For those of you sick of the dog already, my apologies, but it is only going to get worse. Maybe we can work with Cleek to make a pie filter for Lily posts and I will just put something in every post so that it automatically skips it. At any rate, some pics from Day 2 on the rails to trails path.
These aren’t the best pics, because juggling a camera while trying to get a timid dog who doesn;t know her name to look at you while people are whizzing by on bikes is not the easiest thing, but here she is with her timid face:
I was really excited about this picture, because her tail was up and curled and you would get a look at it, then at the last second she tucked it down between her legs in timid mode:
And here she is, for some reason, riding on the floor on the way home. Normally she sits right on the passenger seat, but who knows what she is thinking:
At any rate, I am seeing signs of life and I can see her becoming less timid by every minute. other than my parents Jack Russell’s, I am so used to willful and disobedient dogs that Lily is a weird experience so far. The entire time we are walking, she is looking to me for affirmation. I have a hunch she is going to be really easy to train.
I got stuff to do, I’ll be back this afternoon.
Mary
Sooooo cute.
greynoldsct00
Keep the Lily posts coming John, I’m glad she found someone like you to be her companion (and vice versa). Just don’t forget to give us a little Tunch-man here and there too! ;)
Cat Lady
You have Stiller’s floor mats? What a homer. And this from a Patriots fan with a Tom Brady Christmas ornament I have strategically placed year round.
Nannergrrl
Congratulations on the new addition to your family – may you have many wonderful years together.
Litlebritdifrnt
No need to apologize, we love it! Her ears are perking up too. (BTW my typos last night were as a result of COK (cat on keyboard) and I was too tired to notice them.
The Saff
Beautiful girl! And don’t apologize for all the Lily posts. Please keep them coming. I look forward to you describing her progress and upcoming “Tunch and Lily” threads.
Dogz and catz rule!
cleek
she sounds like a great dog, JC.
i have a front-page pie filter for BoingBoing, but i won’t do one here :)
Joy
I seriously doubt we’ll get tired of Lily and Tunch. Besides, you’ll be bombarded with emails asking how she is so you might as well let us know everyday. You are doing great with her. Your patience will pay off. My daughter adopted a rescue with anxiety issues and she came around once she realized she wasn’t being shuttled off somewhere else and was loved. You are doing a great job!
John Cole
@Cat Lady: I forgot where I was, but a cashier looked at me the other day and said “Wearing the Steelers jersey already” because I was sporting my favorite Hampton jersey. I had no idea what he meant.
Then, like a half hour later, it dawned on me- not everyone wears Steelers stuff year round.
Xanthippas
This dog lover has no problem with dog blogging. As long as it’s not about cats, we’re cool.
The Grand Panjandrum
That is one adorable canine. Perfectly understandable why you are smitten with her, but Steelers floor mats? And you were mocking a guy with a bumper sticker that expressed affection for his wife … OK now I believe you really do blog from your parents basement.
Skepticat
(Almost) all Lily (almost) all the time is fine with me, as long as Tunch doesn’t get short shrift. Following the adventures of your pets is much more cheering than noticing what’s happening in the real world. And I’m living vicariously, as I’ll someday be the crazy lady with thirty-five cats (instead of the current crazy lady with two).
Bad Horse's Filly
Who, who could get tired of Lily and Tunch posts? Nice way to start my day.
angulimala
I don’t mind the updates either.
She’s super cute and obviously needs the love.
Good on you, man.
kid bitzer
more lily posts!
also–you’ve got this ad for a dating service, runs on the left border sometimes, show some cute kid in three different pictures that cycle as the screen refreshes.
maybe we could do that for lily, too? how about it, laura w?
dr. bloor
The second photo is really promising–she’s coming along nicely.
However, if you turn her into a Steelers fan, I’m paying Tunch to whack her.
Laura W
@Bad Horse’s Filly: In 100% agreement. It’s really nice to smile while waking up over coffee as opposed to grimacing and rolling eyes at the cable “news” shows and irritating, depressing online stories.
@kid b: Don’t you think we should let John build up Lily’s self-confidence and self-esteem a bit before we try to hook her up with a boy dog?
harlana pepper
sick of the dog??? neverz!
so looking forward to an “ears up” post
Sean
Glad to hear she’s coming around. When we adopted our dog from the shelter he was really timid as well. He wouldn’t touch his toys or play tug or do much of anything. After a few weeks though he was in full play mode. We can’t get him to stop these days.
geg6
I will never tire of Lily threads. Hell, I even like Tunch threads. ;-)
She’s a beauty, John. And it sounds to me that she’s gonna be just fine and that you have hit the jackpot on disposition.
