Dessie
Fostered in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Contact: Rescue Coordinator, Linda Grisley at lgrisley@shaw.ca
#136 from the St. Patrick’s Rescue is Dezi Diva, now
named Dessie Lu in her foster home here in Edmonton, Alberta. She’s
only been here since March 22nd and she knows her name and will come when
called.
Dessie was born on January 2, 2005. She appears to have recently had pups
and is being treated with antibiotics for a vaginal infection. Dessie is
of small build and weighs 27 lbs.. She is being fed a holistic puppy food
and vitamins to nourish her deprived body. As has been common with the puppy
mill rescues and the changes in climate, she has been scratching quite regularly.
She is being bathed with an anti allergenic shampoo and will be monitored
for allergies. She arrived with gunky eyes (now responding to gentle wash
and eye drops) and the usual dirty teeth from the puppy mill diet.
Dessie is in a foster home with two cockers and two cats, and gets along
very well with everyone. Well..... she is more curious with the cats and
nudges them to move to play with her. She shows no aggression and is a free
with her kisses, whether the cats want one or not. She shares toys well
with the dogs and enjoys the squeaky ones best.
Because she has spent the majority of her life in a puppy mill, Dessie Lu
requires potty training and needs to learn most of the rules of polite society,
like walking on a leash and staying out of traffic. Dessie's personality
is already starting to shine through her rough upbringing. She likes to
speak to her humans. She's still a puppy at heart and play time is important
time.
Also common with the rescue dogs is a fear of men. Dessie loves her foster
dad, Joe, except when he approached her with a leash. She is quickly learning
that Joe and the leash are good things because she loves to explore outside
and this fear is rapidly waning. She is, however, still fearful of strange
men. Outside means potty time, too, and Dessie has had to learn that outdoors
is where the bathroom is located. We can speculate that she was kept in
an indoor kennel and could void indiscriminately. She would hold her waste
on the walks and want to go in the house. Potty training should be complete
before adoption, but may need to be relearned in a new home.
The right home for Dessie would be with adults where someone is home during
the day and is willing to train her. She will need a securely fenced yard.
She has not yet been exposed to children, but we will update the site on
the possibility of a family home, perhaps with older children.
Please complete the Adoption Questionnaire and send it to my email address: lgrisley@shaw.ca
27-Mar-07
From: lgrisley@SHAW.CA
Subject: [KBL] Dessie Lu - Update on #136 St. Patrick's Day rescue
Date: April 8, 2007 5:39:19 PM PDT
Today I received the following update from Dessie’s foster home. Here
is
another lovely little girl just looking for a permanent home with the time
to train and love her.
"Dessie is doing real well in the change from life (non-life)
of the Kennel
to the new Life of a Warm Loving Home.
Dessie is still learning about life on the outside. The sound of the other
dogs barking scares her. Unfortunately, Dessie takes a long time to relax
after being scared. The human that she eventually chooses will have to be
aware that she scares easily, and needs some serious cuddling and sweet
talking to get her to relax again. Sudden movements also scare her, as does
strange sounds.
Dessi is learning to play with others and with herself. She has found the
joy of squeaky toys. She'll sit there for hours sucking and chewing on the
stuffed squeaky toy. Dessie still needs to learn the rules of polite society
(both doggie society and human society). She tends to play rough. She also
has the terrier dominance thing happening, which we are gently breaking
her
of. If she goes to a home with other dogs in the family, they should be
dogs
bigger than she is, or dogs that are not afraid to stand up for themselves.
Dessie is still searching for her ultimate position in the house. She is
not
trying to be the alpha bitch, but she does not know her place yet. I see
this easing fairly quickly as she gets more and more comfortable with her
surroundings.
Potty Training is going extremely well. Only one accident this week, and
Dessie can't be blamed for it. She still requires us to take her out on
the
leash. She does however go potty with very little prompting now. There are
days where she will get stubborn and hold it until she can go in the house.
(This generally occurs when she gets scared or there is something super
interesting outside that she MUST investigate...). Dessie is quickly
learning that outside is for potty... and that she must go potty to be
allowed back in the house. There is less fussing now. Instead of 45 minutes
to get her to potty... it's now a 5 to 10 minute chore.
Dessie still frightens easily. My son came for his visit this weekend, and
she was very careful at first, slowly accepting him into the house. He came
down stairs earlier today, making a lot of noise with the baby gate and
the
stairs. Dessie still will not approach my son now, and is again stubborn
to
potty again. Night mares are also a bit of a concern for me, but those
should lessen quickly once she is permanently placed.
Health: The vaginal infection and seepage has cleared up nicely. Her weight
has increased, and we have now put her on a normal adult diet of the
holistic food. That should ensure that she keeps a nice weight without
getting over weight.
Dessie is proving that she is a super sweet gal. She's wonderful when she's
relaxed and happy. I think once she is truly settled, her personality will
shine through again.
Until my next update...
Joe, Jennie, Dessie, Bebe and Holiday
Aaron too
From: lgrisley@SHAW.CA
Subject: [KBL] Dessie Lu - Update on #136 St. Patrick's Day rescue
Date: September 4, 2007 5:39:19 PM PDT
Dessi has been finding that home life is certainly different from
that of Puppy Mill Life.
.
The New Day in the Life of...
"0530 - Up with the break of dawn. Expected to do my "little Girl
Business" out in the cold and damp. uh oh ... that's not the way it's
done ... no siree"
