Category Archives: Georgia

Former foster updates!

January 16, 2012 By in Georgia, Gonzo, Lollie, Stevie Wonder 34 Comments

Somebody must have told Santa that what we wanted most of all for Christmas was some updates from our former fosters — and boy did he deliver! Over the course of one week, we got updates on FOUR of our old fosters — Lollie (now Lily Fireworks), Gonzo (now Ozzie Bunny-Ears), Stevie Wonder, and Curious Georgia! Updates from our former fosters’ forever-families are one of our absolute favorite parts of fostering, and we’re thrilled to share these with you, too.

For those in DC or Austin who are on the fence about fostering, this is a great time to give it a try: The Washington Humane Society in DC is undergoing renovation, and is desperately in need of a few short-term foster families to care for dogs through the end of January while they fix up the kennels. Here is more info. At the same time in our new hometown, the Austin Animal Center is way over capacity, and is looking for foster families to help relieve some of the pressure on the physical space. The AAC fostering program places pets into homes for 2-4 weeks, while they grow stronger, gain weight, or recover from injury. Here is more info about how to sign up for one of these animals in this time of great need.

Now, on to the former foster fun!

Lily Fireworks (formerly Lollie Wonderdog)

“So we got Lily some doggles in hopes of remedying some of the squirrel/bird/deer chasing and pulling on our walks, and with a lot of hot dog bits and some coaxing, she wore them today — what a difference!!! She wasn’t too pleased with them at first, but over all did really well!!! She couldn’t see the squirrels and walked so nicely! We took them off at mile 4 and what a difference — 3 minutes later she lunged at a deer and almost pulled me over — Hot dogs came out and doggles went back on 🙂 She’s so cute in them…

Have we told you,we adore her! She’s stretched out hogging up the entire carpet in front of the fireplacechewing happily on an antler….Love her!”

Further Lily updates — Thanks to Lily’s patient mama’s work and Lily’s new doggles, our girl has graduated from her Easywalk harness, and has just ordered her first Sirius Republic collar! We can’t wait to see Lily in her new outfit. She prepared for its arrival with a nice bath . . .

Lily got to go out on a date with adoptable hearthrob Baxter from Peace, Love, and Fostering a couple of weekends ago, and she and her new boyfriend are starting a pit bull hiking club in Maryland called Pittie Trails, inspired by HikeaBull in the Bay Area.

photo courtesy Peace, Love, & Fostering

Lily and Baxter got along so well, that Lily’s parents are now daydreaming about adopting another pit bull type dog so that she can have a live-in boyfriend/brother/playmate. Fingers crossed they find the right dog!

Ozzie (formerly Gonzo Bunny-Ears)

“Oz has been great as ever! He had a great holiday season (plenty of gifts from the parents AND the Grandparents) and there was definitely no shortage of kisses and dog zoomies to boot! We are predicting even more loveable antics in the New Year! The dynamic duo of Laila and Ozzie is as strong as ever. He still cleans her every morning (no small feat when you consider her size), they eat every meal together, play their favorite game (tug-of-war) and snuggle up for naps and bedtime day in and day out. When one gets startled and barks the other is right there to back them up. When dad or I leave the room they are both hot on our heels. Their isn’t much they don’t do together. In fact they have actually taken to dressing alike. Well.. almost. Momma is a HUGE NY Giants fan, having grown up in that area, so Grandma decided to get the two matching jerseys for Christmas. Ozzie’s was snug but Laila’s barely fit over her head! So she had to settle with a cute Giants bandana. Dad wasn’t too pleased with the choice of team, being that he is a Ravens fan, but I go pretty crazy during football season especially they way our year has been going so I need every bit of support I can get. AND now that we are in the playoffs they get to keep their pompoms out for a little while longer (maybe even till February *fingers crossed*)


Ozzie also went on the longest trip (as far as we know) of his life. He got to go to the snowy, cold state of Michigan to visit his aunt and cousins. One cousin in particular fell madly in love with Mr. Ears declaring he was “the cutest dog in the whole world!” I was a little nervous at first since I didn’t know how he would respond to the likes of a rambunctious 3 yr old but he was a champ! My niece pulled him this way and that, tugged on his ears, tried desperately to pick him up but he kept his cool. I was so proud and glad that I could see this side of him! All in all we had a great trip and great holiday!”

