Ana has a boyfriend ...

Today was round 2 with our trainer from Pawsitive Reactions and we had some interesting results.

She and I each brought a leashed dog into the living room while Ledcat sat with Ana on the sofa. We simply began rewarding them for good behavior and good "looks" at Ana. She promptly got off the sofa and came over for some treats. She was essentially unthreatened the entire time.

We treated and treated and treated. Eventually, Deus laid down on his dog bed and I sat next to him. Xander was a little nonplussed at being handled by Debby, but very calm and laid back. Ana walked around unconcerned. She walked right up and took treats underneath their mouths. She actually leaped over Deus wiggling hind end to get to me.

Xander sniffed her, she lifted her lip. He sniffed again and she nipped his cheek -- he backed off. Many minute later, he sniffed her a third time and when she lifted her lip, backing off was he. He never barked at her and was fine with her coming and eating treats with him.

Deus, on the other hand, occasionally got what Debby describes at the Rotty "Lock and Load" look where he would get a little fixated on Ana. We can't quite tell what it means, but we think he really wants to play with her and just doesn't understand the size difference. He only does it once in awhile and he can be completely distracted with food or verbally.

Late in the session, Ana was pacing back and forth on the sofa side of the coffee table, Deus was standing next to me with leash in hand on the sother side. Debby was nearby with Xander. Deus made a move toward Ana; she didn't flinch.

But Xander immediately jumped between them and made Deus back off. It was really amazing and quite the opposite of what we expected to happen. Xander growled at Deus and nosed him away from the table, then he went over to sniff Ana to make sure she was okay. Mind you, the boys were leashed so Deus wasn't going to get Ana -- he might knock some stuff off the coffee table. But it was still the most interesting display -- Xander is protective of Ana.

Ana never flinched. She kept pacing after her initial start. Ledcat picked her up to avoid any further temptation.

Right now, the boys are having a bit of supper to fill the few inches of their stomachs not packed with treats. Ana is collapsed under my desk, snoring in a very undelicate way. We are heading out for a comedy show, so we anticipate everyone having a good nap.

What's next? We'll continue with exposure and having meals next to each other with a babygate in between. Tomorrow we'll do the living room thing again with high value treats. Monday, I'll probably bring Xander in and let him walk around the room with a loose leash and see how he does one on one with Ana. Then we'll go back to both dogs with leashes. Deus will take some more time until he can be off leash. We'll probably have Debby come back one more time to help us make that final transition.

We are continuing to learn a lot about Ana and wonder what is new behavior for her. She is not the least bit shy in our home, but scared in public. She whines more often than I'd like. Ledcat's tendency is to say "What's the matter, honey?" and shower her with attention which only reinforces the whine. I take her out to potty. She likes Ledcat's approach much better. :-)

She does not have any obedience. She's a good girl and is housebroken, but won't sit, lay down or get off. She's learned what "upstairs" and "downstairs" mean and we are working hard to teach her "back off" to keep her away from the doors. I think we are going to sign up for a small dog social class and then small dog obedience class. Debby gave me some tips on how to better train her so I'll start working on that tomorrow. I don't need her to be some show off dog, but when I say sit and she jumps on the sofa ... we start getting to that dangerous area where small dogs get excused for poor behavior b/c they are cute and that's not good. She's also getting a little jumpy and we want to keep that to a minimum.

Overall, a good day. We bought Ana an elevated feeding station last night at Burton's Total Pet. I hate that gummy residue from the stickers, don't you? Anyway, she really likes it.

I need to go spend some time with the boys, so signing off now.

Friday Night

I have nothing much to report tonight. Ana is eating like a champ --- it takes some getting used to when a dog eats one piece of kibble at a time. She does great in her crate. At night, she sleeps like a rock and is impossible to move without actual force; prodding does not work.

Tonight, she ate her dinner on one side of the dog gate and the boys had dinner on the other side. All three were engrossed by dinner rather than the other dog(s) which is a good thing. She came up to the gate to look at the boys, wagging her tail frantically. Then Deus barked and bowed at which point she decided to hotfoot it over to Mama on the couch.

Right now, she's up in the attic with me while the kitties have their dinner. She gets a little whiny when she isn't on the lap. And a little wriggly when she is. Unfortunately for her, I cannot type and keep her balanced so she's forced to sit on the floor. Awwww.

She has learned the backdoor routine pretty easily. When you open the crate, she trots right down the hall and down the steps and across the kitchen without hesitation. She'll go out the backdoor onto the upper deck, then about 50% of the time she'll trot down the 4 steps to the lower deck. The other 50% of the time, we have to coax her. She'll scamper across the deck and stop. She does not like the quasi-step we have in place to get from the deck to the sidewalk. I can't blame her. The other four beings who regularly use it can step right down, but she needs a little assist.

