Donna,
 
Just wanted to give you an update on Lucas.  He is doing great and fitting in with our family wonderfully.  The first couple days he was still a bit somber, but the last few days he has been getting more and more energetic and playful.  He seems to be picking up on things pretty well.  He is sitting on command, using his crate at night to sleep, and doing fairly well on the house training.  The first couple days he was a little leary about being outside, but now he is enjoying it.  We actually just came in from outside a few minutes ago.  Him and our two little ones were running and chasing each other around the yard.  They were just having a blast.  He has been great with the kids; playing but not to rough.  We are really enjoying him. 
 
We made an appointment with our vet to get his 3rd round of shots and his neutering so that will be taken care of.  We also took him to the pet center that first day we picked him up for a cleaning and they said that he did great with the bath. 
 
So we just wanted to thank you for helping us to add Lucas to our family. 
 
Cathy, Don & family

Hi Donna,

I just wanted to update you on our little girl, Fiona (a.k.a. “Cutie”). She has completely adjusted to the household and has established her dominance in the pack as the #2 dog out of four (only behind our 10yr old, 125lb. rottie/shepherd).

Just as we had hoped, she and her 2.5yr old brother, Conor, are the best of friends. Fiona and Conor go everywhere together and play all the time. Although Conor is 4 times her size, he is very gentle with her and he adores her as much as she adores him.

She’s also growing like a weed! We’re going to the vet today to get her last series of puppy shots! She’s a very smart little girl and very treat-oriented so her training is progressing well.

We had our first outing at the beach last weekend and she loved it! She’s a water babyJ I’ve attached a picture of our time at the beach.

I hope all is well with you. Thank you again for arranging her adoption to us – I’m so glad you didn’t give up despite the obstacles we had!

Best regards,

Haley & Brendan Joyce

Linda Rusch

 

Hi Donna...

We have been having SO much fun with our new babies.  They are SO precious and we consider ourselves extremely fortunate to be their guardians.  Our kids were over yesterday and I took a really great picture of Eric with Bella and Beau Bear.   I thought you might enjoy the picture too.  Our kids are both quite taken with these two little ones. 

The furry baby beside Eric is our granddog...their dog Sweet Pea.  She started herding the puppies outside...it was really interesting.  She wouldn't touch them but would make sure they were okay.  She is an Australian Shepherd (miniature) which is a naturally herding type of a dog.

Also I've attached a picture of the babies in part of our back yard.  They love it there and really wear themselves out chasing and wrestling with each other.  So much fun to watch. One of us is always out there with them.  Puppies love to explore and we don't want them to get into trouble.  They are just fun to watch.

Hope all is going well....thank you again for your help in bring this extra joy to our home.

Sharon & Family & Furry babies

Dear Donna, Darlene, Jennifer, and Wags-to-Riches Staff and Volunteers,

We extend a heartfelt thank you for your services and especially for our wonderful new family member, Bailey. We are truly grateful to have her with us. She brings us and those she meets great pleasure. She is a wonderful, extremely smart, affectionate little bundle of joy. We feel so lucky to have her with us.

To think I almost turned her down when her breed was in question is horrifying. We searched for months for a Border Collie lab mix (our last dog, Border Collie/lab was so wonderful that we were hoping for a similar temperament) so when we found Bailey through petfinder we were excited. Her location, age, and being listed as Border Collie/Lab, made her a great match for us. So, when Jennifer said she might be terrier and Sheppard, I certainly had doubts. But, we have no doubts about how much we love her. She’s a great dog for us.  And, as it turns out, she certainly acts, and has the smarts of a Border Collie cross of some kind. When people ask, “what kind of dog is she,” I always say, “precious!”

Jennifer, thank you so much for being such a wonderful foster mom. Bailey is a very well-adjusted, affectionate puppy. It’s obvious that you spent a lot of time loving and caring for her. And, she was pretty much house broken when I adopted her due to your kennel training. For the first four days, she never had an accident in the house – obviously a puppy genius! She has had a few slips, but is generally great about going to the door and asking to go out.

She learns things extremely fast. She learned “Bailey come,” during one very short training session, and the same with “sit,” and “leave it.” She’s also doing well with ”heel,” and walks nicely on her leash. Yesterday she learned “out of the kitchen.” However, she does test me now and again – today when I called her, she looked at me and ran into the woods, this is a first! She’s confident and starting to be more independent although is very willing to please and sensitive to being scolded.

She is good about chewing on her toys and not chewing on things that are off limits. So far, the only chew casualties are a fax machine cord and an ornament that had an irresistible macramé hanger.

Bailey is enjoying life in Alaska . We go to Sandy Beach, just a five-minute walk from our house, almost every day. She meets lots of dogs and people at Sandy Beach and also enjoys digging in the sand, chasing sticks, wading in the water, and romping.  We’ve also taken walks on several trails around Juneau and Douglas .  I call her “jungle girl” as she loves to hide and explore in the woods and go off-trail on our trail walks. The majority of our trails are “off-leash” areas.

She has been to softball games, and attended one softball tournament where she was the assistant scorekeeper and star attraction.  She’s attended a potluck party and a birthday party and enjoys meeting new people, especially kids.

Bailey goes to work with Butch (her dad, my husband) every weekday and meets and greets everyone that comes by his office. I’ve also brought her in to my office at Fish and Game a few times to meet everyone.

Shortly after arriving in Juneau , we took her to meet Dr Lisa Kramer, her vet, and received her 10 wk shots. She was a big hit with everyone in the office and received treats and lots of attention.

We had one scary event while I was out of town for a bike relay race in the Yukon two weeks ago. Bailey had an allergic reaction to something. Butch noticed her scratching and itching and called Dr Kramer for an appointment that day. By the time they got to the vet a couple hours later, she had hives and swollen eyes. Lisa gave her an injection of Benadryl and then Butch gave her a couple of follow-up liquid doses orally later. She hasn’t had another allergic reaction so we are hoping it was a one-time reaction to something, possibly a local plant – Indian Rhubarb.

Yesterday she went for to see Dr Lisa Kramer for her 13 wk boosters and weighed in at 15.4 pounds. After her vet visit we went to puppy kindergarten. She had a blast playing with the other puppies who were all at least a couple of weeks older, and she was a star student.

Another great thing for Bailey has been Uncle Boomer.  We are dog sitting Boomer, a friends wiener dog, for a couple of weeks. I was a bit concerned that Boomer might be snarly with her, but he has been a wonderfully patient and a terrific playmate. They chase and wrestle endlessly. Boomer even lets her steal chew bones and toys from him. He does get tired of her endless playful attacks, and will get up on the couch or in a chair where she is not allowed (and she abides by this unfortunate double standard rule). They will certainly miss each other when Boomer’s person returns next week.

Nancy Long and Butch Carber