Really, once you start fostering, you get over the "want to keep
them all" syndrome really quick! Some dogs fit in with your family,
and some don't and can't get adopted & gone soon enough! And keep in
mind, some of us have been doing this for a long time! Yes, I've
adopted 4 dogs, but I've been doing this for nine years, and have
fostered over 100 dogs. And believe me, I did NOT want to keep them
all!
Well, and then there are those dogs who are just too special to let
go, so you HAVE to adopt them!
Hey, I resisted for over a year! I really thought he would be
happier with a real job. Apparently not. The last thing I needed was
ANOTHER confident male GSD to go along with the other 3 that I
already have!
And compared to my other 3 "monsters" (as Lisa calls them), Riker is
quite petite. He's small even compared to most male GSDs, in
everything but attitude -- he lacks nothing in that department! And
of course, "twit" has everything to do with his neener-neener-
can't-catch- me, never-take-a- correction- seriously, in-your-face
attitude. Usually preceded by "adorable," "charming," and "cute."
But Jody's right. I realized I was sunk when a PA was handling him
incorrectly and I thought to myself, "don't do that to MY dog!" So I
simply HAD to adopt him as my birthday present to myself. :)
Thanks for the congrats! Life is not dull with my foursome around.
And congrats to Kim & John for giving sweet little Ebony a great
home, to Ellen for keeping Zack, and to Laurie for taking in Kelly!
This was the weekend for foster failures all around. Foster
failure #4 for me.
You'd think I'd know better. :)
Yep, I did, I did. :)
Little twit changed my mind after Modesto Adoption Day when he
convinced me he has NO interest in using his nose, and NO interest
in being a working dog. He has failed every test for working drive
that would mean using his nose. All he wants is to be a kept man. ;>
I understand there was a wager among several of the Modesto folks
way back in August when Riker came back after being in an FTA home
for 3 months. The way I heard it, Gary needs to pay up to Mike &
Lisa!
Adopted 2/12/10!
Riker is a fiesty young male, around 3 years old, affectionate, very alert, and cute as a bug's ear. He's on the smaller size for a male at 65 pounds, very handsome in a classic black & tan coat. He's a very active boy with a lot of energy and an in-your-face attitude.
Riker is completely housebroken, and very well-mannered in the house. He settles down very nicely as long as he's had enough exercise, and wants to be in the same room with his person, happiest when laying on his dogbed and gnawing on a dog bone. He's very affectionate without being clingy or needy. He tends to vocalize and circle when he gets excited, and once in a while his excitement will lift his feet straight off the ground. He has considerable working drive, he wants to pull at clothing to hurry things along, so he can inadvertently pinch skin at times. He never takes a correction seriously, and always has to get the last word in.
He'd be way too much for a home with small children, he really needs a working home. He knows Sit, and has learned to Wait, Move out of the way, Get Out of the Kitchen, and Go Lay Down. He still needs some work on his leash manners. He loves going for rides and behaves well in a vehicle. He loves chewing on filled dog bones and his favorite toy is a jolly ball on a rope. He loves to play ball, and would probably LOVE a tug toy if given the chance.
He gets along with other respectful dogs but won't tolerate any nonsense and doesn't want to play rough. He's a confident male, he gets along well in a balanced pack, and loves to play with a playful female dog, not so much with male dogs. He has serious prey drive and is a serious fence-fighter, so he'll need someone who understands how to prevent that from escalating.
Riker is looking for a home with a very experienced owner who can stay one step ahead of this smart little cookie, and will give him plenty of exercise and obedience. He'll be dynamite companion with the right training, and an utterly charming off-duty pal.
NO CATS, SMALL DOGS OR OTHER LITTLE FURRY CRITTERS. NO SMALL CHILDREN.
Updated bio 12/2/08
Riker is a fiesty young man, around 2 years old, affectionate,
alert, and cute as a bug's ear. He's on the smaller size for a
male, around 60 pounds when filled out, in a classic black & tan
coat. He has the long, lean, American-bred conformation and is quite
handsome. He's an active boy with a lot of energy and an
in-your-face attitude. Even while emaciated, he never slowed down or
lacked enthusiasm.
This literally starving boy has been diagnosed with SIBO - Small
Intestine Bacterial Overgrowth. He was unable to absorb food and
had life-threatening diarrhea. He has been on the proper antibiotics
now for a month and is doing very well. He's gaining much-needed
weight from a skeletal low of 47 pounds up to 53 pounds, and
his stools have finally cleared up. He'll need to continue on his
antibiotics for at least another month, but all indications are that
he's well on the way to good health. Now that he isn't literally
starving, he no longer gets into the garbage or chews on things he
shouldn't.
Riker is completely housebroken, and has never made a mistake in the
house as long as he has access outside. He settles down in the house
very nicely as long as he's had enough exercise, and wants to be in
the same room with his person, happiest when laying on his dogbed
and gnawing on a dog bone. He's very affectionate without being
clingy or needy. He's learning that jumping up on people isn't
appreciated and he doesn't need to get nippy when he gets excited.
