LOOK AT ME NOW!

Life on a chain was scary and sad. I was hurting, weak and painfully lonely. Thank you to everyone who helped me find JOY! I now know life is fun, and filled with love. I have lots to smile about now!

I am

a new dog!

Politics put Duke to sleep!

Windsor respects Jack the cat.
Here you see Windsor leave so Jack has space. I am trying to coax Windsor over with Cheese. He is turning away.
I toss Windsor a piece of cheese while the others watch.
Jack is the cat who is currently not doing well and we are grateful for evry day we have with him. Jack has been a STRONG leader and teacher over the years to all of our foster dogs!

Windsor and his special buddy Kayleigh

Windsor learns sit and down with foster brother Duke

Update

I love the warm weather!

I have learned to sit! FINALLY!

Aren't I looking great?!?

Jack with Andrew and Kayleigh several years ago.




It has been a rough week. Not because of Windsor but because our special family cat


Jack has been ill. Jack is the bk/white tuxedo cat in photos earlier on the blog. I found Jack in a snow storm when he was about 8 weeks old in Philly 12 years ago. He has added so much joy and comedy to our home and it is unimagineable to think of life without him. So, please say a prayer and keep him in your thoughts.

Happy Easter

Carin and Windsor snoozing.
Kayleigh and Windsor snoozing.

Who knew Windsor's favorite holiday was Easter! Give this boy a plastic egg and he is ready for fun and games!

Buddies

Windsor enjoying an evening with the "fam."

David imitates Windsor's funny walk. Windsor enjoys crawling under people. He wiggles and wags as he makes his way onto his back for belly rubs.

Doggie play

Polite play is a give and take.


These two are figuring each other out. Only for short periods of time do I allow this until they get more in synch and relaxed in play.
This play without supervision and control could go very very wrong. With supervision and breaks it could lead to a nice play relationship.

Great weekend

Windsor says "Good night."


Windsor enjoys closeness. Many dogs become uncomforrtable when hugged or cuddled close. It is important to respect a dog's boundaries. Windsor invites, welcomes and prefers closeness with his trusted people. Kayleigh is one of his favorite people and enjoys a cuddle too!
Do I have to get off?


Windsor gives Duke a gentle submissive kiss.
Windsor is trying to convince Bailey to play.
Why do they call me piggy boy?



A typical day while the kids are at school and I work from home.
I am soooooo happy!
Windsor is learning to sit for treats but.....he still prefers to jump up and paw. He is learning.

Carin let's Windsor know....she is not interested at the moment to be played with.




Check out him bowing! :) Too funny. He is really itching his ear but.....it is a great shot! Carin thinks all dogs should bow down to her.
Windsor is doing fantastic. Loving and enjoying life in a comfy home. He had a second bath. He is quite tolerant. Peanut butter for him to lick off the tub wall always helps make this a nice event. He feels so soft and his fur is actually coming in! :) Check out his new collar! He is so proud. Windsor continues to do great with the kids and is learning boundaries with the other doggie members in the home.

Other foster news that makes me smile!

I also volunteer with the prison dog program with Southern Siberian REscue.
http://www.rockymounttelegram.com/local/content/news/stories/2008/03/16/inmates.html?imw=Y

End of week update

Windsor helps get the kids up and ready for the day. Wake up Kayleigh & David!

Windsor's worst sore is looking soooooo much better! Windsor has had a FANTASTIC week. He spends his day sleeping in his bed by my desk. He is now doing beautifully with our Germans shepherd foster boy (Duke) and is play bowing to our siberian husky (Bailey) I hope to have photos soon. We have not allowed our female mal/shep mix (Carin) too much interaction as she is a strong personality and takes more time. Windsor continues to respect the cats and continues to adjust to life in a home. He is greeting his Dad with wags and wiggles. We will be visiting the home he stayed at last weekend to continue expanding his circle a small bit. Windsor is Loving the Easy Walker harness by Premier and is attentive to me as we walk. I am soooo pleased with this boy. He just might have found his home!

Happy news

This past weekend my family and I went away due to an event that was planned over a year ago. Leaving Windsor was a concern of mine but I am proud to say that he did fantastic over the weekend. It seems that he enjoys meeting people through the crate and especially if they pick up his leash to go for a walk. He is quite recpetive to this and so that is the way we did the handoff for the weekend. I was not sure how he would respond to myself and my family after being away. We went to pick him up and I am THRILLED to say that he was excited and happy to be reunited with us. It was perfect. I was not sure if he would react in a welcoming way or if he would have been more on guard. He was just pure happy! This was a relief and a pleasure to see. Now, I have no trips planned and can relax with the boy as we work on small goals and confidence building. I appreciate everyones commments and well wishes for this boy! He truly is a special boy and fantastic teacher!

A different perspective

This has been an emotional week for me. I have been confused at times and wondered if this boy would be adoptable and or if we needed to make a decission. I have found myself caught in the midst of many roles each hold different expectations and goals.

