Quick Doggie Update

I have a sweet dog laying on an afghan next to me on the sofa. The spring is back in her step. She has regained her puppy-like peppiness.

I have a sweet dog laying on an afghan next to me on the sofa. The spring is back in her step. She has regained her puppy-like peppiness.

We’ll be watching the hardness of Doppler’s food for the next few days and of course she’ll continue to receive the antibiotic. We are happy to see the outward effects of having a tooth pulled are gone.

Good puppy.

Poor Doppler

Doppler doesn’t have the advantage of reading! She is dependent on us.

Poor Doppler. She only joined the Fox family a few weeks ago and we’ve already sent her to the vet to have a tooth removed. She’s on-the-mend now, but she was a sad panda yesterday.

I have had teeth pulled. When the dentist is done you’re sent home with a list of instructions. Doppler doesn’t have the advantage of reading! She is dependent on us.

Her food has quickly shifted from dry to moist. Her treats have gone from hard to soft. No stairs for Doppler! At the moment she’s getting chauffeur service between the first to second floors.

She was wobbling yesterday, but a little more sure footed today. Hopefully she’ll be back to her sweet self within the next few days.

Dog In A Bag

Doppler went in her bag, formerly Roxie’s bag! She was quiet, content and cooperative.

I have cousins who live in California. They’re getting ready to move east. Today we helped them look for a place in Duxbury, MA. It’s south of Boston, seaside, reminiscent of Madison.

It’s 3-3:30 hours from here. One of those places you can get to by two very different routes-I95 through Providence or I91 to I84 to the Mass Pike.

We’ve got Doppler now. Out-of-house trips must be more carefully thought out.

Doppler went in her bag, formerly Roxie’s bag! She was quiet, content and cooperative.

It was great seeing our cousin and Helaine’s good company. The trip went well.

Doppler The Dog Update

Steve said he didn’t want to give Doppler back! If one dog is fun, two dogs are twice… maybe three times the fun.

Our new dog Doppler has been responsible for a lot of email over the past few days. Where was she while we went to Milwaukee? How is she adjusting to life with the Foxes?

Doppler spent Thanksgiving with family! She was at Cheryl and Steve’s with her brother Bentley.

When I first met Doppler at the pound in Wallingford I noticed her ‘tough love’ relationship with Bentley. That hasn’t changed. They spent a lot of time on the floor with Doppler’s open mouth around Bentley’s neck. This is how they play! Doppler never hurts Bentley and vice versa.

Steve said he didn’t want to give Doppler back! If one dog is fun, two dogs are twice… maybe three times the fun.

Doppler adjusted to life in our house instantly. Other than her play with Bentley we have never seen an aggressive move. In fact I haven’t even heard her bark (Helaine has once when the washing machine was objecting to an unbalanced load of towels).

She has no desire to chew so we’re thinking with time she’ll be safe as a ‘free range’ puppy. Right now we plan on isolating her in the mud room when we go out.

The downside to her lack of chewiness is her disinterest in toys. She just doesn’t care! Yesterday I squeaked a little ball incessantly before rolling it down the hall right in front of her. Nothing.

We’re pretty sure she was house trained before she got to us. When she wants to go she gives reasonably obvious clues.

She sleeps at the foot of the bed on top of the covers. When she wakes up she gets very licky even if you’re still asleep.

Part of our goal is to have Doppler travel with us. This afternoon Helaine put her in a shoulder bag made for carrying dogs. Though she was a little reticent to get in once she was there she made no effort to get out. We assume our Sherpa bag for airplane travel will be similarly received.

She’s the perfect dog to carry if you want to get picked up by a supermodel… at least that was Helaine’s assurance to me. Supermodels, you already know how to reach me to try this theory out.

We are incredibly lucky. You can be lucky too. Local shelters, like the pound in Wallingford where we found Doppler, are jam packed with puppies looking for a little loving.

Doppler: Now I Have The Photos

The vet said it was bar none, one of the worst cases he’d ever seen.

I’ve traded emails over the last day with Lisa at the Wallingford pound where we got Doppler. Though I’m happy Doppler’s with us (and her brother Bentley is with our friends Cheryl and Steve) I am getting more-and-more upset by the treatment these dogs received before they were rounded up.

