Winna!

Next up is Winna!
Her foster family just loves her!


Winna is a female, senior Karelian Bear Dog mix, her foster mom says they think she is about 8 - but acts like she's 10.

Winna is overall a pretty reserved girl. She likes attention and pets, but after a few minutes she would like her space. She is happy to sit at your feet and hang out next to you. She may not be the cuddliest, but she is Extremely Loyal! She waits for her foster family to get home and is so happy to see them when they are back! She also has a spot under their table where she naps during the day. She seems to like little nooks and likes to hide her bones in them ;)


Her foster family works during the day - so Winna is alone for approx 8 hours, and during that time she just hangs out in the house. But once her fosters are back she likes them to stick around and can sometimes get a bit anxious if left again the same day.


Her foster family take her to different outdoor sports, and she is great around other people - even groups! She likes to sit and watch the game and enjoy the love she gets form the teammates.


At night she likes to sleep on the floor by her foster family's bed. She loves being around her people when she can.

Her leash manners are amazing! She will walk right next to you and slow down to tell you she found a spot that she likes.
She is a senior, so she is not super energetic, and enjoys slower, calm walks. She has a toy she chews on and an occasional bite on a raw hide.
Her breed loves to hunt, so off-leash she will likely follow a track and is unlikely to recall, so off-leash would be better in a fenced in area - or long leash.


Winna is very much a people dog. Someone from up North even said that every dog finds at least one friend up at Turtle Gardens - Winna was the only one without a friend. She can be protective of herself and her humans, so for the most part she will bark at dogs her size and bigger and smaller ones might be able to get a sniff in before she will ask them to stop. 
She has had some good interactions with dogs, but mostly smaller and older dogs.


She currently gets about an hour of walking per day. Though, Winna does not do stairs very well, as she is older so her legs aren't the most stable.


Winna has shown to be okay with kids, but just not the kind that want to "play" with a dog all day - she likes having some space.



Winna is very calm, loyal and sweet with people. She is low key and low maintenance. 
She can be a bit reserved with socializing - you can tell she had a tough time in her younger years as she still ducks when you pat her on the head or crowd her space.


We think Winna would do best with an older couple, or family with older kids (or no kids), and with no other dog so Winna can be the star :) We would love to see Winna go to a nice quiet home where she can rest and relax :)


Winna's foster family just love her  and they wish they could adopt her - but they plan to travel in the near future, which would be too hard on Winna. So they want to help find Winna's loving forever home where she can be loved forever and ever! :)


Winna's foster family's blog can be found here: http://nandjfostering.blogspot.ca/


Winna's petfinder link can be found here: http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/20920980


Please use the Adoption Aplication link in the side bar if you think Winna may be the right fit for your family!

Belle!

Belle's wonderful foster family has sent me a great bio on her! And I just know you will all love her :)

Belle is a female (spayed), Chesapeake Bay Retriever X Labrador Retriever, the Vet puts her age at approx 6-8.
And as a Retriever she is a HUGE suck! Her foster mom couldn't say enough times just how much this dog LOVES people!

She is super cuddly and loves to have her belly rubbed, and loves to come right in for a snuggle :)
She smiles and laughs a lot and will come running to greet you with her teeth sticking out :)
Belle's foster mom says "If you need a hug to feel better Belle is your lady!"

Belle is currently on a bit of a diet in order to shed a couple of her extra pounds. She is good at waiting for her food until she gets the okay!

She is fine with spending time on her own - she just sleeps. But she does seem to prefer having a smaller space to stay in as it makes her feel more safe. She currently stays in the kitchen when alone, with baby gates at the doorways, so that she can see out but it is still gives her the safety of a smaller space. She may not like being completely closed away.

Sometimes sudden, loud noises can startle her, and she may give a little bark, but she hasn't had a big problem with this in her foster home.

She never really got to be a puppy so she does get excited sometimes, and still has some rules to learn, when it comes to playing and sharing with other dogs, and sharing her family with other dogs, but is coming along well in her foster home! Belle is learning that she gets a timeout if she is not behaving, and she LOVES to be with her people, so she got the point pretty fast, and is doing much better!

She is a smart girl, who can occasionally have a stubborn puppy streak, but loves to learn and even better - wants to learn!

