Autumn - my sidekick

Nothing much new to report. Autumn is continuing to be an awesome girl, my constant shadow. Today she helped me by laying by my feet while I made soup. Yesterday, she helped me by putting her pretty head near my laptop as I typed away. She's a fantastic companion :)

We took a nice few block walk today. Autumn doesn't pull and walks nicely by your side or a little in front of you. Near the end, she was tired and panting a bit and was happy to come inside and take a nap. She loves to use pillows or blankies to rest her head on. Or other pups ;)

But she's not all lazy! Autumn loves to run and grab her favorite toys, a bone or a rope toy, and throw it around and play tug or chase with the other dogs. The other day she even played with 13lb Gizmo, our other foster dog! It was so sweet, she was so gentle with him :) 

Autumn has not had any other seizures recently and for all intents and purposes, is a totally normal and happy dog! Don't let her diagnosis define her or count her out as a great family member for you! Ooh, and she also spent 8 hours in her crate the other day while I went to work (I was off work for awhile, which was super nice for her, but it's time to get back to reality, bummer!). She cries when she first is put in, but she quiets down quickly. She enjoys a bone or a Kong full of something yummy to occupy her. I still think the best home for Autumn would be a home that has someone around often, but it's good to know that she can be left in the kennel for a while if needed. Don't miss out on this awesome girl :) 

Autumn's first trip to the dog park!

Yesterday was such a gorgeous day here on the East side of Milwaukee, we decided to pack up the car with the doggies and head to the dog park! Autumn is great in the car, she quietly sits in the backseat and watches out the window :) 

Autumn had a great time at the dog park!  We can learn so much about our fosters by taking them to the park. Like for Autumn, we learned that she gets along with all the doggies, but her main priority was saying hi to ALL the people there! She was so sweet and I had multiple people come up to me and tell me how much they loved "my" dog. When I told them she was available for adoption, they were shocked! How can such a loving dog need a home? 

Autumn mostly just sniffed around, occasionally running for a bit or pretending to chase a ball, but she doesn't have any interested in really fetching. She's got a pretty good recall, it could use some work, but for the most part she would come running to us when her name was called. 

 

Autumn may have epilepsy, but for all the other moments in her life, she is a completely normal, loving, and loyal dog.  Apply for Autumn at jrspupsnstuff.org :) 

Autumn, our special girl

I haven't blogged about our foster dogs in quite some time! But if anyone deserves to be written about, it's our new sweet girl, Autumn.

Autumn is a 3 year old Shepherd mix female from Alabama. She was a companion dog to a woman with a traumatic brain injury. Autumn began having seizures and the woman was no longer able to keep her as a companion dog. She made the decision to surrender Autumn to our Alabama partner, who then sent her our way. I wasn't planning on taking her home, honestly. We were planning on another little guy to foster, but she just stole my heart. The day of transport, Autumn had a seizure in her kennel, likely due to the stress of the day and getting her medications later than usual. I rushed to her side with some other volunteers and calmed her through her seizure. After that, it was a done deal. She was coming home with us.

Curtis wanted to bring home a little guy too, so Gizmo came with us too ;)

Since coming home with us on the October 8th, Autumn has had two more seizures. It would appear that she is very sensitive to medications. Her first seizure was the morning after receiving her flea/tick medications. Her second one, this AM, was after I had given her some Robitussin for her newly developed kennel cough (I know, right, can't a girl catch a break!). Seizures so far have both been at 5am and she has woken from a deep sleep with them. Autumn takes Keppra once a day to manage her seizures She has seen our wonderful vet, who agrees with her current plan. We will continue to log her seizures and monitor her and follow up in one month to see if any changes are needed.

Autumn, Gizmo (also available for adoption!), and our dog, Dexter

Now, the good stuff. Let's learn about Autumn herself, because she is SO much more than her condition! She is a very loving and attentive dog. I can imagine that she was a fantastic companion dog to her past owner. She loves to be by your side, sure to be your shadow. She's always following me or just sleeping by my feet. She doesn't try to get on the couches and only comes on the bed when invited. Autumn lives with my 25lb terrier and our 13lb foster dog and is wonderful with both.  She plays gently with the little guy and a little more rough with my dog who likes to play that way. She also lives here with my cat and basically ignores her. She is completely potty trained too! She stays in her crate during the day if we need to leave the house. She's not a HUGE fan of it, and requires some calming music and a kong full of goodies to help her settle in. She has recently decided that she will not be kenneled overnight, and now sleeps quietly on the floor of our bedroom. I think she would do best in an adoptive home where someone is usually home. She loves the companionship of her humans!

 Autumn tends to be a bit anxious and sometimes pants and paces a bit when she's upset. You just want to hug her and remind her that life is okay. I think Autumn was very used to her lifestyle before this and is having a hard time adjusting. I don't think she will always be so anxious, but it may take some time for her to really settle in. I don't care one bit, she's such an incredible girl, she can stay here as long as she'd like.

Phew, that's enough for now! I'll continue to update you all on Autumn and help you learn more about her condition. If you are interested in adopting this lovely girl, apply at jrspupsnstuff.org!

Scruffy Williams is getting so smart!

It has been so wonderful to watch Scruffy grow and change while being in foster care with us! He is now completely potty trained, has no issues going potty on a leash, knows "sit", and has calmed down with his nippy play. He's become even more affectionate towards us and loves to come up and lick and lean against you.

