Blaze and Jet: Snuggle Bugs

I’m Blaze, the one on the left. I used to be an only-dog until my parents brought home Jet (they found him through http://www.petfinder.com/). At first we didn’t get along so great – I was a bit jealous of the time he was spending with my parents. As you can see, we’re now the best of friends and love to snuggle together every night and nap. My mom later found some good articles on how she should’ve introduced us that she thought would be good to share with others who might be in the same situation. It would’ve made it a little more comfortable at the time had she done these steps:

1. Make the introduction gradually so that neither of the animals feels too threatened by the encounter.

2. Try feeding the older pet and bringing the new pet into the room slowly while watching the reaction of your older pet (me.)

3. You should allow a first face-to-face encounter but be careful not to get bitten in the middle. (I may have nipped a little, but out of love. Do you believe me? :))

4. Pet, play with and feed both animals just as much the same and try not to show any favoritism so jealousy does not arise.

5. If the older animal does not accept the new pet to the point of playing with it and forming a friendship of their own, at least they will grow to tolerate living with it if you are stern with your rules and behavior control. (I tolerated Jet for a while until I gave in and he became my buddy)

One more I think I would add to this list. I go to Camp Bow Wow regularly for doggy daycare (and boarding if my parents are out of town). That is my favorite place in the whole world and it definitely wears me out by the end of the day! I would suggest that a day at Camp would do wonders if meeting a new sibling that evening. Get the extra energy out so the meeting is of two calm doggies instead of two crazy hyper ones!

I’m glad they brought home Jet – not sure what I would do without that crazy mutt now! He makes a great pillow and keeps me warm (I’m always cold without him – and my sweater!).

Lobster Tails

Hi! I’m Lucy and I’m a 10-month old black lab. I wanted to go to Camp Bow Wow when I was really little, but wasn’t allowed until I turned 4 months old. So I recently heard they have a new in-home pet care service called Home Buddies by Camp Bow Wow – they’ll come stay at your house when your parents are out of town! Wish that existed about 8 months ago! Now I go to camp though and I love it! I started going once a week. Now I get to go 3-4 times a week since my parents are at work all the time and if I don’t get to burn some energy, I tend to destroy things (well, they call it destroying, I call it redecorating). I would never destroy my lobster friend who is in this picture with me – I’ve tried, but I think he’s made of steel. Off to Camp!

Couch Potato

Hi! I’m Reuben – I’m 4 months old! I’m finally old enough to go to Camp and I’m so excited! My mom worked there as a counselor and Camp Scout for a while and she’s excited that I finally get to go to Camp and burn some energy. I may be small, but I’m not afraid of anything and I can take on the big dogs.

My mom gets to take me to work with her sometimes. There’s this other 10-month old puppy named Euli at work – he’s a Bernaise Mountain Dog and probably weighs around 100 pounds – big oaf. Euli thinks he can rough house with me just because he’s big, but I’ve been known to take him down. I have a technique of biting his leg and hanging off his long fur until he surrenders. Recently, we got in a little wrestling match over who gets the comfy dog couch. As you can see from my photo, I won. Watch out world.

I'm Adopted!

You're probably asking yourself, how can anyone give this dog up?! I asked that too because I'm a loving, good and loyal dog and unfortunately, I ended up at a shelter one day when my family had to move and couldn't take me with them. Lucky for me, Camp Bow Wow took me in as their foster dog. So I got to play all day with other dogs and then I slept in my own cabin at night and even got a campfire treat before bedtime! I got lots of love at camp and they were so good at trying to find me a forever home with one of the current camp-goers. They noticed I was really good friends with Lucy, a 6-month old black lab, so they asked Lucy's parents if they would be interested in a brother for Lucy. They were! I went home with them last week and I'm so happy. I still get to go to camp for daycare during the week, so I see all the friends I made at camp, but I get to go home with my new family too, which is the best part. Thanks Camp Bow Wow for finding me a new and permanent home! I'm forever grateful!