Dog vs Smartphone

So, this happened.

Only days after I received my new Samsung Galaxy SIII.

Mr. Rocky found it.  

Does he look like he's sorry?

Precious and Rocky: A strange Pair

For those of you who have met Precious, you know she is much more interested in the humans than she is other animals.  Although we had two Sr. Dogs when she was a puppy, Precious has been the only dog for a long time.

Enter, Rocky and Nala.  Both big dogs love Precious. She is teaching them how to be spoiled pets and they appreciate her for it.

Precious on the other hand simply tolerates the big dogs.  Much like Shadow and Sheba did her when she was a puppy.   As long as she doesn't miss out on her walks, treats, or attention she's cool.

It does seem, however, that Precious tends to like Nala more than she likes Rocky.   Much to the chagrin of Rocky, who does everything in his power to be like Precious.

It's quite funny (and a bit uncomfortable) to see Rocky as Lap dog, but that is his desire at all times.

I caught this photo of Rocky making himself comfortable in Precious' bed... while Precious was in it.

It was the first time.... Precious just let it happen.

From Stray to Gourmet , Nala

Nala has had an upset tummy today.  She threw up yesterday and today at the same time.  

Took her to the vet today to have her checked out.

They re-tested for Parvo-negative

They did blood work and fecal - negative

Hmm what could be upsetting her tummy? 

They gave her a shot and some meds and said to put her on a clean food diet. 

Nala, was a sweet girl at the vet

She was a little scared getting in the door, but quickly relaxed and let the Dr. find out what was going on.

Hopefully she'll start feeling better soon.

Guess who's back? Rocky

Unfortunately, Gabe couldn't keep Rocky at his rental house. (Roommate's mom did not approve) While Gabe was upset, we're more than happy to have Rocky back.  Nala really missed him.  I think the two of them were meant to stay together. 

Rocky is home! 

Girls Day! Precious and Nala

It's just us girls now. Time now to focus on Nala and getting her used to the leash, the car, and making sure she has pawesome  new experiences. 

Since this was a beautiful day, I thought we'd just ride to the park, and maybe Nala could see how Precious walks.  When we got to the park, Nala was ready to walk... with Precious.

Nala, like the other dogs, puts a lot of trust in Precious and will do what she see's Precious doing. (most of the time)

They are both pretty focused on two dogs in the distance.  One on the leash, one not,.  I was very impressed with Nala's cool.  Precious is a great teacher.

After being a little freaked out about getting  in the car.  The walk in the park made Nala a very happy dog.

I can't tell you how proud I am of Precious.  She has taught each of the strays how to be an awesome pet.  Now that it's just her and Nala.  I think she's enjoying her role.

Nala has a hard time relaxing... still.  But she really enjoyed herself today.

Strays in the Hood: FIN. Rocky's Finds his Furever Home

I'm very happy to report, Rocky is on his way to Norman, OK with his furever dad.. Gabe.

I'm especially happy because Gabe is family.   Gabe is our cousin,  and he fell in love with Rocky's photos even before we knew Rocky would ever come around.

It wasn't easy.  Rocky played a little hard to get at first, but it was easy to see that Rocky and Gabe will be best buds very soon.

Gabe and Rocky played in the backyard for a while.  Rocky even let Gabe give him a belly rub.

All set up for his ride home.  Rocky in his bed, with a KONG with some good frozen peanut butter and cookies.

Congratulations Rocky and Gabe.  

We'll see you both at Thanksgiving!  

Rocky Montage:

Yappy Howl-O-Ween

Precious, Nala, and Rocky wish you a safe howl-o-ween.

You will bring us treats!!!!

Treats We say!

Nala Update

Nala is learning to sit and stay..... and hypnotize

I haven't posted about Nala lately.  She's doing fine.  Enjoying her new life.   

She is an amazing athlete, and has worked wonders with exercising Rocky. 

While she seems pretty chill, she is the one that instigates the rough housing.  She loves to run, so she makes Rocky chase her... where she proceeds to run circles around him.  (I promise I'll get it on tape soon)

This was the best shot.  I stepped away to grab something and came back to this seemingly innocent scene.

I'm still not sure who did what, but they all look pretty guilty. 

Strays in the Hood: Rocky Update

Hey Pals,

I haven't been posting updates about Rocky because 1. He's spoken for. Our cousin in Norman, Ok wants him when he's ready.  and 2.  While Rocky was the first dog to warm up to us, he's been the last to fully come around.  