Stevie Wonder

“Dear Foster Mom –

I know that I haven’t written awhile and I’m sorry about that. I’ve been really busy at home. My mom AND my dad were both home for two weeks over Christmas break. That meant that I got to chase the tennis ball A LOT. That was the best thing ever. AND Santa brought me NEW tennis balls AND a huge bone AND a new sweater. PLUS, we had this beautiful tree IN OUR HOUSE and I liked to curl up underneath it. My mom and dad said I looked just a like a present under there.

My mom said that one of her goals was to get me to chill out a little more around her. The thing is, I love her so much that I just have to be where she is all the time if she’s in the house and my whole body wiggles REALLY furiously when she comes home from work. My mom thought that, maybe, if we practiced being in different parts of the house for the two weeks while she was home than she might be able to start doing her silly yoga DVDs down in the family room again.

That just hasn’t been possible for the last few months because even though I am a SUPER GOOD girl, I just want to get underneath and on my Mom when she is going yoga. She told me that’s not what they meant by downward dog. (Is that a joke? Mom says it’s a joke.)

It gets even tougher because she does yoga in the room with ALL OF HENRY’S TOYS. If she isn’t going to pet me and love me than how am I supposed to pass up taking all of these toys, one-by-one, out of bins and off shelves and throw them around like I just found the arc of the covenant?!?! It’s the only responsible thing to do, right? But, my Mom says no way. She says I need to remember which toys are mine EVEN WHEN we are in the basement and EVEN WHEN I am left to my own devices. I am doing really well at other times, but that is a serious challenge for me. I mean, look at this place!

But, guess what, foster mom: I can totally do it now! (Okay, I might pick up one toy, but once I realize that Mom is doing the yoga, I leave it alone.) I either curl up on the couch and look like this:

Or, I GO UPSTAIRS – away from Mom! – I am totally brave and strong now and I can go all the way up to the 2nd floor of the house when she’s in the basement. AND TAKE A NAP! We all thought that was super, totally cool.

Of course, it wouldn’t be any fun if I didn’t develop new quirks. So, since Mom and Dad were SO happy about my chill out training success, I have redoubled my efforts to protect them – and especially my brother  Henry – from all enemies that surround us; Like, the dirt devil, the food processor and – this is the most unsuspecting villain – a wet paper towel being used to clean up a spill. You might think it’s wacky, but I know I’m just protecting them. So, when these things come out – I bark and try to bite/eat them. Mom and Dad say that I just don’t see them clean enough (which might be true) and that they are going to show me that these things are not too scary, after all.  Whatever. I think they should consider themselves lucky to have such a vigilant dog. When I’m not napping, that is.

Love you! Hope you’re having fun – Mom and Dad said you and foster Dad and my friend, Chick, went to Texas!?!?

Stevie”