Lisa wrote:

The vet said it was bar none, one of the worst cases he’d ever seen.

Helaine asked I not publish the ‘before’ pics. They are disturbing.

Bentley was the worst – his poop was trapped to his skin due to his matted fur. His entire back end was ulcerated. 🙁

Doppler was such a mass of knots we could not determine her front end from her back end with ease.

As far as we can tell there’s no lasting sign of Doppler’s mistreatment. Dogs live in the moment.

There’s nothing wrong with getting a dog that’s been bred for sale. Roxie, Stef’s oversized mini dachshund, is an AKC registered pup. However, if you just want a dog to love there are plenty of them locally at shelters. Like Doppler they clean up good!

Cheryl wrote me earlier this evening.

My eyes filled up with tears of joy that we adopted these little ones, and even though the remaining dogs there need homes, I really feel they have one with those WONDERFUL , caring people that work there and love those dogs like they were their own.

She is talking about Lisa, Dean and the rest of the folks in Wallingford. I couldn’t agree more.

This Isn’t A Good Dog. This Is A Great Dog.

She’s adorable–sure. She’s also gentle and well behaved. This isn’t a good dog. This is a great dog.

Our new family member Doppler is a gem. She’s also housebroken! We discovered that tonight when Helaine took her upstairs to go to bed. Doppler obviously wasn’t ready.

While Helaine was washing up and I sat watching TV Doppler paced. Something was bothering her. Finally she jumped off the bed and headed downstairs. I followed.

Doppler’s only been in the family since 1:00 this afternoon, but I’ve already gotten used to her pace. Now she was moving faster. She knew I was behind her. She wanted to lose me.

She took a left then another left toward the kitchen. I caught up with her in a back room behind the family room.

I’ve seen this behavior in dogs before. She was looking for a place to go. She was looking for privacy.

I carried her to the front door attached her leash and walked her to the lawn where she quickly did her business.

I brought her back upstairs to Helaine, but five minutes they were both in the hall again heading toward the stairs. Doppler was still restless.

Helaine wondered if she just didn’t want to sleep in the bed?

This time Helaine took her outside where Doppler completed the cycle. In two brief trips outside she performed a three!

That was over two hours ago. I haven’t heard a sound since.

Doppler wouldn’t go to sleep at first because she knew she had to go potty. She understood what she could and couldn’t do in the bedroom. She only headed downstairs because I didn’t catch her clues.

Someone spent the time and effort necessary to train her.

Who dumped this dog? What kind of creep threw this beautiful animal out in the cold and then blocked her exit?

She’s adorable–sure. She’s also gentle and well behaved. This isn’t a good dog. This is a great dog.

I just don’t get it. How was this dog abandoned?

We are glad she’s with us. We’re also puzzled.

Doppler: The Pound Puppy Comes Home

It didn’t take long before she plopped down on an Afghan and took a nap!

We have a dog! Doppler has joined the Foxes. We drove to the Wallingford pound early this afternoon to rescue her. This was Helaine’s first chance to meet her and it was love at first sight!

We took care of the formalities hopped in the car and headed right to Petco. There were supplies to buy.

Doppler had been reasonably calm in the shelter, but as we drove away she became a little tense. Can you blame her? New surroundings. Strange people. Her last few traveling experiences hadn’t been joyous.

We bought a collar and leash, food, toys, sweater (to go with the sweater that came in a goody bag that came with Doppler), bed and a few other things. We started with her in the shopping cart, but as the cart filled up she was picked up and carried.

We also bought an engraved ID tag. You can get them a lot cheaper on EBay, but watching it get etched in a machine was worth the extra few bucks.

We got in the car and headed home. Doppler took this trip on Helaine’s lap. She was starting to calm down–the dog, not Helaine. Helaine will take a while longer.

We know a little bit about our new family member. She is calm and reserved. It didn’t take long before she plopped down on an Afghan and took a nap!

She is curious, but she doesn’t seem to want to put things in her mouth.

No accidents yet. It’s likely she’s house trained, though not our house. I expect that will take a little time.

She barked a little when we first saw her at the pound. She hasn’t barked since and that includes a pizza delivery preceded by a doorbell ring!

