. . . just kidding – all is well here in Maryland after the big scary storms we were forecasted to get all week. The storm wasn’t awful. Frankie was prepared though, stuffed animal & all!
Have a great weekend, everyone. Thanks again for all you did for Frankie this week!
When I featured some adorable puppies on the blog this past Monday, many of you chimed in about how babies are cute but older dogs are usually much easier and often more rewarding to adopt or foster. Thanks to spending time with Jayla and now this guy Frankie who I am about to share with you, I can re-confirm that I whole-heartedly agree!
Frankie is a long time resident at the Animal Welfare League of Arlington (six-ish months). He was adopted out as a puppy and then returned, and he quickly found himself as a staff favorite. At about three years old, Ol’ Blue Eyes is the perfect mix of bouncy energy and total couch potato – in fact, he spends most of his time as the latter. I’ve gotten to know him in the couple of months I’ve been working here part time, and it’s easy to see why everyone loves him so much.
First of all, he is absolutely stunning. He is a Catahoula mix, so his merle, leopard-looking coat is unique and eye catching. His eyes are each half blue and half brown, and his long, strong legs make him look particularly noble.
“Look at my beautiful eyes and my pretty furs!”
My absolute favorite thing about Frankie is how well he settles, even in a new environment. Whether you’re visiting with him in his kennel or hanging out with him by your desk (which I do a lot, lucky me!), he is lying quietly on his bed in about three minutes. It gets better – he doesn’t care if you leave! I have had my fair share of “office dogs” and let me tell you – it’s usually all fine and dandy when you’re around, but the second you leave your desk all hell breaks loose. Barking and carrying on and telling the whole office, “SHE LEFT ME!” Not Frankie. You can leave for a meeting and come back 45 minutes later and there he is, snoozing away where you left him. This leads us to believe that he will be awesome in a home and can probably just be left on the couch when you go to work for the day.
“I love to snuggle… even if it is just with myself.”
While Frankie is super chill when around people, he’s a pretty big goofball around other dogs. He’s that kid on the playground who means well but just, er, can’t take a hint that the other kids don’t want him around, ya know? Poor Frankie, all he wants to do is wrestle. . . but other dogs just don’t seem to appreciate his lack of social skills. He enjoys playgroup at the shelter and going on group walks, but he’ll need a dog who’s willing to put up with his dopey play style.
Seeing how laid back Frankie is really makes me, yet again, appreciate dogs three years and older versus the puppies and adolescents. It’s like skipping the teenage years with your kids – which I’m sure my parents wish they could have done, ha!
By the way, Frankie thinks he is the perfect lap dog. . . and I have to agree.
You’ll certainly see more of Frankie (and Jayla) on here in the coming weeks, including real photos finally, not just iPhone shots – hope you’re as excited as I am!
Interested in adding an awesome 75 lb lap dog to your family? Email peacelovefoster@gmail.com – you won’t regret it!
Jayla!
She’s the one I told you about yesterday that I took to an adoption event (so, before you get all excited, no she is not my new foster). Mark says I’m just on a “falling in love” kick since I miss Johnnie. I say that Jayla is AWESOME and how can anyone not fall in love with her!? Let me tell you about her.
Dogs like Jayla are actually very refreshing to me (have I talked about this before? I feel like I’ve talked about this before… I’m sorry if I’ve talked about this before!). To be totally honest, it’s very easy when you’re working at a shelter to sort of have your eyes glaze over and stop seeing every dog individually, but rather as a whole group of animals who need help (Animal Farm Foundation addressed this in a very interesting blog post about the concept of psychic numbing). I don’t do it consciously, it just sort of happens… maybe it’s our mind’s way of sparing us a bit of the emotional torture that comes along with working in animal welfare. In any case, it’s not every day that I find a dog I really, truly fall for.
Jayla, like lots of the dogs in a shelter, gets lost in the crowd. At four-ish years old, in the sixteen seconds it takes for someone to walk past her kennel she is just another black and white dog with short fur and a big head. Even when I first took her out, she was distracted and investigating her new environment. Not that I blame her – new places are ohsointeresting when you basically live in a box – but it’s hard to bond with a dog like that. It was only after spending about thirty minutes with her did she start to warm up to me. And it turns out that she is a big sweetie!
