Taffy

Taffy originally shared a home with 18 other dogs and one person. Her life was disorganized, no feeding or pottying schedule existed. She got pregnant, delivered her puppies and tried to be a good mom.<br/><br/>When the local shelter intervened, they realized that this mom and her pups needed to be in foster care. That’s when they came to us.<br/><br/>Taffy had so much to learn. But first, she needed to care for her pups (3 weeks old at the time) and learn to trust us. The trust came quickly. Taffy is food motivated and affectionate – a great combo when a person is trying to win the heart of a dog. And since the puppies were old enough to eat solid food, they started the process of weaning and needed her less.<br/><br/>As Taffy settled in, she discovered that she enjoyed a schedule. Her meals were delivered 3 times a day, at the same time every day. At first, she quickly at everything that was put in front of her. But over time, she realized that food was plentiful and she didn’t have to share with anyone else. Her stress levels started to drop.<br/><br/>Because we also introduced a pottying schedule, she figured out that she could wait and do her business outside. <br/><br/>It was clear that Taffy had never been on a leash. We slowly introduced her to a slip lead, using food rewards. It took a couple of days to lure her out the gate into the driveway, and a few more to get her to walk down the sidewalk. Her favorite roast chicken really helped! But we progressed slowly, always letting her tell us how much she was ready for. Now, when she thinks it’s time for a walk, she sits next to the shelf where we keep her harness & leash, waiting to get hooked up. She happily trots around the neighborhood, sniffing every bush, not caring about traffic noise, or bikes or skateboards. She loves to be out in the world.<br/><br/>Taffy was interested in the resident dogs, but worried at the same time. We introduced them slowly, first by having them use the same outdoor space, but at different times. This allowed them to get used to the presence of other dog smells, but without any pressure to actually meet. Then we took the dogs on walks together. One handler would walk Taffy, the other would walk the resident dogs. We kept a lot of distance. Over about 2 weeks of daily walks, we were able to close the gap. Taffy still preferred to be behind the other dogs, likely wanting to control any potential interactions. Another week later, and the dogs were sniffing bushes, side-by-side. Finally after Taffy had been with us for about 6 weeks, we introduced her in the backyard to one dog at a time. She barked, but by this time, the other dogs were used to her. Through their body language, they invited her to play and relax. Within minutes, they were taking turns chasing each other and trading toys.<br/><br/>Taffy is about 2 years old and full of energy. She’s 10 pounds and also enjoys a nice cuddle in your lap. She has made so much progress with us; I know her transition into her forever home won’t take long. With patience, a schedule, clear expectations, Taffy will make a wonderful companion.<br/><br/>If you’d like to meet her, please complete an application: www.rempdogs.org/adopt

Taffy originally shared a home with 18 other dogs and one person. Her life was disorganized, no feeding or pottying schedule existed. She got pregnant, delivered her puppies and tried to be a good mom.

When the local shelter intervened, they realized that this mom and her pups needed to be in foster care. That’s when they came to us.

Taffy had so much to learn. But first, she needed to care for her pups (3 weeks old at the time) and learn to trust us. The trust came quickly. Taffy is food motivated and affectionate – a great combo when a person is trying to win the heart of a dog. And since the puppies were old enough to eat solid food, they started the process of weaning and needed her less.

As Taffy settled in, she discovered that she enjoyed a schedule. Her meals were delivered 3 times a day, at the same time every day. At first, she quickly at everything that was put in front of her. But over time, she realized that food was plentiful and she didn’t have to share with anyone else. Her stress le

Taffy originally shared a home with 18 other dogs and one person. Her life was disorganized, no feeding or pottying schedule existed. She got pregnant, delivered her puppies and tried to be a good mom.

When the local shelter intervened, they realized that this mom and her pups needed to be in foster care. That’s when they came to us.

Taffy had so much to learn. But first, she needed to care for her pups (3 weeks old at the time) and learn to trust us. The trust came quickly. Taffy is food motivated and affectionate – a great combo when a person is trying to win the heart of a dog. And since the puppies were old enough to eat solid food, they started the process of weaning and needed her less.

As Taffy settled in, she discovered that she enjoyed a schedule. Her meals were delivered 3 times a day, at the same time every day. At first, she quickly at everything that was put in front of her. But over time, she realized that food was plentiful and she didn’t have to share with anyone else. Her stress levels started to drop.

Because we also introduced a pottying schedule, she figured out that she could wait and do her business outside.

It was clear that Taffy had never been on a leash. We slowly introduced her to a slip lead, using food rewards. It took a couple of days to lure her out the gate into the driveway, and a few more to get her to walk down the sidewalk. Her favorite