The very handsome and happy Tigger arrived this afternoon.
It looks like he's going to make some lucky family a great pet.
He doesn't lie on the furniture, doesn't rifle through rubbish bins, doesn't steal fruit out of the bowl, doesn't jump up, doesn't bark at other dogs, doesn't get over excited at meal times, doesn't bolt his food down at 100 miles an hour.... and he's not even particularly interested in my pet rats!
Of course he isn't quite perfect yet, I'll need to housetrain him and get him to walk without pulling, but so far he is responding eagerly to everything.
I'm now sleep deprived after just one night! Tigger appears to be nocturnal.
He's been really good and knows where his bed is and that is where he should lie, he just hasn't quite grasped the sleep part yet. First he woke me up by licking my face about midnight, then again about 1am. At 2.30am he was pacing around and squeaking so I took him out to the toilet and he settled down afterwards until about 4am. Lick, lick, he wanted a clap before settling again for a whole hour. 5am was when he found Sky's squeaky monkey toy and decided to put the squeaker through some stringent testing. He had his prey and wasn't for parting with it either! Who would have thought squeaky toys were loud enough to rouse the downstairs neighbours Monkey is still alive and squeaking although has undergone some hair removal, and my bedroom is now covered in blue fluff. Tigger has learnt to play though, so the growling stopped when I went to remove monkey from him and turned into a tug-of-war and bouncing dog.
6am is when I normally get up. Of course the alarm went off, I got out of bed and Tigger was sound asleep right across the door. He can sleep soundly when he wants, I had to haul the duvet across the floor as he wasn't for moving.
He seems pretty settled though given he's only just arrived, just need to get him to appreciate daylight more.
Tigger is gorgeous, he looks like my Tia. Dont worry, you soon get used to the nocturnal regime - my horrible lot always waken me at 4am to get out, the alarm goes at 5.30am. So barely settled back into my cosy bed before its time to get up! By that time they are all happily dreaming again. I know I could train them out of it, but usually feel so guilty because I have to leave them through the day, that I give in. I've learned to incorporate 'power naps' into my daily routine, but roll on the day when I can work from home all the time! And I wouldnt be without them for anything, every day is valentine's day with all the love and kisses they give. Hope Tigger continues to thrive, he's a smasher! Best wishes, Fiona & pack
Tigger looks lovely in the picture, is he small or just look small in the picture?
I sympathise with you get up last night, there must have been something in the air cos Kai was up and down ALL night. First he was to warm (22.30), then to cold (00.30), the I need to bog (04.00). If he squeaked after that I was in a coma. (other half & dugs with me )
And yes he was having a nice long snuggley sleep in when I left home.
Just caught up on the adventures of the handsome Tigger. Sounds like you have your hands full but I am sure in time he will fit snugly into your routine. Nora
__________________
"YOU OWE IT TO YOUR DOG TO BE WORTHY OF IT,S DEVOTION".
Tigger is a star! He was fantastic overnight, he was pretty much asleep right through from 11.30pm until 6.30am. He wanted breakfast on waking up and then caught me off guard and started to relieve his bladder in the kitchen, but STOPPED MID-FLOW when I said no! How impressive is that? He managed to hold the rest in until I got him dressed for outside too, so hopefully that is a good indication that he'll be housetrained very soon.
Yesterday I walked him into town and although he seemed perplexed by things like buses, he was fine with all the noise and strangers coming up to say hello. We ventured into Pets at Home to get him some toys and he was really well behaved, he barely paid the rabbits/g.pigs any attention and only had a quick sniff at the dog food.
Picking out some toys was funny though, despite being muzzled he managed to steal a few and started playing with them in the shop, bashing them around with his paws and nose so they were scooting all over the floor. He quite likes balls with a fabric cover, and he got a wee squeaky sausage dog that probably won't last very long, but his favourite seems to be the glow in the dark squeaky doughnut. He carried it about for ages last night squeaking it constantly and once he'd done playing he put all the toys in his bed! TIGGER TIDIES UP!
Tigger is beautiful and sounds like he's settling into his new routine with great ease. Hopefully it wont be too long before he finds his home forever. Or maybe he has........?
Isn't he great stopping mid-stream! I remember at the start of having Biscuit he started in the house, and continued dribbling as I carried him outside - so well done to Tigger.
He looks very puppyish in the movie, so he is obviously discovering his lost puppyhood, the wee soul. He looks really gorgeous.
Tigger's beautiful and I love his video. Will it be linked from his entry on the homeless dogs page? I'm sure no-one could resist him after seeing that.
Aw what a lovely dog Tigger is. He has a gorgeous brindle face. Great to see a foster dog happy, as fosterers we know just what it means to see him settle. The video was fab :)
One week in and Tigger is doing great. He's been a dawdle to housetrain, and he now walks on his lead without pulling at all.
He sleeps in his own bed all night, and is happy to sleep in another room all by himself.
Tigger did discover the comforts of the sofa a few days ago but he is responding to, "No". If I don't catch him trying to climb onto the furniture, moving him is a bit more effort, but he's a bright boy, he clearly knows what "Off" means, he's just trying to push his luck at the moment.
I've had to leave him alone a few times and he did whine quietly for a few minutes on and off but then settled.
He's also been great with other dogs. He's interested in them but not in a bad way. We met a little, fluffy bouncy dog the other day, and she was chasing Sky all around the grass while Tigger watched. When she came over to see Tigger he had a very quick sniff then hid behind my legs! We haven't encountered any exceptionally small dogs yet, but when a squirrel crossed our path yesterday, although Tigger got excited he still didn't pull on his lead.
He's a great dog who has now discovered the joy of cuddles (and hot dogs).
Update - Tigger went off to his forever home after only 8 and half days with me. Not only that, it turned out I knew the family as our kids used to go to dance school together. A very happy ending :)