Curious Georgia

“It’s been a while since we checked in, and while everyone is winding down from the holidays, Georgia wanted to pass a few things along and let everyone know how she’s doing.
Georgia completed Basic Obedience with a great trainer.  I have to say that she was the shining star of the class.  We worked everyday on our homework, and she finished the class way ahead of everyone else. She’s now a great loose leash walker, sits and waits patiently while we prepare her meals, she can sit/stay like a champ (even with minor distractions), and has a secure verbal command for “come”, which we started training silently with hand cues.  We test that last one with dummy words to throw her off, and while she twitches sometimes, she does an excellent job of only moving on the correct command.  We’re currently working on laying down and “go settle” (on her bed), as well as getting some distance and duration on those others.  I think we’ve come the longest distance with “go settle”, and have moved from a slight disinterest in her dog bed, to sniffing it, to siting on it, to pretty reliably finding it and laying down completely.  I’ve learned a ton myself about patience and consistency, and the results are making it an easier lesson all the time.  G seems to genuinely enjoy our training sessions, and I really enjoy the feeling that we’re working together towards something.
Next on the plate is to work on her social skills and apparent leash frustration.  When she sees other dogs on our walks, she becomes a bit vocal and they become the focus of much of her attention.  I don’t think it helps that just about every dog in our neighborhood, whether on the leash, in the yard or in a house, is a barker.  I think things are getting slightly better, just with repeated exposure, but we have yet to tackle it head on.  Off leash (which we’ve only done in contained environments) is a different story, and over Christmas we spent a few days in Charleston, WV with three lively Corgis and a Golden Retriever.  She had great manners, and when the rest of the group would break into spontaneous barking sessions, she just looked at them like they were crazy.  New Year’s Day we were back in Baltimore with some of our closest friends and their three dogs.  She was a model citizen and we were proud parents.
G’s getting softer, shinier, and more muscular every day.  She had some thin patches of fur on her head and end of her tail that are almost completely filled back in, and she went from shedding what felt like a pound of fur a day to virtually not shedding at all.  She still bothers her paws a bit, so we’ll try and get her to the vet sometime this week to get that checked out.  She’s getting better in the rain and in the cold, and it turns out she loooves bananas, but leaves neat little piles of completely clean lettuce and carrots when I try to hide them in her peanut butter Kong.  I don’t know how she does it.  We broke down and finally let her on the people couch (before she was only allowed on one), and it feels so good, I think everyone is much happier.
All in all, we’re really proud of and thankful for her, she’s an immediate hit with everyone she meets (except maybe the cats), and all is well in Baltimore.
-R, G, and ML”

A letter to Curious Georgia in her new home

October 26, 2011 By in Georgia, on fostering 24 Comments

Dear Georgia,

Do you remember the day we met? I walked back into the office at the shelter, where the rescue, foster, and marketing folks sit, and there you were. You were the saddest dog I have ever seen. Your honey eyes were so timid and uncertain. You had already come such a long way with the care of shelter staff who had saved you at your “last call.” It was difficult for me to imagine.  I tried to pet you, and your tail tucked between your legs a little. What did you think of me?

Moments later, you had started to come around, quickly realizing that my lap was a warmer place to nap than your dog bed, and I whispered in your ear “I think I love you.” and it was true. It still is true.

Georgia, it was a little crazy and a little impulsive of us to bring you home right as we were packing up our lives for our grand adventure and a big move across the country. But looking at you, and feeling your warm, tender, trusting body snoozing gently in my lap, how could I say no?

Georgia at the shelter, the day we met.

Georgia's world opened up once she came home.

We learn from each foster dog that we are lucky to share our life with. But Curious G, we learned something extra-special from you– something that we hope others see as well, and hold in their hearts and act upon when they have the opportunity. Georgia, we didn’t think we could give you everything you needed to find a good home. But we knew we could give you a part of it — a start, at least. We had no idea if it would pay off, but look at you — cozy and happy in your new home with your mom and dad and your two kitty brothers — it obviously payed off. If everybody took a chance now and then and did a little bit, even if they can’t do everything, how many lives could be affected? For us, it was a simple act– an agreement to take you into our home for just two weeks and find a transition plan for you. It changed your world for the better.

We learned another big lesson about fostering, too. Lollie Wonderdog was with us 3.5 months. Gonzo Bunny-Ears was here two months. Stevie Wonder? Also two months. Little Zee was here five weeks. And you, Georgia? How long were you with us before you found your perfect dream family and went home? Two weeks and two days. Of course this trend will not continue.  And when we start over and set up in Austin, we will be starting from scratch in many ways. But taking you in and finding your family so quickly made us ponder — is there an economies of scale effect with fostering? Could it be that the longer we keep fostering, writing about it, making new contacts and meeting new friends, the more likely we will be to swiftly find homes for dogs in our care? We’re not certain, but we sure do hope so.

