I'm checkin' in to give y'all an update. I'm still at Camp Erwin and my foster Mom is just keeping me so busy!

Yesterday was the Fourth of July! My Foster Mom and Dad and some nice people ate in the back yard under the big tree! It was fun watchin' them and we got to have a little steak! (we had to show off all of our tricks first, though). I know how to sit, now, pretty well! Every body cheered me when I did it! When the big boomers in the sky went off, though, I didn't like it. My foster mom let me into my nice safe crate in the bed room and I was happy there.

Today, My foster Mom took me to Doggy Day Care. My foster Dad is going to the city most of the day and he didn't want me to be stuck in the crate all day. Besides, she wanted the Doggy Day Care person to temperament test me to make sure that I will be able to play with the other dogs there. I don't think that I'll have a problem with it at all and My foster mom says not to worry because everybody there liked me a lot when I stayed there the weekend when my foster Ps went out of town.

Tomorrow I'm going to have my first 'beedience lesson! I think it'll be fun. Trudy says that Laura, the teacher, is really nice! My foster Mom says that education is a good thing. Maybe, if I do good, I can do 'jilidy like Trudy and Grace! My foster Mom says I jump really pretty like a...well...fawn!

Oh, by the way, I have been really good about staying in the house and the yard when I'm s'pose to. My foster Mom says that a good girl should always have manners! I guess I'm getting manners like Trudy and Grace. (although I have better manners walking on the leash then them - tra la)


I do know "stay" when my foster Mom and Dad go through the doorway and want me to stay put. My foster Ps watch me like a hawk when I'm in the yard. That darn zap monster has put a real kink in my exploring. I like my yard though. There's lots of things to do!


P.S.

Hi, everybody, this is Fauna's Foster Mom! I have to say that Fauna is a very special dog with many great attributes. She has a lovely temperament and is socially adept with both people and other dogs. She loves her soft sided crate and goes there with the door open to rest and get away from the hustle and bustle.

She has one small flaw: Fauna can be quite the little explorer. She's fine inside and respects you when you take her through a door and doesn't rush in front of you when you open it. But, she likes to check if there are any places in the yard where she could possible squeeze through and has a reputation for being a fence climber. Once she knows that she is contained, though, she is content and happy. My husband feels that if she solidly bonded with a person and became acclimated at a new home (remember, this can take 6 months of more - patience is very important with a rescued dog), her exploring would lessen.

We have trained her on the PetSafe Instant Fence. (click for more information) I know that when most people think of an e-fence, they think of $$$ and in-ground installation of wires and paraphernalia. This e-fence is virtually plug and play, portable, and inexpensive.

We take it with us to our cabin in Central Michigan, and our beach house down on the gulf front in Alabama. It works from a car or an RV as well, and it cost less than $300.00. When we go to a new location we plug it in, set the distance, put out a few flags to mark the perimeter and walk the girls around with their collars on so they know where the boundaries are and that is it! The only disadvantage is that the transmitter transmits in an adjustable circle (90' dia. to 180' dia.) and you cannot custom design the boundaries.

We still check on them in the yard and we don't leave them out all day, but we know that there are no places for them to dig under, jump over or squeeze through. Fauna has not escaped the yard at all since we have taught her about the "zap monster". It's been a valuable tool for us and our two (three, including Fauna), energetic, prey-driven bird dogs.