Love her Steelers collar and your Steelers floor mats. And I really don’t understand what that cashier was talking about. Steelers fashion is not only proper, but commendable, year round.
Michael D.
I do!
“I am in Steelers hell!”
JimF
I haven’t had a dog since I was in high school, why the extra harness for the leash?
Jim
schrodinger's cat
We love these posts, keep them coming. What is Tunch’s reaction to no longer being the center of attention?
Maude
The Robert B. Parker Sunny Randall novels have a dog, Rosie, who always lies on the passenger side floor. Aside from that, Lily is a Steeler’s fan.
Trinity
Drown us in Lily pics John! She is too cute.
Of course, we’ll also need our Tunch fix.
cleek
maybe if i shed enough on this thing i can cover up the horrible image!
Punchy
What’s with the pit bull leash-collar harness? Who told you to use such a ridiculously uncomfortable set-up? Unless your dog is crazy hyper or vicious, just use the regular neck collar to walk her.
Annie
Keep the Lily pictures and stories coming. I keep checking the site for more. DON”T forget Tunch. I already miss him….He’s not calling a lawyer, is he????????
The Saff
I believe dogs are able to sense the moods and emotions of their people. If you emit calm, cool, collectedness (you know, kinda like the President), she’ll pick up on it and realize that everything’s going to be OK.
mario
keep the posts comin’ John. It’s a great, evolving story, and I love ’em.
And this is from someone who doesn’t even like dogs. (so you gotta keep up with the tunch posts, who so reminds me of my dear late cat, Aggie – gotta dig up a photo of him for you)
Rey
Lily is a beauty!
Bless your heart John, bless your heart.
Cat Lady
@John Cole:
This might have something to do with what was discussed on an earlier post about you still being single. ;->
Lily will be a great chick magnet, so there’s that.
South of I-10
@Punchy: In one of the earlier Lily threads, John said Lily had no idea what to do on a leash. I would think the harness would be easier with a dog confused by a leash, so you aren’t constantly jerking their neck.
Blue Neponset
Steelers Floor Mats?
If you have a Steelers bed spread and/or shower curtain it might be time for an intervention.
I like the Lilly updates. Keep them coming.
Xanthippas
I don’t know about that. My dog wasn’t “crazy hyper” but she did like to pull on the leash when we walked (I could be running and we wouldn’t go fast enough) and she was always coughing from the pressure on her throat. I got a harness and a) I could control her a little more easily and b) she could pull to her heart’s content without choking herself.
slag
Keep the harness.
And bring on LilyCam!
Max
@Punchy: The harness is a good training tool and isn’t just for pitbulls. I use a harness when I take my dog around a lot of people, or when I’m on the trails with a lot of wildlife around. It allows for more control and doesn’t yank his neck.
My dog walker prefers the harness because if he’s off lead, and she needs to grab him quickly, the harness is easy to grab.
Elroy's Lunch
Cool dog. My family, many years ago, had German Shepherds. You know, the kind of dogs that have names like Graffin von Hunklefunkle of SomethingOrOther.
These days I like dogs that we find (most recently, one abandoned on the side of the road) and that we give good sturdy names. Like Stanley.
Max
@Elroy’s Lunch: My father had a succession of 4 St. Bernards in his life, all named Stanley. We refer to them as “Stanley #1” of “Stanley #2”, etc. My favorite was Stanley #4. Stanley #2 was kind of mean.
Comrade Stuck
Most dogs are Brown’s fans.
Dispatch from the Dogpound. This year is the year Lily!
Cat Lady
@Elroy’s Lunch:
I love dog’s names that have unlikely human names – a guy on the nature trail the other day was yelling for Kevin, and his dog came running. LOL.
LadyGrace
I just wanted to share my experience. Several years ago, I adopted a dog that had been abused and was extremely shy. She would come to her name, but that was about it. She wouldn’t play, she wouldn’t bark, she was afraid of hands and feet. She had a cigarette-sized burn on her belly. It was heartbreaking to think of what this poor dog had gone through.
