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DAISY 8/20/04
#400

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Daisy's Foster Journey - Adopted 9/29/04

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Pertinent Information
8 month. old  Flashy Fawn Female Boxer
  36 lb. Shelter  Surrender
Natural Ears and Docked Tail
 Spayed and UTD
Obedience Training Required
Being Fostered near Middletown, NY
Adoption Donation $300

8/24/05 - I was cleaning out some files and came across some emails regarding Daisy and realized that it has been almost a year now since we adopted her. I just wanted to let you know that Daisy is the best dog we have ever had and we love her so much, since her adoption almost a year ago she has just brought so much enjoyment to all the family. Daisy is a terrific dog very well behaved and we have never experienced any negative behavior from her, she does of course get a lot of attention and is spoiled rotten and she also gets a lot of exercise so this all helps her stay well balanced. We have always been dog lovers and have had many other dogs throughout the years but neither of us ever had a boxer before and we have to say that we just love the Boxer breed they are one of the most interesting breeds of dogs that we have come across and Daisy in particular has such a terrific personality. We look forward to having her around for as many years as possible and plan on continuing to take good care of her as she has become such a vital part of our family.

1/24/05 - Daisy has adjusted very well to our home.
Her mange is under control and we are keeping an eye on it. She eats very well. Loves going for walks and playing in the backyard. She is not particularly happy times we need to put her in the crate if we are not going to be home. We learned the hard way as after cell phone/TV remotes got chewed up. She loves Ginger, our old retriever, and she can't get close enough too her so she sits on top of her. We have all become very attached to her.

10/5/04 - When we brought Daisy home she settled in right away and just seemed to know that she had found her forever home. Although Daisy has only been with us a few weeks she already has won our hearts over and has quickly become part of our family. Daisy is such a lovable dog and just loves all the attention and love that we have been giving her. She is extremely sweet and so eager to please and all she wants is to be with us. The only problem that we have seen with Daisy is that she is so full of energy and wants to play that she gets a little rough at times with our older dog Ginger she doesn't mean to hurt Ginger and does not understand that Ginger is not up to the challenge of her rough playing. Ginger is so tolerable and patience but finally we have to firmly tell Daisy no
and then she stops but looks ever so disappointed. We realize this is the puppy in her but we still need to keep a close eye when she gets to be too much for Ginger. Each day we take Daisy for at least a two mile walk and she just loves coming with us and it helps to expel all her built up energy.
Daisy continues to do well, her appetite is good, her coat is healthy and she seems to be really happy and contented. Thank you for helping to bring Daisy into our lives and our family and we will give you update again in the coming weeks.

9/29/04 - Daisy has been adopted.  All went well and Daisy is a very happy little flower now! 

9/21/04 - Daisy is pending adoption.

9/18/04 - Daisy just left for her new foster home. She is a really sweet dog, but was not tolerating the crate well. We will miss Daisy, but are pleased that she will be going to her new home soon.

9/8/04 - Daisy went to the vet last night. She's gained 2 1/2 pounds. This is a nice start. Skin scrapings for mange were clear, which was also excellent news. The doctor said she's looking terrific, but would like to wait a while longer for the spay. There is a concern that if she has the surgery too early, this could cause the mange to flare up. Since the mange was so severe a few weeks ago, and also because Daisy is still so underweight, we decided that we will bring her for another check up in two weeks. If at that point she has another mite-free scraping and she's continued to gain weight, then we'll go through with the spay. I sent new pics of Daisy into BAR a few days ago, but they haven't been posted as of this writing. The change in Daisy in just three weeks is quite dramatic. She really is a beautiful girl.

The behaviors related to her not liking being left alone described in previous posts have continued. I've been working with her on this by staging brief separations, followed by a reward. I am not seeing progress yet, but it is early. We'll keep at it. The mouthing of the children has continued also. I've noticed that Daisy is much rougher (too rough) with my little one outside, so I don't let them play together outside anymore. This seems to be just impulsive puppy stuff though -- I don't think Daisy means to be aggressive by any stretch of the imagination. It might not be a great idea for her to go with a family that has young children.

Daisy's appetite has dropped off over the past few days, although she's continued to make every effort to steal table food and our other animals' food. She's also developed a taste for dirty diapers and the cats' litter box. Yum. The maddening thing for me is that Daisy doesn't like to have anything mixed in with her dry food. This makes giving her the liquid mange med a little challenging. If I mix yogurt & med in with her dry food, she turns her nose up at it....but if I leave yogurt on the kitchen table, she'll gobble it up.

