It’s time for an update; it's been too long, so grab your favorite beverage and let’s chat.
Rusty has shown us he has a silly side, a fun side, a cuddle-bug side, a scared side, and a me side. So what does that mean for you, his potential forever home? It means Rusty is a wonderful, funny, loving boy that sometimes needs a little bit more understanding and just a little bit more patience. But boy, is he worth it. He continually makes us laugh and puts a smile on our faces every day. Here are some examples of his many sides:
Rusty the silly side: As I’m typing this update, Rusty has draped his body over my legs and is trying to get me to play with him. He is tossing his ball on the floor, and when I reach down and give it back, he tosses it back on the floor. If the ball gets too far away (meaning mom can’t reach it), he will hop down, retrieve the ball, and resume the position. If our boy, Brody, decides to see what is going on, Rusty will stick the ball in his face and try to get Brody to join in. (OMG - I’m running out of the room.) Obviously, he has Foster Mom well trained. In the end, when you want the silliness to stop, Rusty is very good at either “no” or “down” and the game is over.
Rusty is a wonderful passenger in the car too. He would prefer to sit on your lap in the front seat, instead of being in the back by himself, but doesn’t complain. Don’t be surprised, though, if he wants to see where you’re going, or just check to make sure everything is okay up front. He loves, I mean really loves, when we talk to him. He gets this goofy look on his face. Be prepared, when you sit down, he won’t be far behind to rest his head on your lap for lots of pets, and don’t forget the kisses .... two of his most favorite things.
Rusty the fun side: Rusty loves to play fetch and will share this play time with our resident dogs. I would encourage you to have more balls than dogs, though, because it’s absolutely nonstop motion. Rusty happily anticipates the next ball to be thrown even before he gets back to your side. There is no “drop” or “give” necessary during this game, simply show him the next ball and he drops immediately .... very convenient. He is fantastic at catch too - throw the ball in the air and he will come off the ground (full body acrobats) and catch the ball in midair. Rusty is also very good at playing by himself, of course only if no one wants to play with him. He will toss a ball, ring, or rubber dumbbell (no soft toys - Rusty will tear them apart and try to eat the remains) in the air and jump up to catch it, then toss it again and again. He has amazing ability to catch with his front paws ... it’s just so funny.
Have you ever had a dog that hates the vacuum cleaner? Not Rusty. No matter where he is in the house, as soon as I start to vacuum ... he comes running. He does not bite, lunge, or growl at it. Oh no, he will run around it, hop over it, or play bow at it, like it’s his own personal game. Rusty turns my vacuum time into his playtime.
Rusty the cuddle-bug side: Recently, Foster Mom was under the weather and took time out to lie on the couch. Rusty does not usually get on the furniture, not that he won’t if you invite him. As I was snuggled in my blanket, here comes Rusty, hops into the only space available and snuggles in to help me feel better.
Rusty loves it when my son comes home from college and he gets a little extra snuggle time. When you sit in the recliner, Rusty will stand at the side of the chair, place his front legs on your lap and leave his back legs on the floor. After a little wait, to see if everything is okay, Rusty will lift one back leg and slowly put it on the chair, leaving his other back leg on the floor. After another little wait, checking to see if everything is still okay, Rusty will finally squeeze his other back leg onto the chair and wiggle his way completely onto your lap. It doesn’t take long and his head is resting comfortably, and content snoring begins. It is quite the process and so much fun to watch. Aaahhh, life is good!
Rusty the scared side: This is defiantly the side we are seeing less and less, but it will take time for him to know everything in his world is okay. When Rusty first arrived, a loud sneeze would cause him to shake a little. If someone would raise their voice or sound angry, it would cause him to shake a little. If you would raise your hand a little too fast, it would cause him to shake a little. All of this has gone away, but don’t be surprised if you see some of this behavior. Rusty takes his time to feel completely at home. Rusty will require a fence - he doesn’t like being on a tie-out. We had the unpleasant experience of Rusty dashing out the garage door when my son and his friend came home and the dogs were coming in from playing outside. Although it looked like Rusty would come home when our residents came running back, he looked scared, like he was going to get in trouble. Unfortunately, when my son ran toward him, it just made Rusty run farther away. It took Foster Mom and Dad to get in the car, stop in the middle of the country road, get out to coax him close, open the car door, then let Rusty jump in by himself. Happy ending .... scared Foster Mom. Another example: At his first RAGOM event, he grumbled often during the first hour; however, at his second event, he walked right in and only grumbled when a dog would get right in his face - who could blame him. Would you want someone to get right in your face? Obviously, Rusty uses his grumble (it’s not a growl with teeth) to tell you he needs a little space. As soon as we move him away from the other dog’s nose, he is fine. Other dogs can be sitting next to him, walking by him, laying at his feet, or sniffing him, and there is nothing .... he just doesn’t like his first meeting to be the in-your-face type of hello. Honestly, it’s usually best for dogs to say hello slowly.
Rusty the me side: Rusty has the Only Child Syndrome. Of course, why wouldn’t he - he was the only dog with not a lot of socialization. When he first arrived, he had no concept of sharing, and every toy and petting hand belonged to him. We have only had one disagreement, and that was from our Brody when Rusty thought he could take a toy away. Because I believe dogs need to communicate, I don’t immediately jump in. During this disagreement, there were no teeth, only loud growling, which I ended with a loud “hey, knock it off” ... that’s all it took. Rusty even came running to me, almost as if to say “I’m sorry.” We have been working hard every day on sharing. I am happy to report we have all the hard toys laying around the house and there are no arguments. In fact, today, when they came in from outside, Brody grabbed one ball and Rusty grabbed a different ball, and they met ball to ball with tails wagging. This is significant because not only did Rusty not try to take the other ball away, but he happily walked away with his own. Sure, training takes some time, but Rusty has only been with us for four weeks - that’s amazing!! Rusty quickly learned the “leave it” command so all we’ve had to do is tell him “leave it” if it looks like he is going to try to take a toy away. He is such a smart boy and wants so much to please you.
Let me tell you, if we ever decide to have three resident dogs, we would want one just like Rusty. If you think you might be the right forever family for Rusty, contact your Placement Advisor and we'll talk. I love talking about our boy.
Come say hello to Rusty on March 9th at the Rochester Feed and Country Store.