To get her to play, I would sit on the floor and roll a ball back in forth in front of her, then roll it towards her. She would watch it, but not reach for it or chase it. At first, when I rolled it toward her she would back off. But gradually, she got so she wouldn’t move but let the ball come towards her. Then, finally, very tentatively, she reached out and picked it up. When I praised her, she looked at me like she just couldn’t believe that she was allowed to play. Soon she was chasing the ball all over the house, happily playing fetch. In fact, she got so carried away with the fun that she barked.
Instantly, her whole demeanor changed. Her head went down, her ears went down, the tail tucked between her legs and she cringed. Clearly, she had been beaten for barking. I spoke gently to her and tossed the ball again, and she again gave me the “I’m not sure I believe you” look, but chased after the ball.
She gradually blossomed into the happiest, most fun-loving dog imaginable. Helping her to come out of her shell and learn to be a dog was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life. I hope that Lily gives you the same joy my beloved (but now departed) Lady gave to me.
Notorious P.A.T.
What a cute little dog ) She looks pretty happy in that middle picture to me.
JL
You could buy a cloth harness for small dogs if you want. Harnesses are great but she needs one more appropriate for a lady. She loves you!
Don’t worry about the lily updates. We’ll let you know if you overdo. It is such a nice respite from the stories about the whackos.
nffcnnr
You are a hero, John.
cfaller96
I don’t know if anyone’s mentioned this already, but John, you might want to think about forcing Lily’s tail up when you’re walking her. It’s not as bad as it sounds- you take the handloop of a (traditional) leash and put it around her tail, and then you walk her by grabbing the leash length. I saw Teh Dawg Wheespeereer do it once with a shy dog who got all kinds of scared on walks. It worked.
By forcing her tail up, you’ll essentially be forcing her to walk proud, which should mitigate some of her shyness and timidity. IMO, it’s worth a try, although I say that without knowing anything about her background.
The Saff
@LadyGrace: That story just brought tears to my eyes.
Elroy's Lunch
Max: Interesting. I’ve only been bitten by a couple of dogs in my life and one of them was a St. Bernard. Of course, I probably deserved it.
Cat Lady: The rest of the “rescued” dog story was that we actually saved two abandoned dogs that day. The other one for which we found a home after we got rid of the tick infestation, we named Floyd.
Punchy
@Max: We use a Martingale (sp?) collar, and as it induces a mild tension on their neck when pulled, the dogs quickly learn to obey verbal commands (to avoid this). In other words, mild discomfort helps them to quickly associate commands with actions, and they (at least ours) were quickly trained and quite obedient.
Maybe my breed is unique to eschewing the body harness due to their unique shape, but I’ve always thought they looked uncomfortable and unnecessary. Oh well.
gex
@Cat Lady: My brother’s ex-girlfriend made the observation that our entire family gives our pets human names. We have Thelma, Pete, George, Sam, Bailey, Simon, Abigail, and Casey between my parents, my brother and me. I had never noticed before, so it was kind of interesting. Never much saw the appeal of a name like Fluffy.
John, please keep posting on Lily’s progress. For sensitive folks like me, I get a lot of sustenance from hearing about these not-random acts of kindness that you are committing. And we all love Tunch.
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
The harness looks fine. In fact, for small dogs (and cats) it’s probably more comfortable than a collar.
(Yes, I walked all my cats on leashes. They were fine in the yard and fine in the street as long as no people got too close.)
J.
Lily looks like a very sweet dog, who could use — and will appreciate — all the love and patience you are showing her. But please don’t forget about Tunch. (If you have never read Nicole Hollander’s cartoon, Sylvia, I suggest you do so now. Here’s a sample. Hollander has a great take on cats and dogs, which I think/fear is appropriate to your situation.)
Michael D.
@LadyGrace: That’s an awesome story – one that I bet is repeated thousands of times a year by people who adopt shelter dogs.
Dog Is My Copilot
Please don’t apologize for posting pics of Lily. I sense that everyone here LOVES seeing them and hearing updates on how she’s progressing. That includes me! Thank you for giving this deserving dog a home. There is nothing more gratifying (to me anyway) than taking in a dog – or any animal – who has been abuse or neglected, giving them love, patience, and just letting them be a dog, and watch them transform before your eyes. It gives me goosebumps to hear that you can already see some improvements in Lily’s demeanor. As someone pointed out yesterday, it’s also very uplifting to read of Lily’s progress when there are so many insane things going on out there right now.
