Hamby : Just Look at This Happy Face!

My little foster boy, Hamby, just left with his new mom and fur-brother. Hamby was such an easy boy to foster and I’m so happy for him that this wonderful family adopted him. When he became a Col Potter kid, just 7 short weeks ago, I fully expected him to be a long-term foster. He is a little older (almost 10) and suffered from the itches (allergies) for most of his life. I’ve heard that a lot of foster homes are hesitant to foster the older kids, especially males, let alone ones who have some health issues. We had tremendous support/advice/help from Bobbie B (Medical Team) and Sandy T (Director of Foster Homes) on getting his allergies under control and improving his general health. Also, fate was probably at work in this match since his new mom just happened to be looking for a male, close to the same age as her Westie, and residing in Florida. Everything just fell into place for this sweet boy. Happy “forever” little Hamby!!!

Karen M
Parrish FL

Another happy ending: Matty CP #4236.

Matty's new Mom sent this adorable announcement:

http://smilebox.com/playEmail/4d5467324e6a41314f5468384e4445774e4459324e44593d0d0a&sb=1

Congratulations!

Gouda Has A Great Home But is Missed by His Foster Family

"Gouda left a week ago for his forever home in WA. It has been very empty and quiet here. This boy lit up our home like sunshine just as our precious Bou used to do. This boy was so very hard to let go. Gouda totally had wrapped his paws around our hearts (humans and dogs), but now was just not the right time for another furkid for us.

Gouda has a wonderful forever home with a mom, cairn sister and grandparents to love and look after him. He has a HUGE fenced yard, which I know he loves. He loved his freedom so much and running and rolling in the grass here. Gouda's new mom has been great to keep up updated on how he is adjusting.

They totally love him which doesn't surprise us. Per foster dad...' no one could not love this little boy'.

Lori

Rogers, AR

Gotcha Bella!

Hi Aunt Mary and all, it's me Bella!

Do you know what today is? It is the one year anniversary of my “Gotcha Day”. That’s right, I have been living the high life for a year now with my furever family and loving every minute of it. I just can’t believe that it was a little over a year since I was in that terrible place. Living the life that I am now living, those memories are just a part of my past. I never stop wagging my tail and my tongue goes just about as fast. I really love Saturday and Sunday mornings because that’s when we get to get in bed with mom and dad and snuggle. I of course snuggle with daddy because he is my favorite. I get so close to him that sometimes he has to move over. I do that on purpose so he has to snuggle back. He’s the best. I love mommy too but daddy is my favorite. I want to tell all the little furkids that a lot of great things can happen to you in a year if you are a Colonel Potter furkid.

I want to thank all the folks at Colonel Potter’s for finding me my furever home and especially Aunt Mary for taking such good care of me until my mommy and daddy could find me and take me home. I am truly home. I hope that every one of my sisters and brothers that are awaiting new furever families can find a loving family like mine in the next year.

If anyone is coming through the Denver area and needs a break, please consider stopping by and saying Hi. Mom, dad, DeDe and myself love having company. Especially if there is another cairn or two to play with.

Hugs and kisses,

Bella

From DeDe:

Thank you so much for giving me a sister to run and play with. Bella washes my face everyday and we sleep together in the same kennel. We are an inseparable pair.

From Mom and Dad:

We just want to thank everyone at Colonel Potter’s for bringing this wonderful little girl into our lives. The last year has been such a joy and we are doing everything in our power to treat her like the Princess that she is.

Thanks again.

Jim & Cindy

Rye goes camping!

From the Furever Family:

First let me say thank you to everyone at Col. Potter. It is truly a great thing that all of you do.

We have now had Rye with us for an entire week and everything seems to be going great. She is adjusting quite well and so is my 11 year old dog, Jasper. Jasper seems to be much more patient with Rye as opposed to our Madison (which was our cairn we lost in June). It seems as if Rye is looking to Jasper for guidance with the house rules.

We also have a camp on Sacandaga Lake, which we visited yesterday with Rye. I have attached a picture of Rye at our camp. She had a great time swimming and playing on the beach. She is a great girl.

We do not plan to change her name - it fits her perfectly.

Again thank you for everything you do!
Patty and Doug

Miss Plum is now Gracie and so loved!

Pam,


I sent you an update about 10 days ago but this one is even better! We are the very PROUD and HAPPY MOM and DAD to GRACIE (fka Miss Plum), who is the love of our lives! Even our cat, Oliver, loves Gracie and walks with us on every walk. They had no difficulty bonding!

