Quinn's Christmas

It's been a crazy few days. Quinn and Honey went on their first trip together, and we learned a lot of things about the two of them. Mostly, Quinn is super puppy, loves everyone and wants to play so bad, and is especially excited by other male dogs (go figure!).

Another Shannon Johnstone photo.

On Saturday he met three new dogs, a somewhat dominant female border collie, a sassy little female pomeranian and a big, bashful male pomeranian (rescued from WCAC). He was pretty persistent in getting them to play, but backed off when the females said NO and the male ran away to hide. He kept trying periodically throughout the visit with no luck. When Bear, the (neutered) male came around, he got really excited and tried extra hard to engage him in play, but with no luck. None of the dogs paid him any mind, but luckily his sister is always happy to play with him. No guarding issues, no aggression, no dominance.

Landfill dog.

On Monday he met Roxy, another rescued pomeranian from WCAC. No issues there, of course. She was happy to let the big dogs play while she got all the attention. He and his sister did get out of the fence and run down a couple houses, but they came right when called and it wasn't a problem (this time). If Honey hadn't been with him, I can't be sure he would've come back immediately. He can be pretty determined in his need to explore new territory.

On Tuesday he met Charlie, a husky mix who is about his size. Charlie is notoriously rambunctious and a "dog park champion." One on one, he was fine with Charlie. With all three dogs, however, Honey would get very, very protective of Quinn and in fact guard Charlie so bad that it looked like she was herding him, a behavior I've never seen in her. Luckily, the two boys really hit it off and despite their different play styles genuinely seemed to enjoy each others' company.

(Also really glad that it was Charlie, not Quinn, who peed in the house. Ha! He's only had one accident since his return from the SPCA!)

Resting at home with big sis.

I'm very proud of how he's done with other dogs (especially the males and the larger dogs) even though I know it has nothing to do with me. I was worried about him with dogs of his size or larger, but he seems to have no Napoleon complex. He's a sweet boy who just wants to play and needs someone who can keep up. We're still looking!

Quinn's second chance

Since he's gotten back from the SPCA, we've learned a few things.

He's people focused and moderately submissive.

He CAN relax outside a crate, he just needs a comfy bed =)

He CAN be on the furniture without making trouble or being possessive.

He's a good napping buddy.

He plays hard.

He will chew, but not much.

We did another food test (well, another staff member did while I wasn't around) and he did fine. He didn't want to back away, but he did. If she had kept messing with him while he was eating, he may have gotten grumpy, but with moderate attention and poking, he did fine and was just super food focused. The advice given was that the new family should let him get comfortable and secure before bothering him while eating. He trusts us, and he'll let us mess with him, take his food, play in his bowl while he eats and put our hands in his bowl. It just takes time.

He had a meet and greet with a 60 lb spayed rottweiler and it went great. So larger dogs are okay. The real test will be male dogs. We do have a larger, neutered male next door, and Quinn saw him tied in the yard and didn't run over to eat him. Seemed interested, but not overly so and came when called (he was off leash in our yard). He's a good boy, he just needs some consistency and training.

It's been almost two weeks since his return, and he's only peed in the house once. It was totally random, and I think he just has a smaller bladder than his sister. It's my job to remember to take him out. He's very good about going and coming back, and I'm so glad he can be trusted off leash.

He's been a bit mouthy during play, but it's another thing where he doesn't do it with me so it's hard to work on. I've been telling everyone to correct him, even though he's very gentle and it's kind of cute.

I really hope someone sees all his potential! Email me!

More Elvis!!

Everyone needs more Elvis. He's growing to be so handsome and lanky.

And refined.

Playful.

Still looking for a good home.

Happy Holidays!

Happy Happy Fat Boy

Finley was adopted back in July, and we are very lucky and happy that his mom sends us updates.

He's actually roughly the same age as Haymitch and Elvis, and look how BIG he is!!

Happy Holidays =)

Rescued!!!

Thank you, Mitchell Mill Animal Hospital Rescue, for pulling My Fair Lady.

We had her for about two weeks but didn't post anything because she was rescue-only and we couldn't ensure her safety once we had to take her back to get Quinn. So glad someone saved her!

Back from the SPCA

Quinn was pulled by the SPCA a couple weeks ago and was returned this past Friday. He was "not an ideal candidate for SPCA's adoption program." They house communally and he's dog selective. I'm not sure how much of their assessment I can share, but I can give the gist here.

resting after a long day

He was amazing for most of his Safer Assessment. He excelled in making eye contact, being touched, poked, squeezed and relinquishing toys. There were only two areas where he was less than ideal, and that was food guarding and interaction with other dogs.

They didn't give any notes on his food issues, but I've had no issues feeding him here. He's been fed at the same time right next to his sister and I've held his bowl while eating. I'm going to experiment and see how tolerant he is of me messing with his food. He wags while he's eating, even if you touch him. I'm not sure if that's because he's comfortable here or because he was uncomfortable there.