Bulworth
Cheers for Lilly! Here’s hoping she feels more and more at home soon.
CaseyL
There’s no such thing as too many Lily posts, just as there’s no such thing as too many Tunch posts.
I, for one, eagerly look forward to the day you’re able to post a picture of Tunch’N’Lily, curled up together or at least planning some deviltry together.
ET
As long as we still get Tunch posts and other pet pics, Lily posts are OK.
Richard
There is no such thing as too many pictures of animals. She’s beautiful. She’s also scared. With all the love you’re showing her, that will pass quickly. Best wishes to you both.
DonkeyKong
My girlfriend and I added a fourth dog to our collection this year. He’s a Bichon from a high kill shelter in the central valley.
For the first two months he did’nt know what to do, how to eat, or what a sidewalk was for. The first time he went to get his hair cut he shook like crazy with tears coming down his eyes and made a low howling sound. He would chew through shoes, leashes, or anything else when we were gone.
I think the reason he did this is a sort of PTSD while being in the shelter. Cold cage, howling dogs, the smell of the “room” where dogs go in thinking they are going for a walk and don’t come out. It must be terrifying.
People who adopt often times don’t realize that in it’s full measure. Lily just needs time, structure and patience.
Anyway, he is now part of the pack, sweet as can be, and see’s our lhasa poodle as his “brother” and our cattle dog as his “mother.” We take him and the pack eveywhere we go in the bayarea and often comment that if you’re good in this live, you will come back in the next life as a dog in northern california.
I’m sure you will make Lily’s life equal to that in West Virginia.
Shepard of Good Souls
EL
I’m more a cat person than a dog person, but keep the Lily posts coming. Do tell us though, about any interaction between Tunch and Lily. Does he view her as an intrusion on his domain? An addition to his empire as another being to boss around? An inferior creature not worthy of acknowledgment since she doesn’t fill his food bowl?
dmv
Awww, she seems really sweet.
There is no such thing as too much dog-related posting. :D
HeartlandLiberal
I can only say this is one lucky dog to have you being willing to give her a home, and obviously care about her, the dog. I have read too much lately about yuppie types who buy themselves a cool looking, trendy breed dog, then ditch it or mistreat it or ignore it because it does not immediately fulfill their fantasies of an obedient, willing, intelligent companion. Overlooking any role they might normally by any half-sentient being be expected to play, like understanding how to train the dog, how to give it an environment it can function in that matches its breed, the whole nine yards.
I suspect in a few weeks Lily will have realized you are the best thing that has happened to her, and she will open up and relax and you will have a wonderful companion.
I am also fascinated at how well Tunch seems to be adjusting. That is also an indicator of how well you form bonds with animals within your household, you know.
I have to admit I respect and admire your adoption of this dog. We have always been cat people, but when I retire in less than two years, I may finish out the one side of our backyard that is not closed in with a chain link fence, and add a dog to our household. I just want to be able to let them have free run in an outdoor area, not be limited to in the house or on a leash.
JWC
Keep em coming. I tune in just to see how she is doing.
She reminds of a dog my first hubby brought home from a construction work site , obviously dumped and probably abused. She hid under a bed for over a week. Looks a lot like Lilly. Eventually she came to love us. She did fine with the cat, and came to love “her” cat. Always timid somewhat.
We named her “Troubles” which seemed appropriate. But she was a sweet dog.
John Cole
Tunch is doing well, but I see hints of jealousy. My sister was in town today for a business meeting and stopped by to meet Lily this morning, and was oohing and ahhing over her, and the Tunchinator came over, gave Lily a kiss, then swatted her in the head twice. We both got hysterical, and Lily did not bat an eye.
By the way, I forgot to mention, the honeysuckle is in bloom here in West Virginia and everything smells so damned good. I linger at the honeysuckle spots on the trails.
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
Aww, poor Tunch. You need to take a picture of him ASAP and post it so that he knows he still has his fans, too.
(I’d normally say poor Lily, too, but she seems to be taking it in stride. They may yet get very cuddly, but I think Tunch will always be top critter.)
Alex
She is incredibly cute, and I think you’re right about the easy to train part, she’ll definitely want the affirmation that comes with getting it right.
