Bix Update Mr. Bix, as I am calling him now, is making great progress for a feral dog who has only been home for a month. He is going out into the kennel to do his business, as long as I manage the timing right and give him enough time with the door open. This is much better for us all. Bix has ventured out of his room and into the kitchen about 6 feet. This happened today and was the first time he had left the room that we know of. At night, and often during the day, we give him access to the kitchen and the puppy den, that used to be the dining room, but he had never taken advantage of it until today. So he got breakfast and dinner in the kitchen. The other foster dog in the house, little Miss JoJo, has been inviting herself into Mr. Bixs space. She has been tolerated for the most part, but often gets rumbles. After dinner a couple of nights ago, I stayed in Bixs room with him and let JoJo in. She had a new sock toy that we played with for awhile. I went into the kitchen and peeked into Bixs room to see him mostly out of his crate interacting with JoJo. She did the most enthusiastic please dont hurt me dance Ive ever seen. Bix even put up with her jumping up and down on his face. It was so cute that I had to go get him a toy. I noticed he had somehow stolen one of JoJos tug toys and tucked it in the back of his crate. Maybe Bix remembers when his own babies were puppies. JoJo is about 4 months old. We have made progress on another front. I can get Bixs GPS unit off and on his collar pretty easily now, but Bix still wont let me do it unless hes in his crate. But today, for the first time, I unclipped his leash from the collar while he was out of the crate. He didnt move away. Yay! He has also taken several steps toward me while I put pressure on the leash. Now I just need to do this while standing up! I doubt Bix will be ready to be led on a leash by the time he goes to Mazies Mission on Friday, but were trying. Bix is scheduled for his neuter (if hes HW-), microchip, and shots on Friday, March 14th. Finally! But Im glad we were able to wait because I think he will handle it much better now. For me, the best news may be that Mr. Bix has allowed me to pet him. I started a few days ago by feeding chicken in one hand, and touching him on the shoulder with the other. I always show him my hand first so he knows what Im doing. Today, he let me pet him without benefit of food. He got lots of cookies after! Hes still not happy about it though--his ears were pinned tightly to his head, but at least his head was up and he didnt flinch or move away. Bix loves breakfast and dinner because he gets to play bump the human (hand target) to get a handful of kibble. I am seeing real tail wagging and ears forward in anticipation. Its really lovely to see. It is probably time for a new game, though. I dont want him to get bored. I plan to post another update after Bixs vet visit on Friday unless something even more exciting happens in the meantime. :-) wish us luck! -Charise
Posted on: Mon, 10 Mar 2014 05:13:30 +0000
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