Saturday, May 26, 2007

The Best Reward



It's been a while coming, but there was never a doubt in any ones mind. It is with a happy heart and tons of "that a girl" that we can say Congratulations to Britney and her new forever family. Enjoy your new beginning Britney. May you have never ending birds and squirrels to chase. A warm and cozy bed to lay your head down on and lots of belly rubs to fall asleep by. With Love and Affection from all of us at Illinois Birddog Rescue.

Saturday, March 03, 2007

I'm Ready


Well, I'm ready for my forever home. I've made great strides these past few monthes and my foster mom says I'm good to go. So let me pass this gate and into your hearts.
This is what she had to say. ""Britney has been with me about six months now, and she is a very different dog from the frightened, skinny, dull-coated stray that the Animal Control Officer from Taylor County, KY turned over to me. We do not know how long she was a stray, but she's definitely a young adult. I'd say she's around a year and a half old now. Brit is extremely intelligent. She is also an energetic girl, and I think she'd be awesome in Agility and Rally. She loves to go out to the park with me for walks, but I don't ask her to stay in close. I take her out on a 30' long line so she can cast and sniff to her heart's content. She has ton's of personality. She's a real tail-wagger, and gives little chin kisses. Belly rubs are her idea of bliss. She is also very inquisitive. Brit plays well with the other dogs, though now and then she gets bossy, and all I have to do is say, "Brit!" and she knows to settle down. She's used to eating in her crate, which is a procedure I use with multiple dogs in the household, so I can make sure everyone is getting their correct amount of food. Because she is very curious about any and everything, she's still sleeping in her crate at night. This prevents her from getting anything that might be harmful to her. I have not done a lot of obedience with her yet, as I really felt she needed to build confidence and to learn to trust people more. We have definitely accomplished those two goals. And physically, she's gorgeous! She has grown a beautiful coat, her eyes are bright and she's filled out considerably. (When she came to me, we could count every rib.) Brit would do well in a multiple dog household, but if she's in a single dog household, she will need companionship and activity with her family. She is quite gregarious."
Britney is a very pretty Orange and White Field English Setter not an Irish Here are some recent notes from her foster mom: "
Well, Brit is certainly settling in quickly. She's learned to climb the baby gate. Then Maverick the Aussie sails over the baby gate to go try to herd her, and she gives him that "blond pulled over by the cop" look, e.g. "What, Officer? Is there a problem?" and bats her eye lashes. It is quite hilarious.
She was wrestling with Mav in the kitchen and he got a little rough, and she told him so. Nothing inappropriate, just "Hey, too much," and he backed off. Very solid communication.
Even last night she wouldn't come to me in the house if I called her, but already today, she's watched the other dogs respond to me, and so she's following suit. She has shown no sign of wanting to climb the 6' fences outside. (Good thing!) She also LOVES tummy rubs. And I've been using some of the techniques I learned at the dog massage class I attended.
She's settling in faster than I thought she would, which is good. She's getting fed twice a day. She loves those big natural bones that I get for my guys. (Sometimes I stuff them with peanut butter. Gave her one yesterday, and she wasn't too sure about the peanut butter, but she'll figure it out eventually. If not, I can stuff it with cottage cheese.)
She's doing great!