Presenting Kony, The Gentle Giant

This past Wednesday, after dinner, I went to go meet Kony, the new foster. I had already had a chance to meet him briefly at an event. Sid and Onyx got to meet him there as well, but I was still a little nervous about the introduction. Let's face it, three dogs and two cats could get a bit chaotic, and somehow, I forgot about Kony's size until I saw him at the pick up meeting. If Kony were to get on his back legs and stand up, he could probably rest his front paws on my shoulder. It is nice being able to pet and hug him without having to bend down though, and he loves being petted and loved. He is a very sweet and gentle boy.

Kony greeting everyone

It's nice to say that once again, things went smoothly when I brought him into the home. It was done a bit differently this time since Sid and Onyx were outside. We brought Sid in first, let him get comfortable, then introduced Onyx into the situation. Onyx does follow Sid's lead with a lot of things. They have become very attached to one another. 

Arrival day is turning into a routine. After getting the dog use to his foster brother's and letting him see the back yard and get use to his surroundings, bath time happens. Unlike Rayzr and Onyx, Kony is not a happy bath dog. Bathing him was a two person job, but once he knew we weren't hurting him, he did calm down. He wasn't happy about the bath after he calmed down, but he is smart enough to know if he doesn't fight us, it ends quickly.

Kony relaxing after a bath

Kony is a pretty laid back boy. He prefers to lay down in the quieter parts of the house. He will play and wrestle with his foster brothers, but he doesn't want to play as much as the other two do, which is every waking moment.

Kony is pretty good in cars as well. He seems to enjoy sleeping through the car ride. He is so quiet and so good it would be easy to forget he was with you until you got to your destination. This is a big difference from Sid who thinks car ride time is also climbing over everyone and everything time and needs to be secured when in a vehicle.

Kony is also a dog that listens. If he is doing something you don't want him to do, which isn't often, all you have to do is say his name and he stops. He doesn't seem to know commands like sit very well, but he is learning quickly. Or maybe he did know and the new environment threw him off and he's starting to show what he knew again. He learned how to use the doggy door in the pool cage, which is actually pretty funny since he seems like he'd be too big for it when he walks up to it.

The one area that it has been very useful that he listens so well is with the cats. He definitely wants to see what they taste like. He hasn't tried to hurt them, but he has stared at the one and drooled. Fortunately, the cats are smart enough to avoid him, and he doesn't have enough of a prey drive to go after them. I think he can be taught to see the cats as part of the pack, however, I do think supervision and caution would always need to be used. Having a way to separate the two seems to be a must. And having a cat that doesn't back down seems to be helping as well.

Because of the cat issue, I did want to crate him though. After ordering a larger crate then the one I had set up for the fosters since he would not fit in the other one, I found out he is not a happy dog in the crate. Over night when the cats are sleeping in one of the bedrooms, I don't mind locking him in the living room. While the dogs are not at home alone a lot, he will be crated then. I am going to try to work with him to make him feel more comfy being crated in case his new forever home prefers to crate their dogs. I found in the past, the easiest way to train my dogs to not hate the crate is to first let them get use to laying in it not closed, then close them in it for a few minutes at a time, each time a little longer. He does like laying in a crate that is open already, so I don't think the next step will take a long time to accomplish.

What a handsome boy!

I think teaching him new things or getting to adapt his behavior is going to be pretty easy. Kony is already a good dog who listens well and he obviously wants to please his humans. He really doesn't need much work, if any, depending on what kind of home he goes into. If you want to learn more about Kony, you can find him on PetFinder.

A Weekend Out and a New Foster

As mentioned in my last post, I had to take some time off from fostering during my recovery. This past Wed marked the one month point and I decided that I feel well enough to start back up. I should be getting my new foster furbaby on Wed. evening, so I will be posting more again.

I did get out with Onyx and Sid this weekend though. The Rays had a bark at the park day where you were allowed to take your dogs to the ball game, so I jumped on it immediately and got tickets for them. There is suppose to be two more of these this season, and I will most likely do them again. If a foster is in my care and it is ok, I will take the foster along too.

Sid taking in the sights

Sid and Onyx were so well behaved and they seemed to really enjoy going. I am sure dogs are like people in that they get sick of the same surroundings every day, which is why I try to get them out as much as possible. I even have an app to tell me about local dog parks and eateries that are dog friendly. While not all doggie dining places are in the app, a good number are. With how well behaved these two were at the game, I am convinced trying new things with them will go fine.

Onyx having a blast

I am a little nervous about having three dogs to take care of, but I am pretty sure it will go fine. There are three sets of hands in this house for doggie outings and walks and there is support from my parents a few blocks away. I know that it will be worth it. There is no feeling for a dog lover like giving a dog another chance at a loving home.

A Furry Break In a Storm

It's been awhile since my last post. We had an emergency 3 weeks ago. It happened right after picking up Onyx, who was to be our newest foster. On the way home, I wasn't feeling well. I was in a lot of pain, which I assumed was from a pinched nerve I had. My sister was with me, and we stopped at my parents' house with Onyx. After being there for a few moments, I knew something was wrong. I went in their room to lay down and ended up on the floor. Onyx came back and sat with me until they came. He watched over me while we waited for help.

Onyx making himself at home

As it turns out, I had a heart attack. I spent a few days in the hospital. But on that first day, I knew. We have our foster failure. I knew Onyx couldn't go to another home after watching over me. And I think everyone agreed. Onyx kept visiting everyone and making sure they were ok. He was a fuzzy and loving break in an otherwise, very bad day.

I had mentioned before how he looked like my Belgian Shep mix, Pembleton. I was excited to be picking him up and helping him. I fell in love with him at first meeting. It was easy to see just how loving he was just by the look in his eyes. I was nervous about the introduction between Sid and Onyx, but as it turns out, I wasn't the one to make the introduction. It was made while I was in the hospital. I missed the first few days. But I was getting updates and knew he was fitting well into the home. I couldn't wait to get released to get home to my two boys. I am happy to report that they are helping me recover. :)

I decided to take a short break from fostering while I was recovering and Onyx was getting use to his new surroundings. I had Sid and Onyx out at an event this past weekend just to get out for the day with my fur babies and we had fun. I got to meet the potential new foster dog that will be placed with us and he was as sweet as the others. I have a few things I need to do for myself over the next week and a half, and then I can make arrangements to bring the next foster into the home. I'm looking forward to bringing the next dog home and sharing all of the experiences that go along with it.

Pembleton enjoying a rare Southern VA Snow