Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Introducing Oscar...

Oscar's beginnings could be the basis for a mystery novel. He's listed as a Norwich Terrier by the shelter, but we don't believe that's the case. His ear length will never allow them to be upright and erect, so we believe he's more of a Border Terrier or a Yorkie mix for they are born black at birth and grow more tan as they mature.

If you read AKC's standard for Yorkies and then their Border Terrier standard, plus look at puppy photos of both of these breeds on the Internet, he could be a mix of the two - or he could just be a poorly breed Yorkie.

He is adorable however and it looks like his tail was docked at birth. In places, his coat almost looks like a grizzle, but the coat is exceptionally soft and smooth versus 'wire-haired'. Bottom line is that we're not sure what breed or combination he is - and if he indeed is a Yorkie mix, he won't look like this when he's older.

The shelter also lists him as "of age" which means 4 months or older (and therefore able to be inoculated for rabies) but a visit to our vets today puts his age more at 9-10 weeks old. However, Oscar is neutered - that's for sure! (smile)... so we'll start from there.

Oscar was in a litter for three originally, adopted from the shelter and then returned to them with the reason he did not get along with their dog. Upon observation, it is our guess someone did an impulse adoption, loved and wanted a puppy, but then was not prepared for the responsibilities of owning one. We suspect Oscar was taken from his mother too early and spent the first night crying at his foster mom's home. He's been coupled up with Nacho, TLC's mascot (4 months) and it has made all the difference in the world. Oscar is no longer crying and howling non-stop.

Accordingly, we feel an adoptive home would need another dog who can provide companionship to Oscar, as well as someone who understands this is a VERY young puppy who will cry, poop and all of the additional attributes puppies usually have, including 'puppy breath'. And no, he's not potty trained yet and weighs about 1.5 pounds.

Oscar has had puppy shots, but not the rabies yet. He has an interim license for the County of Ventura which can be upgraded to a full license (1-year) upon receipt of the proof of rabies. Our vet has recommended that he NOT be vaccinated for rabies until July 15 at the earliest. Accordingly, if adopted before that time, rabies vaccination will be the responsibility of the new owner. Oscar is micro-chipped however and this registration will be transferred to the new owner at adoption.

If you are interested in adopting Oscar, please download an adoption application from the website and fax it to 805-578-2604. You can see Oscar in person at adoptions on Saturday from noon to 3PM at the PETCO located in Moorpark between Office Depot and Target on New Los Angeles Avenue.

I took these photos of Oscar yesterday evening:





I can just imagine the caption for this one... "How far down did you say it was????"

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