One Yes Leads to Another

It was going to be a simple thing really:  I signed up to volunteer with the Heigl Foundation to walk dogs they have in boarding.  The boarding facility is literally a twelve minute walk from my place, so I thought this would be a great opportunity to not only help some animals, but get in some dog time when I wasn't transporting, and possibly start a little exercise routine.

I met up with Candace, the volunteer coordinator, and we took out two dogs for our first walk:  Pretty, who was a giant 100 pound grey beast with dazzling yellow eyes, along with Neolle, a springer/lab mix (I'm guessing on that, I have no idea).  Noelle was calm, cool, and collective, and walked well on a leash.  I don't outweigh many dogs, but Pretty made me feel petite.  The fact that she hasn't yet learned to walk on a leash might have also added to her gravitational pull.

Candace and I traded dogs and we continued back around the area and decided Pretty was just too much for me to handle.  After Pretty went back to her kennel, Candace asked if I wanted to keep walking Noelle, or if I was done...or if I might want to spend the day with her.

Huh.  I hadn't thought of that.  I thought maybe an hour walk and then be on with my day.  But she's so sweet.  And calm.  And she's been in boarding since December.  The only time she gets out is when she's at an adoption fair.  The dog handler at the facility said the latest I could bring her back today was 5:30.

Or she could spend the night.  She's quite chill, and the dog deserves a night away from boarding.  Granted it's a nice facility and she probably gets time outside with the other dogs, but it is boarding.  She might like a home.  And with a nifty little "Adopt Me" bandana, a day in the park for exposure isn't a bad idea.

And so began my day with Noelle, with no expectations other than I would probably bring her back by 5:30.

Candace offered to give us a lift, but I said we'd just walk back to my place (or in the neighborhood).  We made it thirty feet down the alleyway in the direction of my apartment when Noelle plopped her butt down in the shaded portion of the pavement.  Candace rolled up silently in her Prius, and I said to her through the open window, "I think Noelle would like a ride."

Despite Noelle's initial disenchantment with going for a walk, she was even less excited to be in the apartment.  I left the main door open so she could see out the screen, and she watched in silence, except for the occasional glance over to me to ask we could leave again.  She paced, she panted, and it was clear she was anxious.

But it was hot outside.  The pavement had to be boiling.  I took her out for a few minutes at a time, and finally ended up doing my most hated Los Angeles move:  I drove somewhere so we could go for a walk.

I thought walking around Griffith Park near the merry-go-round (and hence children) would get her some good PR, and maybe someone would like to get to know her.  But no one bothered.  And she was so fascinated with every single scent that she really didn't care to meet people anyway.

Back at the apartment I was reminded how badly I need to get my carpet cleaned.  Noelle, who had had puppies of her own (all of which were adopted long ago), picked out and paused at every single place Pixie and Loki had peed or pooped.  There was no evidence visually.  But she found them all.  I watched in trepidation, just waiting for her to squat and mark her spot, as I had seen her do in the bushes and sidewalks.  But no, just a sniff, perhaps reminiscent of motherhood, and she moved on.  Somehow, in all those months in boarding, or maybe in her prior life, she was housebroken.  You have no idea how pleasant it is to trust an animal to not pee in the living room.  I had almost forgotten that delight.

I was worried about her panting and anxiety, and thought perhaps I should take her back to boarding.  They have an outdoor section where the dogs can hang together, and they even have a wading pool.  Maybe she would be happier there.  I didn't have a backyard for her to lounge out on, and she seemed stressed to be indoors.

It wasn't until I think her sleepiness finally overtook her that she relaxed enough to stop panting and just fall asleep on the couch.  It took her much time to get comfortable, and with the effort and exasperation it took her wiggling upside and pushing pillows and burying her head in the side of the couch, you'd think it was the most uncomfortable object on the planet.  But I guess it did the trick.

As she was snoozing, Candace called to see how it was going.  I told her I might bring her back since I thought maybe she wasn't comfortable, but on the other hand, maybe I should keep her the night since she was finally relaxed enough.

And then the decision was made for me.  First Candace said I should know what a gift I was giving Noelle, letting her crash on a couch and be out of boarding.  And then she told me that she received an application from a potential adopter and wanted to know if I could call the adopter and set a time for her to meet Noelle.  But she couldn't until after 5.

Decision made then.  Noelle will spend the night with me.  I explained I had never done an introduction before and Candace talked me through it over the phone.  It seemed easy enough.  The adopter called me back at 5:10, asked if she minded if she stopped at home to pick up her husband and dog, and then be on her way.  7pm, Noelle would meet her potential adopters.

