Hershey
November 16, 2011
A huge HELLO from Hershey!
Boy oh boy, I am so sorry I am so tardy with my blog update but boy oh boy do I have so much to give you as an update… Geez, where do I start… Well, FM says that I am growing in leaps and bounds! Let me tell you a little about my week!
I went to the doggie dentist and got all my choppers cleaned up! Boy do they look nice! I feel so much better too! My gums aren’t really sore either. Boy oh boy, I don’t want to have my teeth get that dirty again. FM said that I may need to keep an eye on my teeth, but then again maybe not since we don’t know much of the details of my history. So, to be on the safe side, FM ordered some dental bones for me to chew to help me take responsibility for my teeth too!
Other than my dentist appointment, the week, it was pretty normal. I went to work with FM and my fur-sisters. I started playing a bit more actively with Holly but I still am not sure what those stuffy toy things are that she loves so much… Me, I just grab a bone and chew on that… I am also playing “Hand” with FM. This is how we engage more in play activity, but I am a little mouthy, very gentle with just an open mouth, but mouthy all the same. It is all I know right now, my fur-sisters play with stuffed squeaky toys and they love them so much. I just don’t really understand why (Look at the photo of me looking a Holly, I think she likes it as a chin rest) … But seriously, what I don’t get, is when we play Hand, FM shoves a stuffy toy in my mouth or bops me on the head with it… She is crazy like that. Anyway, that is me at play time.
FM also left me all alone for extended periods of time and she said I was an angel. Well, of course I am, what did she expect? Chocolate is heavenly, not anything else but heavenly… Just ask my FM!
OK – Hold onto your seats for my big news! I went for a long car ride with my family to go visit my Foster Aunt and all the rest of the family in HERSHEY! Funny right, they named a town after ME! I was great in the car and was a perfect houseguest. FM even left me with my Foster Uncle and fur-cousin (fur-sisters too) while they went shopping. I wasn’t a big fan of it, but I was good and behaved well. I even got nose to nose to a guinea pig, I couldn’t quite figure out what he was! But he was curiously cool My fur-sisters told me how much I would love it, and they were right… We ran and ran and ran all around outside! I kept an eye on FM but I ran around with Holly and came immediately when called and FAST, boy I ran as fast as I could to get to FM. It was the greatest day ever! We came back home later that night and us girls fell right asleep.
Now, here was one of my big tests that FM talked about. FM started packing her bags and her work stuff and I watched what my fur-sisters were doing… WE WANT TO GO TOO!!!! Nope, Monday morning really, really early, FM left us. She left before but something seemed different. Anyway, I was home ALL DAY and NO MESSES of any kind or anything bad AT ALL. I like being part of the family too much to mess that up… but I digress. What was weird is Aunt Laura came over and hung out with us, then she left, then she came back and that kept happening. I cried a little at first but I adjusted. Then Wednesday FM came home! She came back! It was awesome! Weird though, because she acted like nothing and gave us treats and told us what good girls we were. We eventually settled in and got our loving and things are just like they were. AHHHH, I am liking this new life. Check the photo out of me right in the middle of the most amazing fur-sisters a gal could ask for! 
Now, you are probably all wondering about when you will have the opportunity to meet me and take me home to your family. FM said that I am getting there, but because of my past experiences, I need to grow a bit more. She said that it is important that we take our time so I can continue to build my confidence, trust, and my true personality. I do like having a fur-sibling that I can play with and snuggle up to. Look at me snuggling with Holly, again! 
I think I need the company, particularly if you leave for long periods of time. I would be fine with little people because I really am a lady and very gentle; but, since I am using my mouth to play Hand, that would need some continued effort. Anyhow, I think it will be a bit more time before I can come to live with you, but not too much more time. Trust me! I cannot wait to meet you and start my next chapter in my life as part of your family either, we just have to make sure that I continue to move forward. FM said there are more tests in my future… Uhhh.. Whatever!
Gentle nudges and kisses to you.
Hershey
11/7/2011
Hi All,
Hershey checking in! I can’t believe that it has been a whole week that I have been in Foster Care! All I can say is Brookline Foster Homes Rock! I am having a really good time. FM said that I am blossoming… slowly, but blossoming.
This week FM started our walking regimen. Yep, she walks all three of us together. I am getting better at walking in my pack and really enjoying sniffing at all the smells in the neighborhood. There really are a lot of smells out there! My fur-sister is a sniffer too so, I just join right in if she finds something, I want to smell too!
FM said that I am doing really well here. I go potty outside and that makes FM so happy and proud that I can’t help but come up and nuzzle when I am all done just to get my praise! I am actually starting to wander a bit out back with my fur-sisters too! I do like to check to make sure FM isn’t too far away and if I hear the door open then I come running! I have even wandered a bit when FM wasn’t out with us. She just said, go on, enjoy the day and then shut the door behind me! I was wondering why she wasn’t coming out but I did manage to wander off with Ms. Bella for a while! That was ok by me! Of course, it was way cool that when I came back to the door, it opened up – Just like that!
