The many sides of Tinker

C'mon Guys! Rub my belly NOW!!

What? I'm just a little angel : )

On the prowl for some cookies!

RRR! I'm a tough girl!

I couldn't resist her frog leg picture!

I guess this is ok to sleep on....

I'm keeping an eye on you!

All ready for sleep mom!

Oh Saturday, how we love you!

Well i think Tink and I maxed out our sleeping in time at 9:55 this morning. Haha, Tinker just didn't want to get up. No seriously, with my eyes being pretty beat up i figured we were allowed to sleep in ONE morning this week, so we did.

I went into the kitchen to get her breakfast ready and when i came back to see where the heck she was, she was rolling on the carpet just like a happy little girl. She looked so content and "this feels good to roll around" look on her face. It was one of those priceless moments when you know your dog is no longer a "rescue dog" but a family dog.

Speaking of rescue, she still terrorizes her crate (we think in the first 30 minutes and then settles) so her waterbowl is usually emptied all over the newspaper when we get home. So we bought a big gerbil waterbottle (well not really, its made for dogs) and we're going to see how that works for her. She apparently just doesnt need or want anything else on the floor but her crate bed (which is already falling apart from being washed frequently)

I feel like i say the same things over and over again about this babygirl, but she honestly completes the family. It makes me soo happy to know that when i come home she will turn herself inside out to say hi to me and that we can snuggle all night long. My little princess pee as i like to call her : )

taking an easy day... a few errands when nick gets out of class and such... its about time Tink had a place to call home where the "tough life" consists of sleeping in until 10 and being a lap dog. : )

Her PeRsOnAliTy Blossoms!

We were talking tonight reviewing our life with this precious little girl and we realized just how much she has changed. It's hard to describe but its been big (and i feel will continue to grow)... how do i put it into words?
She's funnier now than 4 weeks ago. She dances and makes funny faces and is basically learning to be a family dog.
She's also more affectionate (if you can believe that!) than when we first got her. Which makes sense because she is continually trusting us more.
And along with the trust she is more confident in herself. She has no problem heading back to the bedroom to sleep on her bed (heaven forbid she use the one in the crate) while we eat dinner.
Speaking of the crate, she actually went in it on her own after dinner to wipe her mouth on her bed in there. She does an inspection after we clean it to make sure it meets her standards. Its comical watching her sniff the place out.
The cutest part is watching her grab her bone out of the crate and drop it at your feet saying "more peanut butter please!"

A Family Affair

All three of us are here to post this evening. Nick has a few things he would like to say. We've realized that Tinker doesn't enjoy reading the newspaper she prefers to pee on it. We've also learned that she greets mommy very differently from daddy even if daddy is the first one home. (mommy doesn't mind the greeting and tinker doesnt mind the belly rub.)

This doesn't look like its going to be a long post... Tinker appears to have slept all day after she knocked her water over and ate the peanutbutter out of her bone and found the cookies in her crate. She did bark as i left this morning... it makes me sad, but i quietly leave knowing that she will settle down.

Tinker would like to let everyone know that she is now taking marrow bone donations, so if anyone has a spare cow, please send bones her way : ) She also wants the world to know that more pictures will be posted as soon as her parents get their act together.

On a side note, work is going really well and i enjoy making music again with so many different clients. What a difference working as a professional has made on my self-confidence! What fun!!!

We're off to have a nice dinner and Tinker is going to sleep the night away! (As usual)

For all of Tinker's adoring fans...

I know i know, the daily posts are somewhat lacking... but it was my first full week of work!! Anyways, here we are and i will make sure it is an acceptable length : )

I say this alot, but Tinker is continuing to adapt to the new schedule. The few times we go out at night for a few hours she doesnt even pee in the crate : ) That makes me very happy.

There have been a few especially cute moments with her this week, lets see if i can remember them all.

