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.