The 2012 Rescue Odyssey

He will be 11 on 10/31/12, had 1.5 years agility training, but couldn’t take pressure of showing. Walks well on leash, had a little bit of showing, big bold dog. Boo is adapting well to his new foster home.

11/3/12 – Boo went to his new forever home in Washington today! He’ll live with Marie and another Pumi.

11/17/12 – Boo now answers to his name. He is playing with toys and even carried a small stuffed soccer ball on his walk this morning! He walks confidently on a leash right next to his new owner without any pulling. He is a dear and loves rubbing his head on the couch and his owner almost like he is part goat!

11/6/16 – Boo celebrated his 15th birthday on Halloween!!! Although most of his hearing is gone and some of his sight and maybe he has a bit of dementia – He is doing great! He loves to dance a little jig when he is outside! He also loves to hop sideways! He is as cute as ever. His health is fabulous. He overcame being emaciated and the yeast infection on his skin that had him in a cone for the better part of two years. He enjoys, well tolerates, acupuncture for this condition and other allergies. He has the love and friendship of dear Ziggy, another Pumi in the house. (Marie/Molly moved to San Diego the Spring of 2015).  “He is truly a blessing to our family.” writes his owner.

12 years old, old lady of the group, mother of most, loves to herd sheep, (although a little old for that), can be intense when after something (like vermin ), quite shy in new situations. She has had years of agility training, but was never shown, couldn’t take the pressure of new places. Zsazsa is adjusting to her new foster home. She’s got a little arthitis, so doesn’t move around too fast and likes to check everything out.

11/3/12 – Zsazsa went to her forever home today. She will be living with some Bichon Frises in Oregon.

11/17/12 – Zsa Zsa is taking her time to adjust. For the first week she was too frightened to so much as make eye contact. However although she still has tremendous trepidation, but will make eye contact and will accept pats and loves. She has found her “safe place” on top of about 10 dog pads that are located on the lowest shelf of my grooming room. They think she likes it there because of all the padding and because it is right next to the doggie door. She seems to enjoy watching the Bichons race in and out of it all day and night. Her appetite has been great and she has not had a single accident in the house.

7 year old silver female, the only girl in the litter, she was the one that played with everyone. Her foster home reports that she is very good in the house – runs to the door when she says “potty”, then does her business and comes back in.

11/3/12 – Today Marie went to her forever home in Washington to live with old housemate Boo and another Pumi.

11/18/12 – Marie (now Molly) comes up to her new mom and looks right at her to say good morning and to welcome her home from work. She isn’t too sure about all this toy business though. She is learning to walk on a leash without pulling and frightens with street noise but is coming along nicely. With some coaxing she will come close enough for a good pet and seems to enjoy it.

8 year old small black female, very sweet, loves to sit in your lap, and to try to get you to feed her cookies. She had a ruff patch in her life, but bounced back. Pixie is still at the shelter because she’ll be spayed shortly and needs a few small fatty tumors removed, too.

10/30/12 – The Oregon Humane Society came and picked her up, so she’ll be available there.

10/31/12 – Pixie got spayed today. She is doing well.

11/3/12 – Pixie was groomed today, then we checked her out of the Oregon Humane Society. Tuesday, Pixie will be going to her new home!

11/6/12 – Pixie’s arrived at her new home in Arizona!

11/16/12 – Pixie’s owners report that she continues to blossom and is doing great!

11/18/12 – Pixie’s forever home had been prepared for several weeks of integration into the family, but already she has really settled in, has bonded with them and is bonding with their other dogs. They are fascinated by the intelligence that she shows and the ways that she shows it.  Her name is now BunnyBear.

6/26/18 – BunnyBear passed on, surrounded by her family.

9 years old, large white female, likes to sleep under your covers with you. Allergic to fleas. From the Clackamas County Animal Shelter’s website: “My wish includes kind people who understand my breed and the needs of a mature lady like me. I am shy, so you will not see rowdy behavior when we meet. I get along with other dogs, and I am quickly learning how to walk with a leash. House training needed. To stay beautiful, I will need consistent brushing and grooming. A warm soft bed, gentle attention, and a loving home are all part of my wish. Please make my wish come true.”

11/4/12 – A person filed an application to adopt Gezzell! She will be going to her new home on Wednesday.

11/7/12 – Gezzell went to her new home!

3/16/13 – Chris received an email from a new Pumi owner – evidently Gezzell had changed hands again. The new owner said Gezell has now found her forever home! Chris will be grooming her and bringing the new owner into the Pumi fold in a few days.

6/24/13 – Chris groomed Gezzell today and she’s doing very well.

8 year old silver male, loves to play fetch and tug, very sweet and lovable.

10/30/12 – Moved to the Oregon Humane Society.

11/3/12 – Got groomed today.

11/7/12 – Surfer got adopted today from the shelter!!!!

8 year old black and tan female, always in the middle of things, loves to go out hunting for vermin, very strong willed

10/30/12 – Moved to the Oregon Humane Society.

11/3/12 – Got groomed today!

