Catch Big Cats

Rusty is Adopted

2008-11-03T07:41:00.001-08:00

At long last, Rusty had been adopted into a loving home. The family, who live in Rockville and have a young son, came up yesterday and fell in love with him. It's awfully quiet in our house now, and it was sad to wake up this morning without the wonderful puppy, but we could not be happier. Rusty will be far happier with these people than in a kennel for the next two weeks while we are away, and we know he will appreciate all the time they are planning on spending with him.
Thank you to everyone who worked to find Rusty a place to live! I'll continue to post updates on our feral feline friends and Tom the Guide Dog puppy after we return from our honeymoon.

2008-10-27T11:50:00.000-07:00

I apologize for not posting updates on Rusty. My excuse is that we are getting married in 10 days. (!)

Rusty is making great strides. We have had a few people interested, but no one has worked out, through no fault of his own. Highlights in October included a week-long visit from Imagine, a future guide dog. The two puppies had a blast.

Rusty also loved my sister so much he tried to leave in her car. Sadly for him, she is allergic to dogs.

Thanks to everyone who has forwarded information about this cute puppy!

The Godfather

2008-09-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

So when we arrived home yesterday, our kitchen looked like someone had been massacred. That's because Rusty managed to jump up on the counter and take several knives off the knife block, thereby cutting himself and getting blood all over the floor. Not to worry - the cute little guy is fine, and we had to laugh, while also being horrified. The knives have been relocated to a drawer.

He also is feeling much better after a trip to Timonium Animal Hospital, where the wonderful Dr. Shelly Howard took care of him. Rusty has been struggling with some stomach problems, which we believe is related to the food we were giving him. He is definitely improving with some medication and new food.

Rusty had a marvelous Labor Day weekend with a co-worker, and they seemed to hit it off. We've had some interest from her and in other people adopting him, for which we are so grateful. Keep your fingers crossed that Rusty will soon be in his "forever" home.

Breed

2008-08-26T10:37:00.000-07:00

The best way to describe Rusty is that he's a terrier and whatever else hopped over the fence. That said, I believe there was an Irish setter in his old neighborhood, and Rusty does have a red coat. Of course, he also has the muzzle of a schnauzer. We think he looks like the Tramp from Lady and the Tramp, but we decided calling him "Tramp" might give him a complex.

Also, I was feeling a little bad because Rusty seemed so attached to Justin - whining when Justin would leave, liking him more, etc. Today, however, Rusty whined when Al the exterminator left.

Weekend with Rusty

2008-08-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

Rusty behaved well this weekend. He whined when Justin went out to the garage, so we got him a tie-down stake so he could hang out in the yard. That made him a happy camper - despite having been abandoned in a yard, Rusty loves the outdoors.

He does, however, get an "F" on leaving the cats alone. He's never going to hurt them, but we are trying to teach him not to chase our big orange tabby, even when Simon provokes him. When Tom went back to school, Simon whined for a week, probably because he was bored.

As you can see, Simon needs to lose some weight. Really, both cats could probably stand to lose a few.

We got a brief update on Tom, who has now been at the Guide Dog Foundation for a month. He's adjusting well, and we are keeping our fingers crossed.

Rusty

2008-08-18T10:59:00.000-07:00

A few people have asked me why we’re putting Rusty up for adoption. It’s mainly due to our travel schedule and impending nuptials – we think he’ll be happiest with a family or person who has a less crazy year ahead. We did not want to take him to a shelter, however, given that he does best when hanging out in a home and with people.

Meanwhile, we’ve given up on the crate. It freaks Rusty out and does not help his anxiety at all. Instead, given his excellent house manners, we installed a door on the kitchen and are leaving him there while we are at work. We also let him sleep on the bed Saturday, and he did not stir until 8:30 a.m. He also has yet to have an accident in our house, which is amazing considering he had a stomach bug over the weekend. He’s a wonderful dog.

2008-08-14T06:24:00.000-07:00

The good news is Rusty is smart. The bad news is he managed to break out of his crate.