We took your advice and have proceeded very slowly to introduce her to new people and new places. We know for certain that Gracie is fearful of large, loud men and women. Her introduction to our grandchildren went even better than we could have hoped. The boys were wonderful with her so she relaxed. Of course, they can’t wait to play ball with her!

You will be happy to know that after the first week, Gracie began to warm up to Chan by leaps and bounds. She is equally at ease with both of us now. Last weekend, we went on an errand, Gracie was my lap when suddenly she crawled into Chan’s lap when he stopped at a light. He was so thrilled he was almost speechless! We go for 2 long walks around our little lake each day (early morning and evening) which she loves as there is lots of nature to see. Oliver, of course, has to go along for “protection”! Gracie has become much more relaxed on her walks and loves to explore. Going through openings or doorways is still the same—no progress. I’m glad she is light enough for me to pick up!

I am going to take some pictures this weekend to forward to you. We have had so much rain for the last couple weeks that it’s been difficult to get good photos. As you can tell, we are all truly enjoying our time together. We are thrilled with Gracie’s progress. She’s eating well, exercising, loves to be massaged and soothed and plays a fast game of ball with her “pink” ball! We’re amazed at how many toys she can carry at once!!! Our prayer is that gradually Gracie will become more relaxed around other people. If not, we can deal with that. Gracie is blessing us and we hope her life with us will be blessed, too.

Pam, the love, tender care and the excellent work you did with Gracie enabled her to find the ability to trust you. Because of your work, she is able to now trust that we will protect and care for her. The short time we’ve spent with Gracie has taught us what a gift you have. We’re so grateful. Thank you for trusting us with “Miss Plum”. I promise you we will not let you or Gracie down.

Love,
Judy & Chan
Aka “Gracie’s” Mom & Dad

P.S. The book you gave us about working with our shy dog has been wonderful!

Daphne is now Bailey - and our neighbor!

Hi Pam! We can not thank you enough for our Bailey (fka Daphne)! She is wonderful. You were right about the lizards and digging in the mud. She has also discovered squirrels. We have had 3 "paw" showers since Friday evening. Last night she and "Tigger" slept on the bottom shelf of the buffet in the dining room. Prior to that she has been sleeping in her bed in our bed room. We can only assume that she is checking out all areas of the house.

Take care,

Jack, Karen and Bailey

All Stars, No Wars: Princess Leia

Dear CP Volunteers,

Here is a recent update on Princess Leia, formerly known as Bangles.

Leia is doing really well - today is her four-week anniversary with us. My hubby and I are very affectionate with her and she seems to love it. She is learning socialization from Wookie, such as the joys of going potty in the grass (thank heavens!). They love to sit outside together, and we'll sit with them and read the paper or have coffee. We go on 1 to 1.5 mile walks late at night, when the temperature here in NC is tolerable. Wookie takes the lead and Leia is a natural on the leash. It's funny - Wookie was never that great at heeling (so many distractions like squirrels and other dogs, you know!) but now that he is "big brother" he apparently needs to show Leia how it's done, because he's pretty much "head up and onward" the whole time we're walking.

Leia is becoming more & more accepting of our two teenage sons, who both love her very much and are sad because she has been afraid of them. We've been using treats and positive reinforcement to help her adjust to them. But she was immediately comfortable with our 21-yr-old daughter, who is petite. I'm guessing the puppy mill "handlers" were young men for the most part.

Thanks for all of your hard work with CPCRN!!

All the best,

Marcia

Mizz Pattypan!

Greetings from the humid & hot jungle,

I know you are busy being a great foster mom to more deserving cairns so don't worry that we haven't heard from you in a month of Sunday's and more. The Arlington sisters cry when I tell them you've gone on to loving other cairns, and have probably forgotten all about them. I tell them to buck up, life is hard. Just kidding, I miss hearing from you but I know you stay busy, this cairn family is doing fine, Pattypan completed our circle. She's getting sweeter and more trusting daily. We love her so much. She's smart and has a funny sense of humor. She more than holds her own with the other three. Everyday I'm reminded I did the right thing by bringing her here.

Just wanted to give you an update on everyone.
They all got groomed last Saturday. Patt looks very much like a lady instead of a Yeti from the far north. Before she got groomed I was beginning to think she was part Afghan hound, long nose, wild blond head.

These TX girls do not like being in 'The Thunderstorm Capital of the World', no joke we do have that designation. Sib barks at the thunder, and if she is outside when it starts, she not only barks, but spins and jumps around wildly. The first time I saw her do that my heart seized up, I thought she had been struck by lightning, but no she's just trying to catch the thunder and kill it. Needless to say she has not been successful. Neither TX girl wants to go outside in the rain, and refuse completely if there is thunder. This can be a problem. Carry them out, put them down gently in a relatively dry place (under a tree), and both immediately make haste for the house like little wind up toys that have only one direction to go. No amount of coaxing or treats (they'll take the treats but still race for the house) will change their minds. They seem to have formed a coalition between them to strengthen their right of refusal.