She is great when meeting other dogs out on her walks and trails!
In her foster home she lives with 2 cats and another dog, and she gets along with them all.But as she loves having her own person, she may be happiest as the only pet in the house.

She always wants to hug every adult and will always roll right over for a tummy rub!
She does have a hot spot on her rump, so she does not like to be pet too much or it hurts, and she'll let you know. She also does not like to be groomed. That is something that can be worked on though.

She needs about one good walk a day and one bigger walk a week, but skipping a day or two is fine so long as she has a backyard to romp in. She loves rolling around in grass :) She likes a nice long hike as much as a day at home. 

She is good on and off leash and comes to the recall word of "Cookie" ;)

She doesn't really understand that traffic is dangerous though, so she should only be off leash in a safe area or trail away from roads. 

She also loves car rides! Her foster mom said "She loves riding around in the car, the second the garage door is open she is in the car and ready to go on an adventure!"

Belle is a quiet, placid, girl just looking for a family to spend lots of time hanging out and sharing love. 

Belle would do best in a home with a retired couple, a couple without kids, or with older kids, who is not at work long hours. Belle likes to spend lots of time with her family giving them TONS OF LOVE!

If you think Belle could be the dog for you please send in an application to Turtle Gardens using the link in the side bar! 

(More photos will be added soon)

Winna and Belle!

So because I have no foster dog at the moment I am going to post some updates of other dogs available for adoption through Turtle Gardens!  

First up is Winna :)  And she sure is! – A winner that is!

Winna is a spayed, Female, Senior, Karelian Bear Dog.

I’ve met her and she is a real sweety! She is a real people dog and loves to be with her “pack”. She thinks dogs are okay, though big male dogs can sometimes be a bit much for her. But she is happy to get some people love!

She is a very sucky dog and very loyal to her people.

She is great on leash, though she can find large hills and stairs difficult at times, but she does her best. She prefers short walks on relatively flat spaces, where she can scout for squirrels and sniff a bit.

She is fully house broken and is used to being in a house with people who work, as her current foster family works during the day. She has no problem with the schedule and just hangs out and naps until they get home. 

She is a pretty down to earth girl who does not need a whole lot of exercise, but instead likes short strolls that allow her to “see the world”.

She is still looking for her great forever home where she can relax and go for walks and hangout with her people :) As she is quite lowkey I can see her fitting into many different families’ lifestyles!

If you’d like to see the blog that her foster parents post updates on click HERE

If you’d like to visit her petfinder page you can view it HERE

If you’d like to put in an adoption application for her please use the link in the side bar!

Next up is Belle!

Belle is a 6 year old, spayed, Female, Labrador Retreiver x Chesapeake Bay Retriever mix

She is a really mellow gal with the soul of a lab!  She is very devoted and loving and loves to follow her people around and be where they are : )

She is housebroken and has VERY good indoor manners. And is nice and quiet and sensible/calm outdoors.

She is currently on a diet and exercise program to burn a few excess pounds that retrievers always seem to pack on ;) and so far that is going well! When I met her she was looking really good :)

She walks well on leash and travels very well in cars too!

 

She is dog social, but prefers the company of her people (of course, since they give the best belly scratches :P)

She is just a great gal with such a warm heart! We’d love to see her go to a great home where she can be the main focus of tons of love and attention! If you are looking for a calm, sweet, and loving dog you’re looking at her!

If you’d like to view her petfinder page you can find it HERE

If you’d like to submit an application for her please use the link in the sidebar!

Both of these great dogs are fostered in Vancouver! If you're local, maybe you've even seen them around! :)

And don’t forget – you can view all the dogs available at Turtle Gardens Animal Rescue by clicking HERE (or in the sidebar)

I will likely be posting a more detailed update on both Winna and Belle in the next week or so!

Stay tuned!

Penny (Jaycee)'s update and Home made Dog Toys!

As you read with my last short post Jaycee has been adopted! And her lovely new name is Penny :)

Her new daddy Chris sent me some photos of her in her new home :) And you may have already seen them on the Turtle Gardens Blog but I thought I'd share them with you here as well! :)

What a sweetheart :) I miss her, but I know she is extremely happy in her new home :D

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And in other news...

