Took a long long walk on this beautiful fall day,  then helped out on part of the kitchen remodel and now we are just chillin' until the boys get home from school.

Elgin is back with us after spending a couple of days at the daycare while we were on a little mini-vacation. He's happy to be home and he nestled right into his favorite spot on my lap.  He is such a sweet little guy. He waited quietly in the window all day watching for the kids to get home.

Don't let the warm weather fool you,  winter is coming and nothing will keep you quite as warm as this little bundle on your lap!

My son wanted to add that Elgin sleeps in the bed, prefers the middle but will move to the side if you insist.

We put up a small fenced off area in the backyard for Elgin. He is doing excellent with the new arrangement.  He already has adjusted to the new routine and is thriving with it.  We still take a good long walk every day but he does his business at home and we've had no accidents since the switch.  I think he finally gets it.
 His hair is getting long and I think he's due for a haircut.  He did get a little bang trim this week.

He doesn't look too happy here but trust me he's happy to be able to see where he's going again. 

https://youtu.be/5iGDt7-aIuY

Here is the link to the after school video,  I guess it isn't working for some people.
Hope this one does.

Elgin is doing very well.  He is nearly housetrained, I won't call it yet because he has a tough time waiting if he has to poop. He hasn't peed in the house in a very long time, probably since the first week he was here,  and he pooped in the house once in the last three weeks although it was right by the front door.  He needs to poop very soon after he eats so we try to be very attentive to him at that time and he will definitely try to let you know he wants to go out however he loves to go outside so he asks for that a lot. He has been to some of the kids' sporting events and has done well with the crowds.  He lets people approach him and isn't barky at other dogs unless they are huge and then he likes to let them know he's there. We have had no concerns about taking him anywhere,  he fits right in to family life.

Here is Elgin when my son gets home from school.  Two things to keep in mind...i left the door unlatched and my husband was outside on the porch  and secondly, my 1952 wall oven finally died and we are in the middle of a kitchen remodel that's why all that junk is in the background. Please don't judge me on that mess!

 Don't let the 6 year old age frighten you off,  this guy has plenty of energy.

Waiting for the school bus.....they do not like the end of summer vacation.

Elgin has settled in very nicely and we are really enjoying having him. He is much more playful and confident. He has a nice routine and is doing very well with his training.

He is just an awesome little guy!

EJ is starting to feel right at home and has become playful. When they are done playing he takes over the dog bed.

Here are just a few more pictures of  Elgin who we have started calling EJ.

 

He loves to sit on someone's lap but he really is just as happy to sit on the couch or ottoman where all the action is. 

Elgin is adjusting very nicely.  He has started to go stand by the front door when he has to go out.  We still keep a good eye on him and the only accident he had was right at the door so that was definitely our fault, not his.  He is getting a little more playful and is a wonderful little guy to have around. He joined in a little marathon of Monopoly after this mornings walk.

After he won at Monopoly he came on over for a victory treat.

Doing well on housetraining,  three days with no accidents.  We take him out often and know his routine pretty well so that helps.

Elgin is a very low key companion. He loves a warm lap and lots of belly rubs, he always rolls over for them when you come over by him. He hasn't found any toys that he likes yet but he gains some confidence in the house everyday. Once he finds his forever home I'm sure he'll be king of the castle in no time. We are enjoying having him with us.

Sam and Elgin out for a stroll.

You can see that he is white with tan spots and not all white.

We welcomed Elgin into our home this week,  the first dog we've fostered in awhile.  He is a scrappy little guy who is full of love.  He is definitely a cuddler,  he loves to sit by his people.  He likes to put his paw up as if he is holding your hand.   He has liked everyone in the house and lots of people we meet on our walks.

 We take him out a lot and he benefits from a nice half hour walk right away in the morning.  We keep a good eye on him at all times and are working hard to get him trained. He gets crated at night and he is quiet for the whole night.  I know he would prefer to sleep with his people and I actually think he would be okay as long as you get up if he gets up.

