So Whats Next?

Hello all, so I have just booked Shadows neutering op for tomorrow and hopefully cause he's a young boy and as  my dad says its easier for males, *snip snip* haha, the operation will go well. And hopefully the woman who came to take Holly to her new home will be coming on Thursday *fingers crossed*. 


Once Shadows gone I already have a dog lined up who is currently in her home but they want rid ASAP (poor girl). I was originally going to wait till after I came back off holiday but as this is an urgent case I really couldn't say no and hopefully she will have somewhere to go whilst I'm away. Anyway the dog I am getting is Phoebe. Phoebe is already on the website which to me is a good sign. Phoebe is only a 'puppy', well she's 18 months old but to me thats a puppy and is an attention loving border collie cross. I will post the websites description of her and a few pictures.

Phoebe is an 18 months old Border Collie cross who is very loving and affectionate and craves constant attention and company.  She can be left for up to 2 hours but suffers from SEPARATION ANXIETY when left alone for longer periods and and will be destructive and bark.  Therefore she would suit a family home with lots of people coming and going and other dogs in the household.

Phoebe has lived with children.
This is an intelligent dog who needs a lot of exercise and training.  Border Collie experience would be valuable.  She would love a job to do like agility or flyball.

http://www.westyorkshiredogrescue.co.uk/dogs.htm

By the sounds of it Phoebe just wants some love and some time spent with her to get her more confident. Although at first I did question it myself I think I could provide her the love she needs and the stable home she will need just temporarily until she finds herself a new home.

Lucy and Shadow :) x

Wow!

So I have some great news! The woman who adopted Holly would also like to adopt Shadow. Yayy. So booking him into the vets tomorrow to get neutered and then he'll be all good to go. In a way I'm glad it's been so quick, I haven't had chance to decide that I want him. Haha. He is such a handsome young boy and I'm so happy for him.

Lucy and Shadow :)

Meet Shadow

So today we said goodbye to Holly and hello to Shadow the german spitz. He is approximately 2 years old and what a handsome boy he is. Although originally I was told he would be all over my dog he hasn't really bothered with her. He's sniffed her and Sallys sniffed him and Sally even tried to play with him which is unusual for her. Shadow is an extremely friendly young boy and I have no idea why he is in a rescue because he is genuinely a lovely dog of quite a rare breed. The first thing he did when he came in was jump on my dads bed and give him a hug. Now he loves to jump up onto the sofa next to me. 


Shadow has obviously being treated well before. He knows how to sit and will give you his paw for a treat with a big grin on his face. It's hard to give more information when he's only being here an hour but he's already settling in fine. 


Lucy and Shadow x

Tomorrows the Day :D

So I have some great news, a friend of Kathys who runs a border collie rescue would like to rehome a spitz so tomorrow Holly is going to her new home with this lovely woman. It's so reassuring knowing that Kathy knows this woman so obviously she will be a very good owner for any dog so I guess Holly is a very lucky girl. 

Tomorrow Kathy is coming over in the morning to do a spitz swap. She is taking Holly to transport her to the woman who's interested in her and giving me another foster dog. A black, male spitz called Shadow. Apparently he is very friendly and can be very playful with other dogs in the first day and won't leave them alone. Don't know how Sally will take to that but if she doesn't like it she'll only give a little snap which apparently Shadow doesn't care about and maybe it will put him in his place. 

In a way I'm looking forward to tomorrow meeting Shadow however it will be so hard letting Holly Bear go. Holly has fit in so well and has calmed down considerably since she first came. She is such a big cuddly teddy bear and a real sweetheart. It will be a new start for Holly but it will be her forever home she is going to and that will be an amazing feeling. 

I will message tomorrow with info and pics of Shadow,

Lucy and Holly x

Hollys stitches are out :D

So me and Holly went to the vets this morning. The nurse was very happy with her progress, especially her running about and acting so normal, jumping up at me for comfort. Anyway she took the stitches out and said everything can go back to normal now.

