Daisy found her furever home at last!

We would like to wish Daisy and her new parents all the best! Daisy was adopted on Jan. 16, 2010 by a wonderful couple in Camarillo who loves her dearly. With plenty of room to run, play and explore, Daisy finally has a family she can call her own. We wish Daisy and her new adoptive parents the very best from all of us at All About Rescue!

Daisy's haircut on the kitchen counter Saturday mornin'...

With everything going on in my life in the last 2 months, Daisy hasn't been to the groomer in a while and was getting scruffy, she needed a haircut very badly! I decided this past Saturday morning to do it myself (and I admit, I am a rookie at grooming!!!) and she was a gem! My grandfather was over and held her leash while I clipped her hair and trimmed her up. Daisy has such thin hair that it wasn't hard to do even for a rookie! With my grandfathers help of "cut this hair here and you missed a hair there..." Daisy looked ADORABLE in about 15 minutes and was so well behaved as I worked on her doo! My grandfather could not believe that he really didn't need to do anything to keep her still, he kept saying "my goodness, I have never seen a dog sit so still while getting their hair cut!" - she knew she was just supposed to stand there until we were done and she did her part like a champ! I am sure she appreciated the trim and felt like a real beauty when we were all done! After her cut we did one of our quick baths in the kitchen sink (which she has gotten used to as well) and in just 25 minutes, she was a new woman! After her cut and bath, Daisy got some Kraft Singles CHEESE and was as happy as they come! I will take a picture of Daisy in the morning and post it here tomorrow so you can she how cute she looks!!!!

Blog update in Process...

I have many stories and pictures of Daisy in the last month, but due to a family emergency I have not been able to post them and share them with you in the last few weeks. Daisy IS still up for adoption, (awaiting for her furever home so patiently...) and her blog will be updated in the next week or so. She had a bubble bath in the kitchen sink the other day just in case her furever parent(s) came along and wanted to meet her on short notice :)

Thank you for your patience and I will get her updated photos posted as soon as I can.

Thanksgiving "Turkey"

Here is Daisy giving me the look of "where's MY turkey!" on Thanksgiving! I forgot to bring them all turkey leftovers, so I mixed some wet food (Duck Flavor, the closest I could get!) in with their dry food so they wouldn't feel left out. Once she saw that I was mixing in a special something, her head turned and right after I snapped this next picture she jumped off the couch and began to wag her tail like crazy while making her excited "squeeky sounds"...

I think I got back on her good side! After eating her food faster than ever, she let out this HUGE burp (like a baby does after they drink their bottle) and jumped back onto the couch for attention... My goodness has this little girl filled the shoes of a spoiled princess! Being that she is the only girl in the house, there is plenty of room for that though!

She looks so cute!

I took these GREAT pictures of Daisy smiling from ear to ear yesterday while we were at the dog park. She is so happy when we are there! This time Cosmo stayed home and we had Tiger (my other toy poodle) with us, so he quickly became her new best friend for the hour! She followed him everywhere as she did Cosmo last time. Diasy smelled the ankles of "strangers" when they weren't looking and had a ball running from one side of the park to the other (which is too cute as she has really short legs!) They are right when they say great things come in small packages! After the park, Daisy hopped into the back seat, she knows we don't ride in the car without our seatbelts, she she sat nicely for me to put hers on and then slept like a baby on the ride home... One happy camper she was!

Daisy LOVES her trips to the dog park!

Yesterday we went to the dog park to meet a couple of friends for about an hour and a half with my two dogs, Cosmo & Tiger along with Little Miss Daisy. It has been a while since Daisy has been to the dog park, so I wasn't sure if she would be nervous with everything going on, but NO the minute we walked in she was off and following her man Cosmo! The funny thing is that Cosmo is usually my shadow and only ventures off about 15 feet or so, but not yesteday he was so excited to be there he just took off to explore and took Daisy with him! Daisy was running as fast as should could to keep up with him and where he went she went, where he sniffed she sniffed (and where he peed, she peed!). Daisy's tail was going a mile a minute, she was sooo happy! We all ran back and forth in the park until out friends arrived and then all sat down on the benches to relax. Daisy sat in the arms of one of our friends for about an hour and after about 15 minutes let herself relax while she ate up all the rubs and affection! I don't know who enjoyed the park more, the dogs or us!

