Simba (now renamed "Scully") is about to begin a whole new life with his new furever mom, Maddie... I don't think he could have gotten a better home with someone - his new furever mom is willing to love him unconditionally, take Scully to that higher level of intense human bonding and walk in tandem through her life as he trots along at his level...
During the home check and intro time, he raced around their home like he'd already begun loving life in it, found Maddie's 'spot' on their couch and in my heart, I got the sense he'd 'finally come home,' ya know?... Maddie's a very loving lady and she's not only young and beautiful (inside and out), she's going to give Scully that emotional connection that I as a foster mom could not give him (for if I had, he'd become too attached to me and it would not be good for either one of us)...
For my part, I am very grateful he was in our lives for the past three months and I was able to bring him out of his shell, teach him how to trust again and work through most of his anxiety issues... I enjoyed our walks and I am so proud that he walks with self-esteem now as opposed to his tail between his legs, scared and unwilling to move more than several feet in any direction without bolting for dear life... I will never forget those precious sweetheart ears and cute buttonized tail, nor the cuddles and kisses he gave me as he reached out beyond that fear...
Congratulations, Maddie and Scully - what an amazing journey you both are about to begin!
Friday, April 17, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Catching up...
Simba is now ready for adoption. He's clearly enjoying the human touch, comes to you when you call him and has grown into a real sweetheart. He's a real pro on lead now and I can take him just about anywhere without him being fearful or scared. We've been doing a lot of umbilical training as well, so that's caused him to be right by my left side without any commands or direction. He's totally house-broken as well, will sit and lay down on command, knows what 'quiet' is as well as back, drop it and stay.
We have a foster mom and her litter right now and Simba is SO interested in them! He stands and just watches them non-stop, wagging that little snub tail a hundred miles an hour... I just never would have thought it! But he is totally fascinated... It tickles me to watch him watch them... Wonder if he had puppies around him sometime before in his life? He doesn't bark or growl at them - just stands there watching, wagging that little butt of his! What a goober!
Hopefully there is a furever home out there for him - he so deserves one!
We have a foster mom and her litter right now and Simba is SO interested in them! He stands and just watches them non-stop, wagging that little snub tail a hundred miles an hour... I just never would have thought it! But he is totally fascinated... It tickles me to watch him watch them... Wonder if he had puppies around him sometime before in his life? He doesn't bark or growl at them - just stands there watching, wagging that little butt of his! What a goober!
Hopefully there is a furever home out there for him - he so deserves one!
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Another outing...
Simba went with me yesterday afternoon to get a mailbox set up... I've been taking him with me consistently, testing him in all kinds of new situations to see how he'll react and handle any fears or issues that come up... While he did bark at two little girls who came by, his confidence levels and self esteem have done a radical change since the beginning of this process... He'll allow strangers to pet him and while I'd like to see him continue to hold his head up and not sink in, it's all a matter of time...
He really loves sitting in my lap and looking out the window as I drive... He's not yappy or antzy in regards to going bye-bye, but I think he actually looks forward to it... For sure, as soon as that lead goes on, he's a new dog all together!
Another thing I have noticed is that the extreme level of his humping has diminished... The more secure he gets in his own little world, the more it seems he doesn't have the need to do this or to tear up and destroy stuffed animal toys... Pet Palace has a good article on humping in case anyone is interested... Dogs do it for a variety of reasons, not just sexual ones...
When I catch him in the act of tearing up a stuffed toy, I reprimand him with the 'no, Simba!' and then I pick up what remains and go on about my business... I understand the drive and psycho-ness of this behavior, but I don't want to do much more than ignore the bad behaviors and reward the good ones... Isolated dogs or dogs not socialized properly tend to 'act out' like this (for lack of a better term)... The natural prey drive all dogs have seems to be carried to the extreme - they caught it, they're going to destroy it, etc... If Simba destroys one or two stuffed toys a week now, it's unusual... Originally he was destroying several every day...
Another thing he's now doing is coming for TLC and affection... He comes to me and wants to be petted and cuddled... I'm an avid Cesar fan and firmly believe in the 'rules, boundaries, discipline and then affection' mantra... Maybe I go overboard and hand out too many kisses and cuddles, but I need them just as much as my dogs do... LOL... I can't sit down without having a few in my lap and as many hands as I have, that's how many are getting pats and pets or rubdowns... Then I switch over to someone else... I go to sleep every time doing the same thing... I think they enjoy the soothing as much as I do, and as long as they're not complaining, neither will I!
