At The DoggyWash...

Monday, October 19, 2009
This was a new and exciting Saturday in the life of Rueben.
He, Fynn, Lotte and their dad slept in till....... 10:30AM! The story was that they all went out for pee at 6:00 AM, it was raining cats and pigs(take note; not cats and dogs!), everyone was wet and cold when they came back in and decided to all snuggle on the bed. And so they did. 3 doggies and a human snoozing and snoring away. I was oblivious to this all as I slept in my office because I had a pain filled night. I got up at 9:00 AM, looked around, everything was dead quiet even the cats were still sleeping and it was real fall weather, rain and wind. So I took one cat hostage, tiptoed back to my bed and drifted off to tropical islands.
Finally at 10:30 we were all up and back in the land of living, well, more or less ;-)

A quick brunch and we were out of the door, in the car off to do errands. First on the list was of course the coffee people, Rueben was real good, he just laid his head on W.'s shoulder practiced the cute puppy eyes and scored a treat! ;-) he's getting good at this ;-) No barking or jumping up and down in the back seat. He is of course locked in his seat belt. The others also got a treat, the humans a wet cap and a latte and off we went to the next thing, the pharmacy drive thru, by now Rueben is so used to drive thru's he doesn't even look up any more but watches mostly other people. Fynn never was a big fan of car rides so he snoozes on the back seat and poor Lotte with her 14 years is in the middle of all this :-)

We thought it would be a good idea to give Rueben a bath at the doggy wash. The first one we tried was on Murray Hill not to far from home. A very bored owner really couldn’t be bothered by yet another doggy bath and we had a bad vibe there so we left and went to the doggy self serve wash. That's always fun. ;-) W. gets to wear an apron and I promised to take pics and give emotional support. The others had to stay in the car and Rueben got to go with us. Yay! He was really excited, little did he know ;-)

No, I'm just kidding he was a picture perfect dog in a doggy wash.
He didn't whine, did not bark at other dogs, didn’t try to get away, only when I left to get something he wanted to follow me but he was tied up. He got a nice massage from his dad with the massage brush and lots of nice oatmeal shampoo and all of a sudden his specks and freckles started showing on his now white coat ;-) He was so dirty from rolling and romping in the black dirt in the back yard and the doggy park that his coat looked grayish. He loved the warm water and all the attention I think, he just adores to be in the middle of it all!

Of course I forgot to take any pictures at all! Gheez! It was when we were at the drying station that I suddenly remembered and the camera was in the car so I whipped out the Flip and took a short video of Reuben on the drying table and getting a blow dry. At first the noise freaked him out a little bit but after I put the camera down and was holding him while W. dried him he was fine with it. He looked gorgeous, so cute ;-) We left an amount of $11 for the wash shampoo and dry and bought a BIG bag of jerky and went home.

Here is the short video I shot. I put it away rather quickly to help W. holding Rueben.



At home they all got a chewy, it was time for my siesta and we all went to take another snooze after all these tiring activities!

Sunday was a calm day, not much action, we just lazied around, read the newspaper, dad went to play soccer, doggies got a raw bone and were as happy and content as can be. In the evening Rueben played with his new favorite squeaky toy. He even retrieves it and brings it back now!
What a wonderful little boy, he has learned so much in these 2 weeks, all new things, new rules, toys, cats, baths, drive thru's, doggy parks. He loves our cat Dahli and the affection is returned. She loves him as well and it's so funny to see them walking through the house. A small white and black BC pushing a white and black small cat with his nose under her but through the room and she lets him get aways with it ;-) Another caring side of Rueben appeared. He grooms Fynn's head, he licks his head, his eyes, makes sure his ears are up to date, the basic grooming activity. So cute to see ;-)


The family/couple/person that will be so lucky to be allowed to adopt him will be indeed real lucky. He is one hell of a dog and will make some people very happy, feel loved and adored forever. He will certainly be missed in this household, he wormed his way into our hearts pretty quick. But somewhere out there are these special people who are waiting for this VERY special little dog.

# # #

The quiet days

Friday, October 16, 2009
Rueben's days are getting more quiet and more structured. He is starting to get the hang of our schedule and not everything freaks him out anymore. Like the beeping sound of the washer or dryer.
A lot of Border Collies are sound sensitive and Rueben is no exception. He will give a short bark if he hears something that he can't place but after a few times he is fine with it and doesn't even look up anymore. Because of this sound sensitiveness they can be startled easily and either bark or hide in their crate. If outside with fireworks there will be a good chance they will try to run. Our Gwen was one of them, wherever she was she would run, didn't matter where to just get away from the scary sound. She was in such a mode that calling her didn't work, after a few yards of running she would get her hearing back and she would stop and lie down.

