Milly #2 Black Labrador Retriever Mix Female 6 Months Old ID#2968

Meet Milly!  Milly and her two sisters came up from Mississippi as part of an accidental litter.   Mom has papers as a registered black female lab and dad looked very labby, but may or may not be a lab mix.  Milly is getting settled in to her Brookline foster home.  Please read her blog from the bottom up.

March 3, 2022

Milly is waiting for her furever family to show up, but in the meantime she is having a blast in foster care.  We’re making progress with manners and being less shy of new situations.  Today I forgot and took her around the block on garbage day again.  Last time I did that she wouldn’t then walk around the block without a resident dog for many walks.  Today we were  able to walk by all the garbage cans that were at the ends of neighbors’ driveway without too much issue, that is until the giant garbage truck turned up our street.  We both heard it before we could see it, and I knew she would not be pleased to have to have it pass her so we hightailed it back home lest I cause a set back. Luckily she’s a good sprinter and thought it was great fun to jog home.

She is one of our most cuddly fosters.  Not that she always chooses to cuddle, but when she does, she is the best.  I have to say that she is sleeping in her people’s bed and she takes so much joy in it.  She often comes up and snuggles in the crook of my arm when I’m reading on my Kindle.  Only once did she try to lick it.  She’s precious. When we’re sleeping, she does not bother us.

It’s good she’s ao cute as she still be challenging too.  She’s getting better and sitting for treats but now she’s a bit mouthier, so we’re working on that.  She’s also still pretty excited about meal time and leaps up on all fours when her meal is being prepared to see if she can get a better look.  And  when you start walking to her crate with her bowl, she runs top speed across the kitchen and makes a sliding sharp left into the family room where her crate is and goes in and sits.  Good girl Milly.  Of course if you have forgotten to open the crate first, she will body slam into it to try and get in.  Oh Milly.  And we continue to work on walking without pulling- some days are better than others.

She is still chewing on and tasting (but not swallowing) lots of outdoor things -including a dead vole that she brought over to me that I  mistakenly thought was a pine cone until I took it from her. Ugh!  She loves being outside.  Inside she isn’t chewing things she isn’t supposed to at all.  She still is not a fan of the crate.  Even with a high value item in there, she will cry and ignore the stuffed Kong of the like.  Even if she’s tired she does this, so we’re not crating her at all.  Last time we left her (only for 30 min) we just made sure temptations weren’t out in the family room/kitchen and she did fine with the other dogs.   So I think she’s getting pretty close to being trustworthy for short periods.  Again, no accidents at all; while we’re still limiting where she can go on the first floor in the day, she has free roam of the master bedroom at night, and even when she jumps down at 4:30am every morning (like clock work mind you), she doesn’t get into anything or have an accident.

February 24, 2022

Milly’s personality continues to come out.  She loves being outside even more than before – now that the snow has melted.  She takes every opportunity to chomp on branches and smell all the good smells of the forest.  It has made leash walking a bit more challenging, but we continue to work on it.

She really wishes the resident dogs wanted to play with her, but it only lasts for brief periods.  Thank goodness we’re able to burn some of that puppy energy with good fetch sessions because leash walks (she’s getting 3) aren’t enough.   We’re still impressed that she brings the ball back and drops it.  Mind you, if she doesn’t focus when you’re throwing it, she can’t find it.

She’s still not a fan of the crate – the last time we tried it, she cried for 40 of the 45 minutes we were gone (watching her with the camera). Yet while we’re home, limiting where she can explore in the house has kept her from having accidents (she stubbornly still thinks the tile floor in the front hallway is an OK place for a pee stop so we gated it off and voila, the problem has been solved!).

Milly has graduated to being out of the crate in the bedroom as we discovered that she lets us sleep longer if she is loose (she alternates between sleeping on the carpet or on our bed). Her internal alarm goes off at 4:30, or 5am if we’re lucky, but instead of whining in her crate, she pretty much just hangs out until we stir.  And not once has she had an accident upstairs.  Good girl Milly.

Milly is looking for a family that has the energy, patience and time for an active puppy.  She settles well if she gets the exercise and attention she needs, but at this point she is going to need her people around as she has not shown us that she is able to be left for any real length of time yet.  She is still a great cuddler, but the dogs would prefer she not be the face licker she is.

Milly continues to make us laugh.

February 16, 2022

Milly continues to settle in and seems very comfortable here.  We have had a little trouble with the house training, but today we have been accident-free and it seems like we have turned a corner.  We’re keeping our fingers and toes and paws crossed!

She loves the resident dogs and she even got our 7 year old lab to play chase with her.

