Always Full

Hi Puppies, Magnum here. Dawkin has developed a new pain - a pain in the butt of the foster parents trying to limit his activity! He is being a bouncy, energetic, noisy puppy who refuses to rest like he should. So, maybe you have been wondering which fosters are staying here now that Dawkin is in another foster home. Of course another foster dog jumped into the space Dawkin left behind. So let me introduce you all to Princess, my first all white foster dog.

Princess is a playful little girl who just wants to be with Mama and Papa all the time. Her previous people allowed Princess to travel the streets of Allentown alone. Clearly that was not very safe for her so MaPaw has promised her a family who will play with her and make sure she does not wander.Our camera has quit, but Papa managed to get these photos before Princess joined us here. She is a little confused about how to play with other puppies, but we are all being patient with her while she learns. Mama and Papa cannot take Princess anywhere without needing to stop for strangers who want to fawn over her, so we think she will find a loving family soon.

Helping Shelter Dogs

As you all know by now, MaPaw is a network of foster homes caring for dogs who are without families, but there are many dogs waiting in shelters who do not get the benefits of foster siblings, comfy couches, and weekend hiking adventures. In celebration of their 10,000th visitor, Gomer and Opie are donating money to some needy shelter animals to help them find loving families who can provide the comforts they are missing. They are donating 10 cents for every visitor to their blog through Friday. Once you are there, read about the other ways you can encourage Gomer and Opie's mom to donate to some worthy no kill shelters. Way to go Gomer and Opie! What a wonderful way to celebrate!

Dawkin Update

Dawkin's surgery was uncomplicated and he is resting comfortably. I have told him of all your good wishes and he sends big Siberian kisses to everyone.

Bionic Blues

Hi Puppies! Dawkin here to say goodbye for a while. I am off to have the surgery to fix my eyes. The University of Pennsylvania offered MaPaw a discount for my double cataract surgery with lens replacement.

They can rebuild my eyes. They have the technology. After surgery I will have bionic eyes that can see ultraviolet and infrared light. I will be able to see clearly for miles but still focus on something as small as a single cell. Of course like most Siberians, I will be able to look directly into your soul. Woooo. Okay, just kidding, but I have an excellent chance of having normal doggie vision, which will be a big improvement.For two weeks I will be staying with another foster family who is better able to restrict my activity during my recovery. They plan to restrict the activity of a one-year-old Siberian puppy! Wish them luck. Oh, wish me luck too.

Furry Friends

Hi Puppies, Maximus here. Last week I got a package in the mail from my good buddy Echo.

I was very excited to see what Echo sent me. I had to guard my card from Magnum who was trying to eat it of course.

There was a big bag of Echo fur! I tried it on immediately. At first it wasn't fitting right.

Then Magnum came to help me arrange it.

Here I am after we found the proper fit. I think it turned out pretty well, don't you?

Meal Time

Puppies, I have to be honest with you. I love food. I mean, I love it so much I lose control of myself whenever I think I am about to get food. I get so excited I just have to dance. Foody-food-food. Oh, sorry, I was getting around to the topic of the day. Feeding time means our humans have to make choices that affect our physical and behavioral health. At my house we begin with six clean bowls - some purchased, some donated - we are not picky about dishes. Then Mama and Papa measure out our kibble to help us maintain a healthy weight. Recently we met some nice people from a company called FreshPet, and they donated a whole bunch of food to MaPaw. Papa chops up the roll so it is easier to scoop and mix with our kibble.

Delicious!

Now it is time to work. Each puppy must perform a task, based on skill level, to get the glorious food. Bailey and Ananya usually do a long sit-stay or down-stay because they have the most training. They begin when the empty bowls are on the table and stay through the food preparation until the dishes are down and they get the Okay. You can see it is challenging for them because Ananya is drooling and Bailey is keeping his eye on his food dish.