Daisy and her "man"

Here is Daisy hangin' out with Cosmo (my 5-year old toy poodle). Daisy has had a secret crush on Cosmo since the day she came into our home (shhhh... I told her I wouldn't tell). Cosmo is a chill guy that didn't pay any mind to Daisy in the beginning and you know how us woman are, we love the ones that play hard to get! He makes it obvious now that enjoys hanging with her too and that he likes that she makes him feel "special!" Daisy has always looked to Cosmo for guidance and he has been a great role model for her along the way. Mr. Cosmo has played an intricate roll in Daisy's rehabilitation as she watches him for cues, if Cosmo does it - I have to do it too! I can' t thank my own dogs enough for what they do for each and every foster that comes into our home and they get rewarded when they see one of their old roomates/friends that have found furever homes in the dog park from time to time. Here, the two of them are relaxing together after Cosmo just got done playing fetch with his little tennis ball and Daisy got done watching him and cheering him on! As many times as I have tried to get Daisy into a ball or a toy, she has no interest and just wants to hang out and watch the rest of the crew play while she strikes gold getting a tummy rub from a member of the family... She is SUCH a couch potato!

Daisy LOVES her cheese!

Here is Daisy with her favorite treat...AMERICAN KRAFT SINGLES!!! She melts when she hears the crackling of the wrapper as I pull it out of the fridge! I make all the dogs line up for their treats, but I know she loves it so much and makes "excited squeeky" noises that just make me melt, so here I just gave it to her on the couch (can you tell I am a softy for this little face?!). She was posing for the picture even though she couldn't wait to take the cheese, so when we were done, she got a little bit extra for being a good girl!! If you are interested in adopting Daisy, make sure Kraft Singles are in the fridge at all times!!!

Still waiting for her furever home...

Well, it has been a while since I updated Daisy's blog (slap on the wrist here) and alot has happened! Daisy has been coming to adoptions and with each week is getting more and more comfortable with people. At her first few adoptions she was scared and a bit timid with new people but now she jumps up on the x-pen and wants pet by all the new people around! I still think that Daisy will do the best in a quite home with minimal traffic as she is still shy, but she has come soooo far from where she started!

Also in the last 2 months, Daisy has "tried out" another potential home, but due to the fact that she would have to be alone 10 hours a day, we all decided that that wasn't the best situation for her. She was so timid 10 months ago and and has come so far in her rehabilitation that I am afraid that so much time alone 5 days a week will cause her to retract into her shell. Daisy will have no problem being alone all day as long as she has the companionship of at least one other canine though! With me, she is at home with her foster brothers 8-9 hours a day while I am at work and does just fine without me all day and when I get home, she is the most excited little thing to see me! She rolls on her back, wags her tail and waits for her tummy to be rubbed :)

If you want to come see Daisy, please e-mail us at AllAboutRescue@live.com to set up a meet and greet!

Daisy's 1st time alone with a "stranger"...

Daisy had her 1st day in 8 months away from her foster family and did WAY BETTER than we had expected! An wonderful man who met Daisy at adoptions a couple of weeks ago decided to doggy-sit her yesterday in order to get to know Daisy better as well as assist us in guaging her progress and how she would potentially adjust to a new furever home. After we left his house in the morning, as we expected Daisy sat by the front door and cryed for a bit (which is very common for dogs that have been with us for so long). After going on a long walk with him, Daisy calmed down and began to sniff and check out the new environment. To my surprise, she did not try to hide or run away from him, rather she jumped on the couch next to him to share his space and get some pets. She was happy to take treats from the getgo, which was a clear sign that she was pretty comfortable with the new environment as dogs who are experiencing extreme fear or anxiety refuse to eat (even the best of treats!). This day confirms to us that Daisy is in fact ready to move on to a quiet and peaceful furever home. She has come so incredibly far and we are SOOO proud of her. In a slow and loving environment, this little girl will continue to grow and evolve and will be a wonderful companion to her new owner.
After Daisy's new adventure, she came home and was happy to get a greenie to enjoy (before dinner at that!). Among her fellow pack members, here she is chewing away on her treat. She sure was a happy (and tired) girl who should be very proud of herself! Life isn't as scary as she thought after all!
Daisy will definately need an adjustment period to her new home as many dogs do who have had an abusive past, but she is ready to take on the challenge and just needs some lovin' to do it!

Daisy's 2nd Time at Adoptions...

