Day 24:
I'm a doggy foster mommy!
My foster baby arrived yesterday.....
.while Pup Daddy & crew were playing it cool in Pet Smart (Good job, Donut et al!! Well done!!)
....Casper & I went to the Arts/Car (lots of great looking antique cars!) fair on N. Bishop street and endured the heat of a Texas afternoon.....
with us were Papa, Louie, Pearl, Miller, & Cody.
Poor Papa looked sooo sad - he'd had to be shaved because he'd had embedded foxtails in his skin, plus he's elderly & has bad hips, and of course, that famous Pyr drool...made my heart break to see him...
Pearl & Louie hid in the shade under the table, but both were angels & let the kids crawl down there with them & pet them....Cody looked gorgeous (he belongs to Celeste). Miller was a sweetie, and let everyone pet him, too.
Casper got his picture taken by several fair goers - he wanted to walk around so we went up & down the street telling everyone to go & look at the puppies & Papa. The super nice folks in the bookstore that we were in front of cooked us hot dogs and let us take Casper & Cody inside the store to cool off. Pearl came home with Casper & I.
Pearl's story: Pearl & 6 other puppies were living on a goat farm in Louisiana with an 82 year old care taker...she ran out of food & couldn't afford to purchase any more from the feed store; all the dogs were starving - puppies & adults. The elderly lady's family took over the farm & her daughter was given an ultimatum to do something with the dogs. SPIN has 7 of the puppies and are working with the elderly lady's daughter to get the adult females fixed (and would like to get the males fixed, too - but first things first: stop the puppy factories.)
The puppies have had no human contact and very little food and are "mini-pyrs"....they will probably never reach full size because of the lack of nutrition. At 6 months old (birthdate is thought to be in March '05), Pearl weighs less than Lucy (25 lb). She only a little taller - 20 inches to Lucy's 16 inches at the shoulder.
Pearl is very frightened by anything new right now....with time & care, that should get better.
I thought Bella came to me extremely thin, but Pearl wins that contest hands down. She is more a picture of skin & bones than Bella was. Bella at 8 months only weighed 65 lb....she's now closer to 70. I haven't weighed her, but she is definitely heavier when I lift her into the car - since she thinks it's evil & won't get in by herself!!! Bella is obviously taller than she was when Casper & I first met her. Bella had to tell poor Pearl that Bella was "Boss Lady" around here & snapped at her a few times...
Pearl cowers - just cowers with fright at things you wouldn't think would bother a dog....such as - pulling the measuring tape out - it makes a clicking noise as the tape is pulled...it sent her running for cover!
Lucy was my little goodwill ambassador again...she is very interested in Pearl (and not as threatening to Pearl as the bigger dogs)....last night she got in the pet yard with Pearl, laid down beside her & snuggled...the
n sat up, picked up one of the tiny tuff tennis balls & dropped in right in between them so Pearl could play with it....Lucy then picked up the chick (or is it a duck?) chew toy & played with that.....Pearl mouthed the ball a bit, but because she's never had toys to play with...she doesn't really know what to do with them.......she accidently sat on a squeaky ball...that made her take notice and she did keep nosing it to make it squeek! Yaaay, Pearl!!
Lucy had her first day at puppy school today...she did great!!!
I was soooo proud of her! She learns fast!
She was a little shy about the "meet & greet" part of class, but didn't bark or growl at anyone! She had an advantage over the others 'cause we've been working here at home on: watch me, sit, 4 on the floor, take it, leave it, come, & leash walking, as well as potty training. I've never used a clicker with my dogs, but since Pet Smart is requiring it for their upper level classes and I think I want to train her for agility work...we added the clicker today.
The 2 Princesses had to play a game of "Queen of the Stairs" this morning...each one wanted to be the dog on the top step.
When Casper woke up, he wanted to get a sunbath....Do your Pyrs do that?? He cracks me up with laughter when he asks to go out just to toast each side in the sun...he stays out about an hour, then asks to come back inside!
Maybe it's a good thing that SPIN needed me to foster Pearl instead of Fluffy....I haven't stopped thinking about Fluffy since Casper & I met her at Pup Daddy's place (along with Deuce & Kendra)...........hel
p me!! help me!!! I think I'm in love with Fluffy, too!!! LOL!!!
I'd probably get her here & never want her to go to anyone else!!! LOL!!
Casper liked Fluffy, too!!!
My 2 girls got into the wild side of the yard & ended up covered with seed burrs....had to spend an hour brushing them out of Lucy's coat...luckily, I saw Bella start to go to the same spot & was able to divert her attention before she got as bad as Lucy! Poor Lucy came out of the burr patch & looked soooo miserable!
She kept shaking herself & scratching - as if to say, "get these off me!" I was disgusted with her, but laughing at the same time!!!
Chessie spends his time equally playing chase with the girls or hiding out on the highest perch he can find....I thought I'd taught him not to climb the ladders (by not rescueing him, & making him figure his own way down!)....but after not going there for a couple months, I heard him climbing them again!!! This time, I took pity on him & fetched him down! LOL!
Someone has been getting into my chair! I found the culprit in there this morning!!!
Maybe one of the gang from Pup Daddy's house sent her instructions? Hee hee hee!!
