While I was visiting my parents in Florida,

Emmet, Finn, and Riley

Finney vacationed at littermates Emmett's and distant cuz Riley's house where he was on the receiving end of incredible hospitality from Allison and Ted.

Finn got there just in time for a major storm

If dogs can have God parents, Allison and Ted are surely Finney's, even down to the part about if anything was to happen to me and I could no longer care for him, they would take him into their home in a heartbeat. If it wasn't for Allison and Ted, Finney wouldn't even be our dog. They bought him for us last summer on barter for training.

Best barter ever no?

Littermate Keyna came over for a birthday party, complete with goodie bags and doggie cake.
Riley, Keyna, Finnegan, and Emmet

Looks like he had himself a nice vacation doesn't it?

Charlee was at my sister's house with her golden cousins Belmont and Tess. They got two off leash runs in a huge field every day and many trips in the car. Linda reported that Charlee was the first on the bed at night and the last off in the morning. She also reported that Charlee had lightning fast recalls and was a perfect house guest...until her last day. Linda claims Charlee knew she was leaving and waited until the very last day to take off in the field to lick a barbeque grill clean at a church parking lot, and stole half a loaf of bread off the counter. That's my girl!

And for those of you wondering what happened to Brewster, he went home and is back and doing really well, and very very hungry. Go figure!

A huge thank you to Allison (and of course Ted) for taking such great care of Finn and for these wonderful pictures.

Bet you thought Cupid was a dog eh?

No blogs this week-On vacation!

Meet Riley, a group Manners class member.

Riley is 8 months old and he came from a shelter in Pennsylvania. He stands only about 15 inches at the withers, and weighs under 30 pounds.

Riley is quite clever and quick. He can be a bit unsure of new things, but is quick to warm up. I just love that little guy!

Your mission, is to take your best guess at what breed he is and while you are at it, how about naming his breed? I am sure Donna will have a few creative ideas to get you all started. A few people, myself included thought he looked a bit like Carolina dog, but the color is wrong, and oh those ears! There seems to be quite a few dogs in there. My best guess is that he is a Cattle Dog mix, but his head is a bit Sheperd looking and there is no doubt he looks like a wild Dingo!

Your "what the heck kind of dog breed is Riley" comments are most welcome!

What do you think about...
-dingocatilina dog
or a...
-shepolina heeler

I love getting pictures of clients and I had to share this photo. On the far couch is Jerry, an Italian Greyhound who is only about 8 months old. In the foreground is his three year old Great Dane sister Mabel and I have had the honor of working with both dogs. Mabel recently passed her AKC Canine Good Citizen test and Jerry is currently in my CGC class working towards his. As you can imagine, their human really needs to switch gears when working with each dog.

Jerry's current challenge is the first three parts of the test where he has to sit for petting. He is a sweet excitable boy. They are doing a great job of teaching him that rewards only come when he is firmly planted. Many people teach agility start line stays in this way and we have really found it works for Jerry.
And Mabel, despite her great size is a big baby. The three minute out of sight stay is where she had the biggest challenge, but she passed with ease.
Way to go Mabel!

In case you were wondering, the two dogs play incredibly well together.

Leave it to Gina, ace syndicated pet columnist to get to the bottom of the "Beneful is killing dogs with moldy dog food purchased at Walmart" rumor that has been flying around the Internet. Several days ago the Net started buzzing with such claims, and then many of you started asking me why I hadn't blogged it yet. I didn't blog it because it was all rumor, and could not be substantiated. On Pet Connection yesterday, Gina linked to the Texas article that started it all. Apparently a few dogs have died under very similar circumstances after eating the product. You can read the article here.

For questions or concerns, call the company direct at:
(888) BENEFUL (236-3385)

"Foster dogs frequently come with baggage: fear of certain things or certain types of people, a lack of experience with grooming, discomfort with being on a leash or in a car. Baggage requires me to work to overcome it, to turn the suitcase from a 26-incher into a small carry-on, if I can".

I just loved the above quote taken from a very sweet article written by pet columnist and foster dog parent
Maryanne Dell who writes about her new foster dog and about how hard she is trying not to fall in love with her. In the wonderful world of rescue, "failed foster" is the term we jokingly apply to dogs who are adopted by their foster families. This is meant as a term of endearment as the majority of foster homes are incredible dog people and wonderful homes for any lucky dog.
But failed fosters often mean the end of their fostering career. It may be to much on the resident dogs to add yet another dog into the home, and more likely the town has a number restriction of how many dogs a resident is allowed to have.
While not largely publicized, some rescue organizations encourage people that are not quite ready for a new dog to foster and "try on" a few dogs for size. Rescues and shelters are always in desperate need for foster homes, and any little bit helps, BUT, do not take this huge responsibility on if you don't think you have what it takes to keep the dog until it is adopted. That will only make more headaches for already overworked rescuers.

If you have been thinking of fostering, what are you waiting for? You can start by contacting a breed rescue of choice, your local shelter or any of a multitude of local rescues. Here is a sample list of local organizations to get you started.

We will be fostering for New England Border Rescue in the not too distant future.

About the photo-
Dina and young Charlee shortly after adoption. Charlee had been in an NEBCR foster home for just over 2 weeks.

Posted by Nancy Freedman-Smith at 09:09 AM
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