1. A rescue foster Mom.... the role of opening my home and allowing a safe place for dogs to learn about love, boundaries, and living in a home environment while physically healing.

2. A dog behavior consultant....evaluating behavior and temperment to assess adoptability in a home or suggesting non placement.

3. A Mom.....this is my most important role. Ensuring the safety of my children and educating them about over population and how we can make a difference in the lives of others. Fostering has brought our family many gifts. I am dedicated to educating my children and those around us about responsible companion ownership and care. Understanding that we do what we can but sometimes that can not be enough to allow a dog to be safe within the requirements of our society. Sometimes it is sad and unfair.

4. Compassionate person....here is where I blur roles 1 and 2. I see this dog who is begging for love, direction and contact. He has done nothing other then be a GREAT dog in our home. This boy has not be taught how to be "good." He just is good. He is himself. Windsor is a kind, sweet, loving, devoted dog. He is not an aggressive dog. He is a dog that has learned not to trust people approaching him while he is restricted. Is this his fault? Does this make him a bad dog? Should he be put down because his previous owner neglected him and never made him feel secure? Well, sometimes sadly yes is the answer. Can he learn through new positive experiences that new people are ok and are good.....well I believe quite possibly he can. This is where my final role comes into play.......

Adopter......If this boy does not recover from some of his previous experiences and I feel that he is not placeable then this is the role our family is willing to consider. Windsor is a dog, he is a great dog. He loves deeply and is willing to learn. He is dedicated to his family and is learning to trust and let go. He does come with some baggage and is not trusting of everyone new.....can you blame him? Do people recover from abuse overnight? I know we can not save them all.....I know this, but this boy is in my home and in our heart and we are dedicated to his recovery and success. He may be adoptable down the road but today.... he is safe, he is NEUTERED and he is loved! Please stay tuned as I continue to share the ups, downs and joys of our boy!

Great weekend!

This weekend was a great one! My sister was in town visiting. Windsor enjoyed another person to give him attention. He is learning "sit" and doing great with "touch." Other then the one day I have not had any issues with the boy and am very very pleased with his behavior. He will take time to learn that he can trust people and I can not blame him for that. I am hopeful and doing all I can to help him succeed. Here are some photos!

thoughts

Thank you to everyone for your thoughts. I have not given up on the boy but do have red flags. I am so frustrated by our need to be less forgiving of dogs behavior. Our society's expectations are so unforgiving and leave very little wiggle room for our domesticated canine companions. It is so unfair. I think of all the people out there that kill their children or routinely do harm to other people and how unfair it is that often they are not held accountable. Yet, a dog who looks or acts a certain way is not allowed anty time to recover from the neglect and lack of sociatlization his people exposed him to. Of course there will be mishaps along the way and regression to old ways but in today's world.....this is not tolerated. I have so many thoughts today as I look in the eyes of my boy who wants sooooo much to fit into a home and our world. He wants so much to be loved and give love. I feel he needs time to learn what is right and wrong. I am giving him some time, a chance and if after that I still see he is not able to cope in our every day world then .......I will have to look at alternatives. One day, one experience at a time.

Our foster rules

This site is not only to share our current foster dogs but also to help provide education for other foster homes. As a dog behavior consultant I have been called by many rescues to assist with foster dogs and support many foster families. Having fostered so many dogs over the years I have learned quite a bit and have also seen where folks tend to go wrong. Here are some of my "foster rules" for success.
1. Provide structure! Dogs relax when expectations are clear and definite.
2. Follow the dog's lead. Study body language and DO NOT push them. Take into consideration the environment they came from and observe them contstantly for how they handle new situations. Offer breaks and quiet time.
3. Don't rush encounters with other dogs or cats. Windsor has only sniffed one of our dogs, Duke. This is on leash only and a calm fast sniff followed by a good boy and redirection. Duke is very neutral and is excellent with other dogs, unlike my female gsd mix and siberian who will take more time. As for my cats. All have sniffed Windsor through the crate and Windsor has shown nothing but polite behavior. Like all dogs that come through, he is not given an opportunity to test this. He is always on leashe or crated. That is how we work with all of our foster dogs. Windsor is more polite to them than many of our other fosters have been. Again, supervision is a must and always a controlled situation. I do not take chances that would put my cats or Windsor at risk.
4. Always supervise. Every dog that enters our home is tethered to me (around my waist) or on a leash in my hand or crated. I trust noone until I have observed them for lengthy periods of time. It is rare for any of our foster dogs to have free roam of our home due to 3 kids, 5 cats and 2 of our own dogs, one of which is a quirky female.
5. Expect changes to happen once they become comfortable, healthy and situated. The honeymoon is always misleading! Time reveals the true dog. This is the hardest lesson of all and sadly not all dogs are able to recover from their past experiences. I sure hope this boy can!
This has led to our success and lack of squabbles etc. I hope this helps other fosters!