The Standoff Begins

June Bug in her sunbeam

We all knew June Bug was a low key laid back girl who won’t jump up onto the furniture or into a lap without an invitation.  She likes to be indoors napping in her bed in a sunbeam. When she goes outside she meanders around the yard, going behind the shed for privacy. 

The most animated she got was to growl if someone tries to take her cookie - but then so would I...

The other day though, June Bug discovered squirrels!!

The other morning there was squirrel on the ground as she was going outside and she shot off like a rocket!  We have never seen her move so fast!!

To add to the humor, we had two trees removed this winter, and when the squirrel heard June Bug, he took off for the missing tree. He ran looking around frantically, practically hearing him say, "Where did my tree go"? He did a 180 heading making it back to the lone tree in the yard, the tree he just left.

June Bug spent a good hour in yard guarding the tree; once she lost interest and came to the door the squirrel saw his change to escape the tree and the yard... June Bug saw him jump down but was too late to prevent him from making it over the fence.

She has been very interested in the back yard ever since.

A Very Busy Weekend

We had a busy weekend as anyone who has ever traveled with kids (or dogs) knows nothing goes perfectly as planned but if all arrive safe then it's a good trip. We brought two more dogs into our family and traveled to Wilmington to see our other dog families and help raise money for service dogs.

Clyde the Cuddly

Clyde is a big 4 year old stray that was found in Onslow County we brought him to stay with us.  he has a chunky face that begs for cuddles and loves them even though he has had a rough time lately.  He is mildly heartworm positive and has begun treatment. Clyde lost sight in his right eye from an injury but  goes along on his gentle marry way looking for cuddles and a forever home. He is a sweet and settled  gentle giant with people, well as giant as a Boston Terrier can be, but is cautious around dogs maybe due to his experiences in the past.

Max the Magnificient

Max came to us that same weekend, he is a beautifully marked energetic 4 year old that loves to play with his canine brothers and sisters. He is house and crate trained, enjoying his private time in his crate at night as much as hanging out on the couch with his foster family.  Max loves to walk on his leash and play in the yard too. He is an exuberant little guy who jumps and nips happily when he's excited so Max hopes his forever family will take him to obedience training so that he can learn to channel his enthusiasm. Max was just neutered and microchipped, he is recovering nicely waiting to be adopted.

While Max and Clyde were on their way to CCBTR, the rest of the Boston's took their people for a walk at Hugh McRae Park in Wilmington for Carolina Canines "Walk For Those Who Can't". The mile and a half walk was fun for everyone as we saw old friends, made new ones and raised money for Veteran's service dogs.  This organization does a great service for Veterans and others who need a bit of canine help and companionship.

Mother Nature even likes them, she stopped the rain long enough for everyone to walk and visit so the weather was beautiful. My daughter and her friend even thought it was warm enough to get a Kona Ice and I think the pink lemonade is my new favorite flavor.

Sunshine and Naptime

Remy would like kids to play with, especially if they are active.  Remy has 3 favorite things in this world: walks, fetch and naps. He loves routine and adapted to ours within days. He crawls out from under the blankets does his yoga and goes outside to check the yard for intruders and grab a toy. He comes in for a drink of water and a game or two of fetch followed by a nap in a sunbeam and another on the couch.

In the afternoon, he likes to go walk around the neighborhood showing off his swagger and come home for another game of fetch or tug followed by a nap.  After dinner, he watches TV and then likes another quick game before he curls back up under his blankets for a much-needed rest.

Remy loves to steal the toy from his foster brother so Tex will chase him but Remy is nice and gives it back. He is a fun big-hearted little guy who is a great companion.

More Fun at Fundraising

Saturday CCBTR participated in the Moose Lodge yard sale and raised $500 for the dogs.  Mother Nature helped us out by holding back the rain and wind.  We had a great team- Theresa, AJ, Natalie, Jewel and I did sales while Calvin and Quin did heavy lifting and furniture delivery.  Greg and Damien kept Mandie and JuneBug safe and warm at home. 

