Saturday, November 27, 2010
THE GANG
It has been a month or so since last time I posted any post, and it has been one of the most busy months of my life; working 170%, being quite active as a freelance musicer, and having two dogs. At the same time, it has been one of the nicest months I have had, seeing Stella grow into a loving and totally confident dog, getting healthy and putting on weight, and watching Maja and Stella become best friends, best sisters, and really a GANG. They share everything; our house, love and affection, beds, goodies, toys, trips. Where one goes, the other one follows, where one runs - now Maja first, now Stella - the other one runs after. It is great fun to see them go for walks together; they really look like an invincible gang; full of joy, full of confidence: step out of our way, here we come :)
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Friends in the car
First long car trip for Stella :)
While Maja is first one into the car, Stella is a bit more hesitating - it is all very new and a little bit scary. But as you can see, they managed very nicely :)
Friday, October 15, 2010
About dogs I
The dog is a saint. He is straightforward and honest by nature.He knows by instinct when he is not wanted; lies quite still for hours when his king is hard at work. But when his king is sad and worried he creeps up and lays his head on his lap. 'Don't worry.Never mind if they all abandon you. Let us go for a walk and forget all about it!'
~ Axel Munthe ~
~ Axel Munthe ~
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Fostering- what a day!
This has been the second full day with a foster dog in the house, and it has been quite a day.
First of all - our dog's name is Stella! We tried out other names, but when we found out that her name is Stella - it is a long story that I will write about below - it felt so natural and so correct for her :)
Second - I am sitting with so many awards and medals that I want to hand out. These are not medals made out of gold, but made of so much respect and gratitude and admiration! The ones that most of all deserve a medal are the ones that work in animal protection organizations. They were the ones that found Stella and got her out of where she was. They were the ones that found us, that organizes with the vet. They are the ones that work throughout the whole year to try to make life better for animals that live in horrible conditions. They deserve all the respect and admiration - and help - that we can give them. This medla also goes to our dog owner friends who have helped us with advice, with special shampoo, with a bew dog bed, and to other dog lovers on forums who help with sweet comments and hints!
My second medal goes to Maja!!! Maja has shared her lawn, her house, her toys, her parents, her bed (!), her food bowls, her friends, her privacy, all attention and her own love - all of it without refusing, without a grudge, without sulking. Maja is my hero!
The third medal goes to Stella! She har already brought so much of her own light into the house - she is so friendly, so fearless, so positive, happy and loving. She accepts us showering her, cutting her nails, telling her to go here and there, taking food away from her just to test her (passed with flying colours!!), and rewards us with so much affection and a wildly wagging tail :)
Today has been great! We decided to try to go for a walk together with Maja and Grotas, her best boyfriend. We were not sure how this would go, but after one minute on the lawn we knew this would be a success. Both on leash on the sidewalk on the way to the forest and in the forest, they looked like a proper pack; trotting along side by side. Maja and Grotas did most of the playing, Stella is a little bit to weak to match their speed, but she is having a great time still. Then we met some other dogs we now and then go for walk with - no problem there, either. In general; we don't see any problems. She seems mentally extremely stable, very friendly with no agressions (I can take away her food whenever I want to), and totally happy.
And somehow, this has made us wonder: we were told that Stella was about two years old, but she seems older. Also - she seems so used to walking on leash, to playing with other dogs and to being in a house; we were really sure that she must have had some "civilized" background. While I was at work, my girlfriend and some dog owner friends did some research: Stella has a breeders tattoo on the inside of her ear! They checked with the Retrievers' Club in Lithuania, and they tracked down the breeding house. It was really small and produced only one litter: Our dog was called Stella, and is close to four years old. It is still a mystery how she ended up where she did, but we'll try to do some more research tomorrow. It was in a way exciting news; at once when I heard the name Stelle I knew that it was right. If there are some owners out there that have lost her, it will be fantastic to be able to give her back. At the same time, I did feel some sting in my heart when I thought about that possibility. We plan (!) to foster, not to own, but she is here now: I still so hope to have her for a while, to get to know her better, to let Maja have her playing friend for a while, and to see her grow healthy and strong. I do not, not want to give her away now!
