Post #9 - A Rescue Story: Friday June 10, 2011

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Buster meets Casey

Losing Susann and Diesel yesterday was a hard blow for everyone involved with these dogs. In one day, we went from the Sweet 7 to the Fabulous 5 - funny how the names don't reflect the nature of what happened. Still, now is not the time to reflect on the unfairness of it all, we still have a LOT of work to do in order to get these dogs out of the kennel and into forever homes. It's with this mind set that we kicked ourselves into gear and arranged to go out to the kennel tonight to test all the dogs with dogs from outside their pack. Knowing that these guys had been isolated for so long had us all worried about how they might react to dogs they weren't used to. We had to know how they'd do though as all of our foster homes have at least one other dog (and a lot have cats...but cat-testing will be a story for another day!). So tonight we went out to visit the dogs and this time we brought some friends with us. The first test dog was Shannon's dog Kasey - a young GSD/pointer/something-or-other mix. Kasey usually does good with other dogs but if someone snaps at her, she will defend herself. For this reason, we started out slow.

Tina checks out Kasey while Queenie looks on

While Shannon walked Kasey around the yard Angie and I brought out Tina and Queenie. Tina took one look at Kasey and let out a bellowing bark!!!!! I think this is the first time I have heard them make a sound outside of their kennel. The bark couldn't have meant anything too bad in doggie language as Kasey didn't seem upset by it, so we just kept walking the dogs near each other and let them get used to the new smells. Eventually they made contact..... and everyone held their collective breaths....and the dogs.......sniffed butts and then walked away from each other!! Alrighty then....not exactly the explosive reaction we were thinking we might get, but no complaints here!! Kasey and Queenie were totally fine with each other - in fact Queenie seemed comforted by Kasey's presence when we took them for a walk together. For her part, Tina was still obsessed with the back end of things. I guess she had never smelled a spayed female dog before and couldn't quite work it out. We were actually filming the dog test to post online later, but ended up turning the camera off as we figured there was only so much butt sniffing that people wanted to see. Seriously - Tina spent a lot of time back there! But (no pun intended there) after she had concluded that Kasey was a) a dog and b) no threat, she pretty much ignored her and started checking to see which of the humans had brought treats for her! It was at that point that she discovered the opened hatch of our car.

Car testing Queenie

After that, Tina was only interested in one thing - getting in that car! She doesn't quite have the back leg strength to hoist herself up but with a little bit of help she was up and in and laying down in readiness for a ride....which she was sure was coming.....some time......."c'mon guys, you wouldn't leave a girl waiting would you???". Seeing Tina in the car prompted Queenie to also jump in to check things out. She wasn't quite as sure of the "fun factor" of the car but figured that as long as her roomie Tina was in there, it couldn't be too bad. None of us had the heart to make her get out without giving Tina her ride, so Jon took both girls for a cruise around the neighborhood with the windows down and the wind blowing through their hair. Tina was in HEAVEN!!!! This girl loves to cruise!!!!! When Jon brought them back, it was a struggle to get Tina out of the car, but eventually she complied with our wishes...once prompted with a few more sticks of Pup-peroni!

Just call him "Mr. Buster Cool"

Next we tested Georgia and Buster with Kasey. Once again, there was a lot of butt sniffing but other than that, no reaction. Both these guys seemed more interested in getting human attention rather than worrying about the new dog in the yard. Buster in particular seemed happy to have human company. Before tonight, he was pretty shut down and kind of a hard nut to crack. We couldn't tell if he was exerting his "alpha-ness" or if he was just a shy, reserved dog. Tonight though there was a distinct difference in him. He seemed more content - happier to hang out with people and get attention. He even let us put some sunglasses on him! Yes, I know, dressing up dogs can constitute a form of animal abuse but hey - look at the picture - he looked really cool (and I think he knew it!!). The Buster of a couple of weeks ago would never have allowed this kind of tom foolery. I think seeing the change in his personality really brought home to us the good that was  being brought into these dog's lives. 

Kasey flirting with Gunner

Last dog to be tested with Kasey was Gunner - young, handsome Gunner. If dogs could swoon then that is exactly what Miss Kasey did!! Whereas she had been a cool customer with the other dogs, when she saw Gunner she acted like a pre-teen at a Justin Bieber concert! She went into a play bow, she ran in tight circles, she flopped down onto her back and wiggled her body. Gunner *almost* looked as if he was going to play with her...in actual fact I think he was confused...and maybe a little startled! After all, this young boy has never had a playmate before. He has spent his whole life in a dog kennel with his Mom! I am sure seeing Kasey flirt with him like this was all very new to him. Hopefully though, he will learn quickly that these kinds of shenanigans are EXACTLY what young pups are supposed to do!

Buster was way more interested in Pup-peroni than Kasey

Shortly after Kasey arrived on the scene, Val and Fred had arrived with their 2 GSDs Jade and Brady. We proceeded to test all of the Fab 5 with these dogs also and, much to everyone's amazement, they all did fantastic!! Even Buster and Brady! We were especially concerned with how Buster might be with another male dog - being that he is over 10 years old and still intact! Some of it may have had to do with the fact that Brady is an extremely sweet, laid back boy, but seriously, Buster couldn't have cared less! After we had done all the formal testing and were just standing around we all marveled at how incredibly well-tempered all of these dogs are. I mean, for having been isolated for so long, they seem to just have really nice manners. This is going to make placing them in foster homes sooooooo much easier. I have to say, I really sighed a breath of relief when I saw their reaction - or lack there of - tonight. 

So now we are one step closer in our quest to move these dogs into REAL homes. It seems like it is taking forever to get all these blasted ducks in a row, but I know we have to move carefully at each step. The more care and diligence we put in at this stage of the assessment, the better the placements will be when we move these dogs. I really don't want to see them being bounced from foster to foster, so we HAVE to get it right the first time...even if it takes a little bit longer. I think it seems so much more arduous because we are working with 5 dogs all at once. In actual fact, we are using the same process we use for all dogs we bring into the rescue. It's a lot of work, but I know we would all rather take our time to get these assessments accurate than risk placing one of these pups in a home they weren't suited to. 

Next step - cat-testing!! Oh, I can't wait for that!!!  :)

Queenie and Tina riding off, possibly for the cat-testing???