Charlie Chaplin found a wonderful family in WI. He has two boys in his family who love him and he gets to go to work with his mom every week. Such a lucky boy!
Noel was also adopted and lives in WI too! She's also a lucky girl and has a family of three who adore her.
Sunday, July 16, 2017
Sunday, March 19, 2017
Chaplin gets a haircut
My last post was mostly about Noel so this one will be about Chaplin.
Chaplin (we call him Charlie...as in Charlie Chaplin) got a haircut a few weeks ago. He was wonderful for the groomer. In fact, when I came to pick him up she came out and told me that she had some good news and some bad news. The good news was that he was great for his grooming and even fell asleep when she was trimming his face. The bad news was that she'd fallen in love and wasn't going to let me take him back home. She was kidding of course but that's the impression Charlie makes on people. They see him, get to know him a little and fall in love.
Chaplin (we call him Charlie...as in Charlie Chaplin) got a haircut a few weeks ago. He was wonderful for the groomer. In fact, when I came to pick him up she came out and told me that she had some good news and some bad news. The good news was that he was great for his grooming and even fell asleep when she was trimming his face. The bad news was that she'd fallen in love and wasn't going to let me take him back home. She was kidding of course but that's the impression Charlie makes on people. They see him, get to know him a little and fall in love.
He's a low-key guy for sure and enjoys life in the slow lane. He's great around the other three dogs here and check out the action when he hears a squeaky toy. He'll politely wait until the other dog is done playing and will then take it and find a spot where he can enjoy it by himself. He'll play for a few minutes (he likes to pull the fuzz off the mini-tennis balls we have) then once he's had enough he'll leave the toy and go find his bed.
I spend a lot of time between the kitchen and the family room and he likes to be where is person is so I have a dog bed in the kitchen. It's a round bed from Walgreens (yes Walgreens...they have nice beds for little ones for about $8-11). In fact, I've got more than just the round one from Walgreens, I've got about 4 for him to choose from but that little round one is his favorite.
He's been great about doing all his potties outside. I work from home and let the dogs out many times throughout the day and that seems to work for him. On the few days I've been gone during the day I have crated him and he's fine with that. But, I imagine he'd be fine even if I left him out for the day although I've never tried it.
He does like walks but he's slow. No pulling on the leash with this guy. He just takes his time waddling along and occasionally sniffing here and there. If he sees someone in their yard or hears a dog barking from inside their house he'll stop and listen and watch like it's all new to him.
He's great with every person he's met, including many teens, and I'll say that everyone who has met him falls in love. He'll met the new person with a tail wag (and maybe a twirl if he's really excited), he'll say "hi" but after a few minutes he'll go find his bed again and resume his nap. Like I said, he likes life in the slow lane.
If we get some time to watch TV at night he will come over and ask to be let up on the couch. He can not jump up that high so relies on someone to lift him. At 11 pounds that's no problem. He then finds a spot and again takes a nap. He's not really into needing to be right on top his person, he likes to be around them, but is not needy for attention.
Charlie is a little guy and doesn't do all the staircases in our house. He'll come up from the basement which has a carpeted flight of stairs but he won't go down that same staircase. He also won't go up or down the hardwood staircase to the second floor. It's no problem, he'll stand at the bottom (or top) of the staircase and give a little bark asking us to come get him which we do. (Charlie manages the few steps to our patio without a problem).
Other than the occasional bark to let us know he'd like someone to help him with the stairs he's a quiet guy. No barking in the yard. He goes out and gets his business done and then comes back in.
He sleeps at the foot of our bed all night (we lift him up...otherwise he could not get up) without a peep. I'm sure he'd be just as happy with a cozy dog bed in the same room.
Charlie came to the rescue heartworm positive. He's been treated for the heartworms and now just needs a monthly heartworm preventative like Heartgard Plus just like any other dog. He had been neglected and in addition to the heartworms had itchy skins and ears. We've got him on a grain free diet now and are giving him medicated baths for his skin and he's doing better everyday. His ears are cleared up and now we're just occasionally bathing his body.
He is one fabulous boy and looking for a special home to call his own. But, if no one comes along that's a-okay in my book because this little fella can stay here as long as he likes. He has a piece of my heart for sure.
Oh, by the way, we've had several vets look at his eye and they've all said that he is congenital...meaning he was born without the one eye...and that there's nothing that needs to be done for it. He does get "eye boogies" in that eye...you know the goopy stuff you get in the corners of your eye...and I just wipe them away with a warm, wet cloth...and that's it. He gets along fine with just the one eye.
