Date(s): 9/10/22. Album by Terry. Photos by Terry. 1 - 26 of 26 Total. 6492 Visits.
1 This handsome fellow is Fiddle.
2 He is about 5 years old.
3 Fiddle weighs 13 lbs.
4 He is a super sweet, friendly, affectionate fellow who wants to be near you as much as he can. He will jump into your lap at any opportunity, and seems to enjoy being picked up, carried around, and even hugged!
5 The first day in his new foster home, he and his brother Tom-Tom were a little unsure, but that didn't stop them from seeking attention from new foster daddy.
6 I've heard of "strawberry birth marks" but never saw one like this before! :-)
7 Fiddle and Tom-Tom compete a bit for attention, occasionally getting grouchy with each other, but for the most part they are congenial companions, usually hanging out together and often play wrestling.
8 They are cautiously interested in treats. They'll willingly take something familiar, but are obviously not accustomed to many things. They are not fans of plain dog kibble, and it even took them several minutes to decide that Bully Sticks were ok!
9 After being "sprung" from the shelter, Fiddle needed a few minutes to just sit privately and observe the goings-on of the dogs and human at his temp foster home.
10 What a glamour shot!
11 On first arrival at his new foster home, he seemed quite confident running and investigating around the yard.
12 All I had to do was squat down, and he would come running to me to get attention.
13 When the neighbor dogs bark, he is alert and interested but usually does not bark back.
14 We're very impressed with his alertness, adaptability, and congeniality. And sweetness. Definitely his sweetness!
15 He is a little suspicious of the camera, but isn't concerned about normal household noises like washing machine, ice falling in the ice maker, etc. He doesn't even make a peep when the doorbell rings!
16 Fiddle was a fairly prolific marker in his first couple of days in foster care. That is actually extremely common for male dogs coming into any new home, especially ones who have been just recently neutered, as he has been.
17 He will usually potty pretty promptly when taken outside, but sometimes (particularly in the early morning or late evening) he seems concerned about going out into the yard and would prefer to just sit on the deck. But we just carry him out to a good spot, and he'll then usually "perform." So we are hopeful that the housetraining won't take too long.
18 "I really want to do what is right! Teach me!"
19 The housetraining/marking issue has been the ONLY "problematic" behavior as far as house manners go. Fiddle does NOT chew on anything he shouldn't, scratch at doors, get on furniture he is not supposed to be on, get into the trash, try to door dash, mess with house plants, or "act out" in any way.
20 He is overall pretty quiet and fairly low energy, usually just wanting to nap or snooze as near a human as he can.
21 With just one week's worth of training, Fiddle has gone from having no clue about walking on leash to being fairly good at it. He keeps a pretty slack line, usually trotting along at your side or a little behind you, with occasional stops to sniff.
22 Occasionally he will stop and need encouragement or flinch at a passing car, but he really wants to be with "his" people so will willingly follow along. It will take quite a bit more practice before he walks confidently without stops/starts (and getting a bit tangled up) but we're sure it won't be long before he really enjoys the excursions.
23 He has been great with meeting new people.
24 Because of his background living with ~20 other dogs, we think Fiddle really needs to have at least one canine companion in his new home. We don't know how he would do with cats, but he is a low-key fellow overall and has a cautious approach to new situations, so our guess is that he could live amenable with felines.
25 What this affectionate, snuggly fellow DOES require is a household that has people around most of the time. He would be pretty miserable at being left alone for several hours each day.
26 He is ready to give his love and devotion to a new family.
