Misty Update

Misty went to a wonderful family who live near Boston, Mass.  She's so very happy with 4 kids to live with a little pom as her buddy and lots and lots of attention.  She's been up there since around April 2008.

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Update: 20 Jun 

Hi Renee!
 
Sorry that it has been SO long!  The last few months have been just so crazy-busy with the house for sale.  The good news is that we have sold our Medford, MA house and have bought a new home in Westford, MA.  Westford is 35 miles North-West of Boston (in Medford, we are 9 miles from the city).  Our new town is much more rural, with lots of conservation land for walking.  We also will have our own acre of land.  I will be going back to work a little in the fall, but she will not be left for more than 4 hours.  Getting out in the morning will be busy, so she'll have to wait until I get home for her walk, but she is very flexible and so understanding.
 
I think the move will be confusing for everyone, Misty included; but she is so bonded with us as her family by now, that I don't think it will stress her too much.  We will all still be around, so I think she will settle in fine.  Other than more snow, as we are further from the coast, I think she will like living in the country.
 
Here are some recent pictures.  As you can see, Misty has claimed the brown couch in the living room, where she can see out the window and guard her turf.  Misty is such a love, I can't thank you enough for this wonderful dog.  The twins roll all over her and she is perfectly gentle.  Annie gives her big hugs bout ten times a day.  Annie also likes to feed Misty, so I think the dog is starting to associate hugs with liver, because she wags her tail and runs to the kitchen.  She and Kip are also great buddies by now.  They are always together, day and night.
 
Misty is in super shape.  She is lean and muscular and can run really fast.  Lately she has shown interest in hunting in the woods. She catches a scent and is off like a bullet.  Can you imagine?  She used to be such a couch potato!  Anyway, I have to admit that I underestimated her hunting instict and she actually chased down and killed a woodchuck yesterday.  That thing was big too. My fault.  I really didn't think she'd hurt it and I should have grabbed her faster.   I called the vet and they said she was protected from rabies and to put neosporin in any scratches she had on her face (there was just one little abrasion). It was scary to see her mouth dripping woodchuck blood and parts.  Today I was much more careful during our walk.  I will keep the leash on her from now on and correct her if she goes off path.  I hate to leash her altogether because she loves it , and the exercise is so good for her, but I will have to be more careful.  I just really didn't think Misty had the killer instict!  But she is a mix of hunting breeds, and so now I know.  Poor Mr. woodchuck!  
 
So that's the update, other than to say that I have totally neglected my book project, but hope to get to it more now that I don't have to keep my house picture-perfect to show all of the time.  
 
Hope you are having a nice summer.  Today was the Solstice -longest day of the year.
 
Love,
Katie and Misty

Wiley

Wiley (formerly Duffy) came out of the Campbell County Animal Shelter the day he was to be euthanized.  He has been re-homed to a wonderful family in Maine back as of April 2008.  There is also a cat that lives with him! 

 

Home Visit

Bingo tested alot of the floor space for naps. The right about of sun, no sun but carpet, against the half wall. I think the floor with the view to the backyard with the sun was his favorite. We went to the Assisted Living Home today and then did a walk in the woods and he got in about a 20 minute swim, the wind was strong on the water today, so he got to experiences waves.....the stick he liked best.....that I thought we should just bring with us.....drifted out of his sight....so the swimming ended. Tomorrow we will probably head to a place that actually has other people and dogs and do the Delta Training 1st assignment. Bingo is alread sound asleep. We came home put in some ball time, ate, more ball time...he is down for the night. The 30th is our 1 year.
 ~ Roberta & Bingo

A Cat's Prayer

Now I lay me down to sleep,
The king-size bed is soft and deep...
I sleep right in the center groove
My human can hardly move!

I've trapped her legs, she's tucked in tight
And here is where I pass the night
No one disturbs me or dares intrude
Till morning comes and "I want food!"

I sneak up slowly to begin
My nibbles on my human's chin.
She wakes up quickly, I have sharp teeth -
And my claws I will unsheath

For the morning's here and it's time to play
I always seem to get my way.
So thank you Lord for giving me
This human person that I see.

The one who hugs me and holds me tight
And sacrifices her bed at night.
~ Author Unknown ~

Larry

Larry
Originally uploaded by friendsfurlifeinc.

This is Larry (formerly known as 'Dude'). He was re-homed in April of 2008. His former family downsized their house and yard and felt it was too smalll for him. Instead of walks, they decided to find him a new home. It took a year but he finally found a wonderful home that is willing to invest in him with walks, companionship and love. Larry is so very happy!