Of course, you completely ruined the post with the Steelers mat. Like the poor dog hasn’t had enough trouble in her life?
Shinobi
Can we add this to the list of reasons I hate the Dog Whisperer? That’d be awesome.
Teaching a dog to appear confident is not the same as actually making them feel confident. You are just teaching them to overcome their emotions and appear the way you want. It’s like teaching people to smile even when they feel sad. (Which we totally do as a society.) Teaching your dog to appear happy may just keep you from noticing when they are anxious. If a dog is prone to fear agression this could be particularly dangerous as you would not be able to see the warning signs as clearly before an attack.
Sorry to continually harp on the Cesar BS, but the amount of miseducation he promotes just seems criminal to me.
She’ll build her confidence over time. The fact that it was up at ALL on the second day is just great news! It took about a year before our rescue wagged his tail at us, but I appreciate those tail wags 10x more.
A Mom Anon
She’s lovely John. My family and I have been following your process with Lily and even my tough guy 15 yr old let out an “awww,look at the puppy” this morning on seeing her pics.
Michael D.
@Shinobi: Agree with everything in your comment. Thank YOU.
Ash Can
Oh gawd, Tunch is turning into my old Italian great-aunts.
Seriously, though, it’s IMPOSSIBLE to post too much on Lily, Tunch, or any of the other pets in these here parts. These posts are entertaining and heartwarming, and have the added bonus of regrounding us in reality when the political and/or economic scenes out there get too hairy. Keep ’em coming.
Nick
Count me in for more.
The Saff
Cat affection.
South of I-10
@John Cole: Tunch is reminding everyone that he is still around? My approximately 10 year old cat, Pati, still gets aggravated with Katie the kitten. Pati hisses and swats Katie occasionally, but with no claws. Pati is a great cat, I figure she is just teaching the little one some manners. They both walk all over my poor dog.
MaskedBandit
With love, your Lily will learn to trust you. She may never fully like strange people, but with work she’ll stop thinking of most people as threats. I can’t wait until your first story about how she crawls into your lap and gives you licks all over your face!
edmund dantes
One of our cats used to do that to our dog all the time. Danni would be running around minding her own business having a great time and Oreo would occasionally just reach out from the chair he was laying and give Danni a whack on the nose. Poor dog would look at me like “what did I do?”. Oreo was probably thinking “hey I’m trying to relax over here. Take all your energy and moving about away from me. Remember who really runs this joint”.
GeneJockey
I’d ditch the retracto-leash in favor of a simple leather 6′ leash. The leash isn’t just to keep the dog from running off, it’s also there to communicate what you want the dog to do, and occasionally to pull the dog back from danger. Plus, many of them lack a wrist strap, and are too easy to drop, or have pulled from your hand. Then you have a spooky dog being chased by a rattling, dragging sound she can’t escape.
Not a good thing.
REN
Lily and Tunch’s lives are of far greater interest to me that someone like Michele Bachmann’s. They both have larger brains and hearts.
drunken hausfrau
speaking of the Ginny and Guesli… when do they get to meet Lily? Lily needs to be socialized around well loved and grounded dogs… do you have a dog park nearby? And I agree with GeneJockey — get a simple 6′ leather or strong mesh leash.
She’ll come around quickly — you are doing God’s work! (Or maybe the Flying Spaghetti Monster’s work… whatever!) Everyday hero.
R-Jud
Animals with human names: next door’s cat is called “Dennis”.
@John Cole:
Ours in the backyard just started yesterday. I have had the window open all day today; it’s terrific.
gbear
Blogs to Dogs
Butch
So a year almost to the day after we lost our big old Smacky dog we decided it was time to add to the household, and Beau(regard) joined us last week…the list is now Butkus, Barley, Pancho, and Beau (dogs), and Slick, Cozumel, TomTom, Mooch, Spooky, Lugnut (she was rescued from a tire store), and Moorea (cats). Yes, we’re crazy. Keep up the critter posts, John.
REN
@ Butch
And I thought we were the only ones. Cinders, Popeye,Bebe and Buttons [dogs], Ed, Ned ,Scamper,Pepe andGrumpy[cats.] Its like an animal avalanche when someone comes to our door.
schrodinger's cat
I second that.
-Tunch fan
Anne Laurie
Lily’s already looking more relaxed, even with her tail down — she’s not trying to scrunch her whole body to take up the least possible space. You’re both doing good!
