**Sassy Found her Forever Home March 21, 2011**

4 Weeks with Sassy!

Sassy is pretty exhausted right now since she has had a few very busy days! She enjoys finding a sunny place on the sofa to lay quietly and reflect on her thoughts :)

For starters....Sassy got to try her first blueberry........

Sassy says: "Mmmmmmm Mom! That was yummy!"

Sassy and Roxy take begging to a whole new level :)

They both enjoy laying on foster dad's chest just waiting to dive in to scoop up the crumbs!

Not even a new episode of the Dog Whisperer could break their focus!

"Grandma" also came for a visit. Sassy who took no interest in greeting anyone at the door 3 weeks ago, has now become the VP of the Welcoming Committee here! (video above)

Sassy and Roxy often enjoy taking "cat-naps" together. Usually Roxy takes the top-bunk, and Sassy shuffles to the bottom, but sometimes they mix it up to keep it interesting :)

Nothing wakes up these girls like the sound of the cheese bag crinkling! Looks like they are ready for Begging: Round II

3 Weeks!

I can't believe Sassy has been here 3 weeks already! Where does the time fly? Well Sassy has been a busy girl learning how much fun it can be to be living life as a confident canine :)

When she first arrived, she had no leash manners at all. Now she walks perfectly beside me and will rush to the front door when we say the "w" word with great enthusiasm! She will put the brakes on occasionally if something startles her - and for this reason we have her on a martingale (or "anti-slip") collar so that if she does this, we can continue walking without having to worry about her slipping out. Easy as pie! When she first arrived, she was pretty petrified of my husband - now she just adores him, although I must admit, she is a big mamma's girl if I do say so myself :)

While Sassy is great with dogs in her pack in our home - she is still nervous meeting them on walks and chooses to stay close vs venturing out to say "hello". If the dogs are very energetic and insist on getting in her space she will snap at them. Given how far she has come with us in only 3 weeks we remain completely confident and hopeful that with continued exposure to new dogs on walks she will see how much fun it is to make furry-friends!

Sassy is a silly girl who loves to follow us around the house just so she doesn't miss out on anything. She also continues to enjoy the treasures in the toy box and asked me to introduce you to some of her very favourites.

#1. Bronson The Dinosaur Nylabone!

Sassy says: "There is nothing like a good morning chew like Bronson!"

#2. Frosty the Penguin

Sassy says: "Frosty, you're so squishy and I love it when you squeak at me"

#3. (Sassy asked us to save the best for last!) Templeton the Roadkill Rat

As you can see, Sassy was a little confused as to why Templeton got to sit on the chair all by himself when he's usually being dragged from room to room in her mouth :)



ANIMAL HOARDING

There was a fantastic story the other night on W5 "When Keeping Pets Turns from Caring to Cruelty"
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/MSNHome/20110304/w5-animal-hoarders-110305/

I've attached the link above as I feel it provided good information and awareness on this very serious issue. LOYAL takes in many dogs that are products of such situations......including our very own sweet Sassy who was born in and lived in this environment before she was rescued!

2 Weeks with Sassy!

The "Sasquatch" (as my husband likes to call her) has grown quite comfortable with us! I can't believe how settled in she is after being with us for only 2 weeks! I had anticipated it would have taken MUCH longer for her to get this comfortable since she was so terribly nervous upon arrival and enjoyed spending most of her time under the bed or in her crate. NOT ANYMORE!

Sassy looooves to be with us and is such a happy little girl. She took an immediate liking to me, however was quite nervous around my husband. Now....only 2 weeks later, she races over to him when he calls her and jumps up to rest on his chest when he is snacking (she knows he will share! lol).

As you can see from the below link...she still enjoys romping in the backyard with Roxy!

Sassy would love to have another dog in her new home to play with! Our girl Roxy can be on the bossy side at times....and Sassy gets along famously with her.

After a good play, Roxy and "The Sasquatch" just like to sit back and chill out......and can be found either people-watching or napping :)

She is just such a darling little girl and is going to make a fabulous addition to one lucky family. Please consider adopting this precious furry!

