DIESEL 4/20/04
#375
Pictures
Diesel's Foster Journey - Adopted 5/1/04
Pertinent Information
7 month old Male
Owner Surrender
Natural Ears and Docked Tail
Soon to be
Neutered and UTD
Being Fostered near Hartford, CT
Adoption Donation $300
1/24/05 - Diesel is doing great. He and Nikki (our other boxer) are best friends and are always together. We had a great summer with him on our boat. He loves the water, he is an excellent swimmer, loves to run on the beach and chase the waves. We can't tell you how wonderful of a dog Diesel is, we are so fortunate to have found him. He is so loving and is especially attached to my husband, his daddy. This weekend was our first experience with him in the snow and he was absolutely comical to watch. He and Nikki were running and hopping through the snow, flipping around and just having an blast. He is a great addition to our family and I know Nikki has found her "soul mate" :-).
6/1/04
- We have had Diesel for a month and he is doing great! He is
getting along so well with our 9 month old boxer, Nikki. They are
inseparable, always playing together. Diesel and Nikki love to
snuggle when they take naps, its so cute! He is such a loving boy.
We take them on walks everyday and he is listening very well. Rarely
has any accidents in the house. Does have a tendency to get into
things and make a mess. We have taken him to the shore and he loves
the water, very brave, has
very little fear. He has a great personality and we are so happy we
brought him into our home. So is Nikki!
5/1/04 - Diesel just left with his new family. He now has an eight month old flashy fawn sister. They hit it off immediately and I can tell they will be very happy together.
4/26/04 - Diesel is doing wonderfully here. He is a joy to have around. He gets into mischief, and has plenty of those puppy "bursts" of energy, but it really is amazing how calm he can be and how well he listens, given that he is only 7 months old. Housebreaking has been going well. We had one puddle in the kitchen a couple days ago, but no problems since. He is so smart, and quickly learned that going outside = cheese. Diesel's behavior is predictable. He's very playful for about one hour in the morning and one hour in the afternoon. Usually his "randy" hour follows the playful hour. The remainder of the time he is fairly mellow, for a pup. He likes to lie down close to wherever I am. He is having lots of fun with the cats. While he initially showed no interest in them, after being attacked by my female cat half a dozen times he decided that chasing them is great sport. The cat will hide under an easy chair in the living room. Diesel circles around the chair on his belly, sticking his nose tentatively under the chair skirt looking for the cat, and when he does the cat spits and attacks. It is really funny to watch. He hasn't shown any signs of real aggression towards any of the animals in the house. Diesel just wants to play. Diesel, like any puppy, will chew on just about anything if he's not watched very carefully. This morning he took a liking to one of our bedroom pillows, and was tossing it all around. I scolded him, put the pillow back, and went back to work. He immediately went right back to get the pillow. I scolded him again, and gave him his big soft bunny to chew on. He went right back to the pillow, so he had a two minute time out in his crate. After the second time out he left the pillow alone. He also likes shoes and books. I can see now why is former owner sent like, a gazillion toys with him! His attention shifts so rapidly from plaything to plaything, he needs the variety! Diesel has been sleeping in my room, with the aforementioned cat right on the bed with him. He sleeps the entire night.
4/23/04 - Diesel is
pending adoption
Diesel had a wonderful day today. He played all day with Molly, our
visiting golden retriever.
Despite the cold rainy weather here Diesel did his business outside, and
even asked to go out a
couple times. There were no accidents in the house. Bear in
mind I never let him out of my sight,
but still, what a huge improvement over day one and two. Diesel is
SOOOO loving and gentle. It is impossible not to completely fall in
love with him. He's been good with the baby. He can
sometimes be a little overwhelming for Michael, since he likes to get very
close and lay on the kisses, but he didn't try to jump on the baby today
at all. I think he knows to be gentle. Again, Diesel was very
good in the crate overnight. I am going to try to let him stay in
our room tonight and see how that goes. Diesel is so funny and
smart. Yesterday he mastered "down". Today every time I
scolded him for begging for food, he would lie down as if waiting for his
cheese. It will bedifficult to let this wonderful boy go, but I
understand he has a family all ready and waiting for him. I do not
think they will be disappointed -- Diesel just needs to work on the
jumping and
housebreaking...and of course I'd prefer that he discontinue his romantic
overtures toward my left leg (the neuter should sober him up)...but he
really does have what it takes to be the perfect family dog.
4/22/04 - Diesel has been with us
for two days. Sorry for the late update -- there was web site
trouble. First, I have to say Diesel is just adorable. He has
a dark, expressive face that looks kind of like a monkey. When he is
listening, he freezes, sometimes with just one lower tooth sticking up
past his lip, and sometimes with the tip of his tongue sticking out.
He truly could stop a train
with his good looks. Diesel comes to the LOMAH B&B from a very nice
family who loved him very, very much. It was heartbreaking for them
to give Diesel up, but they had no choice due to work constraints.
They recognized that Diesel would have a better opportunity to grow into
the great dog that he is destined to become if he is placed with a family
that can give him more time and attention. I have a tremendous
amount of respect & appreciation for them for making Diesel's well being
their first priority.
So anyhow, back to Diesel. He is a tall but lean boy, very playful
and full of spunk. He is
affectionate and loves people and children. Diesel is smart as a
whip. He already knew sit and his name. I think he knows off
but chooses to ignore us when we use that command. He did not seem
to know down, so we worked on that a little today. About 15 minutes
two slices of cheese into our lesson Diesel was laying down like a
seasoned pro. Diesel seems to eat well, and for the most part is
excellent in the crate. He cried both nights for about 20 minutes
before falling asleep. Last night he chewed up part of the crate
pad. Aside from that he's been quiet in the crate all night, until
about 5:30 AM. He does not like to be in the crate during the day
when we are home -- barks continually, but who could blame him?
Diesel met our cats, and seems indifferent. He played all day today
with my mother's golden retriever. They had a ball. Diesel is
not dominant, and when the golden and my aging great dane/bullmastiff,
Murphy tell him to buzz off, Diesel runs. He is definitely a lover,
not a fighter.
Diesel has not learned to walk on a leash. We also found out early
on that he is really afraid of
cars. He will go into my back yard but is terrified to go into the
front yard. Diesel also needs
to work on his housebreaking. He has had several accidents in the
house, often almost immediately after coming in from a walk or play
session in the back yard. My Hoover Steam Vac is really starting to
pay for itself. We've been showering him with praise and treats when
he gets it right, and avoiding scolding him too harshly when he slips up,
since he is somewhat timid and also it's a new environment for him.
The last thing on Diesel's to do list is to work on learning off. He
loves to jump and climb on both people and furniture. Perhaps since
he is not yet neutered, he's also had a couple incidents of mounting our
other animals... and my leg... and my children.... yep, we need to work on
that. Neuter is this Tuesday by the way. That will probably
nip that little problem in the bud (no pun intended).
4/20/04 - Diesel arrived this evening. Thanks Lisa for letting us foster him. He is a great dog and has settled right in. He is getting along fine with Murphy and our temporary house guest, Molly (my parents' golden). He shows no interest in the cats, and seems to love the children. I couldn't have asked for a nicer foster. I'll be setting an appointment for his neuter as soon as possible.