She is showered again and so good smelling. When she is wet, you can clearly see how horrifyingly thin and undernourished she is, but we will fix that. We did some more grooming today, cut the rest of her nails and trimmed the hairs on her paws; she is starting to look like a really proper dog.
Now both Stella and Maja are asleep, all is well and quiet in the house. It is a blessing to have to totally happy dogs sleeping in the same room. Stella has just escaped hell, Maja also had a rough start in life. We try to remind ourselves not to feel sorry for them, but myself I really feel so touched - these dogs so deserve to be happy and safe, and right now it really seems like they are :)
... Never too much cuddling..
Showering - so terribly thin:
Two dogs relaxing:
First of all - our dog's name is Stella! We tried out other names, but when we found out that her name is Stella - it is a long story that I will write about below - it felt so natural and so correct for her :)
Second - I am sitting with so many awards and medals that I want to hand out. These are not medals made out of gold, but made of so much respect and gratitude and admiration! The ones that most of all deserve a medal are the ones that work in animal protection organizations. They were the ones that found Stella and got her out of where she was. They were the ones that found us, that organizes with the vet. They are the ones that work throughout the whole year to try to make life better for animals that live in horrible conditions. They deserve all the respect and admiration - and help - that we can give them. This medla also goes to our dog owner friends who have helped us with advice, with special shampoo, with a bew dog bed, and to other dog lovers on forums who help with sweet comments and hints!
My second medal goes to Maja!!! Maja has shared her lawn, her house, her toys, her parents, her bed (!), her food bowls, her friends, her privacy, all attention and her own love - all of it without refusing, without a grudge, without sulking. Maja is my hero!
The third medal goes to Stella! She har already brought so much of her own light into the house - she is so friendly, so fearless, so positive, happy and loving. She accepts us showering her, cutting her nails, telling her to go here and there, taking food away from her just to test her (passed with flying colours!!), and rewards us with so much affection and a wildly wagging tail :)
Today has been great! We decided to try to go for a walk together with Maja and Grotas, her best boyfriend. We were not sure how this would go, but after one minute on the lawn we knew this would be a success. Both on leash on the sidewalk on the way to the forest and in the forest, they looked like a proper pack; trotting along side by side. Maja and Grotas did most of the playing, Stella is a little bit to weak to match their speed, but she is having a great time still. Then we met some other dogs we now and then go for walk with - no problem there, either. In general; we don't see any problems. She seems mentally extremely stable, very friendly with no agressions (I can take away her food whenever I want to), and totally happy.
And somehow, this has made us wonder: we were told that Stella was about two years old, but she seems older. Also - she seems so used to walking on leash, to playing with other dogs and to being in a house; we were really sure that she must have had some "civilized" background. While I was at work, my girlfriend and some dog owner friends did some research: Stella has a breeders tattoo on the inside of her ear! They checked with the Retrievers' Club in Lithuania, and they tracked down the breeding house. It was really small and produced only one litter: Our dog was called Stella, and is close to four years old. It is still a mystery how she ended up where she did, but we'll try to do some more research tomorrow. It was in a way exciting news; at once when I heard the name Stelle I knew that it was right. If there are some owners out there that have lost her, it will be fantastic to be able to give her back. At the same time, I did feel some sting in my heart when I thought about that possibility. We plan (!) to foster, not to own, but she is here now: I still so hope to have her for a while, to get to know her better, to let Maja have her playing friend for a while, and to see her grow healthy and strong. I do not, not want to give her away now!
She is showered again and so good smelling. When she is wet, you can clearly see how horrifyingly thin and undernourished she is, but we will fix that. We did some more grooming today, cut the rest of her nails and trimmed the hairs on her paws; she is starting to look like a really proper dog.
Now both Stella and Maja are asleep, all is well and quiet in the house. It is a blessing to have to totally happy dogs sleeping in the same room. Stella has just escaped hell, Maja also had a rough start in life. We try to remind ourselves not to feel sorry for them, but myself I really feel so touched - these dogs so deserve to be happy and safe, and right now it really seems like they are :)
... Never too much cuddling..
