whew!

"You mean this isn't my bed??"

So the pups and I managed to survive another holiday season, and I hope that I still have some readers out there after my hiatus... hopefully... anyone... out there?

I had lots of great customers that took home lots of my Christmas collars this year. And that combined for a wonderful but busy holiday season. I think my dogs wondered what had happened to me... I definitely neglected them for about a month or so while I was glued to my sewing machine!

Quincy has had to get used to sharing his snuggles with others...

To kick things off with a new year around these parts, I want to officially introduce everyone to my current foster dog - Matilda. I've actually had her with me for a couple of months now, but I've waited to post about her until I got her healthy. She arrived at my house with demodectic mange (thank heavens it's not contagious), and because of that, she had a bald head and a few other bald patches on her body. So we had to wait to take her glamour shots until now. But she has turned into quite the cutie with these beautiful honey-colored eyes, little freckles across her muzzle and head, and big, blonde polka dots on her back.

She's now mange-free, has had all her shots, and she'll be spayed very soon before she goes to a new home. She's a young one - somewhere between eight to twelve months old - and she definitely acts her age. She's very playful, L.O.V.E.S. my other dogs and from time to time she'll have one of those crazy, running-in-circles moments.

But once she settles down, she gives my Quincy a run for his money in the snuggling department. There's nothing that makes her happier than cuddling on the sofa... whether it's with me or the other dogs. And she gets along well with my cat, although a less tolerant feline might find Matilda to be a little too enthusiastic.

She does well in her crate, she's housetrained, and she's learned sit, down, off and leave it (although that last one is negotiable if it's something REALLY interesting).

Although she loves kids, she will need to go to a home without them because she is a mild resource guarder. Some of you out there probably know what this means, and you might even have a dog that has this problem (I've learned lately that it's more common than I realized unfortunately). But in case you don't, this means that she can be possessive of high-value objects like rawhides - occasionally (not always) she'll growl when you try to take a rawhide or special toy away.

[To learn more about resource guarding, you can listen to Dr. Ian Dunbar discuss it in depth here].

I've been working with her on it, and she is doing really well (we've had growling on two different occasions during the two months I've had her). But this does mean that she can't live with children, and she needs to go to a dog-experienced home where the new owner(s) are willing to continue working with her using positive reinforcement.

This does not mean she's not a sweet and wonderful dog... she's probably one of the sweetest dogs I've ever rescued. But she does have this issue, and I will only place her in a home that is a great fit - one where everyone involved understands the problem and where they will work with her on it and continue her training. There's no doubt that she will bring a great amount of joy and love into the right home.

If you'd like to help Miss Matilda find her forever home, please take a minute to post her on your blog or Facebook page, or send around an email with a link to my post. She's an incredibly special girl that deserves an incredibly special future. So spread the word! Anyone interested in learning more about her can email me here.

PS - Most of you know that I'm a tireless Pit Bull advocate, so I just wanted to make sure that everyone knows that resource guarding is not just a "Pit Bull thing." I've seen resource guarding in goldendoodles, shih-tzus, and hounds... just to name a few. Ok, that's all... carry on.