Santa Paws is coming to town! Santa Paws is coming to town, doo doo doo! My foster family kept singing about Santa Paws last week and now I know why! My foster family celebrates Christmas and that involves some shopping, wrapping, and more wrapping of gifts. They even hang stockings up for Santa Paws to give us “fur kids” goodies.

And boy did I get something fun! A pink squeaky pig. I do like to play with it at night. I pull it in tight with my paws and give it a good shake.

Speaking of paws, my foster family had another volunteer come over and give me something called a “pawdicure.” They kept saying the fur on my feet grows so fast that I end up with "Grinch feet," whatever that means.

I would also like to share that I am a smart girl. It may take me some time to figure things out, but I finally learned what that cute pink ribbon with paw prints and noisemakers hanging on the door was for. My foster sister would go over and hit the noisemakers (potty bells), and she would go outside.

Well, now whenever I want to go outside, for play or potty, I go over and give them the tiniest nudge. Not really sure how hard to hit them, but I learned something!

Oh, one more thing. My foster family keeps hearing about my majestic ears and how pretty they are. Well one friend kindly referred to them as "Waterfalls of Fur," so that is what we shall call them now, okay?

Until next time,
Amber

Hello, my adoring fans. I have kept you all waiting for an update for so long. I can just feel how many times the page has been refreshed waiting for it. Well wait no more, because here it is!

Since my last update, I have been hearing my foster family talking about opening our hearts and homes to those who don’t have a voice, like me. Being a voice for the voiceless, I think I heard them say. Since I have been here going on 10 months (I know, I can’t believe it either), they opened their home to another dog.

She is kind of like me, only something called a Malamute. She is shy and fearful of people at first, but I showed her the ropes of the house and how it's ok to let them love you. I have even shared my kennel with her when she got scared.

We are both pretty low key and like to relax on the couch. But I told her she had to wait in line before she got to rest her head on anyone's lap! 

She, Stacey and I, being the three small ones of the house, love to play chase outside. We play and we play, and then we take a minute to look up to the sky and say how thankful we are to be so loved.

Speaking of being loved -- ugh, you guys, I am so embarrassed -- but I know that I am so loved, because I was sleeping on foster mom's bed and was dreaming of playing and frolicking, that I frolicked myself right off the bed! Seriously, who falls off the bed??

Me, that’s who! Caught me and foster mom by surprise. She woke with a start and was very concerned for me, but I showed her I was ok (secretly dying of embarrassment inside) by shaking it off and jumping back on the bed to sleep.

Ok, now the best part of this month so far. Last night foster mom hosted an event, something to do with painting, at a dog training facility. It was so cool because my foster family brought Stacey and me along. Remember, I need a confident dog to help show me it's ok. I was nervous at first, as it was not my home comfort zone.

I was panting and very leary of the people on the opposite side of the fence. But ya know what, after awhile when more people and dogs showed up, I did ok. I saw that if people moved slowly around me, allowed me to run between them and maybe sit still by them on my own terms, it was kind of nice to be petted.

I moved around a lot and enjoyed hanging out by the other dogs, but I am so proud of myself. I am a big brave girl, as my foster family calls me. Last night I truly lived up to that name.

Here’s the deal. I will take time to warm up to my new home. It will take me time to adjust to the new people, dogs, and life you will give me. But let me tell you, I will love you everyday for it. Ok, take care for now. I have to go play with my former pack mate, Buddy. Oh yeah, he is staying at the house for the weekend. He is fun to have back!

It has been far too long since an update of Amber was sent in. She has been so busy having a great end of summer. Since her last update she has completed Confident Dog training class at the K9 Coach, celebrated her half birthday -- complete with a pawty, and has made a plethora of new friends. 

Let's start with her attendance at the Confident Dog class. This class was to help dogs like Amber -- shy, nervous and unsure -- build confidence in themselves. Amber took the class slowly, a pace she seems to enjoy. For Amber, the ultimate goal of the class was to get her used to traveling to a new environment and understanding that she is safe with her people while at a new place.

The goal for her, was to be able to take a treat or food of any kind from me while there, as eating in public is scary. Just when I thought she might not do this, lo and behold, on the last night she was eating food left and right from another RAGOM volunteer who was also taking her foster here.

I was so proud, because not only was she taking food, but she was taking the food from someone whom she doesn't know!! Such a HUGE accomplishment for her. They say there is strength in numbers and she must have felt that way, as she was with another RAGOM volunteer. Here she is curled up with fellow available RAGOM girl Jessa 17-227A.