Scruffy is a playful 10 month old, 25lb boy and would love to have a fenced in yard and/or an active family to help him get out that terrier energy! He is definitely a terrier mix. Prey drive and energy and smarts like mad. It's fun to watch his little gears turn in his brain as he figures out things like new commands. Speaking of, look below to see a video of Scruffy showing off his tricks! :D 

And even though he is an active boy, he loves to curl up in  dog bed or next to you for a good nap and some quiet time. He's a great dog all around! :) 

If you're interested in learning more about this wonderful boy, apply via jrspupsnstuff.org today! 

                                          

Scruffy at the Dog Park!

Scruffy Williams took his first trip to the dog park today! And he had a grand old time!

I was a little nervous, because Scruffy seemed nervous and a bit barky but we walked in, took off the leash, and off he went! Running, chasing, playing and of course, kissing other dogs as he loves to do so much. He got along wonderfully with all the dogs there. And the people too! He loves to run up to people, hop up lightly on their lap and get pets and hugs. Everyone loved him and knew his name by the end of our visit.

Scruffy Williams is quite the catch, such a wonderful loving boy full of fun. Check out pictures from our day!

Scruffy Williams!

It's been a long time since I've made a blog, sorry all! We've had some very popular dogs that were gone before I could even think about posting a blog, and we also took a little break from fostering to catch out sanity again. ;)

But we're back and we want to introduce you to the handsome, cute, and smiley Scruffy Williams!

Scruffy is about 9 months-1 year old neutered male terrier mix. He is 25lbs and looks to me like he may have some sighthound such as a Whippet, in there with his sleek, thin body and long regal nose.

Scruffy LOVES toys of all kinds! Ropes, balls, stuffed animals, squeekers, everything! He's learned that shoes are NOT toys, but we still keep a close eye on our shoes, just in case. Scruffy gets along great with most dogs and eagerly approaches them with kisses to their muzzle. He loves to wrestle and play tug with our dog. We have a cat that Scruffy is a bit curious of, but she doesn't do much. He may be tempted to chase a more active cat. With our cat, he just likes to lick her or give her little play nips. He's not quite sure if she's a play mate or a decoration...

Scrufy is very much the terrier breed in his prey drive and urge to chase and catch. Though only 25lbs, he will try to pull you down on a walk if he sees a tasty squirrel! But, that being said, Scruffy walks VERY well on his leash. A little bit of weaving as he learns to ropes (no pun intended) but he walks calmly and without pulling. He can be a little "mouthy" with his play at times so that is important to keep in mind if you are considering to adopt Scruffy, especially with kids. He does not bite down or anything, but he tends to just get excited and run around with his mouth open, lightly nipping at things, which may or may not be your feet ;). We've been working on this habit since day one and he's doing MUCH better. A sharp "no" and then some positive feedback for good behavior goes a LONG way with this guy. He's very smart!

 We're batting about 99% when it comes to house training, and I can honestly admit that most of that is usually our fault. As we're learning Scruffy's "cues" and needs, we're getting better and better. I will tell you, he likes to poop RIGHT after eating. LOL. Scuffy is crate trained and goes quietly into his crate at night and for a few hours during the day when needed.

Scruffy attended our Petco adoption event last Saturday and did very well with all the people, dogs, and commotion. He eagerly ran up to people for pets and hugs. He loves to bury his head into your lap or stomach and just take it all in. He's a very loving boy.

I will be sad to see this cutie go, he really is a great boy! Speaking of cute, check out some pictures below!

Tom!

Its been about 3 weeks that Tom has been in foster care with us...and I think I can officially say that he not a shy dog anymore :) He is still submissive to other dogs and a little jumpy at loud noises, but that's nothing unusual for most dogs. He's gained SO much confidence, it's been wonderful to watch him grow! When he first came to us, when we went to put on or take off his leash, he would cower low to the ground. Now he jumps up happily! He is also happily playing with out terrier mix now and even learning how to "be the boss" sometimes when Dexter gets too rough. I am so proud of our little Tom!

Tom is a pretty low maintenance guy. He has medium length fur with a thick undercoat, and should probably be brushed about once a week. We use a furminator brush. With this upkeep, we have actually not noticed any shedding from him! I'm sure there's a few hairs here and there, but it's nothing like the Great Dane fur that we find everywhere!

Tom's main goal in life is to be nearby you. Sometimes cuddling close, sometimes just tucked in some blankets or a dog bed in the same room as you. And when you move rooms, Tom will happily run ahead of you to claim the comfiest spot in the room you are headed to. Tom enjoys taking walks and walks so well on a leash. You actually have to encourage him along sometimes, as he would rather sniff the whole way. No pulling, that's for sure! But if you want to have a lazy day cuddling on the couch, Tom will be more than happy to oblige. He's a pretty easy going guy!

We are still working on potty training a bit, but I can honestly say a lot of that is our fault, not Tom's. With 3 dogs in the house, it's gotten a little hectic and it's harder to watch him. I think Tom will really benefit from using gates and the crate as a training technique. We do this here, and it has really helped. I think he would also really enjoy a house in a quieter area or even a fenced in yard. We live on the East Side on a busy street so sometimes Tom is JUST about to go potty, and a car door slams or someone yells, and he loses focus. Oh dogs...

I'm sure there a million other wonderful things I can tell you about Tom. Why don't you fill out an application and come and meet him and learn more! Until then, enjoy his extraordinary cuteness in the following pictures!

Playing with foster brother Dexter

Tired out from all that playing