Pearl has been adopted! 01-01-2005
My name is Pearl, I combine style, class and elegance! Don’t get me wrong, I don’t have a big head, but everything about me is soft, elegant and classy. If I were a person, I would be an aristocratic super model! Did I mention I am extremely pretty? DOGS TOYS? CATS COMMANDS KIDS DOGGIE BAR NIGHTS STRANGE THINGS! ISA & TONY’S OBSERVATIONS TIPS FOR ADOPTING FAMILY If you would like to meet Pearl, please fill out our online application or contact Beth at eacalder@yahoo.com.
I just joined my new foster family and I am working my way to their hearts! It is a piece of cake for someone with my personality! I had them wrapped around my paw in no time!
I pretty much get along with everyone – but for crows! My personal opinion is they are really distasteful creatures that I will not tolerate in my new kingdom. I religiously chase them away when they happen to land in my backyard. If they were smarter, they would not even attempt to stop by, but what can I say, they are not as intelligent as I am! Oh right, I was talking about dogs! Well, I LIKE DOGS! Small dogs are quite nice, and I play very nicely with big dogs. I am very athletic and very fast, and I like fast pace games and runs!
A ball? You said A BALL? Ok, throw it NOW! Yes, I will go and fetch it. Not sure what it means to bring it back though! I like to move my toys from one area of the backyard to the other! If they are soft, I will work actively at grinding them with my teeth!
I live with a cat who is not very happy to see me every day, but I am bigger and stronger and he seems to know that. So, he leaves me alone and I leave him alone as well. I would love to go and say hi, but his growling is a bit intimidating. However, his food is really yummie. I get into trouble when I eat what is on the kitty menu, but I am Pearl and I take trouble with as much class as I take fun!
I sit very nicely. Actually, I don’t sit, I slide to a sit. All I need to sit down is lots of love and affection and if you look at me with puppy eyes and tell me ‘I love you, please sit’, what can I say? I will of course humor you!
They are so cute, they deserve lots of kisses! And I am the first one to kiss them on the cheeks! They like it, of course! Or at least, I think they should like it!
Ever heard of a Sushi bar? Well, the doggie bar is the same, but the difference is I have to work for it! My family has boxes of treats on the counter, and feeds them to us as we are doing obedience work. I don’t really like to sit when you hold a cookie. I will take it very carefully from your hand, and will go and bury it in the backyard. In the dirt, I do not dig in the lawn! I mean, who would do that? My foster brother does, and he gets to be called a ‘Bad Dog’! I don’t want to be called a bad dog, I play within the limits of the envelope, I don’t push it!
I am not very happy with it, but for now, I sleep on my bed in a big crate. I would prefer to sleep next to my brother, out of the crate, but I hear that until they know me better, my foster parents are making sure I am not a trouble maker. One of their fosters worked hard at sanding the door and eating its frame. Of course, I would never do such a thing, but they are only 80% convinced of it. I still have to prove to them that I am above this kind of destruction!
Has anyone every seen little black plastic tubes come out of the lawn and the bushes and send rain all over the place? If you have an explanation for me, I would like to hear it! I know they are called sprinklers, but I don’t know if I like them yet. I will keep looking at them until I figure out if they are friends or foes!
When Pearl arrived at our home, she was exhausted, and apathetic. She was afraid to get into the house and would stay at the door, in the backyard. She refused food, wouldn’t play, but wanted love. Lots of love!
In 2 days, she has done a complete 180. She now elegantly storms into the house to look for her foster brother, or Tony (read on for Pearl’s thoughts about Tony!), eats as much as her brother, if not more (5 to 6 cups of dry food a day), and very nicely asks for petting!
But, she has a thing for certain items: shoes may disappear and find their way not so mysteriously to the backyard, screwdrivers are prone to getting moved behind the planters. One thing is consistent: anything she does is always very delicate and classy.
On the bathroom side, she likes to go in the bushes, where it is out of sight, and out of mind.
Now, she has a thing about men! She is crazy about Tony and clearly prefers his attention to anybody else’s. She has a way to look at him that would make me jealous if I didn’t know any better – just kidding!
Pearl doesn’t seem to have any issue. She is very sensitive and it doesn’t take much to correct her. Just raising the voice works. She is extremely smart, and she learns very quickly!
One thing we noticed is that her throat is weak: if we hold her by the collar – and she reacts to that by getting her head down as low as she can - and pull her a bit, she will cough and choke and may throw up as a result. She is probably not a good candidate for a prong collar or a training collar. She may walk best on a harness, with no pressure on her neck and throat.
If she gets adopted by a family that has a dog, she will fit in nicely. She shows signs of independence and doesn’t need to be glued to the other dog. For example, our dog will go wait for us, or take a nap by the front porch, and Pearl will be staying in the backyard. If we are watching TV at night our dog will be inside with us. Pearl will come and say hi, and go lay on the grass outside where it is fresh and cool, then she will come and spend time with us inside and sleep on her bed for a while, then go back out.
We have also left her alone in the backyard at times, and upon return with our dog, she was thrilled to see us, but showed no sign of anxiety.
Pearl gets fed twice a day, Flintriver natural food. She alternates between the dry food and the soup. She eats everything she is served. She eats in the same bowl as our dog, and shares everything with him.
Pearl needs some very basic training. She needs someone to teach her that it is wrong to take shoes to the backyard, and that she can not help herself freely when there is food around the area, such as in people’s hands or in their lap. She will learn very fast, but needs her new family to commit to her and to teaching her right from wrong. She will learn fast, believe us!
The minimum adoption donation for adults is $375 and the adoption donation for puppies is $500. This amount only partially covers the cost of veterinary care, boarding fees, and other miscellaneous expenses involved in the temporary care and adoption of our dogs and is tax deductible when permitted by law. The adoption donation provides that all dogs will be spayed or neutered, receive current vaccinations, and are microchipped. If not, arrangements will be made on an individual basis ( i.e., puppies who will need to be altered by 6 mos old). Special consideration may be given to those willing to adopt older dogs or dogs with physical problems.
