Introducing Emma's OLD family: her puppies!

Thanks to Emma's new adoptive family asking for them and some super sleuthing by another CARE volunteer, I'm finally able to post some adorable pictures of Emma's litter. Her babies were adopted out at the end of June at two months old (their age in the photos), so will be nearly full grown by now. She actually had six puppies: Two white blond (like the one on the far left), two with 'Rottie style' markings (pictured) and two the same reddish color as Emma.

I didn't get to spend much time with her puppies as I was trying to get on her good side and she didn't like anyone who messed with her babies. What stood out the most was that they had such different personalities (and sizes!). The smallest, a red female, was a little whackadoodle, always busy, very smart and clearly in charge... guess who I think ended up being most like Emma? My favorite was Jay, because he looked and acted like a tiny little Rottweiler. Big boned, big-headed, quiet, clumsy and a bit bewildered by his more active littermates. It really was like someone had chucked a Rottie pup into a litter of tiny terriers.

Jay: sweet, good-natured and a little confused about

how he ended up as a chihuahua/terrier.

All of the puppies shared the same love of Emma's to be held on their backs. Just like Emma can be running around playing one minute and then nodding off within five minutes of being held like a baby on her back, you could put a pup in your palm on his/her back and they'd just go limp. Jay was the funniest because he would get this totally blissed out look on his goofy face.

They were all adopted the first week they were available. Because I wasn't the foster home for the puppies, I don't know who they went to, but one of the other volunteers told me that Jay's adoptive family had retired to their vacation home in Mexico which sounds like a pretty good life for a dog (or human) to me.

This is Jan, who to me looks the most like Emma.

The smallest and smartest of the litter, she is clearly worried about what

the heck is happening to her as this photo is taken.

Of course, after being found in an abandoned garage with her six babies and doing her duty as Mama Dog, Emma is now spayed and looking forward to the rest of a long, happy life BEING the baby of the family. She has been such a delight to cuddle, train and love for the past six months, that while I wouldn't wish a cross-country move on anyone, I am grateful that I get to keep her for a few more weeks before her new family arrives. Who wouldn't want to wake up to this face?

How to sleep like a Rottie, even if you're a chiwhawhawha...

Just had to share this photo of Emma and Brogan in bed. Rotties are notorious for sleeping with their legs up in the air, and Emma is usually snuggled UNDER the covers. I took this picture just as I got out of bed, so Emma was actually under the covers on her back in the crook of my arm before I so cruelly uncovered her. Usually she dives for cover, but this time she couldn't be bothered.

Jillian (Emma's soon-to-be-adoptive mama-person) sent me a picture of her in bed with both her cat and dog laying on top of her. It's a lovely and silly picture which tells me that Emma is going to be getting just as many cuddles and kisses in her new home as she does here. Even more so, if you count Balloon, Emma's soon-to-be kitty buddy. As promised, here he is looking adorable in a scarf:

Emma Has Found Her New Home!

I'll do a more thorough post later, but I just wanted to share the good news that thanks to the wonders of the internet and one very persistent animal lover searching the web, Emma has found her forever home. They are currently in Maine but will be moving to the Bay Area soon, so I even get to keep Emma through Christmas which makes me one happy camper. Emma will be joining the family of Jillian and Fowler and their furkids Buckley the dog (pictured) and Balloon the kitty. More info to come (and cute photos of Balloon wearing scarves...). Yeah, Emma and yeah to Jillian for being an internet super sleuth!

Video of Emma Playing

Photographic evidence that Emma DOES play! Actually she plays all the time and this is pretty mild, but I finally made a clip short enough to upload (grrr... technology!). As Emma has been perfecting her "I'm a boring shy little stoney-faced dog" routine while meeting potential adopters lately, I wanted you to see the REAL Emma. Or at least 22 seconds worth!

Why Should I Adopt a "Fostered Rescue Dog"?

Former foster Clare and current foster Emma frolicking in Tahoe

Because I'd really like to see little Miss Emma in her 'forever' home for the holidays, I've been stepping up my efforts to get more people to meet her. I posted her on Craig's List late last week and got a few emails about her, which was nice. However, some people were put off by her adoption fee ($350) , which is set by CARE (the rescue organization) not by me (a volunteer). The fee includes spay, all vaccinations, microchipping and a first vet visit, which is actually a great deal.

More importantly, what it also includes that a shelter does not is the benefit of FOSTERING. Don't get me wrong, if you want to adopt from a shelter you will find many wonderful dogs who really need a home. But fostering is so much more!

