Foster Fur Mommy

Poor little guy. I wish we didn't have to neuter him but it's for the best.  Here's how I explained it to my five year old. Mr. Mr. was a stray. We was living in the streets because no one wanted to take care of him, feed him, or wash him. He was sick, and really dirty when he was found. He was suffering.  So in order to prevent unwanted dogs living in the street like Mr. Mr. and possibly dying of hunger or living in pain, we neuter them so that they are not able to breed or have puppies. We had Mr. Mr. neutered to prevent him from having puppies. Because we don't want puppies and in order to prevent unwanted puppies we needed to neuter our pets.  There are also health benefits but controlling the pet population is really why I'm very particular about having it done. Unwanted dogs end up in dog shelters where most are put down. Spaying or neutering your pet is the proven way to reduce pet overpopulation and ensuring that every pet has a family to love them....

My groomer guessed: Bichon! Mr. Mr. does have the eyes, nose, snout, hair, and demeanor of a Bichon Frise, (based on the American Kennel Club, AKC) but he's just a little taller. Nonetheless I think this it! This time I think we have an answer as to what breed Mr. Mr. is. At least I'm now thinking he's mostly Bichon! Here's a link from the AKC on the Bichon Frise. Oh, la, la, oui. It is a French word (but a Spanish breed). http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/bichon-frise/ I've tried to play catch with Mr. Mr. but he doesn't get it at all. This breed was bred to be a companion and nothing else. So unlike my other dog who's a Jack Russell mix, who fetches anything you throw his way, Mr. Mr. will just look at the toy and then sit down on your feet. So ignore the previous post. Especially now that he's had his hair cut. The snout is nothing like a Pumi's snout. Posted April 12th: Based on a photo, a friend who also rescues dogs 🐕 suggested h...

Look at his little guy! I took him to my local groomer, Pawvillion . The Owner/Groomer, Elizabeth is so sweet. She took the time to let me introduce Mr. Mr. to her and also to look him over and let me know what the plan was for his cut.  She found that his hair was matted in several areas but promised to try to work the matting off with conditioner. Mr. Mr was really calm when we arrived at the groomers and curious to see the other dogs there. He's so brave. He wasn't scared at all. He was only scared to get in the car. But I picked him up and held him close letting him know that I have a current driver's license, very few accidents in  my recent record, and that more than likely he'll be okay. Groomed and now growing a new coat, we'll be running out the the pet store to buy Mr. Mr. a brush and comb recommend by our groomer and also this really helpful video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNU5gHKYWdU

I find that most pooches like their bed so this might be an easy one. I use snacks to lure them to their bed and once they are completely in bed and sitting on their bed, I then give them the snack. I also use the power of touch. If I see them in their bed. I’ll come and give them lots of loving caresses on their head and back. “Go to your bed” is actually a command that I use to get my pooches in their designated places. It seems to come in handy when vacuuming or when they are in the kitchen while I’m cooking. I’ve seen a dog with burn marks on his back caused by hot water that was accidentally spilled on him when he got in front of his owner on her way to the sink to drain whatever she was boiling. Tonight I tucked in Mr. Mr. I wish I could say that I do this every night. But if I give them lots of attention throughout the day then I’ll skip tucking them in. Today I was out most of the evening, having gone out for dinner so I decided to give him some undivided attention. Lu...

My other dog Lucho doesn't like taking his chewable flee medicine, Trifexis. He spits it out, so I find ways around it. Last time I ground it up and placed it in scrambled eggs. I've also wrapped it up in ham and so long as he hasn't eaten that day, he'll inhale anything wrapped in ham or tucked inside a hotdog. This is one of the few exceptions I make giving them human food. Another tip for those with really smart dogs like Lucho is having someone  else  sneak the (chewable) flee medicine in the food. Lucho watches me as I take out the medicine and place it in the food and refuses to eat it. So I have to be sneaky and take it out one day and have my husband give it to him the next. What makes Trifexis a better option is that it's not just flee medicine but also heart worm prevention medicine. So you save around $45. Mr. Mr. did spit out the tablet but I then put it on another yummy cocktail sausage and he ate them both. By that time the tablet absorbed ...

I took Mr. Mr. to Houston's Humane Society Wellness Clinic for his shots. This pet clinic has a quick turnaround and inexpensive services. My total wait (on a Tuesday before noon) was about 20 minutes. That's worth the drive! While I was there the technician was kind enough to check Mr. Mr.’s private parts to see if he needed to be neutered and he does. Snip, snip! So I made the appointment. The appointment was schedule in two weeks since he just got his shots. While I was there I also purchased his flee meds. Today the total came out to $211 for shots, testing for heart worms, and flee medicine for six months which is a pretty good deal. http://www.houstonhumane.org

On day one, Mr. Mr. wasn't eating dog food and after a couple of tries, he finally ate a doggy treat. So I was really concerned that he was sick. Because, how is it possible that a dog would turn down a snack that smelled like bacon, right? Nonetheless, in the back of my head I thought there was a chance that he was used to eating human food. After all, he was living the streets when my cousin found him, but I wasn't sure. Not having any previous history of the dog, I decided to give him at least a day to see if he would eat the dog food I have at home. By the way, I feed my dog the Kirkland brand from Costco that lists chicken as its first ingredient. I totally recommend it and also recommend not feeding your dog human food. It's terrible for their teeth and there are several ingredients in human food that is toxic to dogs like garlic. Well before the end of day two, Mr. Mr. tried the food, liked it, and devoured the bowl. Now we know that at least he's not sick an...

I'm sure that you'll find a dog leash and harness at the pet store. I bought Mr. Mr.'s at PetSmart. So there it is, just over $25 bucks. All done! Now, we're ready for a walk. Mr. Mr. is actually okay walking on the leash with his harness. It was a little tricky walking him and Lucho and what I found worked best was putting one dog on each side. But Mr. Mr. seemed to prefer walking next to our dog Lucho.

So, I went to the dollar store by our house, Dollar Tree. I knew they had some dog products so I thought I'd check to see what they had. Heck it's buck! Back from the store now. They do have dog harnesses but only in size small. They are also not very good quality (surprise, surprise). But I did buy a few things: doggy bag holder, treats with first listed ingredient: chicken, and  wet wipes. Why the wet wipes? To clean up on accidents to the vet. They seems to happen too frequently. I don't blame them. I'd do the same. Today I tried out the doggy poo poo bags and they do feel cheap but they do the trick!

This past weekend my cousin came over to introduce me to a dog she rescued from the streets. He's clearly a poodle mix but what's not so obvious, because of all the hair, is that he's malnourished. He weighs 16 pounds when he should probably weigh 20 to 25. He's also missing hair on the back of his hind legs (his hocks). He may have been confined to a tight space or from what I've read online, may not have been provided something soft to sit on. I think I'll name him Mr. Mister. He looks so metrosexual, so I think the name will help confirm his sexuality. He's also looking totally 80's to me with those curls. First things first, we need a harness to walk him and to take him to the vet. He still has all his male parts, so I'm guessing he hasn't been neutered or has had his shots. He's also not eating dog food. Mr. Mr. is just barely eating snacks on his first day. He will also need training. He's super tame but doesn't know how to ...