11/16/12 – Harmony was adopted today!!!

7 year old dark gray male, likes to collect toys and store them in crates, likes to sleep under the desk. His foster home reports that he is very good in the house – runs to the door when she says “potty”, then does his business and comes back in. He loves her dog beds and laying around in the house. He especially likes going for walks.

11/4/12 – His foster home says she thinks he doesn’t see too well and needs another dog in the house to help him get around.

11/10/12 – His foster owner says he doesn’t relate well to people, but does get along with other dogs.

11/13/12 – Fly found a place where he can be on his own without other dogs.

8 year old small black female, has agility training, loves to sleep under your covers with you, but she sometimes will chew on the corners of the blanket. Splash was spayed on Monday and then went to her foster home. She is fitting in well there and is playing quietly with the other Pumi in the household. They report that she would love to be a lap dog. She is housebroken. She has a “take me home” face now that she’s been groomed.

11/16/12 – Loveable Splash has been adopted by her foster home!

9 years old, has a lot of obedience and agility training, small petite female, likes to run things, always ready to go. May not fit in with other dogs.

11/17/12 – Sprite has a new forever home! She’ll be going in the next few days!

11/20/12 – Sprite went to her forever home today. She’ll be living in the Portland area.

7 year old small dark gray male,  barks when excited (like at feeding time) very sweet boy.

10/26/12 – Jive was transferred to the Multnomah County Animal Shelter.

11/4/12 – Jive is in transition to his new foster home in Seattle. He was fairly outgoing at the shelter, but in a home situation is quite intimidated by all the changes in his life.

11/8/12 – Jive went to his foster home today. His foster owner reports that he is very shy, and ignores their other dog.

11/17/12 – Jive is cautious and working on gaining his confidence. He is very good when they put his leash on and hops down to trot at their feet once it’s on. He loves walks, even though he doesn’t seem interested in sniffing anything. He just likes to follow his doggy instinct to walk. It’s hard to get him to come down from the couch. This morning they brought him to get pets in bed and he realized he really liked it there and kept sticking his head under her hand for more pets, even got a tail thump which is big for him. He’s pretty treat motivated and will sit right next to the bigger dog while they trade off getting treats, and even hung around a few minutes for pets before retreating back to his couch. She had lady friends over for sewing work and he begged for pets from whoever sat on the couch next to him. Jive has the biggest, deepest eyes that look right into you and touch your heart, and he just wants you to touch him and give him your love… and some walkies and treatsies.

11/24/12 – Jive walked home with his new owners today who live just a few blocks from his foster home.They’ve been wanting a Pumi for years, and now they have one!

8/10/13 – Jive and his people came to the Oregon Pumi Party today. He was fine off leash and stuck with his family. They report that he really loves going on adventures.

7 year old large silver male, bold, will climb half way in your lap for attention

10/30/12 – Moved to the Oregon Humane Society.

11/3/12 – Bet got groomed today. He’s a very easy-going dog.

11/16/12 – Foxy and Bet have been moved to an adoption facility called Lexi Dog at 6100 SW Macadam, Portland, OR 97219. Phone 503.245.4363.

11/17/12 – Foxy and Bet have been moved back to the Oregon Humane Society because both have kennel cough and they can get treatment there.

12/5/12 – Bet was adopted from the Oregon Humane Society!!

7 year old large silver male, very soft, doesn’t ask for much attention.

10/26/12 – Gene was transferred to the Multnomah County Animal Shelter.

11/4/12 – Gene went to his foster home near Portland today where he’ll be living with two other Pumis.

11/7/12 – Gene got his hair cut and is getting along with his two playmates. He’s in the red harness above.

11/16/12 – Gene’s foster home reports that he likes to go outside with the other dogs, he adores one of the Pumik, and he runs with her, and is very rough and tumble with her.  The other Pumi tolerates him, mostly ignores him, and when outside barks at him.  Gene goes on leash to the park, and is getting more used to it.  He loves to meet the people and dogs, and greets everyone nicely. He does not like the street or the cars. He lets her wipe his feet, brush him, etc.  Gene likes to lay his head on their lap when they are eating at the table or at the computer. He has claimed one couch, and doesn’t get on any other furniture.  He has become quite playful, and loves a toy squirrel and will chase it, return it and drop it next to you for the next toss.  He loves back scratches, and massage.  He goes right into his crate asked.  He is very loving, and likes to follow her all over.  He is house broken. He still gets that skittish look when he is startled with anything abrubt. They have seen a lot of improvement over the 2 weeks.

12/11/12 – Gene is going to live in Washington! He’ll be transferred from his foster home to his forever home soon! Gene got a new name, Sherlock, and a loving home.

1/26/13 – Just when Sherlock was adjusting nicely, he bolted away. Eva was getting him out of the back of her car in her driveway when he was frightened by truck passing by and the driver honked the horn. Eva lives on a quiet street with very little traffic. It was a fluke…bad timing. Sherlock spooked, Eva grabbed his collar, he twisted his body, and it slipped over his head. He was gone, still wearing a glow-in-the-dark collar and a red harness.