SO WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE A FOSTERED DOG? First of all, fostered dogs live in private homes, not in shelters. We usually have our own 'forever' dog(s), plus a varying quantity of foster dogs who stay with us anywhere from a week to over a year. I have one forever dog, Brogan and one foster dog, Emma, so she gets a LOT of attention.

SOME OF THE BENEFITS OF ADOPTING A FOSTERED DOG:

1) They are well socialized: Emma goes everywhere dogs are allowed to go. She has been on trains, in stores, beaches, parks, dog-friendly restaurants, dog parks and is a great car rider. When I first got her she was terrified of new situations and threw up every time she went in the car... now she's a pro!

2) A foster volunteer can really tell you about the personality of the dog in a home environment. While shelters do their best and some are better than others, usually it is a very stressful environment for any dog and you won't see the true temperament come out until the dogs settles into its new home (2-4 weeks).

3) One-on-one training: Emma gets daily practice in 'real life' obedience. That's what I call all the stuff that makes a dog fun and easy to live with. House training (though Emma came that way!), crate training, sit, down, stay, off (as in off the bed), up (as in jump into the car) and basic safety commands such as 'don't touch' and 'come'.

4) And probably the most important: LOVE AND SECURITY. For the time Emma is with me, she IS my dog and it's my job to give her all the love and self-confidence I can to help her be the best dog she can be.

The other question I keep getting (because I obviously love the little thing so much), is "Why don't you keep her?". First of all, that's not our goal as foster volunteers. As hard as it is, our 'job' is to love our fosters enough to get them to their 'real' homes. If we kept them all, we couldn't help any more dogs.

Emma is my 17th foster. I did end up keeping #16 (my beautiful pitbull Mama Jodhi who just passed last Christmas), but the others have gone on to have wonderful lives with the people they were meant to be with. I've already written about my friends in Lake Tahoe who 'time share' Brogan when I'm traveling: 9 years ago they adopted the lovely 3 legged Clare, my foster for about four months. Audrey, a pit bull-boxer mix and former foster, has just become an official medical alert service dog for her person, Johanna (yeah, Audrey!!).

In case you are new to the blog, this is NOT EMMA!! This is service dog Audrey.

And the other question I get about Emma is "If she's so great, why have you had her so long?". Good question, complicated answer! Here goes:

1) There are a billion chihuahuas out there for adoption. Along with pitbulls they are the most common breed in shelters. Emma has a LOT of competition and most people want tiny 'purse' dogs. At 12 pounds, Emma is neither a purse dog in size or temperament. She is not tiny and shaky... she has the spirit of a terrier, the heart of a lion and the playfulness of a court jester.

2) Emma is too smart for her own good. She knows she's got a sweet situation right here with Brogan and me. She figures out quite quickly when she's being 'shown off' to a potential adopter and puts on her "I'm a timid little stoney-faced boring dog' act. It's really quite amazing to watch. The Emma you meet as a potential adopter is NOT the Emma I get to enjoy every day, which is one reason I started this blog, where I can talk about the REAL Emma.

3) She needs exercise and does not like tiny children (toddlers). Many people attracted to chihuahuas think they are purse dogs whose feet never need to touch the ground. This is why I stress that Emma has a terrier personality and is really a big dog in a little body. As for the toddler thing, it's just not a good fit. I can only guess that there is some history of bad experiences that she may or may not overcome as she gets older.

4) Finally, I'M PICKY. This is an awesome dog, certainly one of the best fosters I've had, and I'm going to make darn sure she goes to an excellent home where she gets cuddles, walks and trips to the beach!

OK, that's it for my primer on why you should adopt a foster dog. I leave you with my favorite picture of my beloved pit bull, Mama Jodhi. Jodhi came to me as a foster for 'just a week' as her time had run out at the shelter and she was scheduled to be euthanized. She was in the shelter because her own very loving owner had recently passed away. When I first saw her, I thought "That is the most boring dog I've ever seen... the oatmeal of dogs!". Within one week of being out of 'prison', she was the most expressive dog I'd ever seen. Within a few months I knew she was a 'foster dog' in name only. I adopted her at 8 years and she passed at 15. She was the kindest, gentlest soul I've known and a credit to pretty pitties everywhere.

NO MATTER WHAT DOG YOU CHOOSE, PLEASE ADOPT FROM A RESCUE GROUP OR SHELTER AND DON'T BUY FROM DISREPUTABLE 'BREEDERS'.

