Confession: I'd love to keep Finn!

It's true. I've fallen in love with this little guy! But, alas, for those that don't know, I'm a participant in Project Money 2014 through Summit Credit Union. I'm trying to win $10K by saving and eliminating the most debt. That said, getting a puppy, no matter how much I love him, isn't in the cards until 2015.

So, I encourage anyone that's looking at his profile to seriously consider this lovable pup! 

Hogan got adopted on Friday (to a great family!) and while they were together Finn learned lots about being a puppy. They loved to play tug of war together and romp around the house, so I think he'd do really well in a home with another small dog.

Finn is walking well by himself on the leash, listens well when he's in the back yard, and is a champ at being in the crate while I'm gone or while we are in the car.

This weekend, we spent some time with my sister, brother in law, and niece (who is 20 months old). He did so well with her! (Although they both got jealous of each other when either was being held or on a lap)! It was too cute!

We also went camping this weekend and Finn did well staying around the campsite and hanging out on laps around the fire.

Here are some pics from the weekend:

Sharing my lap at the campground

When we were winning the Badger game and it got a bit boring...

Day Two with "The Boys"

Hogan and Finland are acclimating well to living together in Wisconsin. The definitely remind me of two brothers: constantly fighting for attention and for each other's toys. Hogan is the leader and Finn is the curious follower. Finn is definitely beginning to come out of his shell and is starting to show his silly side. He spent a good 15 minutes after dinner throwing his toys around the living room and chasing them. At least he can entertain himself!

We spent the day at my sister's house and they got to play with two other big dogs. Many neighborhood children came around as well and the boys played nicely with all of them. Hogan and Finn both love to give lots of kisses! Finn, of course, soaked up all the attention, traveling from lap to lap. Hogan found a rubber ducky and a dog toy that had an old water bottle in it that made a crinkly sound; he spent the majority of the afternoon playing with those two toys!

We went for a longer walk tonight and both went to the bathroom while on the walk. I'm still not sure if they're housebroken yet (since we've been outdoors a lot yesterday and today), but will be sure to keep the blog and petfinder up to date as the week progresses. 

Meet my Prince Charmings: Hogan & Finn!

Actually, Hogan would prefer to be called King, but Lincoln (my cat) already holds that spot! These two are great little pups so far, both are very friendly and well-behaved. They both have met other dogs and cats and have gotten along with all their new furry friends. Both are also GREAT at traveling! They sit quietly in their carrier and enjoy the ride.

Hogan has a beautiful coat and gorgeous coloring; It's very silky and smooth. Definitely has chihuahua in him, but hes a bit larger and has a long coat. My guess is that he's a "cheagle": long-haired chihuahua and beagle mix. Hogan loves to play and is the dominant of the two. Tug of war is his favorite game so far. He also loves going for walks. In fact, when you say "leash," he'll go get his. But, his love for walking doesn't translate into the best walking manners, so he'll need to work on that. He just gets so excited that he can't contain his energy and wants to race down the sidewalk. Hogan is very alert and I suspect very smart; he'd be a great agility dog!

Finland (Finn for short) is a bit more reserved. He's a puppy, but doesn't seem to have much experience actually being a puppy. He's a bit cautious about everything at first, but once he watches Hogan, he seems to follow suit. He's quite the love bug; he's definitely more of a lap dog and wants human attention in the form of petting: "Why are you trying to get me to fetch a ball? I just want to be cuddled!" Finn enjoys his bones and loves treats. I have a feeling he'll be easy to train with how incentivized by treats he is! 

Neither seems to know how to use stairs, which I won't be teaching them just yet (since I'd like to keep them out of cat litter box territory). They both ate well today, although Finn would only eat if I fed him by hand- He better not get used to this type of royal treatment!

Tootsie's a great co-pilot!

I forgot to mention yesterday what a great co-pilot Toots is! She LOVES going for car rides. Whenever I let her outside she runs for the car thinking we're going for a ride!