Misty and the twins

Misty now has a family and lives near Boston! She is pictured with here with the twins.

Happy Tales

Remember Happy from Loudon (she had the funny curly tail)? She's in a home in Maine now!

Update: Tue, 6 May 2008
Hi I Hope you are well...! I just wanted to update you on our Happy Girl. She is doing great...playing with Phthalo like crazy, sleeps through the night on her bed in our room, LOVES all her toys, only one bathroom accident so far, sits on the sofa with Scott, etc...

I am attaching a couple of pics for you to see. I also just wrote a blog posting on my website about her adoption...thought you might want to take a peek at it!

Have a great day!
Noelle

Gidget

This dog was rescued out of Campbell County, TN and fostered in Knoxville, TN while we got the vetting done.  She's recently been sent to Catahoula rescue in Canada.
 

Macie & Danny Boy

Misty Update

Here are the latest pictures of Misty taken today. She loves to snuggle with the kids on the couch when they have some TV time. Although living with four children is sometimes chaotic, one benefit is that there is just about always someone petting her.

To anwer your question, we haven't seen the play biting in about two weeks. The boys now know not to rile her up too much in the back yard. She doesn't chase them when they run; only when they INVITE her to chase them, which they now know not to do. (Again, the humans at fault, not the dog.) Also, she stops whatever she is doing, when I call her name and clap my hands. She is so eager to please! It's easier now that she's interested in fetch, because it gives her and the boys something to do together that doesn't involve chasing, which seems to stimilate her desire to nip. She likes tennis balls the best. Also, I think she gets enough play biting with Kipper now that they play so much together. Maybe that was what she missed, having lived with many other dogs for so long. SOmetimes she tries to play bite me when I am putting on her coat. I don't mind, although I still tell her "no". I know that she is just excited to go for her run.
Misty loves her walks and jogs! We've settled on a morning routine that is part jogging in the neighborhood on-leash, part walking in the woods (lots of sniffing) off-leash, and a 20 minute stop in between so we can all have water and the little ones can play at the play ground. She does just great with this; not overly friendly with other dogs on-leash (protecting?), but no problem. I have to hitch her to a bench at the park while the kids play, so I can give the kids my full attention. I hate it and she doesn't like it much either, but she seems to understand that I need to catch the babies if they fall, so she has to wait. We keep it brief, and she's fine. She's such a good smart dog. At night after all the kids are asleep, Mike or I take both dogs for a walk around the neighborhood. On weekends, we all take both dogs for long hikes in the woods. She gets a lot of exercise and loves it and is looking great! her waist line is really starting to show.

Misty is an expert at the "please feed me, I'm soooo hungry" look! She would weigh 120 lbs. if we gave her all the food she wanted. We are trying to stay firm with her diet plan, even though we all love her so much, we all really want to give her lots of cheese and other fun snacks. She's such a good sport, though, because when she does get into something we know she shouldn't have (No, Misty, that bread Edward dropped is not for you - too many carbs), she gives it up, no hard feelings. You can reach right into her big mouth and take it away and she just lets you. Cooked carrots are good, though. Not too fattening and she loves 'em.

More later,

Katie

One more of Misty

Jan. 2008 031
Originally uploaded by Michael Melanson.

It's a dog's life!

Misty

Jan 2008 018
Originally uploaded by Michael Melanson.

Misty now lives near Boston, Mass. Adopted Jan 6th!

Misty

Just an update on Misty. She went up to Massachusetts this weekend after being in rescue for over 3 yrs! She's doing very well! adopted to a home with 4 kids and a pom!
Things are going very well
Renee
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Wed, 9 Jan 2008
Hi Renee!

Day 5 and another good day for Misty!

I left for a little while today to get her license. I hadn't left her since Saturday. You wouldn't believe the reception I got when I got home. Maybe she thought I ws leaving forever.

She did something very good this morning. Annie took hold of her tail. Not pulling, just curious; but I knew Misty wouldn't like it. But Misty had the greatest solution: she head-butted Annie away to let her know not to pull tails. I gave her a lot of praise for this. I thought it was a great doggie solution to annoying baby behavior.

Misty LOVES her jog / walks and we had nice weather today. It felt like March and a lot of the snow has melted. We met a border collie on our way and she didn't like him. Nothing major, but she gave a little warning sound. I thought of the border collie dog who got her in the ear. But more likely I think she was protecting me and the babies! This dog was a big alpha male type.

