Great Expectations

In early 2007, my dear little cairn terrier, Geoffrey, passed away after 16 wonderful years. After swearing off the breed forever (mostly out of heartache and the fear of spending 16 more years with a dog supremely more intelligent than me) I finally broke down when I saw little Petey on the Camp Lonestar Rescue website:

Petey is a very handsome 1-year-old cairn boy who was given up due to a pottytraining issue...his former owners. They apparently weren't very consistent with him because he's coming along just fine in that area here at his foster home. :) He now keeps his crate dry overnight (8-9 hours) and goes potty outside when we go out for potty breaks every 2-3 hours. We're having him wear a bellyband when inside the house as a learning tool, but when we take it off of him, it's been dry for the past couple of weeks. So Petey is learning how to be pottytrained just fine. Petey is a young kid in cairn terms...so he does the things you'd expect of a puppy basically. He's high energy, playful, can be rowdy or very silly at times, and he loves to see what Foster Mom or Dad or doing and "help" them if he can. He especially likes home improvement projects outside and following Foster Dad around in the fenced yard. He's reluctant to come back in with Foster Mom if this is going on! Petey loves to play and loves to chew! He does best with hard toys like Kongs or hard balls as he is very hard on toys like stuffed animals or soft objects like crate bedding. While he is very playful with other dogs here, like any baby, he also likes to cuddle and to be petted by Foster Mom or Dad. He has a very sweet nature. :) On a sad note, it's apparent that Petey was kicked by his former owners. If Foster Mom or Dad makes a sudden movement with their foot that he doesn't expect (like a quick turn), Petey goes down on his side in front of them...curled toward their foot in a defensive posture...obviously begging not to be kicked. It breaks your heart! But we're working with him to help him understand that that doesn't happen here...ever...not ever. It will take some time for his fear of feet to go away though. It's very clear that Petey was kept mostly alone in his former life, so his interactive skills with other dogs need some work. An alpha female terrier here has been teaching him some manners and he's also pretty good about stopping things when Foster Mom says, "Petey!" quite loudly. So these are all very positive signs for young Master Petey! :) He likes other dogs, but just isn't used to sharing toys or bowls...but he's working on it. We believe that his new home needs to be terrier-experienced in order to help him the best. Are you ready for an active, bright-eyed little cairn boy to join your world? Then Petey just might be the boy for you! :) Please go to www.camplonestarrescue.org to apply for his company. Petey is there waiting and he says, "Thank you very much!" :)

I went through all the steps, met Petey, doggy proofed the house and yard, spent a small fortune on toys, obedience training, and other stuff and am now waiting with great expectations for his arrival to his forever home, tomorrow afternoon.