I guess it's been awhile since I posted here. Gracie has found a home, at least temporarily. There is to be a trial period first, but the person who took her seems to know dogs pretty well and was specifically looking for a dog like Gracie. It's been four days now, which is plenty of time for a sweetie like Gracie to work her way into your heart.
I do miss her a bit, though.
We still have Grace and the kittens. The kittens are nearly big enough to be put up for adoption, and we're trying to help Grace wean them. It's not easy, as Grace really starts getting anxious after awhile. She must be a mother, as it only takes me about five minutes before I want to get away from all that energy attached to pointy claws.
Kittens are cute, of course, but only up to a point. I wonder if people really understand what they're getting in for when they get so excited about adopting kittens. It's good that people adopt them, certainly, but they can be a lot of work.
Showing posts with label Gracie. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gracie. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Indestructible toys
Labradors are known for their love of chewing, and Gracie is no exception. She loves chew toys, and will work on one until it's completely torn to shreds. Terhi discovered recently that dogs instinctively try to dispatch their prey. They like it dead before they eat it. So it seems that when you have a toy with a squeaker in it, the dogs interpret the squeaking as the pained yelps of a wounded animal and try even harder to kill it (rather nice of them to want to put it out of its misery, unlike cats, who like to torture their prey).
Most every toy we've gotten Gracie has had a squeaker. No wonder she becomes obsessed with destroying it right away.
I do think there is more to it than that, though, as even the toys that have held up longer she will still work at destroying if there is any hope it can be. For example, she recently got a tube-shaped toy--we think it was supposed to be a stick, a newspaper, or a cigar. The way she carried it so it stuck out of one side of her mouth made it look most like a cigar.
Anyway, it took her longer than usual, but she was eventually able to chew a hole in one end. Soon she had chewed off the entire end. Over the next several days she gnawed the thing down to nothing.
Her latest toys are a rope chew toy and a Kong. Kongs are supposed to be indestructible, and so far it's proving true. On the other hand, I think she's realized she's met her match, as she doesn't try to chew it nearly so often. This one might actually survive for awhile.
I'm still betting she'll destroy it. Eventually.
Most every toy we've gotten Gracie has had a squeaker. No wonder she becomes obsessed with destroying it right away.
I do think there is more to it than that, though, as even the toys that have held up longer she will still work at destroying if there is any hope it can be. For example, she recently got a tube-shaped toy--we think it was supposed to be a stick, a newspaper, or a cigar. The way she carried it so it stuck out of one side of her mouth made it look most like a cigar.
Anyway, it took her longer than usual, but she was eventually able to chew a hole in one end. Soon she had chewed off the entire end. Over the next several days she gnawed the thing down to nothing.
Her latest toys are a rope chew toy and a Kong. Kongs are supposed to be indestructible, and so far it's proving true. On the other hand, I think she's realized she's met her match, as she doesn't try to chew it nearly so often. This one might actually survive for awhile.
I'm still betting she'll destroy it. Eventually.
Tuesday, August 4, 2009
Gracie's second adoption unit
This weekend we took Gracie to a Humane Society remote adoption unit at the Soul Food Extravaganza at Julia Davis Park. She has improved quite a bit--she hardly barked the entire time, even with the other dogs barking frequently. There was a young terrier in a pen that kept her interested, and she found a toy she just had to destroy, but she was mostly very well behaved for spending four hours in the heat.
A Staffordshire bull terrier named Blue got adopted. "Blue" is a real sweetie, and I'm sure he'll make his new family happy.
Meanwhile, we still have Gracie with us, and that's fine. She's a fun dog with such a happy personality. We enjoy her, and are willing to wait to find her the right home.
We tried taking a video of Gracie playing with the kids. As you can see she's quite obedient.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Hey buddy, wanna dog?
This weekend we started formally trying to find Gracie a permanent home, and in the process learned more about her. On Saturday the Idaho Humane Society scheduled a remote adoption unit at the Idaho Green Expo down at the Boise Center on the Grove. It didn't last long, as the weather was quickly getting too hot for the dogs. The kids wanted to see the expo, so I took them while Terhi walked Gracie.
