our eager beaver! She will do anything to please but so much she often misses what's being asked of her. She is very athletic and loves to run and play. She's figured out what the toys are and can often be found throwing or carrying on around. She's getting better and better with her jumping now she's starting to settle. She would love a family who is interested in dog sports or at least lots of walks, hikes, camping etc. Penny the other night actually went up to my neighbours mom for love. I was in the middle of telling her how timid the girls are and Penny just to prove me wrong walked right up and pushed herself up against her for strokes and love.

Willow is our sweet natured girl. She is the smart one of the two. She is happy to please and takes the time to think about what has been asked of her. She's more adventurous when we go out for walks and will go to the end of the flexi to explore. She is always checking over her shoulder though to make sure I'm in site and comes back frequently to check in. Willow is not as athletic as Penny (although it's only been a week since she went through a vey difficult spay so ths may change). She does love going for walks though and would love someone who is looking for a walking, hiking companion. She is very smart and would love to attend obedience classes.

Both girls have been introduced to our two children Connor (2 and a half) and Rowan (13 months). Both girls are very good with the kids and are far less timid of them then they are of adults. They will take cookies gently from them and are gentle around them. The girls do move quickly and run, run, run so they can easily knock over a toddler or small child.

The girls continue to be exposed to our dogs and are doing great! We are trying to give them time with the other dogs seperatly as the two of them are quite bonded and when the other dogs are around they tend to ignore them. Willow is doing very well today with our min pin, she was a bit intolerant of him the other day but seems to be feeling better about him today.

The girls have seen the neighbourhood stray cat out on our walks and both have been interested. Their ears have perked up and they've thought about him. Neither have given chase but they are attached to us on leash and well the cat is 1/2 a block away so that's currently to far to venture from us. We will cat test both of them in time.

Th girls have started going in to their crates willingly and can often be found snuggled up sleeping in their crates with the doors open. They are sleeping through the night in their crates with little to no noise from them. They also have crate time during the day and are happy to sleep in their crates with the doors closed.

Both girls we be receiving another bath this weekend. They had one Monday night but they really weren't to sure about it. We did not want to over stress them so we will continue the scrubbing this weekend. They were also wormed again today just to make sure there's nothing left in their systems.

These two girls are just amazing and are going to make a family very happy! I'm quite biased as I'm totally a boxer person but these two loves are really growing on me and if we didn't already have an over full house I would be considering keeping one!! That's saying a lot from me!!!

Our Girls Officially have Names

Dog #2 or the sweet girl with the prick ears came to us with the nickname 3Penny. Not sure why 3 but since she was nicknamed by her rescuer Yvette from TG it seems only fitting to keep her name as Penny. Our other little girl, girl #15 or nicknamed Momma Dog by her guardian angel Stan has been renamed Willow by Lisa who was kind enough to donate a huge bag of kibble for the girls and picked up two more big bags that she had Spuddy's in Maple Ridge donate.

Lisa had the opportunity to meet "Willow" last night. Willow was happy to say Hi to her doberman Daisy but was a little to leary still to say Hi to Lisa. Lisa named her Willow because:

My first impression and the first name that came to mind was “Willow”. She is slender and graceful like a young sapling . .

The girls continue to settle in. Penny is still a Mexican Jumping Bean and can not be out in the yard off leash. She would be fine in a yard with a 6 foot fence but our fence is not 6 feet all the way around and she will jump it. Both are doing very well in their crates and neither have had one accident in the house. Both are walking fairly well on leash especially Willow who has spent next to know time ever on a leash or in a house. Penny had some time up at TG in the house and on a leash. These two girls are super sweet and loving. They would love to find a family with another dog or lots of time to spend with them. They are both very eager to please and would benefit and love to attend obedience. Penny would love a family who would be interested in trying their hand at agility!!!!

Our Girls from TG

Well pardon my miss matched pj's but as you all can see these two girls are settling in to life in a home quite quickly. Yes that is a dog bed behind my head but why would they sleep there when they can both lie on top of me on the couch. These two girls are very sweet and very eager to please!

Our TG Girls Have Arrived

Our TG girls arrived today safe and sound. We can't thank Stan enough who drove these babies to us. He left at 4:30 yesterday to bring down our 2 girls and 6 others to another rescue. It was 2:00 today before he met us with us, just shy of 24 hours after he left. He's spending the day with his daughter today and is heading back up to Topley tomorrow morning. Thank you so much Stan, you truly are a guardian angel for these babies!

Girl #2 and #17 will soon have new Yuppy Puppy City Names and are settling in. Stan was great with them and you could see how much they trust him. I didn't even think about the small things. These girls have always lives out in the bush, we met at Ikea in Coquitlam and all the noise, the people, the cars was very overwhelming for them. Girl #17 dealt with it all much better then girl #2. They have already taken me for a rollercoaster ride emotionally. Girl #2 within 10 minutes of being home jumped both our yard fence and then the perimeter fence to escape the yard. Fortunatly #17 started to cry so #2 was quick to jump back to be with her. They are both very unsure about what a leash and collar is all about and #2 did her best to crocodile death roll out of it.

Although this all sounds like a lot these two are very sweet and I know in no time will be settled and learning everything they need to know to be city dogs.

Pictures and more updates to come!

The TG Serizure Girls are Arriving

We have 2 of the Turtle Garden's Seizure girls arriving on Monday Oct. 22nd. We're pretty excited to welcome Pretty Girl and Doggie #2. Pretty Girl is doing very well and has already been in the home and working on all her manners. She's doing very well on leash, is crateable and does great with the other dogs. Doggie #2 has just undergone a very difficult spay and will require some healing time before anything else can be started with her. She will be allowed a lot of quiet time to heal and then will start on her socialization with everyone and everything. Both girls are still in need of foster homes. We could also use donations of food for these girls, both are quite skinny and will need lots of good food to help them along their road to a new home.