Noel continues to do great as well and keep reading for pictures and video of her adventures. She is one special girl too and quickly learned some agility moves. She is younger than Charlie and more energetic. She is good in the house and has stuck to chewing the things she is supposed to. Although I did find my slippers in her bed one day...although still in great condition. She has been good about doing her potties outside lately. She doesn't let us know when she needs to go out but has been good on our schedule.
Thanks!
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| In his favorite resting spot |
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| What a handsome fella! He makes my heart smile! |
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| Miss Noel! My dogs LOVE her. She is so playful and loads of fun! |
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| All of the Fluffy Dogs come from Alabama with most coming from kill shelters. About once a month I volunteer my Saturday by meeting the van from Alabama in Chicago and then driving the dogs up to their rescues in WI. Here is a shot over my shoulder from a few weeks ago. The crates are stacked floor to ceiling. Generally there are about 40-60 dogs in one transport (occasionally some cats too). A few litters of puppies and it's easier than it sounds to get to 60. By adopting a Fluffy Dog you are creating room for yet another to escape a bleak future in Alabama and to take the ride to freedom. CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF CHARLIE CLICK HERE FOR ANOTHER VIDEO OF CHARLIE |
Tuesday, February 21, 2017
Noel learns more and I got video!
Well, this time instead of relying on my camera I had my daughter use my phone to capture video of Noel's (we call her Ellie) agility work. I raised the jump bar up to 10 inches and introduced her to the tunnel. At first Ellie was not interested in going in the tunnel. My daughter and I tossed treats in the tunnel and told her to "go tunnel" but she walked around the tunnel and tried to figure out how she could get to the treats without going in. After a few minutes we got her to take a few steps into the tunnel which was good progress. I thought we were going to have to use the leash to gently coax her through and went inside to grab it. But, by the time I got back outside my daughter had Ellie going all the way through the tunnel on her own! Fantastic!
So, then I put it all together...two jumps and a tunnel. Turn around and do it again. And, gosh after only about 15 minutes of working with her she had it! And, like I mentioned I got video this time and it's linked below. This is fantastic progress for literally 2-20 minute sessions. Wow! This will be the end of our agility for at least a week though since Ellie is getting spayed tomorrow. Like all Fluffy Dogs, she'll be fixed so that she doesn't continue creating more little Fluffy Dogs.
Chaplin (we call him Charlie) had a good day today too! I captured a picture while he was playing with a toy in my office. He's such a great boy! Just love him.
Thanks for reading and thanks for thinking rescue. Keep reading for more updates on Ellie and Charlie.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF ELLIE DOING AGILTY
So, then I put it all together...two jumps and a tunnel. Turn around and do it again. And, gosh after only about 15 minutes of working with her she had it! And, like I mentioned I got video this time and it's linked below. This is fantastic progress for literally 2-20 minute sessions. Wow! This will be the end of our agility for at least a week though since Ellie is getting spayed tomorrow. Like all Fluffy Dogs, she'll be fixed so that she doesn't continue creating more little Fluffy Dogs.
Chaplin (we call him Charlie) had a good day today too! I captured a picture while he was playing with a toy in my office. He's such a great boy! Just love him.
Thanks for reading and thanks for thinking rescue. Keep reading for more updates on Ellie and Charlie.
CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO OF ELLIE DOING AGILTY
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| Why chose just one when you can have them all! |
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| Ellie jumping 10 inches! Look at her fly! |
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| She looks like she's having fun doesn't she! |
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| Great form! |
Monday, February 20, 2017
Camera Trouble...and Noel Learns Agility!
As fate would have it my camera stopped working at the wrong time. I worked with Noel (we call her Ellie) on some agility skills and then had my daughter video tape us so I could share it with you call. Well, all the video and pictures are stuck on the camera. For some reason I can't get them to upload to the laptop. So, you'll have to settle for the below.
Ellie has some terrier spunk for sure. She LOVES to play with the other dogs and I thought perhaps she might be good at agility. So, I got a few pieces of equipment down from the attic and with the great weather we've been having I decided to give it a go in the back yard. At first Ellie was frightened and would not go over the jump. She would plant her feet and slowly move backwards pulling on the leash. Not to worry though. She is food motivated so I put a treat on top of the jump bar and she came over and ate it. I clicked that (more on that later). Then, I progressed from there to the point where I could get her to walk over the jump bar...again click and treat. After about 20 minutes I had her jumping over two successive jumps off leash. Pictures that I took from the viewer on my camera are below. SORRY the camera is not working.
