Welcoming Ash

For quite awhile now David and I have been somewhat casually considering getting a dog. We would talk about what type and size dog we would want, and I spent a lot of time searching Petfinder and Pet Harbor looking for puppies. A couple of weeks ago it hit me that it would be a good time to start considering getting a dog more seriously since with the upcoming holidays David will be home quite a bit and I don't have too much travel planned. This would give us a lot of time to devote to helping a dog settle in, and getting to know each other. When I'm in Boston working from home a dog would provide nice company, and in turn I would be able to interact with the dog a lot more than I might in years to come.

So, two weekends ago, David and I searched online together to settle on the type of dog we wanted. While searching, we came across Ash - a miniature poodle mix in a foster home through Poodle Rescue VT. He is between 1 and 2 years old, was rescued from a puppy mill in VA, has had no formal training and weighs about 15 lbs. His foster family did a great job providing pictures, videos and background to portray Ash's personality and history, and we both thought he seemed like he would be an awesome dog and we wanted to give him a home. We decided the time was right, and we sent in our application. After John, Ash's foster dad, checked our references and conducted a home visit where we got to meet Ash, we took a trip to the pet store and built a gate to our fenced in yard to prepare for Ash's arrival. On Monday afternoon John and Traci dropped Ash off and we set about making him feel safe and comfortable in his new home. We are now proud dog parents, and really excited about all the years to come!

Meet Ash

He seems to love to be picked up like this

What's going on?

I can see!

Super dog

Doesn't everyone like to eat grass?

I love to cuddle :)

His first day with us Ash was very timid, and we had to be very patient and kind to make sure we did not scare him. He is not only in a new place with new people, but his only real experience living with a family was his last month when he was fostered by John and Traci. His second day he was definitely bolder and more energetic, but still very timid around us. Today (day 3) he seemed to make a lot of progress - he was happy and playful all day! I've outlined some of the highlights below:

DAY ONE
Challenges: didn't like being approached, would only allow you to pet him when sitting on the futon, wasn't sure about going to the bathroom on a leash outside, had one accident in the house, was scared to drink water from his water bowl, required lots of coaxing to approach and eat from his food bowl
Good things: discovered he loves cheese and will eat it from our hand, was willing to chase us around the yard at a slow trot

DAY TWO
Challenges: more timid about having you approach him to put the leash on, still didn't want to be touched unless he was on the futon, was more hesitant than the day before to jump up on the futon
Good things: no accidents, went to the bathroom outside, seemed to have more courage and energy, slept in bed with us, barked at a few dogs outside (not necessarily a good habit, but showed some life!), ran very quickly around in the yard if we ran with him

DAY THREE
Challenges: easily startled, still a bit timid about being touched when walking around the house
Good things: was very playful when he woke up in our bed, ate both breakfast and dinner from his bowl without any coaxing (but still approached the bowl very cautiously), went to the bathroom just fine on his leash, went on his first walk around the block, played with almost all of his toys and two pairs of my shoes, napped very calmly on the couch (he seems exhausted after all the excitement!)

Stay tuned for more tales and photos of Ash to come! David and I are both hooked, Ash is so sweet and adorable! If you'd like to read more about Ash's history (from his foster parents blog), click here: http://ourfosters.shutterfly.com/ash