Then there's the grass issue. She likes to pee on the far side of the yard, but wants us to carry her there. Grass length isn't an issue with rottie/shepherds, but I suppose I wouldn't want to be poked in the ass either. Well, to be honest, we have a more weeds than actual grass. This is the Northside, after all. So she will pee. Eventually. She does share Mona's propensity for sniffing the entire yard to find just the right 4 square inches for pooping. That's something I'm really looking forward to come November. Carrying a small dog into a poorly lit backyard to find a weed free place to pee and poop.

I'll save the whole sweater debate for another day.

My new goal is to socialize Deus enough to attend Animal Friends' Howl-oween. I'll dress her as a wolf and him as a sheep with our niece dressed as Bo Peep. Cute, huh?

Well, I have to tend to some email. Will post more Ana photos soon.

Ana Hangs with Johnny Mac and Gab Bonesso

Tonight was Ana's big night with local celebrities John McIntire and Gab Bonesso. We hung out on the stoop of Hoi Polloi and chatted. She sat on my lap, shivered in fear and slowly made friends with John. She sniffed Gab's shoes a few times, but there wasn't a lot of love going on there.

I worry that Ana is making me her person. She cries when I leave her and very much wanted on my lap tonight. Of course, my lap is more ample and generous due to the fat factor so that could be part of the issue. I want Ana to be Ledcat's dog. Tonight is her night to sleep with Ana. I'm kind of glad b/c that dog is like a little rock ... if I'm gonna sleep in the second bedroom, I should get to stretch out.

The boys kind of ignored Ana tonight. That was good. I'm not sure when we are getting to the living room introductions, but stay tuned!

Being Ana plus Deus and Xander, too

Our second Anafull day has been adventurous. This morning we did the switcheroo as everyone had to get out to pee and all that jazz. That was fine. Breakfast was uneventful. Ana and the boys had some contact through the doggie gate... Xander barked a little bit.

Then into her crate she went with only a little complaint.

Fast forward 9 hours. Ana seems afraid to go outside and I realize that most of the time she's out there, it is either dark with wet grass or filled with large dogs that want to sniff her hoo haa. I'd shiver, too.

Then we entered chaos. We have 15 minutes until our trainer from Pawsitive Reactions shows up. For some reason, Ledcat puts a pizza in the oven. Our handyman calls and for some reason has transported our brand new fence posts to his house. The boys are wondering what's going on. I'm talking with our neighbor about his new roommate. Debby arrives. The smoke alarm goes off. Great. I come in the house to find Ledcat poking at the smoke alarm with a broom and Ana quivering under the kitchen table. "Oh Debby, she's not shy at all!"

Finally, we get the noise toned down and training begins in earnest. First up was Xander. He was won-der-ful. No barking, just some sniffing. Very responsive to treats. Very obedient ... sitting and lying down while still watching Ana. Ana was lacking in the fear. All good. Debby is pleased.

Then Do-Do. He wants to play with her sooooo badly. The body language was very playful, but he was intent on her. He even ignored the treats. He sniffed her a bit, then he began a prolonger series of "play with" barks that must have really pissed off the neighbors. It was LOUD and our backyard is an echo chamber. We waited him out. One last sniff of her butt (from aloft in Ledcat's arms) and then back into the house with him.

Tonight, the boys have been enjoying Kongs in the kitchen while Ana has her bitty kong in the other room, separated by a baby gate. They are doing really well. No barking. Deus again really wants to see her and is a bit frustrated. I just sent them downstairs so Ana could go out to potty and I can hear Deus settling down.

Tomorrow, we are supposed to rinse and repeat. Then somehow leash everyone in the living room. I don't think there is any furniture that is capable of restraining Deus and I'm only so strong. So we'll have to see about that step.

I have to meet a friend to pick up tickets to her all-female comedy show on Saturday night. Friday is dinner with some friends. So we are taking baby steps at this point.

Right this very minute, Xander is still fixated on his Kong. Simon is laying under the kitchen table. Deus is hoping that if he stares at the babygate enough it will magically melt away and let him lick the puppy. A ha!

I wonder what Mona is doing?

Ana's Peeps: Starfish to the Sea Animal Rescue

We want to give a shout out to our new friends at Starfish to the Sea Animal Rescue. Check out their page and see what cool things they are doing.

They have a special need for foster homes and families looking to adopt guinea pigs. If you are interested in guinea pigs, please consider working with this group to help the little critters find loving homes.

Ana says "Hey!"

Today was a low key day in the great dog merger: 2008. I rotated the boys and Ana to each have time in the living room/downstairs, outside and in their crates. All seemed to go well. Xander was very good so I let him walk into Ana's room and sniff her through her crate. She seemed okay with that.