And give Tunch an extra scritch for us… if he’s already introduced Lily to The Paw of Discipline (mhaw-kiss! whap! whap!) the two of them are going to have a long & happy relationship. Just wait’ll they start conspiring against you {grin}.
Butch
@Ren. The problem is that they all have nicknames, so there’s the confusion factor in addition to the animal avalanche. Mooch, for example, is “Chacho,” the result of a poem that involved way too many beers: “Moochy Muchacho, she is so macho, she likes her nachos, with some gazpacho.” I probably shouldn’t share that….
Tim Fuller
Better dog blogging than rehashing Republican insanity ad infinitum. No need to double check as I will confirm for all that the usual cast of suspects are just as crazy as they were yesterday. I expect it will remain so until there are only three Republicans left in the country…screaming wildly at passersby in the park…
Enjoy
Cat Lady
@R-Jud:
Dennis, FTW.
passerby
Mmm-wah, a kiss on the head for Lily.
At first glance, in the first pic she looks like a Chihuahua. From what I can tell she’s a medium to small size dog.
A request for some vital statistics please:
How much does she weigh? I’ll play along and guress 24 lbs. Hard to tell without seeing her next to a human.
And did the vet give an estimate on her age?
As for too much / too many Lily posts, and judging from what others have commented here, I don’t see how you could possibly go wrong in that regard.
Oh, and, mmm-wah, a kiss for you, John. And for Tunch: mmm-wah, mmm-wah, mmm-wah.
Trollhattan
@ Michael D. #21
Yup, totally explains the forehead worry wrinkles. Lily’s clearly got better taste :-P
I suspect she’s still disbelieving this is her life now, like she won the doggie powerball or something.
JenJen
Oh, my… in that second photo, that may just be Lily’s dog smile! :-)
You Don't Say
More Lily, more Tunch, more JRTs. Enjoy all of them tremendously.
Elie
Maybe you mentioned this, but how does Lily react to toys? Does she enjoy them or interract with them in any way?
I have a friend who has a dog that was mistreated before she adopted him and Duke actually does not play with toys, but has come to enjoy playing with other dogs to some extent. Mostly, he is a big (Lab mix) Momma’s boy who just likes to lay at her feet.
It will be interesting to see what preferences she develops and the things in her environment that she wants to “experiment” or play with…
As a nurse, I have always enjoyed and appreciated observing the healing process — how the body, soul and spirit lay down new material to adapt to growth and change..
Lily is very lucky to have you. My two kitties (Buddy and Bill) send their love to her..and to Tunch who I am sure would make them hiss and spit until they all settled down into licking each other then falling asleep.
neil
You simply must continue to post about Lily – that’s all. I think I can safely say that there are a number of us who are concerned for her and anxious to hear of her progress – so this is very affirming.
Besides, we’ll just muck up the other threads, splattering you with way off-topic Lily questions anyway – so forget it – you can’t stop now. It’s too late. We’re all hooked!
Those who don’t care can just skip the thread, no? Really, they’ll live.
So – how does it feel to be a doggie savior? You should be pleased with yourself – I sincerely hope you are.
R-Jud
@Cat Lady: And he is, as you’d expect, Mr. Lovey-Dovey Gentleman cat (it must be the black-and-white coat– always in a tux). He regularly appears on the roof, looking to woo our Quinn.
AhabTRuler
@Butch: OK buddy, step away from the Esquivel records!
@Cat Lady:
I didn’t know you were called Dennis!
Krista
Yay for Lily and yay for John! I love that second photo where it looks like she’s laughing. She is such an absolute sweetie-face, and you are just an absolute darling for bringing her home and giving her love and care. It sounds like you’re already making wonderful strides with her — just continue to be patient, and don’t be too hard on yourself if there is the odd step back in her progress.
JL
Moxie’s tail is up when she is up to no good. It’s the look at me, I just dug another hole tail.
x
You’re a good man, John Cole.
And Lily is a lucky bitch.
I love the Lily posts. I look for them every day.
Lily & Tunch always bring a smile.
As a newbie here, (after months of lurking), I like that I don’t have to sign up to comment.
Anyways, I love the pet posts.
