we failed at fostering

[sammy]

and adopted the dog!
I called the rescue that Sammy came from to tell his foster mom that he had passed his CGC, his first level of agility and has begun working as a pet visitor at a nursing home.
We were chatting and she mentioned with a laugh that they are very full and was I looking for a second dog. I said no, not right now but decided to check out the web site.
Long story short - they had a young, ? purebred, female, red tri aussie and I agreed to foster her.
She is so sweet and Sammy adores her. I have seen a new side of Sammy I have never seen before. They play chase, bitey face, wrestle, tug of war, lie together, stand and sniff the air together. It's so hilarious to watch. Sammy has always been pleasant and tolerant with other dogs but never so incredibly playful. How could we not keep her?
Rosie is a year or two old. She was dropped off by some people who say she just showed up at their farm. they wouldn't keep her because she was constantly chasing their cattle. She is quite fast and is incredible agile- makes a nice match for Sammy. She has the typical aussie wiggly butt, puppylike personality and although she knows absolutely NOTHING esp about being in the house, she is learning very quickly. It always cracks me up to see a dog's reaction to a tv, a long flight of stairs, a house cat, noisy or musical kids toys for the first time- so cute
Anyway, that's my big news. I'll try to figure out how to post some pics.
Oh- the funny thing about Rosie is she is F-A-T fat! You don't see too many fat dogs coming from this rescue. (they don't take owner surrenders) I assume she must have been chained up or penned up because how a dog who never stops moving could get this chubby is beyond me. I've never had a fat dog before so I hope I can get her down to a healthy weight (dieting is not my personal forte )

[bigdoglover]

Congrats!! Sounds like you will have your hands full...but in a fun way! Post pics!!

[feinwerkbau]

Oh WHEW!

When I saw the title, my mind was already racing through the "Don;t be too sad" approach!

Had me there for a mO! LOL!

[Carrie]

When I saw the title, my mind was already racing through the "Don;t be too sad" approach!

Had me there for a mO! LOL!

Me too Fein. While I was waiting for the page to load, I was preparing an idea...You're not a failure. Don't ever say that. Everything will be OK.

How dare you put a title like that up there for us to get all worked up over???? ROFLOL. This is fantastic news! How exciting. By the way she sounds, I'd be a failure at giving her up too! Who wouldn't? She sounds so neat. And it's great that Sammy has a friend to play with like that. You're going to have all kinds of fun working with her and showing her the ropes and Sammy will help. It will be lots more work though. But it sounds like you're up for it.

(dieting is not my personal forte )

LOL! That's cute and funny. Mine neither. I'm sitting here munching on pumpkin pie for breakfast. Someone needs to cut me back. But there's no one here to control me. LOL.

Over a gradual period of time, you can get her weight down by just cutting back a little bit at first. It shouldn't happen too quickly. Jose was a bit chubby and I've cut him back and am very careful he doesn't get into the other dogs' food, which was part of the problem. Sometimes some green beans pureed help to make them feel like they're getting more of a meal. But of course, the vet said not to make the weight come off too suddenly.

Anyhow, big congrats and kudos for giving her a great home!

[Raised By Wolves]

YUM! I had chicken, stuffing and gravy for breakfast!

I was ready with my "It's okay, you tried, hang in there..." words of support, too.

Oh, I'm so happy for you! Most dogs really enjoy having another dog to grow and play with. Sometimes I'm really tempted to get another dog right now, but I'm going to have to wait on that one...unless it's a small dog for my boyfriend...oh, the crafty little gears are turning in my head right now!

I just dogsat a HUGE choc lab a couple of weekends ago! The owners got a little "talking to" about things they could do to keep their dog around longer and avoid some serious health issues.

I think just wrasling around with another dog, walks, and a careful watch on the amounts at mealtime, will get you going in the right direction.

Have fun with the "kids"!

[Jamila]

Sounds like a fun addition to your family. Cant wait to see some pics.

[poodlesmom]

Awwww, she sounds like a sweetie! Congrats!

[sammy]

LOL well it's good to know that if we'd had truely failed that you guys would have been supportive!
and yes I do have my hands full- it's a big learning experience to work two dogs at once! I just had a refresher course in "how not to get tripped or tangled in a 20 ft lead" today. It seems I learn faster after landing firmly on my bum

[flyndog]

Happy new addition! Hope your... er..."pride" is feeling better.

[Crossfire Bulldogs]

Aww, congrats on your newest family member!