ADOPTED!

Congratulations Ranger on finding your forever home!

I was flipping through your photo album and found this picture that was taken of you at the pound in Louisiana (BEFORE) and then one about a week after being with us (AFTER). Hmmmmmm I think we all agree you're MUCH happier in a home vs behind bars!

I wish you all the best in your new home little man, I know they are going to love you just as much as we do and we're so excited for this new chapter of your life to begin!

                 BEFORE            &            AFTER

****ADOPTION PENDING****

Hi everyone! Thanks for rooting for me! I want to let you know that I have officially adopted my very own humans!!! Their names are Matt & Katie, but lets be real here, I'm going to call them "mom and dad". They will be coming to pick me up on Sunday and I can't wait to show them how much fun I am. A special thank you to LOYAL Rescue for saving my life and keeping me safe.... and of course a big wink for the big man in red, Santa for coming a little early this year. My biggest Christmas wish has come true - humans of my very own to love and cherish every day!

Our sincerest thanks to Anita Peeples at Hotdog Photography for taking these amazing photos of Ranger

http://www.anitapeeples.com/

Dear Santa.....

Dear Santa,

It's me...Ranger! I have been a VERY good boy this year so I hope my letter makes it to you on time. I don't think you'll have any problems finding these items at a local pet store in the North Pole.

1. A Coat. Oh pretty please Santa? Its dang cold here in Ontario it sure would be nice to feel warm and cozy on my walks. Foster mom has only one jacket that fits me...and go figure its literally a red and white SANTA coat (sure its cute now....but seriously I can't pull that look off after December! I would be the laughing joke at the dog park!).

2. A plush bed! My foster sister Roxy has all of these great beds around the house that I like to curl up and nap in. Could I please have one of my very own?

3. Tartar bones. Hello, these things are AWESOME. Not only do they clean my teeth, but they taste so great going down! Yum-yum-in-my-tum!

4. I'm saving the MOST important wish for last....please Santa, help me to find a family of my very own? I would be ever so grateful at my second chance here and I know I will work so hard to make sure that my new family knows how much I love them each and every single day.

I think that's it for now. Safe travels to you on Christmas and please make sure you have me on your "nice" list! I promise to leave you milk and cookies -and I'll make sure foster mom puts the plate up high so I can't be tempted to eat them before you arrive.

xox Ranger xox

PS - If Rudolph or any of your other reindeer have prior engagements for the holidays ~ it would be my pleasure to help guide your sleigh this year! As you can see from my picture, I can easily look the part!

Say "Cheese"

Roxy & Ranger WERE sitting nicely, smiling for their photo until foster dad crinkled the CHEESE bag. LOL. Its so funny how they can actually differentiate between the sound of plastic wrapper with food vs plastic wrapper with no food!

Ranger has been with us for just over two weeks already and I think its pretty safe to say he's settled in and has fully adjusted to our routine. He continues to be a big cuddle-bug and will nudge my hand with his nose and crawl close to me if I stop petting him! He loves his walks, he loves to do zoomies in the backyard with Roxy and he will have occasional play-spurts in the house (which are never long-lived). While he is a moderately active pooch....he is also a VERY talented couch potato and when he's properly exercised, does spend most of the day napping.

Many people have asked me what they can expect of Ranger during the transition period when he ends up in his forever home. You can probably expect him to attempt to mark, particularly if it's a household with another male dog. Ranger needs to be safely secured at all times and at present time he is NOT a candidate for off leash dog parks (well, he can go, but he has to stay on a leash!) this is because he has a poor recall and loves to explore. He has a bit of "stranger-danger" with newcomers to the house which consists of tucking his tail between his legs and grunting with intial uncertainty while trying to determine "friend or foe". We encourage all of our visitors to first avoid making eye contact with him, avoid touching him, or talking to him and his stranger-danger disappears within 5 minutes (and then he's jumping up and trying to make friends with everyone!).

While he is crate trained, he has exhibited crying and whining when he can tell we're about to leave. We have therefore started leaving him out of his crate on our main floor (we're up to 3-4 hours now!) and he is wonderful. I really think the crate was the source of the problem, although he has no problem sleeping in it at night.

Overall we think this boy is quite a catch and we will no doubt miss him dearly when he leaves.

Sleepover with Digby!

Hi everyone! I've just come back from a super-fun weekend with the Rock family because foster mom and dad were going away and couldn't bring me with them.

I learned a few things about myself that I thought I would share:

1.) I really like timbits (here I am sitting for one right now!)

2.) I really like Digby (he was adopted through LOYAL Rescue -how cool is that?!?!?)

3.) I still love sitting on laps!



4.) There is NOTHING like a good nap!

5.) This is Beautiful Blithe & Super-Sassy. I learned that these are what you humans call "cats." I got to spend some time with them this weekend, and I think its best if my forever home was cat-free (its too darn tempting to chase them!).

