Pending Adoption Pending

As some people noticed, I am "adoption pending". Actually, I have been interviewing my new family and teaching them how to do pit ed for a little while, so I have been kind of pending pending. I decided not to talk about it until I was really sure things would work out. I am going to my forever home this week, so it is for sure! How exciting is that?

It will be so wonderful to have my very own people to love and kiss and to go to pit ed with. I have checked out my new home and it is really nice, with comfy beds and toys waiting for me. The new people even got lots of soft rugs to cover up the shiny floor so I don't get worried. Not only will I have people, I will have cat friends to share my new home with. I like the foster lady's cats, even though they are scary sometimes, and it will be nice to have soft and slinky friends forever. I'm going to have another special friend too, but I will tell you about that later.

This is me teaching my new lady the good stuff.

I am feeling a little bit nervous about going to my new home. I am comfortable here with Lulu and Uba and I know what is going to happen every day. Everything is going to change now. I know it will be really wonderful, but I'm a bit sad and I really hope these forever people don't change their minds about me. I showed them my funny ears already, so they know that I'm not perfect, but I still hope I am good enough for them.

Uba says I am his favorite foster sister ever, so he is sure I will make my forever people very happy. I hope he's right.

Wish me luck!

Winnie

Doing It My Way

I have been trying to figure out how to use the treadmill for a long time. At first I watched Uba run on his treadmill while I played with toys nearby. Then I wanted to try it out for myself. I tired to run with Uba but there isn't really enough room for both of us on the treadmill at the same time. Then the foster lady put Uba's special harness on me and showed me how to get on the treadmill properly. I was so excited to have the really cool harness on I got distracted by my great outfit and couldn't figure out how to make the treadmill go. Then, just the other day, after Uba had finished his workout and the foster lady was doing laundry, I figured out my own way of running on the treadmill. The foster lady recorded me and Uba made fun of me. He said I was doing it wrong, but I was just doing it my way.

Winnie's Treadmill from Letti de Little on Vimeo.

Kisses,

Winnie

I Had a Date With a Celebrity!!!

OMG! I am so excited! I met a very famous pit bull!

I know that Uba is kind of famous, like an actor who always plays supporting roles or one of the less interesting members of a boy band. Somehow I forgot that he had very famous and popular friends, so I couldn't believe my eyes when JONNY JUSTICE came to visit!

I got all giggly and squeal-ly when I saw such a huge celebrity calmly walk in the front door. This dog has been on the cover of Parade Magazine, he's been on TV and he's had his story written in a book!!! Next thing you know, we were all out in the back yard and I couldn't stop myself from flirting with him.

At first he was kind of aloof, but I am a persistent girl and I can convince almost any dog to play with me. I understand it must be hard being so famous, so I gave him a big kiss and a lot of play bows.

After a while he warmed up and we chased each other around in circles.

I made sure to pose for the camera so I could have some pictures of me with my famous friend. He is a very nice and humble guy considering he is so important.

I hope he liked me, even though I was kind of star struck. The foster lady and his Mister said we made quite a couple because we look a lot alike.

Kisses,

Winnie

Gratitude

As you know, I often worry about how to say thank you to all the nice people for saving my life. I know I can never say it enough times, but I think that saying thank you every time I get the chance is a good plan. I had an opportunity to say thank you to Mr. Tim just the other day. Robin helped. This is what it looked like, and I found a song that says exactly what I was thinking.

Thank You TIm from Letti de Little on Vimeo.

Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Winnie

Thank you to Tracey, Panda and Moose!

Today after pit ed class I went to the BAD RAP rescue barn to visit my friends. While we were there Ms. Donna gave the foster lady a special box to take home that was just for me. I was really excited to see what was inside.

When we got home and opened it up I found the best stuff! First there was a card to me. This is what it said:

Dear Winnie :)

I saw on your blog the very disappointing news. When we people get

sad news we sometimes find comfort not only with our friends &

family, but with ice cream & chocolate! I can't send you ice cream

because it would be messy & chocolate isn't good for you. But,

cookies & pudding are equally good! So here are some cookies for you

& some to share if you want with your foster brother & friends.

