A little introduction

[Sophia Kelly]

Hi guys, I hope this is the right section to be posting in. I just joined yesterday, and I'd like to share my little doodle's awesome journey. 

We adopted Lucy (who's foster named her Misty, but we decided to change. Already responding to her new name) about two and a half weeks ago. I've always been incredibly dedicated to rescuing animals. I was the type of kid who was always bringing home stray cats, and even once a bird with a broken beak and wing. Almost 3 years ago we adopted a two year old tortie cat from the spca. It was kind of a gamble, I was six months pregnant at the time, but thankfully it turned out amazingly. About three months ago we started talking about adopting a dog. We wanted to take in a dog that probably wouldn't have a great chance of being adopted at the humane society, a large or older dog. In my googling around I found an amazing rescue. They were a no-kill that pulled dogs out of high kill shelters and placed them in foster homes while working to find forever homes. Best of all, they ONLY worked with large or older dogs. After about a month of emailing back and forth with the adoption co-ordinator without being able to find the right match, the co-ordinator casually asked who would be taking care of the dog during the day. As soon as I told her I'm still at home with my daughter she excitedly told me that they had just pulled two doodle puppies out of the emergency shelter after having been seized from the paws r us puppy mill bust. Since doodles are a "designer breed" they hadn't listed them on the website for fear that they might get swarmed with people searching for a cute puppy, but not interested in taking on the responsibility of a rescue dog. They had been waiting to find someone with the time to invest in a puppy, and a stay-at home with a toddler seemed like a great fit to her. A few weeks later we brought Lucy home. 

Lucy is one amazing little dog. She is a golden, with an exceptionally beautiful coat. She has a tight poodle curl, but very very soft and she appears to be non shedding (of course it's a puppy coat, so we'll see). When we first brought her in the door we were a bit concerned with how she'd react to the cat and baby, but sure enough she and the cat touched noses and calmly interacted, and she slept at the baby's feet that night. It hasn't been without challenges, she went from the horrible conditions of the puppy mill straight to a foster home out in the country. We live in an apartment in a very urban environment. It took about a week to get her to walk into the elevator, I would carry the poor shaking puppy down for every walk. She's still timid outside. She isn't quite sure how to react to the cars and people everywhere, but the circle of her outdoor comfort zone is getting bigger everyday. Unfortunately it turned out she loves our cat a little bit too much. She had never met a cat before ours, and seems to think she's another puppy. She spends all day chasing her around and whimpering when the cat decides not to play with her. She's also a little too timid to tell us when she needs to go out. We've been on a very consistent walking schedule, but since she's uncomfortable in the neighbourhood she doesn't always 'go' at the right time or in the right place. Pretty small sacrifices for an awesome pup though :)

There's Lucy's story so far. Looking forward to getting to know all of you.

[Barbara B., Sasha & Oliver]

Lucy sounds like a darling litte puppy and so lucky to have found you.  Puppies are a lot of work but if you are consistant with the training all will fall into place.  My Sasha (goldendoodle) is a bit timid and was frightened when I would take her for walks, the poor thing just did not know what to make of the cars going by.  I worked on this for weeks and weeks by taking her for short little walks as often as I could, I find giving them exposure a little at a time works best.  I try to expose her to all kinds of different things in short spurts which she does very well with.  I have a labradoodle Oliver who is the total opposite, he is very out going and not afraid of anything, they are the best of friends :)   Good luck with your new puppy and I looking forward to seeing lots of pictures !!!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Welcome to Doodle Kisses!  Lucy sounds like a wonderful addition to your family.

[Jane, Rooney & Stuart]

What a wonderful story!  I always believe that we find those that are meant for us - so happy that you found Lucy!!!!  Welcome.

[Anna and Achilles]

Wow, lovely story. Welcome to DK!

[Ginny Nightingale]

Lucky YOU and LUCKY LUCY!! So glad you are all together and that she has found such a loving home! Caution: Doodles are addictive! You might have more than one soon! 

I do not live in an urban area, but I do raise puppies and was thinking that, in addition to what Barbara B mentioned about lots of trips outside, you may want to do some inside training as well--start small and work up with noises--a slightly loud radio, dropping a small metal bowl from a small distance, then gradually increasing the noise level of each event. I do that with the young puppies, then I hold the thing that made the noise and happily say "Touch!" and put it near them--they usually all run over to put their nose to it and this can increase their confidence. If they back off, I try again some other time. The important thing is to keep the noise making a very positive experience...just a suggestion!

[Sophia Kelly]

Thank you (and Barbara of course) for your suggestions. The funny thing with Lucy is that she is just the perfect puppy while indoors. No aversion to loud noises (which is important when you have a two year old in the house haha) no submission wetting, no separation anxiety, nothing at all. We're very lucky she's such an easy pup. She has an incredibly keen sense of smell, and when I take her for her walks she'll put her nose to the ground in the same spot each time, then turn and bolt. It's as if she's decided that's the end of her safety zone. We've managed to expand her horizons down the length of our block on each side, but never all the way around the block. She'll also manage going to the dog park, but that seems to be because the smell of the other dogs close by comforts her. Do you have any suggestions for how to break that 'end of the line' habit she has at the end of our block? I don't want to force it, she shakes and is quite the sad sight, but I do need to show her that no one will hurt her and everything will be okay. Since you raise puppies I'm going to take the opportunity to ask you another nagging question of mine. How much more growing does the typical 5-6 month old doodle have left? Since she's a rescue we have no idea how large her parents were, and she seems to be a bit big for a mini and a bit small for a standard. I'm going nuts trying to figure out how much growing to expect out of her. Sorry for the long reply, just had to jump for some advice :)

[Donna K & Quincy]

Congratulations on your new lucky little puppy. The general consensus on size is double the 4mos weight plus or minus a few pounds.

[Sophia Kelly]

Thank you! I've been on a googling spree trying to figure out what to expect in growth with no luck. Being a puppy mill rescue, we have no idea what her parents were like. So I'd imagine since she was 25 pounds at five months, she's likely just a smallish standard. She's very long and not very tall, and puppies kept in poor conditions always run the risk of having some growth issues, so we weren't able to tell where exactly she fit on the mini to standard spectrum. We actually don't even have a birth date, she could technically be between 4-7 months old, but the vet placed her at turning 6 months in the next week. Your comment cleared up a lot of confusion on my part. Thanks again!

[Doris, Knox & Flash]

Welcome to DK, Sophia! Enjoyed your sweet story -- Lucy is so lucky to have found her forever home with you and your family!

[Deanna & Desi & Cori]

Welcome to DK!  How exciting for you and how wonderful for Lucy.  We have a 17-month-old granddaughter who is with us two days a week, an old cat, and Sedona (our 2 1/2 year old Labradoodle).  Watching the three of them interact is priceless!  

[Sophia Kelly]

Well then you must know how hilarious days can get around here! My daughter just turned two last month, so we have a whole lot of fighting over elmo between the puppy and baby. Sometimes I think my relationship with both of them is doomed to just be a fleeting glimpse of a blur of gold fur and toddler whizzing by from time to time. It must be wonderful to have your granddaughter there two days a week, I think my mom would quite literally kill to get more time on her baby-watching schedule. Thanks for the comment, looking forward to talking to you more in the future :)

[Julie, Izzie & Max]

Welcome to Doodlekisses! So glad you found each other.  What a lucky puppy to have been rescued and find a wonderful home.