However Holly is still licking at the wound and it has caused a bit of bleeding and redness which I'm slightly concerned about so due to that and my instincts I'm going to make her keep wearing her collar when she's not near me to let it heal a little better. She is learning that the word NO means stop licking and she knows she's not meant to do it... she's just a cheeky little girl.

Lucy and Holly x 

Someone Out There Will Want Her

I'm actually strangely looking forward to the vets tomorrow. Hopefully Hollys stitches will be out and she will no longer have to wear that stupid cone. However I'm not looking too positive. The incision still doesn't look completely healed and is a little red in areas after her licking yesterday  so maybe they'll just take the stitches out but still make her wear the collar.


Somebody else came to see Holly today. She wasn't interested, due to Hollys age and because Holly was not right for her. I do not only speak for this woman here I speak for everyone. Getting a dog is a big decision. And if your not a 100% certain then maybe its not the best judgement to jump to it straight away. So the woman who came today was really lovely and seemed like she'd be a perfect owner for an active dog but I speak her words and many others here. An person doesn't only choose a dog but the dog chooses the owner. And she felt that wasn't the case with Holly. Holly only ignored the woman as her stitches have been annoying her today and all she wanted to do was lick them. Anyway when she wasn't trying to get to them she was looking at me for some comfort. However she did have a good game of tug o' war with the woman.


Oh Holly why can't you see the people coming to visit are looking to home you and aren't here to do you harm. She has taken to me so much and I feel like I'm leading her on in a strange way but it is my job as a fosterer to make the dog as comfy as possible and treat it like it would be in a home to get a real idea of the dogs behaviour. But Holly takes comfort in me and as much as it is a lovely feeling  she needs to detach a little so when people come and visit she will be more comfortable with them.


 Holly is the kind of dog who barks like crazy when a stranger comes into your house but when she knows your gentle and not a threat to her she'll take to you just as she did with my boyfriend Dan, and be cuddled up with you within days. It's hard to put across this lovely girl enough to prospective owners. You need to spend some time with her, just 10 minutes or so, and you'll see her for the happy, fun, loving dog she is.

Lucy and Holly x

A little Bad News :(

The woman who came to view Holly is not interested in her :( I'm really disappointed but I'm sure she won't be with me too long now and hope other people are interested in her. Ah well, I know when she does find a home it will be the perfect one, it's just a waiting game. 

I'm sure Holly is getting more and more loving, she loves to cuddle up with both me and my dad and has now gone back to her love for blankies, even if it is her brand new one I was saving for a new home. The best thing about providing foster dogs a present is they'll get a sense of you when they leave and it should stop any nerves and provide them with a little bit of their temporary home. Anyway Holly has been playing like a mad girl with her new one today, wimpering at me to play with her. She is the perfect dog. 


So a little bit more news today I took Hollys cone off for a bit while she played with her blankie, little did I know when she went upstairs my dad had gone in the bath and nobody was watching her. By the time I realised Holly has upset her wound and its bleeding between two of the stitches. Not bleeding, bleeding. Like a little scratch really. But its really upset me and can't help but blame myself for not stopping it happening. Thankfully she's not disturbed any of the stitches and as I said it was just a little bleed not a constant flow but it makes me think that the wounds not healing as well as I thought so maybe the stitches won't be out Thursday as planned. Anyways we'll wait and see how it goes. Other than being a cone head she is fine and dandy :D 
Lucy and Holly :) 

 

The "worst" thing about Holly

So you'll read the title of this and think why would she point out a bad thing about her foster dog who's looking for her forever home. Well this would not be a bad point for everyone trust me, it's just that she reminds me so much of my older dog, Em. She has some traits that are so similar to her. Em died in December and I guess thats why I foster now.

So the traits: Holly likes to (what I call) truffle. Meaning she scours the floor for any possible food she can find. Holly can also act so lazy in the house, lounging around on the sofa with me but when she's out and about she could walk for miles with no problems. Holly also likes to cuddle me and comfort me. The final thing, Holly has those eyes, you know the ones that look at you so innocently and lovingly, nobody could resist her eyes.


So thats all really, Holly's no longer on her antibiotics and is back to her old self. Which is great. 

