Dayton: end

 I dropped Paul at the airport then raced him home. I had to stop at the Cracker Barrel to meet Huck's
foster since I'd neglected to give her his e-collar.  OOPS. She is pleased at how well he is integrating into her household.  She wants him to learn to hunt.

Then another 3 hours home. I drove up the driveway behind Paul.

FOY Hummingbird tonight at the feeder.

Huck and the owl

 They conversed from 0300 to 0400,  Hooo, howl, hoooot, hoooowl, hoooottt, howllll,If it hadn't been so late/early I'd have laughed.

Huck and I drove to Akron to meet is longer term foster. for as zoomie has that boy can be he was a perfect angel while traveling.  Theresa can give him the stability and consistence he needs.  She's taking him hunting on Saturday.  She said he played (zoomed) in the yard with his new foster brothers and slept in her bed. He'll be fine there and enjoy his new life.  

Akron is 3 hrs from Dayton. Air Weather Association reunion is there so we'll meet up with Hayes, Misciasci, Mader, Campbells, and Whitmans. 

Huck: Day 6

 We went to be early because I knew we were getting up between 10: and midnight. Sure enough, at 10:00 the barking began. He might have heard some barking in the valley or he might have had a dream, but we went out to pee. Again around midnight. Then he was settled for the night. As soon as we came back inside, he ploped on his bed with no worries.  Peculiar boy.

Huck needs to work on:

• coming to his name ("Huck here")
• not counter surfing (cans with pennies help, on the sofa too)
• putting anything over his head, hooking leash to collar
• walking on a short leash without circling his handler
• controlling his excitement when seeing/smelling deer/squirrels or even us
• anxiety when his person leaves
• jumping on people (sharp "NO" is working)

Huck is pretty good at:

• chewing on bones but not Kongs (we've had no other chew problems)
• NO
• house trained but needs to go out at about 6 hrs.  He'll bark to let us know.
• travels in a car with no anxiety or upset
• doesn't beg at table; learning to stay on his spot while we eat
• eats quickly; drinks a lot but not out of the toilet

Huck is friendly but strong.  If he thinks there is an interloper nearby, he'll pull me nearly off my feet, then circle me with the leash.  His adopters need breed knowledge and experience as his previous owners used an e-collar but maybe didn't have any training on how to effectively use it.  Click-NO might have been the only training Huck has had. Huck lived with a Labrador and 5 cats. He might have been terrorized by the cats.  He was calm when a large dog approached him at the vet but barked wildly when approached by a small dog.

Huck and Paul have passed the water trough numerous times on their walks; Huck usually takes a quick drink but today he hopped in and looked like he was in spa-heaven.  Water was right up to the top with all the rain we've had.

Sylvester spent the morning between the loft and the sewing room following the sun.  In the sewing room he found a wad of aluminum foil which he batted around.  He has a favorite pile of fabril that he forms Just so after I shove it all back in its place.  It's a battle with no winner...until I use it all. 

Huck: Benadryl to the rescue

 After a good day of normal walks and gnawing on his marrow bone, Huck had a terrible night.  We are sure he isn't used to sleeping in a crate.  He may be lonely and afraid of abandonment or something, but he was up again from 0100-0230, barking, whining, and running circles around the breezeway.  When we went out, he reminded me of Dad's old model airplanes on a wire.  Huck ran circles around me.  I finally put everything chewable out of that room, gave him a Benadryl, and went back to my bed and Sylvester.  That seemed to do the trick.  He was quiet until Paul joined him at 0545.  What did I say about longer days?

I bought this at Giant food store a spontaneous, impetuous, purchase.  Yellow is an unusual color for grocery store orchids. It rebloomed after sitting on the kitchen window for a year.  It's in a terracotta orchid pot which I drench every week so it gets the moisture it needs without getting soggy.  This is the bottom blossom; 4 more to open up the stem.

Phalaenopsis amabilis, commonly known as the moon orchid, moth orchid, or mariposa orchid,

Huck: Day 3 Days are getting longer and it's not because it's spring

 Last night Huck and I hung out till 9:30 (an hour after my bedtime) before we started our bedtime prep.  Snack with minimal water, pee, and again, he walked into his crate peacefully but balked when I closed the door. He wasn't as frantic as last night. I sat with him for 30 min talking and patting his paws.  When I covered him he told me "Not yet" but when I ignored him, he settled down.  

