We're not just "dogs" anymore

We have kittens! Very young kittens! They're little more than a few weeks old at the most, as their eyes just opened last week and they're still figuring out how to walk. Most of the time they sleep and eat, but now and then they wake up enough to get curious about their surroundings. And then they totter about the bathroom like a bunch of fuzzy, geriatric space aliens, mewling piteously, and bumping into things.

Their mother is with them too, of course. She can't be much more than a year old herself, but she is doing a fabulous job. She's very protective and attentive, even though she dearly loves any bit of attention we can spare her.

This time of year the shelter is overrun with kittens. People who could never bring themselves to spay or neuter their cats--especially their outdoor cats--should be required to work a few weeks at the shelter during this yearly surge of unwanted families. There are literally hundreds of cats, with entire families crammed into a single 2'x1.5'x3' cage.

Grace was having a difficult time raising her kittens under those circumstances, and so a desperate call for help was sent out to all foster homes. We decided to give it a try, as the kids have been desperate to earn some pocket money lately and we're trying to teach them responsibility. They take care of Grace and her kittens for a little bit of money each day. If Grace and the kittens are to have any hope of getting adopted when the kittens are old enough they all need to be used to humans--and especially kids.

So far so good, though the kids have been a bit disappointed so far that the kittens don't do much or want to play yet. But in the mean time they've already given them names: Grace, for the mother, and then Timmy, Buddy, Rosie, and Zamzows (poor thing!). Don't worry, these names aren't permanent.

We'll have them for another seven weeks before the kittens are old enough to be adopted out. We only hope they'll be able to find good homes. Grace is a real sweetheart with striking green eyes, beautiful white and gray markings, and a very pleasant, affectionate personality. The kittens are all varying shades of gray at present, though already some of them are showing signs of having longer fur than the others. Timmy seems to be the most inquisitive of the group so far.

More details as their personalities develop. It should be an interesting place around here for awhile.

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.