I've been meaning to tell you that I am so impressed at what a great job you and Robbie did with her in spite of having so many dogs. Misty has wonderful manners. When I walk with her, I have her leash tied around my waist so that I can have two hands on the double stroller. I still guide her with one hand, but she pulls against my midsection if she pulls, so that I can manage her better. Some of the streets are busy, so I have to keep her close. I must be quite a sight pushing two kids and an 85 lb. dog tied to my waist! Anyway, she has caught onto this so fast. She seems to understand what I need her to do and stays right next to me or behind me. I don't think many dogs would catch on so fast.

Tonight she did some strange running around and barking. She was so agitated that Mike and I were pulling our hair out trying to figure out what was wrong! It was so strange for Misty, who has been so quiet. Finally Mike said, "Take her license off." he was right. The sound of the license clanking against her ID tag confused her. She thought another dog was in the house. Poor Misty! I attached it to a different part of her collar and she was fine.

More later,
Katie


Tue, 8 Jan 2008
Hi Renee,

Misty is great. She is pacing less and is content to be on the same floor as I am rather than shadowing me. The hand shyness with Mike is gone today. She seems more confident and secure. I swear she has a more relaxed expression on her face.

Misty and I went for a long walk/jog this morning. It's warm here-into the 50's!. She did great. She has amazing stamina -better than me. I jogged her walked her on-and-off and offered her water every 20 min or so. I read somewhere that dogs don't naturally just run for miles and miles without stopping- you have to let them walk, run and stop and sniff, so we did that . We saw lots of people with their dogs and she loved the attention, accepting pats from everybody. She seemed to really like one set of beagles, Kara and Kailey. Do you think that baying reminded her of TN?

A neighborhood kitty cat approached us and she just sniffed and wagged her tail. We got home at noon. At three, I moved her leash and she heard it and came running. I couldn't believe that after doing 3 miles she was ready for more!

I am feeding her the recommended amount on the back of the Nutro bag. She's getting so much exercise that I feel that I shouldn't make her diet too. We'll see where we are in a month. She likes to eat, so I doubt she'd take too kindly to a diet plan!

She has the sweetest most laid back temperment, we just love her and are so glad that the yelling and banging around of a pile of kids doesn't rattle her. She just lifts her head off the couch pillow and then goes back to sleep.

More later,
Katie


Mon, 7 Jan 2008
Hi Renee,

Just a quick update on our girl. She's doing beautifully. She's still very needy and follows me from room to room, but that's to be expected. Sometimes she seems to get confused and seeks me out and leans against me for reassurance. She's seems comforted by lots of verbal and physical affection. She LOVES the walks. She jumps up when she sees the leash and has such happy body language as we set out, which is great to see. Misty and Kipper sleep together on the same rug or James's bed no problem. Kipper got possessive about my bed, but Misty seems to like her big cushy donut bed next to the radiator. Me, Mike, Kipper and Misty on a full size mattress would be a bit tight, so I'm glad she's satisfied. Her teeth were chattering on night one (never heard that-sounded like applause in the middle of the night!), so last night I covered her with quilts which she loved and seemed more comfortable. Saw a bit more of extended family yesterday for Daniel's birthday and did fine. Still hand shy with men; not aggressive, no growling, just doesn't want to be petted. It's not a problem. A watch dog SHOULD be slightly suspicious of strange men. She's warmed up to Mike, although doesn't always want to be petted by him either. We heard her bark this morning. Wow! The floor shook! Mike asked her if she was a good girl and she answered with two barks (playing, tail up and wagging). She seems to be getting used to our routine: when to expect meals and walks. The neighbors have a shepherd that they leave out too much. They go out for hours and leave her in a small yard with access to the garage. She barks and barks out of boredom. When Daisy is on one of her barking jags, it upsets Misty and she paces. She will probably learn to tune it out as I have. Misty continues to be super gentle with the kids. She likes to go outside while the little ones are puttering around in the yard. She follows them around and just stands near them. I don't think she's going to love the snow, but she tolerates it okay. It's confusing for her when she steps through the crust and her leg goes down, but I see her chosing her steps more carefully now. Sometimes she asks to go out and then backs away from the door when she feels how cold it is, but I give her a nudge and she does her business and then right back in. She adores the older boys, especially the oldest. Kipper is slightly jealous of this, or maybe even protectiveof "his boy", but it's very minor: just a little warning noise in the throat for Misty to be nice to James, which of course she is. Well, that's the update. Made the appointment with my vet to establish a record and plan to go to City Hall today or tom. for the dog license.

We love her! And I totally understand why you would find it hard to see her go - she 's a wonderful dog. Thanks so much for letting us have her. Everyone around here finds her looks so unusual and wants to know what kind of dog she is. We say that she's a Tennesse Special Recipe!

Katie