9/3/04 - It's hard to believe Daisy has only been here two weeks! She continues to do well. She's gained weight, and her coat is beginning to return to normal. The skin on her nose, paws and neck is still somewhat red.

Daisy is feeling quite comfortable here. Perhaps it's her comfort level or that she's feeling so much better, but the naughty puppy behaviors have increased! Daisy likes to counter surf and thinks nothing of swiping food off the kitchen table if provided the opportunity. She has also been picking up and chewing items that don't belong to her more frequently. Fortunately, she is usually redirected easily with a verbal prompt, and she loves playing with her own toys. Daisy has begun to ignore commands that she used to obey, such as "no" and "off" so tonight we broke out the squirt gun.  Daisy does not like to be separated from us, even if it is just in the next room & just for a few minutes. When she is left alone, she is quite vocal and will urinate. She has only done this a few times around the house. Inside the crate, however, is another story. She now pee's inside the crate almost every time she is crated, even if it just for a few minutes. Daisy never has accidents when we're around, and at night when she sleeps in my bedroom her bed always stays dry, so I don't think it is a UTI. Daisy probably just needs lots of love and positive reinforcement, and in time this behavior will probably lessen.

I hope I'm not painting too negative a picture of Daisy. Her positive qualities far outnumber the bad ones. She is mellow, never jumps, and always sits pretty at meal time or for a treat. She sleeps through the night, walks pretty well on the leash, and is perfect in the car. Daisy loves physical contact and is a cuddler. Daisy is getting along very well with the cats and with our dog. She continues to do great with the kids as well, although we've had to work with her on nipping at little hands and feet. She doesn't do it hard enough to break skin, but when she gets started she is very persistant, following my little one around mouthing his arms and legs. I think that this
habit can also be broken with the proper amount of attention. Daisy is probably the easiest and sweetest foster we've had stay with us, and saying goodbye to her will be difficult. I think she will thrive in a home where she will not need to be crated as much as she is here. We are hoping to bring her in for her spay sometime next week, and then she'll be ready to go!

8/28/04 - Daisy is starting to show signs of true comfort here, in a positive and negative way. She has not been crated at night since her first night here. She sleeps on her own bed right beside my bed, and usually sleeps through the night. Sometimes she wakes up at about 5 and whines a little. I now let her climb into bed with me for that last half hour before we have to get up for work. Daisy has only had one accident in the house since my last update. It happened when I left her alone in the kitchen to bring my son up for his nap. In the 15 minutes or so that she was left alone, Daisy had her pee accident, chewed up three wooden blocks, and helped herself to a bagel. When I returned she took one look at me and showed herself to the crate. She spent the next 2 hours in there, napping quietly. My only gripe with Daisy at this point is separation anxiety. She acts out anytime she is left alone, even if it's just for a short time. When left in her crate for short periods, she will whine, howl, throw herself at the door, and sometimes urinate. What's odd is that she is crated all day while I am at work, and the crate stays bone dry. Also, when we are all together in the family room, Daisy will often hang out in her crate, playing or napping.
Daisy continues to interact very well with everyone in the family. The cats don't seem to mind Daisy, and Daisy is indifferent to them, for the most part. She is still kept separated from Murphy unless both dogs are leashed. Murphy has left Daisy alone, but clearly is not thrilled to have her here. We would love to adopt Daisy, but it will only work out if Murphy's comfortable with the arrangement. Time will tell. Daisy is scheduled for an exam with the vet on September 7th. At that time the doctor will check Daisy's medication dosages, check the status of the mange, and hopefully give the OK for her spay. She will be spayed shortly after the vet gives clearance, and
then she'll be ready to go.