Emma Starts Her First Training Class

This Saturday Emma started her very first official puppy training class at Happy Tails to You Dog Training in San Jose (www.happytailstoyoudogtraining.com). Owner and prima dog trainer Dawna Caldwell is a long-time supporter of CARE and welcomed Emma as a CARE foster dog despite the fact that at around a year old she's not exactly a puppy anymore.

Emma already is house-trained, crate-trained, walks on leash, knows sit, down, stay, off, up, take it, don't touch and come, but so far I'm the only one she listens to! Plus she is still shy around strangers and a (oddly) a bit nervous around small breed puppies. I thought that putting her in a different setting with other dogs and people where she gets lots of positive reinforcement would be really good for her. And of course, all dog training is really more about training the humans than the dogs.

Even though I've been through over 20 six week long sessions with my various dogs, I've never had a dog like Emma who is an absolute extrovert love bug at home and can turn into a stoney-faced lump when meeting new people (aka potential adopters!). I need to learn get her to show her true coolness to more than a select few humans!

This is my third class with Happy Tails (both of my Rotties went through their Canine Good Citizen training with Dawna) and I totally recommend her classes for being both educational and just plain fun. I can't say that Emma was 100% thrilled with the first class, but I thought she did great and can already tell we will both learn a lot. Who ever gets this little girl as a 'forever dog' will be one lucky camper.

Emma Loves Cats... and not just with a nice Bernaise sauce

During my month-long job hunt and adventure in conquering German as a fifth language in Europe, Brogan and Emma enjoyed nearly five weeks at the Incline Village Doggie Spa (aka my friends' lovely home in Lake Tahoe). My dog Brogan is already considered our 'time share dog' (he has in fact taken their last name, being now officially "Brogan Kennedy" which sounds much nicer than "Brogan Horch) and they have apparently began referring to Emma as "Time Share 2.0". Emma and Milo (above) continued their great love affair and took turns being chaser and chasee as well as just rolling around and having a fun time. And no, Emma didn't shrink from being in the frozen wilderness... she is still 12 pounds. Milo is just a very 'robust' kitty!

The Kennedy's other dog, the three-legged beauty Claire, was not quite so enamored of Emma, having to compete with her for the affections of both Milo and Brogan. The girls did, however, bond over the (fruitless) hunting of squirrels in the forrest, which Brogan finds rather silly when presented with the alternate plan of taking a nice nap in the warm indoors.

Good dog, bad foster mom!

Poor little Emma, she's been having all sorts of fun and her blog has been dead in the water since August. Never fear, Emma is still here! The truth is, she is such a great dog to have around I haven't been all that good about finding her forever home. So, just as a reminder, here is what you need to know about Miss Emma if you might be looking for that perfect pooch to add to your family.

• JUST THE FACTS…
• · About a year old, chihuahua mix, weighs in at 12 pounds.
• · House-trained, crate-trained, walks nicely on leash, calm during car rides, knows sit, down and stay.
• · Good with cats and most other dogs (she prefers boy dogs).
• · Not reactive or nervous (meaning she doesn’t bark a lot!).
• AND NOW FOR THE SPECIAL STUFF…
• · Has super-soft fur and cool expressive ears.
• · Loves to be held on her back and cuddled like a baby.
• · Wacky and playful with her special human and her best dog friends.
• · Great jogging, hiking and beach buddy.
• · Is a quick learner and really fun to train.
• · Prefers to sleep under the covers snuggled next to her human.
• · Walks backwards on her hind legs and says ‘Roo! Roo!’ when she’s REALLY happy!
• DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO BE THIS SPECIAL GIRL’S FOREVER PERSON?
• · Enjoy taking energetic walks or jogs at least once per day.
• · Have a safely enclosed play area (yard or patio).
• · Not regularly leave Emma alone for very long periods of time (i.e. 9+ hrs/day).
• · Be willing to supply (and accept) an endless puppy of puppy kisses for the next 16 or so years.

Sound good? Drop me an email at emily_horch@yahoo.com or call 408 761 1940. Let's talk!

Emma's a Traveling Girl!

We've been having more adventures than I've had time to record them, so here is a kamakazi version of Emma's adventures over the past couple weeks!

Emma and Brogan are all smiles after hiking up a steeeeeep hill.

Emma has turned into a true adventure dog. First Brogan and I began jogging again several weeks ago and Emma asked oh-so-nicely to be able to come along. She is an exceptionally easy dog to walk and has such a good time that I thought, "Why not?". Her enthusiasm was infectious and both Brogan and I got such a kick watching her run from lawn to lawn that we've brought her along every morning since.

