Big Damn Heroes

One of Rufus' foster siblings, the shy and timid Mia, was adopted this weekend by an absolutely fantastic family - loving, understanding, patient and good at making timid dogs feel right at home; pretty much an ideal family for her. We brought her over yesterday for an overnight visit to see if she would be a good match for them and their other dog, a happy-go lucky dachshund.

Well, earlier today we got a call: Miss Mia had dashed underfoot, out of the front door and away. They had managed to follow her to a huge field that led into a wooded area. Tim and I leashed up Rufus and Amelia and went to see if we could help find her.

None of our dogs has any real Search and Rescue training, and whenever we hide the squeaky toy around the house, Rufus is the only one who reliably can and will go find it. Nonetheless, we both knew that if anyone had a chance of finding a tiny, scared dog in the middle of nowhere, it would be another dog. But would they focus on her scent - assuming they even encountered it - or would they be distracted by every bug, bit of trash and smelly patch instead?

When we got there, Tim took Rufus, I took Amelia and we gave them Mia's adoption vest to smell. They both eagerly snuffled it for several seconds and then seemed to say, "Okay, we got it." Upon leaving the van, they both lunged ahead, dragging us both at top speed around the outer edges of the wooded area closest to where we parked. Amelia seemed insistent that we check out a private residence hidden at the end of a long driveway, so while Tim and Rufus penetrated deeper into the woods around the creek, Amelia and I went poking around the house which was luckily unoccupied at the time. I had no idea if she was following a particular scent or just being nosy but I had to trust her nose since it was the only tool I had other than my voice to call for Mia.

We then poked around the field a few times, but Amelia seemed to lose steam and become anxious so we crossed the street to look around the apartments a bit. When we crossed the street again, back towards the woods, we saw Mia's adoptive mom also searching along the edges of the woods. She led us over to where they had last seen Mia: a field of tall grass, weeds and flowers dotted by pines. Amelia and I trudged through the flowering weeds and the many, many bees that were pollinating them. Luckily for us, they were busy working, not stinging. Amelia walked purposefully towards the woods again, this time from the western side and into the thick of the trees, compelling me to crawl through on my hands and knees at times and crash blindly through dry, thorny branches to keep up with her. After a bit, she stopped and seemed confused. I was exhausted and sat down to give her some water. Just then Tim called my celphone and asked how things were going. He and Rufus were about a quarter of a mile away from our starting point. We agreed to go get more water soon, since we were both running low, and hung up. I was in no hurry to crawl back out through the thicket, so I sat a bit longer with Amelia. Suddenly, she got very still and craned her neck forward, one paw lifted in uncertainty. I followed her gaze to see a small black face peering out from the scraggly trees.

"Hey, Mia!" I called gently but cheerfully. "It's Emmy! Come on, girl!" Mia crept forward as did Amelia, and they gave each other a sniff and a lick and then Mia just leapt up on us both happily. I opened up the container of Bil-Jac treats for Mia to eat while I tried to hook her leash onto her collar. Amelia jammed her face into the treats and gobbled most of them up. Mia didn't seem to mind. She was just so happy to be rescued.

Once Mia was securely fastened to me via a well-wrapped leash, I called Tim with the happy news, then the adoptive mom, and finally the rescue she was adopted through. Tim told me to just stay there and sing so he could find us, but after several minutes, I decided to just suck it up and deal with the scratches and scrapes.

As we reached the clearing again, I dropped Amelia's leash by accident and she trotted off merrily into the six-foot-high grass, out of sight. I called to her but that didn't seem to stop her, so I started howling as mournfully as I could. She came racing back to us at once.
Back through the bee fields and then we caught sight of Tim. When Mia saw them, she was so happy! Safe at last and hanging out with her old pack.
We took her back to her adoptive parents, and although she was all anxious again, she - and her new family - will be fine. It took her a while to get used to our household and she'll get used to theirs as well. They certainly seem up for the challenge (not at all daunted by Mia's earlier "Great Escape") and are relaxed and happy, which is exactly what she needs. In a few days, I'm pretty sure she'll understand just how lucky she got.

And again, we could NOT have found her without our dogs. Our plain old, everyday, nothing fancy, knuckleheaded hoodlums. They didn't have any special training. They just did what dogs have done for millenia: follow their noses and hope the humans with them will trust them enough to follow those noses as well.

Trying to Earn His Stars

A lot has been going on lately at "Chateau Wooferdog." Rufus and Amelia keep on growing; they're now 19 months old, and still have a long way to go. Especially Rufus, who has become increasingly wary of strangers over the past few months. It's something that I have worried about for quite some time, since Buster's distemper left Rufus quarantined for three of the most important months for socialization.