(and a squeaky toy found its way in the box too)!

The best is yet to come!!

Sincerely,

Tracey, Panda & Moose

Then I found the best little friend in the box! He is a very cute squirrel

and I like him a lot.

I shared the cookies with Lulu and let Uba play with the squirrel. Here's

a picture of me and Lulu sitting so we could try the cookies and

Uba playing with the squirrel. The cookies are delicious!

The foster lady said we can have the pudding tomorrow, because

its almost dinner time.

Thank you very much Tracey, Panda and Moose. It was nice to be able

to share nice things with my foster brother and sister, because they

share their home with me.

You made me feel very special.

Kisses,

Winnie

Going Shopping

Like any true southern belle, I love going shopping. Usually the foster lady takes me shopping at the store with all the dog stuff, and we pick out indestructible toys, bully sticks, treats and the smelly sand for the cats' bathroom. Going to that store is really great because I get to say hi to other dogs, everyone talks about how pretty I am and the people give me delicious treats.

This weekend we went to a completely different store. It was really fun because it was full of all kinds of amazing things, like flowers, pipes, big rolls of stuff, and a whole bunch of kitchens.

The floor of the store was all shiny, which usually worries me. I was so excited about wagging my tail and showing all the people that I'm a good girl that I didn't even notice the floor.

I helped the foster lady get some things to fix the sprinkler system after Uba made a big fountain. Hmmm...which way to the irrigation aisle?

Then I helped her pick out some new plants for the back yard. We picked out a hibiscus with yellow flowers and a lemon tree.

Shopping at this big store was so much fun. I hope I get to go back there again some time. I gave the camera a kiss so everyone can see how happy I was.

Kisses,

Winnie

Just Playing Around

It has been really nice outside recently which is great because that means we all get to spend more time outside. In the evenings after our walk we play in the back yard until it gets dark and its time for dinner. There are a whole lot of games to play in the back yard. Sometimes we play with the flirt pole. Other times I play with my purple ball while Uba works out in his gym and Lulu sits in the sunny spot.

Some days Uba and I play tug,

or we play fetch with tennis balls,

or we run around really fast playing tag.

Whatever we do, I really enjoy our time outside.

Kisses,

Winnie

I LOVE The People!

I have talked a whole lot about my dog friends, so I thought today would be a good time to tell you about one of my special human friends. I really love everyone I have ever met since Mr. Tim saved my life. People are so great! They are willing to go out of their way to save the life of a little dog like me, with funny ears and a slightly disproportionately large butt. Its just incredible and I sometimes get a little worried because I don't know how I will ever be able to thank all these wonderful people for my life.

One of my favorite human friends is Donyale. I first met her when I had just arrived in California and was living at the rescue barn with Chunk and Robin. This is a picture of me and my friend Donyale meeting some nice people who came to visit us at the barn.

I get to see Donyale at pit bull class almost every week. She teaches beginner dogs who don’t know all the good stuff I know. If Donyale doesn’t say hi to me right away I jump up and down (without pulling on the leash, of course) and call out “BaaaRRRRROOOOOOOOO” which of course means “Hey, you forgot something”. Then she comes over and I get to kiss her and roll around on my back.

This weekend I helped her exercise by being a 41 pound weight for her to lift up in the air. Donyale is a fire fighter and needs to stay in shape, so it was fun and helpful.

My friend Donyale and a lot of my human friends say they would love to keep me as their forever girl, but that they already have dogs and they wouldn't be able to pay enough attention to me. I know that the perfect people with just the right amount of love for me are out there looking for me. I just wish they would hurry up and find me!

Kisses,

Winnie

My Friend Sydney

Recently, Sydney came to stay with us while her mom was on vacation. Sydney is Dexter's foster sister and a good friend of Lulu and Uba. My foster lady and Dexter's foster lady have an arrangement where Sydney stays here sometimes and Lulu stays with Sydney sometimes. I don't know why they would ever want to be away from us, but apparently the foster ladies go away "on business" or "on vacation" sometimes and we all go and have sleep overs with friends. Anyway, Sydney and I had a lot of fun together while she was here.