Thank you Grace, Casey, Dibgy, Sassy & Blithe for taking such good care of me!

Sweet Dreams

Here is my little Ranger having some sweet doggy dreams after our walk this evening! Speaking of walks his leash manners are much improving. He does pull, but at 20 lbs he's easily corrected (but does need regular reminding). Practice will only make perfect! He has the cutest little gait and when he's really into the walk he kicks his front legs straight out like he's marching! Can we say adorable? YES!

I've noticed that some loud noises can slightly startle him (like when the city bus blows by from behind) however I keep my head held high and continue walking to show him that its okay, and he immediately follows my lead. This is the same with indoor noises too. Ranger's intial reaction on occasion was to run or cower if he heard a loud unusual noise. Now he doesn't even flinch when I'm unloading the dishwasher, clanging around dishes, shutting cupboard doors etc. I've never tip-toed around my dog(s) and never plan on it! Its the best way to acclimate them to normal household sounds :) Ranger certainly doesn't mind the hustle & bustle of our home!

Although I'm positive that Ranger has never had the luxury of living indoors before....you would NEVER know it now. He is A++ pet material thats for sure and continues to be a delight to have!

Update!

Ranger continues to do very well in our home. He's mastered "sit" and just learned "down" the other day. He's also learned how to "wait" in his crate when the door is opened wide until I tell him its "okay" for him to come out (he was charging out before as he pleased which he now knows is not acceptable). Oh yes! He also sits and leaves his food until you give him the go ahead to eat.....What a smart boy! I can tug his tail and put my hand in his bowl when he eats without any incident. He really has a wonderful temperament and a lovely disposition.

It's very important that Ranger's forever home continue to work with him on his obedience a regular basis.  Not only can these commands prove to be lifesaving, but they also keep him mentally stimulated and help establish a good "pack leader" bond between owner and pet.

Before I forget....Here is a very short clip of him at the dog park on Sunday. As you can see he's very alert and is paying close attention to the quacking of the ducks ahead.

Dog Park Fun!

We got up bright and early this morning and took Roxy and Ranger to the dog park as per our usual weekend ritual :) It was Ranger's first night with us by the way and he slept like a trooper in his crate the entire night without making a peep! Oh what a good boy!

When we arrived at the park, Ranger started making some friends!

While he really took a liking to Miss. Misty the mini schnauzer....

Nothing could compare to the fancy he took to sweet little Fiona !

"Oh my you smell good!" said Ranger "What perfume are you wearing?"

Ranger is such a little man and gets along famously with ALL dogs, but he certainly has a special charm with the "ladies" lol

Roxy and Ranger were sure to inspect all trees and bushes, big and small.

"Got anything good over there Roxy?" asked Ranger

"Move a little more to the right - I think I'm on to something here" Roxy replied

On the car ride home they agreed it was definitely a squirrel. Possibly carrying a nut.

Ranger was nice and calm. It was lovely to see him soak in all of the action like the good & curious boy he is! In this photo he's checking out a playing match between a pointer and a very nimble chihuahua (he's rooting for the chi!).

"This is for you Fiona! I'll be back tomorrow!"

He did get very excited when we told him we'd be back :)

Welcome Ranger!

Ranger came from a high kill pound in Louisiana where they gas dogs as a means of euthanization (as if it wasn't bad enough in more humane ways!). I saw his sweet face and couldn't say no - his eyes twinkled "save me!" and I could just tell he had a zest for life. He was pulled from death row in March and remained in Louisiana  for many months until transport could FINALLY be arranged. As of October 24th he officially became a Canadian! We like to think that his bark as a little more "eh" to it now :)

Since Ranger was slated to arrive the same weekend as our previous foster (Rosie) did, one of LOYAL's loving foster homes in Peterborough offered to temporarily care for him until Rosie was adopted (thank you Ben & Christina!).  The little man has just arrived and is settling nicely, please stay tuned as more information becomes available to see if rockin' Ranger is right for YOU!

Congratulations Rosie!

Thanks to everyone who was rooting for me! I officially have a forever home to call my own as of TOMORROW! Yipee!

I have a new mom and dad AND my very own sister named Maggie to play with (who is also a rescued dog -how cool is that?!). We're going to get lots of playtime, walks and I hear I even have a cottage? I don't know what that is yet, but it sure sounds great!

Thank you to everyone who helped save my life. I truly never dreamed that life could ever be this good -I'm such a lucky girl! Arrrrroouuuuuu!

Friends In Sync!

Now this is dog conversation at its best!

Roxy and Rosie are hard at work trying to soak in all of the new smells at the off-leash dog park!

How totally adorable is this photo of my two hound mixes....noses to the ground, tails wagging in sync!?!

Roxy doesn't always make friends quickly with our new fosters, but she sure has taken a liking to Rosie (EVERYONE does!)