He was introduced to one, larger male dog for the assessment. He ran to sniff the other dog, then snapped and was unable to relax or break focus, though the other dog remained calm. We know this is an issue with him, and it's one we're going to try to work on. I do know he's very, very good with one dog.

Hopefully we'll figure out what his "type" is, and see if he can have a canine companion or if he will be doomed to a life of solitude. I'm sure I've seen other dogs that he liked when we were at the adoption event, but I need to be more scientific about this. We will not fail him!

Madame Mamba

Mamba is certainly a pretty little princess, and I just got the photo to prove it!

She has been integrated into the home (no quarantine room for her!) and is getting along with the boys nicely. She was a bit stand-offish when the door to her room was opened, but now she's joined the small herd of cats and gets along just fine. The boys have assured her that yes, she is the boss, so she doesn't feel the need to keep asserting herself.

She is still not too thrilled about the dogs, but she's improving there as well. She poofs up and hisses less often and even allows them to pass right by her without fuss. She is curious and tries to sniff them sometimes but is not too keen on them returning the action.

I really hope she finds a home for the holidays. Goodness knows she deserves it. She's a good girl and sweet as can be.

Black cats are the best

<3 these cats

Don't know why the pictures are showing up in such terribly quality. They look great before I upload them!

A FAQ for Quinn, already?!

Thanks to Mary Shannon Johnstone's Facebook page Landfill Dogs, Quinn has suddenly gotten a surge of interest. I'm seeing a lot of the same questions, though, so I figure I can answer some of them here.

How is he with other dogs?
I've only seen him at length with three dogs: Honey, Baxter and Sienna. He's totally fine with Honey, who is a slightly dominant female from his pack. They're about the same size and his play drive is higher than hers and he plays a bit rough for her, but he's just a puppy at heart.

With Baxter and Sienna, two boxers, intros went well and play was fine until someone got up on the furniture, then Quinn became very possessive of the furniture and snarled at the other dogs when they got close. That was not at home. Here, he is not allowed on the furniture for that reason.

I suspect he would not do well with unaltered animals.

How is he with cats?
I didn't realize how stupid our 6 month old kittens were until they ran up to a strange dog with no introduction. He sniffed them and wagged, but didn't initiate play, didn't lick them, didn't chase them. Since he's been here, he has followed cats into corners and gotten slapped, but no major confrontations and he's just fine letting them be.

Is he good with kids?
I don't know. He hasn't been around kids, to my knowledge. If kids are anything like kittens, yes.

Is he trained?
He is house trained and crate trained. He has not pooped in the house, but he did pee in the kitchen for some unknown reason. It's the same exact spot his sister peed a week or so ago, so maybe he smelled it. He also peed on the porch a couple times; I suspect the neighbor dogs come onto our back porch when we're not looking and pee on our planters. He was just letting them know that we don't appreciate that.

When he's not playing, he needs to be in his crate, otherwise he can't relax and he just wanders around looking for something to do. He does not mind getting in the crate. We're working on transitioning from "crate" to "blanket", and there's already been improvement. He paced a lot his first night but slept soundly on his blanket the second night.

He hasn't had much in the way of obedience training, but we're working on "Come here", "Sit" and "Down". He very quickly learned to sit at meal time (like his sister) and lay down when he goes in the crate for a cookie. Otherwise, he's eager to please but not too bright.

Will you transport?
No. If an approved rescue pulls him, that's fine. Adopters can apply to the rescue and go that route. Otherwise, I will speak with potential adopters directly and do what screening I can on my own. Anyone not comfortable with lots of questions should not inquire.

Other fun things:

• He understands and pays attention to mirrors more than any other animal we've had. He will watch you in the mirror if he can't see you directly. It's not creepy at all.
• He went off-leash at his photo shoot and did just fine. He recall isn't great, but he eventually gets the idea. He likes to chase a ball but his endurance isn't great because he's been kenneled so long. His sister was the same way when she came out of the kennels, but now she runs like a champ.
• Being from a family of dogs I'm very familiar with, he gets more leeway than a new foster dog would normally get. Some of the family traits are: Good with dogs, good with cats, good with kids, good off leash, rare barking, rare jumping, not mouthy, friendly kissers, eager to please. So I assumed he would be house trained fast and assumed that he would be fine with the cats. I can't make those assumptions most of the time but he has not let me down.

Quinn

Quinn is a very special guy.

He has been in the shelter for 523 days. That is over half his life. Today was his last day in the shelter, if I have any say.

Quinn, formerly known as Pound, was part of a cruelty case involving him, our Honey, her seven puppies, one other adult and two puppies, plus Honey's seven pups who were born at the shelter. The case finally resolved one month ago and we immediately adopted Honey. All the dogs in the case were spayed and neutered and made available to rescues. Foolishly, no rescue stepped up to take these amazing dogs, so they made their way to the adoption floor.