None of this is meant to discount how incredibly adoptable you are. You walked into our lives and we were amazed at how perfectly you behaved. No potty training accidents, no crying or barking, no jumping up, no stealing food, no escaping through the door or over the fence, no difficulty introducing you to kids, dogs, adults, new situations, nothing. You were — and are — perfect. It’s no wonder ML and R fell in love and adopted you as quickly as they could.

Curious Georgia, you have a dazzling life ahead of you. Seeing you so happy, comfortable, and steady at our visit to your new home was a rare pleasure in life. You had such a good time sniffing your new dad’s beard — I bet he didn’t even know that beards are your absolute favorite sniffing subject. And after 10 minutes of exploring, you hunkered down on the floor for a little nap. You melted their hearts just like you melted ours.

We know you won’t forget all of the things you learned in your short time with us. Where you used to flatten to the ground and whimper, you now take stairs with grace and ease. Where you seemed frightened of all dogs when you first came to us, you learned to love and snuggle with your foster brother Chick and sniff happily with our neighborhood dogs through fences. You weren’t sure what to make of strangers at first, but now you know the right thing to do: walk tenderly up to them and rest your face gently against their leg, requesting a hug.

Georgia, we wish you a life full of people to hug, dogs to snuggle, and beards to sniff. When we handed your new leash over to your new dad a few days ago, we felt as happy and confident as we possibly could that we were sending you off to the perfect, beautiful life you have long deserved.

With much love,

Foster mom, Foster dad, and Sir Chick (who already feels a little chilly without your sweet little head keeping his neck warm during naptime)

 

**Tomorrow is a special day for us — come back and help us celebrate!**

A twist of fate: Georgia is Adopted!

October 25, 2011 By in Georgia 48 Comments

All weekend long we were squirming from having to keep the beans in the can, but today we can reveal our big news: Georgia is adopted!!

Can you believe it? Fate was on our Georgia’s side, and we are thrilled to announce that Curious Georgia has been adopted by a wonderful Baltimore couple. She has just moved into her new home — a gorgeous 1920s row house in a lovely, quiet, green neighborhood, with her two amazing, sweet, tender-hearted parents and two lovely kitty brothers, TJ and Toby.

I wish we could boast that we had a feeling when we pulled Georgia just two weeks before our big move to Texas that we could get her adopted in a snap — but we had no idea. We were feeling pretty clever with our plan to pull her, care for her for two weeks, and transfer her to our dear friend Juliana — another brilliant foster, writer, photographer, and blogger.

This would have been a win-win situation for everybody. Each of you would have gained a wonderful new blog to follow, you could have continued to track Curious G’s progress in foster care, and we still had the pleasure of sharing our home and our bed with Georgia for two sweet weeks. Needless to say, the adoption was a hiccup in the plan, but oh, such a beautiful and happy one! Georgia has gone to her perfect new home, which will free up Juliana’s home for another worthy dog. Stay tuned to her blog for news on who she will next bring home next week!

We first met Georgia’s mama ML when we were fostering Little Zee. She was immediately taken by Zee’s beauty and laid-back nature. She and her hunny were thinking about adopting their first dog, and Zee and I walked into their life via a visit to the beautiful shop where she works. Unfortunately, Zee was not meant to be for them, because she would not do well in a house with cats. Luckily Zee found the right home, and Georgia joined us at Casa Fosterfamily. A few days later, Georgia and I were wandering around town, and we ran into ML again. Georgia turned on the charm, and made her way into ML’s lap just seconds after meeting her. It was love:

After another visit, this time with dad-elect R, they were truly charmed: “We both feel like she is an amazing fit for us in every way.  I could not have dreamed up a dog this ideal!  We love her sweet temperament, her cuddling, and her handsome sniffing face.”

I will sniff my way right into your heart . . . and your home !

A meet-and-greet with the kittehs –which went great — sealed the deal.

Georgia will be living the dream with ML, R, and the two kitties. They are both artists whose flexible work schedules mean that Curious G will only be home alone three days per week, and even then, the days are relatively short and R can come home at lunchtime to give her a pee break and a nice snuggle. ML’s shop is dog-friendly, and Georgia will even be able to come along and be a shop dog now and then!