Lucy and Holly x 

The Visit

Hurray! Holly seems to be getting some interest. :D 


Yesterday a lovely woman came to visit Holly. She lost her yorkie in December and seemed like such a lovely dog owner. She absolutely loved Holly and Sally and all went really well. Holly loved the fuss and really didn't want them to leave (and did go to nip them...oops). But that's Holly for you and they'd already been told that she didn't like people leaving. So the woman then left saying she would get in contact with Kathy soon. Later yesterday evening Kathy said the woman did really like Holly but wanted to see the little yorkie, Clarence at the rescue first. Although she was told Clarence was a little snappy due to his previous experiences with people, she is still going to view him today and then make her mind up. To be quite honest I don't mind which she chooses because at the end of the day she is a lovely owner who will be adopting a rescue dog and that's all that matters.


However it doesn't mean my fingers aren't crossed for Holly, lol. Anyway if she decides on Clarence other interest does seem to have come in for Holly :D 

 "How could you resist my beautiful eyes?"

Lucy and Holly x

Oops Sorry for Lack of Holly Updates

So my boyfriend was over last week which is why I didn't post about Holly Bear. Holly really does get along with people and instantly took to him, giving him more cuddles than she did me. Probably because he looked after her while I was away and took her for walks. 

Cuddles with Dan

So Holly was spayed a couple of days ago. Due to her age the operation was a little bigger than normal and she did have a little bleed but that did not affect her all that much and a check up the following day proved that the healing process was already going well. Other than being very lethargic on the night she did seem to come around a little yesterday. The better news is Holly is much better today, getting used to her cone and managed to sleep the full night in my bed which is unlike her as she usually sleeps on the floor or her basket. Holly has being eating properly today (Hurray!) and is whining for a walk. I've decided to leave a walk to tomorrow though cause she's still not the best with steps so will leave it a day and give her a little walk tomorrow and see how she is. Holly is on a 5 day course of antibiotics and has 3 days worth of painkillers. Although she doesn't mind taking the painkillers on their own the pink antibiotics are proving hard to give her. Last night we found the only way to get them down her were philadelphia. So Holly Bear is getting a little spoilt with her pills. They seem to be working anyway and seem to calm her down alot which is great. She does see to be a bit more of herself today, barking when Sally does. But Holly has changed a little, she is now much more cuddly and no longer minds being picked up. So  I hope  this keeps up after she's recovered cause its nice having her like this. 

Holly a day after the vets

Holly has settled in really well and has already being here 2 weeks. As much as I love her, she really needs to find her permanent home soon. She is a lovely dog who will make the perfect companion to someone out there. Today Holly was in the local newspaper (the Examiner) so hopefully this will rise some interest in her.


Thats all for now,
Lucy and Holly Bear

Update on Holly Bear

So Hollys nearly been here a week now and time has really flown. She's done really well and each day she just seems to get better. She is now getting better at me picking her up and tends to let me... as long as she's in a calm mood that is. Holly has started barking a little less now and doesn't bark at every little noise, I think this is due to her settling in, which is obviously a good thing. She does still bark when people come to the house, however this is just typical spitz behaviour as they were originally guard dogs. However Holly would never hurt anyone, my boyfriend came the other day and although she barked like crazy at him, that's all she did and soon settled down, although did bark a little when he was hugging me but I think that's just because the attention wasn't on her. 


Holly does not like it when me or my dad leaves for work. Unless she's shut in my room she will go crazy and she knows when your going as soon as you put your shoes on. She does try nip at your feet but it's nothing that would hurt anyone. Apparently when I leave Holly will wait  for me and would not go to bed the other day until I was home. She knows when its you though because you get a totally different bark to a stranger coming in, a more happy "I'm glad to see you" bark. She does sometimes jump up and stay there as if she wants a hug which I find really cute. 


Holly is now on the WYDR website! So hopefully this is a leap in the right direction to finding Holly a new home soon. 


Lucy and Holly 

I Refuse to Get Attached!

