Archives for July 2020

Oh, Annie, to know you is to love you!

This girl amazes me.  I mean, she absolutely blows me away!  I know she has issues because she’s been passed around an awful lot and I’ve seen her shenanigans firsthand.  However, she’s really shown us who she wants to be.

She’s a nervous girl, that’s for sure.  She doesn’t enjoy loud sounds or big crowds, she would prefer play with just a few buddies rather than the whole pack.  It appears she has decided that I am her person and she just wants to lie down wherever I am.

How I would love to be her forever person!

It would not be very responsible of me to take on a third dog, honestly.  My space and my funds are limited and it will interfere with my ability to take on other dogs in need.  But, oh, my heart yearns to be able to look her in the eye and promise she never has to move again.  I want to be able to tell her that she is home.

As I wrestle with my conscious she is learning by leaps and bounds.  Trainer Zach has taken the lead in her obedience training and Intern T-Ro is helping both he and I as I manage her house manners.  She has accepted that not all humans are harmful.  She has embraced pack life and loves having a strong leader.  She is not on any of the meds or supplements that other families have tried to reduce her anxiety.  Instead we have helped her develop confidence through obedience.  It’s a beautiful thing.

Please enjoy the pictures from the last few days; follow Annie’s story on this page and visit Char-Wills to complete an application for adoption.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

I didn’t blog last night because after a crazy long day that included a mid-day headache I was completely beat.  By the way, while I was lying down tending to said headache she jumped up on the couch to snuggle and comfort me.

So sleepy was I, the bottom latch on Annie’s crate did not get buckled last night. I was greeted this morning by an exuberant puppy leaping onto my bed.  This girl…

She continues to make strides each day.  She attended class last night and warmly greeted children, adults and dogs.  She had one grumpy episode with a little dog who was bothering her after she had laid under a picinic table.  I’m delighted to report that it was an appropriate correction that did not escalate and that the other dog backed off unharmed.  Score one for consistent training!

She and Ava were quite sad to see their bestie, Evie, go home with her family last night.  They jumped into the car hoping to let the party rage on!  Do not fret, they will all be together again on Sunday at class.

We have another packed day on tap, I will do better with my evening blog tonight.  Pinky swear.  Please follow Annie’s story on this page and visit Char-Wills to complete an application for adoption.

Tuesday is my “day off.”  Ha  It’s been a long day so this blog will be a quickie.

I began my day with a text from one of our pack moms; we lost a pup yesterday.  She was about a year-and-a-half and one of our superstar graduates but after a fun-filled afternoon at the creek with a friend she collapsed and passed away at the ER.  Maybe heat-stroke, maybe secondary drowning, maybe an electrolyte imbalance, maybe an undiagnosed heart condition- the doctors were not clear.  It cast a somber note on the day for all of us.

Annie seemed to understand that I was hurting.  She was extra affectionate all day.  She had her lesson with Zach, worked on her house manners, went for a pack walk with friends and continued to learn and grow.  She even got a mani/pedi today and tried to help with the laundry!  In between it all, she was loving and attentive.  Just now she thought about having a flip flop snack- she is still a puppy.

We are learning that she is a diesel engine- she really needs to warm up.  She so desperately wants to love and to be loved and she’s smart.  So smart.  She learns everything we offer her in record time.  Recall, one of the most important skills a dog can have, was on the agenda on this fine Tuesday.  She aced it.

Tomorrow will bring more challenges, more adventures and more success, I am sure.  Tonight, please remember that our time with these precious babies is fleeting.  Rub those bellies a minute longer before you say goodnight. 

Please enjoy the pictures of Annie’s day; follow her story on this page and visit Char-Wills to complete an application for adoption.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

What did we learn about Annie today?  She’s eager to please and terrified- in equal measure. 

I don’t think she loves to swim.  Certainly not like Ava and Pony do although she’s not as unimpressed with the creek as Gigi.  I’ll admit that the water was cold!  But still, she didn’t love being in it.  She didn’t splash and play like Evie but she obeyed when directed to go in.  And to sit.  She consented to having her picture taken.  In sum, she was such a good girl!

We let them all play a bit and had them pose for pictures around the garden.  She did everything we asked of her but when given the freedom to choose her own adventure she chose to lie under the bench I was sitting on.  She wants to belong to someone so badly, she wants to please and she wants to find security.

Obedience-wise, she is progressing brilliantly.  We have seen none of the theatrics or aggressive behaviors that made her last few placements unworkable.  I strongly believe that balanced training is changing this girl’s life.  She needed clear boundaries and strong leadership.  I’m lucky to have Pony in residence, he takes care of most of that for me.  Gigi is the professor of boundaries and Ava is a perfect playmate.  Evie will only be here for two days more but she, Annie and Ava have become the three musketeers! 

We will continue to work Annie through her report card and help her learn how to be a peaceful member of a household.  I’ll also continue to blog about her.  If I fail to blog one of these nights it’s because I finally won the Powerball and I’m keeping her. 😉

Please enjoy the pictures of Annie’s day; follow her story on this page and visit Char-Wills to complete an application for adoption.

• 

• 

• 

• 

Here’s the thing about fostering dogs: ouch.  As a foster mom I have to break my own heart a little every time I do it.  She’s here, in my home; I’m treating her like one of my own.  I love her already.

As a trainer, I often have dogs staying with me and while I do love them all I know they have families waiting for them.  Families who love them and want the very best for them.  Even though it stings a bit to let them go when their time with me comes to an end I know they’re going back to their family- to their person.

My fosters don’t have a person.  When they are called out of play they simply run to a pack parent, any parent close by.  They don’t have a home to go to.  I do my best but I’m super picky so until the stars align and that perfect family is found I know they have nobody to call their own.  No family.  No place in this world.  It’s just one of the many little cracks that lead to the total break of my heart.

There is a point when it turns, however.  A point when the dog in training- especially a foster- when they suddenly just let go.  They let go of the fear and anxiety, they let go of the uncertainty and it seems they forget that they are bound to nothing and to no one.  They just let go and relax.  Ava had that moment sometime ago and I see her becoming more and more attached to my home.  It worries me as I cannot commit to a third dog forever.  She deserves her own family.

Annie had that moment today.  She was apprehensive at first, but she took a deep breath and politely greeted the other pack parents and her new packmates.  Her first play bow was received with great fanfare from both canine and human alike!  She ran for the car when presented with the creek but after some coaxing discovered that she loves to swim.  She ran, romped, rolled and relaxed with friends and people she can trust.  I found myself thinking, “If I move to a bigger house with a bigger yard…”

These girls deserve their own families.  They deserve people dedicated to helping them create their best lives.  I would love to be that person for each of them but then how will I have room for the next lost soul destined to break my heart?  That’s the exquisite agony of being a foster mom. 

Please enjoy the pictures of Annie’s day; follow her story on this page and visit Char-Wills to complete an application for adoption.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Happy birthday, America! 💙🇺🇸❤️

Tonight‘s blog is just a quick update to let you know that our girl is progressing brilliantly. She had a short lesson with trainer Zach this morning before it got too hot and enjoyed some fun house time with her bunk mates. She is getting along brilliantly with Ava and Evie and really beginning to embrace life as a house dog. We are looking forward to introducing her to the pack tomorrow.

Please enjoy the pictures of Annie’s day; follow her story on this page and visit Char-Wills to complete an application for adoption.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

•