I know we could have walked, but Noelle really seemed to enjoy car rides, so we drove back to the edge of Griffith Park, a less trafficked picnic ground, and I conducted my first Meet-n-Greet.

The couple seemed sweet, a good match for sweet Noelle.  And their dog Jack, also a breed of mixed genetics, was about Noelle's size and didn't seem to mind her.  They matched in temperament, both dogs content to walk side by side or near each other sniffing and taking in this new area.  The potential adopter said she didn't mind that Noelle wasn't all goo-goo and ga-ga over them; she expected her to be a dog: sniffing around on the ground in a leisurely walk.

It was less than half an hour: they talked about their place and their experience with Jack, and I gave them the little insight I had from knowing Noelle for the past ten hours.

I know I can't do home checks yet.  I don't want to be responsible for sending a dog to a home that isn't right.  But this felt okay.  This was doable: just letting person and dog meet and see how they are.  Noelle did give them each attention, and even Jack, and Jack didn't mind that the humans were happy to get kisses from Noelle.  I wasn't responsible for the ultimate Yes or No--I just facilitated the potential adopter's Yay or Nay. 

But I can't come away unbiased.  I think she'll be happy there.  It was a big day for her.  She got out of boarding, and it wasn't for an adoption fair: it was for something even more important--being introduced to her potential family.  And she didn't even realize how big a moment it was.

It all started with a simple walk.  Just me saying, "Yes."  "Yes, I'll go for a walk."  "Yes, I'll take her for the day."  "Yes, I'll keep her overnight."  And now, if everything checks out (which I can't imagine it won't), this little girl who's been in boarding for six months will finally have a couch of her own, a person (actually two!) to protect and love, and a chill canine friend to hang with for the rest of her life.

And all because I said "Yes" to a going for a walk.  Imagine all the possibilities if every single one of us just said "Yes" to one simple thing every day.

And with that thought, I must awaken my snoring canine friend who is sleeping with her head dangling off the couch.   I really doubt she's going to say "Yes" to getting up.

The Girls are Back in Town

I suspect the Penny Foundation thinks I'm a jinx.  First there was Mickey, the sweetheart lab/pit bull who took over a month to get a home.  Then there was Murphy who, sweet as he can be if he likes you, can't seem to find someone he likes enough to finally get a home.

And now it's the three amigos.

The one named Charmaine has been renamed Baja (much better), and is currently enjoying the good life in a foster home in Beverly Hills.  Not bad for a whiney runt from Mexico.

As for Loki and Shia, their journey was a bit more troubled (karma, perhaps for beating up the little one?).  They were also enjoying Beverly Hills for a few days and then were headed back up to the pet store to sit in the window, play all day, and get adopted.  However, within a few hours of being there, it was suspected they were sick.  They were rushed to the vet where no signs of sickness were present, and ended up in boarding there until Saturday morning.

Eric, who had kindly taken in Mickey after I no longer could, was once again willing to tag in and take these two pups off my hands too, but not until Sunday afternoon.  So, Christy asked if I could take them Friday night.  I was working and no one could transport them before the vet closed, so at 9am Saturday morning before work, I picked up the little tykes.

I have to give many thanks to my co-worker who, learning that I meant to take on these pups for a couple of days, allowed me to borrow her x-pen so the pups could play safely while I worked as well as a wire crate so I could transport them safely while seeing out my side mirrors.

And the biggest gift of all from her: many many peepads.

To begin, let's get the names straight:  I had named the black and tan Loki and the beige one Shia.  This was before we received the paperwork with their names or someone else re-named them.  Friday, I was told their names were Lucy and Pixie respectfully (interesting how Loki and Lucy are quite similar in sound--clearly her personality indicates that sort of sounding name).  When I arrived at the vet's, they found none of the four names, but had two puppies brought in together named Stormy and Thunder.< Talk about identity crisis. I confirmed they were the dogs I was to take, but their neat little harnesses had been taken off when they arrived, and my harnesses were too big.  So, after some ridiculous maneuvering and lots of patience from both me and the girls, I got them inside the wire crate which I had lined with my ever handy towels.

Fast forward ten minutes later as I'm almost to work, and look over to see Pixie start the ever-recognizable motion of "I'm going to hurl."  Seconds later, she pukes.  I tell her it's okay, but since she's inside a locked crate, I can't get at her or the puke.  Oh, but Loki can.

So for the next three minutes, I'm driving while poking my figures through the cage trying to get Loki to stop eating her sister's puke and trying to convey to Pixie that it's okay that she puked and we'll be stopping soon.

