Foster Dog Blog #4

[Kathy Janes]

Gus has been with us for three full weeks now. He's really starting to feel secure here and he and Mater have become great buddies. But he definitely wants to be the alpha dog of the two and Mater isn't used to that. I think perhaps it comes from Gus having been altered much later in life while Mater and most of his friends were less than a year when they were neutered. Gus is a leg lifter and scent spreader, for certain. I keep trying to teach him not to water my flowers!

Tom's brother said Gus reminded him of Falkor, the luckdragon in The Neverending Story. I think it's his big dark eyes and long ears that fly when he runs. I hope he is a luckdragon to some family in a few weeks when he's ready to be adopted.

Last week we found out Gus likes California Rolls. We wanted a light dinner and were sitting on the patio eating when Tom thought of something he'd left in the car that he needed. Then Gus needed picking up after in the yard so I got up to take care of that (immediate attention to removing feces is part of the parasite treatment). When I looked up, there was giant Gus with his front feet on the table, towering over it and scarfing away at the sushi. He didn't seem to hear me when I hollered NO NO NO! But he did leave us each one roll. He's a counter cruiser too, finding anything left out – including two covered butter dishes by the toaster. But he was careful and didn't break a thing! I guess we know he likes sushi and butter just about as much as dog food! Maybe even more...

We took him to observe Mater's obedience class again this week. He's so insecure around the large group of dogs. He'll wag his tail and want to sniff, then will growl if they get close. It's like he's confused as to whether they are friends like Mater, or the enemy. It makes me wonder if he was ever attacked by a pack of dogs while he was a stray. He seems to want to be friends, and he sees how happily all of them play with one another before and after class. But he is somehow fearful as well. Maybe it just reminds him of the dogs at the Humane Society, where all were afraid, nervous and fearful. And I'm sure some there were aggressive too.

After class we went for custard again, and he seemed more relaxed with the smaller group of Mater's friends. A couple of young children, probably 4 or 5, came up to visit him and he was very good with them. It was nice to see that, especially because they really loved him and seeing everyone enjoy the petting was so much better than if he had been frightened by them and consequently frightened them. We plan on getting him together with some grade school kids this week so that we can see how he is with that age. Oh, by the way, he loves having his own custard cone too! (No, we aren't spoiling him – much!)

Gus loves the sprinklers so much it's nearly impossible to keep him out of the water. But he lets us dry him off with a towel before coming back in. He's so good about letting us lift his feet, one by one, and dry between his toes. We trained Mater as a puppy to wait and be toweled by the door whenever he came in from the rain or snow. Someone must have done this with Gus too, as he responded like it was the most normal of things.

Yesterday we took them both for a ride in the Bronco and he loved it. He sat tall and proud as the wind rushed past him, bringing all the hundreds of smells. He was buckled in (Mater always wears his doggie seatbelt in the Bronco). Gus just needed a cowboy hat to have been the tallest, proudest cowpuppy this side of the Mississippi!

I write about so many of Gus's good qualities and the fun we are having with him. He is so sweet and loving. But it's important to share that there are times that are stressful. The first time was when he had a cob of corn from the trash in his mouth. When I tried to have him release it he growled at me and acted suddenly hostile. But I grabbed a dog biscuit and he willingly traded me for it and the whole event was over just like that. We have had a couple of instances when something similar occurred and a simple trade seems enough to satisfy him completely. Gus and Mater have never gotten into even a slight spat, but I think that's because Mater is very unaggressive and generous. He'd always rather play than fight! It is good to see that Gus doesn't hold onto his aggressive moment. As long as we are patient and gently offer him a better choice, he is eager to please us and all is good. He was particularly playful one night and grabbed the sleeve of my favorite sweatshirt and I figured it was a goner. Thankfully a little firm discipline did get him to release it and settle down. My sweatshirt was just a little slobbery, but survived intact!

Gus clearly needs to learn how to socialize with other dogs, and he should continue with more obedience training. A small class would be great for him and his forever family. The bonds created by working together are amazing, and you really get to know each other in the best way possible. He is so smart and wants so much to please and do things “right”. My guess is that he would also enjoy agility given the chance, and as gentle as he is with the right training he could also be a wonderful therapy dog.

By next week we will probably know when he'll be able to be released to his forever family. I don't know if we can ever really prepare for that, but I guess we'd better start thinking about it! I'm posting new photos on the Doodle Rescue Collective Inc. today too. Enjoy them!

[F, Calla & Luca]

You are doing an incredible job. It is a very good thing and he is a lucky doodle.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Thanks for all the work and effort you guys are putting into helping Gus. He is a real cutie and is going to make someone an awesome companion!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

It all sounds like great progress, Kathy. Thanks for all you're doing for him....I headed to the DRC site to see the pictures.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

It sounds like Gus is getting comfortable enough at your house to start relaxing and showing his real personality!
Clearly, he has an educated palate, lol!
You & Tom are doing such an amazing job with him, Kathy! Thank you again for fostering him and for keeping us all UTD on the adventures of Gus!