The inevitable phone call on a Tuesday morning in December: someone dropped off a 2 yr old male and his four 6 week old  puppies at a shelter in Martinsburg, WV.  Do you have room?  I could take in the puppies.  We hadn't had puppies for about a year and I think the household had recovered from the deluge of 15 puppies in 6 months.  But I could not make promises about the male.  I called Puller for  the number to our kennel and both of us tried all day with no response.  I finally decided that if the father was nice, we would take him no matter what and look for a place to put him afterward, so we loaded the van with a 700 crate for the dad and a 500 for the puppies.   Charlie and I set off the next morning to pick up the puppies, periodically trying to get hold of  Stacey at the kennel.  No answer, no response to our messages either landline or cell phone.  We arrived at the shelter, which was closed, but had volunteers working who had been notified that we were coming.  I got out of the van and went inside to check out the puppies and dad while Charlie hung out to see where to park for easiest loading.  I saw the dad and puppies in the same run.  He was BIG and so were the pups, who were obviously older than 6 weeks  as he was obviously older than 2 years.  He leaned against the chain link of the run and I scratched him.  When I stopped, he pawed at me to continue.  He was petrified and wanted out now!!  Of course we would take him with the puppies..I could not leave him there after meeting him.  I went out to show Charlie where to park and he said Stacey had called and was having phone problems, but would be able to take Daddy dog.  I don't think I have ever felt so relieved in my life !!! We put the puppies in the smaller crate..which they filled to capacity.  Dad was very scared.  He did not want to get into the crate in the car, so Charlie just lifted him up and put him in.  NO argument, growling or any other adverse reaction to being stuffed into a crate. We trundled off to the wilds of Myersville ,Md to take dad to his new quarters and then home to Woodbridge.  Whew !  long day's journey, but all weathered the travel well.

OSAMU

I was living happily in West Virginia with my female companion when our owner loaded me and my four offspring in the back of his pickup truck and took off.  What is going on??  It was cold outside and my pups were even colder in the back of the truck.  He took us to a place and put me and my shivering pups  in a small chain link enclosed area next to a building.  A person came out of the building, he signed some paperwork for her, and left us there.   She took my pups inside the building and I was alone.  Why was I here?  What had I done to be abandoned like this? I could hear other dogs barking inside and what they were saying was terrifying.   Later I was taken inside where the nice people let me hang out a bit in the office area and rubbed my tummy.  I was then put in a cement and chain link indoor run with my puppies.   I kept trying to reassure them that all was and would be well, that a mistake had been made and we would be home again soon.   But I could not reassure myself.  The info I was getting told me that this was not the best place to be.   A lady came by and said they had called "rescue"  who would probably take us out of here.   Good !!!  maybe she would take us home!!!  We spent the night  there in the cement run.  It was getting harder to reassure my little ones that all would be well.  Midday, a lady came in and started talking softly to me, telling me things would be okay.  I leaned against the chain link and she scratched me, hitting all the right spots.  When she stopped, I pawed at her, wanting more scratching, more reassurance.  Then she left.  I thought all hope was lost...I did not know what was going to happen to me and my little ones.  She came back and a shelter volunteer put a collar and leash on me and took me out.  The lady took my puppies and put them in a van.  The volunteer walked me, but I was still so stressed that I could not enjoy it and barely went to the bathroom.  They led me to a van...I wasn't sure I wanted to go in it.  No choice.  The lady's companion picked me up and put me in a large crate and closed the door.  We drove for a quite a while and then stopped.  I was taken out and out in a large area bordered by kennels.  My ears and tail came up as I ran around meeting the other dogs there. I knew I was safe, but what about my little ones?  The lady watched me for a while and called me over.  She promised to take good care of the puppies and said they would find a wonderful home for me too.  I am safe now at this kennel, but still looking for my promised home.  If you think you are the home for me, please let the rescue people know.

Osamu is not dog aggressive, loves puppies,  is good with the young girl who resides at the kennel. We are guestimating his age at about 4.   He has one broken ear, and a heart full  of love.  If the puppies, who have all found homes, are any indication of his temperament, he will be companionable and affectionate,  a silent shadow who is always ready for a hug or pat.

Foster home update

Foster Home Update 10/11/10 (see more recent update below this one)

Hi, my name is Osamu and you probably already read a little bit about me, but I have learned some new and interesting things since I have been removed from the kennel and placed in what they keep saying is a “foster home?”  I’m not sure what that really means, but I can tell you this, I love, love, love air conditioning!  It rocks!  It’s way better than outside I can tell you that much.