You won't know how you ever lived without her!

Gremlin?

                        

               Okay, does anyone see the resemblance between Sassy and Gizmo (the Gremlin)?!?!?!?

This made me laugh, so I thought I would share :)

One Week with Sassy!

Miss. Sassy has been with us for almost one week now. We have managed to come up with many nicknames for her some our favourites being....Sassy-Monster.....Sassimo.....Silly-Sassy.....Sassinator.... and Sassirole (to name a few!).

She continues to love romping in the backyard with our Roxy. Sometimes she gets so excited to run outside that she basically throws herself off of our deck (instead of taking the 3 stairs down!) so her little body can get a good head start on the race to the back fence :) A short video clip below:

It hasn't taken Sassy long to find the treasures in the "toy box" we have upstairs and down. Her favourites are by far the nylabone chews! She happily surrenders any toys or bones to me whenever I reach for them. A short video clip below:

 Sassy continues to be a very good girl with no accidents!!!! She has also been very respectful in the house, being very careful to use her toys for chewing (and not our shoes or furniture, which we certainly appreciate!). She stays quietly in her crate when we go out, however she does bark when she hears us come back. Sassy is learning very quickly that in order to come out of her crate, she must sit quietly inside first (smart girl!). She also sleeps soundly in her crate at night (which is in our bedroom) with no incidents to report at all. I have really found this little girl to be a very low maintence dog - she likes to play, and she likes her walks, but she sure enjoys sleeping the day away in any sunny patch on the floor that she can find.

Her leash manners are coming along nicely, however she gets nervous when new people and new dogs approach/come towards her. We continue to work on this daily since we know that practice makes perfect!

This little cuddle-bug has just had such a rough start to life....having at least 4 different homes in her short 12 months! Please consider making this precious furball a loved member of your family!

Big Steps....Not so Scary!

So when Sassy arrived a few days ago...she was petrified of going up and down the stairs. Then she decided it was okay to follow me up....but would have nothing to do with going down!

Last night, I put Sassy's leash on her and tied it to my waist. I walked around the mainfloor with her following behind...and headed straight up the stairs. At the top, Sassy would "sit" and get a treat! Then I would do one lap upstairs and head down the stairs. She put the breaks on, but with her leash around my waist she had no other option but to follow me back down! At the bottom of the stairs, she would "sit" and get a yummy treat.

No word of a lie we did this little exercise for 5 minutes and now she has no issues with the stairs at all and flies up and down them like she is a superstar :)

She also decided to watch some tv with my husband and opted to lay with us vs hiding in her crate or under the bed. BIG steps Sassy! We're so proud!

More Sassy!

Sassy has one of those faces that can melt your heart....and of course the endearing snorting....grunting and other pig-like noises that she makes only add to her charm! Doesn't she look like a little ewok or gremlin?

She loves a good romp in the backyard and always gives her head and body a good shake after diving in the snow banks!



We have had her now for 3 days. She is really still settling in, but its obvious that her socialization with new things and people will take continued practice. She has really taken to me but in Sassy's world, the jury is still out on my husband :)

I would not say she is housetrained because to me a "housetrained" dog will ask to go outside when they need a potty break (which she doesn't do) BUT we have her on a routine, and to date she remains accident free and she knows what to do when we open the door! Sassy is crate trained, and actually really enjoys spending time in it, often sneaking in a nylabone chew toy or a fluffy sqeaker.

Today I was able to have Sassy sit for her food and leave it until I said "ok" so I know this is one smart cookie!

Super Sassy

We would like to introduce you to Super-Sassy!

Sassy joined LOYAL Rescue early January and was adopted......

but unfortunately was returned today due to allergies.

Sassy does have a beautiful, long, silky coat - but please note....*she does shed*

Sassy is 1 year old. She is marvelous with other dogs, and would likely be great with dog savvy cats as well.

While she is friendly and likes to snuggle, we are working on exposing her to all of the nice things this world has to offer for sweet little poochies just like her! Please check back. We will provide updates.