We also celebrated Amber's half birthday. She is officially -- well, according to her paperwork -- 1.5 years old. We did this for her to show how much she is loved and celebrated. If she is still in our care in February, you can surely expect to see another birthday celebration, as she will be turning two. 

Amber has made four visits to local dog day-care centers, where she is doing remarkably well. While she is still unsure about the new people, I have seen her allow them to slowly and briefly pet her (when the day-cares have cameras, how can you not watch all day! lol). She buddied up to her foster sister Stacey and made a new friend, a furry Golden Retriever.

She also continues to be her silly, goofy self in the backyard. Here are two videos of her playing. The one is at night, when we had friends over for a bonfire. She felt comfortable enough with our friends to roll around in the cool grass and show her belly. Then she finally understood, more or less, the concept of the tennis ball and possibly the game fetch. Please enjoy these videos.

While Amber is making great strides, she still has the following requirements:

• New home must have another confident dog her size
• New home must have a fenced yard
• New home without children or cats

Please consider bringing this sweet girl into your furever pack.

Hey guys! It's me, Amber. It's been a little bit since you have seen me last, so let's get right to it. Well, since the last update I have been on two big adventures visiting other homes. I do quite well once I have another friendly furry face next to me. I need that confident resident dog to show me the ropes of the new place. I got so comfortable during one visit, I used the resident dog as a pillow!

I also enjoyed a quiet, laid back 4th of July at my foster home. I wore a cute bandana which just made me that much cuter.

I even fell asleep on the couch next to my foster brother while neighbors where lighting off fireworks! I was not scared!

Gotta go play now.

Foster mom here. Amber continues to do well in adjusting to the life of a dog. She still has her moments of wanting to hide and not be seen, but those are fewer and far between. If you choose to add her to your family, please have an open mind and know it may take time for her to show you this side of her. It has taken 4 months to get her to this point.

I would like to show two videos of her. The first is when we initially arrive home from work and let her out of her kennel. This is as close to zoomies as she gets right now (the barking dog is her foster sister Stacey, who just wants to play also).

The second is of her playing with a toy that SHE went and got. It might not seem like much, but these are huge steps.

She is a loving dog who deserves all the love. Does your home have the love to give her?

Since the last update, we had a pretty good storm roll through Burnsville. Last night there was a very strong storm system that pushed through. Foster Mom got a tornado warning alert on her phone and then the news was saying to seek shelter. Foster Mom got all four dogs leashed and in the basement, just in case.

I am so very happy to report that the storm fizzled out and all was safe, but the big news is Amber did not show any storm anxiety at all!! She was such a well behaved girl. The three resident dogs she lives with do not have storm anxiety either, and I think that helped ease Amber through the storm. She is very much a copy cat dog and will easily mimic your resident dogs' behaviour.

Amber would like you to know she is ready to start mimicking your resident dog. Is your resident dog ready for a shadow? 

It has been almost a month since Amber's last check in. We have been working with her trying to help her emerge more from her shell. With the support of RAGOM, we had an independent party come over to meet Amber and show us some techniques to help Amber rid her stress.

During the evaluation we learned that Amber carries 95% percent of her stress in her hind end, hips, legs, etc. She is in “flight mode”, meaning she still struggles to relax at times, and especially around new people.

We were given instructions on how to help Amber release that tension using the Tellington T-Touch method. Tellington TTouch Training is a gentle, respectful method of training that honors the body, mind and spirit of animals and their people and develops trust between humans and animals.

The circular TTouches can reduce fear and pain, enhance cellular function and communication and support the healing potential of the body.

By doing some of the exercises given to us in small moments so as not to overwhelm Amber, we have observed that she can relax her lower end. When utilizing the techniques on her legs, we notice that she “releases” her leg and gives into the relaxation and lets it stay fully extended.

Amber enjoys being outside and around our resident dogs. She mimics their movements, learning what it means to play, chase after sticks, and run free in the yard.  She even took after her resident foster brother and jumped onto the bench on the deck to play “Queen of the deck”. 

We still will sometimes use a tie out leash for her while in the yard, but that is mainly at night when she has to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

Amber has become used to the finer things in life. She fully enjoys sleeping on the bed at night. Such a luxury and treat for her!

Amber is a very sweet dog who will need a home with another confident dog, a schedule that allows more time at home than away so you can bond with her, and a family who is dedicated to continue working with her to help overcome her need to be in “flight mode”. She has the love to give - are you ready to receive it?