Patience pays off!

The above video shows a big improvement in just a short while on Tiara's level of confidence. She really does love people but just needs to shed that fear. I cannot imagine what she will be like a year from now! So if you compare this video to one I did previously you can see the change. Before she would lick my fingers and I'd barely be able to pet her! Now she comes to me for many pets. Isn't this cool?!?!?!?!?

Thank You!!

From the bottom (and top) of my fluffy heart I want to humbly say "thank you" to all the brave soldiers both past and present for your service and sacrifice! 

Every day Tiara shows herself to be more comfy. She now sleeps "with us" and is starting to come to us for petting!!! I'm so joyful about it!!!  She's one of the easiest foster dogs we have ever had! I cannot say anything negative about her accept that she is very shy. It's not a negative to me but might be a negative if you want to have a dog who goes everywhere you do. She's more of a "there's no place like home" kind of dog! Lol! 

If I could keep a pack of dogs she would be in my pack!!! As I write this I'm watching her grab a toy from a pile and bring it to her couch spot... then go and get another. Galloping playfully each time! I just enjoy this little lady tremendously and she gives back so much more than she takes! 

Why rush mornings?

Tiara Stats...

Looks like one dog has one ear and one dog has one eye! Too funny!!! Hee hee!!!

Stats on Tiara (Miss Ti Ti)...

Adorable: Yes! Black dog with a mahogany highlight in the light. One teensy tuft of white on her chest. Maybe some poodle mixed in? Wavy fur! Sweeet! Cutest ears in town!!!!

Potty trained: Yes! Not one accident here in 2 weeks! :) She runs out to the yard and seems to go in the same corner. How convenient for clean up!

Temperament: Shy-fearful of approaching people (crouches down or backs away), sweet (just a honey!), snuggly (ooohhh tummy rubs), playful (give her toys to gather up or grass to do zoomies), quiet (couch potato). 

Shed: No shedding! (That I've seen) Love that!!!

Barker: Not much. Barks outside a little bit when she hears something but not a problem or never excessive.

Chewer: Loves toys to chew but not destructive. Will chew a plant outside sometimes and adores sticks!

Size: Small but athletic and wiry. 

Sleeps: In our bed and rests against my legs. Doesn't snore, lol. Will sleep in her kennel if needed. 

Crate trained: Yes. It's a safe place for her but she'd rather be out with her people! She may whine a bit in it but nothing frantic at all. If you are near she's quiet in her crate. 

Activity level: Medium. Lazy inside the house and really just "hangs out" on the couch or on the stuffed chair. Outside will play and zoom and snoop. 

Eats: 2x a day. Dry with a scoop of canned. Not fussy. 

Treats: Does not know how to take them. Just looks at you. Obviously never was given treats before. So sad! I lay them in front of her. She is so thankful. If you give her extra yummy treats like meat she is certainly getting the gist and takes it! She'll get there!

Difficulty Level: Easy keeper but you MUST give her time to trust you. This will take many months. 

Leash walking: No. Is terrified and flattens out to a black puddle. I use my pet stroller and she adores the ride. They are not expensive and come in a variety of colors!! In time she may love leash walking! Keep trying. It's a process!!! (Update...we are working on walking towards the house, not away. This really helps! Yay!)

Digger: She's a terrier, earth dog, enjoys digging a hole every so often. Not a problem!

Friendly: Never ever heard a growl. Loves dogs and is shy of people but in her way loves people too. 

Other: I adore Miss Ti to the moon and back! Perfect dog for anyone who's mellow and wants a dog who hangs out around the house. She would love another dog buddy who is also sweet and playful. Great company for an adult family plus she's fun to stroller walk! I give her many kisses and belly rubs! Just a sweetie!!!!!!

Joy

The JOY on Tiara's face here makes me so happy! What fun TiTi is having running with a stick in her mouth! She's such a puppy sometimes :)!!! 

Inside the house she's pretty quiet and calm. Mostly gathering her toys on the couch chewing or cuddling with them. Here Tiara romps and runs outside showing her silly-- free spirit--side! She looks happy!!!

Thinking of the coming weekend :)!!!

Listening to the rain go pitter patter... sooo sleepy! 

(Yes she has a purple bow, lol) 

Yup... it rained!! 

Ti is not bothered by rain or thunder! 

Good news

The "good news" is even though Miss Tiara is shy she's potty trained-- I would not say she tells you when she has to go out but if I simply let her out periodically she is good as gold! 

Here she is at 6am. Right after waking up from a good nights sleep!

Then she comes in for breakfast! Easy-peasy!!! After breakfast I let all the dogs out again and that's it. I still stand by my wish for a fenced yard for her. She simply will not walk on a leash yet. That would be difficult with potty training. 

Happy Tuesday from our so cute n sweet little black pup with the most adorable Yoda ears --she's just looking for a home to love her! 

In the mean time I'll gladly fill in giving her oodles of hugs! 

