Stacey  enjoyed the warmer weather this past weekend. We took her for a two mile hike on Sunday with our dog Zeus and she loved every minute of it. The nice thing is that she doesn't need a lease when you go hiking, since she likes to alway stay about 10-15 feet from you during the walk. She walks great on a lease but I love that she will not run off when we take her off the lease for a longer hike. She trots slightly ahead and then is always looking back to make sure you are keeping up. She stops when we stop and just enjoys being with the group. Here is a picture of her and Zeus as we hold up the leases knowing they are going for a walk.

                                  Stacey is Blossoming

                  

Stacey is glowing with health and vitality these days. In the 3 weeks she has been with us, she has lost three pounds due to just having free roam of the house and outside. She has gained a lot of strength in her hind legs that at first were an issue when we picked her up. She goes up and down the stairs without hesitation now. We have all hard wood or tile floors and she might occasionally slip when she is in a hurry but the chance of that has greatly diminished in the past few weeks.

Stacey has a lot of energy. She loves to play with her ball all the time. Unfortunately, our dog Zeus is a toy hoarder and claims all toys as his own and whenever Stacey gets a toy or ball it is his life’s mission to take it from her. She tolerates the situation extremely well and allows him to take the ball from her mouth.  I think one of the reason she likes the outside so much when someone is out there with her is because Zeus has other activities when he is outside so she can stake a claim to the ball more.

                                 

Stacey loves people. I am not sure of her history before she came to the rescue but one thing is for sure, it did not stop her from idolizing people. When we were at the vets, a couple with children came in and Stacey’s eye lit up and she was so excited to see children. The kids thought she was great and I had to drag her away when our time came to go into the vet’s exam room.

So Stacey loves people, toys and attention. She likes being around other dogs and tolerates our cats and doesn’t really paid them any attention. She is housebroken and doesn’t have to be crated. She lies down and doesn’t bother you when you are eating dinner.

Things we have to on:

1.       She is extremely insecure and follows you and won’t let you out of her sight. She needs to be able to trust again that she will not be left.

2.       If you have snacks on the coffee table during the game, don’t turn your back or she will eat them, much like my husband J

3.       She knows the word sit, but not the word Stay. I think it is too close to her name, so when you say Stay, she thinks you mean Stacey. Trying the word halt now…

4.       She wants a family who will love her for the rest of her life.

So she will make someone a wonderful addition to their family and she is available for adoption. If you want to be her forever family, please contract;

www.almostheaven-golden-retriever-rescue.org

Doji found her Forever Home!

It is with very mixed emotions that I tell you Doji has found her forever home!  On one hand, I'm in jubilation that Doji was adopted, but on the other hand... I miss her dearly already.  Her new mom, Tracey, and doggie sister, Jill, took her home today.  I was very sad to see her drive away, but I know she will have a fabulous and very spoiled life with her new family and I am thankful that I could play a small role in delivering her to such a great home.  There's an empty snuggle bed beside me and a little hole in my heart.  I'll miss reaching over the chair to pet her or having her nose magically find my hand whenever it's not occupied. 

But, Doji's adoption means there's room in my house and my heart for another foster dog.  It may take a few weeks before I can get up to West Virginia to pick up the next dog...   in the meantime, keep checking the blog.  More stories of Stacey and other Almost Heaven foster dogs will be shared! 

And while I have your attention, please take a moment to vote for "Almost Heaven" in West Virginia at http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3
 If Almost Heaven receives the highest amount of votes for West Virginia or overall-- they'll receive a grant that will be used to help rescue dogs like Doji and provide for their medical care.  You can also help more directly by donating  through the chipin site at:
http://www.almostheaven-golden-retriever-rescue.org/

This is Stacey on the left. She and our dog Zeus are tired from playing in the snow. She has more energy than Zeus who is two years younger than her. She is loving being around other dogs. She enjoys playing with balls, games of tug of war and just hanging out with people and dogs alike. When she first came to us, she had a hard time getting up and down the stairs and since we only have tile and hard wood floors, she slipped a lot. Now she marches up and down the stairs, and has really gained strength in her hind legs. She also seems to have lost a little weight since we got her due to all the exercise. She has come so far in just two weeks. She is available for adoption though Almost Heaven Golden Retriever Rescue. She is one of the easier Foster dogs we have had here.

Unexpected Issue with Doji

As I've mentioned, baths for dogs are a very regular weekly event around here.  This morning, I had help lifting Doji into the tub.  I didn't need to draw the curtain to "contain" her. She never tried to get out.  Eventually, she just laid down.  This was great except for the fact that I couldn't wash her underside and once I finally gave up, she wouldn't get up.  I drained the water and she still wouldn't get up. Getting up from a laying position isn't really easy for her when she's in her snuggle bed, let alone in a wet bath tub-- even if it does have a non-slip mat.  After a few minutes of trying to encourage her to stand up, I tried bribing her with food.  No luck.  Finally, we had to lift her out of the tub in a laying position!

I've mentioned that she loves her stuffed hedgehog.  Perhaps I was understating it.  She really LOVES this hedgehog.  She takes it into her crate with her.  She tries to take it outside (we have a strict, "no good toys outside" rule).  She takes it to her dinner bowl, and as I sit here now-- it's a few inches from her face as she's curled up in her snuggle bed.  I'm confident that this hedgehog will be by her side for many years to come.  This morning, she woke up around 6:42 (to be exact).  She moved around the room a bit, but I was totally insistent on sleeping in (I realized this week that she just wants me up to pet her, not necessarily has to go out).  I stood my ground, but by 7:20, she realized she could force the issue.  She used her hedgehog... I heard a cacophony of "honks" (or "moo's" as we call them).  It suddenly occurred to me how obnoxious a teenager with a drum set could be!!!!

Doji Does....

Doji:

• LOVES her bone
• LOVES her hedgehog toy even more 
• LOVES to be petted, especially a belly scratch
• is a total foodie (but not aggressive with us or Toby when we're near her food)
• gently and eagerly takes fish oil 4x a day (have I mentioned she LOVES it-- it only took one pill to get her hooked on this doggie crack and now she hobbles into the kitchen at the sound of the bottle opening)
• snores
• follows me from room to room
• sleeps on the floor in my bedroom
• investigates my dinner plate (I eat in the living room), but never takes a taste
• comes when she's called
• has a hard time getting up after she's been sitting awhile and is wobbly on her legs when she just gets up
• gets playful and mouths you (from the lounging position only)
• wags her tail every time you say her name
• happily goes into her crate at the suggestion (often brings the bone OR the hedgehog with her)
• likes to amble around the backyard exploring
• goes "out" three times a day and comes to the door when she's done to be let in (and be with you)
• can usually be found in whatever room you're in
• is a very happy dog
• can't wait to find her furever home and be treated like she deserves:)

Doji's "does not" list

Day 10-- no accidents, no counter surfing, no garbage eating, no barking, no whining, no anxiety, no aggression, no running away, no destruction, no jumping on furniture, no disobeying orders (sit, come, no), no fear of the crackling fireplace, howling wind or beeps.

AND this lovely lady is available for adoption!  She could be your four legged soul mate for many years to come!