New family members

[Lindsey]

Everyone, meet our new fur-kids :)

These little guys were in bad shape and dropped off at a vet's office in my mom's home town, and then never claimed. The vet contacted a rescue in my city and that's where they went. They were both very badly matted and terrified of people.

The female, named Isadore at the rescue, is probably 8-10 years old according to the vet they saw. She had terrible teeth. The foster mom said she was feeding her a treat, and a molar fell right out into her hand. It was totally black and neon green. She had a dental done and is left with just three teeth left in her mouth, the poor girl. She was badly infected but is better now after antibiotics.

As if that weren't enough, she was also very lumpy and they were sure she had cancer. They removed mammary tumors which were tested and ended up being benign. She seems to have been used hard for breeding :( Her front legs also sort of point in to each other when she walks, which is a little weird but does not seem painful to her.

She is still timid around people but her spirit is not broken. She gets scared when someone is walking towards her, but if we're at her level and speaking softly, she perks up and even wags her tail. When the treats came out, she was spinning in circles for them! She spent most of her time in her kennel on our visit, but when we got her out, she fell asleep in both my arms and Scott's. She is such a little sweetheart, and I know she will get better when she sees all people aren't bad!

The male bichon cross (I think he looks like a maltese!), Kash, was not in as bad of shape. He also had bad teeth, but ended up just having to lose his front teeth. He has them all from the canines back. The vet thought he was 7 or 8 but we think he's much younger. He has a lot of energy, although he still likes to curl in a ball to sleep too! He loves to play fetch and will bring the toy back and drop it to be thrown again. He also learned to sit for treats very quickly!

The two of them had to be rehomed together because they're very attached to each other. If she cries, he is right there licking her ears and sniffing her head and making sure she's okay. They even snuggle together when they sleep!

They are both house trained. They know the word "outside" and they run right to the yard to pee, and right back to the door to come in. They love going for walks, but Kash is better on a leash than his sister. She runs ahead until she's choking herself! So we need to work on that.

We will be picking them up on Friday when Scott is home from his work trip. Layla is making me feel guilty! She was okay with them when they were here, and as soon as we took them back to the foster after our day visit, I don't think she was ever going to stop licking our faces! But I know she will learn to love them, and we will still love her as much as always!

By the way... if you noticed I didn't use Isadore's name much, it's because we are probably going to change it. We think she's a Lucy :) Lucy in the sky with diamonds... both of our girls would be named after songs! She doesn't seem to respond to much now. We read through names with a bunch of different sounds and she didn't move at all. Maybe she never had a name before. The rescue called her Izzy for short, but I think it sounds close enough to Lindsey that it might get confusing in our house! So I think it will be Lucy :)

After all that, here they are!

[Janet]

I saw their pictures on FB Linds and you're doing such a good thing. It has to be awful to be old and feel like you're not wanted. Just makes my heart ache.

[Lindsey]

Janet, I know what you mean! I wanted to cry when I took them back to the foster home. I kept telling them they are going to come back and live with us forever but we just have to give them to their foster mommy for one more week. I hate that they might have thought we were abandoning them too! They were just getting so comfortable in our house.

Tonight my dad is in town so I asked their foster mom if I can bring them to my grandma's for a visit and she said it was no problem! I am so excited to see them again!

[DianaB]

Awww......how sweet!! It touches my heart that they are so close to each other. I know that you'll enjoy having them!!

We have an airdale, Mollee, and Amy has a lab, Olie, and they have grown up together. Jaci wants to take Mollee home but it's hard to think about separating them so Mollee stays here.

I look forward to hearing more and seeing more pictures!!!

[JJJ]

Lindsey you are one lucky girl. Look at all that love :1luvu:

I can't believe theirs cruel people who would even think of doing such thing. Maybe abandoning them was the only good thing they ever done :mad:

I have a maltese and he looks nothing but maltese. :confused:

[judy]

I saw the new babies on fb, but I want to tell you here how wonderful you and Scott are for adopting them. They are beautiful little dogs! You are doing such a wonderful thing.

How is Layla adjusting? She is such a sweetie, I'm sure she will love them, as long as she learns that you and Scott still love her the same.

Any new pix?

[Lindsey]

Judy I don't think we've even taken pictures since we've got them home!! I will need to take the camera out more often!