We learned that Gracie gets a little too excited in crowds. She barks when she gets excited. She doesn't get aggressive, she just likes to bark. She also has something about meeting strange men. We noticed that the first day she came home. I came home later, and the minute I walked in she started barking. She's not aggressive, so it's not a an matter of being territorial or feeling threatened. If the man pets her and talks to her she immediately likes them.
The paperwork that came with her suggests that some of her previous owners taught her some bad habits, and we think that barking is what they're talking about. I think somehow a man in her past encouraged her to bark, and so that's what she does around all men now.
We've been working with her on it, and we're making progress. She's barking less and less, and stops quickly. The key is to let her know that the barking is not acceptable, not try to calm her down or give her positive reinforcement.
I wouldn't consider her barking excessive. I was raised with three dogs, and she's nothing compared to them. Most of it is typical to dogs. It's just that big dogs are louder when they bark, so it draws more attention. People tend to be more nervous about big dogs and quickly assume the dog is aggressive when it barks. Other than being a little protective of her toys the first few days (since then she's actually tried to share them with Lady), I've never seen any sign of aggression in Gracie.
Today Terhi visited the shelter and got some more information about Gracie's past. She was first brought to the shelter by a family that had to move and couldn't take her with. We think it must have been them who filled out the pages and pages of information about her that we were given. She was soon adopted by someone who brought her back in a few months claiming she was too active.
I'm not sure what they were expecting. Labrador Retrievers (though she's not a purebred) are energetic dogs, and compared with many I've seen Gracie is pretty calm. It took her a few days to get used to being here, but now she is a fairly calm dog. She just likes to be with people and will occasionally let you know she would like some attention. She'll bring her toy and drop it at your feet, a clear sign she wants to play. She doesn't need long, perhaps five or ten minutes, and then she's happy to let you go back to what you were doing.
She was adopted again last month. They brought her back after a couple of days complaining that she didn't get along with their other pets. We have a dog and three cats of our own, and we've seen no sign of that. If anything, Gracie goes out of her way to make friends. She's shown the cats very little interest at all, and she usually defers to our original, older dog. I suspect that the last owners either didn't introduce Gracie correctly, or their other pets have a problem with newcomers. In any case, two days is hardly enough time. The shelter gives you up to thirty days. I think had they taken longer it would have worked itself out.
I can't stress Gracie's sweet nature enough. She's a naturally loving dog who enjoys being around people. She'll come lay next to me on the den floor while I work, or follow Terhi around. She's great with the kids. She is quite smart, knows many commands, and is perfectly housebroken. She's also got some of the softest fur I've ever felt on a dog. And very expressive ears. She would be such a good dog for somebody.
We learned that Gracie gets a little too excited in crowds. She barks when she gets excited. She doesn't get aggressive, she just likes to bark. She also has something about meeting strange men. We noticed that the first day she came home. I came home later, and the minute I walked in she started barking. She's not aggressive, so it's not a an matter of being territorial or feeling threatened. If the man pets her and talks to her she immediately likes them.
The paperwork that came with her suggests that some of her previous owners taught her some bad habits, and we think that barking is what they're talking about. I think somehow a man in her past encouraged her to bark, and so that's what she does around all men now.
We've been working with her on it, and we're making progress. She's barking less and less, and stops quickly. The key is to let her know that the barking is not acceptable, not try to calm her down or give her positive reinforcement.
I wouldn't consider her barking excessive. I was raised with three dogs, and she's nothing compared to them. Most of it is typical to dogs. It's just that big dogs are louder when they bark, so it draws more attention. People tend to be more nervous about big dogs and quickly assume the dog is aggressive when it barks. Other than being a little protective of her toys the first few days (since then she's actually tried to share them with Lady), I've never seen any sign of aggression in Gracie.
Today Terhi visited the shelter and got some more information about Gracie's past. She was first brought to the shelter by a family that had to move and couldn't take her with. We think it must have been them who filled out the pages and pages of information about her that we were given. She was soon adopted by someone who brought her back in a few months claiming she was too active.
I'm not sure what they were expecting. Labrador Retrievers (though she's not a purebred) are energetic dogs, and compared with many I've seen Gracie is pretty calm. It took her a few days to get used to being here, but now she is a fairly calm dog. She just likes to be with people and will occasionally let you know she would like some attention. She'll bring her toy and drop it at your feet, a clear sign she wants to play. She doesn't need long, perhaps five or ten minutes, and then she's happy to let you go back to what you were doing.
