And Then There Were Six...

Very few things are more rewarding than watching these dogs progress. Once scared, timid, and confused, they are now blossoming into happy, playful puppies ready to smother their new families with love and kisses. All rescued from the same deplorable conditions, it's very interesting to watch them progress in different ways and at different rates.

As I've mentioned in previous posts, we took in eight dogs from the puppymill seizure in Allegan County - Mopsy (a.k.a. "Mama" because she is pregnant), Buttercup, Cindi, Greta, Jasper, Skeeter, Junior, and Randy. After arriving at FMAR, they were all named by volunteers, spayed/neutered (except Mopsy, of course), and brought up-to-date on all of their vaccinations. There were a couple little snags along the way with fleas and a virus, but they're all doing well health-wise and our main goal now is to socialize them.

Jasper

Jasper is our shining star! He has adjusted so well and has come out of his shell so quickly that he may be adopted as I type this! He went home with a fabulous couple for an over-night on Saturday, and if everything went well, their intentions were to adopt him permanently. He is definitely the most energetic and personable of the eight!

Randy (middle)

Next in line as far as comfortability would have to be Randy. I'm not sure who named him or if it was a coincidence, but he was surely the randiest of them all! But since being neutered, his sexual energy has turned playful and you'd be hard pressed to find him doing something other than jumping around with his kennel mate Junior or playing with a soft toy. He's still learning how to play with people, though, as he likes to nibble at your hands like he does with the other pups. Being as small as he is and with his wonky teeth, his playful bites don't hurt, but it's definitely something we want to work out of him before sending him home with someone. It's so funny to sit and play with him - all he wants to do is climb up onto you and be as close to you as possible!

Buttercup

Buttercup is an absolute doll! Dressed in a pink knitted sweater with pearl accents, she's the girliest of girls! She's slowly blossoming into the most personable girls of the four, and I even saw her wag her tail for the first time on Saturday! She's still not much for a lot of snuggling or touching, but she loves some gentle petting as she snuggles up in her blankets.

Junior

Skeeter

Both Junior and Skeeter are at a similar stage in their rehabilitation. They'll put their paws up on their kennel doors and lick your fingers while you're outside, but when you enter, they're extremely reserved and back away from any attempt to pet them. Right now, Junior is being housed with energetic Randy, so I think once they're split up Junior will warm up a bit more. Randy is so animated that I think it overwhelms Junior.

Cindi

Greta

Cindi and Greta are both extremely shy. They stay snuggled up with each other but if their outside door is open and you come up to the front of the kennel, they'll skeedaddle out the door and just sit there staring at you. Cindi has the biggest eyes I've ever seen on a dog. She's shy but calm, so she'll let you sit there and pet her. Greta, on the other hand, is still very wary of people. She growls if you get too close and bites when you try to pick her up, so a muzzle is needed when she gets her ear drops.

Mopsy

Mopsy is in the worst condition of them all. She doesn't bite, she doesn't growl, and she doesn't whine... but she doesn't leave the very corner of her bed and rarely stops shaking. She is so scared and so stressed... it's heartbreaking. She has to be held when her kennel is cleaned so I usually snuggle her up in a towel and just talk to her, caressing her. She'll stop shaking after a little while but is back at it if you move her too much or put her back in her kennel. She has a very long way to go.

They're all so precious and in need of love... it's saddening to think that they'll all be gone eventually, but they deserve to be in happy, loving homes.