Yesterday, he barked at a boy who asked if he could pet him. I told him he wasn't feeling good that day, so we'd have to sit for a minute and see if he felt like it. While we talked, he pointed out the "ranger badge" stars on Rufus' collar and asked what they were there for.

I told him, "Well, Rufus has always wanted to take care of people, and keep bad guys away. So I figured he'd like a sheriff's star on his collar."

Once Rufus had calmed down a little (there was a soccer game going on as well), the little boy got a high-five from him and a "kiss" on the forehead by way of apology. After giving him a treat and petting him, the boy got up to go. "So," he asked, "When he grows up, do you think he'll catch bad guys?"

I shook my head. "Probably not. But I'd like it if he got to help people who needed it."

The boy smiled and waved before he left. "I think he'd be good at that."

Rufus has a long way to go, and a lot of manners to work on, but I'd love to see him grow into a friendly, outgoing and happy dog. More than anything else, I want that for him.
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Dinner time

Over the last few weeks, Rufus' interest in food has really waned to the point where we practically have to hand-feed him or hold his bowl for him. Although none of the other dogs are remotely food aggressive, he acts nervous, as if he doesn't feel he has the right to eat. It's so strange. We mix a variety of food in with his kibble: chicken, beef, sausage, yogurt, cheese, peanut butter, carrots, etc. We just can't figure out why he seems so reluctant to eat. He's not at all shy about begging for popsicle bites (I feed him little pieces straight from my mouth. Yum!) He doesn't get over-fed on treats during the day, though, so it's not that he's full already. The other three dogs bolt their dinners down and then wander around and lick out each others' empty bowls. They naturally stare at Rufus and we keep them away from his (usually still full) bowl. No one growls or tries to push him away. It is a mystery.

Crowded House

Mia, Rufus, Jasper and Amelia

Mia and Jasper are still here and both have some personality issues (extreme shyness/fear of new situations) that are going to make it very hard to rehome them. Mia is so terrified of leaving her territory she actually poops on herself if we try to take her anywhere. She will go for walks but if there are too many other people around, she tries to run away and hide. She'd be great for a reclusive person who doesn't want to have to walk a dog, though. Just give her a doggie door to the back yard and another dog to play with and she's fine.

Jasper is a big old love-a-lump and so patient with Rufus constantly jumping on him, humping him, pulling on his ears, etc. But he also has a major prey drive, so we've had to rehome one of our cats and he turns into a snarling beast when someone comes up to the back fence, even if we're there telling him "It's all right! Quiet!" He also anchors himself to the floor if we try to take him for a walk by himself. Like Mia, he only wants to go if the other dogs are going. He'd be another candidate for a lazy owner. He's not real energetic, although he does like a good run around the backyard with the other dogs.

Rufus especially seems anxious with all the other dogs around. He eats slowly and we frequently have to keep the other dogs away from his bowl so he can finish eating. He's also not used to having his toys and bones constantly taken. And having to share Mom and Dad and the bed, NOT COOL.

So we reaaaally hope we can rehome Jasper and Mia soon.

Oh! Before I forget: August Dog Rescue is dissolving, so Jasper and Mia will be available from the Collin County Humane Society (we're still fostering, but for CCHS now). Still, for the next couple of weeks, I think they'll be on the ADR Petfinder page. If you're interested in a homebody, low-maintenance dog, let us know and we'll put you in touch with whichever organization is handling it at the time.

Spread the word and help us all out! :D

Happy Rufus Day!!!

It was one year ago today we brought a small, fluffy little Wooferpuppy home to foster.  Haha.  Joke was on us!

Here are some recent photos of Rufus and his pals:

Rufus the Rambunctious

He's been crazy all night, pouncing around on everyone and barking up a storm outside. Now it seems that letting him bring in a four-foot branch to gnaw on is a good pacifier. It was hilarious watching him try and carry it through the door, though: CRASH. BANG. BUMP. I had to use my "ability to carry things vertically" to get it inside. It's messy but ah, the quiet.

Happy Birthday, Rufus!

Mr. Cornchip is one year old today! Actually, both he and Emmy celebrate a birthday today, based on the shelter's estimated date of birth for them both. We celebrated with new squeaky balls, yummy treats and a trip to the dog park with our friend Christy and two of her four dogs; a male greyhound and a female pit. There was much running around, wrestling, fetching and sniffing all around with these dogs as well as a host of various other dogs. They played for over two hours before we finally called it a day and took them home. Right now they are deeply asleep all over the futon. Rufus is lying across my shin quite painfully, at the moment.
Each visit to the dog park gives our pups a better grip on socialization and I think it's helped Rufus become less of a brat and more of a "serious dog." Amelia's a regular little referee: if two dogs go after each other, she gets in and separates them, completely fearless and focused. She's so fearless and forgiving. Yesterday, a female pit attacked Mia (she's fine) and then turned on Amelia. Today, they played together like nothing ever happened. Dogs are like kids, they have good days and grumpy days, but playtime makes everything better.
Rufus surprised us as well. Today during a brief fracas, Tim commanded Rufus "Down!" and the little fart actually obeyed at once, lying down on the grass next to us. He's enjoying Mia's salacious attention: she cleans his teeth for him! However, one thing she stands firm on: the rawhide chewies are HERS. She doesn't care about any other toy or item, but woe betide the dog who tries to take away her rawhide chewy.

