Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Emma

After losing our 14 year old beagle, Amy, and our 10 year old lab, Maggie, in the span of 11 months, we found ourselves dogless for the first time in 17 years. A month went by with no dog in our house and we just knew we wanted to open our home to another dog. I found PUP on Google, and I can't even remember what the search terms were. We initially put in papers to adopt a puggle, but since I work during the day, it didn't seem like a good fit for this particular dog. We went to an adoption event and my husband immediately fell in love with "Maddie," a terrier mix. I liked her because she immediately climbed into my husband's lap within minutes of meeting her. I also thought she looked like she had a bit of beagle in her. She was very shy at first, and it was fun to watch her get more comfortable in our home, making her boundaries even wider as the days went on. She's still a little fearful of unfamiliar noises and people, but she is a bundle of joy and we couldn't be
happier to have found our "Emma."

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

Ripley (Earl)

In a couple of weeks, we will have had our newest family member for a whole year. It is hard to remember a time before this bossy little guy came into our lives.

Ripley keeps us laughing all the time. He walks right up to you and growls to let you know when he has a need you have failed to anticipate and meet promptly. He is the most stubborn dog...the more you want him to do something, the less likely it is he will do it.

Most of the time he is the most fearless dog and you believe he could actually be a watch dog in a small package...but then you turn on the fireplace which he is terrified of for some reason and he is on your lap begging for protection.

At night, my husband and I rush to get to the "Ripley Chair" first because we want to get all the night time snuggles. Ripley rolls over on his back between your legs and stretches out for a long belly rub...very hard not to smile with an adorable dog tummy up on your lap!<G>

Our last dog, Alex, was a big daddy's dog. So I love hearing my husband in the other room petting Ripley and telling him that he is his "Little Buddy". So while I have given up really ever convincing Ripley that I am Alpha to him, I am totally in love with him and love that my husband is too.

Thanks PUP!

Saturday, February 6, 2010

Theodore Bartholomew (aka Beemer)

This cute little white bundle of joy is adjusting well to his new forever home, becoming more comfortable with every day that passes. Thank you to 'dad' George for sending this update.

The biggest news is that Beemer decided he wanted a new name to go along with his new life - a name that he felt would perhaps more adequately represent his stature and prowess as the mighty dog he knows he is. He chose the name Theodore Bartholomew (Teddy or Teddy B to his friends). However, he does sometimes get addressed by his full name when he is being particularly mischievous (bratty).

So far he has adapted to his new home and family wonderfully. On the way home in the car Saturday he cried a little - probably for his foster parents - then when we got in the house he spent a couple of hours exploring and taking turns sitting on our laps. Finally when he was on my lap he rolled over on his back and let "it all hang out", which I feel was his way of showing submission and trust.

Sunday my wife Mickey took our Granddaughter to the bus and he just sat and howled the most mournful sounds for the first hour or so before finally going to sleep. Mickey came home with a new crate and toys and a seat belt harness and he wore us out playing fetch for the rest of the day. He loves his stuffed animal toys. It's really funny to see him dragging out a bear 4 times his size to see if it's for him. So far he has about 20 toys/bears scattered around the house.

Today (Monday) he is much more secure and comfortable - he doesn't follow us around every minute or cry when one of us leaves the room. He went for a ride using his seatbelt harness and was perfect in the car. He has gone potty a couple of times on leash - probably the first time he's ever done that - and he will probably be fairly well housebroken in another week or so. I get the feeling that he hasn't had enough human contact in the past - at the moment he wants someone to be touching him almost all the time. We haven't found anything that scares him.

Tonight the Bichon from next door and his people visited and they all got along just fine after the usual doggy equivalent of "I'm the boss here" and "my people are better than yours" etc. As far as we are concerned, we couldn't have found a better match and I think Teddy feels the same way. Thanks for finding him for us.

In May, 2008 George and Mikey shared this charming story with us - How Teddy Lost His Blue Bow.

