Guinness, affectionately nicknamed Foster BG and Snickers while he was our foster dog lived with us for nine months. He was 4 1/2 years old when he came to us and we helped to prepare him for life outside of a commercial breeding facility. He was crate trained, house trained, discovered toys and the company of cairns and people. He was very agile and we quickly learned that he was an escape artist with the ability to jump very high. In June of 2010, he was matched and he went to live with his new 'Mom' who has shared his new life with me through updates over the years. She tells us he is still quite a jumper and can get on top of her kitchen island, some things never change.
Fast forward three years and she brought Guinness back to where we live to help cheer her on in a race at the beach. She invited me to come and see him again and I think we all wondered what our reunion would be like.
I am happy to say that he is a well adjusted, friendly guy who lets children pet him and isn't phased by runners or strangers. He was friendly to me but I was one of his Mom's friends now.
It's ok Mom, I'll be waiting for you
If you would like to see how far he has come, you can click this linkto see the stories and videos of him when he was a Col. Potter foster - officially named Bubba Gump but we called him Snickers.
This is the story of rescue. A sad or difficult beginning doesn't mean that a dog can't thrive with a second chance. Just ask Guinness.
If you are looking at Bubba (we call him Snickers) for the first time today, please don’t think that because he has been in foster care for 7 months that there must be something wrong with him. He was rescued from a commercial breeding facility and was even afraid of mailboxes when we got him. We have all learned a lot about each other while fostering him. He has learned to accept love, obey simple commands, play with other dogs, sleep peacefully in his crate, wait his turn, develop a daily routine and he has been housetrained. Everything in our world was new to him. He has become accustomed to household noises and neighborhood sounds like lawn mowers, school buses and garbage trucks. He visits pet friendly stores and does very well. He plays well with other dogs at the dog park, including his favorite corgi and bull terrier. Yesterday, he met a friend’s family and their two male dogs at the dog park and was very friendly and well behaved.
Bubba turned 5 years old on 4/11 and it is his first birthday in freedom. I hope you enjoy this video of him enjoying life's simple pleasures.
He is doing much better with strangers. He is easily corrected with runners going by but he still doesn’t like bicycles. If someone new is coming to the house, we meet them outside with a treat and walk in together. He is a little wary at first but does ok once he realizes that WE are ok with them. We are happy to have dog friendly and rescue oriented friends who have helped us to help him overcome his fears. He is very smart and the other day I said “you need to drink some water” to him and he headed straight to the water dish. Really!! He is a sweet, friendly guy who would make a great addition to a terrier experienced household. Please click here to see the progress he has made or to fill out an application to adopt him!
Bubba Gump has been our foster since Labor Day weekend. He came from the midwest after being rescued from a commercial breeding facility. Foster Dad picked him up at the airport. He was very friendly but uncertain of his new surroundings. For his first 4 years, his life in a cage did not include a loving family, regular exercise, good food, fresh water, and housetraining. We quickly discovered that he was a "talker" and chortled whenever he was uncertain or surprised by something. We began to call him Snickers and he seems to like his new name.
It has been a long road for him to learn to trust people and acknowledge and follow the "rules of the house". He has had a few bumps in the road but after 4 months, we are proud to say that he is crate trained, housetrained and goes to the door if he needs an extra trip, walks nicely on the leash, obeys simple commands like sit, stop at curbs, no bark and look at me. He has a little bit of a stubborn streak and pouts in his expen when he doesn't get his way. He has learned the rules and enjoys his daily routines. He is very smart and watches everything that is going on. He has worked through some fears that were probably related to his years in the commercial breeding facility. He loves to be petted and enjoys sitting on our laps. He gets along very well with our female dogs and loves to play with them.
He does have a grade 3 asymptomatic heart murmur. The vet came and checked him 2 weeks ago, and said that you shouldn't worry about adopting him because he has no symptoms, it doesn't impact his activity and there is nothing to treat at this time. He may need to take some medicine in his geriatric years.
Presently, he walks 1-2 miles twice a day and runs up and down stairs frequently. He does very well encountering most people on the walk but he isn't too sure about children. We have taken him to Petco to meet the animal trainer and she has spent a little time with him on two separate occasions. He will need some trips to pet friendly stores and obedience classes for socialization to help him to trust strangers more. He went to a puppy obedience class this week and did very well with the other dogs and people in the class. Every month brings new milestones for him.
For a little guy who spent his first 4 1/2 years in a cage, he has courageously spent the last 4 1/2 months learning how to live outside of one. You can see the determination in his eyes when he takes on a new task and watch him step outside his comfort zone when foster mom asks him to. He is less vocal with us then he was when he got here and it seems to us that as he becomes more secure in his new life he is a little less chatty. He knows his way around the house and picks his own toys, goes to his open expen and his bed when he wants to take a nap, drinks water when he is thirsty and gets his nylabone and chews it to occupy himself when he is not playing with his foster sisters. He still likes to chew on the occasional shoelace and is fascinated by foster Dad's gloves.
It is heartwarming to watch him take in his new world with curiosity and shyness as he becomes more comfortable with his life outside the cage.
We hope that you will consider Snickers as an addition to your furmily.
He will love you, be loyal to you, follow you around, keep you company and keep you active. Please click here to learn more about him or file an application for adoption. You can see him "in person" by watching his videos.
Thank you for taking the time to consider making Snickers part of your life. He is a wonderful, friendly dog and we appreciate your willingness to take him the rest of the way.
Col. Potter Cairn Rescue Network, the nationwide rescue formed in 2001, has rescued more than 4,500 cairns and cairn mixes across the United States. For more about CPCRN, see our website atcairnrescue.com.