He'll still jump up to see if someone is carrying food in their
hands, but he no longer mouths first and smells later. He'd be too
much for a home with small children. He knows Sit, and has learned
to Wait for his dinner (very difficult for a starving dog!), Move
out of the way, Get Out of the Kitchen, and Go Lay Down. He still
needs some work on his leash manners. He loves going for rides and
behaves well in a vehicle. He loves chewing on filled dog bones and
his favorite toy is a jolly ball on a rope. He loves to play
ball, but not enough for a working home.
He gets along with other respectful dogs but won't tolerate any
nonsense and doesn't want to play rough. He's a confident male, he
gets along well in a balanced pack, and will play with a playful
female dog, not so much with male dogs. He's a serious
fence-fighter, so he'll need someone who understands how to prevent
that from escalating.
Riker is looking for a home with an experienced owner who can stay
one step ahead of this smart little cookie, and will give him plenty
of exercise and obedience. He'll be dynamite companion with the
right training, and an utterly charming off-duty pal.
NO CATS, SMALL DOGS OR OTHER LITTLE FURRY CRITTERS.
10/27/08 Got the results back on Riker! Good news/bad news.
Good news is he does NOT have Exocrine Pancreatic Insufficiency.
Bad news is he has SIBO - Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth and
he's not absorbing any vitamin B12 in his system. So we've switched
him to Tylan (antibiotic & anti-inflammatory) and will be giving him
B12 shots, although where they'll find enough muscle on his skinny
little self to inject anything is questionable. The SIBO will take a
good month or two to clear up, so he's got a ways to go yet. Poor
guy is down to weighing practically nothing, the diarrhea got much
worse over the last week. So here's hoping the Tylan starts working
fast!
***Coming Attraction Bio*** 10/12/08
Riker has had some digestive issues that need solving before he'll
be available for adoption.
Riker is a fiesty young man, around 2 years old, affectionate,
bratty, and cute as a bug's ear. He's on the smaller size for a
male, only around 60 pounds in a classic black & tan coat with the
long, lean, American-bred conformation. He's a cocky boy with a lot
of energy and an in-your-face attitude.
This charming rascal is a busy fellow, into everything. He knows how
to open flip lids on garbage cans for leftovers, he loves to steal
tissues out of the trash, and takes particular delight in shredding
rolls of toilet paper. If no paper products are available, he loves
chewing on filled dog bones and his favorite toy is a jolly ball on
a rope.
He's completely housebroken, and has never made a mistake in the
house as long as he has access outside, even with his unpredictable
bowels. He settles down in the house very nicely as long as he's had
enough exercise, and wants to be in the same room with his human,
happiest when laying on his dogbed and gnawing on something.
He's very affectionate without being clingy or needy. He's learning
that jumping up on people isn't appreciated and he doesn't need to
get nippy when he gets excited. He'd be too much for a home with
small children. He knows Sit, and is trying hard to learn Wait.
He gets along with other respectful dogs but won't tolerate any
nonsense and doesn't want to play rough. He's definitely a dominant
male, so he'd probably do better in a home with an easy-going female
dog than with other males. He's a serious fence-fighter, so he'll
need someone who understands how to prevent that from escalating.
Riker is looking for a home with an experienced owner who can stay
one step ahead of this smart little cookie, and will give him plenty
of exercise and obedience.
NO CATS, SMALL DOGS OR OTHER FURRY LITTLE CRITTERS.
Riker is located in the Modesto area.
Riker's Story
Riker came into our program in September 2008 as an owner turn in to
Sacramento County from someone who had too many dogs. Riker was a thin, appx 18
month old boy, on the small side for a male, seemed to be moderate energy, cute
as a bug's ear and seemed to be very sweet. He had loose stools, not uncommon for
a dog out of
the shelter. He went to a foster-to-adopt home and turned out to have way too much
drive, energy
and nippiness for a home with a small child, along with worsening diarrhea.
Over the next few months, his diarrhea became life-threatening and he
was rapidly dropping weight while we tried to figure out what was going
on with him. He was down to a terrifying low of 47 pounds (on a 67 pound
frame), nothing but a walking skeleton covered by hair. After testing
him for everything our vet could think of, he was finally diagnosed with
small-intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) later complicated with
Coronavirus. Once he was put on the proper medication, he gradually
turned the corner and started to gain some weight back.
By December 2008, he was doing well, he was up to 58 pounds on a full
tummy, 57 pounds on an empty one for his fasting blood test.
From his low of 47 lbs, he was looking MUCH better. Still a little thin, but
definitely improved. His stools were mostly better, sometimes still runny,
but on the whole, very good.
Sponsored by: Flavia and Matt Davis
Added September 2008