Last week we took Teddy to the groomers. This was the first time he had been separated from us since he came to live with us, but he didn't seem too worried when we left him. Four hours later we picked him up and the groomers said he had been a perfect gentleman. They put a blue bow in his hair (first picture) to reward him for being so well behaved. And they wanted to know where we had purchased him. They were very surprised when we told them we got him from PUP - they had just assumed that only "problem" dogs were available for adoption, not such a sweet and gentle dog as Teddy.

The next morning it was raining. Teddy was ONE STEP into his morning walk before he turned around, sat down, braced his legs, and told us he "didn't do rain". I reminded him that a 7 pound dog really had no choice in the matter and I picked him up and carried him out to the street. He, of course, immediately turned around and went back in the house. An hour later we had the same discussion and the same results. Another hour passed and I opened the front door again. Maltese are great problem solvers and Teddy knew he had a problem, so this time he laid completely down and then rolled over on his back. Then to complete this pitiful picture, he closed his eyes and let his head fall over sideways. I suggested to him that he might want also want to let his tongue hang out, but by this time I was laughing so hard at him that it didn't matter. He had solved his problem and I shut the door.

Eventually he had to go out so badly that he walked out in the rain and got soaking wet before he was finished. When we came back in the house, he was so proud of himself that he raced madly around and around though the house, bounding onto and over furniture, barking and growling at any toy he came across - absolutely manic. He didn't stop until he was completely exhausted. Then he realized he was still wet, but instead of waiting for me to dry him with a towel, he decided to take care of it with a "shake". Not a nice gentle little shake, but an enormous effort befitting a brave dog in from the wet and cold. His shake started with a little quiver of the nose, gained speed and intensity as it headed south, and finally knocked him right off his feet when it reached his tail. Then he was so proud of himself that he took another half dozen laps around the house at full speed, finally spinning out on a tight turn - with his bow flying across the room. And that's the tail o
f how Teddy lost his blue bow.

Teddy was tired after all this exercise, so he crawled into his crate for a nap. My wife and I went downstairs to do some work on the computer and when we came back upstairs we found he had awakened and emptied a big basket of stuffed animals (second picture). The reason you don't see Teddy in the picture is because he knows he's not supposed to play with those particular ones, and he didn't want to get scolded. A little while later he came to us and put one paw on my knee and looked at us with his big brown eyes - no he didn't get scolded.

After dinner, Teddy likes to watch television with us. He sits on the arm of the sofa and watches closely for dogs and cats and sounds he recognizes (third picture). This day had been just too tiring for him, however, and he soon went to sleep and fell off the sofa arm (fourth picture).

And so ended another day in the life of Teddy. Every day brings another adventure. We are so happy he shares his adventures with us.

Gracie

Gracie was adopted on Friday April 18 by Nelda and Jim, and 3 cats (Banzie, Oreo, and Chops). Jim sent this update.

Gracie is a total cutie and we love watching her burrow into the covers and her favorite, an old afghan. In fact, we believe she thinks she's an Afghan Hound.

On her first weekend she went with us to an art gallery to view an exhibition entitled "Dogs Unleashed," by artists Raya and Heidel Bethel. On her second weekend we went to Nelda's home in La Center, where Gracie could play to her heart's content in the big fenced back yard.

Gracie loves car rides and walks around the neighborhood. She chases ravens, sparrows, and ducks in the parks. Here are some photo's showing Gracie in her new home and in her first travels with us!

Pepper (aka Harriet)

In May, 2008 Domini sent us this lovely little note and some great pictures of her new little girl, Pepper.

I don't know what to say about Pepper...except that God brought us together! She IMMEDIATELY became a part of our family! She is my little baby! It feels like she has been with us forever! She is super sweet and cuddly, yet has a little spice to her too! She loves to go for walks and ride in my basket on my bike! She dances and prances! Thank you for rescueing sweet little Pepper! She is such a blessing to me and my family!

