Meet Rory!
Since we recently celebrated our three-month dog-iversary, I thought I'd share a little more about our sweet rescue pup and how we're all settling in.
*Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.
Rory is a lab/greyhound mix, just over a year old. We got her through Helping Hounds in Syracuse, NY — a dog rescue organization that works with shelters in Texas and Alabama.
Many shelters in the South are over-capacity and cannot keep dogs that are surrendered or found as strays. Organizations like Helping Hounds identify adoptable dogs, place them in short-term foster care programs, then transport them up north for adoption. Rory was in a foster home for two weeks before coming up to Syracuse with 40+ other dogs. Many of the dogs from the transport were adopted the weekend they arrived.
And the amazing thing is, Helping Hounds facilitates 2-3 transports like this each month.
Rory was already house-trained when we got her and would sit for treats. Since then, we've taught her her name, lay down, stay, come, go place, heel, leave it, find it, and shake. We're still working on a few of these, obviously. She finished a 6-week session of puppy class and learned a few new training games. Her new favorite is "find it" — a scavenger hunt for treats hidden around the house!
We've also been teaching her how to play — how to chase a ball, chew on sticks, chew on bones, play tug-of-war with a rope toy. Here's a video of her "helping" us garden last month. She's still a puppy in many ways!
Rory is very playful and very smart — she learns new things so quickly! However, she is pretty very independent and has a mind all her own, so we're still working on consistent obedience. :-) SD says she's a lot like me — sweet, sassy, and stubborn. She is from the South, after all.
We finally discovered a food blend that she likes, though she's still a free-feeder most days. However, she will do almost anything for a piece of chicken any time of day.
In the first three months, we've had our share of dog experiences, I think. Rory escaped through a gap in the fence and scraped her side, electrocuted herself chewing on a computer cord, broke out of a harness (we're on harness #6, in case anyone's counting UPDATE: harness #7 is a keeper!), tore off a dew claw playing tug-of-war in the house, and broke through a (first floor) window screen trying to chase a squirrel.
We've also taken approximately 275 walks and had lots of sweet snuggles in between.
Rory loves playing with her kong and Frisbee (the Hyper Pet Flippy Flopper); chasing squirrels, chipmunks, and bunnies; chewing on bully sticks; playing in the snow (see a video of her first snow experience); tearing up cardboard boxes; sleeping in the pillows on the bed (pick your battles, right?); and going for walks (three a day, thankyouverymuch).
Sweet and sassy, we love our rescue pup! Keep up with her adventures at #rorydoglife.