The next challenge was hiking. We headed to our favorite hiking spot, McNee Ranch in Montara, just south of Pacifica and Devil's Slide. Neither Brogan and I are currently up to snuff enough for our usual four hour extravaganza, so knowing it would be a short trip made it a perfect opportunity to introduce Emma to real hill hiking.

"Hey, slow down, you pushy little chiwahwahwaaaah!"

Brogan goes off leash, so I gave him a try as 'anchor dog' for Emma, but she was a bit too enthusiastic in her trail blazing and the experiment (above) was short lived. It took her about 30 seconds to get used to going straight up on the slippery sandy cliff trails and then she was leading the way out in front of me. Emma is one intrepid little chi!

Happy hiking dogs.

After a one and a half hour trek we ended our McNee adventure by visiting the horse stables. Emma seemed intrigued by her first horse meeting and the horse was likely wondering why I was holding up a creature the size of his head to meet him. Brogan didn't appreciate me doing the introductions and growled when he felt we were too close to the scary horse... visit over!

A small little dog in a small little sweater in a great BIG forest.

Emma's next adventure was another courtesy of Santa Cruz dog social group Woofers and Walkers. Over a dozen dogs enjoyed a lovely hike near Chaminade Hotel and Spa overlooking Santa Cruz and then lunch on their outdoor patio.

It's the dog tree!

Thanks to organizer Whitney Wilde we were the first guests allowed to dine with their dogs, so all the dogs seemed to know to be on their best behavior. The sun got a bit warm and while the little dogs took refuge under our chairs, we started attaching the bigger dogs to what became 'the dog tree' to give them a shady spot to hang out. Can you believe how good they are all being? And of course, I thought Brogan was the handsomest dog gracing the dog tree!

Emma poses in front of Alamo Square's famous Painted Ladies.

Just yesterday Brogan, Emma and I attended the Alamo Square annual flea market in support of rescue group Rocket Dog. Even though Emma is not a Rocket Dog they let us help out and have a great day (Thank You, Rocket Dog!!). Brogan and I were put in charge of (i.e. put into) the chihuahua pen along with Miss Emma and four other dogs. We spent the next five hours serving as an impromptu chi (and Rottie!) petting zoo and meeting all sorts of people. I got to speak French, Spanish, Italian and German thanks to all the tourists, so it was a great day for both dogs and languages.

When we were finally liberated from our puppy duty, we headed into the square to take advantage of the great dog park and admire the famous San Francisco "Painted Ladies" which face the square. Brogan was a bit camera shy, but Emma was a good sport about letting me snap her photo at end of a long but fun day.

Today was a trip to the beach at Davenport and Bonny Doon where Emma surprised herself by running so enthusiastically after a seagull that she hit the surf without exactly meaning to. After the initial shock, I think she kind of liked it... I guess we'll just have to see if she turns out to be a surfin' dog. To be continued...

Emma thoughtfully contemplates her next adventure.

Emma's First Visit to (Doggie) Disneyland

"Mmm... just smell that rotting seaweed and dead fish ocean smell!!"

For my dog Brogan and me, Sunday afternoon at Fort Funston in San Francisco is a sacred tradition which dates back ten years to life with my first Rottweiler, the unequalled Duncan the Wonder Pup. As soon as they are vaccinated, all my dogs, foster and 'forever' alike, get to experience the pure doggie bliss that is the beach, cliffs and dunes of Fort Funston. On any given weekend, sun or (more likely) thick fog, the parking lot across from Lake Merced is crammed with people either bringing their dogs to the happiest place on earth (dog version) or coming to hang glide.

I wasn't sure how Emma would do off leash. She's made huge strides in coming when I call and is generally not a dog who likes to escape. Like Brogan, she knows how to stick close to her meal ticket! But it's always a bit scary to pop a dog off leash for the first time. Rest assured, Fort Funston, with trails far away from the main road is a safe place to try as long as your dog ISN'T a runner.

Happy dogs at the beach :-)

As soon as I unclipped her leash, Emma looked up at me, shrugged her tiny shoulders and strutted down the path right next to my feet like she owned the place! She showed no fear of the dozens of other dogs along the path and scampered around exploring without ever getting more than twenty feet away from me. This dog continues to be such a marvel... by far the easiest foster I've ever had. Even my beloved pit bull Jodhi (who started out life with me as a foster), took a bit of wrangling on her first Fort Funston visit.

