Woolie checking out his dishes and toys at his new home!

Woolie's New Home

One of the happiest experiences I have had as a foster has been connecting wonderful Woolie with his equally wonderful new Forever Family.

A few days after the last entry I posted, I received a touching letter from a woman who had seen Woolie on the web. We arranged to introduce Woolie to them at a park near their home a couple of days later. I could tell that they liked Woolie-- and Woolie loved them-- so they went home to think about it for the weekend. We kept Woolie home from the Meet & Greet on Saturday to give him a break.

On Monday we got the word that they had decided to adopt Woolie!!! We were so thrilled for them all. We decided that Friday would be the perfect day for his move to his new home and his new family made arrangements during the week for his arrival.

Friday was a beautiful morning and when we arrived at his new home, we could all tell Woolie had really found what he was looking for: love, appreciation, peace, happiness, and companionship. I received a wonderful email on Saturday confirming that he is a "joy" in his new home and fitting in well. Alas, not even a backward glance for us-- which makes us so very happy!!!

Congratulations, Woolie!!!!

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

Well, Woolie isn't as young and cute as some of the foster pups we have. But he IS the Nicest Dog Ever. And this week TWO families came out to meet him. Neither were the right family for him, but it was GREAT to have some interest in our Extra Special Boy. One day the perfect family WILL come, and they will find a true gem.

Always room for a few more...

This week Woolie, Cocoa, & Cupcake were joined by two more foster puppies: Sully & Darla. Luckily, there is plenty of Woolie to go around and they are all having a good time together in spite of the unseasonably cold weather.

We also had 5 extra kiddos here for a sleepover this weekend. Woolie wasn't fazed in the least by the extra chaos. "The more the merrier!" seems to be his motto for both canines and humans...

Thank Goodness for Good Friends

Woolie finally got a chance to go and run with his friends on Thursday when he went to Doggy Play Day at Taurus Training with Luci and Cocoa. They reported that he had another great day and really seemed to enjoy his day out.

On Saturday we had some kid friends over to help train the dogs on the new Poochie Bells! The first session went well, but we will all need lots more practice. After the fun playtime we all headed to Mud Puppies to get the dogs ready for their special Meet & Greet on Sunday. Woolie was the best in the tub-- so easy to bathe and groom! And he looked so brilliant and white after the bath after a messy muddy week-- what a handsome boy!

At the Meet & Greet on Sunday Woolie seemed very grateful as usual for the affection and pats from the people who came by. It was a lovely sunny day.

Woolie continues to be the patient mentor and playmate of both Cupcake and Cocoa. It is not unusual for him to have one or even BOTH puppies on him. Cupcake especially enjoys snoozing next to or on top of dear Woolie.

TGIF!

Woolie and company have had a busy week. Ben was home for Spring Break, and various friends came and played and added to the general activity level of our home. Especially interesting was a visit from a bottle-fed pot-bellied piglet who was being fostered by a friend! But now it's the weekend, and time for the dogs to just sit back and relax. Saturday they will go the Meet & Greet at Petco (Great Hills Trail) from 1-4 PM. Hope some Woolie fans come out to see this special love.

Welcome Cupcake and Welcome Back Cocoa

Woolie is now doing double duty babysitting because Cocoa's new home didn't work out and she is back, plus we have added pint-sized pup Cupcake to our foster family this week. Good old Woolie is taking it all in stride.

Farewell, Cocoa

Wow.. another month flew by so quickly! Woolie attended the Forgotten Friends-- Mixed Breed Rescue Meet & Greet again today and was his charming, personable self. The competition was stiff today with several young puppies and tiny dogs stealing some of the limelight. But ever-patient Woolie smiled at everyone and waited for his turn for some loving pats. It was a lovely day out in the newly remodeled (and covered!) breezeway at the Great Hills Trail Petco.

Tonight we learned that Woolie's little playmate, Cocoa, may go to a Foster-to-Adopt home tomorrow. Yay for Cocoa! But we wonder if Woolie will miss the little puppy to whom he has devoted so many hours these past weeks. We will make sure the sweet guy gets lots of TLC while he waits for HIS Forever Family to find him.

Woolie's Day Out

Woolie went with Luci to Taurus Doggie Daycare on Wednesday because I knew I wouldn't be home as much as usual and I couldn't bring them with me. Not surprisingly, Woolie was a wonderful sweet boy at Daycare, winning over the staff and the other dogs. They sent him home with a glowing Daycare Report Card and a staff inquiry requesting more info about our WoolieWool.

Oh! Woolie had a dose of Heartgard on March 1st, so he is protected for another month! YAY!

Sunny Days!

Woolie has really enjoyed this sunny nice weather this week and all of the fun playtime in the yard with his pals Luci and Cocoa. He continues to be a real treasure-- ready to go-go-go with puppy antics and busy kiddos, but also ready to sit back and relax and be loved in front of the TV or sit at my feet while I work on the computer. He has mastered "go to bed" and "sit". Such a charming, gentle boy.

Weekend Warrior

Woolie went to the Meet & Greet again on Saturday. He shared a pen with Cocoa and enjoyed the extra attention Cocoa's visitors gave him. He remains simply the most pleasant house guest. He played and played and played with Cocoa and Luci today... and with Ben and his friends! All in a day's work for Super Dog.

Best. Babysitter. Ever.

Woolie proved himself, once again, to be one of the sweetest dogs of all-time. We brought little foster puppy Cocoa home last night and she immediately took a shine to him. He has been the patient recipient of continuous puppy attention ever since. He is kindly showing her the ropes of both the dog-world and the people-world.