I guess I’ll get right to the point of what I have learned so far, and I am working on with my family.

First and foremost, I have confinement issues.  I don’t do crates and I tend to pee and poop in them and tear them up.  Then Dad built me this huge run/kennel and I flipped out and dug a hole to China and got my head stuck.  This too was very bad.  So my Mom and Dad moved me to the laundry room with a baby gate.  I like it here, I don’t cry, I don’t dig I just chill.  I have a tile floor with a/c vent that I can lay on….me likes the a/c!  Apparently, eating, opening and removing the front load washer & dryer doors are a HUGE NO-NO, so I have stopped doing that.  (It wasn’t pretty to see mom so angry).  I don’t pee or poop in here either.  I tend to hang out in here on some days for about 8 hours with no problems at all (Mom and Dad really seem to love that.) 

I live with a beautiful Pit Bull named Bridgett she is really sweet and pretty too!  I like playing with her in the yard, but tend to be too much for her sometimes because I’m so big and goofy so she takes off for Mom or Dad.  I don’t mind the big fenced in back yard.  I do all my business outside then I get to run around like a huge goof ball.  This seems to make my Mom and Dad very happy.  I get lots of love and attention that way.  Bridgett and I play ball and run around together sniffing where all the rabbits have been.   I don’t dig, or try to get out because it is such a big open space.  Sometimes the little person who lives here comes out to play ball with me, and I love her!  She is a blast!  She can run all day with me outside sometimes.  She gives me belly rubs and lots of kisses too (which I love.)  I don’t really like it when her friends come over to play with her.   I sometimes get upset when they get near her and Mom tells me it’s okay she is in charge (not me) and I have to go up, but I’m just looking out for my little person, I really love her.

Cats…cats….cats….let’s see I love cats I think they taste like Chicken!  Yum!  I love eating me some chicken!  (Mom says there is NO way I can go to a house with cats.  They have some here, and I’ve tried several times to eat a few but….Mom won’t allow it.  She is pretty adamant about this.)

Bridgett seems to be the Princess of the house.  She can go anywhere and everywhere so I’m trying to do what she does so I can get out more.  I guess opening the refrigerator and cabinets is not acceptable either.  I was just trying to help Mom get dinner ready, but she said she didn’t need my help.  Note to self: don’t open things, but that is really, really, really hard for me.  I’m also working on not picking up all the other cool stuff around the house, pillows, chairs, toys, etc.  I guess I need more work there or so I’m told.

Mom and Dad say I’m super sweet and loving but still have some issues to work on.  They are pretty patient so I’ll keep trying and check back with you all later.

 2/8/11  Osamu was put into another foster home.  Here is the update:

Sam as he is now called has been with us for 5 weeks.  He is crated in a wire crate part of the day and goes into the crate on his own about 50% of the time.  The other 50%, a gentle tug on the collar and he goes in.  No pooping and peeing problems in or out of the crate. He is walked 3-4 times a day and does very well on the leash; the only incident we had was when a squirrel bolted past us about 1 foot in front of Sam.  He tried to take off after it, but a quick pop on the leash stopped him.  When we walk past the maniac chow down the street, a simple "Leave it" followed by praise has taught him to ignore the chow.  Sam lives for praise and affection.  He is not aggressive to any of the other dogs in the house when they mill around his crate.  We have two new young (about 1 yr) kitties whom he is learning to ignore.  I have had them and him loose together under supervision and he is almost to the point of ignoring them.  He is currently enrolled in obedience class and hopefully he will be awarded his CGC at the end.  He and two other male Akitas were in very close proximity during class and there was not one iota of aggression coming from any of them.  There are times when Sam goes out in the front yard to do his business.  He has to be encouraged to go potty because all he wants to do is come back inside and cuddle. Once he finishes, he gets his cuddles. He does enjoy a nice run around  the back yard.  He is a little barkier than some of the other dogs, but that may not carry over into a home where he is the only dog or one part of a couple.  I still would not recommend he be placed with cats unless they can be kept separate from him.  We have had people over to visit and although a wary initially, he was soon on his back for belly rubs from all of them. Sam is a total cuddle bug just looking for his someone who wants to cuddle him

3/19/11  Osamu was one of the greeter dogs at ARMAC's booth at the Pet Expo.  He and Malachai really impressed all who met them with their calm demeanor and with Osamu's addiction to belly rubs.  They were a credit to ARMAC and to the breed.

3/29/11  Osamu finished his obedience class today and passed the CGC (Canine Good Citizen) test today !!!  Go Osmau !!