Trip preparations

Connie's time with me is coming to an end - she'll be returning to a foster home in the DC area on January 22nd or 23rd. She'll be the only dog in her home then - while she likes playing with Willow, she's definitely very people-focused and she'll enjoy having a human all to herself for once, I think. Hopefully it will warm up a little by then but, if not, she'll be getting a new coat that fits her better to help keep her warm - her (almost nonexistent) pit bull coat is no protection against cold temperatures!

The Fate of Old Socks

Connie believes in recycling. Here she is finding a new use for an old sock.

Naptime

More food changes

Connie's had something of an upset stomach since she's been here, which is why I've been experimenting with adding pumpkin, for example. I wonder if maybe she has a food allergy - she wasn't having problems in her prior foster home, but the sort of food they were feeding her (Costco's house brand) isn't available here (believe it or not, there isn't a single Costco near where I live!) so I've had her on the purple Wellness. The protein for that is chicken though - I'm not sure what is in the Costco - so today I bought Natural Balance fish and potato dry food to see how she does on that - it might just be that she shouldn't eat chicken. So far so good - she hasn't needed to go to the bathroom since dinner which, since that was over 3 hours ago, is a daytime record for her here!

(To clarify - Connie is fine being crated for 8-9 hours each night, and is often crated for 3-4 hours at a time during the day without an issue - one day she was crated for 8 hours, but I don't generally like to crate a dog that long without a bathroom/leg-stretching break (except at night). But when she's loose in the house, she's generally been asking to go out after about 2-3 hours, so that she's been loose for more than 3 hours after eating and hasn't been interested in going out is a change.)

The Original Photo

This is Connie's shelter photo. They didn't know it at the time, but she'd recently gotten pregnant. The shelter held her for two months, then planned to euthanize her just days before she was due to give birth. Thankfully, we got her out with hours to spare!

Brrrr

It's gotten cold here the last few days, so Connie is sticking close to the house. Her hair is so short, it can't provide any warmth - her belly looks like it's just been shaved, there's really no hair there, and the hair on her back is barely longer! She's got a coat on the way, though, so hopefully that will let her enjoy the outdoors a bit more.

Connie's ideal home

I've been thinking about Connie's ideal home, and I think it's with someone who really wants a dog who wants a best friend - she's not a good fit for someone who wants a dog that does her own thing. Connie really wants to please, so someone interested in training (maybe even going for a canine good citizen certificate, or doing agility) would be great for her. She likes other dogs, but I don't think she needs one in the home (in fact, because she can sometimes get carried away in trying to control other dogs, I think she'd do better in a home where she could have some dog friends, but not be loose in a yard with them ever).

If she does have a 4-legged buddy, I think she'd do best with a dog that doesn't try to dominate her (she doesn't like being mounted) and that likes a running/wrestling/herding style of play - the more I see her in action, the more I think catahoula is what she's mixed with - explains her coloring, herding interest, and that her nose is glued to the ground frequently. She's not a ball-chaser (and tries to herd dogs chasing balls, which causes some collisions), and she's *very* acrobatic - leaping in the air as she runs down my yard (it's terraced), over planters, even over other dogs, pirouetting - at times it's like she's almost suspended in mid-air briefly, before landing softly.

The herding and physical style of play, though, means she's not a good match with small children or with smaller/more timid dogs, and means dog parks/daycares aren't a great environment for her. So her ideal home would have a fenced yard or some other means of getting her some good exercise each day that didn't involve random packs of dogs and the inevitable playground bullying.

Here, it seems like 3 or 4 bouts of running/playing in the yard spread out throughout the day (only rarely more than 10-15 minutes) is sufficient to have her happily curled up on a soft bed for hours. When it's just her and Willow I take them on two 20-30 minute walks each day (and she walks very nicely on a leash, next to me, not pulling - when she starts to get ahead, I just give her a quick leash correction and she's back by my side), but I think that's more mental exercise than physical (for them!). With Buddy here, I haven't been walking them since 3 dogs is more than I'm comfortable handling.

She's going to make someone a fantastic companion - she so desperately wants someone to love (and to love her). I'm hoping that person comes along soon - I'll have my problem dog back in a few weeks, at which point I won't be able to keep Connie with me and right now there's no plan for where she can go then.

3 Pups are easier than 2

Connie splits her playing time between Buddy and Willow, so they each get something of a break, and Connie gets all the playing she wants. It means everyone is happy, and tired out enough that *I* can get some grading done. Here, they're all recovering after some romping first outdoors, then in. (Outside, they all play chase. Inside, Willow alternately shadowboxes and gnaws on Buddy's legs, while he chews on her ears and Connie squirms around on her back next to them. I'll try to get a video.)

Mealtime!

Connie sure does love her food, and I keep mixing it up some, trying to find the perfect combination for her. Right now she eats a cup of Wellness dry twice a day, with a 1/4 can of California Natural (salmon) moist food and about a 1/5 can of pumpkin with some water mixed in to make it nice and soupy. In the morning she also gets a fish oil capsule (to help keep her skin moist since the air is so dry) and some Missing Link supplement.

The pumpkin is because she had diarrhea from changing food when she came with me, and it's firmed her stools up (and made her stop being gassy - yuck!). I'd been planning to start feeding it to Willow anyway, so it's easy to have them both eating it and makes sure they're very regular in their bathroom habits. The vitamin C in the pumpkin keeps their urine from burning the grass too, which is a nice side benefit! (Missing Link helps with that as well.)

Connie's newest friend

Connie, Willow and I are hosting Buddy, a friend's mixed breed pup, for the next week, and Connie was very welcoming to him. Because Buddy is leash aggressive we couldn't do the normal walk-meeting, so Connie accompanied me in the car to go get him. They had the ride home (5 minutes) to get used to each other's scent and presence (they couldn't reach each other), then I took them in my yard, with Connie on leash. Turns out I shouldn't have been concerned, though, since Connie immediately tried to play with him. I'll try to post some new photos in the next day or two.

Goofball!!

I just posted a new video of Connie playing with a (worn out) sock on her petfinder page - she's such a goofball! who knew socks could be so much fun??

Yard work

Connie helped with yard work last night, running between me (mowing leaves) and a friend who was raking leaves in another part of the yard. She slept really well last night!

I can't get enough of the cuddling...

believe it or not, they had a whole sofa to spread out on, but wanted to be in a corner together.

Cuddling

Connie and Willow like to curl up together - they're always touching each other when they're laying down. Unfortunately, Connie gets up to lick me when I try to get a photo, but I convinced her to stay down briefly here.

Bath time

Connie wasn't thrilled with her bath today (although she didn't fight it either), but she's smelling much sweeter. and by the time she'd dried off, she was back to giving me kisses. she makes the cutest face when she's trying to kiss but can't quite reach - she wrinkles her nose up and pulls her lips back, as though she's smiling, with her body vibrating with eagerness.