It's an ice cream party! For a special occasion.... Ty will be going to his new home tomorrow! I will miss this boy soooo much... he has become my lap buddy, keeping me warm at night- and a part of the family. I know his adopters will give him a good life, but it's hard- I know that the best days of his life have probably been these last few months with me. For the first time he's been safe and loved! Letting Ty go means I can help another, but boy, this one is hard....

I'm happy to say that the meeting Ty had yesterday with his potential adopter went very well! He was warm and friendly to all he met, seemed right at home, and behaved like a gentleman with sweet Martin, an adorable min pin he'll be sharing his bones with. The couple interested in adopting him have the calm, confident demeanor that Ty responds best too- and as we were leaving he cast his vote by jumping on the lap of his new dad. It was so nice to see Ty feel so comfortable! I'm finishing up the application, and paws crossed Ty will have a home very soon!

Alot has changed in Ty since he came to me on 8/28.... he's been neutered, had all of his shots, and had a physical from a vet- and he's become SO MUCH more comfortable. His first few weeks here I always had the feeling that he didn't know quite what to do- he always seemed to be on high alert, watching me, my husband and my dogs so closely. During car rides he was restless, pacing on the back seat. And when either of us went near his crate he would bark like crazy!

Today, he's cuddled on my lap as I type this. He's got the routine of the house down, and seems relaxed and happy. The barking has nearly stopped- when I come home he does a happy dance instead of a nervous growl. And the biggest change- I can reach into his crate and pet him and give him love!

He has, however, picked up a few bad habits....he wasn't much of a beggar when he came, but now is one of the drooling, eager faces I see during meal time. My dogs are terrible beggars and Ty has learned from them the art of pretending that he hasn't eaten for weeks and NEEDS a bite of whatever we're having! He also was just fine, disinterested really, in my guinea pig when he arrived- but my Pixie is a critter crazy terrier mix who chases squirrels and would kill my guinea pig given the chance- Ty is now as predatory as Pixie is with little furry critters.

You see, Ty models the behavior of the dogs around him- which is why it's so important to me that he be adopted into a home with a balanced, confident dog.

And Ty is meeting a potential adopter tomorrow! I don't want to get my hopes up, but I so hope she sees the things in Ty that I do!

One thing I'm pretty insistent on is that Ty be adopted into a home with at least one other friendly dog, and here's why. Ty absolutely loves other dogs- he has gotten along well with every, every dog he's met- and he's met plenty! From pitties to chi's, fluffy to almost hairless, young and old- he's friendly, happy and trusting of other dogs- not dominant or submissive in any way. And he watches them- especially how they interact with humans. He sees my dogs approach others with friendliness, and it cues him that it's OK to do the same. He learned the routine of my house by following my crew around, and in the early days here when he would bark and growl when afraid I would immediately stop paying attention to him and give affection to one of mine. When he saw my dogs reacting in a happy and relaxed way he'd stop growling and come running for affection! It worked like a charm.

He likes to cuddle in a dog pile and I often see six tangled limbs in a snoring furry bundle with Ty, my other foster little blind Graham http://www.adoptapet.com/pet/9109414-providence-rhode-island-yorkie-yorkshire-terrier-mix and my Pixie intertwined with each other in a dog bed or of my sofa. My Salty Dog is a grumpy old man, a 14 YO Boston Terrier who has little use for other dogs- and Ty can sense that, and respects him by giving him his space.

And Ty LOVES to play! He seems so relaxed and happy when he's wrestling and playing chase with his buddies. His canine social skills are such a strength, and it's a part of his character I really want to maintain. 

A day in the life of Ty....

We start early around here! Ty sleeps quietly in his crate at night, but hits the ground running in the morning! He comes bounding out of his crate when I wake them, and tears downstairs as fast as he can for his favorite part of any day- FOOD. Ty is a gobbler- my dogs are too- and they woof down their food with gusto. Then it's outside for pee and poop, then another nap- he runs right back upstairs to lie down again for another nap, this time with his best buddy Graham.

