With the help of a small daily dose of prozac, Daisy slowly began to find serrenity in her own skin. For a dog who had spent so much of her life shaking/trembling in a corner or under a table, this was the first time she has chosen to wag her tail instead! Daisy's alertness and curiousity has grown each week, and her "doggy appetite" was becoming more apparent by the day! These were all great signs of progress for this little girl.
The next step - to go from "tolerating" human affection to yearning for attention from people as well. Until now, a simple caress or tummy rub has provoked massive fear, anxiety, trembling, and at times even submissive urination. For the next month, we are going to redirect her fearful response when touched to one of relaxation and peace...
Thursday, April 9, 2009
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Dulce - What a cute expression!
Every one of Bella's pups has either a wisp of white on their lower jaw or the white star on their chest - in Ebony's case, the chest star is also a wisp of white in a sea of black ebony...
Dulce and Ebony are now the most adventurous in the crew... They are the first ones up to the dinner plate, first ones out of the bedding area, first ones for just about everything and anything! Last week Ebony was a bit fearful and this week, she's gangbusters to see what is going on and to be the first at it with her sister, Dulce!
I have watched Dulce (with fascination) because from the very beginning, her coat was striking... The bands of brindle have changed along the way, but they have just given her more of an appeal (at least to me)... She was the biggest at the beginning, but the others have now caught up to her and about the only thing she's ahead of them is in her height (which in perspective, is not really that much different)...
Now that we have removed the opaque barriers, the pups and my crew readily look at each other through the 2 levels of gating... I felt that this would prepare these pups for seeing other dogs and gain the trust levels for good canine manners down the road... Bella watches carefully, but has relaxed her guard because she's now determined that although everyone can almost go 'nose-to-nose,' none of the adult dogs here can actually touch her puppies...
Dulce, on the other hand, would SO enjoy getting out and running around with my older adult Chihuahuas... We have a puppymill guy here that I thought would be my biggest problem, but he routinely goes and stands by the puppy Xpen, tail wagging invitingly and Dulce spots him from afar and charges to the side, stretching in the hopes she can actually touch him... It's really cute and dogs amaze me each and every day of my life!
Dulce promises to not only be a strikingly colored dog, but an outgoing one as well!
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Slideshow - Bella and her pups' journey...
Bella and her puppies arrived here a month ago today and it is hard to remember just how small they were and how confused (?), fearful (?), anxiety-driven (?) Bella was at the time... She has now settled into the routine around here as the puppies are as well... Bella's 'spot' for sleeping is now at the top of my pillow at night... If I'm sitting on the couch watching "Idol," she's sitting on the top of the back of the couch or on my left side, napping on the comfy pillow there I rest my elbow on... If I'm at the computer, she's laying in one of the doggie beds scattered about...
While ever alert (and she knows which cries from the pups are serious and those that are not), Bella's probably one of the most active, but SO laid back dogs I have ever fostered... It has been the EASIEST foster (despite the health crisis we averted with the calcium drops) I have ever had... And considering she brought a litter of 5 puppies with her, I think I'm the one that has been spoiled here...
I created a slideshow of Bella's journey here with her pups this past month - hope you enjoy it... Hard to remember just how small and helpless they were until I view the slideshow myself! http://www.tinylovingcanines.org/slideshow/bellasslideshow.html
While ever alert (and she knows which cries from the pups are serious and those that are not), Bella's probably one of the most active, but SO laid back dogs I have ever fostered... It has been the EASIEST foster (despite the health crisis we averted with the calcium drops) I have ever had... And considering she brought a litter of 5 puppies with her, I think I'm the one that has been spoiled here...
I created a slideshow of Bella's journey here with her pups this past month - hope you enjoy it... Hard to remember just how small and helpless they were until I view the slideshow myself! http://www.tinylovingcanines.org/slideshow/bellasslideshow.html
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Catching up with Simba...
Simba is now ready for adoption. He's clearly enjoying the human touch, comes to you when you call him and has grown into a real sweetheart. He's a real pro on lead now and I can take him just about anywhere without him being fearful or scared. We've been doing a lot of umbilical training as well, so that's caused him to be right by my left side without any commands or direction. He's totally house-broken as well, will sit and lay down on command, knows what 'quiet' is as well as back, drop it and stay.