Sydney is bigger than Lulu and bigger than Bouncer. She is not bigger than Elliot, though (I think Elliot is probably the biggest dog in the whole world). She is really nice to play with and I didn't have to tell her things, like I need to tell Bouncer things.

When we weren't playing we went for walks and sniffed things together.

We even took naps together.

Sydney was a young mother like me, so we compared notes about having puppies, and about surviving on our own with no people to take care of us. We agreed that we are both really happy that we don't have to have puppies ever again and that we have nice people to take care of us forever.

Sydney said that my forever people are definitely out there looking for me, and they will find me soon, just like her mom found her and all her foster brothers and sisters' people have found them. I'm sure she's right.

Kisses,

Winnie

Bouncer Makes It Better

One day, after I was rejected, the foster lady decided to do something called "play hooky". In the morning when she would normally put on the clothes that that hang up in the tiny room next to Lulu's bed and the loud shoes with the clompy heels, she put on her jeans and her going for walks shoes. Then she put my collar and leash on me and said we were going to go and see a friend. I watched out of the car window to see where we were going because it sounded pretty exciting. Soon we were at the rescue barn and I was saying hello to Bouncer and Arnie! It was much more fun than napping in my crate. I played with Bouncer, Arnie and Elliot and I had a whole lot of fun and forgot all about being sad.

Here is a video of Bouncer doing what I tell him.

Winnie's Bouncer from Letti de Little on Vimeo.

No one can stay sad when they have Bouncer to play with. He is a really funny guy, like a comedian or something. I felt all better and back to my happy self after playing hooky with the foster lady.

Kisses,

Winnie

I'm So Sad

I'm still an orphan. The people who said they wanted to be my forever people decided they don't want me after all. I thought they really loved me, I was starting to love them, and I already loved Angus. Now I don't have a forever family and Angus and I don't get to be brother and sister. I really don't understand why this happened.

The foster lady says I didn't do anything wrong, but I can't help feeling that I must have done something to make them change their minds. Is it because my ears are a little funny, or because I thought the stairs at their house were scary? The stairs had big gaps in them and I could see all the way through to the other side so I wasn't sure how to go up and down them. I don't think normal stairs are scary so I know I could have learned to be brave about the stairs.

The foster lady, Mr. Tim and Ms. Donna say I'm a really good girl and I did everything right when I met the people, Angus and their cat. They say that my real forever family will be extra extra special and extra extra lucky, but if this wasn't my forever family, who will want me? I thought we all got along really well, but I still wasn't good enough. I'm very thankful that I have my foster family and my BAD RAP people who still love me, but I feel rejected and sad.

Lulu has been very nice to me. She said I am a very nice dog and not to worry because I can stay here and be her little foster sister for as long as it takes. She says my forever family will come and find me when the time is right and then my life will be great forever. I hope she's right, but right now I just don't understand humans at all.

Winnie

I had a Great Day!

Today was really great. It started off like any other Sunday. I had to wake everyone up because the sun was shining outside and then we had breakfast. Then we went to pit ed and the best thing ever happened. My new mister was there waiting for me! My new family went away this weekend and so I thought class would be normal class with the foster lady. Instead, my new mister came back early especially to see me and so I could show him what a good girl I am in class. How lucky am I to have a new mister like that?

The foster lady didn't have her camera, so there aren't any pictures of how happy me and my new mister were to see each other. I can tell you I was real happy, though. I am going to have another visit at my new family's house this week, and the foster lady says maybe I will be able to go to my forever home next weekend! Wow. I can hardly believe how lucky I am.

This afternoon it was really nice in the back yard, so the foster lady got the flirt pole out and Uba and I got to play the flirt pole game to celebrate my last weekend with my foster family . I made a movie about it. I hope you like it.

Flirt Pole from Letti de Little on Vimeo.

Kisses,

Winnie

My Letter to the Foster Auntie

Dear Foster Auntie:
I found your ear-thing! I hope you are proud of me. The foster lady told me that you lost your ear-thing at our house, so I helped her look for it. I know my nose works, so I sniffed and sniffed on your bed, even after she put clean sheets and blankets on it.