After they get up it's a full day of playing- hide and seek with my Pixie, wrestling, chasing squirrels- and chewing hard bones, with lap time and nap time mixed in. My yard is fully fenced, and Ty loves running around with his buddies- he goes right to the back door when he needs to pee or poop, and runs right back in when I call him. He rides beautifully in a car and I take him every where I can- Ty loves meeting new people and seeing the world! He didn't walk too well on a leash when he came but that's changed so much- he now enjoys his walks as much as the others.

Then dinner- and then begging at the table while we eat!- and the evenings are cuddle and lap time. He sticks close to me, and is not shy about giving affection and kisses. He gets a bed time snack, then can be found in his crate, usually with Graham pressed up against him.

He figured out the routine around here in just a few days- and has settled in beautifully. I don't know all the details of his former life but am pretty sure that this is the first safe, stable environment he's ever been in. He's learning that life doesn't have to be hard and scary all the time!

In my last post I told you about Ty's worst habit- and now for the good stuff! I LOVE Ty, and want to talk about the things that make him an AWESOME dog. He's my 48th foster, and has pretty quickly become one of my favorites.

I love how affectionate Ty is- he's a cuddler, a real lap dog- and gives kisses so freely. He's overjoyed when I arrive home from work- and quickly turns every day into a good day when I see his smiling face. He doesn't have any of the bad habits that drive me nuts- he's fully housetrained- which prevents fights with my husband!- doesn't chew or destroy anything, he's not an escape artist. He LOVES walks and walks beautifully on a leash- but I have to admit doesn't have an abundance of stamina- I've found his limit to be about a mile and a half. His legs are short and go a mile a minute and he can't walk as far as my long legged girl, Pixie. He's crate trained, sleeps quietly through the night, is an angel with baths, and loves his car rides. Yes, he's a good little watchdog who will warn you with a bark when he here's someone coming, but quickly quiets down.

And he's a joy to watch when he plays with other dogs! One of Ty's biggest strengths is how well he gets along with all dogs, all sizes, all ages and all breeds. He has what I consider to be "good social skills"- actually, GREAT social skills, with other dogs. He plays and plays with my Pixie, but leaves my grumpy old man, Salty Dog, alone.

But the friendship that he's forged with my other foster, little blind Graham http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/27639601 is what's most special- the two became best buddies almost immediately, and are never apart. They LOVE each other! And play, wrestle, tumble and cuddle every chance they get. And its important for both of them- Graham sticks as close as he can to other dogs, and tends to use them as guides. And Ty watches Graham approach others with trust and affection and it gives him the courage to do the same.

Ty is a creature of habit who learns new routines quickly, and knows basic commands- he comes when called, even when outside- something I've never been able to get my Pixie to do! To my husband and I, Ty is an "easy foster" in how well he settled in here. To me, the ones that want to fight with my dogs and the ones that refuse to eat are hard and stressful- while my husband gets stressed by dogs that cry or bark all night and those that aren't housetrained. Ty is none of those things! Sure, he's a little quirky, but the fact that he communicates his feelings so clearly make it easy for us to recognize and respond to what he needs. Ty can stay here as long as he needs to, until someone who sees the special  things in him that I do gives him the perfect home he deserves.

More about Ty.. I was going to start with the good stuff, the things I really love about Ty, all of his awesome qualities- but I've decided instead to tell you about his worst habit, the one that concerns me most. You see, Ty gets scared, really scared sometimes. I can best describe his fear reaction is that Ty is protective of his personal space. It's funny I've had so many fearful dogs here, and their fear is mostly about meeting strangers- Ty isn't like that. He greets just about everyone with a great deal of affection and a friendly demeanor. Sure, once in a while a stranger will startle him, lean in and pat him before he's ready and Ty will bark like crazy, but that's pretty rare.

What happens with Ty is that at times, when he's home, if he's startled or his space is invaded he will bark and growl like crazy- there's been times here when I knew that, at a particular moment when Ty is in a fear based place, if I bent down to touch him he would bite. It happens more often when the light is dim than in the daylight, and it happens when he's in his crate. He goes in his crate quite willingly and will often go in for a nap with the door wide open- but his crate is his safe place, and I respect that by not invading it. I've also seen him get afraid and do the bark-and-growl routine when I touch him unexpectedly, or when a stranger comes over. It dissipates pretty quickly with visitors, though- my dogs greet people with happiness and excitement, and when Ty sees their reaction he relaxes pretty quickly.