Yesterday was Daisy's 2nd time at adoptions and she did so much better than last week! We do adoptions each Saturday from 12-3 at Petco in Moorpark and last week was our first week. Last week she was timid and didn't want to take any treats (even hot dogs!) as there were many people looking and petting her which was out of her comfort zone. She handled it even though she was nervous and after the first hour was getting a bit more comfortable with the whole thing. About half way through the day she was walking around on her leash, sniffing around and checking out the scene.

This week - much improved! For the 1st 30 minutes or so we had Daisy in a crate for her to adjust to the situation, watch the other dogs being pet and sniff away at all the people passing by. A wonderful young couple came in and asked to see Daisy and she began to come out of her shell with them pretty readily. The young woman held her as Daisy sat on her lap within a few minutes and took in the pets and attention. I decided to try some treats with her and she was all over them which told me that she was not as scared and nervous as last week. I gave the young woman treats wondering Daisy would take them from a "stranger" and not only did she take them, she got up on her hing legs to get them! This little girl is too cute and is getting LOTS of attention at adoptions from many people. The socialization she gets from all the visitors play a huge role in her advancement. Thanks to all who come by and visit with Daisy as you are all helping her strengthen emotionally to be able to handle a transition to a furever home!

Out and About with Daisy...

On Sat. Daisy was put to the test AGAIN and passed with flying colors! Daisy was out with us ALL DAY on Saturday. We started out taking her with her buddie here at home (Cosmo) to Red Robin at the outdoor mall in Simi. Being that they allow dogs on the patio at Red Robin, Daisy had her first taste of a turkey burger and LOVED IT! She sat on the floor under the table waiting for her bits and in between bites made sure to sniff around for any other scraps she could find. Very curious and smiling from ear to ear, she and Cosmo enjoyed their turkey burgers and washed their lunch down with some nice cold water. (SPOILED!). After our lunch we walked the mall for about and hour(great for taking your dogs, most stores are dog friendly and it makes for a very nice afternoon). We stopped at the Apple Store as Daisy seemed to want to wander in there, and she got sooo much attention from the working staff! All the pets and rubs she and Cosmo could imagine! They struck gold! Her and Cosmo took in all the pets, oohs, and ahhs for about 15 minutes and then we were on our way!

After the mall in Simi we went to Home Depot (another store that is happy to have you there with your dog). We put a blanket in the back of the shopping cart and in she and Cosmo went. I thought she would be nervous about the movement of the cart, but AGAIN to my surprise, she got up on her hind legs and was wagging her little tail as we picked out flowers for the yard. Her and Cosmo's noses helped us tremendously! By the end of our visit at Home Depot, both of these babies were exhausted and ready for air conditioning and bed! Our outing lasted about 4 hours or so and Daisy's progress was very apparent all day. Curious and happy, her rehabilitation has changed her life. In about a month or so, Daisy will be ready to transition into a furever home where she will make a special family VERY HAPPY!

Now Daisy is off of the medication she was on for her leg pain and her leg doesn't seem to be bothering her, still skips when she walks/runs, but she is jumping in and out of the car and on and off of the couch like never before! After talking to the vet about the possibility of surgery on her knee, it was per the vet's suggestion that she not go through that as there is no guarentee that after surgery she will no longer skip and being that she doesn't seem to be in any pain, it was her suggestion that we hold off on that option. Now that her nerve pain has subsided (which was unrelated to the luxating patella in her knee) her daily walks are increasing and her skipping is lessoning. It may be that she has had this nerve pain for so long that she has learned that in order to minimize the pain, she skipped. Time will tell if the skipping subsides or decreases as she realizes that the pain is gone.

Follow up on her leg...

Yesterday was Daisy's follow up appointment with the specialist in at VMSG in Ventura for the nerve pain she was having in her rear left leg. To our pleasant surprise that nerve pain is gone! No wonder she has been jumping on and off the couch so freely in the past couple of weeks! In testing her pain level, Daisy had absolutely no response to the pressure on her nerve unlike the first time when she jumped out of her skin. As it turns out, her nerve pain was secondary to a condition in her knee called a luxating patella. This is a "minor" problem that is fixable through surgery. A luxating patelly is farely common in dogs where the knee pops in and out upon movement (more aggravating than painful). According to the vet, she is not in pain, but probably discomfort when she walks or runs. So all in all, great news for Daisy!

