Bridgett- Dog or professional model?

Took some great shots of Bridgett and our puppy Dexter today. Dexter has grown up around the camera and has learned to stay put when it is out but Bridgett...well she's just a natural! How many times can you say you got TWO dogs to sit still, on the SAME step, and both look adorable! Psh! And I didn't even set them up like this. Just called their names, showed them the camera, and they sat. Amazing.

Bridgett's Playdate at the Farm!

Today, my boyfriend and I went to our boarding farm. When we don't have enough foster homes for all the dogs we save, they go to boarding. Which is actually a pretty awesome place. We have a volunteer who has a barn and lots of fenced in land and the dogs get to run and play all gosh darn day. It's a pretty great life ;) We made the trip to get some good pictures of the dogs that are currently there. And Bridgett and our pup, Dexter came with!

Bridgett had a pretty great time hanging out in the chilly Wisconsin weather with the other friendly dogs. She ran and chased and liked to get her head in front of my camera every chance she could get. She's learned that the camera is a pretty awesome thing, what a ham!

Bridgett has also become sweetly protective of her foster brother. Another dog was getting a little snarly towards Dexter, and Bridgett came lumbering up and stepped in between. She had no intent of continuing the fight or getting snarly back,,,,just wanted to be the peacekeeper and make sure her little brother was okay. It was pretty sweet. He might annoy her sometimes with his overbearing puppiness, but she loves him.

Oh, and Dexter taught her how to dig. Jerk. Don't worry, she wasn't too interested haha.

Check out the pics of Bridgett's adventure!

Hi! 

She was content to just sit down and watch
the other hyper dogs sometimes haha

Bridgett meeting another adoptable, Hudson!

Ah, the breeze on my fur!

So this is how you dig, huh? 

Precious Bridgett

Just had to share some more pictures of our Precious Bridgett. It's only been 3 days, and we're just in love with this sweet girl. She's got such a wonderful and calm demeanor and is such a good playmate to our 7 month old pup. As I type, they are fast asleep in a sun puddle and loving life. In an hour or so, they'll wake up and play play play for a bit and then pass out all over again. What a great life. :)

love her speckled ears :) 

kisses! 

Bridgett is here!

Meet out newest foster girl, a St Bernard/Great Pyr mix! Bridgett is guessed to be about 3 years old and has definitely been a momma a few times in the past by the looks of her belly. She is a super tolerant and sweet girl! She handles our crazy little terrier quite well and before we knew it, they were playing and having a great time. 30 minutes later, and they are both completely wiped out and fast asleep.

Bridgett is potty trained and walks quite well on a leash, but likes to stop and sniff a lot. She's not a puller though! She does not greatly appreciate being in a crate, but has had no problems being gated in one room overnight. She also is quite well behaved when it comes to the furniture and shows no interest in jumping up. She's also not the kind of girl to jump up on humans when she's excited either. She's got great manners ;)

She should probably put on a few more pounds, she's about 70lbs now and should be a little bigger for her breed. She also had some mange in the past, so we think that her fur might grow out a little longer then it is right now. She probably won't get as fluffy as a Great Pyrenees though ha.

Overall, she's just a sweet, calm girl and I expect she won't be hanging out with us for too long before somebody snatches her up :) Could it be you?

play time! 

Jasper is adopted!

That's right, another adoption! Woohoo! Jasper went home with a wonderful young couple this morning. SO wonderful, that they were even willing to wait around and come BACK to our house because we had some issues with paperwork getting pushed through. *sigh* What lovely, patient people. What more could you ask for in dog parents?

The other good news is that Jasper will be pretty much down the road from us! Hopefully we will see him again and we even have tentative plans for meeting at the local dog park! Congratulations Elizabeth and Matt, you've chosen a wonderful new companion. And congratulations Jasper, you hit the jackpot with a great new family!

I'm adopted guys! Isn't that great!?

Jasper Sharing His Bone :)

Thought this would be a cute post. Found the boys happily sharing the bone tonight. Jasper is a bone FIEND! He could munch on a bone all day long if he could :) Our dog, Dexter, is usually a toy hog and so it was very nice to see him sharing. Jasper on the other hand, doesn't care if he's sharing with 1 dog or 5 dogs, as long as he can still munch away. Check out these cute videos :) 

Jasper's first few days with us :)

Meet Jasper! He is a 40lb (and a bit chubby) full grown lab mix that is approximately 1 year old. His short and slightly muscular stature, makes me think maybe American Bulldog and Lab? But who knows! DEFINITELY lab :) 