He has bitten me once- and I know exactly what I did to trigger it. We were making LOTS of progress with his protective behavior of his crate, and I was sitting outside his crate with him, patting him and giving him love. I turned him around and gave him a gentle push into his crate- he gave me a warning growl, but I persisted- and he turned and nipped my hand.

Ye, it was a nip- but a nip is a bite and I don't want to minimize it! I guess my point is that Ty's boundaries need to be respected, and, although he's made a ton of progress, he may react if pushed too far outside his comfort zone. I do believe that Ty was disciplined with physical violence and using his teeth became a protective survival technique.

But Ty has in fact made so much progress! I'm not a big believer in "correcting" fear based barking and growling- there are alot of "trainers" around lately who have watched way too many episodes of the Dog Whisperer and believe in "asserting their dominance" with every type of undesirable behavior, and plenty of "trainers" who will put a prong collar on a dog and cause physical discomfort whenever a dog isn't perfect. I don't buy it, and think it's dangerous. I believe that it's actually a strength for a dog to communicate fear by barking or growling to express their stress, and that correcting their vocalization may silence them, but does nothing to address their fear. The last thing I want is a "bite first, ask questions later" dog who is quiet because they've learned to be silent when stressed, but bites without warning! To me, Ty is easy to read- and I love that about him. My preference is training that is reward based, and builds tolerance to stressful situations.

The other things that make Ty an easy dog for me are that he's VERY food motivated- and loves, loves, loves his treats! When he's stressed, I will get a treat and show him- and hold the treat, while I sit with him. At the point when he relaxes, sits, stops barking and relaxes, he gets the treat. And he loves other dogs, watching carefully his buddies here- when he sees my dogs show me or my husband affection, he sees that it's safe for him to do the same.

My point in telling you so much about this is to make it clear that Ty needs an adopter with a calm and confident demeanor, who will recognize and respect Ty's boundaries- who will show him that the world is not the scary, scary place it has been for him in the past. An adopter who will see, like I do, what a survivor he is! I don't even like to imagine what it was like for him to be trapped in a small apartment with two bodies for 6 or more days....I know he's been through ALOT and it will take time for him to fully heal.

More about Ty! If you've made it to his blog, you've probably found sweet Ty on adoptapet or petfinder and want to know a little more- and I'm glad you're here because there's alot more to tell. I've started a blog for him because  a few paragraphs on an adoption website just aren't enough to tell his story- and because he's been with me since 8/28/13 and been to several adoption events, and he's been overlooked. Ty isn't a young puppy, or fluffy, or a purebred so people walk right by him as he patiently waits to be noticed by a loving adopter. I want to make sure this boy gets noticed because trust me when I tell you that he is SPECIAL.

First, more about his story- I was contacted in mid August by the animal control officer in Central Falls, RI- a lovely woman who is a great friend to rescue. She asked if we could help and we said YES as soon as we heard about his background. You see, Ty was discovered at the scene of a particularly brutal double homicide earlier that summer- two young men, 21 and 22 years old, were murdered in a 3rd floor apartment in Central Falls. Their bodies were discovered days later when neighbors complained of a terrible odor- yes, Ty was trapped for days in that apartment, after witnessing the murders. He was quarantined in a shelter, but adopted quickly and returned just as quickly after biting the husband of the adopter. I don't know any more about the failed adoption, whether they had other dogs or not,  But when I heard Ty's story I knew he needed another chance- if a foster hadn't stepped forward Ty was going to be euthanized, and I KNEW that it would be cruel and unfair to take this boy's life after he had suffered such trauma.

And I have not for a second regretted my decision- Ty is a wonderful dog, a best buddy to my other foster, little blind Graham  http://www.adoptapet.com/pet/9109414-providence-rhode-island-yorkie-yorkshire-terrier-mix   and a perfect addition to my household. He's so deserving of a loving home! More about Ty will follow- more pictures, more of all of his great qualities, more about his friendship with Graham, and more about his issues with anxiety. Stay tuned!