Eva did all the right things, contacted animal control, canvassed the neighborhood, posted fliers, and knocked on doors. Weeks went by. Every other day she visited animal control to see if he showed up. A friend also checked the book where pictures were taken of dogs that were hit on the roads were kept, so owners of these unfortunate creatures could have closure.

3/1/13 – Eva got a call from animal control. They had just received a call from a woman who had Eva’s dog in her sun porch. Sherlock was easily identifiable by his glow-in-the-dark collar and red harness. This woman lives about 12 miles from Eva, at the tip of Johnson Point, in Boston Harbor (WA). Apparently, Sherlock had wandered until he ran out of land…no place else to go.

Just how Sherlock got in the yard to take in some sun in the woman’s sun porch is a mystery. You see the woman had a 6-ft fenced yard with no gate. He could have jumped, but after being on his own for 6 weeks, he’s pretty much a rack of bones. Sherlock wandered in the opening from the yard to the sun porch that her dogs use. Her dogs were gone with her husband, out of town for a few days.

When the woman tried to approach Sherlock, he backed away. So intelligently, she closed him in the sun porch and called animal control. Eva came a few hours later to pick him up. Sherlock was very happy to see Eva, to say the least. I know Eva was happy to see him.

It’s funny how one series of unfortunate events turned into a series of fortunate ones. A friendly house, an empty yard, an open dog door, and a place to soak in the sun. Not to mention, a wise person who knew not to chase or grab at a strange dog.

It’s nice when you have a story to tell that has a happy ending. Sherlock and Eva are back together, Sherlock a little worse for the wear. But Eva says his tail is up, curled over his back and his ears are forward. This boy is happy to be home!

7 year old black male with erect ears. He’s very shy, and doesn’t ask for attention.

10/30/12 – Moved to the Oregon Humane Society.

11/3/12 – Foxy got groomed today. He’s very shy and submissive. His coat is very unlike a Pumi – it’s thick and coarse, so will be easy to take care of.

11/16/12 – Foxy and Bet have been moved to an adoption facility called Lexi Dog at 6100 SW Macadam, Portland, OR 97219. Phone 503.245.4363.

11/17/12 – Foxy and Bet have been moved back to the Oregon Humane Society because both have kennel cough and they can get treatment there. Some Pumi owners have been visiting with them and report that although Foxy is shy, he will put his paw on you to make sure you keep petting him.

12/5/12 – Foxy was adopted, but it only lasted a day, unfortunately. Evidently he peed in the house. It’s going to take awhile for these dogs to adapt to a new home, and that sort of thing is to be expected. He’ll need a very understanding home to help him adjust.

6/29/14 – From Foxy’s new owners: Ralph’s adoption story is fun to tell. I was browsing the Humane Society website, looking for a lizard for my son. It seems they don’t have lizards, but in my search the cutest dog face I have ever seen appeared on my screen. It was Fox. I clicked on his picture and learned that he was a Pumi. My family knew about the breed because our older son, as a toddler, nicknamed his newborn brother Pumi, for no apparent reason. At one point we googled “Pumi” to see if it was a name in any language and learned about the dog. We had never met one in real life, though, so I went to the shelter right away for this special opportunity.

Fox was the last of the Pumik. All the others had been adopted. I think people were afraid that he would never cheer up. When I first met Fox he was trembling uncontrollably and leaned away from me when I would try to pet him. However, once in a while he would reach out his paw and tentatively place it on my arm or leg so that I knew he wanted attention. I spent about two hours with Fox and fell in love with him. I told my husband all about him and we adopted Fox right away. Unfortunately on our way home my old pickup broke down in the left lane of I-5 during rush hour traffic. Fox was pretty scared with all the noise of the freeway overpasses while we waited for a tow truck.

Despite the rugged start Fox made it home. It seemed like he’d never been in a house before. He didn’t know how to walk on our wood floors. He didn’t know how to use the stairs. He would not explore the house, but stayed about five feet from the front door at all times. The only thing he liked at first was going for walks. In the beginning I was the only one Fox would trust and my boys were upset that the dog didn’t like them and that he was so boring. I told them to be patient because he’d had a hard life and would need time to recover.

My boys renamed their dog “Ralph”. We called him “Foxy Ralph” for a while so he could adjust to his new name. We didn’t realize at first that Ralph’s tail would curl because he spent the first two months with it tucked between his legs. We thought he was mute because it took several months for him to make a sound. It was nine months before he let out a full bark. His first summer we learned that Ralph loves camping and hiking. He was a bit afraid of the water but figured out how to swim. He learned to sit, roll over and find hidden treats with no problem. It took a bit longer but we’ve taught Ralph to fetch as well. He loves learning new things. The best part of all is that Ralph doesn’t shake with fear, but snuggles up to all the members of our family now. People say he looks years younger than he did at first.

7/28/14 – Pictures of Ralph now.

8/19/14 – Today Ralph had some major needed dental work done, and the HPCA helped with the large bill for this work. His owners report that he came through the anesthesia just fine and is eating.