He really loves sitting in my lap and looking out the window as I drive... He's not yappy or antzy in regards to going bye-bye, but I think he actually looks forward to it... For sure, as soon as that lead goes on, he's a new dog all together!
Another thing I have noticed is that the extreme level of his humping has diminished... The more secure he gets in his own little world, the more it seems he doesn't have the need to do this or to tear up and destroy stuffed animal toys... Pet Palace has a good article on humping in case anyone is interested... Dogs do it for a variety of reasons, not just sexual ones...
When I catch him in the act of tearing up a stuffed toy, I reprimand him with the 'no, Simba!' and then I pick up what remains and go on about my business... I understand the drive and psycho-ness of this behavior, but I don't want to do much more than ignore the bad behaviors and reward the good ones... Isolated dogs or dogs not socialized properly tend to 'act out' like this (for lack of a better term)... The natural prey drive all dogs have seems to be carried to the extreme - they caught it, they're going to destroy it, etc... If Simba destroys one or two stuffed toys a week now, it's unusual... Originally he was destroying several every day...
Another thing he's now doing is coming for TLC and affection... He comes to me and wants to be petted and cuddled... I'm an avid Cesar fan and firmly believe in the 'rules, boundaries, discipline and then affection' mantra... Maybe I go overboard and hand out too many kisses and cuddles, but I need them just as much as my dogs do... LOL... I can't sit down without having a few in my lap and as many hands as I have, that's how many are getting pats and pets or rubdowns... Then I switch over to someone else... I go to sleep every time doing the same thing... I think they enjoy the soothing as much as I do, and as long as they're not complaining, neither will I!
Monday, March 9, 2009
Ut oh... shots time...
Yesterday my husband and I took Simba and BeeGee into the shots clinic... BeeGee needed her rabies shots upped for another three years and I had no history on Simba (I did ask for it though)... While I'm a supporter of ALWAYS keeping shots up to date, I'm not so sure if I'm 100% behind the current protocols of the lifetime duration of rabies vaccinations, but maybe one day soon the Rabies Project will publish their findings and all of our animals will stop being over-vaccinated...
Regardless, I put a crate in the back seat of the car (just in case) but intended on taking Simba out in public on lead for this event... He handled the car ride without any anxiety and I think actually enjoyed looking out the window as we rode along... He sorta/kinda has a kinship for BeeGee, although she won't give him the time of day!... LOL...
Once at the store, we got in line and although he stood on my knee once, he wasn't anxious or scared... A Miniature Schnauzer got in line behind us and she was on overdrive - not happy at all about being in the store (?) or what was going on... Simba retained his cool and even my husband commented about how well he was taking all of this in...
We were probably in line for 20 minutes from arrival until we made it up to the table... And the entire time he was down on the floor... He was interested in what was going on, not put off by people arriving or the various amount of dog smells, etc... He stayed between my husband and I, and I could tell he was confident about his position, safety and role there... (I'm just SO proud of him! smile)...
No issues with the strangers at the table, nor being handled by the vet for the two shots... We have no history so we had to start from ground zero with this aspect of his health... Delayed the rabies until three weeks from now to make sure there were no reactions to all the rest of the vaccinations... And I watched him closely for a few hours to make sure he was OK...
This morning he once again delayed climbing out of bed with me at 3AM and about 20 minutes ago finally decided to not be a lazy bones about it... Came out and I let him outside to go potty... Surprisingly, he went up into the penthouse and then attempted to step onto my desk... I reached over and he didn't go into that 'hanging head' dog stance... Simba sat in my lap for a few minutes and I could tell he was cold, but he relaxed into one of those "I'm warm now and a contented puppy" states on my lap...
After he warmed up, I went and got a doggie bed and blankee, then sat him down on top of it on the futon after tucking in his blankee around him... A few minutes later, Frito came trotting out, went potty outside and came back in, looking at me... As a fluke, I lifted up the corner of the blankee covering Simba and put Frito inside there with him - the worst that could happen is that one of the two would leave... BOTH of them are curled in together asleep now...
These are the remarkable little 'angel-hiccups' that occur along this journey that just keep me awestruck about it all... It wasn't that long ago that the thought of another dog within 3' of Simba would put him into anxious, whining, nervous mode complete with air-snapping jaws... Granted, Frito is my 'go-to-guy' for every new dog or human... He just doesn't ever come across a dog or human that he doesn't love on the spot... But to look in underneath and see Simba and Frito curled up with each other (both boys, both Chihuahuas, etc.), it does warm my little pea-pickin' heart this mornin'!