I continue to do well in the house, no accidents and no chewing or any destruction! FM left me alone with my fur-sisters for a few hours today. When she came back, she gave us all a treat and then we went for a walk! That was really cool!
I continue to interact when FM plays with my fur-sisters but I just don’t know what to do with the toys yet. FM put a little peanut butter on a stuffed toy and I licked it off like a champ! I really love peanut butter! I think it will take some time to figure out the real purpose of a stuffed squeaky toy, especially if there is a little treat on it for me! I did play a little with a squeaky ball though! In fact, my fur-sister and I did play a little too. There were some play bows and boy is she funny with the butt spins! She flies across the room and it is so hard to catch her! I really like her and think we will play again very soon! I guess that was enough for me to start! I do like my bones but FM said that I can’t play with those, only chew them since they can hurt my teeth ~ she says “no running with bones!”
Speaking of teeth, I go to the vet to get my teeth cleaned on Thursday. FM said they are in bad shape and I have dental disease… She said a good cleaning will work wonders on me and she hopes that it isn’t too advanced. I’ll let you know how that goes, but FM said that I will need to be a very brave girl and go with people other than FM for the day.
I am still Velcro and competing for love (Holly makes that quite challenging), but boy am I a snuggler. If it’s not my turn, I simply lay down or chew my bone. I am working on not cringing when there is fast walking or when FM turns around. I also ran when she was putting away a paper bag! I was very scared of it. FM said that the bag wasn’t going to hurt me and next thing you know, I am being petted and loved by a Paper Bag! Can you believe that folks! Crazy, I know! I am not a big fan of the vacuum, but I just go into the other room to avoid the confrontation. Everything else is sweet as peanut butter! Gosh, I am getting a craving… maybe it is play time again!
Check out my fabulous photos! Guess which one is me thinking about peanut butter! It won’t be long before I am going to go home to you and you will be behind the camera lens! Snuggles and gentle kisses until we meet!
10/30/11 – Coming into Foster Care
Hi Gang,
It’s me Hershey, I am a young seven (7) year old petite chocolate lady, weighing in at a mere 61 pounds (if you must know) and I have a beautiful chocolate coat, kind of the color of Hershey Kisses! I guess that is how I got my name.
Boy, what can I say about what a difference a day makes. My history is what it is, and I am hoping for a really bright, happy and playful future. You see, I was a breeder dog for 5 years of my life. Finally, the kennel closed and they found Brookline to help with placement. I was placed with a family directly from the kennel and I don’t quite think they knew what to do with a breeder dog. See, they didn’t quite understand how special I was and that I had special needs to help me transition. They tried but they just didn’t have the time, skills, or energy to work with me… They tried, but it just wasn’t a good fit… So, that brings me back to Brookline! It was rough for a while as I know the family wanted to love me, but they couldn’t understand me and that caused increased anxiety. So, that leads me to my next chapter of my life.
I am now at a way cool foster home. I share my new home with my Foster Mom and two foster fur-sisters. Bella (12) and Holly (7). I came to my new home October 30th, just in time for Trick or Treating! Yay for me! I love it here! I easily met my foster fur-sisters and we all got along with tail wags! Bella is more of an older sister keeping a watchful eye on things and Holly is just like me how she loves the attention! In fact, I go over to get love and she moves on in and vice versa! But, I don’t mind sharing FM, she said that her love cup never runs out and it is always full for us. I kind of want to play with Holly, but I am not quite ready yet. I think Holly will be a great playmate. FM said that Miss Bella will be the one to teach me how to play with toys… See, I just don’t know what to do with them and I don’t know how to play, only chew on my bones on occasion. FM said that we will start organized play soon, after I settle into the pack. That sound fun.
So, check it out, I went out to my new yard and I can walk with my fur-sisters and sniff around! I think something was in the backyard last night because I know I smelled something today! FM said that I am transitioning remarkably well. I am a little Velcro but that is not uncommon amongst my labby friends! We just want to be around our people and don’t mind walking when you do. I went potty outside without any trouble and have been a lady inside. I also got excited at dinner and even spun in circles! I LOVE dinner, but even in all my excitement, I still have my manners and don’t eat too fast. In fact, I waited until my dish was put down after my fur-sisters and didn’t even try to get at their food… Of course, FM was there to show me the rules of the house. She has a lot of them, but they seem pretty easy to follow! I don’t question her, she said this will help me find my fur-ever home… So, you bet I am on board!
So, let me give you some basics for my formal introduction to the group… Well, what FM knows at this point… I am a petite young seven (7) year old chocolate girl. I am pretty mellow but have moments of excitement like other gals my age. I have not had any accidents in my new home, I like to be around my FM, but I am ok if she leaves the room and I can’t see her (I had to work up to that). I really like my fur-sisters, and probably get along with anyone! I am not destructive at all and hardly even chew on my bone. I bark on occasion if I hear my fur-sister bark, I will chime in on the excitement. I am a LOVE BUG! I am a great snuggler but have no problem hanging with my fur-sister on the floor either. I guess that is about all there is too mention right now. Stay tuned as I settle into my new foster home and learn to really help me become the pup that I was meant to be!
