Sweet, sweet, sweet and needing a home
By Cindy WolffMay 13th, 2008
After all the tears and sadness surrounding Bruiser the pit bull, I needed some happy pictures to get me out of my funk. Here they are: 3 angels that my friend Joan is fostering for the Memphis Shelby County Humane Society.
Their mom gave birth to 4 and was bleeding. One of the pups was having trouble too, but the owner didn't take them to the vet. Mom and pup died. These pups were brought to the humane society when they were 1 day old. The humane society happened to receive a nursing mom (Miley) without pups so they put these with her and she took care of them.
The brown pup is Montana. The little girl, the black and white one, is Hannah, and the black one with rottie markings is Cyrus. They will be ready to be adopted at the Humane Society in probably 4 or 5 weeks. If you're interested, visit the humane society and fill out an application.
May 13th, 2008 at 5:11 pm
This is Joan, foster mom to Cyrus, Montana and Hannah, the puppies that Cindy has just posted to her blog. I'm also mom to furkids Allie and Winnie (both rescues, both age 10, both first in their breed, haha).
Just to add my own two cents...the puppies really are just as sweet as their pictures. Here are some fun notes about them:
Cyrus happened upon his howl yesterday. He was sort of whining with that high-pitched puppy cry when he sort of modulated down and hit on his howl for a few seconds! It was so cute. When they got their shots Saturday, he was the only one who cried. He's quite vocal, but thankfully, quiet all night!
Montana is starting to blossom. She used to be a bit of a loner, but now, she bounces up to me to be picked up and loved on. I'd like to rename her, maybe Lily Bear because she looks so bear-like (Lily b/c it sounds a little bit like 'little'). She gets really quiet when I pick her up and seems to like snuggling more and more.
Hannah is still my little Angel. She needs to be renamed Daisy or something like that. There's something about her that just makes me think 'flower'. She loves to be kissed on, always has. She NEVER tries to chew on your fingers (unlike some little boys I know!).
All the puppies are working on crate training. They're only six weeks old and already, they're doing much better than they did a week ago. The towels in the crate still get pretty wet at night, but the poop is not nearly as bad. AND, they all get down to doing their business when they first go in the backyard. I think they'll all be just about house-broken by the time adoption time rolls around.
As for my two dogs tolerating the puppies:
Winnie is just barely tolerating them. She started hen-pecking Montana last night. Poor baby just comes up soaking wet on her neck. Winnie doesn't hurt her, just wants to be sure they all know who's the biggest baby in the house. Oy!
Allie is just deathly afraid of them (like she is everything else on this earth). Poor Allie. The very tip of her tail is white (the rest of her is mostly black--think border collie wanna be). The puppies are mesmerized by the tip of her tail when she wags it...then they try to bite it! Ouch!
I'll keep you guys posted as they progress.
May 14th, 2008 at 12:59 pm
how absolutely adorable! if i already didn't have so many, i'd take one. i sure will let people know about them and hopefully find them a forever home!
May 14th, 2008 at 1:20 pm
I'm starting to use dog treats as rewards for going outside when asked and for getting in their kennel when asked. Man, do they love the treats! All three seem to be motivated by these puppy biscuits. Teaching commands may actually turn out to be easy with these three!
Also, if you have difficulty bending over and reaching your shoes, these dogs would be perfect for you. They are excellent at untying shoelaces!
Mama Joan
May 14th, 2008 at 3:20 pm
This is so sweet... those puppies are adorable. If I weren't the "crazy cat lady" I'd sure want one.
Did the negligent person who didn't take mom and pup in for care get charged? They should. Negligence is cruelty too...
May 14th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
i agree with lynne!
May 14th, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Went home at lunch, let the puppies out. They played and played. I was picking up each one in turn to hug and kiss on them. When I picked up Montana, she growled at me! I don't know whether she was just fat and uncomfortable from just having eaten, or mad that I had interrupted her play with her brother. Maybe it was a combination of both, haha.
Joan
May 15th, 2008 at 10:58 am
Miley, their dog foster mama, is the sweetest dog. She is a pit mix with a huge head, but she is so loving. I'm glad that she will be going to a home as soon as she is fixed.