Roni even donated money to the dogs in exchange for Calvin hauling off some of her old junk to the dump. 
I know that Roberta and her husband, especially her husband, were happy to get the furniture out of their garage.  But I must confess we held a few things back for next sale- the other things we donated to the women's shelter thrift shop.

She’s a cozy little Junebug sitting on the couch.

Junebug on her way to her foster home.

Our little Junebug’s been a traveler for a while coming all the way to North Carolina from Mississippi.  She’s currently resting in a sunbeam on her foster parents lap, watching the antics of their Bostons and the cat.

Little Junebug is heartworm positive and on treatment, which will cost about $500, because of this she is a very quiet calm dog. 

Consider helping our little Junebug by contributing to WWW.CCBTR.ORG or passing along her information.  We want to make good things happen for little Junebug.

Training him to wear goggles was the easy part!

This is the story about ‘The Great Santino’, a foster that became part of the pack.  Santino came to his foster family when he was 5 years old.  While he was a nice enough dog, he had this very irritating habit of jumping up on people and grabbing....anything....clothes, skin to pinch, hands....He also had totally out of control energy bursts and wind himself up so badly, he could not listen to anything.  If given the chance, he would dart out of the door, run away and generally be a pain in the butt.  Honestly, you could not touch his butt without him nipping at you.  They watched these antics in silence for the first week and knowing he would never be adopted with behavior like that, they went to work.

She started working on his focus.  A lot of attention games; learning to make eye contact, learning his name, learning to sit and that acting out is not rewarded.  Santino learned to pay attention, come when called and basic obedience.  She figured out in no time how incredibly smart this dog is. They got him to the point that his recall was great and he guided his energy to catching his ball instead of jumping and nipping.  As far as the butt touching goes, the trainer had everybody in school touch his tail.  Which sent him into a frenzy but after about 20 minutes he decided it was not worth it, and now he actually likes his butt scratched....go figure.  Still, nobody was interested in adopting this little gem. 

One hot summer day, after a play session in the yard, he was lying in the pool so content, he just looked at them and her husband said, "He is going to stay”.  Therefore, he did.  They suspect that this was Santino's plan all along; it just took them a bit longer to catch on. 

Santino has been a wonderful addition to the household and pack.  He is funny and the faces he makes keep everyone laughing.  He loves to sleep in, go for car rides, chase his toys and annoy his brother Tike.  He continued his education; is a proud graduate of the Basic Manners II class and walks on a leash like a dream.  

He is going to turn 10 years old this year, and they have NEVER looked back.  

Waggin and walking for those who can't.

Sat, 24 March is quickly approaching...please join us in Wilmington for the 6th Annual Carolina Canines for Service Walk For Those Who Can't. It is a great cause dedicated to making a difference in the lives of great Americans.

This will be my third year to Walk For Those Who Can’t and and my first as a member of CCBTR.  I am as excited about this one as I was about my first.  It’s such a diverse group of people and dogs and it’s always a good time.

Come out and join us!

2012 Walk for Those Who Can't 

March 24, 2012 - 9:00 am

Hugh MacRae Park - Wilmington, NC

http://www.walkforthosewhocant.org/

Mandie's getting bigger

Mandie has completed all of her medicines and has just had her 2nd vet visit. She has gained a tiny bit of wight (under 1/2 pound) and her protein level has increased 3.4 points. This is good news but certainly not enough good news for us to think we are out of the woods yet. This week will bring a new diet to include pancreatic enzymes. We will keep everyone posted on her continued progress. Mandie is a little ray of sunshine - she is a happy and playful girl that does not seem to know how sick she is.

The littlest Linus

Linus is only 3 months old and a whopping 6 pounds. He is so little that his true personality is now just emerging.  He is learning allot from his older BT brothers and he can be vocal when he wants their attention! He wants to go to school and be a good canine citizen when he grows up.  He is a good companion to older children who can continue his house and crate training. they can help each other burn off all that wonderful energy children have.