Sunny Sunday!

A little toy time! Chewing "pinkie's" tag. 

Love my toys!!!

Dressed in her Sunday best! 

Pretty in Pink!

Easy to fall in love with! #Tiarapuppy

After doing yard work all weekend we finally came in to sit down and I had to just laugh at Tiara as I watch her figure something out!!!  

So, I had these decorative rattan balls in a bowl on the floor. Well, she would go take them out and chew them so I had to move them. I put them on the window sill but look who spotted them! Ha!!! Now she's trying to figure out how to get them! Guess they will be moved to higher ground! A terrier nose can't be fooled!!! 

Riding in style!!!

We practiced introducing the leash. It will take a bit to have her comfortable with walking but we will try and practice a lot so she gets the hang of it! In the meantime, we sure don't want to leave her behind on our walks so Tiera gets to "ride in style" in the pet stroller! She absolutely LOVED it and almost fell asleep as we walked! 

No dog left behind!!! :)

Giving her love away...

Watch our little girl join in the pack. It's adorable! Ti Ti is gaining confidence and becoming outwardly loving and more relaxed. Here's a little video of her coming to me and giving her kisses. I'm feeling pretty special!!! 

These two are so adorable together! "Blond n Brunette". Love them both :)!!!

Girls being "matchy" in their shirts!!!

#snoozytime

Yes she IS!!!

Sleeping with pink bunny! Awww! Tiara just loves the couch! 

Amazing what only 5 days can do!!!

Here is a new video of Tiara! I am actually outside and she is not hiding/freezing under or behind a chair...can you believe it? Yay!!! As you see, she is super excited to see me and "wants" to come to me but is not quite sure! The good news is she is coming forward, wagging her tail and is all excited that I am outside… She just cannot "quite" bring herself to get too close... YET.  If I sit very quietly she will approach and lick my fingertips… to get her in the house all I do is open the door and walk away and she zooms right in. Give it a few more days and I bet I will be able to pet her just like my dogs :-)!!! I have to admit working with a shy dog is one of my favorite types of rescue dog because seriously it is so rewarding for me! :)!!! To watch a scared dog unfold and trust in front of your eyes is miraculous!

Ready to go in and be a "couch potato"!!!

Later...

Hanging out with her new buddy Parson! I hope her furever fam will have a dog to be her buddy! She would love that!!!

I have to laugh at that old fox toy... she loves that thing! Always seems to make its way into a pic! hee hee!

Both so sweeeeet!

"Over here, Parson! I'm on a trail"... sniff sniff!! #terriertalk

Do you know why I chose to foster Tiara? Well there are actually 2 reasons!!!

 #1. I'm nuts about terriers! 

#2. She is black!

Did you know people pass over black dogs all the time and they are the hardest to find homes for? Really?!? Well that just makes me mad! Grrrr! Maybe I'm guilty of it because my dogs are not black... but I don't think I adopted them for their color! Parson was my first foster dog. I just plum loved him. So I "foster failed" and he stayed here! 

Asti was so much like Parson (she was foster #19) and she and my husband clicked and he just loved her so she stayed. If either of them would have been black they would have stayed. I love black dogs! 

I hope YOU love black dogs too! Even if you don't choose Tiara think about a different black dog for your buddy. Give a black dog a chance at love!!! <3

Settling In!

Before leaving for work I get in a few cuddles on the couch! Tiara is like a sponge! Soaking in love every chance she gets! 

If you should want to adopt her, at this point anyway, a fenced yard might be helpful but not mandatory! She has never had an accident in the house but currently she only will go potty if I leave her out in the yard and I stay in the house "or" sit quietly in a chair on the patio and ignore her. She is just great with going potty outside though and runs out and does her "doo-ties" but if I would stand out there "too close" or have her on a leash she would stand still and freeze. Over time this might change and eventually we will introduce a leash so she practices going for walks. So keep watching her progress!!!

Guess what! She's started jumping up on the couch herself! That's cool! She is also moving around the house with more confidence! Day by day!!!  :)!!! 

Another step forward: tonight Tiara came through the outside door while I held it open! Woohoo! She also has claimed the couch and is comfy sitting with me... She loves.. wait, adores.. tummy rubs :)!

Playful Puppy

Tiara loves to play when no "person" is around! Here she is tumbling with a stuffy-less fox! That fox doesn't have a chance! Ha! 

Filmed from inside my back door. 

Hiding Tiara because that's "what she knows"! Awwww!

Today's brave step forward: Tiara hangs out with us while watching TV. My husband is pretty pumped that she has chosen to lay next to his chair! He reaches down periodically to scratch her fuzzy head and calls her "his" little girl. It's pretty cute! :)

I need a Fur-Ever mommy n daddy!!! 

Full body photo... She is gorgeous! XXOO!!!

Cute in clothes!!!

Modeling a hoodie... she's so CUTE!

#sweetface

Thirteen pounds!!!