Then I sniffed underneath the bed and guess what? I found your ear-thing under the bed! I showed the foster lady and she was very happy with me and said thank you!

Next I helped the foster lady pick out a card with an envelope to put your ear-thing inside and send it to you. I picked out this card, because it reminds me of when we drove up the hill and looked down at San Francisco.

Today we put your ear-thing in the envelope with the card and I walked with the foster lady to the mail box and helped her mail it to you.

I hope you think I’m a good girl! I missed you a lot when you first went back to your house with your dogs, but then I went on vacation, and now we have a special guest staying with us, so I feel better.

I love you Foster Auntie,

Winnie

After my Vacation

This week I went on vacation to the rescue barn for a few days. I really liked playing with Bouncer. He is a whole lot of fun. I got to hang out with my old friend Elliot too. It rained a lot, so I got muddy and when I got back to the foster lady's house I had to have a bath. Afterwards I needed to dry myself off. The foster lady pointed the camera at me to make a movie and Uba helped.

Then we all curled up and took a nap.

The foster lady says I smell really nice now, and apparently Lulu and Uba agree.

Kisses,

Winnie

An Interview With the Foster Lady

I found this nice question waiting for me yesterday.

Winnie,

Would you please kindly ask your foster lady some questions for me. I've just started to foster a stray pit bull. How did your foster lady introduce your cat friends to you from the beginning? Also, I have two cats and two bull dogs, too, and foster one. How can I keep my house as clean and pretty as your foster lady's? Thank you so much for your help. From a freshmen foster parent.

I thought I would sit down and talk to the foster lady to see what advice she had.

Winnie: So, foster lady, can you explain from a human perspective how you introduced me to the Cats.

Foster Lady: First, we should let your readers know about the great information about fostering available from BAD RAP. Now, do you remember your first day you came home with me, Winnie? If you remember, I walked you in on your leash and you went right into your crate.

W: I remember that, it wasn’t very fun. There were nice blankets and chew toys in there, though.

FL: Maybe it wasn’t fun, but that was the point. You needed to get comfortable and calm in the house, especially since you hadn’t really spent time in a house before. Once you were in your crate, the cats came over to check you out. Remember?

W: Yes, they were so different from dogs, but you sat right by me, and told me I was good when I just looked at them calmly and sniffed them gently. I started to whine a little and you were very serious when you told me that wasn’t OK. I think you even showed me the terrible awful spray bottle!

FL: Exactly, I needed to let you know what was OK and what wasn’t OK right from the start. I stayed close by so I could make sure you didn’t use your hard eyes, your crazy ears or your super excited sniffy nose.

W: Then you let Uba and Lulu come and say hi. That was nice because I had met them already at the rescue barn and so I knew they were my friends. They also helped me understand that cats are generally to be ignored, and always to be respected.

FL: You stayed in your crate at first so that you could get used to the house and all the things in it. When you came out you were always on leash and right by my side. That way, when you finally got to meet the cats outside the crate I was there to make sure they weren’t mean to you and that you didn’t get too excited. As an aside, I should mention that the cats always have a dog free zone available, like a room that is baby gated off from the rest of the house, so they can get out of the way of zoomies and other dog antics.

W: So once I got some more freedom and got to come out of the crate, I was still on tie downs, and I couldn’t just run all over the house. That’s when I really met the cats. I got to sniff them and lick them and they took naps in the room where Uba and I played and chewed on chew toys.

FL: The tie down let me keep an eye on you to make sure you sniffed them politely and that they didn’t get annoyed and bite you or scratch you. As you let me know you could be polite to them, and they let me know that they were comfortable with you, I let you have more and more freedom.

W: That was really nice. I had never seen anything like a cat before I met these guys, so I really didn’t know what to expect. I felt safe because you were always there in case they were mean, and I also liked that I knew exactly what you wanted from me.

FL: You were very nice about the cats, Winnie. You are a very special and extra sweet and good girl, so you were easy to introduce. Another foster dog I had before you, who was a blue girl and was Very Naughty, was more difficult. She stayed on her tie down for months and months trying to learn to be polite. Even when she eventually got to come off her tie down, she would go right back on if she was rude or too excited. In my house I expect everyone to be polite to everyone else. Every bit of freedom for a foster dog is a privilege. If a foster dog can’t be polite and obey the rules of the house, they have to stay crated or on tie down.