We have a foster mom and her litter right now and Simba is SO interested in them! He stands and just watches them non-stop, wagging that little snub tail a hundred miles an hour... I just never would have thought it! But he is totally fascinated... It tickles me to watch him watch them... Wonder if he had puppies around him sometime before in his life? He doesn't bark or growl at them - just stands there watching, wagging that little butt of his! What a goober!
Hopefully there is a furever home out there for him - he so deserves one! You can read the full journey of his rehabiliation at Simba's blog located here.
We have a foster mom and her litter right now and Simba is SO interested in them! He stands and just watches them non-stop, wagging that little snub tail a hundred miles an hour... I just never would have thought it! But he is totally fascinated... It tickles me to watch him watch them... Wonder if he had puppies around him sometime before in his life? He doesn't bark or growl at them - just stands there watching, wagging that little butt of his! What a goober!
Hopefully there is a furever home out there for him - he so deserves one! You can read the full journey of his rehabiliation at Simba's blog located here.
Update on the pups and Bella...
The puppies are now up and about in their Xpen 'playpen'... They roll around, tumble with each other, do running (stagger) play dives at their littermates and it is SO comical to watch!
They've started using the pitty pad and have become very good about it... I suspect they will be very easy to potty train down the road...
The hardest part right now is trying to anticipate when they will be hungry and then keep myself from wearing a majority of their dinner!... They have now learned the sound of the food processor that is grinding up the Royal Canin puppy kibble... As soon as I arrive with their prepared food dish, they rush to the front of the open door of the Xpen enclosure and I am covered with kisses and nuzzles from all of them...
As I put down the dish with their food at least one or two will step in it, then turn back to give me (and my hands, forearms, face, shirt...) more kisses... So by the time we've achieved the goal of putting down that food dish, I am usually covered in sweet puppy kisses interlaced with puppy formula, baby food chicken and ground up kibble!
Eating time is when I change their pitty pad, bedding and take out the toys, replacing them with new (clean) ones... They stay interested in the food dish for about five minutes and it gives me just enough time to get this done!... I am amazed at the interest in each new toy and only Ebony hangs back with their arrival... We keep rotating out brightly-covered toys in different sizes because the puppies have now entered the 'fear zone' as they call it... The period of time between 5 and 8 weeks that puppies normally develop natural fears towards things... The more exposure you can give them different things within their environment, the less likely they will be to grow into fearful adults down the road...
We also have been exposing them to sudden louder noises, along with my husband's voice, smell and touch, etc... This week I also had to trim back their nails (daggers) and I can almost see a look of appreciation in Bella's face now!... The puppies' tiny teeth have started to come in, so between those nails and their teeth, I myself cringe when she goes in to nurse them!
Each and every one of the pups sat patiently while I trimmed their nails - not one squirmed or wiggled on me... We've made a practice of stroking their feet when we hold them and this has already helped...
Dulce is no longer the largest one as the rest of the pack have now caught up with her... She is still strikingly a brindle with a beautiful coloring... Dulce practiced her puppy howl this week as she sat in a corner and cried, which turned into a howl for her mom... Bella kept circling, looking in but not jumping into their enclosure... Once Bella made sure Dulce was OK, I got the impression this was part of the unique things only a momma dog can give to their litter, and the care that puppymill puppies lose because they're taken from their mom about this time and shipped to petstores across the country...
Nacho is nothing but a ball of black fluff and he, along with Sofia, are DEFINITELY much more longer haired than the rest of the litter... His coat is like air and mink combined... It is very hard to describe how soft and tactile it is... It is like one of those pompom balls you can buy at a craft store without being wirey or bushy... He is definitely a looker and will make some furever owner very happy in the future!
Sofia will be the first one to climb out of the enclosure - or at least, that is who we are betting on... She's a sitter and observer - almost like she's watching to see how something works or what you are going to do... She's my daughter's favorite and I can see why... You can't pick her up that she is not going to shower you with puppy licks and kisses!
Ebony is a bit more shy than the rest of the litter... She is the one who likes to snuggle and cuddle the most in the litter... Although a bit shy, Ebony warms up rapidly, but she seems to prefer that others in her litter investigate things first, then she approaches... Once she has arrived however, she is clearly excited, happy, hungry, whatever... (smile)... She tends to rough-house more with her brother than her sisters right now... It is hard to tell who is who when they do their tumbles together!... Once they've arrived at the end of the tumble, they stand up, shake a bit and then hand out licks and kisses to each other... It's beyond precious to see!