And after a good play...... (Rosie has her poker face on in this photo! lol)

The girls went home for a nice long nap!

Gotta Lap?

Even though she's a medium-sized dog, that doesn't stop Rosie from wanting to sit on your lap! She loves nothing more than to sit like a ragdoll, wrapped in a blankie while you watch your favourite show on tv!

Rosie says "this is my favourite position to cuddle with my foster dad because he ALWAYS leaves crumbs on his shirt after his snack and I like him to look his best!" 

Yes, Rosie has fallen asleep while sitting up on my lap and broke out into the deepest snore! LOL. Nothing like a good walk, a full tummy and a warm lap to sit on! Not even the flash from the camera could wake this girl up :)

It's......SNOW TIME

 

It started out like a normal morning. Roxy woke up first as usual to get mom and dad out of bed so that we could have breakfast. But when the patio door opened for us to go outside.....what was all of that white stuff?!?!?!?!?! I was unsure at first, but Roxy didn't seem to mind it, so I thought "okay I'll give it a try"  (plus I really had to pee!).

Mom and dad took us to the soccer field around the corner from our house afterwards. Lots of other families had the exact same idea so when we arrived, there were other dogs, kids and humans having fun in the snow! Here are a few pictures from our adventures! I made some new friends, a 6 month old Bernese Mountain Dog named Bella (oh we romped up a big storm and had so much fun!), a 14 year old Shepherd mix named Jack, and a Boxer named Chloe!

Yup, that's me, running as fast as I can in the snow!

This is Bella asking me to play.

This is me playing with Bella (and Jack trying to get in on the fun!).

Here is a little video for the "live" version!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ywuyNjuV9_M

Here I am beside a snowman that the kids made!











And lastly, here is a picture of Roxy chasing me....Bella chasing Roxy....and what I am chasing you ask???? A TENNIS BALL! Whoopie! I love the snow!

Count Rosie! Muhahahahahahaha

Woo-hoo! I'm so excited because this is my VERY first time celebrating Halloween. Mom says that when I have my costume on I just need to go to a human, do a trick (I can sit!) and then I get a treat! Oh this is the best holiday ever!

Anyways, this is my "Count Rosie" costume and I think I look pretty cute! I just thought I would be upfront and honest with you because you need not worry, I am not into scary vampire stuff. No fangs, no biting, no blood - ok? Just treats and snuggling!

Oh ya, this was my runner-up "Rosie-Bunny". I just didn't think that mink was my color and it really took away from my very natural cute droopy ears. Don't you agree?

Day 4 !

We're on our fourth day with Miss. Rosie and she appears to be settled in! We continue to be accident-free (gooooooo Rosie!) and she is still showing off her wonderful temperament and excellent house manners.

She is such a loving, low maintenance dog we WUV her so much already.

We had her at the dog park for the first time the other night and she did SO well. It was a little overwhelming for her at first.
This photo always makes me laugh....if Rosie could talk she would definitely be saying "Who are YOU and what do you want with my bum?"

But then she watched Roxy do some "hello" sniffing....................................................

And she decided to give it a try for herself!

Within 5 minutes of being at the park....Rosie said "OMG this is so much fun!!!!" and made lots of friends for the duration of our walk :)

"Hey! You kinda look like me!"

Rosie & Buttons!

Well, day 1 with Rosie has been just perfect! She has really taken a liking to "Buttons" the stuffingless rabbit that she has pinned beneath her paws in this photo!

She likes to carry Buttons around as if he is her baby, and she makes the funniest whimpering noises when he's in her mouth! We've already told her, that if Buttons "makes it" to her adoption day, that he will accompany her to her forever home!

Rosie slept through the night soundly in her crate, and greeted us with kisses this morning when it was time to wake up. She was sure to wake-up Buttons to bring him down for breakfast too!

It will be neat to see if her relationship with him lasts, or if this is just a phase until she fully settles :) Either way, some pretty cute stuff!

Oh yes, Rosie went on her first walk with us today. AWESOME leash manners and she thoroughly enjoyed it, although she was a little disappointed that Buttons couldn't come :)


Rosie carrying Buttons



Welcome Rosie!

Rosie is simply the cutest little hound mix we have ever seen in the most delightful sized package! In the words of Goldilcocks "She's not too big, she's not too small...but she's juuuuuuust right!"

She has been here for a few hours already and I can't seem to get enough of this scrumptious face or those soft, droopy ears!

My first order of business when a new foster arrives is running them a lovely bubble bath with lots of soapy suds!

Rosie (who did not smell anything like roses) didn't really enjoy the experience, but she didn't put up a fuss either so I'm giving her an A+ for effort on bath time etiquette.

Rosie says "there is nothing like a good nap on a rainy afternoon"

We're going to keep you posted once she's had a chance to settle but we already know she's going to make somebody a fantastic pet.