More of the same…

Haven't posted in a while, but honestly not a lot has been happening with Miss Allie.

She's maintaining her weight nicely with about 1.75 cups of Kirkland (Costco) chicken & rice kibble twice a day. She likes yogurt a lot, though right now the dogs get it mainly in the form of a frozen yogurt treat when they're left alone, and that's not happening much lately.

She either learned or re-learned "down," and she'll sit from a down - it's a pretty one, too. She still hasn't figured out how to sit from a standing position, but I'm pretty sure she wouldn't have trouble with it if someone worked with her on it a couple of days in a row. She's smart and very food motivated : )

We have a mealtime routine that Allie now has down pat. It lets the dogs know who's in charge and also keeps them from driving me crazy while I fix their food. Everyone has their special spot in the kitchen, and it never takes fosters long to go to their dish and leave the others alone. Allie was no exception. They all must wait outside the kitchen in a down position while I put their dishes in place. When I'm ready, and if everyone is patiently waiting in a "down, " I'll release them to eat by saying "Good stay - okay!" They all go to their spot and chow down.

Allie is still up to her hijinks with the towels. I have no idea where that comes from - I guess it's just her thing.

One thing we've observed about Allie that I haven't posted about before is that she's a little bit skittish. It's nothing like Sara, my paranoid thunderphobe, and Allie's really not a spook, but if your tone sounds harsh to her when you call her she will run away, and she's a little anxious during stormy weather (no howling or barking, though).

Because we've fostered a few would-be-dominant males who need their guardians to be assertive, I've tried to impress upon the kids that they need to use a firm tone when dealing with the dogs. Brandon, our 14-year-old, has a hard time finding the right tone…the one that says I expect you to come now, but I'm not going to hurt you when you get here. He's the only one Allie runs from now, though when she first arrived here she seemed afraid to come when called by anyone. A firm - but enthusiastic - tone with a couple of "good girls" thrown in and she does great.

This week is #4 of the second half of her heartworm treatment. In about two and a half weeks she'll be clear to start ramping up to a normal activity level. She's a perky little girl, so I suspect at first we'll have to keep her in check more than she'd like. But at least she won't have to look down the street longingly any more, or watch everyone go for a walk except her.

54 - Yes!

Allie began her second round of heartworm treatment on Tuesday, and returned to our home yesterday. The vet said she tolerated everything well, and she slipped right into our usual routine once she arrived back here. She has six more weeks of leash walking before we can begin working toward a more normal amount of activity.

If I happen to take her out front to take care of her business, she usually pauses and looks longingly down the street. She knows what walks are and wants one. She knows the word walk, too. When we ask the other dogs if they'd like to go for a walk, her ears perk up and she'll come stand by the door, hoping this time we'll take her. Soon, Miss Personality, soon.

The best news of all from the vet - after tolerating the treatment well, of course - was that Allie regained her weight and is now a healthy 54 pounds!

Frozen Yogurt Treats

We try to make crating a positive experience, so whenever we're getting ready to crate up the dogs and leave, it's treat time. One of the dogs' favorite treats - and one of the healthiest - is frozen yogurt. An added bonus is that it takes them at least 10 minutes to finish, so they pretty much don't care that we're leaving.

The simplest version of these treats involves nothing more than filling 4 ounce containers (like these GladWare cups) with plain nonfat yogurt. More involved recipes call for peanut butter, bananas, honey, shredded carrots or all of the above. The dogs seem just as enthusiastic about the plain ones as anything else I've tried, and right now simplicity is a plus so that's what I made this morning. If you want to try some of the variants, I suggest putting two quarts of yogurt in a blender with either one banana or 1/3 cup of natural peanut butter. Blend it on low just enough to combine, then pour it into the cups and freeze.

When I was through making the treats this morning, I let Allie lick the almost empty yogurt container and she loved it. Pretty sure she'll love her first frozen yogurt treat even more.

One step at a time…

I have to admit that when I first heard about Allie, her story was heart-wrenching and I didn't even know all the particulars. I pictured a broken dog we'd hopefully rehabilitate.

When she arrived, other than being frightfully underweight, she was quite lovely. I could tell, too, that without necessary limits (she's being treated for heartworm) she'd be plenty spunky. I forgot until about two or three days after she came to stay that she was blind in one eye. This was after she misjudged a doorway and gently "bonked" into it. My husband pointed out that the blindness was likely why she was at the time having trouble with stairs, because it would affect her depth perception. Her prior owners said she would refuse to use the stairs and they'd just carry her. My feeling is that dogs will train you if it's convenient for them and you allow it.

Allie trotted right up the steps from day one. But she seemed to worry so much about going down that she initially tried to take all the steps at once, which - thankfully - wouldn't work because we had her on lead. We began walking down the steps in front of her, blocking her way and forcing her to take them slowly, one at a time. It didn't take long before she was confidently picking her way down the steps. We now walk down alongside her and she doesn't even try taking more than a step at a time.

Greyhounds are so smart, and Allie's no exception. She and other foster hounds we've had learn not only by our teaching, but by the examples set by the other hounds in the house. Their confidence with the steps and other potential challenges no doubt rubs off on her.

Looking good!

Allie's put on a couple of pounds - just wanted to show her off.

The toy was left on the floor by another dog - Allie shows no interest in toys as of yet…just towels. And wash cloths. And socks.

Goofy girl.

A thing for towels…

Allie's previous owners said she had a thing about towels. So when she arrived here I laid a towel near the bed in the x-pen, figuring it might be some comfort to her in the transition. She wanted nothing to do with it. I don't know why I tried guessing at dog psychology. So I told Patty (with screening & placement) that was a random bit of information that wasn't applicable and should be removed from her profile.

It wasn't two hours after I wrote that when it started. In the hallway, I discovered a kitchen towel that had been hanging on a low towel bar. The next day it was my bath towel in the middle of the bedroom floor. This morning, a clean pair of socks that had been laid on a dining room chair waiting to be put away were found laying six feet away on the floor. Allie is always snoozing on a dog bed before and after these discoveries…at least, I think she's snoozing. So apparently it's all about stealth, and a towel given is no fun at all.

Some Greyhounds are "collectors," who steal your treasures and take them back to their crates or beds. Not Allie. She just wants to slightly relocate them, and do so when no one's looking. It's funny and kind of cute…she looks completely innocent. Of course, my official position is that towels, etc., are a NO. Problem is, to correct that behavior I'll have to catch her in the act at least a couple of times. Fat chance of that.

Stormy Weather

I was awakened this morning by thunder, followed by Sara - our thunderphobic Greyhound - barking at the thunder. Thankfully, Allie didn't complain about the storms. We're supposed to get some pretty heavy ones later in the evening, so we'll see if she's rattled by those. While it won't matter to me with one thunderphobe already keeping me awake, it'd be nice if Allie's forever family didn't have to worry about it.