Princess Leia was Adopted!

The newest addition to our family did indeed become our baby. We fell in love with this little dog very quickly. It was hard to stick to the decision to have her adopted. Even though we managed with all the traveling we do on weekends for ultimate frisbee, we felt bad that she didn't have a home to roam in on the weekends and lots of good walks. And more, we work on average 10 hours a day, so she was being left alone sometimes 12-13 hours if we had dinner commitments. It was unfair and would have been selfish to keep her. But we struggled with this decision. Leia was found on April 19th, and she was adopted July 7th. We had her for over 2 months and became quite attached. Here is a bit of a chronicle of her time with us.

 How can you not love this face?



Doggie on the kitchen mat



Leia eventually got this name because we kept calling her 'Princess' and that seemed a little too ... lame. So we decided to geek it up a little. It suited her perfectly. It was clear that in her previous home she was a lap dog who spent time on the couch. While we didn't let her on the couch, we did allow her to sleep on us while we were sitting there. She was happiest on JM's chest.

We had Leia for less than a week before she went into heat. Clearly my worry about her being pregnant because she had nipples was false. Notice the diaper in the picture above. This was not our favourite time. But we loved her anyway.

We continued to treat Leia for all her medical ailments. Mostly, it was her skin. She has a condition similar to eczema that we needed to get under control. This required weekly showers with special shampoo. 

  

Leia was a great walking buddy, and particularly loved running off leash.

Because Leia is a shih tzu, she does not shed, but rather needs to be groomed. After her hair cut, she looked so naked! And I think she also felt this way.

  

One night in June, Leia got sick (we didn't know) and cried the whole time. She would not stop crying and barking, not matter how angry we got. Upon visiting the vet the next day it seemed she had intestinal stress and we needed to cut back food and give her a calming drug that would help with digestion. We felt so bad for being angry that we let her sleep with us, in the spare room. She was happy as a clam at the foot of the bed. It just made us love her more. 

  

Trying to interrupt my marking

 Leia trying to jump on the bed. She did it once when we weren't looking!

She had a few suitors for adoptive parents, but only one made it through! A lovely lady from the USA who is teaching here came to visit her and patiently filled out all the paperwork. If we were going to give up our baby, it would have to be to the right home. From all the pictures we've seen, it looks like Leia has adjusted well. It helps to know that she's happy in her new home.

Giving me the eye because I'm taking too many pictures

Where is Leia?

There she is!

 Out for a walk!

We miss Leia, but know we made the right decision. Who could not miss waking up, or coming home to this face everyday? She's a wonderful dog and made our first fostering experience unforgettable.

Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole. - Roger Caras

New Addition to the Family

Puppy in a box!

Last Friday, after all the classes of the day were over, a colleague of mine was running out of the office. I asked her where she as headed and she said 'I found a dog!'. There was a lost puppy on Bugil campus that she has picked up and brought to an empty room. Unsure what to do with the dog (she already has two at home), it seemed she was going to leave her on campus and bring her food the next day. I felt so sorry for the little thing that I offered to bring her home for the weekend without thoroughly thinking through the consequences.


After one failed reunion with someone who lost a dog that looks very similar, this little puppy started to integrate in our home. The more we see how amazing this dog is, the more we are suspicious that she was abandoned and not lost. She is perfectly house trained and never barks. She is well mannered and well tempered. More Korean than English means she doesn't understand my commands at all, but that is something that we can work on. She has even found a place on the dog chair where she is comfortable.

The princess in her chair

Today I took her to the vet. I was worried about a few things, including her eyes, ears, skin, and the fact that she has eight very prominent nipples. I wanted her to have a check up that made sure she was healthy. After a laundry list of questions that my wonderful Korean colleague translated for me at the vet's, I have learned the following:

Breed: Shih tzu
Age: < 4 years (estimate)
Weight: 6.12kg (normal)
Eyes: Clear (one pupil is blown)
Ears: Swollen (infection)
Teeth: Good. Little tartar on the back molars
Nails: Ok, little long.
Skin: Yeast overgrowth. Malassezia Dermatitis (got meds and special shampoo to help clear it up)
Licking b/w fingers: Associated with skin problem
Spade: No.
Pregnant: Not that we can tell. Ultrasound came back neg (yay!) but if she's < 25 days, we cannot tell.
Shots: Don't know, need blood test to verify
Shaking: Probably just fear
Food: Three little paper cups per day (not sure how that equates to standard measurements yet)

After all this, he treated her ears with a disinfectant and trimmed her nails. While waiting for her skin meds to be ready, however, I noticed something on her. A little black thing that looked like a skin tag. Not taking any chances, I went back in and asked him to look at it. Sure enough, it was a LIVE tick. Since she's been out in the woods for who knows how long, I expected her to have some issues. But GROSS. So we also got her some Frontline medication and apparently we'll get to, and I quote, "see the ticks fall off of her" - NO THANKS! Hopefully that was the only one, but you never know. Better to be safe than to have ticks over run in my apartment.

The vet also noticed that one of her pupils doesn't open and close as it should. He thinks this occurred from an outside trauma to the head (probably damaging one of her cranial nerves). I really hope this was not from abuse, but she has been acting scared of everything outdoors: walks, cars, people, etc. I have now earned her trust, so she follows me around and always wants to be on my lap. I guess she knows the hand that's feeding her! But she has also started coming out of her shell. Her tail has started wagging and she has even started enjoying walks. This was evident from the massive smile that consumed her face yesterday.

So that's our new adventure! Puppy sitting and hopefully finding her owners or some new family that will love her forever.

Team JMS

Puppy love

Waiting patiently at the vet's

  Looking out the window                                                                  Yo!