They have a nice sunny grassy patch out back for G to roll around in — something she did as soon as we stepped out into the yard during our home visit. Her parents have already fallen deeply in love with her, and her kitteh brothers are sure to follow suit. What more could a Curious Georgia want?

Congrats, Georgia. We will miss you, but couldn’t be more thrilled and optimistic for your bright new future!

Time’s up!

October 24, 2011 By in Georgia 30 Comments

Well folks, the time is really here. The moving truck comes on Wednesday to take our whole life — packed into little boxes and labeled with a sharpie — and move it to Austin, where we’ll make our home for good.

Many of you probably thought we were totally nuts taking in a new foster — Curious Georgia — just two weeks before our scheduled move date. What would become of her when we left? Would she go back to the shelter?

But c’mon — you know us better than that by now! We are crazy, yes. Certainly. But we wouldn’t dream of taking a dog in without being able to ensure its comfort, safety, and spoiledness. In fact, we have had a brilliant plan in place all along. A good fostering friend of ours, Juliana, just happened to be dogless and could not take a new dog until today. We had space and capacity to care for a dog until our move, but it had to be gone by tomorrow. Curious Georgia was floundering at the shelter — having lost nine pounds in the two months she lived there — and needed to get into foster care ASAP, since capacity was nonexistent and she was on The List. One look into her honey eyes and a quick knowing glance between Juliana and me, and we had a perfect match. I took her home the next day.

It’s been a fast two weeks with Georgia. I fell for her the minute she crawled into my lap (which was ten minutes after we met), and Chick fell for her in just two days. For the first time in a long time, I think it’s safe to say that both we and our Chick will miss this foster dog when she moves on to the next chapter of her life.

I will miss her smooshiness and how warm my left side is.

After the moving trucks come, we’re heading out to California for two weeks of adventuring. Hiking and camping are on the agenda, as are great meals and great drinks. We’re also going to drop in on some of our favorite dog people — including a trip to the BAD RAP Barn, a weekend Hikeabull hike, and maybe even a visit with Our Pack. Who knows– if we get inspired, we might even check out the Lagunitas brewery.

While we travel, we will be posting guest blogs from some of our favorite and most experienced foster families, sharing their perspectives. We will write about foster mom’s experiences at a recent week-long training program at Animal Farm Foundation, focused on best practices in advocacy, adoptions, and sheltering for pit bull type dogs. Other goodies are in store too. When we get settled in Austin, we plan to start fostering again very quickly. In fact, our application is already in with Love-a-Bull!

As much as we’re excited to get out of town and spend two weeks wandering wherever the warm wind blows, Sir Chick and Georgia will be on our minds.

Mama, please don't go.

For those who played our little “guess who’s a pit bull” game in Saturday’s post: Chick (the handsome white dog) is 50% American Bulldog, between 25% and 50% English Pointer, and between 0 and 25% mystery dog. Pancho (the lovely dark dog) is 50% American Staffordshire Terrier, 12% Brittany Spaniel, and 38% mystery dog. Does this mean that Chick is not a pit bull but Pancho is a pit bull? Or are they both pit bulls? Or is neither actually a pit bull? Or are they both a pointer mix, because Chick’s DNA says he IS a pointer mix and Pancho actually looks like a pointer mix? We think all of the above. And none of the above. What a head-scratcher.

50 ways to leave your lover

October 20, 2011 By in Georgia 39 Comments

It’s funny, when they say that us pit bull type dogs can’t ever live with other dogs, can’t play with other dogs, and shouldn’t be around other dogs at all. Balderdash!

I’m Curious Georgia, and I’m here to tell you that that’s just plain silly.

You know that little ditty about 50 ways to leave your lover? Well I don’t know about any of that, but I do know that there are 50 ways to snuggle your Chicken. Here are just a few.