Her first meet and greet...

This past saturday, Daisy had her first meet and greet and she did very well! Her potential new parents were wonderful, gentle people and she definately sensed it! As you know, Daisy is very playful and happy at the dog park, which is where we all met. It gave her a chance to run around and feel free... Unsure of strangers, Daisy was hesitant, but did let others pet her and hold her a bit. With that awfully cute face and short little legs, it is hard to imagine where she came from and that she is still very hesitant at home.

After spending some time, I decided that Daisy wasn't quite ready emotionally for the transition into her furever home. She has come a LONG way from when she arrived, but I would like to be sure that her transition is a successful one and not traumatizing on her mentally. She has just begun to act "normal" here around the house and I want to solidify that normalcy before placing her so that she does not go back into her shell and unwind her progress. I would say that Daisy should be ready emotionally in about 45 days or so... Sometimes when working with these fearful cases, it is hard to tell when they are ready to take on the transition until you get a feel for how they are with strangers. Although much improved, Daisy gave me all the signs that she is close but not quite there - hopefully her potential adopters can wait! They would be a perfect match for this sensitive little flower :)

Daisy sports a mohawk!

As she was sitting on the couch tonight, we played with her hair and some different styles, it has grown since her last grooming... She particulary liked the the mohawk look, so here it is for all to see! Being that her pack members are male toy poodles and a male beagle, she is the only girl in the house and gets that special girly treatment!

A Watch Dog At That!

So now that she is comfortable and settled in, Daisy is learning that this is HER house too! Like most dogs (although not her up until now), she now barks when strangers arrive. Nothing out of the ordinary for a dog, as most alert you when a "stranger" comes to the door, but now she is on alert and in step with the rest of the pack. This began early this week, so we have worked throughout the week on stopping her when told to stop. Barking can be a great asset and deterant and is one of the perks of having a dog in the house, but the dog must know when to stop the alert as well. As most of us know, barking can be one of the hardest habits to break, but she is listening and learning when it is time to stop quite quickly. She is better than my own dogs when it comes to listening, but unfortunately they aren't learning as much from her and she is from them!!!

Daisy also got a home made bath this week in the kitchen sink. She is only 12 pounds, so bathing her in the kitchen sink is one of the perks of being small! The last time Daisy was bathed here at home was the first day she arrived, so obviously that was a unmemorable experience for her as she was already scared enough that first day - but what a difference time makes! She wasn't thrilled about the idea for the first couple of minutes, but never-the-less she put up with the ordeal. After the first minute or two, she stood in the warm water, stared into my eyes and I think she surprised even herself and enjoyed it! She didn't try to jump out and had a nice shampoo rub and massage. After her bath I wrapped her up in a towel like a baby, her nose and eyes were the only part of her exposed! She sat in my arms for about 15 minutes and tried sooo hard not to fall asleep. Because of her hair type, she was dry very quickly so she just shook herself off when I unwrapped her and that was that. Ending the event with some of her favorite treats - off to bed for the night she went!

She is movin' along!

This little girl has come leaps and bounds this week! It seems so far as though the medication that the vet put her on for the nerve in her leg that has been bothering her has been working. We will know much more about how much it is helping her in about another week... Her leg doesn't seem to be stopping this little girl though! When we come home at the end of the day, she comes flying out the doggy door to the backyard running to the front gate jumping and barking and wagging her tail with excitement along with the other dogs. Up until now she would stay in the house when we arrived, but not anymore! The minute we open the door she flies back through her doggie door jumping around with excitement! You would never know she was scared of people or that her leg was tender. As soon as we sit on the couch to say hello, she leaps up and is right there to be first in line for her rubs! Daisy is a happy girl and her rehabilitation progress is really starting to show. We are very proud of her!

Daisy craving affection!

After her exhausting day with me yesterday and all the fun and excitement of the dog park, much of Daisy's nervous energy was drained. After a nice nap in the late afternoon, for the first time in 4 months she jumped up on the couch and sat next to me for attention! That is unheard of for Daisy! Relaxed and with her tail wagging, she looked at me waiting for me to pet her. Not only does Daisy not come to me voluntarily for affection, but she has a sore nerve in her back left leg that causes her to skip when she runs, so jumping on the couch is not her thing. She has gone up via the steps we put out for her, but NOT when PEOPLE are sitting on it! She has always preferred to watch the happenings from her comfy dog bed... So this was a treat for me to see and I rewarded her with a nice long belly rub for coming uncalled!

