Levi's feeling blue, and so are we... Thinking of you: MD, RD, LD and ED

Levi has been meeting with some very special people and Mark and I are definitely thinking of them tonight. Levi is a total charmer, and a very, very, very well behaved pup, albeit a little shy at first. Unfortunately, the dander in Levi's fur caused some of the family members to have allergic reactions - we really respect how seriously this family took this very important decision, and certainly feel sad along with them tonight that the adoption didn't work out. To MD, RD, LD and ED, Mark and I and our little zoo are thinking of you and wishing you all the best as you find your forever dog. To LD and ED - you're amazing kids and I know how much you love Levi. I am really impressed how knowledgeable you are about dogs, and how eager you are to help your parents take care of a puppy. Oreo was a special dog that could never be replaced, but I hope in the near future, you find your second dog who will make you happy for a very, very long time.

Edge does "Down!"

It's a bit of a manic day. Apparently our dogs didn't like the vinyl floor we chose for the dog room - it's been several weeks and they haven't objected, but today we came home to shredded flooring...NOT initiated by the foster dogs, rather our own puppy who chews just about everything.

The day could only get better from there. The floor was clearance price, and we've learned our lesson, maybe it will be tile next time. The pups were also especially rambunctious tonight so a walk was in order, as was some quiet time. Dogs like to have a job to do, but training two puppies, plus our own at the same time is challenging - separate training time is a must. One of our puppy books swears that even 10 minutes a day makes a big difference in a dog's behavior. Well, in no time flat Edge, motivated by a highly valued food reward, learned "down." Amazing.

The pups are also now sleeping in their own crates, in preparation for that day where they'll each go separately to their forever homes.

What's under there?

Favorite hiding place: under the bed. Although both pups (especially Levi) are getting too big to crawl under there. Levi is 33 lbs and nearly 4 months old now; Edge is 31 lbs.

Wow, what a day!

It was a big day for Levi and Edge - we went for some big, long car rides and then an awesome off-leash walk at River Park, despite the cold (Levi wore a jacket). The pups wrestle with each other now and again, but love to run and play off leash. Edge is starting to look like she might chase a ball, but not quite yet. They also met Fuzzy today before Petsmart. I think they decided they *could* share the house with one more dog and the welcomed him into the pack. Then, off to Petsmart where Levi was a total rockstar, hopefully his ego isn't too inflated from all the attention he got. Edge met lots of people too and is waiting patiently for the right home.

What's new?

Well, we've settled into a true routine. It consists of:

• Sleep all night in the crate
• Wake up with wagging tails, go pee, come back in
• Snuggle with foster mom (on the bed cause she spoils us)
• Go for a wake-up on-leash walk
• Eat, eat, eat.
• Outside for a pee.
• Play.
• Outside for another pee.
• Hang out all day with foster sibling and resident dog. Play with other dogs, eat peanut butter out of a Kong, play, sleep, play, sleep, wag tail when someone comes home.
• Go wild and crazy at prospect of attention, treats, and another walk.
• Sit on bum and shake a paw, wait for treat.
• Hang out with cool foster parents.
• GO FOR AN OFF-LEASH WALK! WOO-HOO!!
• Crash and sleep, dreaming of forever home.
• Wake up, pee (outside).
• Wrestle. Wrestle. Wrestle.
• Go to crate when asked, sit on bum and wait for treat.
• It gets dark. Shuffle around, get comfortable, tell Levi/Edge not to hog the blanket, SLEEP.
• And.... repeat!

Getting pretty comfortable!

Well, Levi and Edge have made themselves pretty comfortable (and we've let them:) They spend less and less time in their activity pen when we're home and have more free run of the house (with frequent pee breaks of course! What's new? Well, Edge was the first to attempt to climb onto the footstool and after discovering this was way better than any dog bed, she quickly developed the habit of sleeping there - when she's in the TV room. Levi is a little slower and chunkier and it took him a little longer to scramble onto the furniture. Now, it's old hat for both of them. *Note* they are only allowed on certain pieces of furniture, and are following this rule just fine. It just happens that the chairs they are allowed on are the ones most frequently used by our cats - so they aren't quite as pleased with us right now.

We've also added a bell to the front door, and ring it when the dogs

go outside. They are getting to know that when the bell rings, it's time to stop playing and go outside, which means, go pee. Nobody rings the bell yet, but Levi has on occasion gone to the door to let us know "it's time!"

Both pups are crate trained and objections to sleeping in the crate are extremely rare. In fact, Levi seems to have figured out that being in the crate is a good thing, and any time he's in the bedroom, he promptly goes to the crate, sits and waits for a reward. Smart puppy:)

Edge and Levi love to walk and are good both on and off the leash. They recognize the leash and know that it means WALK! They've been off leash a number of times, and as they are still young and attach easily to people, they're never far behind. They are also beginning to play a little more at the park, with each other, with other dogs, and with our dog. Edge LOVES the snow, especially fluffy, deep snow!

Adventures of puppyhood

Well, the Christmas tree is packed away so the pups need to find other things to play with. Edge loves to run and dive under the beds or couches; Levi loves to try to follow but he's a little too chubby to sneak under there as smoothly. We've also spent a fair bit of time at the dog park, including a walk with one of our former foster pups and her new family! The pups are also starting to amuse themselves outside a little more. Today they came in with muddy paws so they went straight to the tub. Later on, we were doing some work in the bathroom and Levi started barking at the tub. We put him in and then Edge indicated she also wanted to climb into the tub. Our own dog has the complete opposite reaction to the tub, but when we added some water the pups had a great time!

Time for an update!

We thought it was time for an update on how the pups are doing as they look for their forever homes:

Edge - Edge is the smaller of the two pups. She loves to go for walks (is great on the leash) and loves to run and play in the snow. She sleeps through the night in her crate and knows how to 'sit' and 'shake a paw.' Edge's potty training is coming along and she knows that when she wakes up in the morning the first thing she's supposed to do is go outside. Definitely making progress here.

Levi - Levi is a huskier build than his slim sister but he's 100% teddy bear. He enjoys walks but is content to linger behind the other dogs. Levi is curious about cats but in time, I think they'll be good friends. Levi sleeps through the night in the crate, sits, and shakes a paw. He loves to give kisses! Levi still has accidents in the house but he's surprised us from time to time by sitting in front of the door when he has to go out!