Showering - so terribly thin:
Two dogs relaxing:
Playing:
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Foster parents for real
And so it happened...
Late yesterday evening we got a phone call with question if we could be foster parents to a golden retriever, and we said yes. Even if we have been talking about it, it came as a bomb, and half an hour later we met our new (temporary) dog. She is a beauty!
We think she is approximately two years old, a bit heavier built than Maja, but so, so thin. Cuddling her, you can feel all the bones in her body right through her skin, her fur was so messy and dirty, and the nails were just incredibly long.
We really didn't know what to expect, but we have - again - been incredibly lucky. First of all we are lucky with Maja, who is the perfect host. Maja has tuned down her playing a little, as if she understands that she has to be a little careful here. But she is perfectly ok with sharing beds, sharing food bowls, sharing house. We retain some privileges for her though, such as coming into the bed in the morning: That is for Maja only.
Second, we are incredibly lucky with our new foster dog. She has adjusted to us so fast, is not scared at all, and prefers to be with us all the time. She really makes sure that she is invited into the house when we go in, she follows us from room to room, and now she sleeps on my feet :)
Yesterday evening, when we got her, we first of all leashed the dogs and went for a proper Cesar Milan pack walk. Our new friend walked really nicely on the side, but you could feel that there wasn't much power there at all to pull. Then one hour shower, and that was really a minimum of what was needed. She was so dirty, and so, so patient in the shower. After sniffing really actively all around she calmed down a little, and at night she slept calmly beside our bed on soft carpet.
Today has been another great day for her - in the morning we went for a long walk. Poor dog, that must have been the first good, long walk for her in months, and she was so happy to sniff around. Running side by side with Maja, they really looked so nice together :)
Late yesterday evening we got a phone call with question if we could be foster parents to a golden retriever, and we said yes. Even if we have been talking about it, it came as a bomb, and half an hour later we met our new (temporary) dog. She is a beauty!
We think she is approximately two years old, a bit heavier built than Maja, but so, so thin. Cuddling her, you can feel all the bones in her body right through her skin, her fur was so messy and dirty, and the nails were just incredibly long.
We really didn't know what to expect, but we have - again - been incredibly lucky. First of all we are lucky with Maja, who is the perfect host. Maja has tuned down her playing a little, as if she understands that she has to be a little careful here. But she is perfectly ok with sharing beds, sharing food bowls, sharing house. We retain some privileges for her though, such as coming into the bed in the morning: That is for Maja only.
Second, we are incredibly lucky with our new foster dog. She has adjusted to us so fast, is not scared at all, and prefers to be with us all the time. She really makes sure that she is invited into the house when we go in, she follows us from room to room, and now she sleeps on my feet :)
Yesterday evening, when we got her, we first of all leashed the dogs and went for a proper Cesar Milan pack walk. Our new friend walked really nicely on the side, but you could feel that there wasn't much power there at all to pull. Then one hour shower, and that was really a minimum of what was needed. She was so dirty, and so, so patient in the shower. After sniffing really actively all around she calmed down a little, and at night she slept calmly beside our bed on soft carpet.
Today has been another great day for her - in the morning we went for a long walk. Poor dog, that must have been the first good, long walk for her in months, and she was so happy to sniff around. Running side by side with Maja, they really looked so nice together :)
Monday, September 27, 2010
Foster parents
It is autumn, the air is getting colder, evenings are darker and trees are getting yellow. It is time for evenings inside, for fireplace and warm wine (sometimes), for a warm dog in bed in the mornings, and hopefully for some more blogging.
We are all healthy and fine and happy, Maja is in brilliant shape and mood. I'll get back to that, but there is something else I wanted to mention..
Some days ago we came across a really bad story here in Lithuania; it is a bit unclear for me if it was just a farm or some puppy mill, but a lot of dogs were kept under horrifying conditions; scared, dirty, alone and malnourished. People from a dog organisation managed to save some of the dogs but had to leave others behind. And on top of everything, they might face a court case because they "stole" private property. I could rant for long here about the insanity of it; how unbelievable it is that someone can treat dogs like that, how unbelievable it is that this organisation actually might loose the court case and that the owner might get the dogs back. And most of all: how much it hurts to see dogs treated like that. I have come to know dogs as creatures most of all longing for company and for love. If they are agressive or unsocial, it is most often than not because of how they have been treated, how humans have made them. I could go on and on about it, but it is no need: you know what I feel!