Peter J
I’m seeing this:
http://img44.imageshack.us/img44/1306/12377431.jpg
Loneoak
Bait and switch. Those darned shelter dogs love the bait and switch. ;)
Dog Is My Copilot
More animals with human names… my mother-in-law had a dog when she was a child. His name was Jeff. I chuckle everytime I hear her say his name.
Comrade Mary, Would-Be Minion Of Bad Horse
@passerby: He said yesterday that she’s about 17 pounds. Don’t know about her age.
REN
@Butch
Totally understand the nickname thing. My wife always names our animals,she tends to people type names, and then I just call them what I want to. It would most certainly be confusing to others.As Radar would say “Hey,dogs are people too you know.”
Indylib
@John Cole:
You said Lily came from a house with something like 20 cats, something tells me Tunch will not upset her very much. She’s probably thinking how cool it is that she’s in a place with only one.
And now I miss honeysuckle, it doesn’t seem to grow here in the wilds of southern Wisconsin.
Cat Lady
@AhabTRuler:
“I thought we were an autonomous collective”. Genius.
shortstop
That is really lucky! Timid or fearful dogs often eschew eye contact, which makes training much harder.
I’m coming in late, but congrats on the pooch! May she come to enjoy her life every bit as much as Mr. Tunch does.
Tim Fuller
Whenever I mention how well my rescue dogs have acclimated I am reminded by my hillbilly friends…..
“Them old ‘cur dogs know when they got it good.”
Enjoy.
Zuzu's Petals
Lovely pics.
I take it she’s okay with all the strange people and dogs on the trail, which is a good sign, no?
Laura W
@Peter J: I think he was probably referring to the google ad space below Pammy’s boobs that changes constantly. I’ve not see the ad he’s referencing (Passionfish?) but I think he’s asking if the “Welcome Home Lily” ad can be made into an ad with three different, constantly cycling photos of Lily. I think.
I don’t know if the woman who does all my ads knows how to do that as she is an amateur hobbyist who does it for mental health. However, if any of you graphic geniuses here want to whip up one of those ads, here are the easy Project Wonderful specs. I think they allow that sort of ad. Be sure it stays below 100k. Fussy about that.
I’d be happy to sponsor it for a while!
Anne Laurie
Listening to Mary Chapin Carpenter, and a song that makes a pretty good anthem for all the shelter dogs who finally reach safe harbors…
I’ve waited longer for lesser things,
But here I am
Who really knows what tomorrow brings,
But here I am
Just in case you were wondering
Just in case you got lost again
Just in case you run out of friends, here I am …
OH
I think she’ll be more comfortable and less anxious once the skin rash clears up. That’s got to be agonizing.
Don’t expect miracles overnight though, she’s been through hell and it’s a huge adjustment getting to know a new house and owner.
Pretty good for Day 2. Good dog, Lily.
Amanda
@John Cole: honeysuckle is THE BEST. Only other thing that comes close to make me smile is when the lilacs explode around Mother’s Day. If I ever own a house with a yard, honesuckle and lilac are on my garden store list!
I will join the chorus on “never too many pet posts” especially on how Lily and Tunch are adjusting.
Karen Wood
Please keep up the Lily and Tunch posts – nice to read something that makes me smile – great relief to reading about everything that’s evil and going wrong in the world.
Death By Mosquito Truck
I find myself becoming a little jealous of the dog. You never mentioned beforehand that she would cut into OUR time. Maybe I should have inferred that and mentally prepared myself for the compensatory burkean bells onslaught but I didn’t and now we’re here and I’ve gotta deal.
Peter J
Laura W, ok, haven’t been reading enough of the comments lately. Think I missed a couple of threads. :)
andrea
Puppy! More pix, and the Tunchinator too.
Tim Fuller, what you said about crazy Republicans. I need to stop using CSPAN as background while I’m working.
asiangrrlMN
Awwwww, John. Lily looks so much happier already. Keep up the good work, and keep posting about her daily progress. I third the motion for more Tunch pics!
Sniff sniff. Thank you to everyone who has rescued a shelter dog and/or cat and shown them the love they deserve.
passerby
John, now that Lily is a Stillers fan, I wonder if you’ll be able to yell and scream at the TV during games. Wonder if Lily’ll think she’s the one getting yelled at.