W: Wow, I’m glad I’m a good girl! I haven’t been on my tie down in forever, and I only go in my crate when you’re not home.

W: So what about keeping the house clean and pretty? It definitely is much cleaner than my old dirt patch in the woods in Florida, and it much prettier the very awful and scary place I went after that.

FL: I don’t know that its really all that clean, and its more practical than pretty, other than the nice details that the Victorian builders left for us to enjoy. I guess I choose furniture and stuff that’s dog friendly and I try to put things away when they’re not being used. Having hardwood floors helps a lot because they can be wiped clean, especially when certain dogs make art on them, and everyone gets their feet wiped at the back door.Really, though I think its just that I take lots of pictures and I pick the ones that look nicest.

W: You do take a LOT of pictures.

FL: How can I resist taking lots of pictures when you are all so very cute, especially you, Win.

W: Oh thanks! Can I kiss and kiss and kiss you and wiggle now?

FL: Maybe you should send those kisses and wags to the freshman foster parent.

W: That’s right! Thank you FFP for giving another dog a chance at a real life! Kisses upon kisses to you!

Edited to Add:

Winnie: I hear you spoke to some friends who have cats and foster dogs and you wanted to add a few more things to our interview.

Foster Lady: Yes, I did Winnie. Thank you for asking.

First I wanted to point out that our cats are very confident and dog social cats so its much easier for them to get comfortable with new dogs than it is for shyer cats. There is some great advice here about introducing dogs to more normal cats.

Secondly I wanted to make sure your readers can easily find the links I posted above about fostering, so here they are:

Fostering: The Basics

Dog-Dog Intros: Take it Slow

Socializing Puppies

Tie Downs

Foster Dog Bootcamp

Dog-Cat Advice from Diamonds in the Ruff.

Also, your readers can follow BAD RAP on facebook - they might even get to see you on there sometimes.

W: Thank you foster lady for all that information. Can we please go for our walk now?

FL: Let's get your leash on and go!

The Very Weird Dog

While the foster auntie was here we went to nose work class in a new place. I was very good at my nose work, of course, and had no problem finding the very well hidden treats.

Then I met this weird dog. I thought he was pretty cute, but he didn't want a treat when I got one.

He didn't play with me when I play bowed and did my best flirting. Everyone loves me and no dog can resist my special flirty dance.

He also smelled a bit strange. He was a very weird dog.

I wonder why he ignored me.

Kisses,

Winnie

I Relax

I have written a whole lot about all the fun I have, but I am not all action all the time. I do know how to enjoy a good nap and how to relax and enjoy the warm sun.

Here I am in my favorite spot on the couch in the sun. When I'm not having fun, this is the best place to find me.

Its hard work playing all day, and a girl needs her beauty rest. I hope my forever people have a nice couch in the sun for me to rest on.

Kisses,

Winnie

Red Bundle of Fun

It has been raining a whole lot the past week, so we have refused to go for walks or to play in the back yard. There isn't much to do inside once we have wrestled, chewed on the chew toys and practiced our nose work, so we've all been feeling a little bored. Then I found this really crazy red ball hiding in the toy box. I am just thrilled with this toy! I have a great time playing with it and Uba doesn't steal it because he thinks its too noisy.

My foster lady says I am a little red bundle of fun, just like my toy.

Kisses,

Winnie

The Foster Auntie

This weekend my foster lady's sister is here visiting. I didn't know I had a foster auntie before, but now I do, I am real happy about it.

I get to snuggle with her on her bed at night and I am a really good girl. I curl up into a real small ball and fall right asleep for the whole night. Then, in the morning, when its time to look out of the front window, she lets me sit on her lap so I can get a better view.

Having another person around to kiss and to get belly rubs from has been really great.

I wonder if my forever family will come with an auntie who'll let me fall asleep next to her, give me belly rubs and be my booster seat. I sure hope so!

Kisses,

Winnie