Diogee(D.O.G.)-Bichon Frise Bichon Frise Hamburg, NY

State: Utica NY area
Age: 5 years
DOB: unsure
Weight: 18 lbs
Sex: male
Neutered/UTD: yes/Yes
Coat Color: white
Children:ages 10 & over
Separation Anxiety: no
Other dogs: Yes (needs another dog)
Cats: yes
Crate Trained: yes
House Trained: yes
Obedience Trained: No
Leash Trained: yes
Microchipped: Yes
ADOPTION FEE: $675

2/12/24-Dioge has made significant progress this week! He was cautiously inquisitive meeting new people and very enthusiastic to meet a new fur friend. He enjoyed pets from everyone new he met this past week.

2/5/24-Dioge did really well with his neutering. He has regained his playfulness and is zooming around the backyard. Unfortunately, my dog is going through some health issues and she does not feel much like playing with him. Hopefully she will feel a little more like herself soon so she can engage in play with him. He is very understanding of this and leaves her alone and gives her space when she needs it.
Dioge has made some progress this week. Although his initial instinct is to run away when I approach him to pick him up, he stops and drops to the ground more quickly. In the morning after I put his coat on to go for a walk, he will follow us to the door and drop to his belly and allow me to leash him. At night on the sofa, when I get up and come back to the room, he is often in my seat. I take advantage of this situation and sit down right next to him and pet him. He enjoys being petted. When the pets stop, he looks up at me. When he has had enough cuddle time, he walks to the other end of the sofa or will sometimes go in his crate. If he does stay at the end of the sofa, he will sometimes rest his head on my feet or legs. The last couple evenings I have allowed Dioge to sleep in bed with me and my furry crew. I am doing this in hopes it will help him feel like one of the pack and for him to be close to me at all times without worry. He sleeps great. He will reposition himself, but does not jump off the bed or roam all around the bed. He has his spot and pretty much sticks to that area.
He is doing really well with house training. He hasn't had any accidents all week. Not even marking!
I am so happy with the progress that he is making. I know it might not seem like much because his first instinct is to run away, but the fact that he does stop and drop to the ground is huge. Dioge needs a loving and patient family that will let him go at his own pace with affection. He also needs a canine companion to learn from and feel comfortable. He will be so worth the little effort!

1/30/24-Diogee LOVES going for walks with my dog & watches her for cues. We usually go for a 30-45 minute walk each morning, weather permitting, and he is a happy dog. He is still a nervous dog with people though. He hesitantly approaches my hand when I am sitting on the floor, gives a quick sniff, and the runs away. Whenever I approach to pick him up he will run away from me and then eventually drop to his belly to let me pick him up. At night on the sofa he will allow me to pet him, but as soon as I stop or when he can't take it anymore, he moves to the other end of the sofa. He enjoys head and body rubs, but it just becomes too much.
Some days he does not make a peep in his crate when i leave and other days he whines and barks a lot. I think he would feel better if my dog would stay in the living room with him, but she sometimes runs upstairs if he is too noisy. LOL At night while watching tv, he will sometimes opt to sit in his crate with the door open. He is also very comfortable in his crate upstairs at night time. He remains calm and quiet throughout the night. He is not destructive in the crate during the day, he just barks. When I put his treats in the crate to leave for work, he will go in there and eat the treats.
Dioge is still learning and working on not marking but he has never pooped in the house. If he gets whiny, I let him out and he goes potty. I do not think he is fully house trained yet, but he definitely knows to go potty outside. We are getting there.

Dioge needs to be around my dog at all times in order to feel comfortable. He looks for her constantly & I as well need to be in his eyesight. He is most comfortable when all 3 of us are in the same room at the same time and all within his eyesight. This tells me that he wants to be part of the pack, he is just learning how to go about doing that - trusting humans to not hurt or rough-handle him. It breaks my heart to think what this little guy must have gone through in order for him to not trust humans.
Overall, Dioge needs a patient and loving home that will allow him to come out of his protective shell and another dog to help him feel safe and learn from.
His neuter is this Thursday, February 1st & he will be ready to go to his new home.

