# Penny, foster dog extraordinaire



## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Welcome to Miss Penny, a young female terrier mix with giant ears and a quirky personality


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## amosmoses89 (Jun 19, 2011)

Oh my goodness her little face and expressions remind me of my Chloe!! Hows this little one settling in?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

amosmoses89 said:


> Oh my goodness her little face and expressions remind me of my Chloe!! Hows this little one settling in?


We're having our ups and downs  It has been cold rain and sleet off and on all day today so she's been a bit of a frustrated, bored dog and let's just say very vocal about her complaints.... But she did pretty well on a walk with Chester today (just me walking them both) and made good progress learning "Sit" this afternoon.


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## amosmoses89 (Jun 19, 2011)

ok so maybe its just the whale eye they both give and the coloring, but adorable!

So how do you decide when the fosters get together with Chester? I thought you held off a while with the last one?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

amosmoses89 said:


> So how do you decide when the fosters get together with Chester? I thought you held off a while with the last one?


Definite resemblance there.

Last foster was a puppy with no concept of leash walking who wanted to tackle Chester every step of the way. So I minimized interaction so as not to drive Chester insane.
This dog seems to understand leash walking and while playful, doesn't want to harass Chester continuously. So we walked together. She's still separate in her own room for now inside the house, in part because her skin is just so raw and irritated that I don't want her getting scratched up or (playfully) chewed on. 

My general habit is that a foster stays separate in the house until they have the concept of sit and stay fairly solidly so that I can verbally control the dogs. For some, that means a few hours and for others, a few weeks.


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## Nuclear_Glitter (Jun 20, 2012)

Is Chester okay with every foster dog you bring in? Has he ever just not liked one?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Nuclear_Glitter said:


> Is Chester okay with every foster dog you bring in? Has he ever just not liked one?


We dog test first, but that's more for making sure the foster will be fine with Chester than Chester being okay with the foster. He likes some better than others, but if he isn't a huge fan, he just ignores the other dog. He is exceedingly tolerant so I try not to take advantage of that to the point of bothering the poor boy. 
Like, my father had Chester over at my aunt and uncle's house and my aunt decided to give both Chester and her dog (a friendly but untrained schnoodle) a treat. The schnoodle dropped his own treat and ran after Chester's while growling at Chester. I asked my dad what Chester did and he said "Nothing at all, he just ignored him"
My father is convinced Chester is not actually a dog because he has so few "dog-like" behaviors


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I know that her nails are super long but her feet are so sensitive right now that I'm avoiding trimming her nails for a little while.


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## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

So cute  I love these post about your fosters.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

She's so cute. I love big bat ears. I didn't even notice the nails, just how raw her poor toes look.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Penny's first trip to one of the big city parks and their first trip to the park together (and with only me walking them both). They were awesome and behaved really well. Penny did a good job of following Chester's lead and he ignored her the entire time 





















Amaryllis said:


> She's so cute. I love big bat ears. I didn't even notice the nails, just how raw her poor toes look.


Yeah, they are bad. No callouses or fur or anything to protect them. I've been giving her benedryl to reduce itching, she's on ivomectin for the demodex and I got some anti-microbial soothing skin spray today to try out on the really raw parts.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

This is the first I saw your newest foster. She is sure a different looking girl. But she is so cute!  Her poor feet look sore.


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## Slartibartfast (Sep 29, 2011)

I hope she gets better soon. She is in great hands with you and Chester.


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## brandiw (Jan 20, 2010)

She is so cute! I love her ears!


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Chester is still studiously ignoring her very presence even though Penny has decided she just LURVES him 

























She was brave and jumped up on the playset with just a little coaxing. Dem ears!


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## Nuclear_Glitter (Jun 20, 2012)

Chester is such a good dog! I am so jealous lol. 

She's a cute dog, too. I think she's gonna find a home quickly. I hope her feet get better, too.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Great walking weather today so we hit the trails. Still a little muddy in parts but not bad even though Penny insisted on trying to drink from every little puddle along the way....


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## Nuclear_Glitter (Jun 20, 2012)

Totally not my business, so feel free not to answer, but I'm really curious why Chester has to wear the prong collar sometimes? 

They make a really nice walking pair, too. They compliment one another. I hate when dogs try and drink from dirty puddles >.> yuck.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Nuclear_Glitter said:


> Totally not my business, so feel free not to answer, but I'm really curious why Chester has to wear the prong collar sometimes?
> 
> They make a really nice walking pair, too. They compliment one another. I hate when dogs try and drink from dirty puddles >.> yuck.


He wears the prong when I need the ability to control him with just one finger holding the leash or even the leash tucked under my arms or something like that. He is good on a harness but he doesn't react as quickly to the slightest of pressures like on a prong. So he wore it today because the trails had some very slippery parts where I didn't want to have even a little bit of an 80 lbs dog pulling me off balance while I kept my attention on Penny. If he were alone or if we were only on pavement like yesterday, he'd be on the harness.


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## Nuclear_Glitter (Jun 20, 2012)

Shell said:


> He wears the prong when I need the ability to control him with just one finger holding the leash or even the leash tucked under my arms or something like that. He is good on a harness but he doesn't react as quickly to the slightest of pressures like on a prong. So he wore it today because the trails had some very slippery parts where I didn't want to have even a little bit of an 80 lbs dog pulling me off balance while I kept my attention on Penny. If he were alone or if we were only on pavement like yesterday, he'd be on the harness.