Jasper has most likely never lived in a home environment before, but is learning the ropes quickly! He learned how to go up and down the stairs in a few days, and is now learning that the TV screen is an okay thing ;) He's also learning potty etiquette, but has very few in house accidents at this time. He goes in his crate at night and when we leave the house for more than a few minutes. He was perfectly quiet on the first night, but has begun to whine a bit when first being crated. We just ignore him and let him whine it out, don't want to teach him that his whining gets him what he wants ;)  Five minutes tops, and he's all calmed down and sleeps soundly through the night. I'm sure he would actually be fine UNcrated at night, but since we are still working on potty training a bit, he goes in the crate for now. Plus, I'm not sure there's any more room in our bed! haha

So overall, Jasper is a bit timid with this new environment, but is HAPPY to have you bend over and pet pet pet him! He is honestly the biggest lover dog we've fostered so far! He's not annoying about it, just stays close by, and when you sit down and call him to you, he is right there, head in your lap, loving life. He's gotten a little jumpy as his confidence has gone up, but usually he just wiggles on the ground in happiness :) I seriously love this boy, and if there was more room in my home, he is CERTAINLY a dog I would keep. 

Oh, and he's good with all other dogs and ignores the cat. Can you ask for more?!

Check out these pictures of our handsome boy and put in an app today! 

Did I mention his great smile? 

Jasper's "serious look"

And this is Jasper's seal impression. haha!

Jasper is truly his happiest when he's being loved
by his humans :) 

Toby is ADOPTED!

I've been near tears since last night, but they are ALL happy tears. Our sweet Toby hit the jackpot last night and went home with a wonderful woman. His new momma is retired, takes two walks a day (along with the neighbors dog) and has so much love to give. She even came to meet him with lots of treats in her pockets and her own poop bags haha.

For those of you that don't know, Toby had a pretty rough beginning. Toby spent the first two years of his life on a 16 pound chain that embedded into his neck. Our rescue partner that saved him, stated that it was a mere 2 INCHES from hitting his spinal cord. The volunteer in Missouri that stepped up to help Toby very literally saved his life. She was even able to take Toby's previous owner to court for animal cruelty...and won! I am forever grateful to this wonderful woman and the whole team that helped Toby recover.

By the time Toby came to Wisconsin, he was all healed up and happy. All his fur has grown back on his neck and you would never guess that anything happened to him! I personally LOVE the way that Toby's new mom put it, "Your kindness to Toby ripples through his heart and carries on and on and on". Toby is the most loving and accepting dog, despite the life he was given. And I truly believe that a little bit of everyone's love and kindness towards him will carry on through him, as a constant reminder of their dedication to these animals in need. I am so thankful to be a small part of this story as his foster mom these last few weeks.

Toby was all panty smiles when it was time to go home with his mom. Unfortunately, all those pictures were horribly blurry, awww. But here's a pretty sweet photo of Toby and his new mom. Once again, him and those EYES. They just say it all.

Congratulations Toby and Jean!

Toby, still looking for a forever home!

I'm not sure how this wonderful boy is still around! I'm getting more and more attached each day ;)

He recently has become my new favorite pillow. He'll hop up onto the bed and lay right next to you and is more then content to let you lay your head on his belly. He'll even hug his arms around you. He's so wonderfully sweet!

I know Toby's forever family is out there, just waiting to discover him and give him a loving home for the rest of his life. Until then, he's pretty comfy right here in my arms :)

Check out these new pics from this morning. I was feeling a little artsy and Toby was apparently feeling like a model. Look at those eyes!

Mmm yeah, that's the spot! 

A goofy pic, not sure what he was doing here ha

A good view of those precious floppy ears of his!

Seriously. These eyes. I'm just lost in them! 

Toby Update

Toby, sweet Toby. He's proving to be a really wonderful boy :) Still has a lot of young dog energy and LOVES to wrestle and play with other dogs. I think he would do best in a home with a playmate or at least with access to neighbor dogs or the dog park often. He can be a little mouthy with his play and though we are discouraging this behavior, I'm still not sure he'd be great with younger kids.

 He very rarely barks, usually only when we are outside when it is dark and a stranger walks by. I'll admit, I feel pretty safe with this big boy by my side! He tends to pull a bit on the leash, but we're working on it and he's really not all that bad. But boy, if he sees a squirrel, hold on tight! 

He's all around just a really great dog. Potty trained, crate trained, and just wants some loving and pets from you! He'll even lean against you when he's extra happy to be getting your attention. He's a wonderful dog and I'm frankly surprised that he's lasted this long! Who can resist these handsome and soulful eyes! 

If you are interested, be sure to check out our website at jrspupsnstuff.org and fill out an application today! 

Toby at the park!

We took Toby to the dog park today and he had a blast! He got to wrestle with some dogs his own size and got to sniff sniff sniff! And most importantly, he is now exhausted and sleeping soundly :)

He did great with all the dogs, all sizes and ages and was very intuitive as to their feelings about playing. We met a 4 mo old Cocker Spaniel who was a bit scared, and he sniffed her and layed down, never tried to do more.

