Saturday, January 7, 2006
Patty, Buckley�s foster mom, emailed to say, �I spoke with Phillip, Buckley's new dad, just a little bit ago. They are back home in New York and everyone is thrilled. Phillip said Buckley had taken easily to the snow and was outside with Phillip's daughter pushing the snow around with his nose and eating it!�
Also, Karen, Chris� foster mom, emailed to say that he got adopted too!
�Your package was waiting for us when we arrived home last evening. After his walk and dinner Jake helped us open it. You would have had a good time watching him sniff and bump at the box as we opened it. It was as though he understood it was his (more likely he smelled your presence on HIS presents). When the box was finally open he stock his head fully into the box for a look see.
We are most grateful for the Buddy Wash and Jake (as the enclosed picture demonstrates) is most pleased with his new blankie. You are amazing. Your gift got a several Jake moans as he put himself to sleep on his bed last night with your blanket bunched up as a pillow.
I am looking forward to a weekend with Jake. We�re off to split some firewood this weekend at a friend�s nursery lot and then a walk at Oak Mountain on Sunday. Then, after the dirt and a swim... our first bath experience! Stay tuned.�
Sunday, January 22, 2006
�Jake and the rest of us are doing well. My newly arranged work schedule allows me a couple of hours each work day to come home and do some work and play a little with Jake but it keeps me pressed a bit with all that needs doing at and about the office. I think it is a very workable schedule but it will doubtless take me a little time to smooth out the edges. Jake has had a wonderful effect on our lives.
His first bath with us went great. I have met an animal behaviorist thru one of my clients, Joan, and we are working on a plan for her to spend a day with Jake to see if she can come to understand just what he has as a 'vocabulary'. Then she and I are going to do a few private sessions together. She works with Joan on agility work and Joan is trying to coax me over to some of that work. The leash training is going slowly. Jake is very conditioned to his old patterns and that is why I think the behaviorist might be a big help. I feel certain that it is in large part my not knowing how to communicate clearly to Jake what I want in a way that he can understand. I would say at present that he is smart enough to work me more than the contrary.
We'll keep it fun and we'll keep working. Over the next couple of weeks I hope to be working a bit smarter.
Today is 4 weeks since our boy Jake joined our family. We are better human beings because of Jake.�
Monday, January 23, 2006
Janet emailed to say that Gracie seemed to be in much pain and had stopped eating, so they�ve euthanized her. I have a special place in my heart for senior female Springers. I know I will miss Gracie, but I know she�s free of pain where she is now, and hopefully I will see her again on the other side when the time comes.
�Jake and I are doing some computer work from home today. He is actually glued to the window beside my desk watching every little activity out front (especially squirrel initiated activity). Thank you for the offer of the home agility equipment. I may take you up on the offer based on Jake's interest in the agility work. I have been reading a bit about 'Rally' and Agility work.
Jake had a great play date yesterday with Kate's friend Janie's dog Maudie. Maudie was a pound puppy rescued by Janie. She is incredibly timid, especially around men. But Jake got her running, chasing and rolling in the grass before the 'date' ended. Jake also rescued his 'Ducky' from the swimming pool. He crouched on the side and waited for "Ducky' to float close enough to grab and then later finally got onto the first step of the pool to retrieve. His one plunge into the pool came more as an accident when he lost his footing reaching for "Ducky'. He did not seem happy with the occurrence and seemed to be near a panic. I coaxed him over to the steps and he got out of the pool looking quite miffed by the whole experience.�
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
�Just wanted to send along a brief note to let you know that Jake and his new family are all doing well.
Jake and I had an obedience lesson last Thursday focused on my leash walking technique and Jake�s �heel�. We worked with Barbara Scalco (? spelling) of Manners In Motion. Barbara is an animal behaviorist and an old hand. Thje session went well and Jake and I have made great progress in the days since. He is walking loose lead on collar a little better than half the time on our walks which means we are getting more walking done in our allotted walk times together. He and I are doing clicker work two to three times a day for 5-10 minutes each session and he is doing a pretty fair job of walking at heel without leash indoors.
We had some time off leash this weekend to play Frisbee. Jake did great and even found a small but adequate mud puddle that was about chest deep. He jumped in gleefully and wallered himself right up to his shoulders in the grossest muddy water you would ever want to smell. And he seemed to be smiling while I worked to drag his smelly bones out of the place. I decided to let him dry a bit so Kate and I returned to Frisbee play.
About 20 minutes later he seemed to be drying pretty well. Then, I through the Frisbee and he ran the opposite direction back to his mud hole for a second round of marinating. That ended the play session and Jake got the garden hose bath.