I can snuggle my Chicken with just my ear:

I can snuggle him with my whole paw:

I can snuggle him nose to nose:

I can snuggle him like a little spoon:

I can snuggle him like a nice pillow for his bum:

I can snuggle him like a nice blanket for his body:

And I can snuggle him like a nice blanket for his neck:

It doesn’t matter much to me how I snuggle or even who I snuggle — as long as you’re sweet and warm and want me to love you, I’ll be your best girl!

State of the State of Georgia Address

October 18, 2011 By in Georgia 34 Comments

The state of the Georgia is strong.

Her reproductive capabilities have come to a standstill, but from this standstill will come the peace of knowing that no more accidental babies will be brought into this world by Georgia, and this sweet girl will never have to suffer the stress of motherhood again. Together with her future forever-family, she will form a bond based on mutual affection, trust, and companionship, and never again have to be the source of this bond for puppies. In her future life, she will be able to form — in the words of our forefathers — a more perfect union.

Georgia lives in an age of possibility. Three weeks ago, she was a skinny, frightened, gray-muzzled dog in a shelter with an uncertain today and an uncertain tomorrow. Two weeks ago, she had ear and lung infections so bad that her white blood cell levels were too irregular for safe anesthesia. She would not eat — not even the finest of canned foods rolled into gourmet meatballs hand fed by her foster mama. Georgia was rightly concerned for her stability, her safety, and her future.

But the era of concern is over for Georgia. Her finest advisors conducted a thorough audit, and determined that her governance and framework are sound. Her blood — once fighting severe infections — now flows healthy, vibrant and clean like a mighty river. Her skin — once plagued by dryness and flakes — is now on the mend. Her rough, calloused elbows — once deteriorating from a life spent sleeping on concrete — are now cushioned by soft pillows, dog beds, and grass wherever she lays down for a rest.

Still, Georgia cannot let her guard down. Georgia faces the challenge of aggression by rogue allergies. These allergies are nameless and faceless and hover in the shadows of Georgia’s society, too cowardly to show themselves in the light. Georgia looks to us and trusts us to help her seek the peace and freedom from these allergies, and we shall not retreat without striking them down. We are yet unsure of the borders of the war we face, but we have taken on wheat, grain, and poultry with isolationism, and a military of antihistamines that leaves Georgia stronger than ever before. If we address these threats today, Georgia will never have to suffer the consequences in all her tomorrows.

Last week we made a landmark decision about Georgia’s dental health. A tooth with a root exposed is no benefit to Georgia or to society. So just as we always seek to extract greed, violence, and hatred from our great nation, we extracted a tooth from Georgia’s mouth. We’ve created a mouth that makes it easier to eat, play, and chew with satisfaction. That’s something we should all be proud of, because just days ago, Georgia’s dental state was uncertain.

My fellow dog lovers, with our great society behind her, Georgia will rise to every occasion and meet every challenge. This age of possibility is not just for Georgia, but for all homeless dogs.

Our Georgia is and always has been a good dog. But the best is yet to come, if we all do our part.

Thank you, and God bless dog.

 

Chix-a-lot Friday: My review of Curious Georgia (so far)

October 14, 2011 By in Chick, Georgia 35 Comments

I don’t know why mama keeps insisting on bringing girl dogs home. Doesn’t she know? Girl dogs are so pesky! Remember how Stevie was so in love with me that she was always staring at me and trying to make kissy face? I don’t know if it’s because of my devastating good looks or what, but the girl dogs are always obsessed with me.

The only dogs I have ever loved have been dudes. No girls. That’s just the way I roll. So when mama told me she was bringing another stupid girl home, I was pissed. Why couldn’t she bring me home another Gonzo — a cool little guy who would hang out with me but not stare at me all the time?

I first met Georgia on Sunday, after she was done with her meds for her ghirardhelli and her bordatelli (mama didn’t want me to get any of those “elli” diseases from her). We took a couple of co-walks and she kept trying to sniff sniff sniff my business end. Needless to say, I was not impressed. But because I’m such an experienced foster brother by now and I could tell that little Georgia girl didn’t mean me any harm, I stayed pretty relaxed, and mama was so impressed that we moved right to Georgia’s tiedown, skipping entirely over the whole week we normally spend with baby gates.

