Brothers

In support of Rocky & Buck, the inseparable brothers, I celebrate brotherhood with Bailey and Blue.

Rocky & Buck

Hi Puppies, do you remember Rocky & Buck who we were fostering last December? They moved to their new foster home and hoped to be adopted soon, but no such luck. They are still waiting for the right family who are willing to take two well-behaved, adult Siberians who love to be together.

Hey Rocky, I think you're the problem.

Last year the boys celebrated Christmas at our house. This year I hope they can spend Christmas in their forever home. So we want to find their new family soon.

Rocky always liked to sleep on the back of our couch like a cat. He also likes to nap out in the sunshine, but he still loves taking time to romp or go for a walk. Buck is noisy and playful. He pesters his brother and talks to his foster parents. Buck gets the zoomies around the yard, but takes cues from his brother when it is time to settle.
Since Rocky & Buck are both such handsome, cuddly, well-mannered dogs, I think the only reason they have not been adopted is that they are a pair. People shy away from the idea of adopting two dogs at once, so allow me to address those concerns.

Will they be more work than one dog?

Rocky and Buck are both easy-going dogs. They keep each other company and play together. They are polite when left alone in the house and quiet down nicely when it is time to rest. You would have to hold two leashes on walks and dish out two food bowls at breakfast and dinner, but that seems like a small price to pay for being able to enjoy the bond these brothers share.

Will they be more expensive than one dog?

MaPaw does offer a discounted adoption fee for the pair. They are both neutered, up to date on vaccinations, and microchipped. Many veterinary practices offer a discounted price for taking multiple pets in for a single appointment. While you may pay a little more for food and care on two than one, they are both adult dogs with no known medical issues, so they would cost less money than a single puppy who needs more frequent trips to the vet, neutering, toys, new collars as he grows, and a lot of food.

Will they have trouble adjusting to my current dog?

Rocky and Buck are already comfortable with each other. Staying together has made their transition into foster care easier because they have something familiar. They have adjusted first to my foster home and then to their current foster home and both families loved them. Their current foster mom has even talked about keeping them, but then she would not be able to continue fostering, which she loves. Naturally, we would arrange for your dog to meet Rocky & Buck to make sure they get along before you commit to keeping them.

So there you go, Puppies, they are nice, funny, friendly dogs, and they deserve to find a forever home before we start celebrating the holidays again. If you have any other concerns about adopting two dogs at once, e-mail me and I can address your personal situation.

Luxury Magnum and All Terrain Blue

Hi Puppies, Kelsey Ann tagged me to say what vehicle I am. Well, this wagon is a Dodge Magnum. Must I say more? It is a large, handsome, black and silver vehicle with plenty of cargo space for kibble. Blue is small and quick, but not terribly safe. Also, he finds it impossible to stay clean and has caused Mama a few head injuries, so I think he is an ATV.

Mama really should wear a helmet when playing with Blue.

Rex's New Family

Hi Puppies, Magnum here again. Do not worry, I will not let Blue post too often. Listening to him makes me tired. This week we had a pretty quiet week at home, but Mama and Papa helped a couple puppies get to their new homes. Rex, who has gotten through heartworm treatment over the summer, made it out to the Hike N Howl just in time to meet his new family. Rex liked his foster home and was a little frightened when Mama picked him up and took him away from the family he had gotten to know. Blue gave him some lessons in meditation, but Rex was not getting the hang of it.After a quick stop at the vet and a layover at our house, Rex went to his forever home. His new mom and dad were so excited to have the chance to give Rex the love and attention he deserves, but Rex was scared and confused about why he was there instead of with his foster family. His new mom put the blanket from his foster home in his new crate so it would smell familiar. Rex settled right into his crate, enjoyed his new window, and would not come out even for a family photo.

Not to worry, Puppies, Rex's first night had a bit of a rough start, but his new parents took him for a walk around the neighborhood and then let him relax on his own terms. Soon enough he came out of the crate and joined them. A few days later Papa called to find out how everything was going, and Rex's new dad said Rex began to open up to them after just a few hours. He loves car rides, so he gets plenty of them, and enjoys meeting his new neighbors while out for walks. We are so happy he will have the opportunity to grow into a more confident, out-going dog.

A Year in Blogging

Hey everypuppy, I'm BlueBlueBlue! Magnum gave me the super big honor of posting about the anniversary of the MaPaw blog! I think it'll be loads of fun. Okay, so first I had to ask Magnum all about how he started blogging and whatnot. All that happened when I was still living my previous life as a chained dog. So here is the story as I understood it.

It all began with a blue-eyed Rottweiler named Meeko, who you may remember from Indy's blog. Indy fostered Meeko for a little while and then Magnum fostered him for a little while until he found his forever home. So before Meeko came here Indy's mom sent my dad a link to Indy's blog. My mom and dad checked out the blog and thought it was really cool. They read a bunch of posts and talked about how cool it would be to blog about foster dogs because they could capture more pictures and more personality than on the official website. Well not too long after that Harley's mom asked the MaPaw people if anyone would be interested in a MaPaw blog. My mom and dad said, Yes! We're interested, so Harley's mom set it up for MaPaw and made the first post.

Anypup in MaPaw could post, but Magnum really took to it and posted a lot until puppies just started calling it Magnum's blog. Of course if it was really Magnum's blog, he wouldn't talk about anything except kibble, bagels, and other food. So then... so that was how the MaPaw blog began. So then I asked Magnum why he blogs.

