About The Foster Zoo

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We have decided to blog our adventures again. So much has changed since we last blogged. Bella and Shiloh both went to their forever homes and they are in wonderful families. June Bug got adopted. We quit fostering dogs after those adoptions because Tanker's epilepsy got bad. We quit doing therapy dog work because Tanker's epilepsy got bad. Tanker passed away June 9th, 2013. We adopted a senior border collie named Shania Tankerbelle in his memory. We still have our two cats, Sweet Pea and Little Bit. Wes has started rescuing pitiful bettas from Wal-Mart and we currently have seven. We have a camper. We camp. We have focused on giving our animals the best lives possible. We are The Foster Zoo Crew and we like to have fun.

Saturday, August 13, 2011

A Lovely Evening Walk





We had the perfect weather yesterday, so we took the dogs for a walk on the hiking trails that run through our neighborhood.  It is one of our favorite places to walk the dogs.  The part that we walk on starts not too far from our house and it runs down by the river in an area where people like to fish.  It is mostly paved, except for a path that runs down next to the river through the trees.  


We took it easy since Tanker just got out of the hospital.  He really enjoyed it though and all the dogs did great!  Bella and Shiloh have grown out of their harnesses.  If they get separated, they will pull to get back to one another.  That's something I have to work more on with them.  I didn't focus on it last night though because I don't like walking them with regular collars.  I feel it puts too much pressure on the trachea.  Last night was more about fun and relaxation than anything else.


We did get several training opportunities that turned out really well!  First, we met two ladies when we started our walk.  One of the ladies used to have a dog named Shiloh that looked just like Tanker.  She got down on the ground and let our doggies love on her and give her kisses.  She loved it!  All of our dogs are very friendly with people.


When we got to the road that led to the fishing hole, there was a young dog off leash in his front yard.  He ran out to see us.  He didn't come too close.  He had his hackles up, but seemed more unsure than aggressive.  Topher whined a little bit.  I gave him a stern "leave it" and he shook it off and ignored him.  I was really proud of the puppies.  After a stern "leave it" and slight tug on their leashes, they ignored the other dog too!  We all walked on towards the fishing hole and the dog followed us for a few houses.  Our dogs completely ignored him.  I was a proud dog mama!  Dog training success!!!


Once we got to the river, we took some time to relax and soak up the beauty around us.  I took lots of pictures, as usual!








Aquia Creek was calm and peaceful.


The sky was beautiful!


Bella Bean and Shiloh Bug

Topher must have gotten tired of waiting, so he just layed down.

Tanker, a.k.a. Pom Pom or Paam Paam

Topher, a.k.a. Wiggle Worm

Shiloh Bug


There is water/marsh where all those cattails are at.  Most of the area around Aquia Creek is protected wetlands.

Hundreds of birds on the power lines.






After a bit of sitting and reflecting on life, we headed back home.








This is one of my favorite areas.  There is marsh on either side of this walking path and it's common to see a lot of wildlife.
The sky and moon were beautiful!




When we were almost to the end of our walk, we spotted a rabbit on the trail. I said to Wes that I was interested in how the puppies would react to it.  Topher and Tanker don't care much about rabbits and small animals.  They don't have much, if any, of a prey drive.  I have never seen Topher chase a squirrel.  Just as I said that, Topher darted forward to chase the rabbit and just about pulled me with him!  


Lesson learned.


No matter how well you know your dog, you really don't know your dog.





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