Rocky's first time in the house, He went straight to the couch.

Truly the rebel, Rocky would come over to eat, sleep in our garage, leave us nice gifts in the backyard (poop joke), but we couldn't get him to stay around at night.  He would sleep and eat here, but at night, he'd jump the fence to our neighbor's yard.  

After Deuce found his furever home, we've been able to spend more time with Rocky.  Before, we had to shuffle them in the house, garage, and backyard.  Deuce and Rocky didn't get along so well.  But Rocky and Nala are best buds, so keeping him in the family is so exciting. 

Man, do we need another one of these beds

The big challenge has still been how to make Rocky stay overnight and not want to escape.

We realized that him sleeping all day, left him pretty restless at night.  Since he's not in love with the leash, going for a walk with him is not an option.   

He didn't like the soccer ball, all of the stuffed toys would be quickly de-stuffed, but we did learn he likes squeaky toys. 

Yesterday, I bought a KONG Extreme for him and a KONG airdog bone and I'm happy to say, both worked.

He stayed there for a few seconds.  Mr. Restless just couldn't stay still for too long.

During the day, I'd purposely wake him up to play, Brought Nala in and out of the yard, so he'd get excited and want to play.  I froze some of his favorite treats in the KONG and waited.

Last night, I gave him a KONG and Nala her KONG.  She got busy on hers, he was still pretty fidgety, but he noticed how much fun she was having.  A nice growl from her let him know he was not going to get hers. 

 As I was ready to go to bed.  I grabbed his KONG and put it in the garage.  We didn't hear a peep from him.  He scratched on the door @ 3am.  I think to remind me that I'd left the light on.  I turned the light off and we didn't hear from him again.

He's had breakfast, and is now in the backyard with Nala (napping).    I know these are baby steps, but whew what an awesome baby.  

Strays in the Hood: Deuce Finds his Furever Home! #Deuceinthehouse

I'm so excited to announce that Deuce has his furever home!

Yesterday, Deuce and Precious went for a walk in the park 

Then, we drove out to Petco to get them both groomed.   Our friends at Petco were shocked to see me

walk in with Precious..... and a pitbull, then they quickly fell in love with Deuce.

I told them the story of the Strays in the Hood and let them know that Deuce needed to find a furever home if they knew of anyone who was interested.

When I returned to pick them up, I was told that one of the Petco employees was interested in adopting Deuce.

Wow! 

Richard needed to double check with his family, but after seeing the photos and videos of Deuce, he confirmed that they would love to have him.   

Today, I drove Deuce to his furever home that he will share with his humans, and two other dogs who will be introduced gradually.   

As soon as he walked in the house, Deuce was at home.  He jumped on the couch (photo above) and knew he was home.

Although we got attached to Deuce and we'll miss him, 

I'm so happy for him and Richard.  They are going to have years of fun and love. 

Here's a video montage of Deuce's trip to his furever home... and a photo montage of his journey thus far.

Sniff!

Love Conquers Fear #Straysinthehood

Nala has a new bed.  

She didn't exactly "Fit" in Precious' bed although she tried every night.

Precious couldn't wait to return the favor.

Deuce decided to join in on the fun.  

Nala doesn't mind sharing.  

I'm in total awe at how these two dogs went from being too afraid to eat or be around people.. to 

sleeping in comfy dog beds (and the couch).  They are so sweet and loving it saddens me to think of how much running they had to do and how afraid they had to be.

I'm very happy for both of them that they have found this life.   We're still looking for someone to adopt Deuce, but in the meantime.  He will enjoy the good life here.

What have I learned from this experience? 

Love Conquers Fear

Update: 10/13/201 Deuce found his furever home.  http://www.imajackrussell.com/2012/10/strays-in-hood-deuce-finds-his-furever.html

Update 12/9/2012: Rocky is now a member of the snuggle club in our home. After Rocky's adoption didn't go through, We didn't hesitate to add him to our family.  It seems that's how it was meant to be all along. 

Update 2/4/2013: Deuce showed back up outside.  Apparently, we didn't get his adoption the way he wanted.  We found him a wonderful home with a family with kids who love him.  So many lessons. 

Strays in the Hood: Nala has her furever home!

Well, I'm sure everyone one saw this coming.   Nala has found her furever home and it's right here in our home!   Precious and I went out to buy her a new bed and her PetHub tag arrived in the mail today.  