It's good to teach your dog the command lie down from a distance so that whenever he will hear it he will drop in a lie down and you will be able to fetch him. No matter what the cause is, a car that is coming, a sound, a cat that he wanted to chase, the lie down command is an important one.

Rueben went to the dog park today with W. I stayed at home so he would be more open to roaming around, as I wrote earlier Rueben is a dog that loves to stay with his humans and he likes his humans to stay together. It's really confusing to him when I go one way and W. goes another. He really is a herder who likes his pack to be together in one place so he can see what's happening. He did well today in the park, did not bark at strange new people and if he did bark a meeting, introduction was enough to let him know it was fine. We have been taking him out in the car to teach him that it's also fine if we go through drive through, those people in their small windows are not there to slap you new foster dad in the face but actually hand out food and sometimes treats! So no need to bark your little head off, if you don't bark they give you a treat. He's a smart Border Collie he learns fast ;-)

Rueben in herding mode watching Fynn hide himself. Please click the images to see the larger version.



We also went to PetCo to buy some kitty food, meet and greet new people in the store and get treats from the cashier girl. Again he was confused because I went in one isle and W. in the next with him, that made him uncertain. He did not do the backwards-look walk but he made sure W. would walk fast and than round the corner to see where I was. I guess it will take some time until he realizes we will leave the store together and it's okay to split up sometimes.
He already settled down a lot in the 2 weeks he has been with us now and made amazing progress in accepting new and scary things, not to mention the cats!

I always tell new parents it will take at least 2-6 weeks before a dog will have settled down and accept his new home as his home. So many new and scary things he needs to learn and new rules and routine to get used to. As long as they will be patient, don't force things and give a dog the time to adjust it will all work out well. A lot of people don't have that kind of patience though and expect a dog to be happy and adjusted from the moment they set foot in the house. Unfortunately it doesn't work that way. But if you do have the patience the reward will be outstanding and you will have gained his trust and love forever.

When Fynn was in his day care group on Wednesday Rueben wandered around a bit, found a chewy and lied down in a crate that is next to my desk in my office to chew and relax. It's great progress he actually goes into the crate by himself and lies down to relax in it. It means he is starting to accept his crate as his safe place! Yay and yippie! We had a quiet day with just some grooming and clicker training and more chewing. At my nap time i made him his stuffed kong again, peanut butter, a chewy, kibble, kitty kibble, more peanut butter, a piece of hot dog, some cheerios and he was almost drooling next to me, couldn't wait till I was finished. He ran to the crate and I don't know how long it took him to get it all out because I drifted off to a blissful state of sleep and he was quietly chewing and working the kong.
What a good boy!

His eating has improved so much he doesn't gobble anymore he eats quietly and doesn't even finish his bowl. Than a sort of quiet theater is happing at dinner time, they all switch bowls as if the agreed beforehand on it. And than they switch again until all have eaten from a different bowl. We than take the bowls away, finished or not, tomorrow is another day!

Another big mile-pole has happened! He came into my office on Wednesday with a squeaky toy in his mouth and started pushing on it and really enjoying the play! This is a first I have seen him playing with something I think his new parents will have no problem teaching him to play with toys at all! He sees how much Fynn has when we play with him so now he wants part of that too. It keeps amazing me how clever these Border Collie are!
Teaching him to play will be so rewarding and a BIG bonding experience for his new parents. Quiet games with lots of praise and treats that will make him use his mind will be perfect. Finding treats will be a great game, he has a great nose and loves to search for stuff that I put away.

I see so many possibilities in his future, he is set out to do many many exciting new things and excel at them!

Fynn is to the left and Rueben right. Please click the images to see the larger version.



This weekend we're going to the groomers, get a bath and a nail trim, he tore one nail during a play, a good time to get white fur again instead of this grayish/white thanks to romping in the rain and black sand. ;-) We're also going to test more drive through to get coffee and doggy treats, the cars wash and basically doing day to day chores.
Will take pics and post them tomorrow.

# # #

A week in the life of Rueben.

Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Rueben, watching the men on the roof at our neighbor's home. He's not quite sure what to think of them ;-) Please click on the images to see a larger version.



Rueben has been here 10 days already. 10 interesting days I may add. Some of his insecurities and much of his personality started showing itself.

