Year in Review 2012 - Part Two

One of several small dogs in a overcrowded shelter.

Owen came to me in a roundabout fashion. A transport was arriving right before I had a flyball tournament, and rather than putting a dog through the stress of a transport followed by the loud, long days of a tournament, Catty Rattie took him on as her foster along with Dunham. Owen proved to be a bit too much for her then-foster, now-personal dog D'Light. We had worked it out before that if Owen needed to be transferred I would take him. This is one of the greatest strengths of our Washington team - we all work with each other to give each dog and person the best set up possible!

Owen in his new home and new sweater!

When Owen arrived he was malnourished, his fur felt like straw, and he had moderate OCD. When stressed or frustrated he would snarl, bark, and chase his tail rapidly. I had to learn what his triggers were and manage his stress levels to prevent the repeatedly OCD episodes. With a raw diet supplementation with fish oil and Missing Link, he went from a scrawny 7 lbs to almost 10 lbs. His coat grew glossy, his eyes shiny, and he was ready for his forever home.

The lap of luxury.

His adoptive family kept his name. Owen lives with a Mom, Dad, adult Brother, and sometimes an adult sister who visits. He also lives with a cat and they mostly leave each other alone. Brother takes Owen on a walk every day, and sometimes Owen even gets more than one walk a day! His family kept him on a dehydrated raw diet and raw meaty bones and Owen is in prime condition. He continues to have some OCD episodes but his family is learning how to work with him and manage his enviroment to minimize those episodes.

Quita came to me by virtue of her shelter picture. Originally, Moche had been pulled for me and I just happened to see this picture. Quita reminded me so much of Maya, my personal dog, and I kept going back to that picture. I asked a couple questions about her, found out she and Moche are sisters, and knew I had to save her!

Quita and her big sister, Savvy.

Quita was extremely shy, and like Moche, had a nasty case of bordatella. Over the 10 days I had her, she began to perk up and show me a playful side to her as well as the sweet loving side I had seen from the start. Quita's mom, a positive-based dog trainer, had been watching Petfinder for a while looking for a little dog. She thought about applying for another New Ratttiude dog, but by the time she went to send her application in that dog had been adopted! When she saw Quita she knew she was the one and didn't hesitate. Quita, now named Pekoe, went home to live with her big sister Saavy the smooth collie.

Pekoe's mom tells me that Pekoe is doing daily off-leash hikes with the dogs who are her mom's clients. She does well, flitting about from one side to the other, and is often one of the very first to greet any new arrivals. She often gets the zoomies and sproings off of furniture and walls, and enjoys destuffing and shredding soft plushy toys. She does get chilly in the north Vancouver weather, so she has an assortment of coats and jackets to wear while she is out hiking.