Layla is adjusting okay. She still avoids them and Scott tries to push them together but I tell him it will just take time. Kash is pretty crazy and he is nuts over toys. Because of that, Layla is not interested in toys anymore. I know she doesn't want to get in the middle of it and have him come after her for whatever toy she has. So she is showing no interest in toys anymore. She will not go near the ones he has been playing with, so I'm keeping some of her favourites up away from the other dogs, and maybe sometime Scott can go out with those two, and I can get Layla to play one on one with me with her own toys!

All of the dogs have been playing musical beds at night. First of all, Kash does not want to sleep on the floor, but we're making him anyway. He and Layla both snuggle with us on the bed for a while, and then go down when we're going to sleep. Kash will try to cry his way back up for 10 minutes or so, but if we ignore, he will just curl up where he is. Layla has her own bigger bed in our room. It's bigger because she can't curl up anymore. Her body is always stretched out! I got a little donut bed for Kash, and a little house for Lucy because she is most comfortable in a den. Lucy went straight for her little house which was great! The first night, Kash was jumping all over Layla in her bed, so she went to the donut bed. I thought I'd just change positions so I switched those two around the next night, and put Layla to sleep in her bed first. I woke up in the morning, and Kash was in her bed again, and Layla was in the little one. So I guess it didn't matter where they were! The next morning I woke up, and Kash was in Layla's bed, and at first glance I thought Layla was in the donut... but nope, that was Lucy! Layla's nose was sticking out of Lucy's house! Lol!!! I guess if Layla's getting kicked out of her bed, she has to kick someone else out too!

Anyways, I'm happy to see they're all okay with sharing their sleeping spaces! And they all sleep right through the night.

Yesterday we were worried about how they'd do while we were at work. We expressed Layla on two pee pads in trays, and while both dogs sniffed them, they didn't use them. When we got home, there was just a poop at the garage door, but no pee anywhere! I let them out as soon as I got home. They seemed to do okay. I moved the pads to where they pooped yesterday, to see if that makes a difference.

Lucy is still pretty shy and timid, but she does come out sometimes. She will wag her tail and hop around on her front legs a little bit. When Kash starts playing, she runs to her kennel. I wonder if she was beaten before, because quick moves really scare her. Even if I'm playing with Kash and grab a toy quickly, she runs to her kennel. Last night I got her to sleep in my arms while I was watching tv. She will take some time to get used to us too. She does have quite a shrill cry when she is scared or alone!

[DianaB]

They all sound so sweet!!!

[Janet]

You did such a wonderful thing adopting the two older ones, but I hope it doesn't jeopardize Layla's health. She has made strides I would hate for them to stress out too much.

[Lindsey]

I was worried about that too Janet. Layla and Kash still seem to be fighting over being alpha. Sometimes they're okay with each other, but when Kash gets obnoxious with the toys in front of her, she will start barking. He growled at her a couple of times when she'd get close to his face, and last night he nipped her on the neck. That's not okay with how fragile her neck is but Scott was right there and pulled him off immediately, and Layla stopped barking at him and hasn't barked at him since. Maybe she will back down and just let him be boss. He has never tried to hurt her, just wanted to put her in her place this time I think. He's never been pushy with either of them. Not long after that happened, we took Layla to the vet for a pee sample, and when we got home, Kash had peed on some plastic grocery bags that were sitting in the hall with extension cords in them. We know it was him because there was actually some pee IN the bags too. This is the first time he has marked in our house and I hope it's the last. He stopped marking in the foster mom's house as soon as he was neutered.

Layla and Kash were both okay to lay in bed with us last night. They were only maybe 6 inches apart, and they both fell asleep. Layla actually scurreid under the covers and was squished right up against him later, but she might have thought it was one of us outside the covers! They sleep in beds right beside each other and they are content to do that.

We are trying to give Layla some extra special attention still. I think it will help.

Poor Lucy probably thinks she's living in a zoo. She is so timid! She is such a sweet little girl though. She has been loving treats and has even given us a few little kisses on our fingers and faces! She has been through a lot in the past couple of months too, with being abandoned, having surgeries, losing all her teeth, going to a foster home, and then another new home. I know it's going to take her a little longer to really adjust.