Peanut

Beth and Keith adopted two PUP dogs - Dahlia and Peanut! In April, 2008 they shared the following with us.

We are having a great time with both Peanut and Dahlia. They are so different from each other!
Peanut is full of energy, loves to play, loves to go for walks (waits on a chair in the front hall when she "thinks" it is time to go out, and right by the drawer with the leashes). We generally go for a shorter walk in the morning, and quite a long one in the afternoon. She has many toys, a stuffed dog as big as she is and a fox stuffed hand puppet. She carries them and we throw them for her to fetch - she also still has the red glove that she brought with her from your house, and carries that around also.

Peanut generally sits with Keith. Both Peanut and Dahlia follow me throughout the house; that was hard to get used to, as our cats rarely did that!

In short, we love our girls, and even though they are so different, they get along pretty well. A bit of jealousy here and there, but we work around that.

Thanks to PUP for letting us adopt these sweet girls (one is sleeping in my lap right now - Dahlia) and Peanut is already under her blanket on the bed. They both have a blanket they sleep under; they wrap themselves up like a cocoon and sleep in the middle of that, with head and body wrapped!

Dahlia

Beth and Keith adopted two PUP dogs - Dahlia and Peanut!

We are having a great time with both Peanut and Dahlia. They are so different from each other!

Dahlia still does not play with toys, but she and Peanut do chase each other through the house. She is a sweetie, but has resisted my efforts to get her interested in toys. She does watch Peanut play, but that is it for now.

They are both lap dogs, of course. Peanut generally sits with Keith, and Dahlia is fixated on me. She is warming up to Keith though. They both follow me throughout the house; that was hard to get used to, as our cats rarely did that!

In short, we love our girls, and even though they are so different, they get along pretty well. A bit of jealousy here and there, but we work around that.

Thanks to PUP for letting us adopt these sweet girls (one is sleeping in my lap right now - Dahlia - and Peanut is already under her blanket on the bed. They both have a blanket they sleep under; they wrap themselves up like a cocoon and sleep in the middle of that, with head and body wrapped!

Friday, February 5, 2010

Chuck

Lisa wrote to us in May, 2008 to let us know that Chuck is doing well in his new home and loves going on walks at the beach - which is where the above picture was taken.

Lottie (aka Latte)

Alex sent this update on his newest bundle of joy.

Latte is doing well so far---We're calling her Lottie (as an homage to a former dog neighbor) and because yelling Latte in the park sounded too much like being at a Starbucks. She's full of puppy, going 100 miles an hour one moment and passed out the next. Please thank her foster family.

In May, 2008 we were thrilled to get a new picture of Lottie (see third one on the left) and this update from Alex...

Lottie is great - growing into her feet a little bit and has almost all of her grown up teeth. Her favorite things are harassing the cats for their food and sleeping on you whenever possible. Knock on wood, but so far she hasn't destroyed anything of any value. (Of course, she has so many toys it would be hard for her to find something other than a toy to chew on...) If there's any sad part it's just that she's becoming a dog and losing some of her 'puppiness' but she still has plenty of spunk to go around.

Mitzi & Lacey

Pam and Claudia are the happy new human family members for Mitzi and Lacey. In May, 2008 they wrote...

We are more than happy to send a report on our girls, Mitzi and
Lacey. Mitzi, the smaller one, had been hit by a car and abandoned
(or perhaps the reverse) and somehow made her way to a
Humane Society Shelter. Through several miracles, including the
unbelievable support of PUP foster mom, Pam, Mitzi was rescued
from the shelter and had two major surgeries.Part of Mitzi's recuperation involved discovering her long lost "sister", Lacey, another white fluffy, fostering with Pam. They became inseparable and when it was time to bring Mitzi to her new home, well, Lacey came along too! Reports were that Lacey had a puppy mill in her background, perhaps explaining her initial shyness with humans. Boy, a lot has sure changed in the past couple of months!