Delightful.  Did I mention it's not even 9:30am yet?

I must convey my thanks to the security guard who let me park illegally near my office while I hauled up the doggie playpen, baby gate, food, toys, etc. and left the pups in the car briefly.  They made it upstairs on my second trip and I was happy to learn I'd have the entire office to myself for a couple of hours before anyone else got in for the day.

And when the boys did come in, they each had their own play time with the pups, even though Loki and Pixie need their nails trimmed and don't get that people aren't as rugged as they are and don't appreciate being bitten.

And these two are pretty rugged girls.  They still go head to head and match each other well, although I noticed Pixie's new name also brought with her some new confidence as she took on Loki.  (I just couldn't call her Lucy--I tried, but she's still Loki to me).

Peepads smell.  Puppy pee smells.  As does dog poop.  It's hard to get these dogs to go outside to pee and poop since they give so little warning.  It takes a few minutes to get out down the hall, in the elevator, and out the front door.  So I spent most of my day putting peepads and crapbags (I don't know if that's an official word, but I'm using it) into plastic bags in an effort to keep the room smelling better.

But I'm sure you don't want to hear about that.  You're here for the puppy pictures.  So here they are:

At the end of my day, I left the playpen for my co-worker and had another co-worker of mine help me haul my stuff and the pups down to the parking garage.  Leaving work was far easier than arriving.

I had finally opted to use my giant harnesses for the girls since the collars Christy had given me weren't working well.  But taking two puppies for a walk is just as un-protective as trying to get three to do what you want.  There was no peeing or pooping; just exploring and putting everything in their mouths.  My friend told me her child has reached the point where she's mobile now; which means you can't look away for even a second and spend most of your time taking something inedible and inappropriate out of the child's mouth: grass, twig, carpet, etc.  It's the same with puppies.

So once we got inside, lo and behold, they stopped and peed on the carpet.

This is why puppies are cute.  So we don't get upset when they don't understand that peeing isn't appropriate everywhere.

After an evening of much play and snuggles, I put them back into their crate and put them in my bedroom while I got ready for bed.  Baja had been the whiney one, so I was surprised when these two howled for my return from down the hall.  I returned to see that although a part of them wanted me to return, their biggest problem was the dog outside the cage.  Loki stared and curled her lip and let out some playbarks to this intruder:

It's a testament to the artistry that Loki thought this was a real dog.

Perhaps being able to see out the wire crate wasn't a good idea.  So, I put together the giant airline crate thinking this would help them sleep and they'd stop crying.  And they had; once I had finished making the crate, the two were asleep in the wire crate.  I moved them over (my time was not going to be wasted), and went to bed.  Thirty seconds later, I turned the light back on to find they had discovered the corners of the towels and were eating them.  I didn't want to wake up to find one of them had choked to death, so I took out all extraneous towels, laid back the towel so no corners were evident and put them back in.

My reward:  six hours of sleep.

At 6am, I was awoken and decided that since I had the harnesses, I'd give them a chance to pee outside.  However, the two of them together wasn't going to get the job done.  I took Pixie out first, and just as she ran to the corner of the yard to pee, Loki let out baleful barks, entreating me to come back--and waking up my neighbors.

I bustled back, got Loki out, put her on a leash, and rather than risk having Pixie bark while I took Loki out, I carried Pixie while Loki was supposed to be finding a place to pee.  It took her longer, as she's easily distracted--especially by the fact that I was carrying her sister and not her.

Five long minutes later, we were back inside for some play time.

Play, nap, and I put them back to bed for another two hours.  As much as I enjoyed snoozing on the couch with them, sleeping in my own bed is nice for longer stays of slumber.

Yes, puppies are a hassle and I'm not about to get one for myself any time soon,but sometimes moments like these make up for it all. I mean, for me, this is a fabulous way to spend a Sunday morning:

I didn't have to clean up as much pee and poo today, and I got to watch them play and run as well as have some cuddle time.

Loki already has some interested parties, so she might be adopted by this coming weekend.  As for Pixie, she's not getting as many hits, but I'm hoping she will soon.  If you know someone interested in the LA area, please send them the girls' links:

Lucy (a.k.a. Loki):  http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16439045

Pixie:  http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16438935

Baja:  http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/16438961

They'll be here for one week only.  Snatch 'em up, or they'll be headed to our neighbor to the north where they'll forever be Canadian citizens.

And finally, your puppy fix for the week:

And if you want some live-action footage, I posted some videos to youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG7a9r1yryo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9uKQvWwvDE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfkFT0SZgmo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxqj_3KZqmg

Good luck girls--may you find home in whatever country you are in.