I have taken a few more pictures so I will post them when I get them off my camera!

[judy]

I was worried about that too Janet. Layla and Kash still seem to be fighting over being alpha. Sometimes they're okay with each other, but when Kash gets obnoxious with the toys in front of her, she will start barking. He growled at her a couple of times when she'd get close to his face, and last night he nipped her on the neck. That's not okay with how fragile her neck is but Scott was right there and pulled him off immediately, and Layla stopped barking at him and hasn't barked at him since. Maybe she will back down and just let him be boss. He has never tried to hurt her, just wanted to put her in her place this time I think. He's never been pushy with either of them. Not long after that happened, we took Layla to the vet for a pee sample, and when we got home, Kash had peed on some plastic grocery bags that were sitting in the hall with extension cords in them. We know it was him because there was actually some pee IN the bags too. This is the first time he has marked in our house and I hope it's the last. He stopped marking in the foster mom's house as soon as he was neutered.

Layla and Kash were both okay to lay in bed with us last night. They were only maybe 6 inches apart, and they both fell asleep. Layla actually scurreid under the covers and was squished right up against him later, but she might have thought it was one of us outside the covers! They sleep in beds right beside each other and they are content to do that.

We are trying to give Layla some extra special attention still. I think it will help.

Poor Lucy probably thinks she's living in a zoo. She is so timid! She is such a sweet little girl though. She has been loving treats and has even given us a few little kisses on our fingers and faces! She has been through a lot in the past couple of months too, with being abandoned, having surgeries, losing all her teeth, going to a foster home, and then another new home. I know it's going to take her a little longer to really adjust.

I have taken a few more pictures so I will post them when I get them off my camera!

Max and Annie fight for alpha all the time! She is in charge of me, he is in charge of the food, but God help him if he takes her treats! (and he does). Layla and Kash will work it out. I'm sure you will make sure she isn't too stressed now that you know she has health issues. Is she still going to your Grandma's?

[Lindsey]

Yes, Layla still goes to my grandma's so she gets to relax and sleep alone all day!

[JJJ]

I have two alphas too and they seem to work things out. I did train my bigger boy to wait while I feed the girls and that seems to work. What I can't train him to do is share his toys :rolleyes:

[Shada]

I love the rescues! So very happy you took them both into your home! What cuties they all are! Hoping Layla will adjust having to two new sibling. Just watch them close.. I know you are. :)

I think Cash looks like a maltese too. :) I have a maltese so I am a little partial... and then my mom has her yorkie, so I love them too!!!:)

[DianaB]

Jazzi wants to be the alpha dog but she's mean about it especiallly when they are going outside. We found out that if Reuger goes out first then she will respect him more. If she goes out first then she waits for Reuger and bites him all the way down the sidewalk. As far as the food goes there doesn't seem to be a problem.

I hope they all get things worked out and leave Layla alone. I bet that she'll enjoy the company of the others once she gets used to them.

[judy]

If Layla has her Grandma all day, she really has it good! Do they all eat together? If you feed Layla first, she may become the alpha. You and Scott are the real alphas, and I would think you can kind of push the hierarchy among the three dogs. It doesn't sound like Lucy is going to be a problem for Layla, being that she is so shy.

I love you both for taking the 2 rescues in!

[Lindsey]

They all get fed at the same time, we put all their bowls down at the same time, but Layla always eats hers first. The other two don't really eat very much. Well, Kash will usually just want to play instead of eating, until he gets really hungry. Lucy will eat if we hand feed her a few kibbles, and then she'll eat the rest later. Sometimes I have to push Kash away from Lucy's food because he'll go there first! We put water in Lucy's food to soften it so she doesn't have to chew because she only has three teeth. Kash is missing his front teeth but he can chew just fine with his side teeth! He just wants it easy like Lucy has it lol!

Last night, Layla was sleeping in her bed and Kash went in and sat in it until she moved. I saw that, so I got up and put Kash in his bed and put Layla back in hers. She laid down again. I watched, and he slowly stepped out of his bed and into hers again. She was about to leave and I said "NO!" and I put him in his bed again, and I pushed him into a laying position and told him to leave Layla alone! Well, he stayed in his bed for the rest of the night! :) Maybe I do have some power around here lol!

