Before I get to puppy updates, I have to give a shout-out to the "big dogs", Abbie and Chloe. They are not enjoying this batch of puppies, probably because they are so noisy and shrill. They lay several feet from the puppy yard, guarding the pups (or maybe guarding all of us from the noisy, hyper little beasts) and waiting so patiently for us to finish puppy-care before they get their special time with us. Chloe, who takes every chance she gets to herd small critters around, ran and got Mr. C the other day when they staged a break-out. And Abbie, the toy-ho, often volunteers to taste-test their toys to make sure they are play worthy. what great foster sisters they are!

"This is close enough! Now where are the treats you promised us?"

Truman has had a name change - he is now Cooper. Seems that only one other person besides me thought Truman was a great name. Someone commented that there isn't a nickname for Truman. Wrong-o. How Mr. T? The T-man? Mr. Prez? They lack imagination. But Cooper does lend itself to several nicknames (not all of them nice), including "Mini-Coop" and "Cooper-Pooper-Scooper". Whatever he's called, he has finally recovered from his illness. He wasn't eating much and lost weight, but he's wolfing the food down now. He's started playing with the other two, although because he's not showing dominance, he loses out on the toys a lot. But this means he will probably integrate really well into a family with other dogs. He is very insistent on being picked up and snuggled, though. He's such a cuddle-bug.

"That's Mr. Pooper-Scooper to you"

Phoebe has calmed down some and isn't as snippy as she was last week, although she is clearly wanting to be the alpha of the puppy-pack. She wants all the toys for herself (who doesn't?) so we are having to teach her to sit and watch while the other 2 play with the toysbefore letting her join them. She already knows "come" and "sit" and figured out how to break out of the play yard and find Mr. C's office. We are concerned about her extreme food agression with the other pups, though. Not with us - we can take her food away without any problem at all. But she not only attacks the others if they come by her food dish but attacks them if they're still eating out of their own food dishes. She's even worse with little dog treats. I have to figure out a behavioral protocol to eliminate this behavior while she's still young, or else she won't be able to go to a home with other animals or children. Meanwhile, she eats in isolation.

Plotting her takeover of the world

She is very affectionate and loves to be snuggled, too. She'll be a great dog for someone who is strong enough to be her pack leader. Otherwise, she'll become a little dictator, the kind that end up on The Dog Whisperer. We can see that she definitely has Shih Tzuh in her, but I still haven't figured out the other part.


As for Miss Sadie - she saw the ortho vet on Monday, who confirmed her growth plate has been damaged. He can't tell us yet what this means since her leg may still grow normally. It's straightened out some and she doesn't seem to be favoring it, so I'm hoping she heals without needing surgery. What this does mean is that she will be with us for at least a couple of months as she won't be put up for adoption until they've taken another set of xrays and determined the next steps.

Sadie has shown an early talent for using those adorable puppy eyes to her advantage

Sadie has a fantastic personality. She throws herself into everything with such exuberance, it makes you laugh just to watch her. And she's clearly the life of the party. She came home from the vet tired and listless. She didn't want to play, just wanted to lay with her head on my foot and watch the action. Phoebe and Coop played half-heartedly, but would keep wandering over to entice her to play. Finally, they all ended up laying around with her. Playing is just not as much fun without the big goofy girl.

I'm glad to have the extra time with her. She's already pretty rambunctious, is going to be a big, strong dog and may have a deformed leg. I want her to have as many advantages as possible to be adopted into a good, forever home, which means having excellent manners, being potty-trained, and a few tricks under her belt won't hurt either.

After seeing these precious furballs, do you blame me for not getting much knitting done?