I like to dance during the food prep, which Mama says is okay as long as I stay in my spot anddo not disturb the other puppies. Before I get my food I also must sit and stay for about 10 seconds because that is enough of a challenge for me. When the 3 of us are sitting calmly, it is finally time to eat! We always eat before the foster dogs because it reinforces our status at the top of the pack. It is important that our pack positions do not shift around when the pack is always changing so we do not get too stressed.
Now it is the foster dogs' turn. Since they usually do not have much training background, most of them just do a sit for food with no stay at all. Codey tried to cheat by sitting before Mama asked, so then she asked him to down for his food.
Sometimes we have a foster dog who has food aggression, is nervous around the rest of us, or just cannot control his Sibe puppy exuberance (Dawkin) and disturbs the rest of us when we are trying to work. Those puppies have to go in the hole. Just kidding, they go in the laundry room, which is just off the kitchen and has just enough space for one puppy to eat comfortably. As their behavior improves, they gradually move up to eating in there with the door open and then to eating in the kitchen with the rest of us. Before they can get to those stages, they must first accomplish a sit for their food while in the laundry room. Although Ananya, Bailey, and I must all be sitting at the same time to get our food, the foster dogs just have to sit one at a time for their food because they have not worked on stay yet. I am usually done eating my food by the time they all get to eat. As we finish, we each must go outside to wait for the other puppies to finish. That rule prevents scuffles caused by puppies wandering too close to each other's bowls. Usually either Dawkin or Codey is the last to finish eating. That is how we incorporate a litttle training into our mealtime so that we stay in practice, and at the same time prevent scuffles with a regular routine. It is just one aspect of our NILF life.

Morning Romp

Husky puppies do not appreciate the joy of sleeping late.

Codey and Dawkin think a morning run is more fun.

Return of the One-Eyed

Well, Puppies, despite applications, reference checks, and home visits, sometimes we end up with a bad match and the dog we thought was in a happy home returns to rescue. While Codey and Dawkin were off at the meet & greet this weekend, Maximus came back to our home. Here he is trying to hide behind Ananya, but I convinced him to let me take pictures for educational purposes.

Here is a shot of Maximus and myself at the end of March before he was adopted. Note his handsome, insulating, silver and white coat.

Here is a shot of us now. That is right, they shaved him.These people failed to mention on their application that they wanted a dog who would obey orders immediately and without any training. They also wanted a dog who would sit quietly while a toddler poked him in the ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. The toddler is lucky Maximus is too nice of a dog to bite because that probably would have pushed me to the edge. I think a Siberian Husky is not the breed they want. Maximus is understandably confused about moving around, and he will have to wait all summer for his fur to return. I am sure you all know that our fur protects us in the summer from the heat and sunlight, not to mention bugs, irritating plants, and the teeth of our rough housing foster siblings. Shaving does not make us cooler, it makes us vulnerable. One thing these people did right is returning Maximus to us so we can find a family who appreciates a well-behaved, friendly Sibe.

Eventful Weekend

Puppies! Dawkin here to tell you about all the fun we had last weekend. First, we all got treats for Codey's birthday, so of course that was fun. Then we went to a meet & greet where Codey and I demonstrated some Siberian rough-housing. We are so helpful. Misty hung out with us too. She gave out so many kisses I almost thought she was a Golden Retriever, but it worked for her because a few people fell in love with her over the weekend.

Angel came out to socialize as well. She has reached a healthy weight now that she is getting regular, well-balanced meals and her fur is smoother and softer as well.We also got a guest appearance from a certain one-eyed friend. He has recovered from his battle with heartworms and is feeling frisky! When some of us got restless (we don't have long attention spans, afterall, we're puppies) we found a fenced playground nearby where we could enjoy an off-lead romp.
I am ridiculously cute, and I had loads of fun on the playground.

Bear had been feeling a little shy all day, but he definitely wanted to play with his foster mom once we got to the playground. He certainly doesn't look like a shy dog here, does he?

We were all pretty worn out by the end of the day after having such a fun time. I slept for ten minutes on the car ride home and had completely recovered.

I don't know why no one else was ready for more fun when we got home.

Happy Birthday Codey!

I turn the big 2 today and am celebrating with a meet & greet at Pet Supplies Plus where I can get lots of love and attention. Then I'll have a nap on the sofa.I will also get quite a few treats today since the family with whom I used to live sent a big box of treats for me to enjoy and share with all my foster siblings. My foster humans say they usually don't hear from the people who surrender dogs to MaPaw, but my family wants me to be happy even though they couldn't be the ones to care for me.

I have been playing fetch with my foster dad and sleeping under my foster mom's feet with my hedgehog toy. Hedgehog is my best friend, so I will share some birthday treats with him as well. I think my birthday wish will be to find a family who can love me and take care of me for the rest of my life.