So, what's with the clicking? Well, it's just a method of positive reinforcement training. The click is a way to "mark" the desired behavior and then the treat comes right after the click. After a while you don't even need to use the actual clicker anymore and just a click of the tongue will work. Ellie is a food motivated girl and any form of positive reinforcement training will be great. I just prefer clicker training and clicker training does work quickly.
Ellie is a spunky girl and is really liking our walks. But, she's a terrier and likes to let people passing by know that she's out for a walk by barking. This too is an area where the clicker training can work as I've used this method with my own dogs. As soon as someone comes into view get the dogs attention and click and treat. Pretty soon they'll be focusing on you and not on barking at the others on the sidewalk.
My daughters, 12 and 14, had some friends over this last weekend and Ellie did bark when they first came in the house. However, after about 20 minutes she was fine and wanting some petting.
Ellie loves to play with my dogs and I've noticed that it gets in the way of her doing her business outside. And, when she doesn't do her business outside then we have accidents inside. So, I've begun letting her out in the yard on the leash. I tell her go potty and after she does she then gets a treat and gets let off the leash and can run and play. This has helped things tremendously. She is food motivated and catches on quickly.
Chaplin ...we call him Charlie...continues to do well. He lives life in a much slower lane than Ellie. Some of his easy going nature is probably due to the heartworm treatment which he had about 3 weeks ago. Once they have the treatment they are uncomfortable and need to remain low key for about 4 weeks. Charlie has just a few days to go and he'll be off "bed rest." Keeping his activity low has not been a problem as he just likes to be sleeping wherever the rest of the family is. All the girls' friends just love him. He's a quiet guy and doesn't bark much. He'll give out a little bark if he knows we're in the basement and he wants to join us (he doesn't go down the full flight of stairs) or if he's in the crate and he knows we're near by.
He sleeps quietly in his crate at night or in bed with us. I've snuck him in bed a couple of times and my husband didn't notice...he..he..he. He loves to chew bully sticks! Just a couple days ago I noticed him playing with a toy for the first time. It was very cute to see this otherwise mellow guy have a good time with a stuffed toy.
I work from home and I let the dogs out several times a day and he does just fine on our schedule. He sleeps in a dog bed near my desk or chews on a bully stick while I work during the day.
He is one special boy for sure. He just needs to stay on a monthly heartworm preventative (like heartgard plus) for the next 24 months. He's had his treatment, the heargard just prevents the heartworms from coming back).
Thanks for reading and thanks for thinking rescue! Don't miss the videos linked here
Video of Charlie
Dogs taking treats
Ellie has some terrier spunk for sure. She LOVES to play with the other dogs and I thought perhaps she might be good at agility. So, I got a few pieces of equipment down from the attic and with the great weather we've been having I decided to give it a go in the back yard. At first Ellie was frightened and would not go over the jump. She would plant her feet and slowly move backwards pulling on the leash. Not to worry though. She is food motivated so I put a treat on top of the jump bar and she came over and ate it. I clicked that (more on that later). Then, I progressed from there to the point where I could get her to walk over the jump bar...again click and treat. After about 20 minutes I had her jumping over two successive jumps off leash. Pictures that I took from the viewer on my camera are below. SORRY the camera is not working.
So, what's with the clicking? Well, it's just a method of positive reinforcement training. The click is a way to "mark" the desired behavior and then the treat comes right after the click. After a while you don't even need to use the actual clicker anymore and just a click of the tongue will work. Ellie is a food motivated girl and any form of positive reinforcement training will be great. I just prefer clicker training and clicker training does work quickly.
Ellie is a spunky girl and is really liking our walks. But, she's a terrier and likes to let people passing by know that she's out for a walk by barking. This too is an area where the clicker training can work as I've used this method with my own dogs. As soon as someone comes into view get the dogs attention and click and treat. Pretty soon they'll be focusing on you and not on barking at the others on the sidewalk.
My daughters, 12 and 14, had some friends over this last weekend and Ellie did bark when they first came in the house. However, after about 20 minutes she was fine and wanting some petting.
Ellie loves to play with my dogs and I've noticed that it gets in the way of her doing her business outside. And, when she doesn't do her business outside then we have accidents inside. So, I've begun letting her out in the yard on the leash. I tell her go potty and after she does she then gets a treat and gets let off the leash and can run and play. This has helped things tremendously. She is food motivated and catches on quickly.