Since I wrote last Pattypan, the toy hoarder, has refined her hoarding to an art. She is a keen observer of all things, and has made note of the fact that Sib has two especially favorite toys. They are toys that sing a stupid little 20 second 'deedle dee dee' tune every time she gently bites into it; Sib just loves it. Sib will collect both and play with only them. In typical cairn fashion however, she'll be distracted away, and Patt watches carefully for that moment. When Sib has her back turned or walks away, Pat is there in an instant and in a casual drive-by by movement (I just imagine her happily humming to herself) scoops one up in her mouth and without pausing spirits it away to her stash. Soon she'll do the same to the other one. Turn about is fair play, however, and Sib has grown wise to this dastardly trick. This morning Sib was looking around for her toys and saw they were both with Patt. She turned away and went to lay down in a crate with a view of Pat and the toys. Patt soon got up and left them unattended. Sib went right over and plucked hers out of the pile. All of this is just too funny to watch. Patt has 2 primary stash areas, one that large wired crate and another area that is a big comfy dog bed. The other available crates are much too small for a load of booty like hers.

A girl can't have too many toys, including Sib's! Parker and Yams are great buddies. They wrestle and play until they are exhausted!
Love ya' hope all's well there in TX.

Georganne

Nettie and Her Big Brown Eyes Celebrate

Today is Nettie’s Gotcha Day!! Being a bad mom, I usually forget until days or weeks later. Bad mom also doesn’t have any new or really good pictures of her either. Here is one from last year. For some reason, whenever she gets groomed I never remember to take pictures. Her gift to me this morning was squatting and peeing next to the cat scratch post. I’m going to guess an overnighter actually did mark when I wasn’t looking and she needed to fix that. She'll get a special treat with her supper, but lots of extra hugs and kisses today.


I think she’s about 14 now, and it’s been a wonderful 8 years since she was adopted. I really can’t believe it’s been that long and am hopeful of many more. Nettie was my first foster, and the only one who didn’t leave. I’m so thankful to CP for rescuing her and letting me keep her.

Sandy A, Hot Houston TX

Thunder's Third "Gotcha Day" Anniversary

Three years ago Thunder, a CP kid with problems, became ours. We just love him. He is our special lap boy.

Thunder a wheaten boy was fostered by Maureen A here in NJ. Maureen and family had a vacation planned so we babysat for Thunder for two weeks. He had seizures and could barely walk. I guess 8 years in a crate the size of a bunny hutch will do that to you. At 8 years old who would adopt this kid with so many problems? In those two weeks we fell for Thunder. The sweetest kid ever. He would pull his blanket from the crate into the living room where we were sitting then beg to be on your lap. We could not have asked for a better fit in our family.

We had our stairs carpeted and Thunder goes up and down without a problem of course he prefers a ride which his Dad provides most nights for bed time.

Mary Ellen, matchmaker in NJ

Celebrating Monkey!

It's Monkey's 5th Gotcha Day! It's been a wild ride, from the first day when he growled at me for several hours, until just now when he was curled up by my side. He's still got issues but don't we all?


He was my 2nd foster and I fostered him from early June until that evening in mid-August when I realized he was home. Amazingly I had a camera handy when that realization came upon me so I snapped a few photos of Monkey (fka Jared) curled up on a pillow with Fred and Zoya.

Monkey's full name with titles is Col Potter's Monkey B, MB-RAE, CGC. He's registered in the Mixed Breed Dog Club and the AKC Mixed Breed Program. I had hoped to get him into agility and start working on his AKC rally titles. Once I get a job, I think we'll get back to those goals. And now that the Mixed Breed Dog Club has revamped their conformation rules, we may have a chance at a MB conformation title!

Denise
Citrus Heights, CA
Fred CGC - cairn wanna be
Monkey MB-RAE, CGC - cairn athlete

The latest Cairnadian!

Here is a recent update on CP kid Chicago, now known as Abbie.

This is a picture of Abbie at the cottage.

She is cooler with her new haircut and loves to wade around in the water. She sticks her snout underwater and walks around as if she was snorkeling.

She is very happy andrelaxed but gets quite curious when the ducks swim by.

She hasn't gone in further than her shoulders yet but I am thinking she may become quite the water enthusiast!

