I'm Comfy Right Here

The first signs of what I take to be stress appeared last night. Tater didn't want to come upstairs to bed with the rest of the crowd. I got him started a couple of times, but the minute he realized where we were going he went back to the couch in the living room. He came up eventually, but the sense of it was that he needed a quiet spot for a while.

What's in a Name?

So after a day of testing, I'm thinking maybe Tater rather than Tato. Same idea, but it seems to work better. And it's got more stories. Couch potater. Imitator. Commutator.

Maybe it's my secret redneck self looking for a means of expression.

If I move to Jamaica...

The Kingston Trio

... can I call them the Kingston Trio?

Yes, that's Tato on the left. As you can tell, the established dogs are totally up in arms about this furry interloper. Heck, they even let him eat in their kitchen this morning with no poaching. Actually, they mostly seem confused that he doesn't want to play yet.

Tato continues to settle in. This morning we had no problems in the house. I'm now inclined to think that the marking was a combination of bladder and new dog "testing" behavior, and that faith may have been the culprit on the other item I found. Unfortunately she does need work on her house training.

Puppy love?

As you can see, Trevor doesn't like Tato at all. Yes, he's leaning on him.

That's all for now. Gotta run and see what the crashing sound in the kitchen is all about.

We Paws Now for this Announcement

Tato. My people are lost, but at least the food's good!

Recognize this fellow? Me neither.

He was found near my home in Woodinville, and I seem to be fostering him temporarily. He has been wandering around for at least five days, so the chances of finding his owner are falling pretty fast. No tags, no ID, and no chip. Grrr! My best guess is that he slipped his collar on a trail walk somewhere, but that could have happened anywhere within a 10 mile radius of here. I can file reports with the appropriate shelters and place flyers with vets and pet food stores, but it's not clear where to put up flyers locally. Several people are helping; we'll do what we can.

Last night my son wanted to name him Stinky Chest, but this morning he relented. For the moment, I'm calling him Tato (as in "couch potato"). At 46 lbs, Tato is a bit on the chunky side (so he's probably American). He arrived hungry, in serious need of a bath to clean off his back end, and needed a major brushing out. Apparently not house trained, though that could be because he has a problem with his bladder at the moment. Clean gums and clipped toenails; he has clearly been cared for by someone. Some signs of old injuries; he may be a rescue, but if so it's surprising that he isn't chipped. I'll say more about the injuries in a month - we're currently withholding that information to help us confirm that any putative owner is authentic.

Tato is very calm and gentle. He exhibits no herding drive. He is terrific with kids - better than Faith. After a day here, he is starting to try to play with Trevor and Faith, though Faith's idea of play is decidedly odd and has him a bit puzzled. He is very easy to handle, and was perfectly calm about having his mouth and paws checked over. Tato is doing quite well with my two after some initial hesitation. For the moment, he's the calmest dog in the house. He seems to like riding in the car - even with the top down - and is quite calm about being left in the car while I go in and out of places. Oddly enough, he does not seem stressed about having misplaced his people.

Trevor. See the resemblance?

People can be remarkable. One of the people who brought Tato to me is extremely allergic to fur. She was driving around with the dog in her car, sucking on an inhaler so she could breathe. She apparently got directed to me because he looks a lot like Trevor (left - see what I mean?). Considering her allergies I volunteered to take him in and post flyers, and failing that, to get him into rescue. Or that was the plan until I saw blood in his urine. Rather a lot of it. Flyers promptly took a back seat in favor of a trip to the vet, which is where I'm writing this as I wait.

Hard to tell how old he is. Lots of wear on his teeth, but he could be anywhere from 5 to 9 years. No CHD, but some stiffness in his back hips. Vet just came back, and he may have a stone in his bladder, but we're running a panel to check for other issues at this point.

Aside from the fact that he's way too calm to be a Border Collie, he's a great little guy. Some uncertain hesitancy on various things, but then he's very compliant when verbally reassured.

Right now he's being quite the snuggler, but let's see what happens as he becomes more confident with the environment at my house. On second thought, let's hope we find his people before he gets a chance to settle in that far.