We were in contact with the organisation some days ago and offered to become foster family for a rescue golden. I have to admit, I am really excited about the idea. I am excited about the possibility of helping and organisation that really deserves to be helped. These people are among my heroes! I am excited about the possibility of helping a dog that deserves to be helped, that deserves to be taught to trust and relax and be happy again. And I am excited about the thought of having another Golden in the house :)
Let's see how it goes! Until then, this:
We are all healthy and fine and happy, Maja is in brilliant shape and mood. I'll get back to that, but there is something else I wanted to mention..
Some days ago we came across a really bad story here in Lithuania; it is a bit unclear for me if it was just a farm or some puppy mill, but a lot of dogs were kept under horrifying conditions; scared, dirty, alone and malnourished. People from a dog organisation managed to save some of the dogs but had to leave others behind. And on top of everything, they might face a court case because they "stole" private property. I could rant for long here about the insanity of it; how unbelievable it is that someone can treat dogs like that, how unbelievable it is that this organisation actually might loose the court case and that the owner might get the dogs back. And most of all: how much it hurts to see dogs treated like that. I have come to know dogs as creatures most of all longing for company and for love. If they are agressive or unsocial, it is most often than not because of how they have been treated, how humans have made them. I could go on and on about it, but it is no need: you know what I feel!
We were in contact with the organisation some days ago and offered to become foster family for a rescue golden. I have to admit, I am really excited about the idea. I am excited about the possibility of helping and organisation that really deserves to be helped. These people are among my heroes! I am excited about the possibility of helping a dog that deserves to be helped, that deserves to be taught to trust and relax and be happy again. And I am excited about the thought of having another Golden in the house :)
Let's see how it goes! Until then, this:
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
I'M SORRY
I just came home on Sunday morning, after being gone for a week. The first thing that met me was Maja. She just explodes with happiness when someone comes home. True, she explodes with happiness if you have been away for twenty minutes, but I quite simply do not think it is true that dogs do not have a sense of time, and that being away for hours or for days do not make any difference to them! Being gone for some hours is still stability, while being gone for days is instability, and there is a big difference between these things.
When we come, so is really crying, she runs to pick up one - or preferably more - of her toys to bring, and she wags so ahrd that it almost looks painful :) Oh, how wonderful it is to come home when you are met with something like that - tired from journey, but you still get energized and so happy when you are met with so much love and joy :)
And it is so obvious that Maja enjoys it so much when we are both home - everyone is there, everything is safe and stable, everyone is satisfied, there is nothing at all to worry about. Life is perfect for a little dog.
But then, sometimes life brings bad surprises. Yesterday, after only two days, I was off again. Maja is good at spotting when people are packing, and I was also a bit sad for leaving, so I think she understood that something was not the way it was supposed to be.
Off, little sweetheart. I'm sorry for leaving again and for making you worried again. Why do we have to break up when everything is perfect? But I promise, when I come home we'll have long evenings, long scratching-sessions on the floor, long walks with goodies, and long times on the lawn where you can just goof around while I do some work. I have not left you, or left you for another dog! Everything will be fine - just hang in there for 10 days. Soon home!
When we come, so is really crying, she runs to pick up one - or preferably more - of her toys to bring, and she wags so ahrd that it almost looks painful :) Oh, how wonderful it is to come home when you are met with something like that - tired from journey, but you still get energized and so happy when you are met with so much love and joy :)
And it is so obvious that Maja enjoys it so much when we are both home - everyone is there, everything is safe and stable, everyone is satisfied, there is nothing at all to worry about. Life is perfect for a little dog.
But then, sometimes life brings bad surprises. Yesterday, after only two days, I was off again. Maja is good at spotting when people are packing, and I was also a bit sad for leaving, so I think she understood that something was not the way it was supposed to be.