Meeting and getting to know the cats is one of Rueben's favorite activities. He especially loves our white and black cat Dahli. Please click on the images to see a larger version.



He still is and always will be that happy go lucky boy that loves nothing more in his little life than you. He has bonded with me and with W. quickly which shows me he can bond with men as well. He has started to test his boundaries of his new surroundings a bit as a good teenager should do, you have to know where your boundaries are otherwise you can't feel secure can you?

So that's what he is doing at the moment, he's testing Fynn to see how far he can go and what he can get away with, I can see his little brain working; can I steal a treat that lies 10" in front of Fynn? What about the one 5"? and can I steal it from under his paws? From his mouth? What if I'm real fresh and do a 'make-believe-snap' close to Fynn's muzzle will he than give up his treat? No???? Fynn is not impressed by this all? Darned.... what to think of next? Maybe direct his attention to the cat than I can steal the treat.. no... shoot didn’t work either, now what? *ponder*

He is showing a bit lacking in the confidence department. It can be his new home and foster brother but nevertheless it's something we need to work on. And we are working on it, using positive reinforcement, treats and clickers. Rueben LOVES his treats! That's a good thing, we had a BC who thought food was something that was needed to stay alive and eating was a chore but wasn't interested in treats or food at all. Treats makes training so much easier ;-) At the moment we are working on not barking our little head off when we see a stranger, not all strangers want to attack your mom. Some even have yummy treats and want to rub your belly, meeting strangers can be a good thing. To meet some strangers we took him to a place were all dog lovers meet, the doggy park!

Below are some video's I shot, as you can see he did really well in meeting new dogs and new people. In the beginning he is still somewhat uncertain and keeps running back and forth to us to check if it's okay to walk a bit further away and see if he still is considered a 'good boy' ;-) In the end he is running with Fynn and other dogs, playing, he definitely is showing some herding maneuvers and keeping an eye on the the others.

All in all, considered this was the very first time in his little life that he was in a Dog Park with a lot of strange dogs and strange people, he did excellent and we were really proud of him.

The first video below is when we had just entered the park and to our surprise it was BLACK and WHITE dog day. Spot the differences between the dogs ;-) A hint, Fynn has a red harness and Rueben a blue bandana.



Below is the first part of a video I shot. It shows Rueben walking back and forth to us wanting to play but still a bit uncertain. Finally he joins in in the fun.



This second part does not show spectacular action and I realize that for the 'general' viewer it might be a bit boring but for the potential adopter it is good to be able to see prior to his adoption as much of his behavior as possible.



We had some very nice enquiries about Rueben, some with small children and unfortunately Rueben hasn't met many small children yet and that's why we are reluctant to place him in a family with small children. Today he has met some children that he seemed comfortable with, but of course living with a young child is totally different than a casual meeting.
For those of you who do not know about what can happen when placing a BC with young children please read this FAQ; Unique Border Collie Behavior Explained

If you are interested in Rueben, have some questions, want to get involved in fostering or rescue, want to chat, give me a call. Look to the right side of this page where the wonderful button is that says 'Call Me', click it and Google will connect you to me for free.

Thank you Google for providing me with Google's Voice!

Would you like to see the photo's album with full size photo's? Click here!


# # #

Funfilled day!

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

I could just catch him before he ran off again! ;-)

Lets start the day with some exercise ;-) Doggies happy being let out after a good night's sleep need to run to get rid of that build up energy. ;-) If you are wondering who is Rueben, he's the one with the most white. Fynn has a black hind end.
Enjoy! ;-)






A few new pix, taken in the yard, Fynn and Rueben next to each other, who is who?


Rueben is the one on the left, he has more white.


But here he's on the right!
 
And here as well.

 
What is it?

Than after a day hard work and play it's good to rest. This time on my (hospital) bed in my office. Who is who? Fynn is right and Rueben is on the left. ;-)



If you're interested in meeting Rueben drop me an email and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

# # #

A new day, new smells, new critters!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Rueben discovering a squirrel!

Today Rueben and I had some one on one time, his new brother Fynn went to his doggy play care group and had a ball with his friends there.

The day started early for me, I'm disabled and often fall asleep right before dawn and thus am used to getting up later. This morning I heard Rueben stirring at 7:30 AM and decided it was a good day to get up early and see what the day had in store for us.

He slept in his crate in our bedroom with the other dogs all through the night, what a good boy in this strange and new environment for him!