• As we know, Tink is a sweets and peanutbutter lover. Well, we got turkey hills special edition peanut butter icecream and Nick let her lick the bowl out... oh my goodness, she was so excited she almost didn't leave the finish on the bowl!!

• She's been warming up to Nick more and more and one morning this week he got to sleep in a little and she snuggled up next to him... it was adorable.

• Sometimes she gets especially excited about breakfast or dinner and afterwards she has little pieces of food all over her head. I have to help her get them off but not before i get a little giggle out of it.
  

• My favorite times with her are right before bed when we get to snuggle. She snuggles in so close and thinks that maybe we'll forget she's there and let her stay.... you should see the stink face we get when its time to be moved to her bed! (and then she's fine!)

• She gets so excited after she goes potty #2! Her little feet bounce all around as if to say "look at what I did! Man do i feel better!"

• I love it when we get home and go to take her out and she roles over for a good belly rub. She loves her belly rub, its like her doggy esctasy.

• And finally (for today) she's been getting so confident walking around the house. I love to see her walking all around the living room exploring. Nick saw her moving at a quick pace and not all carefully which is really nice to hear!

She is the snuggliest and cuddliest dog i've ever owned. And even though she has long days at home, she knows she has a home and owns two humans that adore her. That makes such a big difference. With long walks, and yummy treats and lots of snuggle time, she is a happy girl. And good thing, because we wouldn't want it any other way.

Board Certification

I AM A BOARD CERTIFIED MUSIC THERAPIST!! WAHOO!!! What a relief!

Tink's doing ok here at home... i guess she was a little antzy when nick came home today, but her schedule is more consistent.
She snuggles and snuggles all evening and i LOVE it!!! she is soo fun to be around. She keeps getting more and more excited at various points during the day...the BT personality is soo coming out.
It also seems like she's warming up to Nick more too.... actually cuddled with him this evening and fell asleep in bed next to him yesterday morning.

I admit, its been hectic here adjusting to working full time and a new schedule, but our family is doing such as awesome job of learning to adapt, we're getting our act together!!!

Newness

So i started my job at Geisinger's Living Unlimited program as a music therapist yesterday. Lots of really nice people and a wide variety of clients spanning from age 3 to mid 50's. Trying to orient myself to meeting new people and driving to new places. It's so weird to think that I am a professional now. I take my exam on Thursday so i will be a full-fledged professional music therapist! wahoo!!!

So Tinker had a tough day yesterday but apparently a much better one today. She ended up messing in her crate (changing a schedule is tough) and got it all over herself and her bed and everything... poor girl. Nick came home and took care of it, but i guess it was pretty bad. So last night i gave her another bath. She was good for it again and is so soft and clean!
Today only a little pee on the paper. She is calm when we get home, no panting, but she does get up when she hears the door. And now she loves to go go go for walks!! She really moves now, not so much putzing around. its soo cute to see her trotting along. She has the cutest little gate (and doesn't pidgeon-toe in like Aby). So we're walking all over creation at least twice a night now : ) It's nice. Seems like she's gonna be just fine adapting : ) She sleeps in the bed all evening with us relaxing or getting stuff done and then she settles into her own bed for sleepy time.

She is so cuddly and i love coming home to her. I got home before Nick today so it was nice to be greeted by her. I felt like i had not Tinker Time last night coming home late and going to bed so early.... i'm getting my fill today : ) (if thats possible)

She's going to settle in to this new routine just fine : )

How can one little animal bring soooo much joy and happiness?!?!

More Pictures (because she's so cute!)

Well its a snowy Sunday with about 10 inches down and its still snowing.... hehe its been fun : ) (wait until I need to help shovel--then it won't be so fun!)


She wasn't so sure what to do initially, but she got the hang of it!




We found some animals she can be friends with and not eat : ) Can you find Tinker?

snow pictures!

This is my favorite of her!! Nice job Nick!

Run Tinker run!!!

Enjoying the scenery....

It's cold out here! Let's go in and get warm!