I love her already and I am sure she is the most perfect, sweetest doggie
ever born!
Thank you! thank you!
Sandra

Rye Meets Mom & Dad

Rye's family picked up their precious bundle today. New mom made it easier for me as she was crying as much as I was, lol! But the tears were happy ones, and they are absolutely thrilled with her! Their son even texted them while they were here asking if they had picked her up yet! Rye will fill a void for them after the loss of their cairn a few weeks ago. My baby girl will have a wonderful forever! Thank you CP for saving this precious kid and letting her live the life of Ryelee!

Doreen in MD

The Joyful Life of Eberdeen Eileen

Abbs or Abbey (aka Aberdeen Eileen fka Newark) is just a delight to have around. She is all house trained now, and goes with me EVERYWHERE that I can take her. Everyone loves her. She went to school for six weeks, and graduated TOP of her class. She even won the gold for a very modest agility trial. She seems to love all that. I hope to continue with her classes with a goal of more agility training.

She and the cat continue to get along very well. By the way, she has never made an inappropriate move towards Sedona. I have even caught them licking each other a bit. So much for "Cat Scanning".

We were away in Arizona a few weeks ago, and I boarded them both at a local Pet Lodge. One of the techs there was so in love with Abbey, that I thought I might not get her back!

Abbey's latest love is swimming in the pool. I bought her a neon pink life vest to wear in the pool. At first she wasn't too sure if she liked this big "water bowl", but she trusted me and as soon as I put her in the pool, she took off like a little torpedo! Her vest keeps her very buoyant, and keeps her head up out of the water. In no time, she was jumping in from the side of the pool.

She is such a happy little sweetie pie. She brings such joy and laughter to my life. I can't even imagine my life without her now. She is so wonderful with other dogs and kids, and big people. I never have to worry about her acting inappropriately with anyone. I love taking her to the Home Depot with me. People comment on how good she is, as she just sits in the carriage lets people come up to her and pet her, and get their "puppy fix".

Sorrell is now Gracie Elizabeth

Hi Eveyone,
Just to let you know that Sorrel (now Gracie Elizabeth) was adopted today to a wonderful family. She will be cherished and cared for. She even has a Westie brother - Felix. He was quite taken with her. The first thing she did was go out in the yard to potty. Such a little lady. Thank to all in CP who helped her along her first path to freedom. Gracie only lives about 25 miles from me, so I can visit her from time to time.
Mary (KS)

Glacier Gets a Great Home!

Dear Karen and Deborah,

The trip home W/Glacier was easy. We hardly knew we had her in the back seat - she slept much of the time

She is settling in her new digs but still misses the Biloxi gang.

She chased a rabbit out of the yard monday . So much for the yard boss. It looks like she is Margaret's dog.I love her pick up, pat her, feed her, and she still follows Margaret all over the house!

Josephine has a New Home

Josephine also has a 4yr old cairn brother, three human sisters and a new dad.

Foster Dad Ron K

Carpentersville, Ill.

Emmie - the new Esther Wiiliams!

Hi,

I just wanted to share pictures of Emmie enjoying her little pool. Emmie's confidence has continued to grow since she joined our family in November. She LOVES her walks. After a good mile or so walk, Emmie jumps into her little pool to cool down. We didn't realize that she wanted a pool. She had to show us with her regular baths in the water bowl. Emmie and her fur sister, Amber, have also become a tag team in stalking chipmunks, squirrels and bunnies. The two get along so beautifully.

Many thanks to Col Potter for giving our Emmie a new life with us and giving our Amber a wonderful buddy!

Sheri K
Mom to Amber and Emmie (fka Cyan)

One Happy Family!

We just wanted to drop a note to thank you for all your help in finding us yet another beautiful Cairn for our family! We picked up Dorsett yesterday from his foster home with Chris C. in CT. We took our other CPCRN adoptee, Luna, to the pick up and they immediately hit it off, assuming play stances and following each other around. There has been no aggression whatsoever; it's amazing. Both seem to be adjusting very well and will sort out their roles as time goes by. (They are laying together at my feet, sound asleep, as I write this.)

Luna has been with us 6 months now and we are amazed at her transformation. So many of her fears and anxieties have disappeared and it is now the exception (rather than the rule) for her to cringe in fear or run from anything. She is now curious and full of energy, loves to meet new people, and loves to travel in the car. It has been so rewarding to see these changes!

Dorsett (to be known as Fergus now) is a lovely pup, full of curiosity, energy, good humor, and wiggles. We just love him! He is also a welcome contrast to Luna, who is a reserved and quiet Lady. They will make a good team!

Many thanks for helping to bring these two little dogs to our family! We cannot say enough good things about CPCRN and recommend it to everyone!

Best,
Diane and Charles