Regardless, I put a crate in the back seat of the car (just in case) but intended on taking Simba out in public on lead for this event... He handled the car ride without any anxiety and I think actually enjoyed looking out the window as we rode along... He sorta/kinda has a kinship for BeeGee, although she won't give him the time of day!... LOL...
Once at the store, we got in line and although he stood on my knee once, he wasn't anxious or scared... A Miniature Schnauzer got in line behind us and she was on overdrive - not happy at all about being in the store (?) or what was going on... Simba retained his cool and even my husband commented about how well he was taking all of this in...
We were probably in line for 20 minutes from arrival until we made it up to the table... And the entire time he was down on the floor... He was interested in what was going on, not put off by people arriving or the various amount of dog smells, etc... He stayed between my husband and I, and I could tell he was confident about his position, safety and role there... (I'm just SO proud of him! smile)...
No issues with the strangers at the table, nor being handled by the vet for the two shots... We have no history so we had to start from ground zero with this aspect of his health... Delayed the rabies until three weeks from now to make sure there were no reactions to all the rest of the vaccinations... And I watched him closely for a few hours to make sure he was OK...
This morning he once again delayed climbing out of bed with me at 3AM and about 20 minutes ago finally decided to not be a lazy bones about it... Came out and I let him outside to go potty... Surprisingly, he went up into the penthouse and then attempted to step onto my desk... I reached over and he didn't go into that 'hanging head' dog stance... Simba sat in my lap for a few minutes and I could tell he was cold, but he relaxed into one of those "I'm warm now and a contented puppy" states on my lap...
After he warmed up, I went and got a doggie bed and blankee, then sat him down on top of it on the futon after tucking in his blankee around him... A few minutes later, Frito came trotting out, went potty outside and came back in, looking at me... As a fluke, I lifted up the corner of the blankee covering Simba and put Frito inside there with him - the worst that could happen is that one of the two would leave... BOTH of them are curled in together asleep now...
These are the remarkable little 'angel-hiccups' that occur along this journey that just keep me awestruck about it all... It wasn't that long ago that the thought of another dog within 3' of Simba would put him into anxious, whining, nervous mode complete with air-snapping jaws... Granted, Frito is my 'go-to-guy' for every new dog or human... He just doesn't ever come across a dog or human that he doesn't love on the spot... But to look in underneath and see Simba and Frito curled up with each other (both boys, both Chihuahuas, etc.), it does warm my little pea-pickin' heart this mornin'!
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Success at getting his nails clipped!... BRAVO~!!!
From Simba's most recent photo, you can see how well the old halter indentation is coming along... Slowly the flesh tone is leveling out from where the back piece encircled his chest cavity too tightly... And yes, it if seems like he's laying in the center of the small of someone's back, he is... That's my daughter's butt in the photo!... LOL...
Simba successfully got his nails trimmed for the first time yesterday... It went VERY well without much difficulty at all, in fact... But Maggie?... She's the best~!!... And he wasn't 'wigged out' when he returned either, so that's another small step of progress IMHO... He was able to handle a trip in the car, seeing a groomer and having his nails clipped without going through another major anxiety issue...
Maggie verified the staff infection (??) he had on his four paws is gone now (there's a lot to be said for the vinegar/water - 1:1 - homemade brew)... Usually dogs and cats get that when they've been stepping in their own poop constantly, but the vinegar/water brew works very good... And most of his fur has already started growing back in on his paws... This is but what?... A month since his arrival here?... It usually takes about 6 weeks to see the difference to see major coat losses... The increased Vitamin E helps a lot in that regard as well..
And he's 'found his spot' now in my lap in the evenings when I watch a movie or 'American Idol'... He curls in with BeeGee and Frito underneath the covers without any issues...
I think for me --- and I'm really deviating off the goal of this chronicle --- the unbelievable aspect of doing something like this is watching the interaction of my crew and the new fosters... Seeing a new foster go from a total inability of getting along in harmony with other dogs... To the ability to interact without aggression or rancor... I am ALWAYS totally amazed as I watch this transformation and it is simply like seeing a baby chick come out of their shell for the very first time... Over and over again, each time is totally brand new to me with the amount of awe I feel...