I thought I heard him rattle around at 0300 but I ignored him.  At 0500 (an hour before my normal wake up) I definitely heard him, so I got up to take him out.  No puddle.  He burst out of the crate like a maniac and raced around the room. No water in his pan. No food in the dish.  What's this hotel coming to? Eventually he slowed down so I could get the leash on him to get out to water the daffodils. (Relief) The day has begun. 

By the time we took care of business and had breakfast Paul arrived at 0545, his normal time.  Then they were off for a forest walk and a supervised marrow bone chew.  Heaven at a 5-star hotel. Then a nap.

We have a change of plans for next Wednesday. Chris has a long-term foster lined up in Canton, Ohio so we cancelled my airline ticket and the rental car.  Huck and I are going to drive 3.5 hrs to meet Theresa.  Then I'll go the rest of the way to Dayton.  I really like the plan because it gets Huck to stability sooner.  

Huck: Day 2

 Paul took him out at 0545 but he had already peed in the corner of his crate.  So, we'll need to tweak the bedtime routine.

Huck doesn't like to put his harness over his head.  Even with a treat he's reluctant.  He doesn't pull on the lead (unless he sees a deer) as much as some dogs we've known but we still double leash him for safety.  A longer leash that gives him more roaming space works wonders, too.He has a hunter orange collar with our names/phones, so one lead goes there and the other on the harness.  

He settled on the futon pillow while we ate breakfast.  We are hoping to teach him that is his spot, so he doesn't wander, counter surf, and worse while.  He's an "eyes-on" dog at all times for the time being. 

Today Huck visits Centre Animal Hospital for his immunizations so he can go to the kennel next week while we are in Dayton.  The only medical records we have are from when he was 6 months old.  He has some catching up to do. 

His vet results are good.  No stool sample issues. He tested positive for Lyme so he's on doxycycline.  With the number of crusty old tick bites, we aren't surprised.  He takes pills easily with a hunk of cheese. He was so focused on what's next he didn't even know he'd swallowed. 

Huck has made himself at home. He'd prefer Paul's leather sofa but settles for the quilt covered black settee.  He loves to check out what's on the counters.  I see some penny cans in his future,

Huck

 We picked him up today. He's almost 4, friendly to us, and has a beautiful orange coat but might be a bit of a wild-child. He traveled confidently: no nausea or crying. He sat next to Paul while tethered to a safety belt as is our normal dog-pick-up mode.  (Paul drives dog-less.  I drive when we have a dog.)  Huck's kind of stubby so maybe he is a French Brittany as it states on his purchase agreement from the breeder in Lancaster.  (Lancaster is known for its Amish puppy mills, so who knows what any info from them means. His parents are listed with French names, so maybe that's the French part.)

He is curious and checked out every corner of our house as if he were a drug interdiction dog.  He even marched right up our scary, see-thru steps. The top gate is closed as are the bedroom and bathroom doors, at least until we have a better handle on his manners. I'm glad we had the whole afternoon for him to watch dog-TV out our big windows.

He brought a deer antler with him to chew and immediately found ours.  Thunder and other weather noises don't seem to bother him as a small storm rumbled through late this afternoon.  He frogs like a Brittany. He's a counter surfer but seems to know he's not supposed to.  He reacts quickly to a sharp "NO". He has been allowed on furniture, so we'll try to teach him to ask before jumping. Paul played with his dinner bowl with no ill effects.  Huck is definitely a speed eater. He barked and whined when Paul brought Storm over for a look-see through the glass.  Storm hissed.  Huck has fallen in love with Paul who takes him on walks and gives him treats, so I'm not sure if he was reacting to Storm or to Paul playing with someone other than him.  

We were told his sleeps in a crate. He goes into the crate easily but was anxious as soon as the door closed. He furiously licked every bar multiple times, no biting though.  He panted and paced and was very uncomfortable until I put a blanket over the crate. He finally but reluctantly settled with only a few whines left in him.

He's had his big snip so the most important vetting for Huck is getting up to date on immunizations.  He doesn't seem to have been to a vet since he was 6m old.  He's also not on any flea/tick/ heartwork meds.