Let's try this again

ok so in the last post i was obviously peeved. But i'm over it and our family is on to new and exciting things. So we're switching horses for the last time. I traded in the pen for a bigger crate and Tinker was instantly more comfortable (why didn't it dawn on me before, she's spent a lot of time in a crate at the shelter.) (another side note, i left her for 2 hours in the pen and the pen was almost in the living room, haha not so trustworthy)
We went out tonight and when we came home she was just getting out of her bed... no panting, no overturned water bowl... just a calm little girl... sigh... i hope it stays like that. I feel SOOOO much better about the situation with the crate.

On a TOTALLY different note. We're hoping for lots of snow this weekend so we can play with Tinker in it and take LOTS of snow pictures with her in her adorable red hoodie : )

The people at the pet supplies store know us better than i want them too! They of course know tinker cause she can't see but man i swear we were in their 4 times this week... i am so indecisive with toys! The kong works, but marrow bones work better... she loves cottage cheese better than vanilla yogurt. And nick in a desperate attempt to FINALLY buy something for her bought a huge bag of old mother hubbard treats for her so needless to say, we're well stocked.

We love having a dog... we always say, this is the last thing for a while.. then the next day we're buying another food based toy or another bed... haha we need to get a second one that she fits in so one stays in the crate and one stays in the bedroom (she sleeps all night in her bed, it is sooo cute!)

ok, so we're cool. Tinks cool, I'm cool, Nicks cool.... so cool i'm gonna go eat an ice cube.....

Ok, so i just need to talk for a little here. I know that i have been soliciting advice and stuff from others, and so that's my fault.... I'm young and not the most experienced around dogs but i am fairly knowledgeable about dogs. I knew before we adopted Tink that we were not only adopting a rescue dog, but adopted a rescue dog with "special needs." I knew that this was going to involve more than buying a puppy from a breeder.

I understand that she lived in a shelter for a long time and heaven knows what she went through before that. I know that i've only had her for 3 weeks and maybe others know her better, but i know her now... and we're working through the behaviors that i see. I don't expect her to understand "be good, mommy will be back in 2 hours" but she understands my tone of voice when i'm happy to see her and when i'm dissappointed at the pee in the kitchen (and lately the dissappointment has been with me for not getting her outside quick enough)

I also know that I love this dog so much and Nick and I are committed to working through her issues and living with the issues that don't pan out. She doesn't like it when i leave, whether or not you consider that separation anxiety is besides the point. Today she moved her pen clear across the kitchen, dumped all her water and i know there was pee in there somewhere... she was wide awake and panting when i came home.... the dogs i grew up with slept while we were gone... so i believe there are some issues that need to be worked through (via behavioral methods and flower essences and whatnot) so she can be more relaxed when we leave...

She only goes potty in the house when i'm not around. Yes i take her out regularly so that doesn't happen, but she has started sitting by the gate and i immediately take her out... she is learning.

This little girl has 6 years worth of "baggage" and bad deals in life. I know that i'm not going to do everything right, but I love her and we're working on it. right now she stinks like pee... i still love her. I know i get all excited and worked up over things when they initially happen, but i get over them or work through them or whatnot... its the same deal with her. If i wanted a dog that was low maintenence i would have never adopted a rescue dog... i would have bought a golden retriever or something less intelligent... (sorry to all Golden fans...)
OK, so i guess i needed to get that out...

Tinker barks

Yes, you read that correctly, little Tinker BARKS!!! like a mad woman!!! I was so shocked i kept her in her crate (she didn't know i was home... hence the barking. I was practicing leaving her in her crate for 30 seconds, then 1 minute...) to see how long she would bark... after 5 minutes i let her know i was home (walked so she could hear me) and she stopped so then i let her out... and she had already peed so i know its nervousness that causes it. but the little monkey can bark...

Tinker in the pen eating the
bone she would not eat while i was gone.
Its funny, as soon as i get home
she ignores me for the bone.....