They've started using the pitty pad and have become very good about it... I suspect they will be very easy to potty train down the road...
The hardest part right now is trying to anticipate when they will be hungry and then keep myself from wearing a majority of their dinner!... They have now learned the sound of the food processor that is grinding up the Royal Canin puppy kibble... As soon as I arrive with their prepared food dish, they rush to the front of the open door of the Xpen enclosure and I am covered with kisses and nuzzles from all of them...
As I put down the dish with their food at least one or two will step in it, then turn back to give me (and my hands, forearms, face, shirt...) more kisses... So by the time we've achieved the goal of putting down that food dish, I am usually covered in sweet puppy kisses interlaced with puppy formula, baby food chicken and ground up kibble!
Eating time is when I change their pitty pad, bedding and take out the toys, replacing them with new (clean) ones... They stay interested in the food dish for about five minutes and it gives me just enough time to get this done!... I am amazed at the interest in each new toy and only Ebony hangs back with their arrival... We keep rotating out brightly-covered toys in different sizes because the puppies have now entered the 'fear zone' as they call it... The period of time between 5 and 8 weeks that puppies normally develop natural fears towards things... The more exposure you can give them different things within their environment, the less likely they will be to grow into fearful adults down the road...
We also have been exposing them to sudden louder noises, along with my husband's voice, smell and touch, etc... This week I also had to trim back their nails (daggers) and I can almost see a look of appreciation in Bella's face now!... The puppies' tiny teeth have started to come in, so between those nails and their teeth, I myself cringe when she goes in to nurse them!
Each and every one of the pups sat patiently while I trimmed their nails - not one squirmed or wiggled on me... We've made a practice of stroking their feet when we hold them and this has already helped...
Dulce is no longer the largest one as the rest of the pack have now caught up with her... She is still strikingly a brindle with a beautiful coloring... Dulce practiced her puppy howl this week as she sat in a corner and cried, which turned into a howl for her mom... Bella kept circling, looking in but not jumping into their enclosure... Once Bella made sure Dulce was OK, I got the impression this was part of the unique things only a momma dog can give to their litter, and the care that puppymill puppies lose because they're taken from their mom about this time and shipped to petstores across the country... 
Nacho is nothing but a ball of black fluff and he, along with Sofia, are DEFINITELY much more longer haired than the rest of the litter... His coat is like air and mink combined... It is very hard to describe how soft and tactile it is... It is like one of those pompom balls you can buy at a craft store without being wirey or bushy... He is definitely a looker and will make some furever owner very happy in the future!
Sofia will be the first one to climb out of the enclosure - or at least, that is who we are betting on... She's a sitter and observer - almost like she's watching to see how something works or what you are going to do... She's my daughter's favorite and I can see why... You can't pick her up that she is not going to shower you with puppy licks and kisses!
Ebony is a bit more shy than the rest of the litter... She is the one who likes to snuggle and cuddle the most in the litter... Although a bit shy, Ebony warms up rapidly, but she seems to prefer that others in her litter investigate things first, then she approaches... Once she has arrived however, she is clearly excited, happy, hungry, whatever... (smile)... She tends to rough-house more with her brother than her sisters right now... It is hard to tell who is who when they do their tumbles together!... Once they've arrived at the end of the tumble, they stand up, shake a bit and then hand out licks and kisses to each other... It's beyond precious to see!Daisy's second month
After Daisy had about a month to become familiar with the routine around here, we noticed that her fearful trembling did not improve. In order to ease the trauma of this transition and to help facilitate her rehabilitation, I put her on prozac to take her edge off. I quickly recongnized that Daisy was one of the worst cases I have ever seen and that there was no need for her to suffer through each level of her rehab. I have never medicated a dog for anxiety or aggression, but each dog's temperment is different and we need to look at each one as their own case. The prozac took about a month to take full effect, relieving her slowly of the most extreme trembling, frozen from fear behaviors and Daisy's rehabilitation began to very slowly take hold...
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
... and now the 'fine print'... plus the current weigh-in
Tiny Loving Canines is a non-profit rescue organization bound by California Law which states that dogs adopted from a rescue by the public must be spayed/neutered before their adoption. Please be advised that the puppies will be spayed/neutered as well as micro chipped during the last week of April and will not be available for adoption before then.
