Pelli

Fall, 2009 Pelli came to the Animal Shelter as a very young pup. Nurtured by the Shelter staff and FOTAS volunteers who serve as puppy walkers, he spent three months in the Shelter and needed to be more socialized by living in a home, interacting with another dog. Barbara Talbert, FOTAS president, provided a foster home for Pelli. For three weeks, the pup lived with Barbara and her family, including Chaco, her Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and learned about being part of a family. With Barbara's help, the Shelter found and approved a permanent home for Pelli. In December 2009 Barbara had the pleasure of delivering him to his new family. In early 2010, Barbara received this note with an update on the pup now named Ranger.

Our boy is such a delight. He seems to see every day as an adventure, as in what new discoveries can he make in this World of Toys. He loves to go outside and loves to come inside.

He is learning "Ranger", "stay", "fetch", "football", "drop it", and "go outside?". He'll come when he wants to, which is most of the time. He's discovered that the back porch mat, also the old sweatshirts in his doghouse, are great fun to drag around the yard.  He loves to run and is very fast. He cuts corners as well as a trained border collie.

Indoors, he finally wore out his squeaky soccer ball, he loves it so much I got him another one. He's  learned he can unzip the zippers on his bed and get to all the wonderful stuffing it holds within. He's also discovered he can carry a one gallon jug of water around the and if he tosses it, wonderful, wonderful WATER will spill out One thing I have learned is that when things are too quiet it usually means he's discovered something new and it is a good idea to see what he is up to.

He enjoys riding in the car, and has learned to stay in the cargo area while the car is moving. And so far his best canine friend appears to be the biggest and strongest one, my friend's female shepherd/wolf/ mix. He plays better with the larger dogs. As for cats, well, I think they've reached an understanding of tolerance which will have to do. Tasha and the cats never cared for each other, either.

The recent update, June, 2011:
Ranger weighed 57 lbs. when I took him to the Vet's for his check-up and shots a few months ago. He isn't very big but he is very strong, fast and agile. He loves to run. He also loves to fetch and can jump high, he'll catch the ball in the air whenever possible.

Ranger has "Stay" down pat, well, most of the time.  He comes to his name most of the time now, except when he is chasing a bird in the yard or there something he thinks is more important than coming to his name. He is quite an accomplished "harvester of insects", especially moths. He is vocalizing a lot now, especially when he wants something. He still stares with those eyes, I always wonder what he is thinking when he does that.

Ranger’s herding instinct is very strong, he doesn't leave the yard or house unless he is on a leash because he will chase anything that runs or flies away from him, he can't help it. He and the deer will stare at each other [through the fence] for quite a while before the deer get bored and walk away (if they run or even trot away he will start running along the inside of the fence).   He is very protective, an excellent guard dog, but also a wonderful companion. He is at home on the recliner, couch, chair, my bed... Ranger may be a bit spoiled but that is what they are for.

I recently purchased a fairly life-like hand carved wooden, painted quail. I put it up on my little hutch in the hallway where it looked like it belonged. When Ranger saw it for the first time he really reacted, I thought somebody was trying to get in through the bedroom window or something! He was very impressive, definitely letting me know we had an "invader." I took it down, let him sniff it until he realized: 1) it wasn't an intruder, and 2) it wasn't a live bird.

I think Ranger's mind is as active and energetic as he is. He is a very good looking, smart "teen-ager". He is just as magnificent as I always believed he would grow up to be. He isn't very tall, has normal body proportions, but his chest and shoulders are pretty muscular, as are his legs. He face is precious. His eyes are one of a kind. And, he finally grew into his ears (pretty much)!

I've always rewarded him with a bit of cookie when he's let me know he needs to go outside. I noticed he was wanting to go outside quite frequently and I was starting to get concerned. I watched him through the window right after I let him out one time, he raced around the yard once then zipped up the stairs to the back door, ready to come in, quite proud of himself. I let him in and he ran to the cupboard, sat, and waited for his cookie! Smart boy! He hadn't done anything except race around the yard and expect a cookie for it. I don't know how many times he fooled me on that before I caught him at it. Needless to say, we had to work that one out.

Ranger will be 2 yrs. old in a month or so, hard to believe. You guys brought him here almost 1 1/2 years ago.... and  I can't thank you enough. I can't imagine life without my Ranger.