So i bought an exercise pen and set it up so her food, water, bed, some newspaper and one puppy pad are always in there. So it now can become her home and hopefully over time leaving her will become less traumatic.

I also bought rescue remedy, a holistic approach to help take care of stress and anxiety. The lady at the store said 2 other people came in looking for it for their dogs as well... we'll see how it works along with behavioral techniques and a "home of her own." sigh... whoever said the 1st two weeks were the toughest wasn't exactly right in our case.... When i got home i took some of the drops myself (its for people too! don't worry).

She is such a boston terrier thats all i can say.... (and i love her to death for it)

Separation Anxiety

So i think we've decided (after some online research) that Tinker has separation anxiety. I can't completely rule out UTI without testing done, but her behavior is almost identical to when charli fostered her. (and i can get the testing done if need be...)

The good thing about separation anxiety is that it can be treated behaviorally. (it can also be treated with medication but i don't feel that is an option for us.)
So here are a few things we're going to be working on:
1) only leave your dog for very short intervals and come back before the anxiety sets in. Slowly move it from 30 sec to 1 minute to 5 minutes, etc. After 1 hour, supposedly the times can be substantially lengthened
2) when you leave and come back, dont make a big deal, do it quietly and without a fuss (i had the leaving part, but i love making big of her when we come back... oops)
3) desensitize your dog to sounds that trigger anxiety. for example if your dog associates your leaving with the jingle of your car keys, jangle them 10 times in a day until it not longer affects your dog.
4) While dogs are social creatures, create independence in your dog, let them know they are capable of doing things

The last one is the toughest because in some ways i love to baby her and while she's independent she is not as independent as a sighted dog. I have hope though. There are things we can work on. OH OH and leave a soft radio for her to help with the quiet (that actually seems to help.) We're also going to buy an x-pen for her so we're not making a big deal of when we leave (ie: setting the bathroom up) and then she has her own space wherever we go.

Thank you Charli for your kind words. This little girl is my pleasure in life and I just want her to live the rest of her days as happy as she can be. Whatever happens, the 3 of us with work through it as a team and of course, as a family.

So maybe i've learned my lesson

I have recently joined a very active BT board (WOOF!) and was excited reading and seeing what other people have been doing. And i decided to ask about how to stop Tink from peeing in her crate (she's done it twice now) and well, a few people were less than kind saying it was my fault. So i've learned that i don't need everyone and their brothers opinions on things. I'm intelligent enough to ask for help when needed and to problem solve as i go. So for now Tink pees in her crate, thats fine. I think its separation anxiety or whatnot... maybe in time it will decrease.

I was trying to do a photo shoot with Tinker, but she isn't as photogenic as i was hoping. She would rather cuddle all day.

We went to the garage this morning and she did well with all the different sounds and noises... just snuggled in my lap (of course the treat didn't hurt either!)

Miss Tinker has been enjoying a wider variety of foods lately. Last week i cooked up some chicken and added a little bit to her food. This week we've been trying banana (just a little) and some apple and carrots. haha, the banana was a little slimy for her, but once she realized it was edible, she ate it!! The bits of carrot almost seemed tough for her to eat. I was a little dissappointed she didn't like the fruits and veggies as much as i was hoping, but i just think she hasn't been introduced to them before. But boy does she like cottage cheese and i'm assuming she'll like yogurt when i try that. I only give a little at a time and try not to mix too many right now. It is funny to watch her try new foods... Peanut butter is her good old stand by... give it to her 24/7 and she would be happy. I'll have to try and get some pictures of her eating some really yummy snacks!!

She may look sweet and innocent....

Haha, this girl sooo has 2 personalities. The good little girl when mommy and daddy are around and the spiteful, "i'll teach them" when we leave her. We moved her to the bathroom when we leave and she was good the first time.... a little less good the second time and yesteday well....

