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.