She was adopted again last month. They brought her back after a couple of days complaining that she didn't get along with their other pets. We have a dog and three cats of our own, and we've seen no sign of that. If anything, Gracie goes out of her way to make friends. She's shown the cats very little interest at all, and she usually defers to our original, older dog. I suspect that the last owners either didn't introduce Gracie correctly, or their other pets have a problem with newcomers. In any case, two days is hardly enough time. The shelter gives you up to thirty days. I think had they taken longer it would have worked itself out.
I can't stress Gracie's sweet nature enough. She's a naturally loving dog who enjoys being around people. She'll come lay next to me on the den floor while I work, or follow Terhi around. She's great with the kids. She is quite smart, knows many commands, and is perfectly housebroken. She's also got some of the softest fur I've ever felt on a dog. And very expressive ears. She would be such a good dog for somebody.
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Gracie's shelter page
We found today that Gracie does have a listing at the Humane Society site. If you're interested, check it out. Their brief videos don't begin to show her playful side, though. I'll see if we can't get something better up here soon.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Gracie: Day Three
We're starting to get used to each other. We realize that we've been spoiled by our first dog, Lady. Lady never barks. Maybe once a week, if that. Gracie...is a dog. She barks when she gets excited. We suspect it'll get better as she gets used to how things are here.
She is very much a people-dog. Last night as she and I were out on the deck she would wander back over to me and prod me with her nose. I'd pat her head for a moment and she'd be off again. She doesn't need a lot of petting, just regular reassurance.
She's also very smart--at least were toys are concerned. Last night Terhi brought home a new toy for her and left it in the utility room atop the dryer. Gracie got a glimpse of it and, without our saying anything, she immediately knew it was a toy--and SHE WANTED IT! She didn't want to get very far away from that washing machine for rest of the night!
She definitely loves to play. We had an arborist over this morning to take a look at a sick tree we have. While I was talking to him I picked up a short piece of rope the kids had left out and tied it in a loop. Soon Gracie was there, poking her nose at the rope. I finally caught on that she wanted to play with it. Soon she and the kids were having fun tossing the ring around and having her chase it.
Terhi takes her for walks, and she seems to be well trained there. She doesn't pull anymore. She did the first few times, but who can blame her after being cooped up in a cage for months. But now she keeps a good pace alongside Terhi.
She's a sweetheart. She's good with the kids, and she's very patient with Lady, who gets a bit jealous. There's a family out there who will love her as much as we do. Contact us!
She is very much a people-dog. Last night as she and I were out on the deck she would wander back over to me and prod me with her nose. I'd pat her head for a moment and she'd be off again. She doesn't need a lot of petting, just regular reassurance.
She's also very smart--at least were toys are concerned. Last night Terhi brought home a new toy for her and left it in the utility room atop the dryer. Gracie got a glimpse of it and, without our saying anything, she immediately knew it was a toy--and SHE WANTED IT! She didn't want to get very far away from that washing machine for rest of the night!
She definitely loves to play. We had an arborist over this morning to take a look at a sick tree we have. While I was talking to him I picked up a short piece of rope the kids had left out and tied it in a loop. Soon Gracie was there, poking her nose at the rope. I finally caught on that she wanted to play with it. Soon she and the kids were having fun tossing the ring around and having her chase it.
Terhi takes her for walks, and she seems to be well trained there. She doesn't pull anymore. She did the first few times, but who can blame her after being cooped up in a cage for months. But now she keeps a good pace alongside Terhi.
She's a sweetheart. She's good with the kids, and she's very patient with Lady, who gets a bit jealous. There's a family out there who will love her as much as we do. Contact us!
Monday, July 13, 2009
Introducing Gracie!
We are officially a foster family! This morning Terhi and the kids went to the shelter and selected a labrador-German-shepherd mix named Gracie.
Gracie is a sweetie. She's eight years old and has some arthritis, but you'd never know it. She's a cheerful, energetic charmer who is great with kids, indifferent to cats, and seems to get along just fine with our ten-year-old Australian Sheepdog mix, Lady.
It's been an exciting day! We're all still getting used to each other, but her enthusiasm and grin are contagious. It's too early to really tell what she'll be like, but we can already tell that there's a lot of love inside that big, furry body.
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