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"Chopper" was just shy of four months old when he came into our club's rescue program. His master, who was fond of Harleys, rescued him from a pet shop but had to give him up when his job required more overnight travel. Chopper arrived on a Monday morning with one ear up and one folded. Although I thought this gave him great personality, we did tape his ear. Could we train it to stand up on its own or was it too late? This was my first experience at fostering a rescue. I worried. Could I do this on my own? What do I know about male puppies? I have females. Would my westies get along with the puppy? What if they didn't? Was my home "puppy safe"? Would I remember how to housebreak a puppy? Would I be able to spend enough time with the puppy without upsetting my westies? Would I be able to let him go live with someone else or would I be too attached? I called him "Woody" for the short time that I fostered him - he was previously living in Dunwoody. Even though he didn't answer to either name, he was always right next to me, awaiting his next adventure. I knew his time with us would be short since he was a puppy with no health or behavioral problems. My westie girls reluctantly welcomed him into our home. Their westie playmates had always been in the same age group and they had never spent the night. They looked at me and I could just read their minds, "Who is this little guy and how long is he staying? Oh, and why is he getting so much attention?" Woody always wanted to play. My westies tired of that quickly. Woody would jump in their faces until they both would chase him. Did they know that he was a playmate and not prey? Would they hurt this friendly little guy? I gave them supervised time together to socialize the puppy but also time apart to keep my westies happy. Woody brought a rubber chicken toy with him. He would carry it around and shake the living daylights out of it. He would follow me around so I would almost trip over him. I thought about putting a bell on his collar so I would know he was around. After reviewing the rescue applications, we contacted our best match and set up a meeting for that night. That afternoon, Woody got shots at the vet. We removed tape from ear to see if it would stand up by itself (it did!). We found tennis ball - which I now know is Woody's PASSION- and played all afternoon! I was worried about him being tired from the shots and the playtime, so I had him nap in his crate. Once he awoke and went outside to potty, he was not himself. This little ball of energy was a sleepy little pup. Did he get hurt playing with the ball or was was he tired from the shots? When Pat and Art arrived with their female Kissie, I explained the situation that he was not himself. I didn't want them to think that this was a sedate little guy who just wanted to cuddle. I kept explaining that he is not himself due to the shots. Did they really understand? They first met Woody in my kitchen with him in the x-pen and Kissie outside of it. There were lots of wagging tails (my westies were outside to lessen the chaos). After chatting for awhile, we decided to go into the fenced backyard to see how they would get along. Both were on leashes at first, with us not knowing what to expect. They sniffed each other and they were off playing. Suffice it to say that it was a good match - and Woody soon got his energy back! I think he knew that he would need to be himself to be adopted by the right family. And wow, a girl westie that would play with him with the same energy - is this heaven or what? I get regular updates on Woody from his new owner. They renamed him Caleb which means dog in Hebrew and faithful and affectionate friend. There are lots of funny, funny stories of his adventures with his new big sister. Although I did finally get a rest from all that "puppy energy", I miss this little guy's cute face and constantly wagging tail. I know he is in a wonderful home, and I feel honored to have helped make that possible. |
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