"Failing" Fostering

Gaby is now Gabby.

First night...

She's been with me four months on Friday 10/4, and I finally made the official decision to keep her. Some people have asked why. Is it because I don't think someone else will take care of her? Is it because I feel sorry for her? Not exactly.

First night, post bath. I still admire her butterfly daily.

The more I got to know the real Gabby, the more I enjoyed her. She's so silly with her toys--taking flying leaps to grab them from the floor after I throw them. She's so happy to greet each day and all her friends--that Rottweiler-like-nub just wags her whole butt! She's so good with Buzz (when she isn't too excited).

That's what she did for the first couple months. Stared and stood.

But most convincing of all, is that Gabby loves to work. She was literally like a lump when I got her. She just laid around all the time and had a general disinterest in everything. Sure, she pottied outside and let me pet her but she wasn't interested in anything I was doing. She humored me by going for walks (or at least until her feet got sore).

At the dog park. She just kind of ambled around.

The more she started to come out of her shell, the more I realized how awesome she is. I had to give up on any attempts to train her for the first two or more months because she wouldn't take food reliably. She just freight-trained around. This last month however, she's turned into a completely different dog. She's learning how to be operant, she's offering the very few behaviors she knows, and I'm getting the hang of shaping her to do fun stuff. In the last month alone, she's learned how to lie down, how to hand target, how to walk politely on a leash, and how to wait to get into the car (well, this one will always be a work in progress, but the baby basics of impulse control are there).

And then she started DOING things, like playing tug!

And she taught me that she loves to spin in circles to show her excitement, and use her nose. She enjoys food and treats now, chewing on bully sticks and other things as they're available. She relaxes in her crate while I'm away but is always ready to say hi the minute I walk in the door.

Even if she still looked sad while doing it.

Oh, and she's pretty unflappable. She's that take-anywhere dog I love. I haven't had a worry in the world anywhere I've taken her. She has been concerned about a few situations, but nothing earth shattering.

She's a joy to have around, and really is a genuine Good Dog.

Good Dog hanging out on the futon.

So she became MY Good Dog. Well, she will be after her adoption paperwork goes through officially. And even more so after we get her registration sorted out! Her temperament is that blend of Buzz and Bailey I've always desired. I simply couldn't let her go. Not when she fit in so well. Even if she is the exact opposite of what I envisioned my next dog would look like. I wanted a black & white boy, she's a liver & white (very faded) tri girl. I wanted a full tail, she's got the shortest Rottweiler-like nub ever. And she'll likely never be an agility dog. I'm not concerned.

We'll do the things we want to do, when we want to do them. In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy her new life with her.

Now she plays tug with enthusiasm!

I think she has finally convinced Buzz that he doesn't need to worry about upsetting her, which also makes my heart happy. Watching them interact reminds me of past times when he and Bailey were good friends. The few times she's met Bailey, Gabby's been so respectful of space and resources. I couldn't have asked for a better third dog.

And poses for (blurry) pictures with expression.

And goes on Senior Spaniel dates.

I will be forever grateful for the stars aligning so I could meet this girl. Welcome home kiddo.

Happy, happy dog!

58# and a boat ride

Gaby has reached 58# now! She's developing such a sweet and silly personality, I wonder how people can't fall in love with her! Last Saturday she went to an adoption event, to a photoshoot, and then we took her with on a boat ride. She was her happy and relaxed wonderful self the whole time.

At the Adoption Event!

Videos of Gaby

Just a couple videos of Gaby!

Three Months for Gaby!

Gaby has been with me for three months as of September 4th (so I'm just a day late in getting to this).

In those three months Gaby has blossomed into a really wonderful dog. She has personality now, and recognizes people she likes. She wiggles her whole butt when she sees them, and trust me, it is the most adorable thing ever. She has learned how to go hiking and says that she LOVES it. I'm really impressed that she can trot for miles now. All I need to do is ask if she wants to go outside, or grab her car harness, and she's dancing around the apartment.

She sits very reliably in situations she knows and is learning to sit to earn something exciting (getting in the car, her bully sticks, frozen kongs, etc). She's learned down within the last few weeks but it's not nearly as reliable yet. She does this adorable "curl into a C shape, then plop down" version.

And her crate manners at home are almost impeccable. There is still occasional whining (especially if I crate her at night) but it is a dramatic improvement from having never been in a crate before! She still stays in her crate whenever I'm gone for more than about a half hour. Not because I don't trust her, but because my apartment is small and I want my own animals to feel comfortable enough to move around. She sleeps loose 95% of the time and either chooses the dog bed, the futon, or the floor.