Woolie has spent the last week enjoying playing with Luci and his foster family. AND... he now enjoys the couch as well! Immediately after I sent updated biographies for his Forgotten Friends and Petfinder sites explaining that he doesn't get up on the furniture, he hopped up next to Ben! So... he will be a couch puppy if you want him to be.

Meet & Greet and a Sleepover Guest!

Ben & I accompanied Woolie to the Meet & Greet today for the first time. He was an old pro and really knew how to work the crowd... snuggling up to everyone, getting all kinds of love and pats... he seemed to be saying "Hey! Have you seen ME yet?!". Thanks to everyone who gave him some love today.

Tonight we have sweet little Miso here with us as well. We seem to have a full complement of white dogs all of the sudden! Everyone is getting along great.

Spa Day!

Since we went for the low-stress bath last weekend and tomorrow is Forgotten Friends' Meet & Greet, I decided that Woolie should get the full bath treatment tonight. In his usual easy-going Woolie way, he was great at Mud Muppies. He didn't love his bath, but he was less timid than he had been a week ago, sitting there with calm & gentle resignation while I scrubbed and brushed and rinsed him. He allowed me to brush his teeth, clip his nails, clean his ears, wipe his eyes, blow him dry with the high-power dryer, and brush him all over with multiple brushes. What a trooper!!!

Let me get a good look at you...

Jason came home from Las Vegas on Tuesday night and finally got to meet our newest house guest. There was a lot of mutual appreciation going on!

"Good With Cats"

Well today Woolie and the cats let us know that he is aware of them. This dog is truly a gem. He has been so loving and playful with our 5 year old, Ben, and very easy going in general. He accepts being in his crate without a peep, and has already learned our words for it "Go to bed, Woolie". He is having to put up with some jealous antics from his foster sister today, but he is taking it all in stride.

In Like a Lamb...

This is the day that Forgotten Friends-Mixed Breed Rescue's Woolie arrived at our home. We met him at our friends' home this afternoon (thank you, Elders!). When the van door first opened for him to come out he was a little overwhelmed by the 4 kids and 4 adults gathered around, waiting. But after a little time, a few treats, and some space to relax in the back yard, he was fine. And for the rest of the day he was ready, willing, and able to do pretty much anything!

Good thing too, because there were a few curves in the road. We had decided to take him to get a bath on the way home, either at Mud Puppies or Bark 'n Bubbles. He didn't want to get in the car, but we picked him up and put him in the back and attached his seatbelt and he was perfectly happy the rest of the time. No complaints at all about riding around in the car. He hopped out without difficulty at Mud Puppies, but we found a 30 minute wait and LOTS of anxious dogs in the lobby!! (So many pups needing a bath on this sunny day!!) Not wanting to subject dear Woolie to that on his very first day with us, my son Ben, Nathan Elder, Woolie, & I all piled back in the car to try our luck at Bark 'n Bubbles. This time I went in first to make sure they had a bay for us-- and they did! Yay! So I went back out to get Woolie and the boys-- only to find out that the hot water heater was DONE for the day and there was only "cool" water left for baths. We said "no thank you!" to that-- we wanted Woolie to have a warm bath at least on his very first day with us! We decided to try one more place-- Pet Supplies Plus-- since they have a bath bay AND we could get Woolie a harness that fit better for attaching to the seat belt.

Success!! We were able to get the sweet boy bathed (he was nervous but accepting of his time in the tub and even allowed-- albeit reluctantly-- the high-power drier as well. Unfortunately, they don't supply brushes at PSP and we didn't bring any (planning on one of the other two bath shops that DO supply them), so he looked like a giant white fluff ball when we left the store. It didn't keep him from getting LOTS of attention-- many people fawned over him while we were there and he was happily wagging his tail the whole time, loving the attention.

All clean and ready to go to his new foster home, we loaded him up again and headed to our home. We let Woolie come in first and sniff around a bit, then we took him out to the back yard and brought Luci (our 2 year old deaf Aussie) and Jack (our 14 year old Dachshund) to meet him. It was the easiest meet we have EVER had. Luci did a little playful bow in front of Woolie, and they were Friends. (Jack and Woolie did the requisite sniffing, then just moved on, neither one overly interested or impressed with the other!)

Over the course of the evening, Luci and Woolie have done a little canine dance to work out who is going to be the "top dog", but Woolie seems very willing to let Luci keep the title. They have shared toys and a meal so far without difficulty. Luci was a little protective of us (her family) at the beginning, and kept herding Woolie away, but they seem to have worked all that out now and both dogs are lying at my feet as I type this.

The cats do not seem concerned about Woolie, and if he has noticed them he has shown no sign of interest. I will keep you posted.

Woolie and I took a walk around the block and he is very good on the leash. Can't wait until we have the time to do a little more than a quick walk! Zero pulling or lagging, just walked right with me the whole walk with just a Martingale-type collar and the lead.

Woolie had some diarrhea medicine and his heartworm medicine tonight. He ate his whole dinner (we are starting him on Natural Balance Sweet Potato & Fish 1.5 cups tonight) very enthusiastically. He also learned to sit for his dish immediately. Another smart Aussie cookie on our hands!

During the human dinner preparations and meal Woolie just sat relaxed in the middle of the kitchen floor. He acts like he has been here all along!

I will update this blog with photos and reports periodically so that when Woolie's Forever Family finds him they can know what his life with us was like. But I have to go now because I CAN'T WAIT to get my hands (and brush!!) on that gorgeous coat. Woolie and I have a date on the couch in front of the TV...