| Ellis Age: 4 years State: NY Weight: 65lbs Sex: male Neut/UTD: no/yes Coat Color: Fawn and white Docked Tail: no Cropped Ears: no Children Under 4: no Children over 4: yes Sep anx: No other dogs: yes Cats: unsure House trained: yes Crate trained: NO! leash trained: yes Attending obedience in foster home: No Microchipped: no Adoption donation: $250.00 12/15/04 - Hi Everyone, It's me Ellis. My foster Mom is busy getting ready for Christmas so I decided to take matters into my own paws and send in an update. My foster Mom finally realized that the crate and I will never get along. She allows me to stay in the living room with the other dogs here when she leaves. I have been doing really well and trying to be a good boy. Mom says it's a management issue with me and as long as there is nothing out then I can't be tempted to get into trouble. I know that I am not allowed to chew on furniture or anything like that. It is silly stuff that I am tempted by like tissue boxes, newspaper etc. I guess I just get bored. My foster brothers and sister just lay around like bumps on a log when Mom isn't home. If they would only PLAY with me maybe I wouldn't have to look for something to do. I have put on a few pounds since I got here. I am feeling swell and the food here is great. I always eat my whole bowl then see if the other dogs are going to leave me anything. I am very careful not to steal their food. I only finish up if they walk away from the bowl. Antonio is a messy eater (and slow too) I usually find lots of good stuff on the floor next to his bowl. My foster Mom always says "Ellis, Thanks for cleaning up" Hey, anything I can do to make my foster mom happy!!! Now for the super duper good news my lump was benign. It was a calcium deposit that was allowed to grow and grow. It is been removed and the pathology showed clear margins. That means because my doctor was very careful to remove everything my lump should not come back. My fur is growing back nicely too. I feel wonderful now that my big lump is gone. Mom said something about a neuter then I am ready to go. My foster brothers told me about some guy named Santa Paws. They told me I need to be on my best behavior and that I am not allowed to touch the Christmas Tree or any of those pretty boxes under it. It's been hard but I have not even sniffed it. Apparently very soon I will be getting some gifts for being a good boy. I can hardly wait. I also heard my foster mom and dad talking about something my "Foster Grandma" made me for Christmas. I get that on Sunday since we celebrate Christmas with them early. I will let you know what I get. Maybe I can talk my foster mom into sending some pictures. Well, I guess that's it for now. Wiggles and Slurps, Ellis 11/18/04 Ellis had his surgery on Tuesday to remove that large mass on his hip. He is doing well and seems not to realize he had major surgery. He wants to go back to playing and rough housing with my dogs so keeping him still is a full-time job. We are waiting for the results of his biopsy to see exactly what we are dealing with. Hopefully we will have good news to report! I have also changed Ellis age to 4 years old. My vet feels he is a bit older, not that you can tell by the way he acts. He is super energetic and acts very much like a puppy. Ellis has gotten himself in trouble a few times in the house when we were not home so we are working on crate training again. He is not fond of the crate but is slowly learning to tolerate it. Leaving him with a Cheese filled marrow bone helps. He will definitely need a family where he only needs to be alone for a few hours at a time. Ellis is now completely housebroke. He caught on to that super fast. He is really coming along well in learning rules and manners. It is apparent that had not been in a house much so he needs guidance. Don't get me wrong he is not horribly mannered or anything. He just doesn't always know what's off limits and what's not. He is a super sweet dog with an easy going temperment. Ellis is going to need a patient family who will gently guide him and reinforce the house rules. 10/29/04 Ellis continues to do well. His housebreaking is coming along great. No accidents all day yesterday! The biggest battle that we have overcome is that when I opened the door to let Ellis out he went out but no further than the deck. He wouldn't go out to do his duties. After putting a leash on him and getting him into the grass he learned that the back yard is a fun place. He now promptly goes out and does his business then sniffs and investigates. Whew, glad everything is sinking in. Ellis is very playful now that he has settled in. He plays well with all 3 of my dogs. He does get a bit too rough in the house sometimes but is learning his manners. If he gets too rough with my dogs or they have had enough they will give Ellis a low grumble and he will stop. He is quickly learning the rules of nice play. Ellis is very submissive with the other dogs. He has also figured out how much fun toys are. He helps himself to the toy basket and will play with his finds all by himself. He is doing well uncrated and limited to 3 rooms in the house. I think it is in Ellis best interest to have another dog in his new home. Although he does very well when I am gone he is never truly alone since my 3 dogs are with him. Ellis continues to be great with my 9 year old daughter but is a bit too much for my 2 year old. Ellis would never intentionally hurt a little one but I do feel it's best for him to go to a home with kids 5 and up. Ellis is very good with visitors. No jumping, barking or anything. My mother even let herself in the other day while I was out and Ellis was fine (he had not met her yet). If you are looking for a guard dog Ellis is not the boy for you. My mom said he was super friendly. We have been working on some basic obedience and Ellis is very good and sit,down and coming when I call him. He has learned that he las to sit for his meals, treats, attention etc. and is doing very well. It was hard for him the first few days, it was apparent his previous home had no rules. Luckily Ellis will do whatever it takes to make his people happy! 10/24/04 - It has been a few days since Ellis arrived and we have gotten to know him a good bit better. He is a super sweet boy is good with my family and all visitors. He rarely barks, usually only if he gets over excited. He is eating like a champ and mastering some basic obedience commands. I do believe that Ellis spent quite a bit of time outside. I had to give him a bath his first night here (not only was he stinky but he had fleas). The gunk inside his ears was horrible it smelled like kerosene it literally had me gagging. He rinse water was also dark brown, seems this boy was not very well taken care of. Despite all of that his peronality shines. Ellis does not take well to crating, he really banged up his face in a desperate attempt to get out (which worked, he some how managed to remove the crate door). We will be limiting Ellis' access to certain areas of the house while we are gone and see how that goes. He is good about not getting into anything while we are home so hopefully he will do the same while we are out. Ellis' only "fault" which is not a biggie is that he is not housebroke. We have had much improvement over the past few days and it does seem he is catching on very quickly. He sleeps on the dog bed in my bedroom at night and is very good. He is also very good with the other dogs including my dominant male Boxer. I would have no reservations about him being adopted to a home with another dog. He really is a happy dog. If you even look at him he starts wagging his tail. We he gets very excited his tail goes in a circle instead of back and forth. It is funny...... I promise Ellis will add some comic relief to his new home. 10/21/04 - I went to a local shelter today with the help of another SCBR volunteer (thanks Jeri!) and picked up my new foster boy. He is an very handsome fawn boy with natural ears and a natural tail. He has some white on his neck,chest and chin as well as white on all 4 paws. He rode very well on his way to his foster home and explored the yard for awhile before coming in. After sniffing around the house for a bit he settled down for a nap on his dog bed. My 9 year old daughter came home from school and he acted as if he was reunited with his long lost best friend. My daughter decided to name him Ellis (I have no idea how she came up with that). They absolutely love each other. Not that Ellis doesn't love everyone. I went to see him at the shelter yesterday (he was not cleared to go until today) and took him for a walk. Ellis walked up to everyone with his tail going a mile a minute. He is a friendly dog. Ellis needs to be neutered and have a lump removed from his hip then he will be ready for his forever home. He is a real nice dog..... stay tuned for more updates once we get to know him better. |
 |
 |