Dara/Kerbey...
Here is an update on Kerbey (previously Dara), complete with updated photos.
We are just loving her!!!
Well, we have renamed Dara. She goes by Kerbey now. We had a tough time coming
up with a name that fit her, but this one did the trick. So Kerbey is growing
and learning and is such a blast to have around! We started training with her
the first week we brought her home. She is learning quickly and is so smart,
but we're still having to work on socializing her. The trainer thinks she might
have a "confidence problem". She just takes some time to warm up to other dogs.
And especially with the big ones, she likes to act like she's tougher and bigger
than they are. :) She and our cat are doing okay... not friends just yet but
they can be together. Kerbey just gets so excited and wants to play and it kind
of freaks the cat out. She is DEFININITELY going to be a water dog! I pulled
out the kiddie pool in our backyard and she took to it in no time. Andy has
taken her to some parks with water and she dives right in and loves it! She
has certainly grown since arriving here, but is still on the small. We took a
trip to the vet to get a check up and he told us we'd be lucky if she got to 40
lbs. Other people tell us they think she'll be pretty big- I guess time will
tell. One thing that is unanimous is how cute she is! Everyone comments on what
a pretty dog she is, wherever we go. We couldn't agree more! Thanks so much to
GRR and the foster family that took such good care of our new addition until we
found her! We really appreciate all of you guys!
Andy and Jen
Update 10/10/08
Wow! Look at Miss Dara now. She is a
"big girl" at age 5 months and as cute as a button and doing super in foster
care. Here's the latest report:
Dara is housebroken and very reliable! She knows how to ask to go outside by
standing politely at the door. She's crate trained and as good as gold in her
"room"-she stays there when we aren't at home, and spends the night there, too.
If you tell her to go to her crate, she will. She does not even need a treat! At
night, she cuddles on a blanket, but once she wakes up, she drags the blanket
out of the crate and leaves it alone. I guess she is "making her crate" for the
day.
Dara loves kids. She's very happy with them and will calm down if a child
corrects her. My children have been working with her on receiving loveŠ she'll
settle down to let the kids pet her. She plays well with other dogs-even if a
dog growls at her, she still tries to make nice. She's a good car rider, and I
think she'd love to play in waterŠ she sure loves to play in her water bowl! As
for retrievingŠ wellŠ not interested. "You threw it, YOU go get it." (: She does
like to act like the boss when she has a toy, though! She prances into the room
with her head high and her tail up, ready to play.
Dara is just a puppy, so she does have times each day where she just HAS to chew
something. We put her in her crate with a chewy toy, let her get her "fix," and
let her out. Completely different dog.
This little gal LOVES to climb furniture. She is often found on our patio table.
I also found her on an end table-she calmly climbed up on a rocking chair, and
from there to the end table. She is a very smart girl!
Dara is probably too zippy for toddlers, but she'd do great with older kids or a
energetic dog friend-or both!
Nearly midnight. A strange rustling in the shrubbery. The homeowner came out to
investigate… nothing there… but then she looked up and saw a tiny puppy sitting
in the open garage. Where on earth had she come from? No clue. No collar, no
tags, no chip… and not much care, either, from the looks of it. Just 10 weeks
old, the friendly little girl had lots of hair loss, terrible itching (she kept
rubbing herself against the ground to scratch), sore spots oozing beads of
blood… likely puppy mange plus fleabite dermatitis. The shelter didn’t want to
risk her coming down with kennel cough on top of everything else—so GRR fostered
her until her stray hold was up 5 days later, at which point she became a GRR
dog lock, stock, and barrel!
Unlike Dara Torres, our little Dara isn’t a champion athlete yet—but she
certainly has Olympic-size personality and charm! Her foster mom reports, “Her
skin and itching are greatly improved. I think her hair is growing back, too!
She will finish a course of steroids and antibiotics next week. She’s a fun,
happy puppy who is smart and eager to please. She is learning SIT. We are
teaching her not to mouth—like all pups, she likes to ‘feel’ everything
(including your fingers) with her teeth. She’s learning to potty outside; she
does great when we keep her in an area like the kitchen with a hard floor, but
she still has a few accidents when playing on carpet. She likes to play fetch,
enjoys romping with other dogs, and is quite active. All in all, she’s a typical
puppy—cute (and getting cuter!), bouncy, having a great time.”