Nala is so laid back and chill when she's in the house, but when she plays with Deuce she runs like a greyhound.  We love seeing her personality develop.  

Strays in the hood: Deuce the Brindle Pitbull

Guess who's all spoiled rotten and ready to be adopted. It's Deuce! Deuce has recovered well after being neutered last week. His energy level has not changed a bit.

 

Already spoiled, Deuce now has a place on the couch.

 

Ready to jump in the car and ride where ever you want to go

 

Awww, Look at that face.  

 

His first long walk on the leash, Deuce did a great job.  He got a little freaked out by a few bikers, but by the third one, he was cool.  He did a great job of walking next to me, but he really wanted to run.  

Note:  I haven't posted a lot about Nala because it looks like we're keeping her :)

 

Strays in the hood: Deuce, a Brindle Pitbull loves to play Soccer

Deuce is a very energetic doggie.  He never seems to run out of energy.
He loves to play soccer.

He went on his first long walk on the leash today.  He did very well.
He is already house trained and is really chill when he's in the house with humans and Precious.

Sorry, he's already spoiled and loves attention.

Update: 10/4/2012 Deuce was neutered today.  Thanks to SpayOk. He is feeling great and is resting comfortably.  He'll be ready to be adopted as soon as he is fully recovered.

Strays in the Hood: Look who's wearing a collar.

We were finally able to get a collar on Rocky.

He's still not quite ready for the leash or staying in the backyard for any period of time.
Baby steps.

Update 10/4/2012.  Rocky came by this morning.  The collar is gone.  :(  He stayed in the backyard for a few hours with Nala, but he jumped the fence.  Not sure we'll ever get him to come around.  We'll keep trying. 

Strays in the Hood: Meet Rocky (Video) #Adopt

Rocky needs a good home.  He would probably be better in a one dog family, or with someone who understands the pack mentality and has time and patience to train him.  In the streets he had to be very cautious, but as you can see... Rocky is a sweetie.

We have a few people who have shown interest in Rocky, but if you fall in love with him, don't hesitate to message us here.

Strays in the Hood: Nala has surgery

Hey everyone,

I wanted to update you all.

NALA had her surgery today thanks to  http://spayok.org/.  What a wonderful service right here in the hood.    

In addition, she's got all of her shots and rabies vaccine.  

A little sick to her stomach, but just as sweet.  I think everyone at SpayOk fell in love with her.

While Nala was out today, we learned a little more about Deuce.  He does not like to be left alone.

We brought him in the house for a while and he went to sleep.  He and Precious co-existed.  I think he would have done anything just to be with us.

Nala is resting comfortably in the garage... She'll sleep in the house tonight and Deuce will have the garage.  (it's supposed to rain).

Stray dog shuffle :)  

Happy 10th Birthday Precious

Just in case you're thinking "Where's Precious" in all of this talk of strays in the hood.  Have no fear.  Precious is still the #1 dog around these parts.  

In fact, this weekend, Precious celebrated her 10th birthday.

She got to do all of her favorite things.

First a trip to Mohawk Park

A ride in the car

A trip to The Dog Dish

A new T-Shirt

A trip to Petco

I'm a bird watcher

Pony up to the treat bar

Picking out treats

Then, we topped it all off at a Pet Friendly hotel in Norman, OK.  

Do not disturb

Strays in the hood: The Belly Rub

Rocky

While Rocky is still pretty much a rebel, we have found at least one weakness.   The belly rub.

He will just plop down and assume the position.  

Not quite ready for the backyard yet.  We discovered he'd been helping Deuce dig a hole under the fence.

Each had done a pretty stellar job.  :) 

Rocky wants to be free to roam and wants free belly rubs.   For now, he has both.

Strays in the Hood: Meet Nala and Deuce

After a few days and nights safe in our backyard, Nala and Deuce are comfortable and happy.

I shot a quick video of Deuce playing with his new toys.  (obvious puppy behavior ensues)
Nala, isn't play motivated.  She's more of a snuggle doggie.

Rocky still comes around to eat and get a little attention, but he's not ready to trust just yet. That's ok, we'll give him more time.

Nala and Deuce are scheduled for Spay/ Neuter over the next couple of weeks.

If you would like to adopt one or both, please email.


Note: Because they play a little rough, Precious doesn't get to rumble with them.  Plus, she's quite bored with them and doesn't seem to mind that they are in her backyard.  