Then, of course, Deus wanted a sniff but being more of a bumbling type he overwhelmed her a bit. Then back to the outside they went. Xander watcher Ana through the window but she was unfazed.

At dinnertime, Ledcat sat with Ana on the steps outside of the kitchen doorway which is secured with a babygate. Ana was on the steps, free to leave, enjoying teeny bits of a bacon strip. I brought Deus and Xander into the kitchen for their dinner (enhanced with illicitly good yumminess) and was thrilled that they both dove into dinner after a cursory glance at Ana. She snuggled a bit closer to Ledcat, but stood her ground and peeked around the corner.

Once the bowls were licked clean, I sat on the floor in front of the babygate (on the kitchen side) and slowly gave them teeny pieces of a treat in return for them sitting upon request. They were much more into the food than the Chihuaha. She continued to sit there and eat her own treats. Xander sniffed at her through the babygate, but I did not let him push it to the point that he would scare her or work himself up. After the treats were gone, I took the boys back outside in a very low key manner. Ana lept off the steps and went over to sit on the sofa.

I'm not a trainer, but it does seem like our maintaining a low key vibe and not "over"reacting to their inquisitiveness or hesitancy makes a difference. It certainly gives both of us a sense of control and that has to ooze into the canine vibes.

Just to be on the safe side, we have our trainer from Pawsitive Reactions coming over for a few sessions to help us along the path. We'd rather invest a few dollars on the front end to do things right rather than wait until we have an issue.

Right now, Ana seems to be fine. She's enjoying a Kong up in her room right now. She seems to be the most afraid of Natasha the Calico Cat and will walk big circles to avoid her. Natasha is not imposing so that's very amusing. Deus and Xander are asleep on their dog beds in the living room. Ledcat is going upstairs to hang with Ana and I'll stay down here with the boys.

Pet integration is challenging. It requires a lot of patience, extra rooms and creativity. But we love our pets and really want to make this work. We are resolved, however, that if Ana's welfare is not at its optimum here, then back to the rescue she will go.

I continue to be amazed at how not timid she is. She eagerly greets both of us, comes when we call her and walks right through the cats (except Natasha). She doesn't seem afraid of the dogs, just a bit indifferent. She was fine when our friend Julie came over. So there's lots of room for optimism.

I listened to the song that makes me think of Mona .. Pink's "Who Knew"... and it was the first time it didn't make me cry. Which made me cry. I'm tearing up thinking about it. Ana isn't Mona, but she does fill a teensy bit of the void.

And, oh the kisses!

Ana Takes a Poop

Yep, that's big news. She pooped in the backyard after what seemed like 3 hours of sniffing. Definitely like Mona. Definitely.

Ana slept through the night with no problems. She preferred to curl up on the comforter on the floor in front of the window than on the bed itself. This morning, she was in furl energy mode -- walked right outside with me and sat there wagging her tail, waiting for something. So back in we came. She helped Ledcat get ready for work. Then she ate Simon's cat food right out from under him. Ha.

She did eat some of her kibble so that was good. She also ate a dog treat someone left behind from a Kong. Now she's sleeping off all that good eatin'. :-)

Ledcat discovered last night that reading bed with Ana is impossible. She busts through the paper or book to lie on your lap and lick, lick, lick.

We'll see what happens next. My allergies are in overtime so I'm going to take a nap.

Ana's Big Day

Well, I am plum exhausted. First, we spent the early part of the day doing Ana-prep work ... cleaning up cat litter, scrubbing Mona's old crate and all that jazz. Then we hit the road -- oh my god, does Route 22 go on forever or what -- up to the outskirts of Clymer, PA. I had forgotten to tell Ledcat that Ana's foster mom had this really cool outdoor pen for her macaws so that was a big startling for her as we drove into the lane ... she thought peacocks were about to attack the car.

Ana had her big foster-brother with her during out meet and greet which seemed to go really well. She slept for a bit on both of our laps and allowed us to pet her as much as liked. We stayed for quite awhile and then headed home. I felt sad for foster mom, but she was very cool about it and very low key and I give her a lot of credit for making the transition smooth for Ana. Very cool. Plus, macaws.

So off we drive into the sunset. I'm in the backseat with Ana who, surprisingly, doesn't fit into the $40 carrier we bought at Target (20 lbs my ass). She shivered for awhile, but had just nestled down when ... bam ... we hit a deer. Ledcat swore, I screamed and Ana got scared again. Thankfully, no damage to car or passengers. Not so good an outcome for the deer. Ledcat was very shaken because she saw the poor thing's face right before the smash. We pulled over to catch our breath. The first person who stopped to see if were okay turned out to be the game warden's sister so she assured us she would have him come down to remove the deer from the road. The next guy who stopped (we had a lot City angst to work through) actually pulled the deer out of the road and then checked on us and our car.

