Sammy

I got an email last week from the foster coordinator asking if I could take Sammy, a beagle from Thursday until Saturday.  I said yes!  This was the photo they had sent to me.

 From the photo I assumed he was older... as they had not given me an age... but when I met him, I knew he was pretty young.  

When I first met him he didn't care who I was... he needed to go to the bathroom so all he cared about was that I was taking him outside.  After he went to the bathroom he started to be curious about me... and was very friendly.  

Something I had learned from Knots was that having a crate in my truck was not very convenient.  I didn't want to have to move the crate to and from my house in order to take the dog someplace and I didn't think it was realistic that I would practice that if I got a dog... but I do have an idea of what I would want from  a dog when in the truck.  I prefer the dog be in the back seat and need the dog to be secure so that I won't be distracted.  The back seats of my truck fold up and I thought that I could secure a dog using a leash that goes into the seat belt buckle.  So I bought these from Amazon: 

They are listed here on this link: Click Here

 It worked well!  Sammy quickly learned he couldn't wander and while he whimpered at first because he couldn't get to me, he settled down and was very calm when we were in the truck.  

Sammy has way more energy than Knots did!  He jumps, would leap from what seemed like joy, and was a character!  I posted a video to my facebook page, but don't have good luck sharing videos on blogs.. so I apologize you don't get to see him at his finest!  (Maybe I will start to post some videos on youtube to link them.. we shall see!) 

After playing and walking (he loved walking and I really enjoyed walking him!)  He, as a beagle, is very motivated by his nose... following any and all smells. I am surprised that I liked having him around and walking him as much as I did because he, like Knots, is a small dog.  I am not that knowledgeable about beagles, but if there are mini beagles, he may have been in that category.  

This is him after we had been on a walk, very relaxed...

Friday we got up and I took him outside to go to the bathroom.  My neighbor was outside and we greeted each other.  He asked if I had gotten a new dog and I explained that I was fostering.  I was surprised that as we moved closer to my neighbor, Sammy pulled back and barked.  My neighbor squatted down and spoke softly to Sammy.  He shook but approached my neighbor and accepted some affection...and eventually his tail started going... but he was still shaking... so maybe men make him nervous, or maybe it was just a new person... but either way he warmed up quickly which was nice to see... 

 I wasn't going to be home all day so he was left in his kennel, and by all appearances he did well.  This was a good lesson for me because I was worried dogs would hate it, but he seemed relaxed when I came home... so we went outside so he could go to the bathroom and then we got in the truck and headed to the beach.  

I assumed, being from Puerto Rico that he would love the beach.. but he was nervous.  I got the impression it was his first time at a beach... he was unsteady on the looser sand and when each wave crashed he was startled and moved further away from the water... I tried to reassure him but he continued to whimper and be nervous, so I stopped on a set of stairs for a few minutes and gave him a lot of attention and as he watched the water and smelled the air he seemed to calm a bit.  

Then I snuggled him a bit... and he seemed better...

So we tried again, walking on the beach...and he did great! He still walked away from the water when he heard the waves crash... I am sure that his pawprints left a funny pattern...straight then a bit outside, then straight... 

He was pretty energetic when we got back to the house, which surprised me.  I thought he would be tired, but we played a bit... for some reason chasing ice cubes was more fun than toys.  (learned accidentally when I dropped one!)  

As we relaxed on the couch later if I stopped petting him he would lick my hand and nibble on my fingers.. not aggressively, very gently... I need to learn more about that... it wasn't aggressive... but annoying... 

Sammy is a sweet dog... I really liked his size and his desire to walk.  He shed a lot, which I wonder is a breed thing... he would have made a good kayaking pal, sizewise...but I think his nose would make it hard for him to relax in a kayak... 

I took him to the shelter this morning, and learned he is going to be staying at a satellite adoption site, at an Inn...where potential adopters can meet him and inn guests will be allowed to take him for a walk if they want to.  The shelter said this is the place where the dogs are pampered... I hope so, he deserves it.  It was easier to drop him off than it had been with Knots... but had him for such a short time.. and he is a he! 

I wonder who I will get to foster next?