Tug – 06/29/2005

I am pleased to say that things are progressing very positively here. Tug seemed to enjoy the ride home. Our kennel is a cage type, so he got to smell and see, and he was calmer than I expected. He Ran the yard, and marked the edges. Stayed away from us for a while, though you could tell he wanted to make contact. Poor honey was so shy. By the time he had been here three hours, he ate some food from my hand and then scarfed the rest in his bowl. The Polley’s had told us he probably wouldn’t eat for days! He had a good night outside. No barking or whining or any worrisome behaviors. I checked on him a couple of times after bathroom trips, and he was sleeping all laid out on his side in the middle of the yard.

This morning he was chasing a crow, and looking very free and easy. He was leery of me at first, but it didn’t take long for him to come for a pet. He loves it when I massage his rump. It was off and on all day. He would be friendly without hesitation, and the next time I went out, he would stay out of reach. Doug was away getting a sleep study done for apnea, so I have had the most contact. He let me groom on him this afternoon for over an hour. He let me work on his rear area without a quibble. As a matter of fact he napped through most of it!

Other than the first few minutes he was here, and all our neighborhood kids showed up to greet him, He has not been doing any urinating when he is touched. The one 10 yr. old boy was getting his face kissed before the end of the evening last night. And he ran to greet him this morning when he returned to visit Tug

Cindy, I am so thrilled with the changes Tug has made since we took him out of the Polley’s. Most of the things they warned us about have not happened. He is not pining for them. We haven’t brought him in the house yet. The kitties are not entirely thrilled yet, and we are letting them adjust to his presence at the slider. There was a couple of tousles when he bumped the screen trying to sniff at them. They are the ones who were aggressive. Not Tug. He had been whining to them earlier the same as he does to the dogs next door that he can visit with through the fence. I felt he wanted to be pals. He did lunge at the screen after Poof attacked, and Paddy joined in. But he didn’t look vicious, more like he was playing. Nick, the ten yr. old, called him away, and he did without any hesitation.

He was leery of Doug when he came home, but with a little coaxing, he let him pet him. So now that I’ve written the novel of Tug’s first day in his new life. You can rest easy, that things are going very well indeed. He seems to be adjusting very well for the insecure mess we first met. The Polleys were amazed we got near him, let alone how well it went. I feel a strong connection with him, and since I will be spending the most time with him, it’s a thrill. I will be happy to keep you updated every few days if you like. The big test will be when he is ready to come in the house, which he was showing signs this evening that he would like to. If the boys don’t get with the program, we will put them in a room when Tug is in. I really think that they will adapt, Paddy showed a lot of interest, and only fluffed if Poof did. So there are more adventures to come.

Thanks to you and all the volunteers who made this possible. We are delighted with Tug.