Daisy has seen 2 vets for her back leg and a specialist. The specialist has put her on a medication to reduce the swelling around the nerve hoping to improve the aggravation the nerve is causing her. We should know in a couple of weeks how much this medication works for her. The vet specialist told me she may improve greatly and the pain may go away or she may have aggravasion in her leg permanently. Like back pain for people, not much can be done, just managed, so we hope the medication works...

Daisy's Day at the dog park...

Daisy had her first day at the dog park today! In the morning her and I ran errands and then ended the day on a nice walk through the dog park in Thousand Oaks. In the morning she started out a bit insecure with the car ride even though we have traveled together before, she was panting and shaking a bit unfamiliar with the ride and where we were going. By the end of our errands a couple hours later though, she was relaxing with her head on the passenger seat and at times looking out the window and everything going by! With the window cracked, her little nose was sniffing all of the hundreds of smells outside! What curiousity and happiness! In the house Daisy is very comfortable now, she comes when called, of course when there is treats and always wants to be part of the mix. Comfortable at home, I still wasn't sure how she would be out in public, but to my surprise she was "tentatively" friendly with everyone that wanted to pet her and walked around the whole day in and out of the stores with her tail up and wagging (and of course loved the food treats we ate during the day together!) After all my errands were done, to the dog park we went. I had stopped at home to get another member of our pack to lead the way for her at the park, and she followed him all over from the minute we got there to the minute we left. No hesitation to leave my side, and when a bit insure came running back... She was definately curious, smelled each tree and each bench - she actually went up close enough to smell some strangers ankles! Not close enough to be pet, but a good start! Tired and excersized out, we came home after about an hour at the park and she is now curled up on her bed catching some zzz's... Good day for Daisy, what progress!

3rd Month...

With the help of a small daily dose of prozac, Daisy slowly began to find serrenity in her own skin. For a dog who had spent so much of her life shaking/trembling in a corner or under a table, this was the first time she has chosen to wag her tail instead! Daisy's alertness and curiousity has grown each week, and her "doggy appetite" was becoming more apparent by the day! These were all great signs of progress for this little girl.

The next step - to go from "tolerating" human affection to yearning for attention from people as well. Until now, a simple caress or tummy rub has provoked massive fear, anxiety, trembling, and at times even submissive urination. For the next month, we are going to redirect her fearful response when touched to one of relaxation and peace...

2nd Month...

After Daisy had about a month to become familiar with the routine around here, we noticed that her fearful trembling did not improve. In order to ease the trauma of this transition and to help facilitate her rehabilitation, I put her on prozac to take her edge off. I quickly recongnized that Daisy was one of the worst cases I have ever seen and that there was no need for her to suffer through each level of her rehab. I have never medicated a dog for anxiety or aggression, but each dog's temperment is different and we need to look at each one as their own case. The prozac took about a month to take full effect, relieving her slowly of the most extreme trembling, frozen from fear behaviors and Daisy's rehabilitation began to very slowly take hold...

Her First Month...

When daisy first arrived to our home, a "normal" dog she wasn't. As we all know, dogs will drop everything for a tasty treat! Daisy though had never been offered a treat before and didn't even know what one was. She was so scared of everything around her, she wouldn't even let her nose guide her to the likes of human chicken or turkey! My dogs however, showed her otherwise. The excitement in the room when the "people food" came out became infectious to little Daisy and now our reach for the fridge door insites excitement in this little girl! We have found her favorites, deli sliced turkey, chicken, and american cheese and have used those as incentive for her to come out of her shell. Other than her food and periodic treats, we refrained from giving Daisy human touch for the first month as she had plenty to "work on" settling in here. Building Daisy's trust at her own pace was the goal for month 1.

Who is Daisy?

Daisy came to us on Thanksgiving weekend last year and however thankful she was! Daisy was adopted from the East Valley Shelter; shaggy, scared, fearful and in pretty bad shape. At the time, she was in heat, had swollen and bloody gums, and was scared of her shadow. Now, about 4.5 - 5 years old we can see that she has had at least one litter and poor emotional care in her past but like many delicate souls we find in the shelters, we have no other information to help guide us as to how she became so scared, distrusting, and uncomfortable in her own skin.