Jill: July 2009 Archives

Heath came and spent another week and a half with us, his surgery was delayed until today. I have to say when he walked in our house he relaxed into things right away. OH!! cool, I live here now - and he did a jaunty little "I know this place" jig. He was even better than he left, so - I think the humane society kennel, while not the ideal situation, will be fine for a few days. He is extremely adaptable.. amazing. Last night he actually asked to sit on the couch with us for a while, he would relax and sleep in places other than his crate which is great. He discovered KITTIES!! they are very exciting, he would like to sniff them, but is not allowed. He stopped running away from me in the last couple of days if I needed to pick him up to crate him. I would just have to walk slowly, with my arms outstretched and talk to him. He would go over on his back -- OK - I guess it is inevitable, go ahead & get it over with lady!

It was sad to see him go this morning, but I know he will be adopted immediately - he seems to be in better shape than some of the other Kennewick pups I have seen glimpses of (except the puppies of course). Some of them have bald patches on their side, etc, I guess from fleas? but he only had hair loss on the base of his tail that you couldn't really see. Plus his face looks healthy, his eyes are not as sunken as some of them either. Even Robert said he felt the void in our house this morning. Suki & Elly however are loving it! More biscuits for US!!

I visited the humane society yesterday, to pick up some foster kittens actually, and couldn't find Heath in the adoptable dog area, and was told he was put on dental hold. I think they are graciously going to fix his teeth issues! Sweet! That does mean more time before he gets put up for adoption, but he will be more adoptable if someone doesn't have to spend the money to get his teeth fixed, and his breath will be more pleasant.

Heath went back on the 26th & has not been adopted yet... he is a very smart boy, hope he is not stressing out in the kennel!

http://www.seattlehumane.org/

Here is his personality profile:

Favorite Activities & Personality Traits?

Heath is a very brave boy, he conducts experiments, is curious, and can be easily trained! I find it amazing how much progress he made in two weeks considering the first few years of his life. He is a survivor and is learning how great humans are and what good things we can bring to him! He is very spunky.

 

What was my foster home environment? Live with dogs/cats/kids, what ages?

Heath takes his cues from other dogs, and likes to play with others that like to play, and leaves the other dogs alone that want to be alone. He visited with some puppies, and he bullied them a little bit. We have two 45 lb mutts, and they got along great! He would prefer to live with dogs than people at this point I think! When other dogs come up for pets, he always butts in to get pets from humans but he will not often approach alone for pets.

 

What is my favorite place to sleep? Am I crate trained? Housetrained? Almost housetrained?

Heath loves his crate, it is his safe haven. We had it out always with an open door, and he would seek it out when tired or stressed. He doesn’t understand the greatness of sleeping on fluffy surfaces yet, and prefers a flat rug or just the floor. He is almost house trained. When he has free access to the outside he chooses to go outside – but he will pee in the house if you do not monitor him. He is easily corrected for this and will stop mid stream, and take it outside. He is very smart and will get the hang of this quickly if you moniter his activity consistently.

 

Where do I stay when left alone? How long can I be left alone? Can I be trusted in the house alone? Do I jump fences or dig?

You may leave him alone in his crate for 4-5 hours, during the day, and overnight. He wakes up at 7am if you are not in the same room, but will sleep in if you keep him crated in the bedroom. Long periods of crate time does increase his stress, so he is more excitable when coming out. He will eventually be able to be in the house alone once he is potty trained, provided you leave no food or garbage out and child proof your cabinets. He does not pee in his small crate, but would if you left him alone just in an ex-pen or large crate.

 

Do I know any commands, working on any new commands? Was I in a training class?

Heath can touch your hand with his nose, if you are patient and present a flat hand. He will tolerate a leash on his collar, but prefers if you not pull on it. His reflex is to pull back in the opposite direction. He will follow you around if you call him and walk away. We did work on holding his collar and reaching for his collar. He would prefer if you not carry him – but he LOVES to be rubbed around his ears. It is very soothing. We did feed him by hand as well and he has learned that pets are pretty good sometimes.

 

What is my favorite treat or toy? Am I destructive? Not really interested in toys/certain treats?

He loves soft toys, and cloth – don’t leave your socks on the floor! He will sneak them away and chew holes in them J. You can easily trade socks with him for more appropriate soft chews. He will play tug with other dogs.

 

Am I a dog park dog or like to play with one-on-one buddy?

Not appropriate for the dog park until obedience trained to come back to you. One on one buddy play is great!

 

Do I like kids? Do I like cats? Was I around small animals or livestock?

Heath is ok with kids, and visited our 8 & 12 yr old nephew and niece. He can take food enthusiastically from kid hands, so a cupped hand lowered carefully with food in it is best. I think he would prefer an adult home.

 

Do I have any other naughty habits that I need to work on?

No, he is a good boy – just needs to know the household rules! He is very smart and alert and will pick it up quickly.