Spay Day!

Mom brought me for my spay today. She put a bed on the passenger side seat and my foster-brother, Sid, and I laid on it for our two hour trip to the vet (and then 2 hours back). I love my foster brother! He's very nice to me. We play all the time and when it's time to sleep he sleeps with me on the couch. I wait for him in the morning so we can play. He's teaching me how to be a dog.

Dr. Mead said that I was in heat and that my spay would be a little more complicated. I guess that explains why Sid and Dinky (the boys) have been very interested in my "baby-making" stuff lately. But there was no problem and everything went well. I didn't feel like eating tonight and I've basically slept since I've been home. I'm tired.

More later.

5 Month Anniversary!

I know what you're thinking because I am too! FIVE whole months already!! It seems like a lifetime ago that I was trapped in that tiny wire cage wondering when the next bad thing was going to happen to me. I'm so grateful to be free.

So what's the good news? Well foster dad says that "the light" is back in my eyes. My "inner iggy" has been awakening. I'm more and more an iggy everyday. I sure like to run with the pack, play with my foster brothers, eat, and sleep in the sun. What more could an iggy want? When I go to my forever home (maybe you whose reading this right now) it will have to have other dogs around. I probably won't be an only dog. I love the company of dogs and I'm comfortable with lots of them around. I've been curious where my foster siblings go in the morning after they go out and I found out that they go sleep with mom - under the covers. So yesterday morning I went upstairs by myself and jumped up on the bad to lay with the family. Actually I ended up just getting Sid and Dinky up and we played around on the bed - barking and having fun. I'm very active and playful in the morning.

My fears are becoming less and less it seems everyday. I don't run so much when the people come by. You can walk by me and I won't run. I like to be in the same room that you are. I don't get freaked out when new people come over. You can pet my head and my chin when I'm laying on the couch. I like to come up to you and rub noses. I sleep with my head covered and I don't look at you all the time or open my eyes everytime you move. I clearly trust you more.

To mom and dad's frustration I still won't take a treat from their hand. They work on it everyday though. I need to learn to go down the stairs so I can be completely independent.

I'm going for my spay in five days :(

Thanks for checking in on me and be sure to give your pets a big kiss tonight.

First walk of the year!

Hi fellow dog-lovers!
Foster mom and dad took me for my first outside walk today. There is still alot of snow on the ground up here but the roads are bare and it was 50 today. They put my harness and retractor on me today for a walk. I did really good! In the house I'll buck the leash when it's on me but not outside. I really enjoyed walking around and smelling everything. I didn't try to run away and I was happy to walk close to my people. I wasn't scared of cars at all. Mom says I was prancing and I had my tail out. Since it's supposed to be nice this week Mom is going to take for a walk again. Mom and dad are practicing picking me up because in the house I'll run away if they approach me. It's o.k. outside if I have a little "fear peeing" asit helps fertilize the grass. They're very patient with me.

I've kinda taken a step back otherwise. Since I won't come when called, mom and dad would try to cajole me into the ex-pen or in my crate so they can pick me up to go outside. This worked out well until recently because I've figured out they are going to grab me and I'll start squatting down and peeing. On the rug or wherever I am. They want to teach me to go DOWN the stairs so I will go out on my own but I'm still uncoordinated with going UP the stairs.

And still no taking treats from the hand.

Be well my friends!

One more small step.

Hi everybody!

Just wanted to make a short note to say that I'm getting closer to taking a treat from someone's hand. Like other iggys, I've started to put my paws up on your legs when you're eating something that I might like. I won't take anything from your hand but I will eat it off of a plate that you are holding. Now foster mom and dad don't want to encourage me eating off of a plate but maybe that's the first step to eating from their hand. Dad's going to try putting treats on a plate or napkin so I'll take it and eventually they'll take the plate or napkin away. I'll let you know how that goes. When the foster parents are handing out treats they have to toss it to me and I've become very fast at getting the treat before one of the other iggys gets it. It turns out I LOVE CHEESE!! But then who doesn't.

Thanks for checking in on me!
Love,
Violet

Happy 4 Month Anniversary!

Hi everyone!

Just a short note to tell you that today is my four month anniversary in rescue. It was back in November that Wendy was able to get me and then put me into IG rescue.

I won't bore you with all the details of my recovery because when I read back over my blog entries I see that I end up saying the same thing. Which is a good thing because I keep saying how I'm doing just a little bit better every day.

Well I AM doing a little better everyday. I'm more like the other iggys. I run around with the pack and bark and play. I love cheese and Milk Bones. I know some commands. My hand shyness persists but mom and dad are patient.

Thanks everybody for continuing to check up on me.

Up in the chair.

Greetings from the sunny U.P.!

Foster mom wanted me to add a short note to my blog today about how well I'm doing. Carol S. had suggested, sometime back, that the foster parents put my collar and lead on so I can be stopped from running away from them. They don't pull me back or anything, they just hold it so I'll stop and maybe reconsider what I'm running away from. That seems to help alot. Maybe I'm in a rut of "I've got to run people coming too close" but in reality I'm not really scared. I just need to be reminded that I'm not scared. This helps because I will come back to the pillow and sit with the people then.

Yesterday I jumped up on the chair next to foster mom. Yes it took some coaxing but that's a big step for me. Now I do it all the time. I would jump up on the chair or couch on command but never, never with a person on it. This is a huge thing for me!!

Foster mom gives me treats now on the chair. This is so the other dogs won't snatch it away before I can get. I think it helps to build trust as well.

Hand shyness is emerging as my biggest issue. I will lay by you and let you kiss my head and nuzzle my neck but if you reach for my head or to pet me - I'm outta there!!! I will, however, let you scratch under my chin without running away. And, for heaven's sake, DON'T REACH FOR ME WHEN YOU ARE STANDING UP/!! I hate that!!! It really scares me.

The practice of fostering is the practice of patience. We don't get better in huge leaps and bounds, we get better in little tiny pieces. To all of you out there who have fosters or have fostered - you are all patient people.

Love,
Violet

It's the little things!

Hi everybody!
I just wanted to put up a short post to say that I'm still hanging in there. I haven't been rescheduled for my spay and I hope that foster mom forgets. That doesn't sound like a whole lot of fun.

I have nothing major to report other than I continue to take small steps towards being a regular iggy. As I've said in past posts I'm just a little less shy and a little more playful everyday. I was playing with Maxie (the elder iggy of the bunch) the other day; play-biting her neck and crouching down in the "downward dog" play stance. I'll chase my brothers around and let them get a little rough with me. I'm still not taking a treat from a hand. Why can't I get over this???

We've had more sun lately and I love to lay on the big pillow in the sun. Like all iggys, I enjoy sleeping there. Foster mom calls a sunny day "the best iggy babysitter".

Thank you for continuing to follow my progress to iggydom.