Whenever I have a break between fosters I tend to still do LOTS of dog related things! Like making dog scrapbooks, cooking more doggy treats, and even making dog toys!

I made some really healthy dog cookies and posted the recipe on an older blog post - which you can reach by clicking here.

But as I was cleaning around the house I found our sock basket of old socks and lonely socks (without a pair) that have been sitting, neglected, in a basket for a long time now...

It is very obvious no one wears these socks any more - but to be sure I double checked with my Dad and sister, and they gave the okay to get rid of them.

There were A LOT of them!  And I added a couple old dishtowels, that were now more like rags, to the mix.

So now that I have the okay to get rid of them, great. But do I really want to throw away a whole bunch of old socks to just go fill up a landfill? Definitely not!
So then what do I do with them?

It was actually my boyfriend, Adam's, dog Digger (He's a golden retriever and his full name is Gold Digger! Too cute :P) that gave me the idea! He is always picking up socks and carrying them around when excited (as many retrievers do) but of course he is told to drop it because socks are for people not dogs.

So it got me thinking... what if he was not only allowed to have socks but play with them too!
So I Google'd "Dog toys made from old socks" and found a great site/idea!

This is the link: http://greenupgrader.com/7710/reuse-old-socks-diy-dog-toy/


There are so many great benefits to making your own dog toys:

1. You save money by not purchasing as many expensive pet-store toys!
2. Your dog loves them, and if he rips them up its okay!
3. You're helping the environment by recycling!
4. Does there really need to be a number 4??

Okay so I had decided - dog toys it is!
I liked how easy this idea was: Essentially you braid the old socks together to make a tougher chew toy! (See article for instructions)

So I began making them... and making them... and making them... I don't think I realized just how many socks I had... I ended up having to stop because of blisters!!

They turned out great! And I have tons now!

First one!

Tower of Sock Toys! (You can see the size with the remote as reference)

So many toys! And still more socks! 

So far Adam's dogs, Digger, and Rikki as well, have loved them! Digger carries his around the house! 

If they ever rip or untie, you can just retie them. 

Okay now to the rest of the socks...

I found another toy idea that I LOVE and so made a couple of those too...

They are Sock crunchy toys!

Okay yeah... that sounds gross! But I promise your dog will love them :)

All you need is 

- a water bottle

- a sock (or two or three for more durability)

- some dog food (optional)

 The instructions are very simple:

If you want it to also make a shaking sound put dog food/treats inside the water bottle. (Must be dry inside or it will mould.)

Put water bottle inside a sock and knot it.  For more durability place it inside another sock and knot - repeating as many times as necessary for desired durability.

You're done!

And dogs that love crunching on water bottles will LOVE this :)



Well I hope you and your dog enjoy making these cool toys or other toys this summer!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!
:)

The less we put in landfills the fewer landfills we need and then the more space we have for parks and things :)

Will post more soon!

Super quick update

Hi all! Sorry it been so long since my last post! I am currently in toronto! And I finally have some time to quickly let you know why happened...

Jay was Adopted! :D!
She was adopted by a great guy who has tons of dog and, even better, pitbull experience! And he's an outdoorsy guy - so perfect for our Jay!
I believe he has renamed her Penny! :) I find it fits her well as she has a tan circle on her back that looks like a penny! What a great, sweet name for our sweet girl :)

She went home the morning I left for Toronto! It worked out perfectly as now I don't have to worry about her while I'm in toronto, because I know she is in her awesome new home :) I'll post an update on her as soon as I receive it :)

After I come back from Toronto I will have a period of time without a foster, and will be getting another foster in mid-August. As far as I know it is to be Sid :) I fostered her for a two day temp-foster and I have found her to be a super sweet funny girl.

She has a very mature energy about her, and acts much more like an older dog than a young teenager. And she loves being with her people doing what they do. She was a pleasure to have over and her and Jay (Penny) got along great even though her profile says it should be otherwise. Obviously, with the correct introductions she got along with Jay fine and they even snuggled together!

She was such a sweetheart and I can see her fitting in with just about any family due to her being a puppy in age but a much older dog in maturity.

Of course I'll know more specifics if I foster her, but I've been told she is doing great up north :)

Well I'm just heading into downtown Toronto so I shall post more soon!