Vicky had an eventful day! I brought her to the Barking Lot this AM, a doggie day care/training facility in Providence whose owner is a great friend of rescue. She played and played! Everyone there just loved her, and said that she interacted just beautifully with the other dogs.  She shows some anxiety when meeting strangers and will bark, but with other dogs she's just as friendly as can be. It's important that she meet people carefully so she won't get too spooked, and not be in situations that are loud or crowded right now. I haven't seen anything that would make me worry that she was a risk to bite anyone but I wouldn't want her to get too stressed. After a long day of play she ate like she was starving then settled right in with her friends here. She's exhausted! And I think that regular visits to doggie day care or a similar situation, like a dog park, would be a great idea for Vicky.

Tomorrow I'm bringing her to meet Marie, a volunteer in Pawtucket who is interested in fostering and eventually adopting a young-ish adult friend for her great dane, a friendly, loving girl. Marie has a very comfortable and dog friendly adult home, a huge fenced in yard and a calm environment that I thought might be a good fit for Marie, her husband, her great dane girl and Vicky. If the meeting goes well, then Vicky can stay with Marie until she finds her forever home!

Chiristmas day! Vicky had a great day today in her foster home- she loved her new toy! Christmas day is the only day of the year that I give my dogs a stuffed toy, and the second picture shows why- they LOVE stuffed toys but destroy them in minutes! And Vicky just loved the fireplace- she was transfixed, and spent at least an hour basking in the warmth, and seemed peaceful and relaxed watching the flames.

I will mention two things- this morning, she and my Pixie got into a scuffle in my backyard. Both are alike in that they love to chase the squirrels and have become friends- but after chasing a squirrel up a tree this morning they turned to eachother and got rougher than I like to see. Neither was hurt and it ended very quickly. I'm certainly not going to say that Vicky needs to be an only dog- she loves to play!- but I do think that she needs to be supervised while playing to make sure it doesn't get out of hand. And when my mother came over, Vicky was VERY nervous and wouldn't go near her for at least 10 minutes. She does get anxious around strangers- not aggressive, but fearful- and for that reason I'm going to recommend that she not be adopted by a family with small children. Families with kids tend to have alot more people coming and going, and until Vicky becomes more comfortable with meeting people I think that small children would be stressful for her. This has been quite a week for Vicky! Everything in her world has changed- and she's adjusting to what probably is the first stable living situation of her life! 

 

What a difference a day makes! After a good night's sleep- in her crate, without a peep!- Vicky is settling into her foster home. I wanted to show how much progress she has made on my hardwood floors- some of it is the work that my husband and I have done with her, but most of the credit goes to my own dogs- Vicky loves to play, and following mine around has made her much more comfortable on the floors. I can tell you too that she's definitely crate trained- and will nap there even with the door to the crate opened- and also assumes that she's allowed on furniture. She is at my house, but if you are a "no dogs on the couch" type it would take some work.

Vicky has had absolutely no problems with my dogs- she and my young girl Pixie love to chase the birds in the yard, and have quickly become friends. My grumpy old man Salty Dog doesn't always want to be bothered by the young ones, and Vicky accepts his "leave me alone" messages by looking a little puzzled, but respects his space. I can tell you too that she takes treats very gently and seems to know basic commands. Vicky has been an absolute pleasure to foster so far!

Vicky has arrived! After a 36 hour trip from MO, I met Vicky and brought her to her foster home. We made a quick stop to meet her foster dad at work at the station, where she was generous with her affection, and then to my house. My first impression is that this girl is a little anxious, but eager to please- she's gotten along beautifully with my dogs so far, appears to be fully housetrained and has had a great time exploring the back yard. She's been so quiet! I haven't heard her make a sound- she's been watching my dogs and I for cues as to how to behave. Her nemesis seems to be my hardwood floors- I'm showing a picture of her trying to worm her way across on her belly because she's afraid to walk on them! She's fine on stairs, carpet and in the yard, but my hardwoods confound her. She's far from the first foster I've had here with a hardwood phobia, and I'm confident that with a few days of support and training she'll do just fine.

I have to say too that she's much prettier in person than in her pictures! Her fur is a beautiful, glossy black, with a few splashes of white on her neck and chest. I'm going to try to get some nicer pictures, that capture her soft brown eyes and gentle face. I'll update as I learn more!

Meet Vicky! This gorgeous girl is on her way to New England to her foster home with me.... I'm told she is around 2, and was saved with her 3 puppies from a high kill shelter in MO. Her puppies were quickly adopted, and now it's Vicky's turn to find a loving home. We believe she is a Boston Terrier/Lab mix, but really, who knows? I've also been told that she is a sweet, loving girl who has never met anyone she doesn't get along beautifully with. For information about how to adopt Vicky please visit her profile-http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/24108770  and stay tuned for more about Vicky!