Chaplin ...we call him Charlie...continues to do well. He lives life in a much slower lane than Ellie. Some of his easy going nature is probably due to the heartworm treatment which he had about 3 weeks ago. Once they have the treatment they are uncomfortable and need to remain low key for about 4 weeks. Charlie has just a few days to go and he'll be off "bed rest." Keeping his activity low has not been a problem as he just likes to be sleeping wherever the rest of the family is. All the girls' friends just love him. He's a quiet guy and doesn't bark much. He'll give out a little bark if he knows we're in the basement and he wants to join us (he doesn't go down the full flight of stairs) or if he's in the crate and he knows we're near by.
He sleeps quietly in his crate at night or in bed with us. I've snuck him in bed a couple of times and my husband didn't notice...he..he..he. He loves to chew bully sticks! Just a couple days ago I noticed him playing with a toy for the first time. It was very cute to see this otherwise mellow guy have a good time with a stuffed toy.
I work from home and I let the dogs out several times a day and he does just fine on our schedule. He sleeps in a dog bed near my desk or chews on a bully stick while I work during the day.
He is one special boy for sure. He just needs to stay on a monthly heartworm preventative (like heartgard plus) for the next 24 months. He's had his treatment, the heargard just prevents the heartworms from coming back).
Thanks for reading and thanks for thinking rescue! Don't miss the videos linked here
Video of Charlie
Dogs taking treats
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| Photo taken from my camera |
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| Jump #1 Success! |
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| Jump #2 Success! Good Girl! I only have it set to 6 inches right now. Eventually she'll be able to jump her shoulder height which I guess is probably about 10 inches. |
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| Ellie and Missy sleeping. Missy is trying to fit into the little dog bed but doesn't quite make it |
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| Charlie! |
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| Missy...you don't fit! |
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| Three pups taking a nap |
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| My daughter was home from school with a fever and Ellie cuddled up with her on the sofa |
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| Ellie again...letting it all hang out! |
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| Solo on the sofa |
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| Miles doesn't quite fit either |
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| Charlie on a car ride saying hello to the dogs in the car next to us |
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| Mr Charlie! |
Tuesday, February 14, 2017
Happy Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine's Day! Here is the post I put on Facebook today.
These two cuties are looking for love! Noel (left) is a 2 yr old yorkie mix who is full of terrier smarts and spirit. She is very playful with the other dogs in her home but also likes to cuddle up with her foster family when it's TV time. Chaplin (right) is a 5 yr old shihtzu mix who is about as laid back as they come. He's content no matter what is happening. He likes to be near the action in his foster home but is never demanding of attention. He has only one eye which raises his cuteness quotient exponentially. You can read about both at rescue.fluffydog.net.
Noel and Chaplin (remember I call them Ellie and Charlie) are doing great. Noel continues to play, play, play with her foster sister, standard poodle Missy, and has now gotten her foster brother, miniature poodle Miles, into the act. They are all having so much fun. Missy and Miles are both about 8 years old and it's so great to see them having so much fun with all the running and wresting.
Ellie does have an off switch and loves to cuddle when there's no action to be had. She joins any of us on the couch and settles in for a nap. Sometimes she naps with her feet up in the air which is so fun to see.
I'll bet she would be good at agility. She's got the speed and seems to have the smarts. I do think there's some potential there.
We've had some friends over recently and Noel has shown that she is shy when someone new comes in the house. She will stay away for a few minutes but as the other dogs approach the greet the visitor she joins in. Eventually she is sitting on the visitor's lap but it's not instantaneous like it is with the others.
Charlie has been doing great. He's such an easy going guy. He greeted our visitors quickly. He was polite (no jumping) and curious. Once he met them though and got about 5 minutes of petting he was content to go find his bed and lay back down.
He has been very good about doing his potties outside. I work from home so I let all the dogs out several times a day.
He doesn't have the courage to jump up or down from the sofa or bed but will approach and let out a muffled bark or give a pleading look when he wants to be helped. He enjoys laying in bed with me at night while we watch some TV. He doesn't like to be right next to me touching me (hey I don't like to be touched while I'm sleeping either) but lays a foot or two away and curls up for a nap.
He is such a special guy! I just love this little man.
These two cuties are looking for love! Noel (left) is a 2 yr old yorkie mix who is full of terrier smarts and spirit. She is very playful with the other dogs in her home but also likes to cuddle up with her foster family when it's TV time. Chaplin (right) is a 5 yr old shihtzu mix who is about as laid back as they come. He's content no matter what is happening. He likes to be near the action in his foster home but is never demanding of attention. He has only one eye which raises his cuteness quotient exponentially. You can read about both at rescue.fluffydog.net.