Because every girl needs a little black... dog! :)

Tiara's first video

What makes a dog shy? It can be a lot of things... maybe it's simply that the dog is unsure or unfamiliar with the situation. . Or maybe it's a change of circumstances that's overwhelming. It could be past experiences were unpleasant or cruel. Often it's that the dog grew up being unsocialized and human contact is new. Whatever the reason in the dogs mind "people are scary". So when I get a shy dog I want to change that perception. It takes time but I gently and patiently want to convince my scared boy or girl that I can be trusted and others can be trusted too. So that's what I'm hoping for Tiara.. to earn her trust. She wants to trust me... watch her tail! She is already making progress...a little at a time and she is so worth my time!!!

Safe place!

Another good night for Tiara! She sleeps soundly.  She is very quiet and she really appreciates her soft blankie in her crate in our room! She snuggles right in and stretches out on her side!

She loves all her crates. I keep the door open to the one in my kitchen and she loves relaxing in it. She has her water and food and a chewie cow hoof inside. We are just letting her chill out and snoop around if she wishes! Sometimes she ventures into the TV room and this morning she ran outside to play with my dog Asti and zoomed circles around the yard! I love that she is getting her exercise! She came into rescue with two other friend-dog-buddies who were her support system so she looks to other dogs to help her feel comfortable.

She did go potty outside this morning too so I'm happy about that! Progress!!!

When I talk to her she wags her tail so hard! She waits at the back door to come inside with my dogs but hesitates running through the door sometimes so I just leave it open if need be. Usually when she comes in she zooms straight to her kennel.  We hardly even know she's here! We love her so much and rejoice every day as we see her get a little bit more brave. The first week is always a hard week because everything is so new! 

Day one with Tiara

After a quiet night (not a peep!!!) in her kennel in my bedroom I opened the kennel door for Tiara. Asti, my Yorkie mix, was right there to say "Hi"! "Welcome"!!! Tiara gave us a shy tail wag and a soft gentle hand lick but would not venture out of the kennel door. So, I finally just reached in and carried her downstairs and outside. 

My dogs ran off to the yard to do business but Tiara crouched down unsure of what to do. After a bit we all came in and she headed straight to the kennel in the kitchen. So she seems to find kennels a very safe haven. 

All the dogs got their food and my two ate but Tiara just sniffed hers. That's ok... many do this so I went back upstairs to get dressed and ready for work.

A little bit later we tried again with the food but this time I mixed it with some canned. That did the trick and she gobbled it down lickity-split!!! :)

After a bit we went back outside and I quietly sat on a chair and just watched...

Here are some pics of her snooping around~

Geese honking over head...listening ears. 

Tiara and Parson at the burn pit. 

Cautiously sniffing a potted fern placed near the park bench. 

More smells to explore with Asti by her side :)

Ears back in a stressed/worry position...this is not easy to make all these big changes! 

Tiara did well for her first morning. So far she has not gone potty but at least she ate her food. We will keep working with her very gently to help her feel comfortable! She's just very shy right now! Looking forward to watching this little butterfly emerge from her cacoon!!

Later~

Afternoon bath... good girl!!!

After a bath n brush ... Beautiful!!!

Smell the flowers! ;)

Don't mean to brag but "red" is my color... but "not looking" at that camera!!! 

Tiara

Little pretty Tiara just came to my house a few hours ago! She is young, sweet and so sooo cute! We are being very laid back and quiet here...just letting her get the lay of the land as she is a bit scared and shy. 

Sitting sweetly on the couch in this pic she is snuggled against a pillow. I just adore black dogs so Tiara to me is such a beauty!!! Her fur is fairly course but also wavy. Her ears are big and adorable and her tail is long. XOXO

Like most shy dogs she wants to be near but sits behind me. It's twilight out now but we are hanging around outside...I sneek a selfie of her as she is hiding behind my back! Hee Hee! She has no clue! ;)

Her adorable terrier profile ... Awwwww!

One silly shot as I set her down as we come into the kitchen! Now I'm hiding behind her back! I'm already in love!!! A black terrier is just way waaaayyyy up there on my "dog love" chart!!! 

Happily snuggled in her crate... the door was open and she went in and curled up and soon was fast asleep. 

Snowflake the "helper"...

Snowflake is folding laundry... well maybe not helping fold... just testing out if it's soft enough! Yep, it's comfy n cushy... a great place to relax for a bit!!! Big yawn!!!

She is very loving and gives puppy kisses but then scampers off to find toys! A girl who knows how to enjoy life!!!

Sinking deeper! She's so cute!!! What a face!!!

Daydreaming and soaking up some rays in the garden! This is the life of a spoiled princess!!! 

Adopted and loved!

My puppy journey comes to an end today! The circle is complete and they found their way HOME! I adore their new  families and can't wait to hear about the happy lives these two cutie-pups will lead. Congrats to Lanai (Button) and Kauai (Zoey) and their mommy's n daddy's... so happy!!!