Post by willow on Sept 30, 2007 22:17:25 GMT -5
It has been a looooong frustrating summer for me, but today "Karma", whom I have renamed "Summer" , let me catch her!
About 5 weeks ago she had 9 chocolate puppies!!!!! We knew if we could find where she had the puppies, I could at least feed them, and when they were about a week old we found them. She had them in the backyard of a house where no one is living, under a pile of lumber etc.
This house is about 1 1/2 blocks from our house!
I immediately began bringing food/water to her twice a day, but she just would not come close. When I would come, she would run off, stand at a distance and bark at me, or anyone else who went there, but when I would go to my car, she would then come close to my car, so I started bringing cut up hot dogs along, saying "here" and tossing them to her, getting her closer and closer to my car, until I got her to actually come and take some of them from my hand, but she was still very skittish. When anyone would talk to her, she would bark viciously, but I found if I SUNG to her, she would calm right down, so I sung the song, "They call the wind Mariah" to her over and over! It's the only song I can half way carry a tune on!
Three days ago I began to feed the puppies solid food and I also started tossing her hot dogs while the puppies were eating. She was coming closer and would just stand or lie down and watch me and take the hot dogs when I would toss them, so after the puppies were fed I would toss more to her and offer them from my hand until she was coming and taking them from my hand most of the time. On the second day she allowed me to touch her chest/ears after she took the hot dog. Yesterday she was coming right up wanting me to pet her, and last evening I bent down and she licked my face! She was also responding very submissivly when I talked softly to her.
Thank goodness I didn't have to sing to her anymore and maybe that is what she was thinking too!
Ann had also told me about someone she knew of who might help us catch her, so I called him about a week ago and he is such a nice man!!!! He gave me hope by agreeing to either come and dart her (which would be a real sticky situation since she was on private property and we would have to have the Sheriff's dept. there monitoring the whole thing), or give me a sedative to put into her food. Of course he said to keep it quiet of where I got it! We opted for the sedative and Duane and I were going to go and make the 80 or so mile round trip tomorrow to pick it up.
This afternoon during half time of the Packer game ;D I went to check on them. When I drove up "Summer" came running down to my car and then followed me back up the hill to the puppies. When I got ready to leave she followed me back down to my car, so I opened the back door and sat on the seat feeding her hot dogs and petting her. I was then going to leave and stood up and something just told me to try to lift her as best I could into the car and see what she would do, so I gently put my hands/arms behind her front legs and lifted them onto the back seat. For a brief second she stiffened and I thought she was going to start resisting, but I just said, "ah! ah!" and she calmed down. I don't remember how I got her back end in! I think I just pushed and she got in!!!!!
When I got home with her, Duane couldn't believe I had her! I couldn't either, because after all this time, it was just too easy!!!
We got her into the kennel Duane had built just for her and the puppies incase we got them, because I had sold my other one, and I dashed back and got the puppies! I only have 5, because Frankie took 2 the first week to hand raise , and two others disappeared. I don't have a clue what happened to them.
So, all 6 of them are settled in their new home. Summer is looking some what stressed, but she is allowing us to come in and handle the puppies etc.
We had a thunderstorm tonight and I am afraid of lightening, so when I expressed my concern that they were all safe inside their house, Duane took a flashlight and went and checked on them for me! It was even at a crucial moment in a t.v. program he was watching! ;D
So for now at least, they are all safe....and NO! I am not keeping any of the puppies OR "Summer", although Frankie tells me I am in denial and will keep "Summer".
As I told her...."time will tell". For now I am just going to enjoy them all, because like children, puppies grown up so fast and before you know it they are gone.
About 5 weeks ago she had 9 chocolate puppies!!!!! We knew if we could find where she had the puppies, I could at least feed them, and when they were about a week old we found them. She had them in the backyard of a house where no one is living, under a pile of lumber etc.
This house is about 1 1/2 blocks from our house!
I immediately began bringing food/water to her twice a day, but she just would not come close. When I would come, she would run off, stand at a distance and bark at me, or anyone else who went there, but when I would go to my car, she would then come close to my car, so I started bringing cut up hot dogs along, saying "here" and tossing them to her, getting her closer and closer to my car, until I got her to actually come and take some of them from my hand, but she was still very skittish. When anyone would talk to her, she would bark viciously, but I found if I SUNG to her, she would calm right down, so I sung the song, "They call the wind Mariah" to her over and over! It's the only song I can half way carry a tune on!
Three days ago I began to feed the puppies solid food and I also started tossing her hot dogs while the puppies were eating. She was coming closer and would just stand or lie down and watch me and take the hot dogs when I would toss them, so after the puppies were fed I would toss more to her and offer them from my hand until she was coming and taking them from my hand most of the time. On the second day she allowed me to touch her chest/ears after she took the hot dog. Yesterday she was coming right up wanting me to pet her, and last evening I bent down and she licked my face! She was also responding very submissivly when I talked softly to her.
Thank goodness I didn't have to sing to her anymore and maybe that is what she was thinking too!
Ann had also told me about someone she knew of who might help us catch her, so I called him about a week ago and he is such a nice man!!!! He gave me hope by agreeing to either come and dart her (which would be a real sticky situation since she was on private property and we would have to have the Sheriff's dept. there monitoring the whole thing), or give me a sedative to put into her food. Of course he said to keep it quiet of where I got it! We opted for the sedative and Duane and I were going to go and make the 80 or so mile round trip tomorrow to pick it up.
This afternoon during half time of the Packer game ;D I went to check on them. When I drove up "Summer" came running down to my car and then followed me back up the hill to the puppies. When I got ready to leave she followed me back down to my car, so I opened the back door and sat on the seat feeding her hot dogs and petting her. I was then going to leave and stood up and something just told me to try to lift her as best I could into the car and see what she would do, so I gently put my hands/arms behind her front legs and lifted them onto the back seat. For a brief second she stiffened and I thought she was going to start resisting, but I just said, "ah! ah!" and she calmed down. I don't remember how I got her back end in! I think I just pushed and she got in!!!!!
When I got home with her, Duane couldn't believe I had her! I couldn't either, because after all this time, it was just too easy!!!
We got her into the kennel Duane had built just for her and the puppies incase we got them, because I had sold my other one, and I dashed back and got the puppies! I only have 5, because Frankie took 2 the first week to hand raise , and two others disappeared. I don't have a clue what happened to them.
So, all 6 of them are settled in their new home. Summer is looking some what stressed, but she is allowing us to come in and handle the puppies etc.
We had a thunderstorm tonight and I am afraid of lightening, so when I expressed my concern that they were all safe inside their house, Duane took a flashlight and went and checked on them for me! It was even at a crucial moment in a t.v. program he was watching! ;D
So for now at least, they are all safe....and NO! I am not keeping any of the puppies OR "Summer", although Frankie tells me I am in denial and will keep "Summer".
As I told her...."time will tell". For now I am just going to enjoy them all, because like children, puppies grown up so fast and before you know it they are gone.