Supressed By All My Childish Fears

I believe that I have had Zoe for almost 3 weeks now. She's doing fabulously! She got micro-chipped a little over a week ago and was just spayed yesterday evening. Zoe was tested for heart worm twice when she first came to the rescue. One test was a weak positive and the second was completely negative. Jessica did another test just to be safe last night - and it came up positive. The did the test twice, and she came up HW+ both times.

The fact that she has HW is a bummer, but the fact that he had potential adopters coming to look at her on Saturday makes it even crappier! They live out of town, so it would be hard for them to adopt her and do the HW treatment through the rescue in our area. Jessica said she'd talk to them and get back to me with the details. She's going to need x-rays to see the severity of it all... and then begin treatment.

Aside from all of that, she's doing well. She's doing great with potty-training, loves my dogs and cats, and is really just a good girl. She was so pathetic after being spayed, though! I felt so bad for her. At least she slept really well! The picture I've included was a couple hours after she was spayed. So... we'll just have to wait and see how all of this pans out.

My Sweetest Friend

Zoe is doing well and certainly settling in after being with me for about a week and a half. She did have a couple accidents in her crate... but I kind of blame myself. She doesn't just go to go. She goes because she has to go. If she doesn't get enough time outside or get to go on a long enough walk, she won't hesitate to go inside. She doesn't do it to be bad, though. She just has to go! When you gotta go, you gotta go!

Everyone at the barn adores her. She's adorable! How could you not?! Even my dad and his wife think that she's just precious. My mom, too! They'd really love her if they got to see how playful and entertaining she is when she feels comfortable! She's kind of like me in that sense. She's a different dog when she's in her "comfort zone". Just like me!

I'll admit that I've had a couple bouts of sadness thinking about giving her up to another family. My purpose, however, is to foster many more dogs in the near and far future, so I have no other choice than to let Zoe move on and bring joy to some other person or family. I think the hardest part about it is that I know how anxious she is at first. She's a completely different dog now than she was the first couple days I had her. But... just like she did with me... she'll surely warm up to someone else just as quickly. Of course I'll miss her... but I know she'll go to someone who is just perfect for her.

Out On The Moonlight Floor

All is well in my household of animals. Zoe is doing SO well! She hasn't had a single accident. House-training is going great! I just let her out often and take her for a couple walks. She hasn't gone in her crate at all either, so I've already added some bedding for her to sleep on. Hopefully all will continue to go smoothly!

She's just so shy. She definitely prefers it to be quiet rather than chaotic. But... who can blame her? She was probably never exposed to much outside of her crate as a youngster. I'm hoping that she'll soon find that this world isn't such a scary place and start to enjoy it a little more. She's happy and everything... just uncertain. Heck if she couldn't be any cuter! She's precious. Simply precious.

I love that she's so good with other dogs and cats. Zoe is so well-behaved around them - even if MY OWN aren't as well-behaved around her!

Look On The Bright Side

It's a girl!

It's official. I am now the foster mom of a 6-month-old Shiba Inu. The rescue, K9 Justice League, sent out a message asking if anyone was willing to foster a dog who is having difficulties with house-training. I have hardwood floors, a backyard, and go to school rather than having a job that keeps me away all day... so I offered to take her.

So far, so good. Apparently Zoe spent much of her early life living in a crate and not getting the proper socialization that puppies need. Apparently that specific breed needs a lot of socialization as puppies because they tend to be wary dogs.

Zoe is a GREAT dog. My dog, Brody, was a puppy from hell. He chewed on everything, woke me up multiple times throughout the night, had to go out ALL of the time, made all sorts of messes, had a "nipping" phase, tortured the cats, and pretty much did everything that you'd think that a naughty puppy would do. He's a year-and-a-half now... but still has A LOT of puppy in him. He's not perfectly behaved... but he's much better! Zoe is a DREAM compared to him when he was a pup. She's quiet, doesn't chew on anything, and is pretty much easy squeezy. She is very shy and reserved. Last night was her first night here, and she'd jump at the slightest of noises. I think she's starting to warm up, though, and seems to be coming out of her shell.

As of yet, I haven't had a problem with her going potty in the house. Then again, I've been letting her out into the backyard over and over again... just in case. Lots of walks and lots of going out into the backyard seems to be doing her well. I haven't left her for more than two hours yet, so we'll just have to wait and see.

I think she'll do well here, though. She's a funny dog. So curious about everything around her... but she really just likes to watch. She'll stand outside like a statue just looking at her surroundings for fifteen minutes at a time. You would never know she was a puppy. She reminds me of an old lady in the body of a puppy.

And so the work begins.