[judy]

How cute! He sounds adorable! A little handful, huh? Please take some pix!

Annie won the dog bed fight she and Max were having. She is laying in there now. I will buy another one just like it if they still have it at TJ Maxx. It's a really nice bed, and only cost $14.99! I can put the other bed upstairs. That one was $9.99!

[gja1000]

Lindsay, it sounds like you are doing so well with the newcomers. They do have to jockey for position and since Kash is a male (aren't they always problematic LOL!), he may sense she has a disability and try to take advantage. Judy is right, you and Scott are alpha, I think that Kash is smart and he will surely figure it out soon.

You and Scott are angels for taking them in.

This is OT but there was a story today in the paper about a man who is taking in donkeys that have been abandoned. He only has 10 acres so he has to find foster homes for them while they rehabilitate, get well, and wait to be adopted. He talked so lovingly about donkeys - he says they are very affectionate and loyal, but fiercely protective and will attack dogs or whatever threatens their loved ones. I see donkeys with herds of sheep around here and they protect the sheep from wild dogs or coyotes. Anyway with the drought around here, he says there are lots of abandoned donkeys and in the story he was looking for people with land who could take some in. It was sad but uplifting at the same time.

[Lindsey]

Tonight, Kash went straight to his bed and didn't bother Layla at all! Unfortunately it's 1:30 in the morning and I'm the only one up because I can't fall asleep!

Judy, I'll try to remember tomorrow to take the new pictures off my camera!

Gayle, that is such a great story that someone cares for those donkeys so much! I hope they can find enough foster homes for them. I hate when any animal is abandoned :(

[Janet]

You are the alpha Lindsey...you did could by getting that understood straight away.

[Lindsey]

Okay guys, here are a few new pictures :) I'll add more on facebook too!

1. Kash in Layla's pj's, giving his daddy a kiss!

2. Lucy hamming it up

3. The girls!

4. Kash none too happy that I made him put the squirrel down for a picture lol!

[Janet]

I know the pictures were about the dogs, but Lindsey....Scott is a cutie for sure!!!

[Lindsey]

Lol thanks Janet!! I think so too :D

[Janet]

Are they all still doing well together?

[Lindsey]

They are! Well, Layla is still not so happy with Kash but she's fine being around Lucy. When Kash starts going crazy and running around squeaking toys, Layla gets so mad and tries to put him in his place! On Friday night, she bit his ear as he ran by, and he turned and growled at her, and she was done with her barking. It's still a bit of a struggle with those two! Tonight they were all sleeping nicely while we watched Christmas movies, but then Kash wanted to get up, and he started walking right into Layla to push her out of her bed! I told him to stop being a jerk, and I would push him out of the way but he kept going back and finally Layla just left. I've been trying to side with Layla and push Kash down a notch but I don't know how well it's working. Either way, it doesn't escalate so I guess we're lucky they don't hate each other THAT much!

On the weekend we took all three down to visit Scott's parents and we met his new 1 month old nephew. The dogs didn't care at all! They sniffed him a bit, and walked away. That was good to see! When we have kids, there shouldn't be much of a problem!

Oh yeah, and last night, Lucy made our night! She has opened up so much lately. She will get down on her front paws and turn in circles and run back and forth when she's excited and wants to play, but she doesn't really play at all. Last night I was upstairs getting ready for a bath, and Scott frantically called me downstairs. I came down, and he was holding Kash back and he threw a toy for Lucy and she ran after it and tried to pick it up!!! That's the first time she has shown interest in toys :) It was so awesome to see!

[Blueyes]

I'm so glad they are settling in so nicely! They probably think the are in Heaven:)

[JJJ]

Lindsey they are so cute.

You are doing great with all three of them. I know it can be a handful, I sometimes want to pull my hair out with all mine.

[Janet]

I'm really glad to read that they are getting along for the most part. It's really wonderful about Lucy, before long, she'll know just how much fun it is to play.

[judy]

Yes, Scott is very handsome!

It sounds like they are mosrtly doing fine together! Kash is taking advantage because Layla can't put him in his place. You can either let it be, or try to help her out by not allowing him to dominate her.

They are so beautiful! Kash and Lucy look pretty healthy to me, and they sure don't look very old! You've got yourself some cutie pies there!