All have been adopted except for Quinn, Kilo, Milli, and three that have spent most of their lives in foster, Buster, Boots and Bandit. Milli has been in foster for about 8 months, Kilo went into foster as soon as he was neutered, and the last dog from their group was adopted today. I want to emphasize what a big deal this is: These dogs spent a year and a half in their kennels, with rare walks outside. Honey was losing her mind in her kennel for six months before we took her last December. Pound and Kilo were the only dogs who never left the building for more than a day trip. No one wanted an unneutered male in their house, and who can blame them?

These dogs are now all in homes, either permanent or foster. This is a BIG DEAL. They are the sweetest, most obedient bunch of dogs you could ask for. They rarely jump or bark (outside the kennel), they are friendly with everyone, and they just have the best dispositions despite their situation.

We took a chance bringing Quinn home, and I'm very happy with our decision. He responds well to correction and has shown interest in the cats, but no aggression and he's been very gentle and respectful. He got a bit nutso playing with his sister, but they eventually settled down. He chewed on his blankets at first but quickly learned to lay on them, though we'll have to keep an eye on that bad habit. He smells terrible, but we can't fault him for spending a year and a half in the shelter and being a bit stinky. He'll be getting a bath tomorrow, hopefully.

He's adjusting pretty well and definitely has a love for belly rubs. I've never seen a dog flop over so much onto his back. He's a good dog, and I hope someone sees his potential.

Mamba

Space became a crisis issue at WCAC, so we took on another cat. Maui Wowie was at the center getting some exposure time, but I'm happy to say he made it into another foster home.

I brought home Mamba:

I prefer to let our foster animals freely mix and mingle with the rest of the family, but Mamba went on quarantine for the first few days. She's now out of her quarantine period but is perfectly happy to stay in her room, away from the pesky teenaged boys and the big scary dog. She doesn't even know that we now have two big, scary dogs...

Mamba is a terribly cute, petite girl at just 8 lbs and 1 year. She's extremely affectionate and loves attention. She's fine being held and loved on, and she entertains herself just fine. She's very, very happy to see anyone who comes through the door on two legs.

She doesn't appreciate the boys coming into her room and will play a little but mostly slap them around, showing them who's boss. She'd do okay in a house with other cats but they'd need to be laid back or willing to section the house out into queendoms. She is definitely bossypants.

Honey scares the daylights out of her. She scaled a nine-foot bi-fold door to escape the dog (who was just passing by), then couldn't think of a good way to get down. We got a stool to get her down, but we keep the dog away when she's out now. Her tail doesn't puff to four times its size anymore, but she is still very wary and prefers to keep to herself.

Regardless of her skills in the animal kingdom, Mamba would make a great companion for any person. She's friendly, active and playful, but also likes a good cuddle and attention from her humans. She's gentle during play, no matter how rowdy she gets (and she can get pretty rowdy). I basically fell in love with her immediately because of her big purr, her cute little round face and short little legs, and how happy she is to have a friend. I hope that she can find the loving, permanent home that she deserves. Please email me or comment if you're interested.

Full house

It's been a crazy few weeks here. We've moved and taken on more animals than anticipated. Haymitch and Elvis are still with us and in need of a home. We've adopted their sister Honey as a member of our family. We also added another cat, Mamba, a little spitfire female. Today I brought home Quinn, Honey's brother and fellow protective custody dog. There will be more entries to come, I hope.

Introducing these new animals, I'm seeing how soft our boys are.

They're great with Honey because she's a mommy, first and foremost. She's gentle and respectful with them, most of the time. They don't know how to handle Mamba, though, who is a scrappy girl from the streets who defends her bedroom like it's her little queendom. The boys just can't defend themselves properly; Haymitch is too fat and happy to be bothered to fight and Elvis is a gentle, loving boy. Neither know what to do with her when she gets slappy. And Honey has ruined them for dogs; they run up to new dogs like they have a new best friend, oblivious to the fact that they could get gobbled up. Lucky for them, Quinn is interested but not aggressive or too obnoxious.

I love these boys, but they need to get out of my house. Won't you take them?

Brotherly love

These two are best buds.

I'd love to see them go to the same home because they get along so well, but they would both do just fine in homes with other cats.

 

Please email me to meet them!

Meet Elvis

Elvis is an extremely handsome black kitten who is almost 6 months old. He came in as a stray but had such a sweet disposition that I had to bring him home.

He loves to play with his foster brother, Haymitch, who is also a 6 month old kitten looking for a home. They would make a great pair for adoption!

Elvis also likes the dog and is very tolerant of being licked. He loves people and will seek out attention, though he is not annoying. He sometimes hides when he is startled, but comes out quickly to greet his people. He is just fine with being held and loves to be pet.

Elvis is up-to-date on his vaccinations, neutered and ready to go home! Please email me with any questions or to set up a meeting.