Rescue Blu

On Saturday afternoon, Rebecca and Bonnie picked me up from my foster home and took me to McCollum Park in Downers Grove. There were tons of people or all ages and sizes there. There was something going on called a Summer Bash with loud music and lots of running and screaming kids. I thought it looked some what interesting, but I really just wanted to get in touch with my hound- self and sniff.

We walked past some girls on tricycles

Bonnie and Rebecca said we were going so I could see new things and practice walking nicely on a leash. This “walking nicely on a leash” thing is a little silly to me. I like to wander all over the sidewalk… meandering from left to right… basically I follow my nose. They don’t seem to like this. They want me to walk on their right side. BORING, but I try because I get treats and they talk to me in the happy voice. Sometimes I get excited and hop on my front legs and grab the leash and swing it around. They call this “Silly Blu”. It makes them laugh so I like it.

As we walked around the park, we stopped to watch a tennis game. At first I was just sniffing and then I saw the ball. Hmm… something started coming back to me… did I play fetch? I was very focused on this “tennis game”. Bonnie and Rebecca were very interested in this.

On the way home from the park, Rebecca and Bonnie stopped for lunch. I got to sit by their outside table and watch people go by. Every single person that walked past me would pet me. At first I think I startle people because of my size, but I am a lover not a fighter, so soon I win them over. I love people to pet me. I would love to one of those dogs that goes and visits people in nursing homes or other places like that. That would be cool.

We stopped at Jimmy John's for a late lunch. I love the free smells!

Earlier this week was also exciting for me. On Tuesday, a new woman showed up at my house. I was very happy to meet a new friendly person. She said we were going to school at Narnia. I had no idea what that was, but she smelled like liver, so it can’t be too bad. Kim put on my harness and we got in the car. Hooray! Another car ride. This time I got the whole back seat to myself. I tried to get in the front seat, but I’m too big for that. Kim showed me that dogs need to be in that back seat of her car and that suits me just fine. We were off on another car ride.

When the car stopped, we got out at a place I didn’t recognize. We walked around the grass and there were lots of other dogs milling about. Kim took me inside. There were lots of dog smells in the building and I started to wonder if this was another animal shelter. Would I get left all alone again?

Kim and I moved into a big room and along with all the new dogs and people, I saw two people I know, Rebecca and Sara. That’s when I knew everything was going to be OK. Kim and I found a seat. There were new dogs all around, but that’s OK with me. Kim gave me treats when I sat calmly and looked up at her. We also practiced sit, down and stand. I already know how to do that, but it was a little different with all those dogs around. Other dogs jumped up on humans when they walked past, but not me. I’m pretty laid-back. I tried to pay attention to Kim, after all she had some really good food. I did get distracted a little. It’s very hard to pay attention to humans when other dogs are barking. We all wanted to sing that night, but Kim showed me that humans ignore me when I bark. Instead, as soon as I was quiet, Kim gave me lots of attention and petting.

Kim said that I did really well for my first class. I thought it was a lot of fun. I can’t wait to go back.

I have to tell you, I really love people. And while I probably am a bunch of different breeds, somewhere in me in definitely hound. Rebecca laughs because I like to talk to my people. I have a hound howl when people come home. I have a hound howl when people leave. I even have a hound howl when I get silly. Each of my howls sounds a little different, but I use them everyday. I do not like to be left, and my “I am left alone” howl is quite sad sounding. This is really common in a lot of dogs. We are social animals, so we don’t like when we are alone. Shelter dogs like me often develop a fear of being abandoned again, so separation anxiety can develop. It can be pretty serious. The most common behaviors that are seen in a dog that suffers from separation anxiety are:

• digging, chewing, and scratching at doors or windows in an attempt to escape and reunite with their owners.
• Howling, barking, and crying in an attempt to get their owner to return.
• Urination and defecation (even with housetrained dogs) as a result of distress