When my Andouille was alive, we’d watch Saints games on Sunday and, without fail, any time I yelled at the TV, it set her off barking in defense at some unseen attacker. Touch downs were particularly pandemonious and it took awhile to calm her down. So I had to kind of stifle myself if she was in the room–which she usually was.
Sue
Your Lily is my Ret. I got him because my friend the Humane Society lady asked me to take him; no one else wanted him in spite of his sad story – found tied to a light post or some post on the freeway. I kept his name (short for Reticent). Basic brown dog, nothing special to look at, but great eyes, of course. Not a great dog, obedience-wise, but a good dog if you’re the kind of person who gets more out of treating than training. Which I am, and which you are, it seems. Enjoy your Lily, and thank you for giving her a new life.
Mnemosyne
@South of I-10:
I actually saw my cat Boris box Natasha’s ears when she was a kitten. They were playing and she probably bit him too hard (as she was wont to do at that point) so he reared back and … WHAM!
After that, she wasn’t a biter anymore, so clearly he trained her right. :-)
DennisR
Lily might have been a little tired on the way home and chose a more comfortable position on the floor so she could rest. She looks relaxed and not at all nervous in the car (her ears aren’t back and likely her forehead is wrinkled up because you are close photographing her.) Sweet girl.
CynDee
@78 drunken hausfrau:
“speaking of the Ginny and Guesli… when do they get to meet Lily?”
Oh, God.
Phoebe
I can’t even imagine getting tired of this.
Johnny Pez
Where’s the “Pictures of Lily” tag?
robertdsc
This.
gbear
It takes a worried dog to sing a worried song
It takes a worried dog to sing a worried song
It takes a worried dog to sing a worried song
I’m worried now, but I won’t be worried long
cindy
a suggestion….
john, i saw on the previous thread that she wouldn’t eat until you put the bowl into her crate. this might be a good time to start a basic training exercise… put the bowl in the crate and say “take it” or “take it, lily.” if she doesn’t take it right away, just walk away and let her take her time to eat it.
after she starts eating right after you give the take it command, start inching the bowl out of the crate until she eats outside the crate. this shouldn’t take long, b/c she seems to be gaining in trust, from what you write. keep saying “take it” after the food has been set down.
take it/leave it are 2 important basic commands (leave it comes well after take it) that can morph into a cute trick.
after she learns both, you can put a treat on her nose and have her “leave it” for a few seconds; when you say “take it” the treat will “jump” off her nose and she will usually catch mid air.
the best dog training book i’ve found is cis frankel’s “urban dog.” i used it to train my dog in the basic commands (sit, down, stay, take it, leave it, etc.) i didn’t know she had been oprah’s dog trainer till after i bought the book. honest.
another tip she has is avoid using a retractable leash – if you should drop the leash and she bolted, the leash handle would follow her bouncing along the road, and might cause her to run away from the clacking noise that’s “following” her, especially with a jittery dog.
best of luck.
blogreeder
I just heard the term “rails to trails” about an hour ago from a co-worker. We were actually talking about one. I had never heard that term before and here it is on BJ. Weird.
Mary
Hi Lily! Sounds like you’re going to like living with John and Tunch.
Looking forward to you guys sharing your good times with us.
Mister Papercut
Aww, she’s coming around. I’m no expert, but that doesn’t look to me like the body language of a dog that’s gonna be timid for long.
Mrs. Polly
Lucky Lily.
I had a rescue dog, big ol’ Mr. Dog (yes, I know, I really reached back on that one) who started out a wary, food-guarding visitor, and shed layers of fear and mistrust like an onion.
I’ve backed myself into a corner metaphorically, but he ended up a complete marshmallow, no onion flavor at all.
He got punched in the nose by two different cats, and despite being ten times their size, never even snapped at them. I swear, he was Burt Lahr in a dog suit.
Lily’s going to bloom. It’s a lovely process to have initiated. Good on you.
Vegjean
John, please post pet updates and pics. There is so much demoralizing news around, so much cruelty and disingenuousness. It helps to have a break to focus on some kind moments in people’s lives.
I know you are not hurting for pet advice, but here is one more piece: If you can find a treat that Lily highly values (for my dog it was cheese tortellini and veggie hotdogs, cut in small pieces), sit on the floor with her, give her a few treats for free, then say her name and wait for her to look at you. The instant she looks at you, give her a treat. Then repeat.
This is a fun and fast way to teach a dog her new name, and it helps her learn to trust you.