Holly is too cute, shes attracting me way to much and even dads agreeing with me but I refuse. To me its just her age. She's older than what I'd like to have, even though she is only around 8 and even though she does act like a puppy I want a younger dog if I ever get one. But Holly is just... lovely. I have nicknamed her Holly Bear just cause she is like a little bear. I have nothing bad to say about Holly, except that she's loud and barks for no reason sometimes and she's become friends with my dads leg in that she likes to hump it, however this should be resolved when she get's neutered on Monday 16th. Holly does not like being picked up and every attempt at this she has growled at us so we've just left her so no idea how we will pick her up to put her on the vets table. 


So been on a couple of walks now with Holly and she's really good. She doesn't pull  even though she definitely has the strength and if she does, just sharply say the word steady and she'll stop and walk a little slower so she's not pulling. 


Not much to say really, Holly is so lovely and great to cuddle. She's reminding me a lot of my Em which I guess is what is getting me so attached but as I said I refuse to be a fail fosterer xD 


Lucy and Holly 

Will you rub my belly?

Hello Holly

So the terrier I was originally going to get fell through so now I have a dog whose fosterer fell through. Meet Holly, a loveable german spitz. When I first heard I was getting a spitz I googled it cause I had no idea what they were like. What I found was they were primarily bred as guard dogs but have now turned into loving companions.


From the look of it Holly is a typical spitz, she does bark when someone comes into the house, like me when I finished work last night which was quite scary but she won't do harm, she just barks. Holly is a lovely dog, she is a sandy colour with lovely eyes that are just to die for. I'm sure for alot of people she has that take me home look. Holly is unlike the others I've had in that we've been provided with lots(!)  of information on her. So read on and find out more about the wonderful Holly. 

Holly was born in Germany and travelled to England when she was just over a year old and is a  well travelled dog. Holly is well trained and can do the basics such as "sit," "lay," "come", "stay" and heel so as you can tell she's a very smart dog. Holly needs exercise compromising of two walks a day . She loves been outside on her walks and walks well off lead and apparently will walk too heel in a field of a sheep, so as I said before she is very well trained and behaved. Holly is good with small children and instinctively calms down around them. Holly does not like being left alone like most Spitzes however if left in the bedroom she is okay and will only whine. However she does nip at the heels when leaving but has NEVER caused injury. 

One of Hollys favourite toys is her blanket, much like a puppy she loves to suckle it and play tug of war with it. Last night Holly slept in my room alternating between by the door, her basket and my bed. I was quite surprised to wake up with her by my side as she insisted on sleeping by the door before I went to sleep. 

"My blanket" 

I apologise that the pictures aren't great, taking all these photos of foster dogs seems to have sucked up my cameras battery so I've had to use my phone. 

I should probably walk the dogs now but going to wait till this snow dies down... its like a blizzard out there... in April. Crazy! 


Lucy and Holly x

New Home for Judy

Following the successful cat check for Judy she has just gone to her new home. She wasn't as nervous as what I thought she would have been which is great. Judy has a black cat as her new friend which greeted her with a hiss which Judy shyed away from and didn't do anything in return. So things are looking up for Judy and her new home seems perfect for her. 


Originally Kathy was going to leave me without a foster while Judy settled in just in case her and the cat didn't get along but an emergency has happened so could be getting a terrier pretty soon. Don't know much about it yet other than its a nervous little girl terrier. Will keep you updated.

Lucy

Deaf/Blind.... a dog is a dog at the end of the day

So today I took Judy around to Lees to get her cat checked. It went surprisingly well, Judy just sniffed the cat as well as everything else and totally ignored it. So that went well so Judy may be going to her new home soon. The problem is I don't know how she'll be with a running cat but fingers crossed she'll be fine cause if she is she'll have her forever home. Well I'll let you know. 

So onto another message. Lee is currently fostering 2 beautiful collie puppies. They are so lovely; playful; cuddly, just typical puppies really. But they've been overlooked because they are deaf and blind. But when I went to see them today I saw straight past that... they were just normal puppies, who loved attention and being cuddled and playing with each other along with Lees dogs. So please, please, please! Don't overlook a dog just because it has a disability, to them they are just normal dogs and they will act just like that. 

Lucy and Judy 

Photos taken from here