May 15th, 2008 at 4:55 pm
Last night, Cyrus was sort of flinging himself at the baby gate. Gosh darn it, it's just too tall to jump over! He sooo wanted out of their play area I've set up in my house. He was being very vocal about his dissatisfaction with the service he was getting, ha ha. The girls continue to be quieter. Montana is so funny. She outweighs Cyrus by a full pound (she's almost 8 pounds now). She pins him down then bites his belly. Not much he can do from that angle. Hannah is sweet as ever. She loves to play, too, but she's the one who continues to get really still when you hold her and kiss on her. Cyrus likes that too, AND he still lets me hold him on his back like a baby. Neither girl does that. Montana likes snuggling, but I think she prefers playing. She showed submission last night while we were playing, so that's encouraging. All three continue to sleep (or at least be quiet) all through the night. I never hear a peep from them until about 6:45 a.m. They're such good babies!
May 15th, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Thanks for these stories. They are so cute!
May 19th, 2008 at 10:57 am
How are the puppies?
May 19th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
The puppies are great! They haven't pooped in the kennel in about 3 days! Montana is learning to 'stalk' and Cyrus is not far behind. They are more playful and active and they are GROWING! Cyrus is now as big or slightly bigger than Montana. Hannah remains the petite one, but she's not too far behind. I'm a little worried about her. She has a growth on her lip about the size of a pencil eraser. It is pale pink and very wart-like. After searching the internet, I speculate that it may be a canine papilloma virus wart. According to internet sources, these are painful, but basically harmless and are likened to chicken pox in humans. I'll take her to the Humane Society this week so that she can be seen by a vet just to be sure. Otherwise, she seems as fat and happy as the other puppies. Montana, I think, has just about decided that lots of hugging and holding are just not for her. It makes her so mad if I kiss and snuggle on her too much. She squeaks and wiggles and growls at me to be let down! I guess she is just too busy stalking her brother for all that mama-love. They're just incredibly adorable. I love each and every one of them. They will make wonderful babies for someone.
May 19th, 2008 at 4:48 pm
i really enjoy updates on these babies!
May 21st, 2008 at 1:13 pm
oh they sound so freaking cute!
Hey in case anyone would like another puppy (not that we don;t have enough :)) I got a phone call yesterday ( I am the dog lady now after Bruiser) about a 8 wk pit bull puppy. Someone threw it out their car window while driving 45 mph out by Berclair Rd. The pup is fine. But is in need of a home. I have pictures if anyone wants to see. Beautiful dog, if I wasn't trying to talk my boy friend into a full grown dog at the moment I would totally take her!
And those puppies are precious!!!
May 22nd, 2008 at 3:46 pm
Another pit bull's been found hurt.
http://www.myeyewitnessnews.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=56c50c64-b2ee-4bae-94e3-ba5401ea7a46
May 27th, 2008 at 11:05 am
The puppies continue to grow and form their little personalities. Cyrus is the rambunctious little boy. He's the one who while he's on the floor about to pass out from exhaustion will still want to play. Fortunately, the exhaustion usually wins out. Montana is a funny little girl. She is very sweet and well behaved, very calm. She doesn't always appreciate being picked up and kissed on, although I'm trying my best to make it as wonderful an experience as possible. Maybe she'll come around. Hannah is just as sweet as can be. She's the snuggle bunny. She likes to play, but she can be by herself a little too. Cyrus is clearly the leader, because of her size, I think Montana is second, and Hannah is a contented 3rd. I put collars on them for the first time on Friday. Only Hannah still has hers on. Montana worked hers loose within an hour and Cyrus pulled his off last night. House training is coming along very well. No poop in the house for the last 3 days, and there's less pee in the kennel. Again, they're such good babies! They go in for shots today...poor babies. Wonder if Cyrus will cry again??
May 27th, 2008 at 11:12 am
That update made me smile. My brother just adopted a puppy who looks a lot like Cyrus. They are having a blast with her...