The girls couldn't be happier with each other AND their new address.
They eat, sleep, and play together, almost as if they are one dog in
two bodies! They love to chase each other in our backyard and we're
sure they've broken all known dog speed records. Every now and then
Mitzi has a little limp, but her fractured pelvis and broken hip seem
to be healing very well. Last week Lacey had surgery for "cherry eye"
- a problem that can develop with one of the membranes and ducts. She
also had a fungal infection in her ears, but she's also doing well,
although she's not too crazy about her medicines. For three-ish year
old girls, they've been through a lot and we are enormously happy we
could keep them together. It's definitely more work, but they are so
HAPPY it is worth every scoop and dollar! And the amount of love,
laughter, and joy they bring us is simply beyond quantification.

Lacey's timidity has disappeared almost 100% and she is not shy about
getting onto the couch or in the bed. She spends a good part of each
day taking her toys out of the basket and distributing them around
the house with the utmost decision and determination: green poochie
goes here, rabbit over there, and so on until there are about a dozen
dog toys scattered all over the place. She has a keen interest in
squirrels and also likes to sit near the glass door to our deck,
imagining great chase scenes. Mitzi is more human-oriented and
follows us throughout the house: she likes to be where YOU are - as
long as she knows her sister is not out of sight as well. It's taken
awhile for our Maine Coon, Forrest, to warm up to the girls, but lo
and behold, we do catch them grooming and snoozing with each other
from time to time!

One last, and important, thing: Pam is an absolute angel and
saint! You couldn't ask for a more generous, loving, competent foster
mom. Even when her own mother was having health problems, Pam managed
to also be there for the dogs 100%. She deserves a gold medal for
sure! Our experience with PUP has been so positive that we recommend
you to anyone who even looks like they might be thinking about
adoption. Keep up the good work and biggest thanks from all of us!

Rusty & Spike

Rusty and Spike found a great home a few months ago. Paul wrote to PUP in May to give us this update on the two brothers.

They're doing great. They both crave constant attention and love to snuggle. They sleep with us at night and are always up against one of us. We had a family of rabbits in the back yard a few weeks back and they caught some of the young ones, but we interceded before they hurt them. I think they have finally moved on and we are able to let them out there again without supervision. These little boys sound like they are quite the adventuresome pair - and have great 'parents' to help guide them.

Mylie (aka Winnie) & Benny

In December, 2007 we received these adorable pictures of one happy family!

Here are pics of Mylie (aka Winnie), Benny (also a former PUP pal), and Selah...with my adorable grandkids (Chase and Kylie). As you can see, Mylie is a happy camper.

In May, 2008 the newest picture of these furkid siblings was forwarded. Oh so adorable!!!

Kevi

After having Kevi as part of their family for about 6 months, Kevi's family wrote to tell us what a joy she is.

We all are really enjoying Kevi. She is doing great and we enjoy her a lot with our kids. She loves to go for walks and play. Of course barking is one of her favorite things to do as well.

Olive (aka Tina)

This update about Olive was sent in May, 2008.

Tina (whom we have renamed Olive) is fabulous! She is a great little dog, funny as a Pom can be. She has only a furry little stump of a tail and when she wags it, it looks like her hind end is vibrating. Interestingly, when we renamed her, there was no period of confusion; she took to the new name as if it had always been hers.

Racheal

Racheal appears to have captured the hearts of many in her new life, as her new family wrote...

Racheal is doing great, I could not be happier. I think she has adjusted well. She now owns me, my family, and all my friends who have met her. I have lots of offers to babysit if I take a trip. I am grateful to everyone who took such good care of her.

Fred

Ed and Gretchen sent this update on their newest family member, Fred. By the looks of the picture, this is one happy and relaxed family!

To say that Fred has adjusted to our homelife is an understatement!! Also, us to him! He and Tara, the other one in Eds' lap, and Coby, the one on the floor all get along fantastic. We can't imagine them being without each other.