Update:  09/30/2012 - We have discovered.  It takes 0.6 seconds to spoil a dog.  Both Nala and Deuce prefer being in the house under our feet.  Since Nala just had her surgery, we've been playing the doggie shuffle.  When one goes out, the other comes in.    They are already house trained.

Deuce, who does not like to be alone, is scheduled for his surgery this Thursday.

Precious is ok with them and vice versa.  I think they respect her status.  I still don't think she's too pleased with the big dogs being in the house, but she has been a gracious hostess.

Strays in the hood

Hey Pals,

My Humom has been caring for and feeding a few neighborhood strays.  The story is a bit comical and a sad state of animal welfare at the same time.

A few months ago, my grand humom's newspaper was missing.  (not a good thing for the newspaper guy)  When she called to gripe, the newspaper guy assured her that he had delivered her beloved news paper, and suggested that the two pit bulls sleeping outside her patio might have taken it.

Pit bulls?!  We don't have any pit bulls.  (or so we thought)

The guy who cuts the grass came by a few weeks later and said.  Did you know you have two pit bulls hanging out at your house?

By this time we had figured it all out.  A while back, a neighbor's dog got out of the yard and was missing for a while.  It turns out, he connected with a pack of stray dogs and now that he is back home (and tied up in the backyard YUK), the strays just come to him.  

Via a series of broken fences, low traffic side streets, and a wooded trail and park near by.  These dogs know the neighborhood better than the humans who live here.

After seeing a neighbor throwing rocks at one of the strays, humom decided to call him Rocky and start feeding him.   It turns out, Rocky is much like the character in the movie.  Hard on the outside, but a big softy on the inside.

Rocky July 2012

Rocky was very leery of humans (rightly so)  but would eat a treat from humom's hand, and wouldn't even bark when he saw me through the fence.   As you can see, Rocky was pretty thin.

We tried to contact the pet rescue services in the area to see if someone could come to get Rocky as we knew he would be a good adoption candidate.

No one could really help until he could be corralled.

Eventually, Rocky brought his girlfriend to meet us.   We call her Nala because she looks like the female lion from the Lion King.

We tried to corral them to allow someone to come pick them up.  Rocky jumped the fence before we could complete the phone call.  He didn't want to be corralled.   Nala is a sweetheart.  She closes her eyes when you pet her.  She loves attention.

Rocky and Nala September 2012

Two weeks ago, the stray dynamic changed completely.... Nala was in heat.  Other stray dogs were hanging out around here, and one was not nice.  He would growl at us and jump our fence if we tried to get Nala in our yard.   Our yard was now a canine house of ill repute.  Yikes!

We had no choice but to call the city's animal control and open a case.  Unfortunately (or fortunately) we've not heard back from the city.    Where we live there are a lot of strays.  People just don't understand that they should spay and neuter their dogs and there are just too many dogs tied up in backyards with little to no attention and care.  So I'm sure the city doesn't see stray dogs in this area as a priority. 

Now that her cycle is over, we're afraid Nala will soon be pregnant.  We're hoping to get her to the spay clinic before it happens, but while we can get her close she's still very suspicious to get too close for too long.

  aaaand  now we have another regular.

Limpy  (grand humom hates that name). Started coming around just before Nala went into heat, but Rocky is obviously the alpha dog and Limpy (named because he had a limp when all of the heat bruhaha was going on.  We now call him Deuce) 

Deuce 2012

Limpy Deuce looks to be an American Mastiff. Pitt Bull He has a collar on and has been watching the other dogs come to our house and now he comes in to eat and play.  (He likes the ball)  I have posted Limpy  Deuce to the Tulsa Humane Society's lost and found page and on humom's Facebook profile since he was found in the neighborhood.  Hopefully his owner has been looking for him.   He's starting to outgrow that collar though.  So he's been in the streets for some time.

Nala September 2012

Well, they've all been fed twice today and have had human time and attention.  Limpy  Deuce, Nala, and Rocky all need good homes with people who will treat them well.  Rocky may need to be kept in a garage or a yard with a high fence for a while until he gets used to being someone's dog.  But he will get used to it.  Nala and Deuce are ready for loving homes now.  They have all come a long way in trusting humans.    They just need a little love. 

If you or if you  know someone who can help.  Please email me Imajackrussell@gmail .com

Update: Click on Newer Posts to see the rest of their journey.  They are strays no more.