Ok...it's been awhile but I'm planning to get caught up!
Here's our newest rescue - a purebred mini schnauzer registered as Princess Jane. She lived with what seems to be a very nice family that just got way too busy for her and she wasn't a priority. We think she was fed with the 2 heelers they had which meant she got what was left - if anything. A dog her size should eat about a cup of dry food a day so she wasn't even getting that! She weighed just 9 pounds which is at least 3-4 pounds underweight.
But in the 1st 4 days we've had her she's put on 2 1/2 pounds!
She is a very balanced dog as far as her temperament goes so my plan is to certify her as a therapy dog. Once we're a certified, registered therapy team, we can go into Primary Children's Medical Center, and hopefully Huntsman Cancer Center too.
Meanwhile I continue to expose her to things that she'll be evaluated on like ability to pass through crowds undestracted, comfort with lots of handling which can sometimes be agressive (my grandkids:), loud sudden noises (Ivy:), auditory, visual, and olfactory distractions, and willingness to be walked away from me by a stranger.
Interestingly, these are all things that are not typical of things dogs have been bred for centuries to do, so it all depends on the training and socialization. That's why the certifying agencies require I have at least 6 months with her to adequately assess her.
It's not like I needed one more thing to do - it's just that dogs feed my soul!
I'll keep you posted!
3 comments:
So cute!! I wish Britney wasn't so allergic otherwise we would stop over and see her. I know that breed isn't an high allergen breed but Britney's still very much allergic.
WOW...another addition to the fam. If I was a dog fan I might even venture to say she's cute. Well, good luck with the training and eveything. Oh, how did the name Elfie come about?
Hey what's up? so how do you like the new job? has it helped out in the not working yourself to death dept. what's going on with jake? how was cali? basically how you been hopefully well :)
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