Check out these wonderful pictures of Toby running and playing. Isn't he handsome? :)

best buds :)

Toby's First Few Days

Our new buddy is here! Let me introduce you to Toby, a 2 year old German Shepherd (mix? potential purebred?) He may have floppy ears, but this boy is ALL German Shepherd. He's sweet and so smart! Appears to be completely potty trained and did wonderfully in his crate all night! Just a few whines in the beginning, and then he slept soundly. We're working on learning some tricks and he seems to be picking up quickly. He's very food motivated :)
He's also been great with our 15lb puppy, Dexter. Toby LOVES to "play wrestle" but is sure to be gentle with our pup. He mouths at him, sure, but nothing more. He was at boarding before this and often spent time with the maltipoos that are currently at the rescue. I think he would LOVE to have a doggy brother or sister, or would at least need some scheduled play dates or dog park days to get his lovin' energy out.
He's happy to sleep at your feet though and just sit there and get pets and lovin'. He's an absolute doll! Check this guy out right away, my goal is to get him adopted super fast! He's just too great to stick around! :)
Here's a few pics, he didn't want to sit still for the camera today. Check back regularly for more

Davey is here!

Hi folks, this is Davey! He is being listed as a yorkie-poo and is approximately 1-2 years old. He was abandoned by a breeder/hoarder situation in Alabama with his 7 brothers and has made the trip all the way to Wisconsin to meet YOU. Yes, you!

He is a sweet little thing. Very calm and loves to cuddle up on your lap or by your feet. Ideally, I see him in a home with an older couple or single person who just wants a calm companion. He would probably be very good with children as well, but he is a bit skittish with sudden movements still. I really think he will adjust quite quickly, as he already has come so far.

Davey is working on potty training and learning a few basic tricks. He does "sit" very well, just not always when you want him to. Like when you're trying to have him go potty outside and he just sits down and stares at you. haha! Ah, but it's only day one, we'll have patience.

In the meantime, here are some pictures of the new cutie! Look out for more updates as Davey settles in to his new home!

What a cutie! :)

Our dog, Dexter, and Davey hangin' out.

Look at that great smile!

Davey and his foster Grandma,
who so kindly picked him up
from the groomer today and
brought him to MKE :)
Thanks mom!

Davey and my cat, Sophie. He is very good with her
and gently sniffed and left her alone :)

Must Reads for the Dog Lover and Owner

As we are in between fosters (for about another 30 minutes....Davey will be arriving soon) I have decided to post some favorite books of mine to help us all understand our canine counterparts better. They are all great reads, both informative and interesting, check them out!

"Animals in Translation" and "Animals Make Us Human" by Temple Grandin are two of my favorite books by this author. If you've never heard of her, Temple Grandin is an autistic adult who has made leaps and bounds in the animal industry, specifically for cattle that are bred for meat. She has invented a humane way to vaccinate and kill cattle. I know, I know, it sounds awful, but she really has made the process much better than it ever was. She invented what she calls her "hug machine" which gives a positive and calming pressure feeling to the body. This has been translated into many other inventions, such as the "thunder shirt" that many owners use for the pets today!

"Merle's Door" by Ted Kerasote is a book that Temple Grandin refers to in her books, which is why I decided to give it a try myself. Ted Kerasote tells the story of this wonderful lab mix dog, Merle, that he found and rescued on a camping trip and shares all the things that he has learned from Merle. The author strongly recommends an "off leash" society for our dogs so that they are free to roam and act like real dogs. He also theorizes that it actually helps with aggression and guarding tendencies that we dislike in our dogs at times. Of course, this is something that we can't just implement right now, but it's an interesting theory to ponder. This is a wonderful and tear jerking story :) 

"Inside of a Dog" by Alexandra Horowitz. I'm reading this book RIGHT now and loving it. It really helps get a good perspective on what our dogs lives really are, how their genetics and breeding play a role in their personalities, and how NOT to anthropomorphize (give our dogs human thoughts or emotions to explain their behaviors) our dogs. I strongly recommend this book!

"How to Speak Dog" by Stanley Coren is another book that I am skimming through right now. It's a great read that explains our dog's language and is really shedding some light on dog's non-verbal cues and language that we often overlook. He gives a great anecdote about a dog who's owners were returning him to the breeder because the dog was being "aggressive" and showing its teeth all the time. When the breeder and Stanley went to pick up the Irish Setter pup, they identified the behavior as exactly the OPPOSITE of what the owners thought he was doing. Some dogs will show their teeth and whimper as a way of showing submission and that's all this pup was trying to do. He ended up finding a home that understood him better and still "smiles" to this day. :)

Enjoy these reads! Even if you just skim them for answers on your dogs behaviors, they are great references! --Emma