Tomorrow it will be official

So according to the Humane Society, if you find a dog and no one comes forward to claim it, the dog becomes yours after 7-10 days. I filed the 'found dog' report last Friday morning, and the lady told me that if I didn't hear from anyone by this Friday, he was our dog. I think that is cause to celebrate!

Toby has been such a wonderful addition to our 'zoo'. He doesn't chase cats (only occasionally barks at them to try and play) and he respects his elders (aka Snoopy). Dave and I took him with us last Sunday to meet my parents. Too say that he was a perfect angel at their house would be an understatement...he was truly amazing! He didn't jump, or try to lick, and for that matter, he didn't even seem to care that he was at a new house. He calmly laid down at Dave's feet in the house and waited for us to make the next move. Then he slept in the backyard for about 2 hours, and didn't even try to beg for food. It really is mind boggling that a 6 month old puppy could be so well behaved.
(looking angelic..hehe)
He really enjoys our morning walks and LOVES his toys. Just about every time you look at he, he is carrying something around the house (and on occasion, again, sometimes it is a shoe, so we have gotten better at putting things in the closet and closing the door). Thankfully he doesn't have the desire to 'chew to destroy' only likes to gnaw a little bit and drool a lot! So on the off chance that he does manage to get a shoe, there isn't any damage...just some moisture.

He is no longer afraid of the dog door. By Tuesday he had figured out that it was the ticket to not having an overflowing bladder! He had gone from 7am - 6pm on Monday without going outside, so as soon as Dave got home, he ran out the door and went for a while. Now that we don't have to worry about him being in pain from having to go to the bathroom and not being brave enough to go out on his own, it is much nicer to leave the house.

The only down side to Toby learning how to use the dog door is that he likes to go outside after we have gotten in bed and then he starts barking at random things. So at night, all doggies go outside one last time, then we close the dog door. Thankfully no accidents have occurred.
(burst of energy captured on film)
This Saturday, Toby will meet his other 'grandparents' (Dave's mom and dad) and then we will hopefully go to a pet adoption event on Sunday to socialize him some more and get him micro-chipped.

Have a great weekend!

Look who we found...

I definitely can't say I am surprised, but we couldn't be happier than we are now knowing we picked Toby up off the streets!

This little guy is a very quick learner who seems older than he really is. I have no idea why a cute guy like this would be wandering along the frontage road (at least there is a fence to prevent access to the freeway), but he didn't have a collar so we took him home with us. He sure smelled (must have been rolling in road kill), but he handled bath time like a champ. He was very skeptical of me pouring water on him, but he quickly gave up fighting and rested his chin on my leg (I was sitting on the edge of the bathtub) so I could soap him up. I found about 4 large ticks a few smaller ones, but he doesn't seem to have any other issues.

I dropped him off with my vet's office this morning and the vet called to say that she thinks he is only 6-8 months old, but in very good health. He is now vaccinated against rabies and the dreaded distemper (Dave and I agreed that we would never allow another dog to go without that very valuable shot), and hanging out at my vet's until I can pick him up after work. Ruby and Amy really seem to like him, and we haven't had a problem yet.
(the foot in the air is really funny)
Toby needs to learn how to use the dog door. I don't think he has ever been inside of a house before, or even walked on a leash, for that matter. He would cautiously walk through the dog door if I held the flaps open (it is super scary because it has two flaps and goes through the wall!), but would jump back at the noise and motion of the flaps anytime one of the other dogs went through. He somehow managed to get outside in the middle of the night, though, because I found he casually laying on the back porch where he had gathered a yard-work glove, and 2 toy squirrels that had been in the house. He happily greeted me and came inside once I opened the door!

I filed reports with PACC and Humane Society, and one said give it 5 business days for someone to come forward, the other said 7-10 days. So by next Friday if no one has come looking for him, it looks like we have gained another dog!

Animal Photos - June 13

Snoopy - just woke up from one of her many naps

Ribbon - her general outlook on life :-)

Gretta - in one of her cat post houses

Ruby - trying to sleep

Duma - looking scared...even though she wasn't

Amy - half smiling, always happy

'new kid on the block'

Italian Greyhound?

Well, 'Diesel' (according to his tag) the Italian Greyhound was found wandering through our neighborhood. The phone number on his tag is disconnected, so for now we wait and see if someone puts up signs.

I will be taking him into our vet clinic tomorrow morning to see if he has a microchip, but I have my doubts because he doesn't have a rabies license on his collar either.

It was a little bit of a rocky start to get our dogs to calm down and stop chasing the 'fast moving object' that was Diesel. But by last night, after we managed to eat dinner, he spent his time laying on the couch next to us. He weighs in at a whopping 15 pounds...I think one of my cats weighs that much, or possible more, yet the cats are scared of him. He doesn't seem to even notice the cats...so that is good.

Hopefully he behaved himself today, since we leave him in the bathroom for fear that Amy, our greyhound/pit mix (ironically enough, one greyhound goes after another), would injure him.

I will try to update tomorrow and let you know if he has a chip.

On another note, I have not heard back from PACC after sending in my letter and backup paperwork, and when I called today, the lady was not at her desk, so I left a message. I am not holding my breath that I will get a call back. Next Tuesday could be interesting because I need to go pay Snoopy's yearly license fee...so I will try to talk to them about the Brook issue.

Hope everyone has a good weekend!

Letter to PACC

I finished my letter to PACC on Sunday and sent it off to them on Monday afternoon along with all the receipts from our vet and the emergency vet. You can read my letter below, and also the letter from the emergency vet.

I'll let you know if I hear from PACC. I will be going out there sometime in the next week because I have to pay the rabies license fee for Snoopy, so hopefully I will hear something before I drive out there, or I will ask to meet with Jayne to talk about it.


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Letter from Vet

Weekend House Guest

Last night we welcomed a four-legged house guest. She will be staying with us through the weekend. Everyone, say 'hi' to Beckett, the newest dog to grace the blog!
Beckett is a 9-year-old Bull Dog. Her mom, Jen, is the daughter of some friends and they had a family gathering to attend. Beckett is a very funny "little" (compared to ours) dog. She immediately found the toys scattered around the room, and even created a toy (the lid of the toy box).

After all that playing, it was time for a nap.

Dog Books & More

I added a list to the right of some animal books I have read and recommend. Most are dog related, but there are a few about cats too!

If anyone has read any of these, I would appreciate your feedback :-)