He is a dream to take for a walk,  he walks nicely by your side, doesn't ever pull or bark at people or other dogs. I will post a video later of him walking,  he is quite the proper boy,  he walks with perfect posture.   He does very well with our dog.  Our Sophie is a little bit the instigator but Elgin ignores it for the most part but draws his line and keeps Sophie in check when she needs it.  I have no concerns about his ability to get along with any dogs or people.  He does love attention though and follows his people but is not needy.  He would make a great companion and would also do well in a condo or apartment as he is not a barker.  He loves to sit with my son when he reads or watches tv.   He is a nice lap dog and could get used to that being his spot if someone let him.  He is content to sit by himself on the couch if no one can sit and pet him. 

Ellie

Such a sweet little girl, she will make someone a lovely companion.  I will give you more details about her next week but her are some more pictures to make you fall in love.

We are looking forward to the weather warming up so we can take Emmett out for a long walk.  He has long legs for a little guy, I think he is going to like walking.  He has a lot of energy now that he is more relaxed with us. He loves to play, he chases a ball and plays tug-o-war.

Emmett is great with the kids, once they learned to slow down and let him come to them.  Now that he is comfortable with them,  he loves running and playing with them and sits nicely on their laps.  He eats well and we are getting him on a routine as best we can, he's working on housetraining but we have a ways to go on that yet. He doesn't let us know he needs to go but if I take him out often we do alright,  again this freezing weather and a shaved dog don't help.  I'll try to get a picture of the coat that I make him wear, he is not a fan, so I can add that although a bit scared still he definitely has his pride.  

Channing is at her new home already, I knew she would be adopted quickly and we miss her already. As for Kipling, he is staying here permanently, In fact he's sitting on my lap as I type.  He fit in too well, we couldn't let him go.

We have welcomed Emmett in to our pack.  He is the chocolate brown poodle.  He is only been here two days and I don't quite know what to say about him.  He is very scared but also very loving.  He wants so desperately to be brave. He is jumpy at sudden movements and sticks close to me.  He wants to play but just doesn't have the confidence yet.

He has soulful eyes.  He is just learning to be a dog.  I think with time he will be a great companion. And I can't wait to see him with his hair all grown in, he will be stunning.

Well,  we haven't had any fosters in awhile but we are back with two new little friends.  They are Kipling and Channing,  brother and sister.  They are awesome little dogs.  They are playful, quiet and very good natured.  Channing is the bossy sister to Kipling's precocious little brother.  They play well together and love people also.  There is no barking from this pair.  They love to chase the ball around or wrestle with a stuffed animal.  When they are done playing they want nothing more than to cuddle up on your lap.  She curls up in a little ball while he likes to lay splayed out next to my leg.  When I don't have time to cuddle,  they are happy to lay down in their bed.  Both do well in the crate,  they go in and don't make a peep until morning when I find them waiting patiently for me to take them out.  Neither of them seems to be housebroken but it is a tough situation,  it has been so cold outside and they do not like it one bit.  We are working on the training and after several accidents the first couple of days,  I can say that they are easy to read.  I can tell when they are getting ready to go,  it is just a matter of getting them out there in time.  I am hoping that with the temperature going up finally we will be able to spend more time outside.  But for now,  we just go quickly out and back in.  There have been no accidents in the crate at all.   They really are just the sweetest pair.  While they both love people and attention, neither one of them have any issue being left alone.   Channing has the look of a poodle with the coloring of a schnauzer while Kipling looks a bit like a schnauzer in the face.   They both had beautiful curly coats,  of course they had to be shaved due to mattes but they will be fluffy and gorgeous again soon.  Channing had a curlier coat than Kip's wavy one.  These little guys will make great companions.  They seem to be familiar with "no" and "off" and they haven't attempted to chew or mark anything at all.  They are quite the polite little house guests.  Channing likes to eat like a little lady,  she takes one piece of dry food at a time and eats it nicely while Kip likes to stay at the bowl and get it done.  There are no food sharing issues, no aggression...no bad habits at all that I can see, except the housetraining,  which we will conquer in no time I hope.  I can't say enough nice things about these little ones,  they are the sweetest of little dogs.

 Kip on the right and Channy on the left

 

There are two dogs and a boy in this picture

Kip taking a rest after play time

Channing curled up on my lap,  she would prefer this to be her permanent spot

 

When I have to get some work done,  they wait  nicely in their bed until someone will come and play

 

 



 

 

 

Beaux

Here is Beaux with his short haircut.

He  is a very active dog, smart and a pretty typical Schnauzer.  He barks at strangers and strange dogs and, of course, the squirrels...otherwise he is fairly quiet.