I must admit that I howl when the people leave, but as soon as they are out of my sight I stop. No sense to go on and on. I normally just nap until they come back, so while separation anxiety is not an issue with me, it could be a problem. I have been spending most of my time with Rebecca, so when she leaves me I do show some signs of stress, but luckily for me I have been surrounded by people that are doing all the right things. There are no energetic hellos or goodbyes here. People come and go, and sometimes don’t even acknowledge me with much more than a “Hello big guy.” This helps. I also have a safe place. Rebecca calls it “Blu’s room.” It is a spare bedroom, and while I prefer to lay on the floor in the living room, in my bedroom is my crate and my blanket. I go there to rest sometimes. Dogs need a safe place. Another thing my people are doing to help avoid separation anxiety is I am also being socialized. This is a team effort by all the people at Narnia. I go to class, and I go on walks. Once I feel a little better, I am going to start going out in the community for more outings. Positive socialization ( meaning meeting nice dogs and people) helps create a friendly confident dog. One of the best things that my people are doing is when they come back and I have done something they view as “naughty,” they don’t get mad and yell at me. For me to understand not to repeat a behavior, they MUST catch me in the act. If they did correct me after I misbehaved, I would associate my people returning after an absence with being in trouble. The next time they leave I would become anxious, therefore chewing on whatever item is handy to help relieve the stress and anxiety. Thus a pattern begins and separation anxiety rears its ugly head!

Luckily, my people understand that separation anxiety is sometimes a concern for a shelter dog, so they just need to clear and consistent when helping transition to my new home. I do like to give them a sad howl good bye or a happy howl hello. I want my people to know that I love and appreciate them!

Rebecca took me for a nice walk this morning, and I was so happy that I did a silly little dance.

Then, she put me in the car and drove to a place she calls Narnia. I think that’s the place she came back from smelling like liver, so I was ready to go. There was a great big room with lots and lots of new smells. While I was sniffing around the room, I met a new person, Kathie. She said lots of nice things to me and offered me some treats – so I wagged my tail. Wow, more liver! Because it was a new place, I was a little nervous, so I stayed close to Rebecca at first. Then, I got a little more brave, and even climbed up the stairs. Rebecca, Kathie and Bonnie said they were really proud of me. While I was at Narnia, I met really nice person named Joy, who also gave me some treats. When Joy was talking to me, my tail wagged even more.

This is my second bath. Really.

Kathie, Rebecca and Bonnie picked a blue harness, and they put it on me to see how it fit. I guess it’s for me to wear when we go for walks. They also put a blue tag on my collar with Narnia’s phone number, and said it was just in case I got lost again. Then, Rebecca and Bonnie put me in the car, and started driving.

About 25 minutes later, we stopped at another new building. Inside, one wall had shelves with bags of something that smelled good – like food. There also were some kittens playing in a crate. I was kind of sniffing them and watching what they were doing, but I guess I got a little too close because one of them swatted me on the nose. I decided it was safer to watch the kittens from farther away.

Rebecca and Bonnie said they had brought me to see Therese, who is a veterinarian. They also had brought a tightly sealed container with some of my poop, which I thought was a little weird. I guess they check it to make sure I’m healthy. We went into an exam room with Therese, and I got up on this metal table. Rebecca and Therese hooked my collar to a leash on the table, and then they made the table taller. I wasn’t super happy it was moving, but Rebecca put lots of little treats right in front of me. Then Therese started my exam. She checked my teeth, and said I was about 2 years old. After that, she looked in my eyes and ears, and I guess I had some gross stuff in my ears, maybe from chronic ear infections. Therese looked at the rest of my ears, and she pulled a yucky tick off the edge of one of them. She found at least five more, mostly on my ears. Pulling them off felt a little funny, but my ears felt much better once they were gone. No more little things biting me. Therese also felt my whole body and listened to my heart and lungs. Then she came back with a needle to draw some blood. I guess Rebecca and Bonnie wanted to check to make sure I don’t have heartworms or Lyme disease. I was a little scared of getting poked with the needle, but Bonnie kept feeding me more treats and telling me I was a good boy for standing still. After the test, I got a shot.

After all the poking and prodding, Rebecca, Bonnie and Therese took me into a different room with a big metal sink. Therese squirted something into my ear – she said it was ear cleaner. She rubbed my ear around, and then she did the other ear. This wasn’t much fun at all, but Rebecca gave me some treats for being a good boy. Then Therese wiped all the gunk out of my ears. Then they turned on a water sprayer and started getting me wet. Honestly, I wasn’t too happy. I really wanted to get out of the tub. But I waited as Therese rubbed some soap all over me. It was kind of like a massage. Then she rinsed me off and soaped me up again with a different shampoo. She rinsed me off, and I tried to shake all the water off. Then she dried me off – using this machine that blew air at me. When Therese was using the dryer, she also checked to make sure I didn’t have any other injuries. Therese, Rebecca and Bonnie pulled grass seeds and burrs out of my coat, which made me more comfortable. Therese sent me home with some medicine.

