Can’t Live Without TOYS!

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Hey ladies and gents. Sinclair here. J let me take over the blog to talk about the most important thing in my small little world: toys.  You see, I have a serious love affair with toys, as she mentioned during yesterday’s introductions. All kinds of toys: squeaky, rope, plush, plastic – you name it, I play with it.

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My version of playing is as follows: total and complete destruction. Yep, you heard me. I like to rip, shred, chew, and gnaw the toys I get my paws on.  Temporary-FosterMama (TFM) gave me a lobster rope toy, and like a true Mainer I started with the claws first.

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Now you might look at these incriminating adorable photos and think, “He is so destructive!”  BUT, think again – this sort of playing with toys is very good for me! Let me explain to you why.  First of all, giving me toys to chew on means that what I’m NOT doing is chewing on your shoes. The best way to prevent me (or whatever doggy) from chewing up things they’re not supposed to is to provide them with alternatives! I was so busy ripping the limbs off Mr. Lobster that the couch didn’t even interest me (not that it normally would because I don’t chew things I’m not supposed to, but to some dogs the couch and other non-edible things are simply deeeeelicious).

While I was deep in the La La Land of Squeaky Toy Destruction, TFM kept talking about this thing called in-rich-mint. TFM says in-rich-mint is something that makes my little doggy brain work and concentrate really hard on something. That is exactly what I do when I destroy toys: I lie there for hours meticulously ripping and pulling at my toys, planning exactly which piece of string to pick apart next. I work really hard to be the best Captain Destructo I can be. You give me a strong rope toy to work on and disassemble for thirty minutes and I am straight exhausted after that.  Like seriously, give me a NAP!!!

So next time you think toy destruction is a bad thing, think again!  It might be saving your pup from serious boredom – or, better yet, it might be saving your throw pillows from an unfortunate demise ;-)

Toy2If you are interested in adding Sinclair and his sonar ears into your family, email me at peacelovefoster@gmail.com or fill out an application on the Jasmine’s House website.

Agility on the Playground

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The best part about building a dog’s confidence is that it’s usually fun for the dog AND owner! Most recently, Otis and I ventured back to our neighborhood playground for some work on the idea that “new things are fun!” Similar to agility, getting Otis to go up and down and up and down the playground steps helps to teach him that he can in fact try new things and nothing bad comes from it.

Here are some videos of Otis totally rocking the jungle gym! Not only did he quickly get over worrying about the steps, he even warmed up to the slide! This first video is of him making it over the whole thing in one try.

Then, just for kicks, I asked him to go back UP the slide – and he did it! I was surprised about that because it wasn’t something I’d helped him practice before, and it certainly wasn’t easy to do. But he just barreled right up it.

He LOVED playing on the playground! I really think he would rock agility if given the chance – something to put on my to-do list. I guess in the mean time we’ll just go around conquering all the playgrounds in the area. No complaints here!

For more information on adopting Honey Bunches of Otis, go to his Adopt Me page to learn more about him and how to get in touch.

Baxter and Otis!

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Like I said yesterday: what could be better than getting a former foster and current foster together for a play date!?

Coincidentally, Baxter and Otis have actually met before. When Baxter was in the shelter a year ago and Otis was with me for the first time, we used Otis to dog test Baxter. Crazy, right!? I obviously had no idea what impact either dog would end up having on my life a year down the road, but that was the first time I ever met Bax. Baxter didn’t feel very well for that meet and greet, so both dogs seemed like they couldn’t have cared less about each other – and you know what? Not much has changed!

I was thrilled when Baxter’s mom was happy to accept my offer to bring Otis with me to visit and hopefully have a play date with Bax (in her words, “I hoped you’d say that!” – could they get more awesome?). Baxter has been getting a little pushy with male dogs recently, so we had to be cautious when introducing the two. Otis is so “whatever” about dogs (mostly just very submissive) that Baxter had no problem with him. Baxter didn’t even mind when Otis showed some serious interest in Miss Piggy!

Here is one photo that pretty much sums up how Bax & Otis felt about each other:

Total apathy. Baxter had a “too cool for you” attitude, and Otis, well, doesn’t have very strong opinions about many things so he was fine with whatever. It actually worked out really well, and was a victory on all accounts: Baxter was accepting of another male on his turf and Otis followed Baxter’s rules to prevent conflict and everyone was able to have a healthy socialization session. Though I think Piggy and Baxter seemed to find Otis’ antics a little amusing:

They did have bouts of playing when Otis was able to convince Baxter that running around in the heat was a good idea. They played so well with each other! Even all three of them together stayed within safe and appropriate levels of play. I think the heat helped a lot with keeping everyone subdued, but still – I was proud of each one.

For the most part, they spent their time ignoring each other in the grass. Aren’t they so stinkin’ adorable together?! So many happy tongues!

I am just as thrilled about this combo as I was about being able to hang out with all the humans. Everyone got along so well and each dog was on their best behavior. If that’s not cause for victory celebrations, I don’t know what is! I can’t wait until we do it again.

For more information on adopting Honey Bunches of Otis, go to his Adopt Me page to learn more about him and how to get in touch.

Video Wednesday: Reunions With Otis

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Pictures simply do NOT do Otis justice. Especially when I sit here all day and blab about how reserved he can be. I suppose the occasional zoomie picture might give him some credit where credit is due, but when Otis is out of his shell – which is a lot at my house – he is one of the silliest, happiest dogs I know.

Coming home to Otis is hilarious, and hands down the best part of my day. He gets so excited that his butt scoots underneath him and he just starts frog leaping all over the place. I feel a little bit bad misleading people that he is calm and subdued all the time – because this two year old certainly has puppy energy when he wants to! But that’s what I love about him (and the fact that he zonks out two minutes later). His joy is infectious, and it can cure any tough day at work.

Warning: this video has some screeching in it, so turn your volume down and enjoy the hurricane that is Otis upon my return!

For more information on adopting Honey Bunches of Otis, go to his Adopt Me page to learn more about him and how to get in touch.

Grand Prix Jumper

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Check it out! Fostermama thought it’d be fun to put my outdoor energy to good use. I totally impressed her!

I can’t do it very often ‘cuz I’ve got a funky hind from spending so much time in a cage when I was a pup, but I sure did enjoy myself! I love running around, so when mama is on the other side of the fence from me (and the fence is really little) I’ll hop right over it to go see her! Just like those horses that I don’t like.

Have a great weekend!

For more information on adopting Honey Bunches of Otis, go to his Adopt Me page to learn more about him and how to get in touch.