Mitzi's Playdate

Mitzi and I met my NorCal mentor and her foster, Liukin, today at the park to see if we could work on Mitzi's social skills.

Ha!

She is just a wild child that does not do well when she first meets new dogs. I mean, we know that she is capable of getting along with other dogs---she plays nonstop with my lab, Hamilton and my pug, Otis.

She gets fixated and starts pulling so hard on her leash to get to the new dog. She makes this terribly strange pig sound that makes it seem as if she is coughing up a lung. She usually pukes a few times. She acts as if she wants to either hug the other dog or attack him.....and it's really too risky to let the situation play out to see which is the case.

We tried several "walk by's" and even some parallel walking, but after about 45 minutes of working, we gave up.

*sigh*

I fear this dog will never find her forever home.

Training Mitzi

I have worked with Mitzi a lot on her manners, some basic commands, and walking on her leash. She is getting a lot better about not jumping up on people....she can sit, shake, shake with the other paw, and she is CLOSE to learning down. Down is very difficult for an energetic girl like herself. *grin*

Back from vet....

Mitzi doesn't have cancer or anything serious...thankfully! The vet says they are merely abscesses. They could be from the collar, although she has had the same collar for the 2 months we have had her. Most likely it is from the wrestling and play biting the dogs do when they play together....which they do constantly. He gave me an antibiotic to help clear them up.

Whew. Mitzi is okay! YAY!!!!!

Update on Mitzi

Mitzi has developed a rash...some strange lumps....on her upper chest.   They are pretty ugly.  I've never seen her scratch them, but she must be doing it because some of them are scabbed over.  We have been giving her Benadryl, but they haven't improved and it's been about a week.  

NorCal is letting me take her to the vet, so she is going at 2:30 today.  I will post again when we get home.

Here are some pictures of her rash.

Report on the home visit.....

Well....let's just say that not only did the people decide they didn't want Mitzi after our home visit on Saturday, they have decided they don't even like the BREED anymore. DAMN!

It was bad. But...we should've known better, really.

The house itself was great. The people were wonderful and treat their dogs like the children they don't have. They have a huge backyard that Mitzi LOVED running around in.

The problem was....their other dog.

They had two dogs up until they lost one of them to an illness a few weeks ago. The current dog is evidently very lonely now. The other dog was a boxer....and a very energetic one--like Mitzi. The current dog is a Rhodesian Ridgeback...very similar to a lab. I figured the lab/boxer combo has turned out to be great in our household, so this could work too.

Well, it *DID* take Mitzi and Hamilton some time to get used to each other.....and it was soon very clear that the same would be true for this dog and Mitzi.

When we introduced them...in the back yard.....they sniffed each other for about 10 seconds before the fight began. It was scary, but we got them apart before anyone got hurt. After that Mitzi proceeded to puke about 6 times in front of us. She was VERY traumatized by this experience. I think the people who were considering adopting her were as well.

In hindsight this probably wasn't the best situation for Mitzi as these people are away from home 12 hours a day with their jobs. That's a long time for a dog with as much energy as she has to be alone....even with a furry sibling to play with.

So...it's back to the old drawing board for Mitzi and the search for her forever home.

Another potential forever home for Mitzi

It seems as if somebody else is interested in my little foster girl. I am waiting to hear back from them to schedule a home visit.

I love Mitzi...I truly do. She has been A LOT of work as she is very active. When she first came into our home, she was very socially unaware. She had no idea of her strength and how easily she could hurt someone with her excited energy. She is calming down a bit. She has learned several "tricks" and we are working daily on more. She walks well on her leash...UNTIL she sees another dog or a rabbit, then she gets fixated and wants to "go for it." I'm really working with her on that. The dog issue is more playful than aggressive, I'm pretty sure.

At first she and Hamilton didn't get along at all. I think her energy level was intimidating for Mr. Laid-Back-Lab Hamilton. Well, now they play constantly. It's a lot of fun, if not exhausting, to watch.

I know the potential adoptive family has another dog. Evidently they lost another boxer to illness recently and this dog is lonely. I PRAY that Mitzi and this dog get along. That will be the key.

Here is a quick video showing my lab, pug, and Mitzi playing their FAVORITE game--tug-of-war.

Heavy Heart

The sweet little boy I pulled from the shelter a few weeks back, Axle, has gone to Rainbow Bridge. I am so very sad, because in all honesty not only had I wanted to foster this little boy, but Richard and I were talking about adopting him. It was a very tragic accident and I'm so heartbroken over the loss of this little boy that I really wish I could have gotten to know better.

Bless you, sweet Axle. My you rest in peace.