OK, so i was ONLY gone an hour and a half. She peed on 3 different puppy pads. Now this girl goes 9-10 hours at night sometimes and does fine, so i know she can hold it. I came home and she was all devilish. She has a totally different expression on her face. So the moral of the story is, if I'm going to be gone for less than 3 hrs she gets crated. Hehe, she knows i'm coming back so she can learn to deal. We completely shower her with affection when we come back.... hahaha just some time... it hasn't been that long....

On a positive note, she loves the kong and still plays with an empty marrow bone. I got some nylabones but have been reading some less than positive things about them for powerful chewers (which she definitely falls under) but she doesn't seem totally taken with the bones so i'm not too worried.

She slept alot last night and then went right to sleep at 9:45pm... haha, she's cute when she's tired. She's doing well though and as much as she frustrates me with her potty habits when i'm gone, its not that big of an issue. Given enough time, we'll work through it : )

My mom and dad are sending down a flexilead so we'll see how that goes : )

I took her to a pet supply store yesterday and she was so cute sniffing out all the edible toys... haha she snubbed all the soft squishy inedible ones which was funny too! Always so happy to be home! What a love!

So life goes on... its my last week home with her all day so i'm enjoying it : ) (I think she is too!)

Where's Tinker?

Can you find her?

Queen of the dirty laundry

Tinker didn't want to sleep in her bed last night. Instead she chose the last pile of dirty laundry that we have left. And she slept there all night! (it's right under the heat vent so maybe that helped.) Anyhoo, we needed pictures to document this!! (And btw, she makes it a good 9 hours all night without peeing!)

So, upon Charli's recommendation, we left Tinker in the bathroom this morning so she has a smaller space. Newspaper, puppy pads, her bed, water, a radio, and a bone were all trecked into our bathroom. It looks like she settled right in. She was still in her bed (barely awake) when we opened the door and only one pee spot on the paper (this was four hours, please refer to parenthesis in last paragraph). But I am one relieved mommy!!! She'll be ok when we go to work. And in some ways i'm glad she pees on the paper, because then she won't be hurting her bladder by holding it too long! It was so nice to see her relaxed when we came home and not jumping around like a maniac. I mean, she got excited but after we opened the door and she woke up. Apparently she just needed a smaller space to feel safer in. (and she ate the peanut butter from the bone--the kong will be much better for that. She also found the treat we left in her food bowl, which means she also found her water.)

She was antsy last night, but it could have been the wind or just that she needed some exercise. It rained hard all day so she only had one good walk and multiple pee trips. In any case, she's allowed off days and moments. But still oh so cute. She finally settled and then slept all night on a pile of clothes!

Tinker the serious

So Tinker didn't like the wind and rain last night... she was up every 15-20 minutes... finally we had to put her in her crate and then she settled down. It was odd for her to be up so often... the first time i took her out and she peed again, but after that, sheesh! Then everyone slept better

And Tinker and I need to get up earlier... this girl would sleep til noon if i let her!!! Breakfast at 9? its tough. I need to get better about getting us both up, because she'll be eating breakfast at 615 soon... hahaha, that will be an interesting morning... the plan is to slowly move breakfast up but we'll see how it goes... It's tough though... most of you know how i am in the morning and well tinker, she's worse!

She's just been a little off all day. Tink didn't want to go for a walk twice (was it still too windy?) And I don't know... she just strikes me as a little unsure today. Maybe we'll take a nap together and help put her fears to rest : ) Although she is sleeping on my lap now, so maybe its not too bad... Doggies are allowed off days too!

Tinker the not so saintly....

Daddy, that's not fair!!