Our favorite things: Sticks and Squeaky Toys

Rufus has done so much maturing in just the past few weeks. Being around a variety of other dogs and people has been beneficial to us all and although I have always adored my dogs, I'm getting a much deeper respect for their resilience and intelligence. My dogs are very good dogs.

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Part of a Larger Pack

Large groups of dogs or people still trouble Rufus. A few times at the dog park, he'll get snarled at for trying to mount other dogs or simply put a paw on their backs, and although his instincts tell him to do these things, he doesn't get that he's "least respected dog" in most dog groups. We should have started taking him to the parks much sooner, but we didn't think about it until recently. Poor Rufus is our "test dog" and like a first child, all our mistakes will be made with him. But he's trying so hard now that he's got two other dogs at home. Mia is willing to let him be bossy and is making submissive overtures to him. I think this is good for his confidence. He's been a dream dog this morning, just perfect. For example, I noticed something paper-like in the back yard and went to have a look to see if it was a ripped out page from a magazine or something the crapheads two doors down threw into our yard. It was, in fact, a bit of tape from one of those lint-roller things. Before I could get to it, Rufus darted out and grabbed it, trying for a game of chase-me. I shrugged and went back into the house. (We only play chase-me with his toys or with sticks from the yard.) At once he followed me inside and dropped the tape on the floor at my feet. It's hard to describe, but he's just acting more mature today. And the girls don't seem to mind a bit if he wants to be boss. Mia's going to be a great fit wherever she finally winds up. She just goes with the flow.

I love watching Rufus grow up. I hope he can overcome our bad parenting. :)

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Mamma Mia

Every so often, a mother dog comes in with her pups. It's always extra heartbreaking for me when that happens. Usually, the pups are taken away one by one, leaving mama alone and less-likely to be adopted. (For some reason, a lot of people are turned off by the saggy teats of nursing or recently-nursing bitches.) Then, if she's not rescued or adopted, she's put to sleep when the shelter gets too full of newer, more adoptable dogs.

Mia came in with two of four puppies. (The other two were probably sold/given away by the owner. I don't know for sure.) She was so very skinny and so very shy. When food was brought to her, she let her babies eat first, although they were also still nursing. She never growled or barked at anyone, even when they would pick up her puppies. She kept a watchful, worried eye on them but deferred to human interaction. In a few days, her puppies were adopted out. No one seemed to notice her after that. The soft blankets were taken away and she was moved from a large kennel into a small, dark corner. On top of all of this: she's a small black dog. Black dogs are very hard to place. Her chances were slim, even though she was calm, sweet, submissive and non-aggressive towards anyone or anything.

These sort of decisions are becoming much easier for us to agree on. I emailed Russell Posch and asked if he could find a rescue group willing to pull her if Tim and I would foster. Within minutes, August Dog Rescue stepped up and claimed her. I called Tim at work and told him and when he left that evening, he stopped by the shelter and picked her up.

She's still shy, but isn't letting the other dogs, who are twice her size but only half her age boss her around. She never makes a sound unless she's getting pounced on too roughly, and she's absolutely gentle and polite to the cats. Curious, but in no way aggressive or threatening. Last night she kept pacing around the house and yard until we all finally went to bed. Without a pause, she hopped right on up with the rest of us, settling between us. Although she panted nervously quite a lot, she stayed in our bed and even laid her head across my side.

She's not food-possessive and doesn't seem overly interested in toys. Right now she's snoozing on the futon with Amelia and two of the cats. If she catches me looking directly at her, though, she'll hop off and wander around until I ignore her again and then she'll hop back up. Seems she's a bit nervous about attention. Hopefully, a lot of love and praise will solve that problem. (For now, I just try to use my peripheral vision or look at her sideways so she doesn't shy away.)

There are photos on the new camera but I will wait for Mr. Collier to download them on his computer tonight (or tomorrow.) But for now, just picture a small greyhound with shorter legs and a slightly wider nose and you've got a good idea what Miss Mia looks like. What I find most beautiful about her, though, is her spirit.

UPDATE: Mia's official page is HERE. She's looking for a household of dogs, cats, people, etc. The more the merrier.
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