Update on Thing 3, the foster...he imitates coyote
So well into the week with the foster pup, who I've decided to call Teddy (short for Teddy Bean) ("bean" as in little black bean), he's not only enjoying his time out of the carrier, he's taken it upon himself to complain if he's in the carrier too long. Funny, coming from a puppy mill dog who, as I understand it, spent his entire life up to now in a wire cage that's certainly less pleasant that the blanket-lined pet carrier he's upset about. But, eh, I guess he's learning about creature comforts. That's good!
(In case you're just tuning in now, I'm taking care of a foster dog, a sweet, scared poodle that was rescued last week from a Pennsylvania puppy mill. Catch the first installment here. And other chapters here and here.)
Anyway, so Tuesday, after leaving him in the carrier all day when I went to work, as the shelter told me to do, and then putting him back in the carrier when I was ready for bed, at about 2:30 a.m. I was woken up by a howling, a mournful coyote noise that could only be coming from Teddy. Uh-oh. I went downstairs and let him out of the carrier, thinking he might be having a bathroom situation.
After a few minutes out, realizing it wasn't a bathroom thing, I escorted him back into the pet taxi and went back upstairs to bed. An hour later, the coyote return-eth. I go downstairs, turn on a lamp for him, hoping that would make it somehow better. He stops. But before I'd even made it back up the stairs, he resumed The Howl.
I grabbed a sheet and pillow and spent the rest of the night downstairs with him. He remained quiet as can be and Leo used me like a trampoline until the sun came up.
Aside from the appearance of that noise, he seems to be doing well. He's eating a lot. He's enjoying kibble now in addition to the wet food and slurping from the water bowl. He continues to decline regular dog treats, but will gobble up all the extra-sharp Cheddar I'll allow him. Go Teddy.
Photo of Teddy in his pet taxi. This is a quiet moment in there, but earlier, it was the scene of the howl. By Jill.Categories: Dogs, dogs, dogs, Teddy Bean, formerly the Foster Dog
Comments
I love your Teddy updates! If Teddy ever gets comfortable enough for doggy playdates, I know my Wally would be ecstatic.
Posted by: LD | July 9, 2009 2:30 PM
Have you considered a crate (rather than carrier) for during the day and at night? This would provide Teddy the ability to see his surroundings rather than feeling caged in. We started crating our dog at night but it didn't last very long. We soon gave into him sleeping in bed with us and we all slept better. But we still crate our dog when we leave the house and he is fine with it.
Posted by: Tina | July 9, 2009 4:03 PM
Hi Jill,
We had a rescue dog, a wonderful guy, who howled that same way when alone at night. The vet said he was howling because he was separated from the pack and felt isolated and alone. (Think canine existentialism.) I think you are now his pack, and he has to be somewhere in your vicinity at night. Honest, I know this. This is not something I saw on a TV show. I love this saga, and my heart goes out to this poor little guy. He is lucky to spend this time with you.
Z
Posted by: david zurawik | July 9, 2009 5:47 PM
If you’d like to eliminate Teddy’s howling when you go to bed, put the dog carrier in your bedroom. Dogs are pack animals and they do not like to be left alone. If you place the dog in the carrier next to your bed, the dog is not alone and is safe and secure in the carrier. I love the pet blog and enjoy hearing success stories about Teddy.
Posted by: Elaine | July 9, 2009 6:10 PM
Our furbaby, Han, is also a puppy mill survivor. We adopted him from a rescue who had crate trained him and told us to keep him in the crate at night as well. The same thing happened with Han as with Teddy!! About a week after we brought him home, he started howling in his crate. The first few nights we left him down there and he would stop. But it got to the point where he was so upset, he was vomiting and having runny poos in his crate!! i would wake up in the morning to an incrediable mess!! We obviously banished the crate after that and let The Boy sleep upstairs with us.
Good luck with Teddy. i'm glad to hear he is doing so well =)
Posted by: Dawn | July 10, 2009 4:38 PM
What everyone else said - and I'm reading this behind schedule, so I see that it worked.
When we first brought our dog home we kept him in the kitchen behind a gate. He was ok with that for about three days, then he began crying, then barking (and a coonhound barking is something to behold). Once we let him join us in the bedroom, he was fine. It wasn't our intent to keep him in the kitchen forever, at the time we just weren't sure if he would be ok through the night about not peeing inside. But turns out we needn't worry. Now he has his own bed at the end of ours, and will alert us when he feels that we are staying up too late.
Posted by: Audrey | July 12, 2009 5:11 PM