Hehe this was bound to happen sooner or later. So I take Lil Tinker out for a nice long walk, briefly come in and get the kitchen situation, put some peanut butter in the marrow bone (she loves peanut butter! and she still plays with that bone even with nothing in it) put her in her bed and let her know i'll be back soon. I'm gone MAYBE 2 hrs and when i come back the kitchen looks like a mini war zone. The trash is all over the place, she pulled the puppy pad bag out of the shelf, Tinker has personally peed in 4 different places throughout the kitchen and her bed is nowhere near where i left it. She hadn't even licked the last of the peanut butter out of her bone....But the look on her face was so cute... She knows when mommy isn't happy... I don't yell, but she just knows... gets that little kid "oops, i messed up" look on her face.

Don't let her innocent look fool you!

It's like I know there is another side to this dog, i just havent seen it yet. Well i see the effects of it. Hehe, and then she sleeps the next 4 hrs i'm home. Little brat! : ) (another successful night of her sleeping in her own bed though!)

Well, unfortunately she's in for a rude awakening when mommy starts working. But she'll settle in and there will be puppy pads (haha) if she needs them. Every minute we're not working will just be spent with her. Long walk before work, right after work and in the evening time with lots of fun all evening long!

Tinker loves to explore new areas when we walk. She is so brave and will take me in a direction we've never gone before. Apparently she runs with nick all the time, but i got to see her run for the first time. Her cute little canter clipping along... what a doll. Goijng up the stairs is no problem for her and she actually purposefully when down one stair while we were walking. I mean she knows how to get off the curb, but there was one step in the side walk and she carefully felt her way down. It was so neat to watch her figure it out! (hehe, and I think who uses the word "neat" like that?!?!?)

It was nice having Joy, Rob, and Baby Gavin over yesterday evening. Tinker was really good with the baby being around. She didn't mind the crying or smells or anything. Hehe, the crying woke her up once and I said "now see, your snoring does that to us in the middle of the night!" and she promptly when back to sleep.

So thats the scoop here.... Tinker is blissfully sleeping in her bed...oh wait, i hear her breathing down the "hallway" now. Such a cutie : )

Happy Birthday Mom Rowe!! With love from Nick, Vicki and of course, Little Tinker

See? Tinker does nap with Daddy too!

Saint Tinker

So by now we all know that Tinker is one special dog. We also know that she is a smart dog. For instance, it was day 2 of her sleeping in her own bed rather than in her crate. She did not try to climb into our bed ONCE! she got up once to stretch (we could hear her tags) and then she went right back to sleep until daddy took her out this morning. What a doll!

And Tinker is mostly a saint. I left her in the kitchen area alone for the first time for about 3 hours. Only one little piddle mark (probably from nerves). And nothing was destroyed and the trash can wasn't knocked over! And boy is she happy when mama comes home!!!

She's got her puppy spirit still in her some place. She wiggles harder and harder each day and gets closer to playing each day. I gave her a marrow bone and after almost 2 hrs she got all the marrow out. Haha, she worked hard while i was making dinner and dessert for tonight. She was so cute! but then after her walk (we'll discuss that in a minute) she took her bone and carried it into the living room. Tinker actually has a toy laying in the living room!!! If you stop and consider that, it's pretty amazing for this girl.

AND.... her walk today (SO much happens in one day its amazing!) So she loves to walk. After she chewed on that bone, i figured she might need to do something outside. So we walk and walk and the lady we met last week had her big fat chihuaha out and she called over to us. I'm always very careful with Tink around other dogs and i've been watching her as we walk by dogs in the past week and a half. She perks her ears up but her hair never stands on end, she never growls, she doesnt show anything agressive. So we're talking and i'm keeping tink a safe distance away. But then i bend down and hold her and this other dog (Jill) is about 2 feet away. Tink sniffs the air. Nothing. So i put her down right next to me (ready to grab her if ready) and rather than evening sniffing for the other dog, she tries to climb back into my arms. I'm not ready to do anything drastic (like visit Plato or anything) but i am just observing her with dogs in the neighborhood. I mean i know she has it in her (else she would still be able to see) but somethings different with her. It's like she's confident in herself. It just doesn't seem like the fight instinct is readily on the surface any more... (which is good : )

So that's it for now...