She's here! (Dog saga=happy ending!)

[Pax]

Heh. Our rescue dog does the same thing, but with shoes, scarves and gloves. He doesn't chew, but he will definitely redecorate if he's left alone for too long. Also, he loves to get into my yarn, so that has to be safely tucked away. Live and learn.

I really hope she settles in quickly! It will just take some time.

Ours was rehomed a few times within about 2 months (home > shelter > rescue > foster > us), so he was really nervous and skittish at first, and had pretty bad separation anxiety for a month. After 5 months, he's a lot more relaxed, but he still has his moments. He is a fantastic dog though, and we love him! Here's a picture:

What a beautiful pup!!

Kudos to all of you who open yours hearts to fur-babies in need, some day when my heart is healed enough I'll bring home a new family member.

[anaphase]

That is just great. I'm so glad that she's settling in.
And how funny about her burying toys and food. They are so weird sometimes!

We are clicker training our dog, and he is very food motivated. I can't imagine him parting with his food long enough to hide it.

(and thanks, Queen!)

[Bad JuJu]

Of the five dogs we've had, four were rescue dogs, and they were the best companions, once they realized they were staying with us.

Nancielle, here's a tip to get your Chloe more interested in toys: keep in your dirty clothes hamper for a day or so. I know this sounds gross, but it gives the toy more of your scent, and therefore makes it more appealing to the dog. Just think of how attracted she is to your clothes from the hamper.

Anaphase--that is one good-looking guy you've got there. Who wouldn't fall in love with that face?

[farrellcollie]

Two of our rescue dogs took a long time to learn to play - and then it was only sort of. The first is a hound mix who was raised on a rope tied outside with no shelter etc. My ex went up to the house, knocked on the door and asked if she could have him - they said yes. He had rope burns around his neck, infected ears from fly bites, no muscle tone (he was a little more than a yr old and was kind of floppy like a puppy because he had been on the 6 ft rope so lone) - he was scared of everything at first - stairs, toys, the food bowl (we had to teach him to eat out of bowl - at first we still had to pour it on the floor for him). He was actually scared of the stuffed toys at first - we had another dog who played with them and I think she showed him how to kind of play with them. He never really learned to play with us and toys, but he did come to love stuffed toys that he could just carry around and sleep on (sometimes he would make a mound and get in the middle of them). He would play tug with the other dog - but never with us - he would just slink away so we stopped torturing him by trying to do it with him. He is a cuddledog (he is 12 now)- but never got to be a really carefree playful one.

[Katiek]

Congrats to you and Chloe, and cheers to everyone who shared their homes and love with rescue animals!!