I’m actually amazed he didn’t destroy anything in our bedroom other than the doorstopper. My shoes, favorite blanket, and clothes are all intact. We are confident that as we continue to feed him in the crate and reassure him about his environment, he’ll grow more accustomed to it. He is excellent when out of the crate – just lays by your feet and sleeps.

He also came through his neutering with flying colors. We are keeping an eye on the patches around his ears, but we expect the skin to grow back. Rusty has tested negative for skin and intestinal parasites, which is a relief. He received his first bath over the weekend, and was scared to death. This was a big change from Tom, the Guide Dog Foundation puppy we raised. Tom once joined me, uninvited, in the shower, and never met a sprinkler he didn’t like. Having Rusty around definitely helps with not missing Tom as much - he returned to the GDF for formal training last month. Here is one of the final pictures with Tom before he went to New York.

Coming Home

2008-08-13T08:31:00.000-07:00

Rusty will be arriving back at
our house this afternoon post-neutering.

The cats enjoyed a quiet evening yesterday without a puppy around, with Eli appearing to be particularly interested in Michael Phelps. And really, who isn't?

I am hoping that Minou, shown here, will continue to grudgingly accept Rusty.

In other news, Rusty is spending Labor Day Weekend with my co-worker Sandy while we attend a Chicago wedding. Yay Sandy!

Rusty's "Tutoring"

2008-08-12T06:32:00.000-07:00

I doubt I’m the first person to feel guilt about having a dog neutered. Luckily, the nice people at Doc-Side called this morning to say that Rusty was “chilling,” which is a relief, as I was a little concerned he would go crazy when Justin left.

At the end of the day, Rusty had to be “tutored,” as one of my friends jokingly calls it. Neutering a male dog decreases the likelihood that he will want to roam the neighborhood, makes him less aggressive and less likely to spray. Still, I feel a little bad about it. Last night, as we watched the women’s Olympic swimming, Justin turned to him and said, “Well Rusty, this is as close as you are going to get to women in heat.”

Operation Freedom Rusty

2008-08-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

When Justin and I went to check on his rental property unit on Friday, we were thrilled to see how wonderful the new paint and appliances looked.

But we had a feeling the dog hanging out in the fenced backyard wouldn't be welcomed by the incoming tenants.

The story from the neighbors is that the dog was been spending most of his time in the yard. The dog, a terrier mix, was underweight with a
dull and scraggly coat, and was flea-bitten behind the ears. There was no evidence the dog had any shelter or shade, nor any apparent water or food. While he had a frayed collar, he had no tags and was not neutered. He also was a perfect candidate to become a "bait dog" in a
dog fight.

But he came running over to me and was super friendly. Justin and I left, discussed what to do, and made a trip to PetSmart. Then we went back late Friday night and invited the dog to come home with us. He accepted.

Thus began Operation Freedom Rusty. Timonium Animal Hospital veterinarian Dr. Shelly Howard was fantastic, and told us he is an 8-month-old terrier mix that is about five pounds underweight. They gave him his shots and flea medication.

While Rusty has spent time with people and is adequately socialized, he has had no obedience training. He has no concept of how to walk on a leash, although he has quickly picked up the concept of relieving outside and sitting on command.

We have made progress on his skittishness. When he first arrived at our house, he was submissive and scared. But over the weekend, he has developed an attachment to Justin, and, to a lesser extent, me.

Rusty is also incredibly laid-back. Unlike our previous puppy, who had no concept of chilling out outside his crate, Rusty will sleep at our feet. But given his rough first months of life, he hates to be left alone. We are feeding him in the crate so that he hopefully adjusts to being in the crate when we are at work.

Rusty and Simon, our orange tabby, have been making overtures toward each other. Unfortunately for Rusty, outdoor cat Minou hates him. The first night, Minou tried to repeatedly attack him. Since then, Minou has retreated to the front porch, so we are taking Rusty out via the
back porch. I've been letting Minou and Rusty smell each other, and I am hoping that Minou will relax his status as "guard cat" so that Rusty can go in and out the front door.

Rusty is going to Doc-Side Veterinary Hospital tomorrow to be neutered. He is going to be available for adoption in the near future – probably about a month. Let me know if you are interested in meeting him and check back here for regular updates.