This coming Saturday we are headed out to meet Webb, the agility trainer. My friend Joan is treating us to a private session so Jake can work a bit with Webb and we are also scheduled to watch Webb�s national champion agility dog, Nigel, strut his stuff. Webb�s partner Beth Willingham has worked with a lot of dog�s in rescue and really feels that agility can be a great way for these dogs to build confidence through the re-homing process. I don�t know if Jake actually needs much more confidence; but I am excited about this opportunity to have him meet Webb and play a bit.
One last thing� Barbara has also invited Jake and I out to her property off U.S. 280. She has 6 acres under fence that is dog secure. She says Jake and I can come out and play anytime we�re willing to make the � hour drive. It will be wonderful to give Jake that much real estate to scent out and pee on.
Millie emailed to say that, �One of my husband's friends emailed me today and told me that a friend of his had just adopted a 3 yr old ESS about 3 weeks ago. He said that this friend was "ecstatic" about his new dog. I sent him the pic of John and Jake with the 2 tennis balls and asked if this was them and it was. Bucky said that John said that he can hardly wait to get home everyday to go for their 5 mile walk and that they have connected both mentally and spiritually!
I thought you might like to hear the story from an outside source!�
Sunday, January 8, 2006
Jake's dad just called to give me an update on him. He said Jake's doing fine. Some time earlier this week, they had started letting him sleep outside of the crate (crate door open and doggie bed right next to the crate, all in the spare bedroom; they closed the master bedroom door for a few days). He said Jake first slept on his doggie bed outside of the crate, then last night, he found Jake sleeping on the futon in the spare bedroom, with the two cats in the same room! He said Jake has been wonderful with the cats, giving them time and distance to get used to him. And the cats have slowly understood the new situation and getting closer to Jake. He said once Rocky (the kitten) even snuggled up to Jake's belly one morning as they were in the livingroom. And Sham (the adult cat) has come up to sniff Jake's feet several times.
John said one morning right after he got up and was tinkering with the wood stove, he found Jake on one side of him and Sham on the other side, both greeting at the same time. Also, for the last few days, they have left Jake with access to the bedrooms (they have two) and the hallway that connects the bedrooms when the humans are not at home, and the cats with access to the livingroom and dinning room and kitchen. Everybody seems fine with that arrangement. He said probably some time next week, they will start letting Jake have the whole access, and the cats would still have an escape route to the basement (that's where the litter box is kept, and they are able to jam the basement door open just a little bit, so Jake can't get to the basement).
He said Kate has been allowing Jake into the bed in master bedroom for about 30 minutes each morning, just snuggles with Jake. Also, John exercises Jake at least twice a day, once in the morning, once after work. He said Jake seems to enjoy the time when he and Kate go to work also, because that means Jake gets to have some nap time during the day (I told him that means he's giving Jake enough exercise). John said Jake is very affectionate, follows them around everywhere when they are at home. He said he's had many people requesting to meet Jake.
Kate brought Jake to one of his classes, and Jake and the students had fun meeting each other. He said Jake found the basket of 24 tennis balls in the classroom and dumped the balls onto the floor (Jake LOVES tennis balls). He said Jake lied in the middle of all the balls, like it was Jake Heaven. John said the classroom is carpeted, so he was able to play some fetch with Jake. He said Jake would catch the ball in mid-air and bring it to him and lay it next to his feet, and go get another ball.
I mentioned to him Bucky, Millie's husband's friend, about his comments about John about Jake. John said he thinks he knows whom we are talking about. He said Bucky and his wife had two Labs, both lived to be 14. Last one died in 2000. Bucky is a retired physician and they've been traveling a lot in the last five years. But they just got an RV and are thinking about getting another dog (with the RV, they can take the dog with them when they travel). John said Bucky has been very impressed with John's adoption experience and has asked John about the ESRA website URL, etc. John said maybe they'll send an application. He said one of Kate's friend even invited Jake for a play date with the friend's dog next week.
And this afternoon they are going to checkout a park next to Sloss Furnace, to play fetch (Jake LOVES to play fetch too). They said when Kate took Sham to the vet recently, she took Jake along. She asked the vet if Jake's overweight (I thought he's gained a few extra pounds a couple months before adoption), and the vet said no. About Jake's dry lip issue, they are putting aloe on the lip to see if it would help, and the vet said to clean the lip fold to see if it would help. They like the way Jake's coat is, and they are getting ready for the monthly bath next week. They also like how Jake smelled on the day of adoption (I had give Jake a bath about three hours before adoption because he had played with my professor's FIVE dogs earlier that morning and got some dog poop on him), and they just bought a doggie shampoo that smells just like it. They are planning to take him to a pet supply store with self-service for the bath.
John also said Jake has been improving wonderfully with leash-walking just on regular collar also. He's been working on it about 15 minutes each day, and most of the time Jake has been keeping the leash slack during walks. But sometimes his hunting instinct takes over and starts sniffing. John said otherwise Jake is doing perfect on the obedience commands (Sit, Down, Stay, Wait, Leave-it, Come).