With Doppler just sprung from prison we thought a quick check-up at the vet was in order.

She weighs nine pounds. Just right we are told. Her eyes and ears are clear of obstructions. That’s good too.

There’s a little problem with one tooth and an exposed gum. That’s not a major deal, but it allowed the vet to guess at Doppler’s age. He thinks she’s four or five. Our guess was she was one.

Oops.

Doppler is a good jumper! She walked up to the sofa, eyed it briefly and then without a pause levitated herself up. She didn’t ‘just’ make it. She has more jump in reserve!

As I type this Doppler is next to Helaine on the sofa. She is sound asleep.

We could not have asked for more! Doppler is sweet as can be. She has the disposition and temperament we were hoping for.

Welcome home Doppler.

The Best News About Doppler

The truth is local shelters have lots of dogs who would love to come home with you. Not every dog is appropriate for every family, but it’s worth looking.

If you’re just joining us Helaine and I are adopting a dog. We are grateful to the folks from the ‘pound’ in Wallingford who found Charlotte and her brother Wilbur abandoned in a baseball dugout. The entrance to the dugout was blocked to keep them from getting free. It’s a pretty awful story.

I haven’t seen the pictures taken when the two pups arrived at the shelter, but I’m told they’re heartbreaking. That’s all behind them now.

Friday Charlotte becomes Doppler and joins the Fox family. But what about Wilbur?

I just got the good news that our friends Steve and Cheryl are adopting Wilbur who will henceforth be known as Bentley! How cool is that?

With Bentley and Doppler so close they’ll be able to get together for playdates and the occasional sleepover.

Bentley joins his new family Friday as well.

We think these dogs are around a year old, but aren’t sure. Originally Helaine suggested we celebrate Doppler’s birthday November 29. She’d done the research and found that’s Christian Doppler‘s birthday.

Later this afternoon Stef suggested we go with the day Doppler joins us. Perfect. From now on Doppler’s birthday is November 18! Cheryl told me it will be Bentley’s too.

I spoke to Cheryl this evening as she was buying supplies at Petco. She was excited… elated. She told me when she mentioned adoption the Petco associate gave her a coupon book with discounts for the things she’s definitely buying today.

I am told all you have to do is ask to get one. Way to go Petco.

Some people are surprised we were able to get such a really sweet dog locally at the animal shelter. I am one of them!

The truth is local shelters have lots of dogs who would love to come home with you. Not every dog is appropriate for every family, but it’s worth looking.

We are indebted to the folks in Wallingford who saw the inner beauty in these two scruffy mutts and treated them with love and respect until they found homes.

More to come.

More On Doppler The Dog

We want Doppler to be happy, but most of all we want Doppler to do what dogs do best, make the people around her happy.

Yesterday’s blog post about our upcoming puppy adoption has brought lots of response. I am grateful for all the comments and suggestions. Sometimes it’s just impossible to respond, but I read EVERY comment without fail.

Many of you suggested we adopt Doppler’s brother/father/cousin (we really don’t know), Wilbur. We just aren’t prepared to take two, but our friend Cheryl is heading out to Wallingford tomorrow to see if he’s right for her.

If Cheryl takes Wilbur we’ll create our own little ‘mutual aid society’ for dog sitting and the like. We are hoping he’s the right match for her and Steve.

A few of you have written to offer your services for in-home sitting. Believe me, I’ll be keeping those names.

I’ve gotten many recommendations concerning boarding at professional facilities. I suggest anyone with a dog go back through yesterday’s comments. Some readers are very happy with these services, including one where your pup stays in his own little ‘suite’ with a small bed and camera where you can look in.

Your word is good by me.

Helaine has already gone out and purchased a dog car seat. She bought food too, but after some online scouting will be returning it. Too much filler! She’s got the new brand picked out.

Doppler will be sleeping upstairs with us, but we’re getting a crate because being a free range puppy isn’t always appropriate. Though Helaine would like one that’s spacious with enough room for Doppler to stretch out or have friends over for drinks after work the appropriate size is much, much smaller. Dogs have a nesting instinct and do best in a space not much larger than they are.

Friday’s the day.