May 27th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
FYI, Cyrus DID cry again when he got his shot. It just hurts his feelings (and his little backside) so bad. The girls were both quiet through the whole thing. Each puppy has gained about 5 pounds!! Montana is at over 11 pounds, Cyrus is 10+ and Hannah is about 9+. I can't pick them all up in the carrier anymore. These babies are getting so big--and cuter--by the minute! When people call me and ask what I'm doing, now I usually just say 'watchin the puppies grow!'
May 28th, 2008 at 10:12 am
Poor Cyrus. It's usually the boys who cry at the doctor's, anyway, isn't it? That's why women go through childbirth, not men...
Anyway to get a new pic?
May 28th, 2008 at 4:27 pm
Yes, when/if the sun ever comes back out, I'll try to get some new photos. They're getting so big. FYI, last night, in the pouring rain, those good little babies went outside to do their business. Man, they are just good as gold.
May 29th, 2008 at 10:53 am
Joan- you didn't take an umbrella out there for them???
My friend does, or her dog won't go... she's a bit of a "Princess."
May 29th, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Lynne, funny on the princess thing. My two dogs that I own will NOT go outside in the rain, even if their bladders are about to burst. They are terrified of thunder and lightning. I don't even bother asking them anymore. Somehow, they manage to hold it. The puppies, however, had to go out. They did not have the aid of umbrellas--and neither did I. I felt foolish standing in the back yard, in the pouring rain, excitedly saying to them, 'Hurry! Hurry!' (my personal training method/word). But God love 'em, they all went. When we went back inside, EVERYONE got toweled off, even my two chickens who were dry as a bone but who love being rubbed down with the towel.
May 29th, 2008 at 1:58 pm
What? They don't have "pee pee" mats in the bathroom in case it rains and you don't do the umbrella thing? Your poor dogs...
That's another little secret about the "Princess"- an umbrella does not GUARANTEE she'll go out in the rain. Thus, the need for the washable "pee pee" mat.
May 29th, 2008 at 6:22 pm
No, my dogs, I must say are fabulous about going outside to do their biz. No pee pee pads in my house!!
May 30th, 2008 at 10:22 am
You are a lucky woman, indeed.
I have a cat who pees in the bathroom sink. Not a great thing, but better than the carpet. My vet agrees with me that it is strange. And no, she's not sick, she's done it for years...
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:45 am
how are the babies doing???
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:41 am
The babies are good. I am having some discipline problems with Cyrus, primarily with him not being submissive towards me. If he wants something, he goes into the 'wild flailing mode'. I've been turning him onto his back, and he responds somewhat. It's too early to know if he's going to abide by the rules. I think he will. He's still very sweet. He's my Velcro baby. He really wants to stay right by me more than the others. Montana apparently just does not like to be held and cuddled. Try as I might, she is stand-offish. She's playful and friendly, though, so maybe she'll come around. Hannah is my little baby. She tolerates me kissing and cuddling, but the older she gets, the more things she needs to be doing other than letting mama hold her. They all LEAP into the kennel when I get the treats out, and generally speaking, they settle down quickly once in the kennel. Potty training is coming along well. Hannah is still prone to sneaking a pee on the floor on the way out to the backyard, though. But there haven't been any poops in the house for more than a week.
Overall, they're wonderful and a joy. I sent some new photos to Cindy, so when she gets back in, I'm sure she'll post them. You guys won't believe how BIG they're getting.
Oh, I forgot to say...last night, I had let the puppies out in the back yard. In a little while, I looked out to check on them. I realized that both Hannah and Cyrus were soaking wet. They both apparently had been in the kiddie pool playing! I was so happy. I think Hannah is going to be a water baby. Maybe Cyrus too. Oddly enough, Montana, the who looks like a chocolate lab (and I guess should be more retriever-like), does not show much interest in getting in the pool.
June 4th, 2008 at 9:23 am
thanks for the update! you are doing a wonderful thing for these babies and i feel sure god will bless you for this!
June 6th, 2008 at 10:14 am
OK, I need help. Cyrus has decided to bark. A lot. Playing, fighting, relaxing, he barks. I'm sure he is just 'talking'. He's always been pretty vocal. But he needs to tone it down, for his future family's sake and therefore, for his own. Anyone have any good tips to slow the barking down? I've tried ignoring and that's not been helpful.