September 28th 2010 6:23 am
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Harper did great yesterday. To start the outing off, we introduced him to one of Dorie’s rescues, Sammi. They got along great. It was evident he wanted to play with her. He would wag his tail and kiss her through the fence… there was no aggression. And she was very at ease with him, kissing him back.. his little stub of a tail was wagging none stop, as was Sammi’s long and furry one.
Curt and I put him in the truck and took him to the Jacksonville Arboretum for a walk in the woods. He encountered other dogs there, all on leases and after an initial tug on the lease to tell him no, he paid no attention to the dogs. He has a lot of puppy in him – loves to put things in his mouth, including your hands. He also wants to chew on anything in site, his leash, Curt’s work gloves, etc. Fortunately, we purchased a toy and he was satisfied with that. Whoever fosters or adopts him will need to understand this and that he cannot be left alone until he’s a little older or he will chew on everything he can put in his mouth. I also believe that he will do better if the foster or adopter has another large dog. It’s apparent he loves the company of other dogs.
After the Arboretum, we took him to our house, where we bathed him. He resisted at first and did not like the hose, but after some comforting and encouragement, he did great and in fact seemed to love being clean. He ran around the back yard and played and played. After some exercise, we introduced him to our two miniature dachshunds. There was some initial tension, but after some carefully supervised interaction and sniffing, they were great. We walked the three of them down the street on leases with no issues. He’s also, as you know, wonderful with other people and older children. He now takes much delight in showing everyone he meets how fast his butt can hit the ground when asked to sit. He no longer jumps to greet you, but if excited and given the opportunity he will certainly leap in the air and give you a big dog hug and kiss. We’re still working on this and he’s responding to the training.
He’s a very smart dog and as such will need a strong person as a foster or adopter. He wants to be given commands and enjoys learning new things. Now that we know he’s not intent on eating other dogs… I feel good about moving forward and finding him a suitable foster or new permanent home.
Spread the word… someone’s going to get a great dog.
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Dogster Obsessions: The Starter Kit for Dogs by Wildebeest
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