Ty
Tyson. What a special boy. He has the CUTEST underbite. I just want to cuddle his face; don’t you? He’s a total lovebug and excitedly meets everyone and everything. Tyson was previously known as ‘Diamond 7’ at BARCS. See he was actually a young pup in April of last year, when he was at the shelter with his mama. He was one of a large litter (at least 7, obviously). Thank goodness BARCS microchips the dogs, because he returned to the shelter in December. Apparently his adoptive family could no longer care for him (so they say). Poor Tyson.
At the shelter, where I also volunteer, Tyson was a rockstar. See BARCS started doing this thing called playgroup which.is.amazing. Amazing I tell you! These dogs who previously got little if any dog to dog interaction get to frolic with each other and tire each other out. It does LOADS for their mental stability waiting around in the shelter. (C’mon how long do you think you could survive in a small kennel without loosing it? With all that scary barking and loud noises? With the monotony of the day to day kennel life?)
Anyway I digress. SO Tyson unfortunately was back at BARCS, but he proved how amazing he was and was sent to rescue. MABB picked him and his awesome self up, and low and behold, placed him with us. Now, I know people have different opinions on this, but to be safe, male to male dogs are rarely placed in the same home as fosters. Now, there are a lot of foster homes with a male and female permanent dog— in those cases, I guess it’s a crap shoot? I know it is often easier for two dogs of opposite genders to get along better. However if you know your dog, and know what he/she can handle, then go with it. Carefully (no matter the gender). So Tyson shows up and Knox greets him with a toy in his mouth, ready to tug. Tyson and Knox were buddies in an instant. They.did.not.stop.playing.EVER. Again, magical crate, thank you! Lesson from Tyson: Some rules are really just suggestions and two male dogs in the same home can be just fine if their temperaments match up.
Playin tug with the cuz
Now at this point, we were learning the art of teaching them to calm down. My hubby would sit on one couch, me in the big chair, and literally hold them till they relaxed. I wish I could say Knox would stop when we told him to, but he doesn’t. We are working on it. Trainers would (will? If I’m lucky enough to have such people read my blog) say that teaching calmness is do-able. SOS! HELP! My dog can be calm, for sure…after a 4 mile run finished by a quick game of fetch (aka sprints). Yea, then my dog is just as chill as can be. No, all kidding aside, I know the down stay is an art under high distractions, especially when that distraction is a loveable furry friend who is begging to tug. Seriously, what then? I mean, if we tell Knox to stop, he will for a second but that’s about it. He loves to play and so does Tyson. So as much as I lovedddddd Tyson, it was a relief to see him go (because he was like a mini-Knox). The best part? He’s right down the street! Yup, our friends adopted him! Our really good friends! So these two still have play dates at the local park after work, and occasionally at each other’s houses (if the human is up for some wildness inside their house for a bit). They love each other and I love that they will grow old together, because they will.
Tyson and Knox doing what they do best...play play play.
Pittieful Love 
I just stumbled upon this blog because one of my facebook friends posted a link. I used to be a volunteer dog walker at BARCS and remember Diamond 7 (and also Dipstick and Oil Change). So happy to see hear they are doing well! I am now a foster for Jasmine’s House pit bull rescue and have had three fosters so far. Love your stories!
Just found this blog by the way of Love and a Six Foot Leash. Tyson reminds me of our current foster, Ozzie, from Jamsine’s House. He gets along beautifully with our male bloodhound/basset mix. It is nice to have a dog to run off that extra energy (after the run and fetch!). We are currently crate and rotating him with our female pibble. We have 4 dogs, including Ozzie, but we also live on 2 acres.
TWO acres?! what I would give! But four sounds like a handful! Yes our boy Knox will run and play with the best of em… good think Tyson’s just down the street for those occasions when we do not have a foster (or are still in the crate and rotate phase).
Thanks for checkin us out! LOVE Jasmine’s House!!! 🙂
Sounds like you have high energy pups. “Calm” can be hard to for any trainer. Multiple techniques can be tried. Have you tried the “high value” treat approach?