People are really nice in Indiana County.

The drive home was a little tense. Ana was fine, even when we stopped for gas. We bought candy bars to make ourselves feel a little better. We were a bit worried b/c our friend Julie who runs a beagle rescue had offered to come over and help us with introductions. As the wind blew and the skies darkened, we worried.

Not to fear, Julie showed up at 9:00 and stayed until 11:00 to help us out. Ana trotted confidentally into the yard and the kitchen. The cats were very intrigued. She made Natasha and Boris look like giants. Simon was like "eh, another dog, whatever." No problems at all.

We took Deus out into the yard and brought her out, both leashed of course. Deus took one look at a play companion and was all about inviting her to play. Forgetting, of course, that he weighs 110 lbs more than she does. He bowed and stretched and did everything possible to engage her, including barking his play bark which echos really loudly in the rowhouses. At 10 PM. He got a few sniffs, she yelped at him and overall, it went pretty well. She was not afraid or cowering or anything. We all suspect that a few more rounds of introductions will take car eof that relationship.

Then came Xander. He was afraid, but curious. He sniffed her butt a few times and she ignored him. He barked, but didn't growl or anything. He's going to take more getting used to for her. He was very attentive to my responses to his behavior. We are working in tandem so he doesn't perceive me as Ana's person.

Ana really likes Ledcat. She is fine with me, but she does not like when Ledcat leaves the room.

Oh my god is she cute. Deus and Xander have investigated her toys. Okay, they chewed on them. But we have a lot of toys. And plenty of Kongs to keep her busy.

The challenge for the next few days will be keeping them separated until we can devote some time to togetherness. Deus is incredibly strong so Julie showed me some shelter tips to maintain better control. The good weather should help. The poor door knob on the second bedroom does not help. Thank god she's crate trained.

All in all, it went well for a first day. No biting or growling on the part of the boys. Minimal growling on the part of the little one. She's not afraid of them, but she's not interested in having her ass sniffed either. Would you?

She does like Xander's former wing chair that was banished to the second bedroom which is her new space. It might be a bonding resource.

I thought about Mona a lot to day. Ana isn't really like her in terms of personality. She is a bit more withdrawn and certainly quieter (who isn't ?). However, Ana doesn't really obey so much as deign to comply. That is definitely a treat she has in common with Mona, god rest her soul.

I wonder if Debby thinks we have what it takes to get her to obey. The cute factor is very hard to resist. Very hard.

I think we are going to fail. However, our challenge is to socialize Ana and take her to obedience classes. So that's what we are going to do. Probably Ledcat will take her.

I was thinking it would be cute to get a panier for Xander to carry Ana around the block. Instead of a dog stroller. What do you think?

Today is the day

Sigh. We are getting ready to leave. I came up to make sure the Parkway East is open (yep). The crate is assembled. The dog treats are ready. The dog carrier has been aired out. All that is left for her to like us, Xander to like her, her to like Xander and Deus to just be Deus.

Whew!

I had the boys outside for some playtime in the yard. I can't help feeling a little sad ... as if Ana's entrance into our lives really and for true means Mona is never coming back.

Well, I gotta make up kongs and stop at the ATM, so enough blogging for now. Keep your fingers and paws crossed.

A Tough Month

The past month has been really hard on me. I've been very depressed about Mona's death. Like stay in bed depressed. Don't do anything after work but watch television depressed.

And try to find another dog depressed. I knew in my heart I should wait for the right dog to come to us (which may work if things go well on Monday). But I kept searching the shelter websites and Petfinder.com

Let me tell you ... trying to adopt a young female between 25 and 40 lbs into a multi-pet home is like a competitive sport. We found a dog Friday night on the Animal Friends website and she was adopted by the time I called Saturday morning. We found a dog at the Western PA Humane Society, but she was quarantined due to diarrhea. I thought that meant we had a few days. But apparently, it meant they would adopt her to a no-dog home, but not a multi pet home. So we were outmaneuvered on her, too.

I say that out of frustration, because I am very glad those dogs all found homes (there were more). But each time it didn't work out, I would get more depressed.

Finally, I posted about my frustration on a local dog email list sponsored by http://www.pghdogs.com/.

That's when Ana came to our email box. Her rescuer, Crystal, took a chance that we'd go smaller than 25 lbs and sent us her story. Ana was in a home that couldn't meet her needs. She had apparently been kicked and ended up with a broken pelvis that had to heal while she was crated for a month. That's remarkably similar to Mona's story.

So we'll see what happens. The sticking point is how Xander reacts to her. We have a doggie person coming over to help us with introductions. I admit that I have a rosy image that they'll get along fine once she adapts to the new environment. I want to be able to take a picture similar to this one of her in her foster home.

So keep your fingers crossed for us. Especially for Xander.