I got to meet Tippy at the vet's office.

I also got to meet two dogs, Daisy and Tippy. They both live with Therese. Tippy seems like she’s a fun girl, but I think she wants to play a lot. Daisy didn’t like it when I sniffed while she was in her bed because she was cornered. She barked at me, and backed up. I was so tired that I tried to take a nap while Rebecca drove us home.

I’m so tired from the baths and all that tail wagging.

UPDATE: Blu is heartworm negative! Hurray! We are waiting to hear about the other tests. He does have hook worms, so we have given him a dewormer.

This morning I woke up to the sound of the door opening. I sighed and looked up. It was a little over a week ago when I was out wandering the countryside and I walked into the yard that had a dog in it. I assumed the the dog would be friendly, but before I knew it, I was turning to run and I got bit on the behind! Ouch! Not only that, but the owner caught me and brought me to Edgar County Animal Control. Let me tell you, it makes me sad. No humans to play with, no sunshine, no playing with other dogs… just a little cell. I must admit this morning was different, though. Here comes one of those nice ladies. She stops at my cell starts talking to me. She promises me a couch and a bed, a 10 year kid to play with, and a forever home. I not really sure what she is talking about, but it is obvious I am leaving this place! For the first time in over a week, I wag my tale. Gosh is that lady nice. She helps me in a van FILLED with dog crates and lots of barking dogs. I get into my crate and wonder what this is all about.

Two hours later the van comes to a stop. I can hear people talking and dogs are starting to unload. Eventually, another nice lady comes and opens my crate and puts a leash on me. She hands the leash to another lady, and they talk for a couple of minutes. The driver of the van I came in tells her that the warden said I was one of the nicest dogs he has seen at that place. I sniff around and just enjoy the beautiful sunshine. I breathe in the smells. I’m liking this. My tail starts to wag again. I notice I am being led away by three people: Kelly, Sara, and Rebecca. They brought me cheese; therefore, I like them right away. They talk real nicely to me and pet me. I like that, too. The tail wags more. They help me up into Kelly’s car. I stick my head out the back window and smile. I am not sure where I am going now, but I hope there is more cheese.

20 minutes later we are at Rebecca’s house. I have a crate, a blanket, a squeaky sunshine toy, and a Kong. I am not sure what to do with the Kong. I lick a little of the food out of it, but quite honestly, I’d rather have some petting and more of that nice talking. I really like when people talk to me in that nice voice. My tail wags as I follow them around the side of the house, then… the water turns on. Feeling slightly betrayed, they give me a bath. I am not going to lie and say I enjoyed it, and personally I thought I smelled fine, but Sara fed me this AMAZING food called McDonald’s Cheeseburger. For that, I was willing to have Kelly and Rebecca bathe me.

While taking a quick snooze, I got another visitor named Amy. She gave me some treats for sitting and she walked around with me. Her car door was open, so started to climb in because I figured that is what we have been doing today. “Not this time,” she laughs. “You are staying here for awhile.”

After taking a really long nap, I wake up to find Rebecca coming home from work. I am not sure where the Narnia place is, but Rebecca smells like liver, so I definitely want to go there one of these days. She talks nicely to me while she puts together an even bigger crate. She then grabs the leash and off we go on a walk. I loved this. My happy tail was it full wag. Every once in awhile, I would just stop and sniff. It is great to be me right now. Here is the other really cool thing. If I walk next to her and give her my happy face, she gives me treats. I like this “going for a walk” thing. We come back home, and she fills a food bowl with kibble. She then asks me to sit and feeds me a small handful of food. It is kind of fun. She asks me to “sit, down, and stand” which I had learned while we were out walking. Now I get handfuls of my dinner by doing these things. Pretty cool, hu? After we are done, she talks to me some more, and then tells me she is going to take care of her other dogs. She says good night and leaves. Once she is gone, I climb onto my blanket. Wow, this has been the greatest day. I am going to sleep. My tail is tired.

Hello all, I’m Blu.  Nice to meet you.