When Simba arrived here, he couldn't interact with any of my guys... If they got too close to him physically, he'd do an anxiety episode... He was barking-almost-crying with anxiety and nervousness... It seemed like (at least to me), every hour he'd have one of these episodes occur... And now to see him curl up and sleep peacefully aside of one of the other dogs that caused him so much anxiety just weeks ago is almost close to a miracle... I am SO fascinated by the ability of dogs (when in a calm and serene environment) to lower the anxiety levels and be a part of the serenity instead of the chaos...
He's such a sweet little guy and the idea of him spending his life in a state of anxiety over the simplest things is darned close to heart breaking... And to watch him experience new things without regressing back into that emotional chaos is such a warm fuzzy to feel inside...
I seldom have to use the harness to pick him up any longer and I think he is ready to move from wearing a harness all the time (even a loose one) to a normal collar like everyone else... He will readily allow you to pick him up without the need of all that extra stuff to get a hold of... And it will be more comfortable for him as well...
It won't be long now that he'll be ready to be adopted by someone who will love him as much as we do... What a great gift that will be for both him and me... His journey has been so long in some aspects and in others, so short in the grand scheme of things... I am SO proud of him!
Saturday, March 7, 2009
For the first time ever, Simba came up yesterday when I called him at naptime, laid on my tummy and allowed me to rub and pet him as he 'relaxed' into my body... Then, in a humorous kind of mood, he rotated between playing with my hand, and licking me to death!... Maybe he thought I needed a bath!
Once I got tired, he moved to the base of my neck, butt on the pillow, head on my shoulder blade and went to sleep... Right underneath my chin... Thankfully the little goober does not snore, so we both eventually went to sleep...
He's also mastered "get into your bed" as a command... He doesn't usually stay there, but I give the command, point and up into it he jumps... LOL... We're still working on the 'stay' with spread hand command......
Simba also allows my husband to pick him up, pet him and doesn't fly out of his hands any more... Maybe he's finally figured out no one here is going to hurt him... He and Zeus still 'snarf off' at each other periodically, but overall, he's learned tons of canine manners he didn't have before... He'll come to you now for kisses and food without fear you're going to hit him or harm him... It has all taken time...
Today he's going in to have his nails clipped by the best ever groomer... She's always handled all of my dogs and fosters, so I'm sure he won't give her too hard of a time... Maggie is the best - EVER~!!!... And next week, to the vets hopefully, depending on how well he does today...
I'm really touched at the love fest yesterday afternoon... I wasn't expecting it... He's done it at night beneath the blankee, but never out there in the open which I suspect he feels more vulnerable doing... We must have stayed at it for 30 minutes and I was doing my absolute best to not fall asleep because I didn't want it to end... But that's what a nap is for, right? LOL
Once I got tired, he moved to the base of my neck, butt on the pillow, head on my shoulder blade and went to sleep... Right underneath my chin... Thankfully the little goober does not snore, so we both eventually went to sleep...
He's also mastered "get into your bed" as a command... He doesn't usually stay there, but I give the command, point and up into it he jumps... LOL... We're still working on the 'stay' with spread hand command...
Simba also allows my husband to pick him up, pet him and doesn't fly out of his hands any more... Maybe he's finally figured out no one here is going to hurt him... He and Zeus still 'snarf off' at each other periodically, but overall, he's learned tons of canine manners he didn't have before... He'll come to you now for kisses and food without fear you're going to hit him or harm him... It has all taken time...
Today he's going in to have his nails clipped by the best ever groomer... She's always handled all of my dogs and fosters, so I'm sure he won't give her too hard of a time... Maggie is the best - EVER~!!!... And next week, to the vets hopefully, depending on how well he does today...
I'm really touched at the love fest yesterday afternoon... I wasn't expecting it... He's done it at night beneath the blankee, but never out there in the open which I suspect he feels more vulnerable doing... We must have stayed at it for 30 minutes and I was doing my absolute best to not fall asleep because I didn't want it to end... But that's what a nap is for, right? LOL
Thursday, March 5, 2009
I've been remiss about posting here as consistently as I should... Me bad... LOL...
Simba and I have been engaging in a mini love-fest on the nights "Idol" is on... I put his leash on him, he's ready to go before I am, and up on the couch he jumps, waiting for me to sit down and get the blankee on my lap for him to climb underneath... Then he scoots around so that he can come up and give kisses, get a bit antsy, hand out some more kisses and then settle in...
He's doing so much better the past couple days, despite all the busy and craziness that's been going on around here... His anxious zones are only about once a day, and sometimes not even then... He's figured out the 'lay of the land' now and rolls with the rest of the crew every time...