In addition, the puppies will be receiving their first set of vaccinations on April 16th, at 6 weeks of age. For their health and safety, any meetings with the puppies will have to wait until then.
If you are interested in adopting one of these pups, they can be seen after April 16th and adopted as of May 1st. Unfortunately, there are no exceptions to these dates. There has already been a lot of interest in the puppies, so we suggest that you fill out an adoption application and FAX it to (805) 578-2604 if you are interested in one.
Please understand that these are Chihuahua Mix puppies, not Purebred Chihuahuas. Tiny Loving Canines cannot guarantee their size when full grown, physical/behavioral traits, and/or coloring as the father of these puppies is unknown.
On a personal note and these are just guesses, but Nacho and Sofia are clearly both going to have longer hair than the others... Chihuahuas come in two varieties - Shorthaired and Longhaired. While is not usual to see such long hair on a puppy in a Chi litter, we can't guarantee that Nacho and Sofia are Longhaired Chihuahuas either. Sofia's ears are long so I expect them to be more of the "Puggle" version or ‘flop-eared’ version and not erect because Bella's ears are not totally erect...
Bella clearly alerts only on only black dogs, so I suspect that she had a male pack-mate that was also black who she mated with - black is a recessive gene, so to have 4 out of 5 puppies in a litter black, both parents should have been black.
Bella is a Chi/Terrier mix, so she does not have the highly curled-over (typical) Chi tail... We can't guarantee that any of the puppies will have the typical Chi tail in fact... Most likely Mercedes will have Bella's tail because it is so long and probably will not curl over like a Chihuahua's tail normally does... Nacho has the shortest tail of all, so he's most likely to have the greatest ‘curled-over’ tail in the litter... Again, there is no guarantee because these are Chihuahua mixes...
Finally, it is a myth that all males mark - dominance directs marking – females mark also, especially if they are the alpha in the house or the current dog in residence when a new one arrives. It is not unusual to find your current dog will start marking when a newcomer arrives.
And now the puppy weigh-in for those that are following these blogs:
Dulce - 40 ounces
Ebony - 32 ounces
Mercedes - 22 ounces
Nacho - 26 ounces
Sofia - 31 ounces
In addition, the puppies will be receiving their first set of vaccinations on April 16th, at 6 weeks of age. For their health and safety, any meetings with the puppies will have to wait until then.
If you are interested in adopting one of these pups, they can be seen after April 16th and adopted as of May 1st. Unfortunately, there are no exceptions to these dates. There has already been a lot of interest in the puppies, so we suggest that you fill out an adoption application and FAX it to (805) 578-2604 if you are interested in one.
Please understand that these are Chihuahua Mix puppies, not Purebred Chihuahuas. Tiny Loving Canines cannot guarantee their size when full grown, physical/behavioral traits, and/or coloring as the father of these puppies is unknown.
On a personal note and these are just guesses, but Nacho and Sofia are clearly both going to have longer hair than the others... Chihuahuas come in two varieties - Shorthaired and Longhaired. While is not usual to see such long hair on a puppy in a Chi litter, we can't guarantee that Nacho and Sofia are Longhaired Chihuahuas either. Sofia's ears are long so I expect them to be more of the "Puggle" version or ‘flop-eared’ version and not erect because Bella's ears are not totally erect...
Bella clearly alerts only on only black dogs, so I suspect that she had a male pack-mate that was also black who she mated with - black is a recessive gene, so to have 4 out of 5 puppies in a litter black, both parents should have been black.
Bella is a Chi/Terrier mix, so she does not have the highly curled-over (typical) Chi tail... We can't guarantee that any of the puppies will have the typical Chi tail in fact... Most likely Mercedes will have Bella's tail because it is so long and probably will not curl over like a Chihuahua's tail normally does... Nacho has the shortest tail of all, so he's most likely to have the greatest ‘curled-over’ tail in the litter... Again, there is no guarantee because these are Chihuahua mixes...
Finally, it is a myth that all males mark - dominance directs marking – females mark also, especially if they are the alpha in the house or the current dog in residence when a new one arrives. It is not unusual to find your current dog will start marking when a newcomer arrives.
And now the puppy weigh-in for those that are following these blogs:
Dulce - 40 ounces
Ebony - 32 ounces
Mercedes - 22 ounces
Nacho - 26 ounces
Sofia - 31 ounces
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