Point #1 for Jayla: awesome passenger in the car. Any dog who sits nicely and even falls asleep on their first ride in the car is awesome in my book. Point #2 for Jayla: calm around other dogs. After dealing with a few “over eager” pups, boy was this a nice change! Point #3 for Jayla: she’s tolerant and up for anything. Being around her while she’s got a bully stick? No big. Hanging out with kiddos who want to run and squeal and pull on her tail? It’s nothing. Taking her to new sights and sounds? Easy peesy.
It seems pretty evident that Jayla’s wisdom and maturity comes from the fact that she’s past her teenage years (she’s about 4, remember). She’s over the partyin’ and would rather just hang out on your couch. Oh, and those belly spots? Feel free to give those a nice long rub while the both of you are enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon. Sounds perfect, doesn’t it? I tell ya, if I wasn’t moving in July this little girl would be in my house on my floor at my feet right now (whether foster dad liked it or not ;-)).
And yes, I stole her away for a bit after the adoption event and introduced her to my parents and my yard. They fell in love with her, and she fell in love with them (okay, maybe mostly the yard). Sometimes you just have to fall for one again to remember why you do it!
Looking for a laid back gal whose favorite thing to do is hang in your lap and make you smile? Email me at peacelovefoster@gmail.com.
Our weekend started off real yucky with some serious April showers. Now that I have little Johnnie Cash though I actually really love the rain, because who better to spend a snuggly evening in with than your favorite pup?
Johnnie is the perfect rainy day partner. We played enough indoor fetch, tug and keep away that she was okay with chillin’ out for most of the night. Johnnie was quite intrigued by the rain though – or at least by the fact that we had the window open.
We were really happy (so happy in fact that J did some break dancing in celebration) when the sun came back because we had a crazy busy weekend. We’ll tell ya all about it on the blog this week, so check back to hear what we did!
To adopt Johnnie Cash and spend rainy days together, check out her Adopt Me page.
Let’s see if we can remember all the fabulous reasons why you want me: I’m a lap dog, I’m a great partner in crime, I am a very silly sleeper, I look fab in a dress, I will spend sunny afternoons snoozing with you and I’m a kick butt passenger in the car!
This week, I’d like to point out the following:
Everyone loves feeling special on their birthday. The thing is, I make my humans feel extra special every day because of how excited I am to see them pretty much all the time. I give kisses galore and I trot around after you like you’re just the best thing since sliced dog treats. This means that I’ll continue to make you feel special on your birthday too! Who wouldn’t want my wiggly bundle of loving to greet you on your birthday morning?
If you know anyone who would love to adopt me and feel extra special on their birthday and every other day, send them my foster mama’s way! Xoxo, Johnnie Cash.
To adopt Johnnie Cash the birthday lover, email peacelovefoster@gmail.com.
Johnnie and I love to learn tricks together. Yes, we learn them together because she learns the behavior and I learn the best way to convey to her what I want! We often spend ten minutes here and there practicing behaviors and tricks we already know, or learning new ones. My favorite trick I’ve taught Johnnie is “sit pretty!” I just love the way she sits up and stares at me and then bounces her paws around like she’s saying, “Look! I’m doing it!” It might actually be the cutest thing ever.
Thank you to my good friend Virgil Ocampo for capturing this moment when we were at an adoption event last week. I absolutely love this image because it shows how much fun Johnnie and I have learning together. She trusts me and when we go out in public to events like this, and I set her up for success so she is comfortable and focused enough to show off her tricks. I love this little girl! Happy Friday, everyone.
To adopt an awesome training partner Johnnie Cash, email peacelovefoster@gmail.com.
Over the last five weeks, Johnnie has made it very clear to me that dogs will be dogs. Dogs have natural behaviors that, for their well-being, they need to express, including digging, chewing, chasing, seeking, etc. These behaviors can be found in different dogs at varying levels – even within individual breeds and closed gene pools – but most dogs have a need for a combination of these and other behaviors to be met in their daily life.