The doggie door is still too much for him to overcome and there's something about him and his head that prohibits him from trying it on his own... But he goes outside for potty each and every time, so I'm VERY happy with that progress...
He's also figured out the favorite spot of some of the other crew - on the chaise lounge or the doggie hammock, sunbathing every morning with everyone else... He really enjoys the sun and the slight breezes that come across the backyard...
Simba doesn't always come to me on command (but no longer runs from me either)... When I'm gone (even for just a few minutes to switch laundry loads), you'd think I'd been gone for ages... He is VERY happy to see me and jumps up like a jack-in-the-box... Dong, dong, dong... LOL... THIS is the human connection I was looking for and didn't see when he first arrived here... I'm not sure if it is the evening cuddles or the afternoon nap rubs, but he is looking forward to being petted and the human touch... Whereas initially he'd freeze or high-tail it in the other direction...
This week we've been working on crate training again... He wasn't too happy about it the first time I put him in there, even with a Kong, but today I was able to do it without a ton of crying and complaining... I normally leave the crate doors open around here (they are favorite napping spots by some of the others), but I believe in crates - if you have to evacuate, you can't bring your pets unless they are good canine craters... And vets really dislike dogs that can't tolerate a bit of time in their crates...
We are doing exceptionally well on lead now... Simba is not pulling from me or pulling in front of me... I think my other guys are still somewhat confused about why we are walking around in the backyard on lead, but they follow along too... (smile)... My guys are something else - I could not do what I do with other fosters without their help and efforts... Now that Simba is doing so much better on lead, he's headed into my vet's office on lead for a check-up... I haven't taken him to the park yet, watching for signs of kennel cough but (knock on wood), he's doing fantastic on the diet here, his coat is nice and silky as well as filling in where it was a bit thinned out...
He's a sweetie and has really come a long, long way... I just looked over and he's asleep in one of the doggie beds in the penthouse... What a sweet angelic face he has... Sweet, sweet, sweet!
Simba and I have been engaging in a mini love-fest on the nights "Idol" is on... I put his leash on him, he's ready to go before I am, and up on the couch he jumps, waiting for me to sit down and get the blankee on my lap for him to climb underneath... Then he scoots around so that he can come up and give kisses, get a bit antsy, hand out some more kisses and then settle in...
He's doing so much better the past couple days, despite all the busy and craziness that's been going on around here... His anxious zones are only about once a day, and sometimes not even then... He's figured out the 'lay of the land' now and rolls with the rest of the crew every time...
The doggie door is still too much for him to overcome and there's something about him and his head that prohibits him from trying it on his own... But he goes outside for potty each and every time, so I'm VERY happy with that progress...
He's also figured out the favorite spot of some of the other crew - on the chaise lounge or the doggie hammock, sunbathing every morning with everyone else... He really enjoys the sun and the slight breezes that come across the backyard...
Simba doesn't always come to me on command (but no longer runs from me either)... When I'm gone (even for just a few minutes to switch laundry loads), you'd think I'd been gone for ages... He is VERY happy to see me and jumps up like a jack-in-the-box... Dong, dong, dong... LOL... THIS is the human connection I was looking for and didn't see when he first arrived here... I'm not sure if it is the evening cuddles or the afternoon nap rubs, but he is looking forward to being petted and the human touch... Whereas initially he'd freeze or high-tail it in the other direction...
This week we've been working on crate training again... He wasn't too happy about it the first time I put him in there, even with a Kong, but today I was able to do it without a ton of crying and complaining... I normally leave the crate doors open around here (they are favorite napping spots by some of the others), but I believe in crates - if you have to evacuate, you can't bring your pets unless they are good canine craters... And vets really dislike dogs that can't tolerate a bit of time in their crates...
We are doing exceptionally well on lead now... Simba is not pulling from me or pulling in front of me... I think my other guys are still somewhat confused about why we are walking around in the backyard on lead, but they follow along too... (smile)... My guys are something else - I could not do what I do with other fosters without their help and efforts... Now that Simba is doing so much better on lead, he's headed into my vet's office on lead for a check-up... I haven't taken him to the park yet, watching for signs of kennel cough but (knock on wood), he's doing fantastic on the diet here, his coat is nice and silky as well as filling in where it was a bit thinned out...
He's a sweetie and has really come a long, long way... I just looked over and he's asleep in one of the doggie beds in the penthouse... What a sweet angelic face he has... Sweet, sweet, sweet!
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