Noel and Chaplin (remember I call them Ellie and Charlie) are doing great. Noel continues to play, play, play with her foster sister, standard poodle Missy, and has now gotten her foster brother, miniature poodle Miles, into the act. They are all having so much fun. Missy and Miles are both about 8 years old and it's so great to see them having so much fun with all the running and wresting.
Ellie does have an off switch and loves to cuddle when there's no action to be had. She joins any of us on the couch and settles in for a nap. Sometimes she naps with her feet up in the air which is so fun to see.
I'll bet she would be good at agility. She's got the speed and seems to have the smarts. I do think there's some potential there.
We've had some friends over recently and Noel has shown that she is shy when someone new comes in the house. She will stay away for a few minutes but as the other dogs approach the greet the visitor she joins in. Eventually she is sitting on the visitor's lap but it's not instantaneous like it is with the others.
Charlie has been doing great. He's such an easy going guy. He greeted our visitors quickly. He was polite (no jumping) and curious. Once he met them though and got about 5 minutes of petting he was content to go find his bed and lay back down.
He has been very good about doing his potties outside. I work from home so I let all the dogs out several times a day.
He doesn't have the courage to jump up or down from the sofa or bed but will approach and let out a muffled bark or give a pleading look when he wants to be helped. He enjoys laying in bed with me at night while we watch some TV. He doesn't like to be right next to me touching me (hey I don't like to be touched while I'm sleeping either) but lays a foot or two away and curls up for a nap.
He is such a special guy! I just love this little man.
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| Wrestling with Miles |
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| Pooped after all that playing |
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| They are all waiting for treats so nicely. All of these dogs are from Alabama. Missy, Charlie, Miles and Ellie |
Friday, February 3, 2017
Welcome Chaplin and Noel
We've got two really wonderful fosters at our house right now. I'll start by introducing you to Chaplin.
Chaplin (we call him Charlie) has been here two weeks now. He is very easy going and quiet guy. He rolls with everything and does so with a tail wag. This little guy has one eye. We believe it's a birth defect and the vet we consulted indicated it did not need to be removed. He gets around just fine with one eye. During the day he will find his crate or a blanket or dog bed and take a nap. He is just precious. I've had some family and friends over recently and everyone who meets him just goes "awww." I'll admit he needs a good haircut (I haven't had time to take him for one) so with the disheveled look, only one eye and his happy demeanor he just melts hearts! He's a quiet guy. He will whimper a little if I'm somewhere he can't get to (he's not attempted the full flight of stairs down the basement yet) but that's about it. He's a pretty low key guy. He sleeps quietly in his crate all night. When he first came here I had three other male dogs in the house and the two larger males were doing some marking in the house. I think Charlie did some marking too just to keep up with the contest. Now the others are gone and when I let him out he seems less concerned about lifting his leg and will squat to pee. I let him out several times a day and he's doing pretty well doing all his potties outside. I could put a belly band on him to make sure he's 100% but I don't have one that fits. But, belly bands are a great thing to keep male dogs from going when you don't want them to. He is special and looking for a special home to call his own.
Noel just arrived and she fit in quickly. She too is a precious girl. She is younger and more energetic than Charlie. She and my standard poodle, Missy, have had a grand time playing in the house and in the yard. Missy hasn't had this much fun in a few years. Noel is shy when meeting new people but will warm up in a few minutes and some tasty treats help narrow those minutes down even further. After being here only a few days she's very comfortable in our house. After she and Missy have played she's content to find a dog bed and take a nap. Sometimes she will fuss while in the crate but at night she's quiet and sleeps soundly until we get up in the morning. She loves my daughters and is friendly with my husband too. She's only been here a few days and has had some accidents. She's young and just arrived so I think as she gets used to the schedule we'll see improvement. She is a gorgeous dog and YES one ear really does stand up.
Don't miss the videos at the bottom of this page. Note that we call Noel "Ellie." Noel sounded too much like "no" according to my daughter so we went with the "Ellie" instead. If you are interested in applying for Charlie or Ellie please refer to them as their rescue names Chaplin and Noel on your application.
Thanks for reading and thanks for thinking rescue.
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| Noel napping |
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| I woke her up |
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| Doesn't look comfortable but she's sound asleep |
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| Now THAT looks comfortable |
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| She's looking up at me so both ears and up |
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| Here's a normal view of her |
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| Charlie and my daughter |
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| PRECIOUS! HOW CAN YOU RESIST? |
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| Again looking up at me |
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| Charlie catching some sun |
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| Missy and Noel playing in my office |
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| Then they continued outside |
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| Running.... |
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| ....and running |
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| Pretty girl! |
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| Mr Precious |
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| The two of them |
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