Emma especially loved hiking the dunes and chasing seagulls. Who knew such a little dog would be such an intrepid hiker? She even fell into Jodhi's old trailblazing role, taking the lead ahead of me while Brogan happily pants away in the anchor position.

Girl cooties from me are bad enough, but now

Brogan has to endure chihuahua girl cooties. Berk!

Emma Takes Lake Tahoe by Storm

For 4th of July weekend, Miss Emma made her first trek to Incline Village on the North Shore of Lake Tahoe.  Brogan's 'time share' parents live there year round and we were all volunteers at the 25th Annual I-CAN Run/Walk which took place the morning of the Fourth.  I decided to shamelessly plug Emma's orphan status by making poor Brogan wear sandwich boards on his backpack.  We definitely got a lot of attention and Emma got a lot of pets and handling by dozens of people.  It was hard to believe this was the dog it took me two hours to approach only three weeks ago.  Even the week prior on the train trip she'd acted terrified of children and here she was soaking up the adoration from all ages like a trooper.  I think she may be officially used to me dragging her into oddball situations!  

Brogan hangs with three pretty girls after the race.

There's really no such thing as too much adoration from humans.

Brogan was a sport about wearing "Adopt my Little Sister!" signs on his backpack (not to mention carrying around my stuff all morning).

...And finally, after we all had a nice post-race nap we hit a local hiking trail for Emma's first hiking experience.  No surprise, she was a natural (though unlike Brogan she had to stay leashed as a precaution from becoming a tasty coyote snack!).

Emma Demonstrates Proper Relaxation Techniques

Emma shows off how to relax but remain vigilant over your toys at the same time.  

Emma and Birdie (CARE foster pretty pittie girl) demonstrate the only proper activity for a lazy Sunday afternoon. 

Emma is my first experience with a chihuahua (with the exception of certain unfortunate and painful nipping incidents in my younger days) and she isn't at all what I expected.  Most of the day she is mellow and quiet, happily snoozing away in Brogan's bed in my home office or burrowed under the comforter in the bedroom.  A couple of times a day she turns into wacky speed demon and has figure eight chase sessions with Brogan around the back yard.  In the turns she is nearly laying on her side... how she doesn't fall is a mystery of chi physics!  

She is also learning to play with toys, which are a new concept for her.  About a week ago she discovered toys had value to Brogan, so started collecting them in her bed (formerly HIS bed) but didn't actually play with them.  Yesterday the little lightbulb went off in her head and she started playing tug of war with Brogan and a tiny stuffed octopus.  Yay!  Despite his 80 lb bulk, Brogan grew up with a 5 lb poodle who LOVED tug of war and it is still one of his favorite games.  Needless to say, he is in Rottie heaven.

Yes, there's a dog in there... a common view of Emma during the day (as a lump in the bed).

Emma Rides the Rails

Emma chatting up her fellow train riding pooches on the way up the hill...

...and here's our doggie train carriage pulling out of Santa Cruz!

Emma came to me hand shy (evidence of being hit in the past) and not too trusting of new situations and people.  Solution?  Get her out and about meeting nice people and experiencing all sorts of adventures.  Since I take my own dog, Brogan, everywhere, bringing Emma along is a breeze.  Her second week with us, I signed us all up for a train ride from Santa Cruz boardwalk up into the redwoods on an old open car train.  The trip was organized by Santa Cruz dog social group Woofers and Walkers and included about sixty people and over seventy dogs!  Most dogs were LARGE,  but as Emma thinks she is GIANT, this posed no problem.  We sat next to a handsome pitbull boy who proved quite smitten with our girl, but after an initial telling off (Emma to pit) everyone settled in for the ride.  By the trip back down the hill she was (safely) hanging over the side, happily gazing down at her adoring public from the height of the train carriage.  Brogan, more accustomed to such adventures, had a nice nap on the way back down.  Thanks to Whitney Wilde, organizer extraordinaire of Woofers and Walkers for arranging for such a great day!

And finally after a hard day riding the rails, Brogan and Emma demonstrate the proper use of doggie seat belts as we get ready to head back over the hill to San Jose.  Good dogs!

Introducing Rescue Dog Emma, the Wonder Chi

Emma was found with her chi buddy Butter and Emma's six babies in a foreclosed house's garage.  She did a great job with her pups at her first foster mom Sue's house, then it was time for her leave the mom life behind and come live with me and my kind and gentle Rottie boy, Brogan.  I am fostering her through CARE (www.carepets.org) and am completely enjoying having Emma around until we can find her forever home.  Could it be you?  Contact me for more information at emily_horch@yahoo.com.