Fred, Coby and of course Tara are all looking forward to going out in our motorhome soon. It will be a new experience for Fred and Coby. We are very glad we got Fred and are so pleased that you got in touch with us. We had recently adopted Coby at the time PUP called us, but couldn't resist him after looking at his pictures.

Shortly after we received the above, we learned that Tara passed away due to a bad heart. We'd like to dedicate this page in loving memory of Tara.

Harley

All of us at PUP were excited to receive this update from Parker - Harley's new best friend.

Harley is doing awesome. He's eating a bone right next to my feet as I write this e-mail. He rarely leaves my side and has a great attitude. He's a hyper dog but gets a lot of play time with his fellow dog Riley. He weighs about 23 pounds thus far and I think he may add on another 10 pounds when he is fully grown. He knows how to sit, stay, lay-down. He's a great dog and I'm glad I got him.

Kiboko

This adorable boy was adopted in January, 2008. His new family wrote to tell us that Boko has captured their hearts.

'Before we even met Bennie we had decided to follow a friends suggestion and name him Kiboko (Swahili for Hippopotamus according to Lonely Planet). Boko is currently 25lbs although he seems to think he is about 50lbs. He loves going to our friends' houses to play with his big friends Milo and Catfish. Even better yet is the dog park where he can stalk, chase and work to convince other dogs that they really want the toy he has.

We should probably thank his foster family because from the start he has loved most all people and dogs, he was fine with his crate and he was very tolerant of being handled. He even let's us give him a bath if the water meets his standard for warmth. Yes our dog is a bit of a pansy in regards to cold. With summer coming on that is less of a problem and we are excited to see how he will do with more hiking. Maybe just maybe summer will also bring a couple more inches. We love our little character, thanks PUP.'

Chewie

After reading this update sent by Richa, there can be no question that Chewie has found a wonderful home - and is bringing much joy to his new family...and extended family.

Chewie has become a part of our family. We have been keeping pretty busy with him; getting to know him and teaching him new things. He is a pretty active dog. Below is a listing of a few things he loves to do:

- he loves to play catch me if you can, especially with my husband because he is the only one who can catch him:). He runs like a bullet. I have to fool him with treats if I want to catch him.
- he loves to meet people and always wags his tail.
- he loves attention so he growls if people just pass him by without saying hello :)
- he loves to dance too. my mom is visiting and she just has to ask him if he wants to dance and he readily climbs on her and they do the waltz..:):)
- he loves to cuddle.. and loves our comforter more than his bed.
- he loves long walks because he meets so many people and dogs in the new Olympic sculpture park.
- he is a very strong chewer and we have to get him the big dog durable bones, else he eats the small ones all up within a day.
- he also has charmed all our friends and they send him special invitations for their parties:)

He is this cute jumping furball who has made a permanent place in our house, our bed and our lives. We are still learning new things about him everyday and trying really hard to not spoil him with too much love:).

Trixie (aka Vanna)

In May, 2008 Claudia wrote to tell us how well Vanna (now Trixie) has adapted to her new family.

My family and I feel so fortunate to have adopted Trixie (aka Vanna) from PUP in January! Trixie Marie has become the most beloved member of our family with each of us forming a strong bond with her! She loves my two boys and even plays with our two cats!

The transition from her foster home to our permanent home went smoothly as her foster family was very kind and gentle with her. Trixie cried for a short time and then became intrigued by her new surroundings. After lifting her a few times onto my bed, I thought it would be best to buy her some steps so she can sleep in her favorite spot! She loves everyday life with her new family and keeps active with our busy "outdoor" lifestyle!

Our experience with People United for Pets was such a positive one that I would (and have!) recommended their adoption program to all those I have come in contact with! Thank you to all the wonderful people in your organization who have provided temporary homes for animals, giving them hope for a happy life.