1/22/24-Dioge is continuing to slowly gain confidence. He still runs away from me, but will stop and drop to his belly so I can pick him up. He is starting to take treats from my hand. He leans forward to gently take it from my fingers. He loves the homemade peanut butter treats I make. Dioge was nervous meeting new people (males) this past week. He opted to sit in his crate instead of coming out to say hello to them. I am not sure if he would react the same way with new female visitors; I just know he is still tentative and nervous around people in general, so I would guess he would react the same way. For this reason he probably also would be better with a little older kids (10 & up) just given his nervousness & around quick movements/noises that would come with younger kids.

1/15/24-Dioge is settling in well in his new foster home. He is a typical male mill dog, nervous when a human approaches and learning to not mark in the house. He was anxious and nervous the first time I left him in his crate for a few hours, but settled down with some music. The next time I crated him during the day, he did really well. I was able to come home, put groceries away and do a couple more things before I let him out. He did not make a peep. Likewise, he was in his crate this morning in my bedroom while I showered and he was excellent. At night he sleeps very well in his crate which is right beside my bed. He sleeps through the night without any fussing. As long as he can see his human or his foster dog sister, he feels better.
Dioge is very fussy with his food. I did put some water in his food yesterday and he finally ate it later in the day. This morning I put some wet food in there and he gobbled it right up. He is not food or treat motivated yet, but hopefully he comes around and learns to enjoy the homemade treats my own dog sits in front of the fridge begging for. As of right now, he is not super energetic. We did walk 3 miles one morning and he did fine with that. The mornings have been really cold so I was not able to get him for a walk this morning. His paws were bothering him. He did stay outside while I cleaned up some snow from my patio and walkways.
Dioge is doing well with potty training. He goes potty outside whenever I let him out. He has not had any accidents in the house other than a couple markings - leg lift with a couple sprinkles. When I give a firm and loud no, he stops immediately. Likewise, if I catch him sniffing, I say no and he stops.
He has engaged in some running around the yard with my dog. He does not initiate play, but will engage when my dog does. I know they will be romping around the snow in no time.
Dioge is learning to enjoy and trust human touch. He likes being petted. He will sit with me on the couch, but then makes his way to the other end. Last night he did move closer to me and put his head on my feet. He has made such tremendous progress in the 2 days since I have had him. We also just got back from the groomer. He looks more like a Bichon now. Couldn’t blow out his head because of his ear infection.

1/14/24-Diogeé is settling in quite nicely here at his now foster home. He slept in his crate all night right next to my bed. Had a cold and snowy walk this morning. He’s in his crate now as I am out running errands. Some barking but i am sure he will get more used to the crate when I am not around. He’s nervous and unsure right now as are all mill dogs in the beginning. He definitely likes to know where I am at all times even though he is hesitant around me and runs away currently when I reach for him. He follows my dog’s lead so hopefully he becomes more and more comfortable with our routine. He does enjoy cuddling! On the ride home if we stopped petting him he looked at us. I don’t have barking alerts now so maybe he’s calmed down. I left some music on for him. More updates as he settles in.

1/10/24-Diogee is going to move to a different foster home this weekend as his original foster home was not able to keep him due to personal reasons. Because of the move we had to get a new pre-neuter appointment at a different vet & that is now Tuesday 1/30. After his vet appointment we will get a neuter date asap.

1/5/24-Mr. D.O.G. did very well the last two days and seemed to enjoy his bath last night. He ate and drank with a passion and talked with us throughout the day. He loved running around the backyard with our mini goldendoodles and enjoyed smelling the fresh lake air! His left ear must be really bothering him as he shakes his head a lot and tries to rub it. We gave him his ear washes and ear drop doses so hopefully he will be feeling better real soon! More updates soon from his foster home.

1/04/24-D.O.G. (aka: Diogee) is a handsome 5 year old male bichon frise. He was saved from being killed by a puppy mill as they just got done breeding him. He arrived safely into rescue tonight thanks to his transport & temporary foster volunteers. He does have an ear infection he has medication for & being treated with. His pre-neuter appointment is next Monday 1/8 & we will get his neuter date asap after that. Once he is neutered he will be ready to go home!