Monday, January 9, 2006
Channing and Marcus are being adopted by their foster family! They are moving back to England in June and the two boys are going back them as well!
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
�I did a foot wash the other day after we talked and I can see why the rubber mat is a good plan.
Also the tip about mixing H20 and shampoo is terrific. I will definitely use the Buddy Wash on Jake. May as well broaden your support of that local San Luis Obispo economy and get a dog that smells like a great cup of herbal tea as a bonus. We do not have a sprayer head on our shower. I am going to try the stand-up height sinks at the pet shop for Jake's first bath with us to see what he and I think of it. They only charge $6.95 for the use of the facility including all the towels you need and a pretty spiffy apron to wear while bathing (I would be the one with the apron, not Jake).
All goes well with loose-leash training. I may be an optimist but I really think we are only a week or two away from polite leash walking. My interest is not to get a show ring heel. I am more interested in long enjoyable walks for Jake and his walking buddy whether that be me or Kate. At present he'll do great for sometimes as much as 100 feet (sometimes 5 feet) before something catches his attention. When he bolts I have taken to just standing still. He gets to the end of the leash stops with his strongest mule-like pull and then stands with his back to me with leash kept taut. After a while, he very casually glances over his shoulder towards me ("are you still there?") and we'll make eye contact. He looks away... leash still taut but now he's just holding his distance and not pulling. After a while he decides to turn and he walks toward me, approaches on my left side, does a 180 degree turn, and finally stands with his head next to my left knee (he will not look at me while walking back, turning, or after the turn while he is properly poised in a "wait"). Then on a "Jake, let's go" we start again.
Our Jake is a love, Phyllis. Little Rocky is falling for the new big brother (the fact that we have Jake dragging a leash around the house when we're home makes him seem like a pretty interesting fellow to a Kitty). Sham seems still to be approaching Jake as an intellectual construct that may still be proven false.�
Picture of Jake in front of the wood stove in the livingroom.
Janet in Knoxville emailed to say that the vet determined that Gracie is in advance stage of cancer, and that they are not pursuing any treatment and are hoping the pain medication will help Gracie go through the final stage of life smoother.
Scott forwarded me an email from Buckley�s new dad, �Well�, Buckley made it home. My daughters and I arrived at home in Ransomville about 5:30pm Saturday evening after a long day. Buckley looked great after his travels. My girls immediately fell in love with him, he did well in the truck, very well mannered and quiet. Shortly after we got him in the truck he nestled himself between the girls in the back seat and proceeded to fall a sleep for about an hour and a half. During our trip we made several stops along the way i.e., for gas, lunch, bathroom breaks or just to stretch our legs. When we arrived at home it didn�t take him long to settle in, he walked around the house, checked everything out and just observed. He is such a sweet little boy, doesn�t seem nervous and gets along well with whomever he meets, and just can�t get enough of the tennis ball. I had bought him several other toy items but, he doesn�t seem interested in them at all. I guess I better stock up on them. On Sunday Buckley and I went for a ride to see my grandmother (age 92), he was well behaved and gentle. We then drove to Fort Niagara State Park where we went for a long walk (about 2 hours). He was fairly well behaved on his leash. A little tugging but, overall not bad. After we got home I brushed him out, we ate dinner and he fell a sleep. Yesterday I took the day off from work to spend a little extra time working with him on my leaving the house. He did really well. I left for a couple of hours during the late morning/early afternoon. When I arrived back home he was laying on the couch looking out the window. I think Buckley and I have already bonded. He follows me everywhere, doesn�t let me out of his sight and sleeps where ever I am. He is great! I am very happy with him. He has already made himself part of the family.�
My friend, Joan, and her husband came out to run there two Wheaton Terriers for their regular agility session. They were generous enough to invite Jake, Kate, and I to watch and gave up a bit of their lesson time to allow Jake and me to work with their trainer, Webb. We started out a bit rough. Webb wanted to show me how to get Jake to jump up on the platform. He said, �It doesn�t matter if he stays only a second we just want to get an early behavior to shape.� He got Jake�s attention with a tennis ball (of course) and lured Jake toward the platform with an assertive command, �Jake, platform�. Jake ran to the platform, hiked a leg, and got the crowd to roaring. Jake�s first statement about agility�. all in all, not favorable.
We were training in Webb�s dome because it was very chilly and windy out doors. Next try for the platform Webb in a very animated fashion waved the tennis ball over the platform and again, �Jake, platform�. About this time Webb�s wife showed up at the dome and opened the door to come in� Jake ran out!�
�Sorry that I have not been able to catch the three critters in a close enough circumstance to photograph them all together. But the picture of Jake and Rocky is a good one I think.