8/25/04 - Daisy is having a splendid time here! She has a wonderful temperament -- I don't know if I've ever described a dog as cheerful...or appreciative. This pup is both. She acts as if she's always been here, and is the most good natured, affectionate girl you could ever hope to meet. She loves playing with toys, and is very easily redirected when she picks up something that is not hers, such as shoes or the baby's toys. Daisy and my 20 month old son play together well. Daisy doesn't seem to mind when my son takes toys away from her, and a couple of times he's pinched her jowls and paws. When this has happened Daisy just slowly pulls away. Every once in a while she'll get carried away and yank a toy out of his hands, but again she is easily redirected. Daisy has learned the house rules with amazing speed. She now sits and stays on command, and comes when she is called. Tonight she amazed us by staying in the next room during dinner (she had been begging every night, and was crated as a result). Daisy is still working on "off". If I'm close by she immediately complies. But if I'm in another room or busy, Daisy will entrench herself in the couch until I unbusy myself -- perfect example is during my morning ab routine. She seems to understand that one doesn't interrupt one's crunches to get one's dog off the couch, and so for the duration of the 8 minute workout, she completely ignores me. The moment I finish, she leaps off the couch. I'm having a similar issue with counter surfing. She won't do it when I'm near, but as soon as I become preoccupied with something, she's at the counter. I even caught her standing on a kitchen chair a couple times -- with all four paws up there, like a billy goat. I'm fairly certain her ultimate destination was the kitchen table. So Daisy's manners are not perfect, but for the most part she is a remarkably good girl.
Daisy had a couple poop accidents inside the house this week, but they were entirely my fault. In retrospect, I see that she was giving me signs that she needed to go just prior, and I didn't recognize it. In the last few days she's had more luck in getting my attention to let her out. She knows which door to go to and will speak up.
Daisy's appetite is great. I think she's gaining weight, because her ribs & hips aren't sticking out as severely. The mange is beginning to look better as well. There are no more open soars. Once her hair starts to fill in a little more I'll post more pictures of Daisy.
 

8/21/04 - I am truly amazed at how wonderful Daisy has been during her first 24 hours with us! This girl behaves as if she has always been a member of the family. In my last note I mentioned I predicted her first night in the crate would be rough. Nope... As I prepared the bedding for the crate Daisy was at my hip, watching my every move. I thought she was there to be near me, but she was actually waiting for the moment I set the crate pad down. When I did, she pushed past me and plopped herself down on it. I made her get up, so I could put the pad in the crate, and she followed it right in. We never heard a peep out of her all night, and I had to wake her up at 6 this morning to go out. Daisy appears to be both housebroken and crate trained. She asks to go out when it is time. We began introductions with our dog today. They both did well. We are able to keep both dogs in the same room on leashes, which is a first with any of our foster guests -- Murphy is her usual grouchy self (although she seems to tolerate Daisy pretty well). Daisy reacts to Murphy's growls by running back to me and pasting herself to my side. So far, so good. Daisy has not met the cats yet.
Daisy's appetite has been excellent. I started her on a new puppy food today (Chicken Soup for Puppy Lover's Soul). I am hoping that this will help her to put on wait, as she is emaciated -- you can count every rib. The vet will see her for a check up on the mange in 3 weeks, and if she has improved enough, she'll be cleared to be spayed.
 

8/20/04 - What a story this young lady has! Daisy started out with a loving family. They helped Daisy through a number of common puppy ailments, but when Daisy developed a nasty skin problem it proved to overwhelm the owner. Daisy was seen by a few different animal clinics before she was properly diagnosed with mange -- by then she had lost a great deal of hair, and had developed open sores over much of her body. The clinic that diagnosed the mange contacted the family to give them the news and to instruct them that meds were ready at the office for pick up. The owners never picked up the meds, and were not heard from again. Fast forward three weeks. The town animal control officer delivers a dog to the clinic to be euthanized. Staff immediately recognize the puppy as Daisy, and rather than euthanize her, they contact BAR. The kicker is that it turns out Daisy had been reported as a stray to animal control -- BY HER OWNERS!!!! I guess they didn't want to go through the expense and effort to treat her.
Daisy just arrived at the LOMAH B&B this evening, and all I can say is WOW! I don't think I've had a foster who is as easy going and good natured as Daisy is. She rode beautifully in the car, is fairly mellow for a puppy of her age. She had no trouble eating dinner or taking her meds (although the ear drops, for mites, were a little tough to apply). Daisy is wonderful with the kids, including my toddler, who seems to have fallen in love with Daisy right off the bat. She did some weird stuff on the leash when I walked her tonight -- my best guess is that, she was trying to get out of her collar. Daisy may know a few commands. She sit at dinner time. I'll test her more thoroughly in a couple days. Daisy likes to horn in on humans when we're eating -- she impulsively goes from climbing over us to get to our food to sitting pretty. One or the other method has got to work, right? I just put Daisy in the crate for the night. She's quiet but I suspect she'll struggle a little being apart from us. She seems to be a very people oriented pup, who doesn't like to be left alone. More to follow...
 

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