Makes sense. =]


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

A beautiful Easter day in the park


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Action photos. Miss Penny is looking sleeker and fitter every day. These were taken after an hour's brisk walk at the park with both dogs.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Awwwe ..... Just look at those pretty eyes! She is looking happier by far!!! Pretty girl!


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)




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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

We spent a few hours hiking at a huge park today. The dogs are soooo wonderfully exhausted now. 









































And the post-hiking snooze time


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Awwwe ... Penny is coming along nicely. You can see the difference in her physically ... and in her eyes! They are much brighter and have a sparkle in them now.  She is gorgeous in purple!


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Shell said:


>


She is a bit of a nap time contortionist, I see


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

She doesn't really do anything in this video other than look adorable but wow, those ears!


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## goonmom (Mar 28, 2013)

Awwww! She looks amazing from day 1 to day 12! So glad she has such great care. You can tell the difference in her physically and emotionally (I guess?). She looks so happy and content! 

I love Chester. He's adorable and I want to hug him.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

goonmom said:


> Awwww! She looks amazing from day 1 to day 12! So glad she has such great care. You can tell the difference in her physically and emotionally (I guess?). She looks so happy and content!
> 
> I love Chester. He's adorable and I want to hug him.


Thank you.

And yep, everyone loves Chester. I stopped by the pet store today for more food and I had Chester with me. The clerk got a call from the store's owner to check on inventory etc and after I hear her describe what food they are low on, I hear "Oh yeah, and Chester is here too!"


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## goonmom (Mar 28, 2013)

Awwwwww! That's so great! That has to be a good feeling!


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

KONG nose!

















and my favorite of the bunch- one very happy dog


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

She is looking so good.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

She is looking wonderful! I love her color and especially her eyes.  That pic with the kong on her nose is comical! Lol!


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## victorino545 (Apr 8, 2013)

Great pictures, they look so happy. Penny is so sweet. Is she full grown and how much does she weigh? I am curious cause I think my pup is a terrier mix and she is suppose to be around 15-20 lbs, but has big paws like Penny. Not sure if that means anything.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

victorino545 said:


> Great pictures, they look so happy. Penny is so sweet. Is she full grown and how much does she weigh? I am curious cause I think my pup is a terrier mix and she is suppose to be around 15-20 lbs, but has big paws like Penny. Not sure if that means anything.


She's full grown aside from needing maybe 1-2 more lbs to fill out and be at a healthy weight. She weighed 36 lbs at the vets 2 weeks ago. 

I don't think paw size means much, I look at the size of their "wrist" joints- think about Great Dane puppies for example and their HUGE, out of proportion knobby wrists and knees.


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## Sibe (Nov 21, 2010)

Dem ears! Love those ears.

Is it just me seeing bull terrier in her?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Sibe said:


> Dem ears! Love those ears.
> 
> Is it just me seeing bull terrier in her?


Nope, that's one of the main guesses. She was listed as a bull terrier at the shelter, I added "Basenji" as a second possible breed on her petfinder profile because that was the other most common guess I was getting from friends and family. 

The ears are great. I love how in the video you can see them move independently like little radar scanners towards different sounds.


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## janepup (Apr 12, 2013)

Hi Shell. You have beautiful dogs. I actually just registered an account on this site for one reason - to ask you the make of those harnesses? They looks amazing. They appear to be one of those harnesses that tighten slightly when the dog pulls - is that correct?

Any info super appreciated  I'm travelling later today so if I don't immediately reply with my thanks I apologize.

Jane


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

janepup said:


> Hi Shell. You have beautiful dogs. I actually just registered an account on this site for one reason - to ask you the make of those harnesses? They looks amazing. They appear to be one of those harnesses that tighten slightly when the dog pulls - is that correct?
> 
> Any info super appreciated  I'm travelling later today so if I don't immediately reply with my thanks I apologize.
> 
> Jane


They are just plain step-in harnesses. I like them because the leash attaches to both metal d-rings on either side of the buckle so that even if the plastic buckle fails under stress of pops open, the harness remains in place held by the leash snap. Comfort Wrap adjustable harness
Also, they are cheap and very adjustable.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

OMG I just watched the video (missed it earlier on my ipad where videos often don't show) and her ears are ridiculously adorable with all that movement.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

dagwall said:


> OMG I just watched the video (missed it earlier on my ipad where videos often don't show) and her ears are ridiculously adorable with all that movement.


Yep, I gotta try and get a few more videos of her. Her personality shows better in person (or in a video) then simply a photo (which still shows her off well)

Great weather today so we went to another city park that has more open space along its loop paved walking path than our usual park. Perfect for photos.


























And let us not forget about Chester of course


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Silly girl. She waded into a lake last week and splashed in the creeks but she just wasn't sure about the pool appearing in "her" yard out of nowhere


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

Haha, that pool is scary business but the kong must be saved from it.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Fingers crossed everyone- she's got a potential adopter. Penny is going up to the potential family on Thursday and if they like her in person as much as they like her online/in photos, then they'll keep her and formalize the adoption. It sounds pretty good- 3 acres, 2 kids (8 years old +) and one outside farm dog (kept in suitable conditions).


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