She also has discovered that she loves to play fetch, and she even brings the ball back.  While she hasn’t quite mastered dropping it, she does let you take it from her easily so you can throw it again.

Milly isn’t a huge fan of the crate during the day, but she has been doing stints while we’re home and does OK.  I don’t quite trust her to be happy enough being in there while we’re away, so we’re just continuing to make the crate seem like a good place (high value treats and meals in there).  She is good about sleeping in it at night though and she doesn’t make a peep all night long.

She loves her new bed now, and often chooses it unless one of the big dogs has squeezed themselves into it. Thank Papa Bear, Momma Bear, and Baby Bear- and the donut is just right.

Some of Milly’s other good characteristics:

1) She is as sweet as any dog I’ve fostered, and she LOVES her people and give sweet little kisses and loves to be cuddled with.
2) She gives new meaning to joie to vivre.
3) She is not a chewer.
4) She take treats gently.
5) She is walking quite well on leash when I take her on walks by herself.  She does pull if my dogs are ahead of her on a walk.
6) She does not eat dog poops (gross I know but plenty of pups have learned this gross habit).
7) She is BEAUTIFUL.
8) She does not use her teeth during play at all.  I haven’t had to correct her once for being mouthy.
9) She is not pestering my dogs who are older and not interested in playing with her all the time.
10) She has a good bladder and sleeps through the night (10pm-6:30am).

Things we will continue to work on:

1) Getting her used to walking where we see cars (she is terrified of them).
2) 100% pottying outdoors and no jumping up.
3) Short sessions in the crate during the day without freaking out.
4) Feeling more confident when meeting new people- she is shy at first with people and dogs we see on our walks but she’s getting better.  She just needs more practice.
5) Keeping all four paws on the ground while her meals are being prepared (she has got an impressive kangaroo move).

Sweet dreams Milly!  Tomorrow is another day.

February 12, 2022

Milly’s fosters had a medical issue with a close relative, so regretfully they decided they were not the best foster for her right now.  So Milly is now hanging her leash with another Brookline foster, who just happens to live nearby.  That way her previous fosters can stop by if they need a Milly fix. And who wouldn’t want a fix of this cutie?

When Milly arrived, we did introductions with the three resident dogs (they are older and pretty chill).  She was shy with them as well with us, but that only lasted a few minutes. And then she was happy to nibble on treats I had at the ready.

After a good drink and a quick exploration of the downstairs, we decided a walk was in order.  We wanted to start her off on the right foot with having her first pee be outside.  Milly was quite excited to be out on the trails and of course she zigged and zagged and got double the mileage compared to everyone else.  She’s a puller too, so it’s looking like a front clip harness is in her future.

She is simply the cutest.  She has such soft fur. At 5 months, she is still very much puppy looking, but she is starting to get that longer and lanky look.  She definitely has some paws to grow into. Milly loves to be close, and I’m happy to report that not once has she used those sharp teeth on us or the dogs.  Good girl Milly!  When she started to fall asleep in the kitchen, I decided to transfer her to a crate with a Kong with a bit of PB so she could nap there.  She fussed with the best of them for about 15 minutes and serenaded us with her squeals of protest.  But here she is now :).  Good thing as it will be necessary for her to be crated when  she can’t be watched until she is house trained and can be trusted free roam.

February 9

Today was Milly second full day at the Irwin household. She is still as lovey as before, giving all kinds of kisses to everyone! Even the resident dogs. The resident dogs have been excellent with Milly as she continues to stand on her hind legs with her front paws landing on their face. Milly does this so she can kiss the resident dogs’ faces.Milly is an excellent eater and is getting the hang of the slow feeder bowl. She loves treats and is still learning that there is a pecking order to when the dogs are given treats. As the new kid on the block, she is the last to be given a treat, but she eagerly jumps to try to be the first!

Milly goes up and down steps like a pro. There are 13 steps outside on the deck and she flies up and down them. She doesn’t know that there are inside steps which leads to the Man Cave.

We continue to work on house training but she is getting better.

In the video Milly is playing with former Brookline foster flunkie, Babe.

February 7, 2022

Millie’s first day at the Irwin household went well. She loves to give kisses!! Millie is 100% puppy! She has a spring in her step and is a true lovey!

She has had a few accidents in the house, but we are unsure if Millie thinks it’s okay to pee in the house because our resident 18-year-old beagle has had a few accidents in the house. Millie spent the first night sleeping between the foster parents. Millie is a counter cruiser and sometimes tries to jump up to see what is on the counter or stove, so we have been squirting her with a spray bottle to deter her from trying to touch the stove.

More to come tomorrow…