Well, obviously he likes to talk to other puppies from around the world. He enjoys the friendship and so forth. I think I will like that too, which is why I'm super happy that Magnum is letting me post now. Also, he says, he gets to share with everypup what it's like to live in a foster home. He hopes other puppies will see what fun we have and then they'll think about giving it a try because there are never enough foster homes. Okay okay okay... so in light of one whole year of blogging - a year in which you met over 40 MaPaw dogs, including one adorable litter of puppies, a year in which you rejoiced with us through our timely saves and happy homes and cried with us through our sick fosters and sad goodbyes - we have decided to introduce a new feature to our blog. No, it's not just that I'll be posting sometimes now, although I will be, it's that we've signed up for e-mail! You can now e-mail us anytime you want to chat. So, if you have questions about us, Siberian Huskies, MaPaw, rescuing, Leukotriene D4 Receptors, dog behavior and training, life in PA, fluid dynamics, or fostering, just ask! Okay, so maybe we wouldn't be too helpful on one or two of those subjects, but we might surprise you.

Guess the Breed

Okay Puppies, I have a challenge for you. You have all met Maverick through the last couple posts and seen some pictures of him. A couple puppies asked about his breed. Well, to be honest, I do not know his breed except that he is a mix. On Petfinder, people usually search for dogs by breed and we can match dogs with the right family more efficiently if we list the right breed. So now I am coming to you to tell me what breed Maverick is. I will include some clear pictures of him as I share his story so you can all take a good look.

Maverick came into the world as a result of an irresponsible owner allowing unneutered dogs to roam. That owner was a neighbor of Maverick's first papa, who helped find homes for the puppies, but kept Maverick for himself because he looked different from all his white, fluffy littermates. Maverick was a wonderful family dog for several years. He is an excellent listener, following all basic commands, and well-mannered in the house. Then the parents in his family divorced and the father moved to a new home. Not long after that the older child grew up and moved into his own home. As Maverick's family broke apart, he developed more and more severe anxiety. When the mom and younger child took Maverick to a new house, he became destructive in his anxiety. Thunderstorms terrified him. When left alone, he was destructive toward the door where he saw his papa leave and toward his papa's bed, shoes, and other things that smelled like him. Maverick's papa sought for help from his vet, but eventually he recognized that Maverick would only get worse as long as he continued to be left alone for long work days. He contacted MaPaw because he knew we could find Maverick a home where he would not be left alone and afraid.

Okay, now that you know his story, I will tell you a couple details that might help you select a mix of breeds. He likes to carry his toys and give them to Mama and Papa. He does not chew them or play with them, he just carries them with a soft mouth. He barks at noises outside the house and at other dogs when we are out for a walk as if he is guarding our pack.

Okay, take your guesses. I will consider all your breed suggestions and anything I hear from people who meet Maverick. Then we can update his Petfiner profile and find him the perfect home.

A Howling Success!

Oh my goodness, Puppies, what a fantastic day! Look at all the hikers who came out to support The Alliance of Northern Breed Rescues. First of all, I need to say a big THANK WOO to everyone who pledged to me. With your help I raised over $200 in pledges and felt very good about my contribution to the day's success.Everyone had a great time introducing their puppies to each other or just lounging in the cool grass under the big trees. Do you see who is in the background of this scene?Here is a close-up so you can see a little better. That is right. It is Maximus! He brought his family out to hike and enjoy the day, and we were so glad to see him. His fur is already longer than it was when he left here.Speaking of seeing a former foster dog, I spotted Jasper and his mama running across the lawn while two rowdy youngsters wrestled nearby. Jasper's fur, which used to be red with damage, is now a striking solid black.We had so many exciting activites and demonstrations throughout the day. On the left is an animal first aid demonstration given with the help of the life sized practice CPR Siberian. He is one helpful Husky. Below, Save our Siberians, an organization that gives extra aid to rescue Huskies who need special medical attention, is showing how they raise funds. They spin Siberian fur into yarn and knit or crochet that furry yarn into hats, scarves, and other fun items they can sell.

Mama got a Magnum tattoo while she was there. It only makes sense that she should have me permanently impressed upon her. Okay, it is not permanent, but the face painting booth was turning out some great pictures of paw prints, puppies, and other requests. The boy on the right here asked for a skull tattoo on his cheek. Anything for the dogs.

We also had a visit from a giant stuffie. I noticed some dogs were excited and some were afraid when they saw the giant stuffie, but Grandma took Maverick and me over to the stuffie, which lead me to realize the stuffie smelled and sounded just like Mama. Well, if it smells like Mama and sounds like Mama, it must be a pretty nice stuffie. Oh, there was food too. Lots of food. Lots of begging and thieving Siberians.
Callie was feeling well enough to get out and enjoy the day. Callie has frequent cluster seizures that can be quite disabling, so friends were stopping to sign a get well card for her. We hope we can balanace her medication so she can enjoy more days out without worrying about seizures.Okay, so here is the worst thing that happened. I took Grandma and Grandpa home after just a couple hours so I could tell Blue about the events. Then, AFTER I LEFT, Maverick spotted Indy and they got to play. I was happy for Maverick, but I was awfully disappointed that I missed Indy. When Papa got home he kept saying how Indy was taller in real life and he was such a handsome dark red and so on.

Well, missed blogger buddy aside, I had a specatular time and I think everyone else did as well. So Thank Woo to everyone who participated, even if only in spirit, in the first annual Hike N Howl, and to our many supporters.