Rigel update

Hi All!
Sorry that I have been so quiet lately, but I have been busy playing and learning new things. My dark, charcoal grey fur is growing back and it is very soft, like bunny fur. I am getting comfortable with my surroundings and meeting new peoples. When new peoples comes into my foster home, I just kind of pace back and forth in the background and let my foster brothers and sister check out the visitor first. My foster mom says that I look like 'that guy' in the background of a television interview that keeps walking back and forth in effort to get on camera. Eventually I will approach the new peoples and get pets. I like it better when the peoples squat down so they don't look so big. I am pretty good at sitting for pets. When I do jump, I kinda spin so I don't get my dirty paws on the nice peoples clothes.

My favorite place is still in my crate. I feel safe there.

I will, however, climb on the couch and snuggle if invited to do so. I loves to snuggles!! I really get into it! I rolls around so I can gets my belly rubbed and I bury my head against laps and hope for ear rubs too. I still do not ask to go outside, I am too shy. My mom has never heard me bark or even whine. That means that she needs to be careful to let me out regularly. I am so quiet that when things get busy, I would be easy to forget that I am even there. I do like to chew on toys. Sometimes I gets a hold of something that looks like a toy to me, but turns out, it is not a toy for chewing. Well how was I supposed to know that? My foster mom says it is ok because it teaches her human kids to pick up their stuff. : )

Just recently, I have been getting very playful with my foster sister. She is a little, redhead border collie. She is so much fun! I get the whole, 'run and chase' thing, but I don't understand why she thinks it is so much fun to keep running after a toy and bringing it back to the peoples. All they do is just throw it away again! My foster sister has a tendency to 'talk and growl' when she plays. Sometimes I am not sure if she is really mad or just playing, but I am realizing that she is just noisy when she plays.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tB7dN2UQoCg

Even though I am starting to play with my foster sister and I look like an outgoing guy, I am still shy. I move around the house more freely to see what is going on, but I am still a bit cautious about it.

I am getting comfortable with taking walks now. My mom lets me off leash in a big, fenced field to see if I will be good and come back to her when she calls. Well I did even better than that....I kept making sure she didn't get too far away from me, you know, in case she needed me for something...

You can see me in that picture. I am the one closest to foster dad. ( He is so nice!)


I still need to be 'neutered'. (I Googled that by the way; and let me tell you, it does NOT look like it is going to be fun!) My mom says it will be done after the holidays. She waited because I was in pretty bad shape when I first got here. She wanted to make sure I was strong, healthy and had all my vaksun...vacinashun....shots. After I recover from surgery, I will go up for 'adoptshun' on the NEBCR website and start looking for my very own forever home. I know that I will be a-skeerd; but my foster mom promised that she would find the best-est, nicest family for me. One that will be patient and kind. One that will also give lots of good treats and a nice, safe crate for me to go and rest. I need a family that will understand that I may never be a confident dog and need to be allowed to retreat from skeery things until I am sure it is safe. I have been through a lot in my young life, you can see some of the ghosts of the past in my eyes. But with each passing day, a little more happiness comes shining through. If you want a dog that is as 'sweet as pie' (as my foster mom says) and a world class cuddler, I may be your guy. We could be best friends and explore the world together.

Love,

Your friend,

Rigel