Rueben is very much food oriented which can be a good thing when training a dog. Our other Border Collie was very much NOT food oriented which made it a lot harder, but a squeaky ball does wonders ;-) I thought it would be a good idea to give Rueben his breakfast in a treat ball. It's shaped like an large egg and has holes on both ends, when the roll it around the kibble falls out and it keeps them busy for quite some time ;-).

He was very excited about the prospect of getting food, Rueben is a bit of a gobbler, he can inhale his food at lightning speed ;-) Giving him the ball that made him ate his kibble piece by piece was a good idea. He was very curious when I was filling the ball and showed him where the food went, than put it down on the floor and let him figure it out. It didn’t take him long to discover how it worked, every time he managed to get a morsel out of the ball he looked around to see if there was another dog coming around to get it but he was all alone and quickly got used to the idea it was all his. ;-)
The night before Fynn showed him that basically all chewies and eatable stuff in the house was his so that made Rueben a bit careful. ;-) Clever boy ;-)

I like this ball very much, it holds small and large pieces easily, it has rubber rigs all along the ball to make it roll nice on hardwood floors and will not drive you insane within 2 minutes because of the noise. Very important fact to know! ;-)


Kibble Ball

When the sun came out we spend some time in the back yard. Rueben spend the hour mostly walking a round very carefully sniffing all pee-mail and new smells, his nose was working overtime ;-). Together with our 14 y.o Lotte, here in the pic with her sweater on, it was chilly and she is 14 with arthritis and loves to keep warm, she just had her haircut for the winter last week, little did we know it would be so cold so soon.


Lotte and Rueben on squirrel watch

They watched the squirrels together and strolled around the yard. Lotte made a perfect 2nd day companion for Reuben who got the chance to get accustomed to all new smells and sounds in his own time.

Reuben also met our Nyx, the resident head of household catz and I tried video taping a small bit.



Overall we had a quiet day, took a nap during the afternoon, me in my bed, he in his crate and Lotte in her own bed ;-) Just all recovering from the excitement of the day before.

I updated Rueben's listing on Petfinder and on the Pacific NorthWest Border Collie Rescue web site and added a few new photos. For now all is quiet and everyone included DH is resting and getting ready for sleep. We’ll see what tomorrow will bring us. Feel free to drop me an email if you want to know more about Rueben. I'm pretty sure that I will be able to to tell you much more about his character and personality in the coming days when we all have settled down and got into our routine again.

Below are the first few photos I took of Rueben making his way through our backyard checking out the smells and sights.




Would you like to see the photo's album with full size photo's? Click here!

# # #

Rumors and excitement!

Sunday, October 4, 2009
The pack has been buzzing with excitement the last few days! The rumors were that a new doggy was going to join the BorderValley pack. Was it true, was it true? Or was it just plain old gossip?

No it was true, a new doggy has joined our pack! His name is Rueben and he looks like Fynn's brother only more elegant and smaller, where Fynn is broad and sturdy. They are about the same age, Rueben is almost 9 months and Fynn is 10 months old.

Rueben was a rescue resident at Vicky's farm, my dear friend and rescue colleague and has moved to our pack because Vicky's pack is over loaded with rescue doggies at the moment.
We were so happy and excited to add Rueben to our pack, even if it's just for a little while because Rueben is up for adoption and looking for his own forever person.


Rueben
How much cuter can a  8 month old Border Collie be?

Rueben is a 'I could eat you alive' cute little Border Collie ;-), such a cuddle bug who will follow you to the end of the earth if that's where you are going. He just adores his people!

It is interesting to see how the pack dynamic changes when a new rescue dog enters the house, kitties all curious, hissing and peeking, Lotte our 14 y.o dog loves Rueben and Fynn acts like a spoiled toddler.... everything is his, his, his, and oh that kitty, that's his too, and that chewy who has been lying at the bottom of the basket for 3 months? That's his too ;-) It will all settle down and they will find their own comfortable space and how to interact with each other.

Right now all are in their crates, asleep, kitties are in the kitty room lying on the heated pillow because frost is expected and Devon Rex kitties have a single coat and thus are chilly quickly. ;-)

Will post photo's and updates tomorrow and tell you the interesting story how Rueben got his name, right now you can go ahead and spread the news, yes it's true the BorderValley pack has a new cute but temporary addition! And best off all, he is up for adoption! Who will be the luckiest person on earth that gets to share his/her life with this cuddle bug? Warning ahead, we will be VERY picky! ;-) Stay tuned!

# # #