Like I wrote about on Tuesday, a fabulous Your Dog’s Friend ”Creative Behavior Outlets” seminar reminded me that I need to help Johnnie Cash find productive ways to express her natural behaviors. Lots of dogs need “jobs,” and when they lack a job, they get themselves into trouble. This is where mental puzzles come into play to help fatigue her brain. I also want to go a step further than that and give her outlets for a few other behaviors, including chewing in particular.
When people tell me that their dog chewed up their favorite pair of sunglasses or a couple pairs of shoes, I wonder two things: 1. why did your dog have access to those in the first place and 2. did you give him alternative appealing things to chew? Unfortunately you can’t just wish away your dog’s want and need for chewing because of all the reasons I mentioned above. Johnnie’s environment at our home is structured in such a way that, when she’s not directly supervised, she doesn’t have much ability to get into things. She has still managed to find a plastic cap here or there, which shows me that I need to give her more options for chewing that are appropriate and appealing to her.
Thanks to the advice on some friends, I found a few great options to satisfy Johnnie’s need for chewing. We have the trusty antler that lasts her many months and will occupy her for 15 – 30 minutes at a time, but only when the mood strikes her. We have the plain sterilized bone that is slightly less appealing to Johnnie than the antler, though does strike her fancy every once in a while. These are the two things we leave out for her at all times.
For those times when we want her extremely occupied for a solid 45 – 60 minutes, we pull out the extra-thick bully sticks or marrow bones. My favorite place to get these (when I think ahead, at least) is www.bestbullysticks.com. Your local pet store should have these or similar items as well, but make sure you’re getting brands that aren’t made in China and that you’re steering clear of rawhide, which is more difficult for your dog to digest. I would consult with your vet about how often your dog can handle bully sticks or bones, because they do carry lots of protein and calories that you don’t want to necessarily overfeed.
Like the food puzzles, the extra chewing devices have really done some good for Johnnie. Not only do they give her a great outlet for a behavior she clearly needs to express daily, they wear her out in the mean time. Working on a bone for 45 minutes nearly knocked her right off her feet the other day – it was great! If you do find that your dog is exhibiting particularly destructive behaviors, one issue you might be having is lack of exercise. It all goes back to the same concept: dogs have an allotted amount of energy to expend per day – and if you don’t expend it for them, they’ll find ways to do it themselves. You should find a combination of physical and mental exercise to keep your dog from deciding the legs on your table are his new favorite chew toy!
To adopt Johnnie Cash and give her plenty of productive chewing options, email peacelovefoster@gmail.com.
I think it’s becoming pretty clear, no? I am a very want-able dog! I am a lap dog, I like to get into mischief adventure with you, I’ll make you laugh simply by sleeping and I look fabulous in a dress. How do you spell “no brainer?” Oh yeah, “A-D-O-P-T J-O-H-N-N-I-E C-A-S-H!”
This week, I am here to tell you that I, Johnnie Cash, will be awesome at the following:
Yep, that’s right. You take me for a nice hike in the morning and give me a few food puzzles to work on and I’m usually pretty good for the day. In fact, as you are reading this, I am probably curled up asleep in a sun spot somewhere thanks to the fact that my Foster Mama already gave me a walk and my breakfast this morning. Anybody else up for a sunny afternoon snooze?
To adopt Johnnie Cash and have an afternoon nap buddy, email peacelovefoster@gmail.com!
Johnnie Cash here. I’m on the blog to show off my pretty furs. Why, you ask? Well because Foster Mama has been putting up all these stoopid iPhoney pictures lately, and those just don’t do me justice. I know that I have beautiful furs and pretty brown eyes and not to mention a sparkly new collar – and I want to make sure you all know that too! So here are some real photos from a real camera. Finally!
Foster Mama says she promises to try and be better about putting real pictures on here. Though I know while they don’t always capture how beautiful I am, they are better at showing what life is like with me, so a little mix of both is good sometimes!
Happy Friday!
To adopt your very own pretty pittie named Johnnie Cash, email peacelovefoster@gmail.com.