She takes treats fairly reliably now out in public, so we've made a lot of progress on her leash walking skills. She will still stare at dogs and people on leash without being able to redirect at times, but it's far less frequent now. She has chosen a select few dogs she REALLY likes and has tried to initiate play with. Yes, it's as adorable as it sounds. However, most dogs are still boring to her and she'd rather not meet them.

She has taken grooming in stride. She gets her ears cleaned regularly, she's bathed at least every two weeks, her feet get trimmed as needed, and she's learning how to handle having her nails dremeled. I clean up around her face as I need to and she's great about that as well. I'm so excited for her coat to be growing in now that she's started thyroid meds. There's a definite improvement already!

This girl is great. She's going to make her new home complete. She's been to one adoption event, is scheduled to go to another, and we are in the process of setting up a meet and greet for her with potential new adopters.

Hypothyroidism

I'm not sure what factors actually play into thyroid disorders but now even Gaby is diagnosed as hypothyroid! I've had her about 2.5 months now and she's only lost 5.5# despite exercise and a careful diet. She has also had an immense amount of hairloss. When she arrived, it appeared as though she'd been shaved with a 40 blade (the kind you use to shave for surgeries, or for poodle faces/feet--very, very short). The problem was that her hair never actually grew in, she started to lose more!

Last Tuesday Gaby went to the vet clinic that did her dental (shout out to Animal Medical Clinic in Minneapolis for being amazing about working with rescue organizations) for a blood draw for a thyroid panel. Gaby's results came back as "borderline low" with her T4 at 0.4 with a reference range of 0.4-3.6, and her TSH high. Her veterinarian opted to try treatment because her clinical signs are typical of a dog with Hypothyroid disease.

You get a pretty good idea of her hairloss in the photo above; she really has lost a lot!

So now she takes Soloxine 0.5mg twice daily along with Buzz and Bailey. She will have been on meds a week tomorrow. I'm hoping to remember to take a weekly photo so I can make a compilation once her hair has grown in!

Just a funny picture of her enjoying the great outdoors with Bailey last time we were at the farm.

Gaby continues to be the easiest dog on the planet. She is a seriously great pet!

"Stay"

Gaby is turning into a really fun dog! She gets very wiggly-happy when greeting people she knows and she's learning new behaviors quickly!

I honestly haven't done a whole lot of training with her on things other than leaving the cats alone and leaving Buzz alone when he's eating. Oh, and all the work we did with her crate! Which is why I was so surprised that when I cued sit and stay today... she did!

I wanted to get some new pictures of her so I took her outside, but I really dislike how "equipment" ruins photos so easily. So when she actually stayed, I unclipped her leash and was able to back up, crouch down, and take multiple photos. Yeah, she's a good girl! :) I've maybe done two sessions of stay with her!

She also got trimmed down with a 10 blade again in hopes of evening her awkwardly-growing-out-fur... and another bath!

Now I need to get more new photos of her, because I even gave her the start of springer ears!

Gaby's Adoption Bio!

Here is a link to Gaby's page on the ESRA website: click me!

And, here's a few pictures from our "please let the rain hold off long enough to get decent pictures" outing yesterday.

Start with a silly one!

ESRA-Gaby plays!

This was the first night she solicited interaction in the form of playing. I think she's incredibly adorable! Since this, she's also played fetch with a ball outside! Her technique is to chase it, pick it up adorably, and then kind of bring it back. It's a work in progress! :)

Dog Park Day

Gaby and I went to a new-to-me dog park today. She's shown me that she enjoys sticking close by, she ignores other dogs, and that she loves being able to sniff the ground. So off we headed to the park!

She wasn't quite sure what to do at first.

She was definitely curious about her surroundings.

Keeping an eye on things.

I keep trying to decide if she's actually got tan eyebrows or if they're just faded.

She has the smallest nubbin ever.

Hey lady, you coming?!

Apparently she IS part cow!

She's going to be one pretty dog when she's in better shape!

ESRA-Gaby

Gaby is my current foster dog. She is a 7.5 year old English Springer Spaniel (right now I'd bet there's some cocker in there as well, I guess time will tell). Very sweet, but kind of like a bull in a china shop!

Gaby's first night here.

So far I've learned that she enjoys food (duh, she's a spaniel), going for walks, and going for car rides. She also has this pretty neat pattern on her side that resembles a butterfly!

If you haven't noticed yet, Gaby's a little plump. Her goal while she's with me is to get healthy! She came into rescue with an ear infection, a UTI, and severe dental disease in addition to being obese. As of last Friday, she weighs 68.8# and is a hair under 20" tall.

So far the only issue I've encountered with her is her dislike of a crate. We're working on it slowly and she is improving. She's also learning how to learn and her first offered behavior is sitting to be let out of her crate.

This is sure to be a fun journey as I get to watch her personality develop as her body changes so she can have MORE FUN!