Today was Tootsie's first day at home not in her crate! She did great! She didn't touch a thing and there were no accidents. Each time I came home, she was sitting in the bay window watching the neighborhood. :)

Tootsie's Update

Tootsie is full of energy and will do well in a family that loves to play! She's always been good on a leash, but in the last few days, she's really gotten the hang of "going on a walk" (as opposed to starting and stopping every five feet to smell something). She's very interested in greeting people and is polite when meeting other dogs. Or, if the dog is in a yard and making lots if noise, she stops and when I say "leave it," she'll continue on her way.  

Tootsie is also quite a clown; she loves to bounce around and make silly noises.  I have removed stuffed animals from her collection of toys and she's done well just chewing on her bones. The past three days I have crated her while I was at work and, while she doesn't like getting in at first, she's very calm when I get home. And, since the removal of stuffed animals, she hasn't chewed apart anything.  I also left her out of a crate for two hours while I was gone tonight and she had no accidents and did not touch a thing. In fact, I'm pretty sure she just hung out with the cats on the porch the entire time!  Speaking of accidents, Tootsie is housebroken and has not had a single accident. Woot!!!

We did go to the vet today and got a microchip. She's also been crying and rubbing her ears, so I suspected an ear infection.  Poor Toots: she wasn't diagnosed with one infection, but a double (both ears)! I have drops now and she should be feeling tons better soon and the infections cleared up within 10 days.  Still, she doesn't let this get her down and she continues to be a happy go lucky pup!

Meet Tootsie!

Tootsie moved to Wisconsin on Sunday and got a new haircut as soon as she arrived.  What a beauty!  Very soft, non-shedding fur since she's primarily poodle.

She's quickly acclimated to living here.  Toots loves the cats (well, she mostly just ignores them; I'll call that love) and her toys.  She loves bones and stuffed animals.  Unfortunately, she REALLY loves stuffed animals.  When I got home from work, she had torn one of her toys to pieces.  For her future parents: be ready to make lots of trips to goodwill to pick up 50 cent stuffed animals.  Toots is a great eater; she eats a full meal twice a day and shows no food aggression what-so-ever.  She is a very messy drinker, though.  I have a mat to catch her drinks and she still manages to get drops of water throughout the kitchen. 

Tootsie does well on a leash and is very friendly.  I think she's very smart, because she's already figured out where I keep her rawhide and has learned the command "off" (she likes to jump up with her front paws, and while she's extremely gentle and light about it, I find it to be bad doggy manners, so I'm trying to teach her not to do it).  I think she has the potential to be a very well-trained pup!

Here are some pics from the past two days:

 

Looks who's waiting in the window!

Update on Breeze

Bella & Breeze: Together in Alabama!

How funny is this pic?  At some point while they were in Alabama both my foster pups, Bella and Breeze, had a pic taken together!

Update on Breeze: Looks like she'll be adopted soon as she has an application pending.  I love seeing my pups go to their forever homes!  She is such a great pup.  Breeze is a very good listener and very responsive; she knows "come" and "leave it."  Everyone at the dog park has fallen in love with her.  She gets along great with the other dogs and loves to visit with everyone.  When it's time to go home, I just call her name and she trots on back to the car with me.  She also walks so well on a leash; no pulling, just walks beside you and enjoys being outside and with her human.  Simply, she's been a "breeze" to foster :)

Breeze loves to play and star in her own movies!

Breeze is doing so well in her new foster home!  She was crated while I went to work and did not have any accidents.  Therefore, I'm thinking she can be considered housebroken.  I'll give it a few more days before officially posting her "housebroken" status on Petfinder to be sure, but I think we're well on our way there!

Breeze loves her toys.  I caught a number of things today on video to show you just how playful she is!

Meet Breeze!

What a friendly pup! I'm already falling in love with her spunkiness! Breeze is a tiny pup with a big personality. She's exudes a great combination of energy and "go with the flow" attitude.

Breeze did well in her crate in the car, no crying or complaints, and then recieved a spa treatment soon after I picked her up- nail clipping and a bath. She was so calm during the bath!

And boy does she love to play! She romped around the house with her foster cousins and had a great time. She's quite the acrobat, running and jumping around.  Breeze also loves bones, squeaky toys and stuffed animals!

Here are some more pics from today: