Busy Easter

Chloe had a very busy Easter. She came along to cheer Rio on at an AKC agility trial. Look Ma, no harness! I definitely feel comfortable enough with Chloe now to not make her wear a harness all the time in public. Notice she is standing next to a stroller. This stroller had triplets. She wasn't too interested in getting too close to the kids, but she did just fine.

Once at home, Chloe and her sibling got to have their Easter basket treat. The Easter bunny had brought them yummy beef straps. He didn't wants them getting "rabbit" ideas. Chloe went to town on hers!

Chloe was pooped after her treat and her long day at Rio's agility trial.

All in all, a great holiday weekend.

Reunion

Chloe and her former housemate, Laramie met up today for the first time in 3 months. Chloe and I joined Laramie and his new mom, Tammy and her daughter, Nona for a wonderful hike on Cheatham Hill Trail at Kennesaw Mountain Park today. My what a beautiful day for a hike and getting these two cuties together was fun.

It was interesting to watch them the first time they saw each other. They clearly recognized each other. Both dogs have trimmed up and look great. We all enjoyed our hike. We also ended up doing lots of mini Meet & Greets along the way.

We had a great time together. Chloe cracked me up. She was there to hike. When we stopped to talk with folks or to take a break, she'd stop for a minute or two then she was ready to go again.

Chloe and Laramie were so cute together.

We're looking forward to more "family" get togethers in the future.

Resilient

For a shy dog who is almost 7 years old, Chloe is pretty darn resilient. She attended her first agility trial this past weekend; lots of people, dogs and smells. She was nervous at first but she settled into her crate right away. She enjoyed coming out for walks and eventually started meeting people.

Initially, she was very nervous around new folks. Fortunately, at an agility trial, MOST people are pretty dog savvy. Most approached her sideways or turned around in front of her offering treats from their hands while they faced away.

After a few meetings with folks, she began taking treats from them! That's huge. When Chloe is stressed, she will NOT take treats--even from me.

She is really great meeting other dogs--large or small. Dogs don't seem to make her worry--just new people. I am so impressed with her willingness to trust. She is an amazing girl and I am so blessed to have her be part of my "family."

Early Sunday morning, we even got a photo shoot with Phyllis Ensley in. Chloe is such a sweet, pretty girl.

Here she is with her canine pack, Blaze, Rio and Cori

Chloe's Busy Social Calendar

Chloe didn't realize when she joined this family it would be go, go, go. Thursday, she helped co-host the women's club meeting/party in our neighborhood. Ok, well, she came down from the bedroom after about half the guests left. She's still not fond of crowds. She was worried and a little scared, but she did go up to a few ladies for a quick sniff.

Rio and Blaze are old hat at entertaining. This was Cori's "first" party and she was nervous at first, but after watching Rio and Blaze, she began making her rounds to attend to all the guests. It will take Chloe more time, but that's fine. Every new postive thing is a setp in the right direction.

Then today, she had a spa day appointment along with Cori and Blaze at the SEGA kennels. She wasn't too thrilled to get in the grooming tub, but she did it. She did fine with the bath itself and she was lovingly dried off. Then all 3 pups went home and watched while Rio got her own spa day at home. All four pups retired for a nap and been relaxing all day in between romps in the yard on this beautiful preview of spring day!

Special thanks to Miss Ginny and Miss Tara and the Dirty Dog Deputies (Heather and Rhonda)!

Pack Walk

Today, Chloe, her brother and sisters, and I ventured out bravely (and probably crazily) for a walk on this beautiful day on some trails near our house.

This is the first time we've attempted an actual pack walk since Chloe joined our family. It went better than I expected, but we do need to work on it some. Rio forgets she is on lead and walks under the hounds which creates a tangled mess as you can imagine. Plus, everyone was excited to try and sniff everything.

For obvious reason, no photos were taken on this walk. The REAL test of strength came when walking back to the truck, 3 female deer were walking (and then running and leaping once they saw us). My heart dropped to my stomach because I thought how in heavens name I am I going to hold onto all 4 dogs. The deer were probably less than 50 feet in front of us.

Cori and Blaze saw the dear and froze. Their ears went up and they tried to dash. I held on, TIGHT. Fortunately, Rio and Chloe were just enjoying their walk and didn't see them until they had just gone down a ravine. Phew--disaster averted.

All in all, we had a nice little walk.

Chloe's Latest Outing

Today, Chloe went to watch some of SEGC's Old Mill Stakes (lure coursing) at the Old Mill Farm in Cartersville. She brought Rio along for company and confidence. She LOVES going for a ride so our drive to the Old Mill Farm was a nice, pleasant ride. She got out of my truck no problem. Once out of the truck she became a little nervous.

We had arrived during the break for lunch. Pretty much everyone there knew her story so everyone approached her calmly and from their side, not making eye contact. She sniffed a few folks as long as they ignored her. She would not take treats though, even from me. Although she was nervous, she was not panicked, nor did she try to bolt. She was fine greeting other dogs, so no worries there.

We just walked around calmly and slowly so she could investigate the area. Rio greeted everyone she came in contact with, human or canine, which was great for Chloe to see.

Then lure coursing started back up after lunch. Someone obviously changed dogs on me. Chloe was a totally different dog once the the lure started moving. And oh my heavens if dogs were chasing it, you would have sworn this girl was a lure coursing champ. She tried very hard to go join the dogs running after the lure.

Her ears were up. Her eyes were focused and she even did some happy squealing. She even let people come up and pet her. SEGA's Toni Kane sat on the ground and petted Chloe. Chloe did pretty well with that and one point almost stepped on Toni so she could get a better look at the lure. She would even watch the golf cart going around to restring the line when necessary. After all, sometimes the golf cart had the lure and she just didn't want to miss a minute of it.

The whole fun adventure was confirmation of what I already suspected. Chloe will adjust just fine to a new life full of activities, travel, people and dogs. I could not be happier because I am considering today Chloe's "Gotcha Day." Yes, I am so smitten with this little girl that I am adopting her myself. My dogs and I are thrilled to welcome her to our little family.

Let the fun begin. Hang on Chloe, you're in for the time of your life.

Taking It Slow

Chloe met her first child, Arisallia (3rd grader), since she's been in foster with me. She was quite nervous and stayed "hidden" for the first hour or so. Because this little girl was very calm and gentle, and Chloe's foster siblings were interacting wih Arisallia, Chloe actually came out for a little visit. The little girl sat next to Chloe just petting her, talking calming, quietly and sweetly to her. Chloe did ok as evidenced by the below picture.

Chloe then posed for Arisallia in a cute close up.

Snow Day!

Chloe seems to have enjoyed the recent snow accumulations. Donning a cute little GA Dawgs coat, she and her foster siblings had some fun romps in the snow before the snow got too icy.

When Chloe is comfortable and feels secure, she is playful and adventurous. She is definitely a dog who thrives around other confident, friendly and playful dogs.

Playdate

Chloe and her foster siblings had a fun playdate today with my friend Amanda and her sweet girl Millie. Chloe, Millie, and Chloe's foster brother and sisters, Blaze, Cori and Rio had fun running around the fenced backyard. It was a bit chilly so everyone had their coats on. Millie enjoyed the chance to be off lead in a safe, fenced environment with other greyhounds.

Then we all moved inside to visit some more and celebrate Chloe's foster brother, Blaze's 3rd birthday with yummy doggie birthday cake (peanut butter/banana with strawberry flavored light cream cheese frosting). All the pups seemed to enjoy their cake and fun play date. Chloe enjoyed visiting with Amanda as well.

Chloe was ready for a nap after the playdate. A fun time was had by all.

Busy Girl

Chloe has been on the go this week. She absolutely LOVES to go for a ride. She has been on 2 outings so far this week. Monday she went with her foster sister, Rio to a local feed & seed store, TC Country. Chloe seems to mirror the dog she is with. Rio loves to go places and meet folks. She stays happy and calm. That had a great effect on Chloe. People wanted to meet and greet her, so I just asked that they move slowly and speak calmly. Chloe noticed that Rio was fine these folks, so Chloe did well as well. She was shy but still interested in meeting the folks. It was an all around good outing.

Her second outing was with her foster greyhound sister, Cori to Cori's Rally Obedience class. She was able to watch the class from a nice comfortable, soft sided crate close to the ring where we were working. She came out a few times to walk around and visit. She was a more nervous during this outing which was understandable. There were a more people and as well as different dogs. All the dogs in class are friendly and well behaved so there was nothing to worry about there. She definitely was not as at ease, but she did not shut down. She didn't panic or try to bolt. She just wasn't as sure of herself. Even still, I was pleased with her outing. Progress comes in small packages. The more outings she goes on with her foster siblings, the more confident she will become.

All in all, Chloe has made tremendous progress (when you add it all up) in the 2 short weeks she has been in foster. I could not be happier.

New Year - New Things

This new year, 2011 is going to be Chloe's year. It's going to be her year to go new places, meet new people, try new things and find a forever home.

In a previous post, Chloe had started to pick up dog toys and carry them around. Now she has actually started to play a little with them. She actually picked one up and played with it.

She also had a visitor today. She wanted to greet our family friend, Tracy. She came up shyly but wagging, following the lead of her foster siblings.

She spent some one on one time with Tracy and seemed to enjoy it. The key was moving slowly and talking calmly and sweetly.

It will be exciting to watch Chloe blossom and become more confident. She's off to a great start.

Monkey See, Monkey Do

We all know the phrase, "Monkey see, monkey do." Most dogs can learn by watching other dogs. Chloe is no exception.

She intently watches her foster brother and sisters interact with me. They love attention and affection.  Chloe has started soliciting attention and affection from me also. She has even licked my hand a couple of times. That's a big step for a shy dog who has only been in her foster home for little over a week.

Chloe's foster brother and sisters and I play together with toys each day. It's just part of our routine. Chloe watches our playtime. In the last couple of days, Chloe has even started picking up discarded toys after the most recent play session. She will typically carry them to her bed. She has not actually started playing with them yet, but I am encouraged by her picking toys up and carrying them around.

Chloe has willingly mastered all the routines of the household from meal time to bed time to outside play time. In our fenced back yard, when called, she has started running over to me. Not just walking casually but actually running and wagging her tail.

This weekend we start working on meeting people in her own environment (her foster home) and then next week visiting her new people friends in their homes.

It's so wonderful to see Chloe start to build comfort and confidence. Time and patience will be our best friends.

Likes and Dislikes

It's interesting and fun as you start to get to know your foster greyhound. You discover their likes and dislikes. In the 5 days that Chloe has been in my household as a foster, I have learned many things about what she likes and what she dislikes.

Chloe is a bit of a dichotomy. Being a shy dog, there are things you expect her to nervous around. What makes Chloe so interesting is that some things that you expect her to be shy or nervous around, she is not. For example, I had a spot steam cleaner out and cleaning a muddy pawprint in the carpet. My dogs were afraid to walk next to it while it was operating. Not Chloe. She walked right next to it and could have cared less.

Chloe likes crates. She obviously feels very safe and secure in a crate. In fact she seeks out an open crate. She likes to eat her meals in a crate.

Chloe loves car rides. She enjoys going for a ride.

Chloe likes food. So far she has not been picky about when it comes to eating.

Chloe likes being part of a "pack." She enjoys the companionship of other dogs, yet she also is people focused after you have won her over.

Chloe enjoys going outside and is even very agreeable to wearing a coat in the very cold weather that we have had lately. She also seems to like to explore.

Chloe likes to take her time getting to know people. She also feels more comfortable getting to know someone in a familiar surrounding.

Some of the things that Chloe does not like are quick movements. She is much more comfortable with slower movements.

Chloe does not like loud or firm voices. She likes calm, gentle voices.

Chloe likes her space while she eats. She doesn't show any food guarding but rather stops eating is she thinks you are a little to close to her while she eats.

Chloe is not comfortable meeting people in unfamiliar surroundings yet.

Chloe had her first little outing this evening. We went to Petsmart since I knew it would be not very busy the Monday evening after Christmas.

Chloe was excited to go. She enjoyed the ride. She had a coat and harness on. She was a little nervous to get out of my truck when we got there. Once there she was a little nervous going into Petsmart. Once in side, she was interested in looking and sniffing around. She was not too interested in meeting anyone tonight though. She got very nervous if people got to close to her, but she did not panic or try to bolt. Baby steps, but I'll take them!

Chloe's White Christmas

Chloe enjoyed "opening" presents this morning. She got 2 stuffies, a tag holder, and her own blankie.

She went outside with her foster siblings this morning and wanted to play so bad. Even though my yard is fenced, I had been walking her on a leash in the backyard. I didn't want her to get scared and me have to chase her around the yard to get her back inside. I told her maybe in the afternoon, she could be in the fenced yard unleashed.

She has been listening to me so well so this afternoon, I gave her her wish and let her be in the fenced yard with my dogs unleashed with me close by. She was quite happy. She ran a little (even with her baggie protecting her last remaining foot bandage). She did her business and when I called her to me, she came right away. So she has earned her first privilege--at least for today. She's such a good girl.

She's had a big day and is sound asleep--maybe with sugar plums (or more likely squirrels) dancing in her head.

Next week we'll try some short outings and meeting some new people. So far she's proving to be a resilient little dog. Shy, yes, but definitely resilient.

Here's Winking at You Kid!

Chloe is "in the House"

Chloe went into foster today. She eagerly jumped into the front seat of my truck while I was loading her stuff. She was obviously ready to leave the kennel. I easily coaxed her into the backseat and off we went. She laid down and relaxed while the truck was moving. Anytime we stopped, she jumped up as if to say, "Are we there yet?"

Once home, she met her foster sisters (Rio and Cori) and brother (Blaze). She also met PJ (cat) and Reggie (most likely the first parrot she's ever met). She was a little nervous but didn't seem overly stressed. She found a dog bed she liked and settled in for a nap.

After her nap, we told her she's been enrolled in the "Life is Great" program. Once she's settled in, she's going to go to lots of places, do lots of things and meet lots of people. Her foster siblings, Rio and Blaze, told her they have graduated from the program ages ago and Cori graduates very soon. All three have said they'll be happy to tutor her.

We all told her to rest up over the next couple of weeks so she'll be ready to start the program.

Watch her blog to read about her experiences and see her progress. Today is the first day of the rest her life and it promises to be grand!