Off, little sweetheart. I'm sorry for leaving again and for making you worried again. Why do we have to break up when everything is perfect? But I promise, when I come home we'll have long evenings, long scratching-sessions on the floor, long walks with goodies, and long times on the lawn where you can just goof around while I do some work. I have not left you, or left you for another dog! Everything will be fine - just hang in there for 10 days. Soon home!
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
A REAL SWIMMER :)
We went to some lakes an hour driving from us yesterday. It is so warm outside, well above 30 degrees, so we thought it would be a good idea to cool down with a swim. It's not the best temperature for a furry dog either, but then - the water temperature is perfect, probably around 25! After some walking (and a little bit of playing with other dogs for Maja), we found a small opening down to the water, with a wonderful sandy bottom.
Maja was the first one in (!), immediately swimming for a stick that we threw not far out. But then - Jurgita swan out quite far, and when Maja saw that, she threw herself into the water: Destination Mummy :) It was really quite a far swim - reached mummy, then turned around, met me halfway to the shore, then saw some ducks to the right that she immediately set sail for..
God, she was fast!! And the rest of the time she spent swimming obviously for fun: swimming out to meet me or Jurgita, hunting ducks, catching sticks or bubbles, and just totally enjoying. It's now final: our dog is a born swimmer :)
The goal that we set ourself for the summer is accomplished!
With style!!
Maja was the first one in (!), immediately swimming for a stick that we threw not far out. But then - Jurgita swan out quite far, and when Maja saw that, she threw herself into the water: Destination Mummy :) It was really quite a far swim - reached mummy, then turned around, met me halfway to the shore, then saw some ducks to the right that she immediately set sail for..
God, she was fast!! And the rest of the time she spent swimming obviously for fun: swimming out to meet me or Jurgita, hunting ducks, catching sticks or bubbles, and just totally enjoying. It's now final: our dog is a born swimmer :)
The goal that we set ourself for the summer is accomplished!
With style!!
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Maja - the mountaineer dog.
Our peaceful little dog Maja has found her inner wild animal :) We have stayed for some days in a cabin in the mountains in Norway, a paradise for a dog. It's not like Maja has a lack of outdoor activities - we have a big garden in Vilnius where she can walk quite freely, we take her for long walks, and she is out at least 2-3 hours every day. Still, a new world has completely opened up, a world without borders, without limitations, and with endless possibilities. On one side of the cabin we have a big field that is split in two wit a fence - on the other side of the fence there are cows! Every day Maja goes say hi and to sniff her new friends, then she spends some time on the "right" side of the fence, digging in the grass, sniffing new smells, completely occupied and seemingly deaf to all our calls. The cabin itself is in small forest, a heaven to loaf around in, dig a little bit here and there, smell new flowers, berries.. And, on the first day at the cabin, Maja met three weasels. The peeked out from underneath the house, hissing at Maja while Maja was barking at them. Maja would be so tired when she came in, but at once there was an opportunity to go out again, she would be so ready to explore more :)
Maja has peed here
Maja is now a quite well travelled dog. Here is quite a rough map - to be updated in the future, hopefully with more countries and more places :)
Thursday, July 29, 2010
Travel to Norway - On the ferry..
On the road again...
It is quite a travelling summer for our little dog. Here we are on our way to Norway - driving to Riga, and then taking the ferry from Riga (Maja sitting at the ferry harbour and waiting to go aboard) to Stockholm. This is Maja's first ferry. Being on deck was not the best thing, she tried as best as she could to stay away from the edge and to stay as close to the wall as possible. Underneath our feet was definitely the safest place to sit. But in the cabin she laid down at once, curled up and went to sleep :)
It is quite a travelling summer for our little dog. Here we are on our way to Norway - driving to Riga, and then taking the ferry from Riga (Maja sitting at the ferry harbour and waiting to go aboard) to Stockholm. This is Maja's first ferry. Being on deck was not the best thing, she tried as best as she could to stay away from the edge and to stay as close to the wall as possible. Underneath our feet was definitely the safest place to sit. But in the cabin she laid down at once, curled up and went to sleep :)
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)