New posts will be arriving soon.  Subject matter yet to be determined.

Nate was finally adopted this past Sunday by a single guy who works at a dog kennel.  I could not have asked for a more ideal living situation for him.  He’ll get to go to the kennel while his new owner is there working and then spend time with each other after work.  The new owner seems knowledgeable (aspiring to become a trainer himself) and has a good, strong personality which is just what Nate needs.

I miss him.  The house is definitely quieter and feels a little empty without him.  Now we have room to bring another in to give them a good foster home.  I feel incredibly fortunate that I was able to be a part of a larger group of people who were dedicated to rehabilitating Nate and provide him with something he has never really had – a home.

Last weekend, the weather had produced a sunny but cool day.  Perfect conditions to take the pups to the park.  I took them to Discovery Green, a new 12-acre park located in downtown  Houston, TX.  near the George R. Brown Convention Center.

The park was filled with people visiting local shops, eating at the local restaurants and watching the entertainment scheduled for that day.  Nate in particular enjoyed the new sights and sounds of the park.  

The park was filled with families, some with their dogs.  After walking through the park and looking at the different kiosks, we all (Mocha and Aurora were with me as well), settled on the hill in front of the amphitheater.  All three pups received a lot of attention.  Admirers came up to them to pet them and ask questions.  Nate handled all of this attention very well – including tolerating a toddler leaning on him as he was trying to pet him.

My last post was exactly one month ago today.  Since then, I’ve found a couple of opportunities to make a little money and it has kept me busy.  Unfortunately, it has also left me with little time to update Nate’s blog.

Since my last post, Nate has attended a couple of dog events such as Marti Paws in Galveston and Mutt Strutt at Bush International Airport.  At both events, he did extremely well.  Both events had plenty of people and pets for Nate to interact with and it provided an ideal setting to observe how Nate handles crowds.   As usual, Nate received more then his fair share of compliments, ear scratches and head pats.  In Galveston, he even got a chance to run on the beach and wade ankle deep in the biggest water bowl he has ever seen (the Gulf of Mexico).

At home, Nate continues to excel.  He is eating out of a bowl now rather than eating his food off of the floor.  He is much more comfortable with being handled and petted and has even endured being brushed on occasion.  He is fitting in well with our pack.

Now that it’s getting warmer for the humans,  I want to take him out on a more consistant basis to run.  Of course when it’s comfortable for humans, it’s usually warm for the pups.  Looks like I’ll have to get up earler to make it comfortable for both of us.

Nate has recently decided that waiting until 8:02am to wake me up only pushes back play time and belly scratches.  So now the new time is somewhere between 7:30 and 7:45am and it all starts with a group howl.

Nate will walk into the room, sit and stare at me – giving me a chance to get up on my own.  I’m already half awake because all three pups have been walking in and out of the room since 6:45am.  Not sensing any movement from me, Nate lets out a long, low howl.  Soon the other two are joining in.  There is really no going back to sleep after this starts.  I’m just glad Nate doesn’t jump on the bed and pounce on me.  A paw with 85lbs of dog behind it stepping on the groin is not fun for anyone.

Not much to tell.  Nate is sleeping outside of the crate at night and does well.  He finds a spot on the floor and curls up.  Occasionally, he snores.

I had a first with Nate the other day.  Lately, I have been petting Nate more aggressively – scratching his sides and hind quarters.  For the most part, he doesn’t seem to mind but he still watches my hands the closer I get to his tail.

Yesterday, I actually picked him up and held him for a couple of seconds!  No real reaction from Nate.  I was amazed!!  I plan on continuing to do this from time to time to see if I can truly get him comfortable with it.

A couple of days ago, Kim hosted a Bunco party.  I’m not sure how the game is played, I just know that a bunch of women come over, drink alcohol and get loud.  Anyhow, Nate did well with so many people around.  I kept him on leash of course because of all the food for the party and and all of the new people.  Nate did extremely well.  He didn’t show any anxiety or nervousness and let many of the guests come up and pet him.  Many of the guests thought he was good looking and well mannered.

I was vacuuming the other day getting the house ready from Kim’s crazy party and Nate had something to say to the vacuum cleaner.  I’ve had the vacuum out before and Nate has never really paid attention to it.  But on this day, he was barking at it.   I don’t know why.  He barked at it, followed it around as I picked up HIS dog hair and attempted to take a bite out of it.  Once I turned off the vacuum, his interest turned to other things, like pacing and looking for crumbs.

Ebony has finally been adopted.  She was adopted by some friends of ours and appears to be having a good time.  She’s in a good home.  We attended a party this past Saturday that was hosted by the people who adopted her and we got to see her.  At our house, things have quieted down a little.  I don’t have to worry about Ebony jumping up into Nate’s face and being mistaken for a snack or a chew toy.  She had absolutely no fear of Nate or the size of his teeth, or the fact that Nate was 3 times her weight.

Things continue to go well with Nate, with a few minor issues.  He still has a long way to go, but I feel much more comfortable around him and he around me.  I hope this continues.

Since Ebony has been with us, I’ve noticed that it has become more difficult to put Nate in his crate.  Before, it was easy.  I would gently guide him to the entrance of the crate by his collar and tell him to “go kennel”.  He would walk in, I would shut the door and that would be it.  Now, I have to throw a treat into the crate and shut the door behind him.  If I try to guide him in the crate without the treat, he turns away at the last minute, lays on the floor and rolls over on his back looking for a belly rub.  So now I use the treat.

Once inside, the crying begins.  It sounds so pitiful.  Like someone is beating him.  This lasts for about 5 minutes.  More if you hang out in the same room.  I’ve tried to limit the amount of time he spends in the crate.  He goes in at night for bed or if both Kim and I have to leave the house.  If I need to keep him from the others ( like at feeding time), I’ll put him outside, which he doesn’t seem to mind.

Ebony should be leaving soon (we hope) to go back to her owner (a long story).  I’m hoping that Nate will be more willing to go to his crate afte she’s gone.

For the past couple of days, we have been letting Nate roam the house without a leash.  We’ve always let him go outside without one, but always had a leash on him whenever he came into the house.  I’m happy to report that we  haven’t had any major problems (even with Ebony around – who is always on a leash – because she’s crazy).  We still make sure he is never left alone unless he’s in a crate.  He usually takes a few laps around the house but then soon settles down to lay on the floor somewhere near me.  

Nate and Mocha continue to get along (no fights) and for the most part, ignores Aurora (or she ignores him). I’ve allowed Nate and Ebony to play a little more which seems to be going well.  Ebony keeps jumping in Nate’s face so I’ve closely monitored their play and only allowed it to continue for short periods.