Mama kept calling it a “really big deal” and saying things about Georgia’s “sweet temperament” or “wonderful manners” or “mildness,” but I know that the real reason we moved so fast is that I decided to be extra awesome. And I had good motivation, too. Curious Georgia doesn’t eat much, so mama tends to leave her bowl laying around, hoping that Georgia will wander over now and then for a few bites of kibble. I knew this was a big opportunity for me, and the faster we got to free range status, the faster I would have a chance to inhale her dinner when mama forgot to hide it from me. That’s how clever I am!

But then something unexpected happened. I started to notice that even though I did find her staring and sniffing a little annoying, it got less and less annoying. By the end of the first tie-down day, Georgia had graduated to a drag line and I had graduated to sharing my bed with her. I even let her snuggle up a little closer than I normally let dogs get, just because she is kind of sweet and vulnerable and warm.

I still wasn’t entirely certain of what to think. All my life I had only liked dudes. How could it be that all of a sudden, a girl dog was giving me the warm and fuzzies? I kept pondering it over our first day or two of free-range, but then Curious Georgia did something that really sealed the deal and helped me realize that it was in fact love: she let me share her beloved octopus.

For more info on adopting Curious Georgia, click here or contact us at DCpetographer [at] gmail [dot] com.

 

Curious Georgia learns about tiedowns

October 13, 2011 By in Georgia 25 Comments

Curious Georgia is not called “curious” for nothing. She is a very active sniffer, liking to get her nose right up close to anything and everything — to better understand the world. She doesn’t cause any trouble whatsoever, but she sure does like to sniff.

Sir Chick, our own wonderdog, is a bit of a grump with new dogs, so we can’t have Curious Georgia giving him a thorough sniffing anytime she pleases, or he may get fussy — which would most certainly frighten our delicate little flower. So what do we use? A tiedown.

It sure is lonely here on tiedown all by myself . . .

We have written about the glory of the tiedown before. We use it as a critical stage in integrating a new foster into our household. For us, a tiedown comes after baby gate socialization and before total free-range time. It helps dogs learn how to settle down and be still, keeps them out of trouble while allowing them to observe and be part of daily life, and allows resident animals to maintain their freedom without being bounced on or pounced on by new, rambunctious fosters dogs. Georgia is not a pouncer or a bouncer, but she is a sniffer.

Luckily Curious G took to the tiedown like a champ. She gets a little whimpery and barky when we leave the room and she is tied down, but after just a few days this behavior is beginning to extinguish and she is learning how to be cool even when we are gone. And Chick sure appreciates his independence, too.

I see that beautiful Chick but I cannot sniff him from here!

Maybe if I put on my saddest face, they'll let me resume my sniffing habit.

For more info on adopting Curious Georgia, click here or contact us at DCpetographer [at] gmail [dot] com.

 

Curious Georgia meets the boys

October 11, 2011 By in Georgia 23 Comments

On one of her very first nights in her new environment, foster mom and dad had a party for Curious Georgia.

Ok, the party wasn’t for her, exactly, but luckily, Georgia will never know. As far as she’s concerned, she got to meet a bunch of new people and watch them swoon over her honey eyes and her perfect manners. “I can’t believe she’s only been here two days,” they said. “Yep, isn’t she something special?” we posed.

Everybody cooed over her mild manners, her quiet energy, and the fact that she would never dream on jumping up on a stranger in greeting. Instead, she prefers to gently rest her face against their leg, as if to say “Hi, I’m Georgia. I would like a hug, please.”

Her favorite guests, naturally, were our good friends Dexter and Caden, who live in the neighborhood and have made friends with our own Chick and several of our fosters. They were pleased with her huggability, and she was pleased with theirs.

I guess you could say she’s kid-friendly!

For more info on adopting Curious Georgia, click here or contact us at DCpetographer [at] gmail [dot] com.