Foster Update #3 - Riley participated in the adoption event last Sunday and she thoroughly enjoyed meeting other dogs and people. She is getting stronger and she can now jump into the backseat of our SUV. She seems to be in a pretty good shape for a 9 year old. She is really happy when we have visitors – follows them around with toys and then goes back to her nap. She likes people a lot but she is not pushy. Loose leash walking is still a bit of a challenge – especially first thing in the morning, when she is full of energy or when she wants to see another dog. With the help of treats and a clicker she now gets a concept of the “heel” command, so our walks are a mix of heeling (especially when crossing the street or passing people) and weaving and sniffing. She will not be a jogging or an all-day hiking partner but she loves her walks. Riley is a really sweet and happy girl and she would fit in many different households. Foster Update #2 - Some updates on Riley : she is much better on walking on the leash - she started to realize that walking by my side results in getting treats, and she is doing it more often and for longer periods. We started clicker training - at the moment just clicking and treating when she is walking next to me on our walks. I think she is getting stronger - we are doing about 60 mn walks in the morning, when it is still not too warm, shorter walks mid-day, and again a longer walk in the evening. She loves her walks and she brings me her leash before we go. We are also working on sitting and waiting to go through the door, into the elevator etc. She likes kids - she is trying to peek into strollers when we walk and she really liked our friend's 8 y old daughter. It was mutual - the little girl liked her too, because she was sweet but not pushy. Riley was happy when we had guests this weekend, trying to be in the middle of everything (which mostly meant a nap in the living room, close to everyone).

Foster Update - Riley is a senior (9 y old) lady with spunk. Inside the house: She is very easy. She sleeps either in the crate or on the dog bed, she has a memory foam twin mattress as a bed and she really likes that – she is long, so she can stretch out and it is easy for her to get up. She chews up her toys, but she does not touch anything that does not belong to her. We have left her for about 2+ hr in the house and she was fine. She is fully house trained, no accidents. She loves to eat and she eats fast so we use a slow bowl. She sits and waits before she eats. She may bark to remind us that she is hungry, or when people eat and she does not, she stops when ignored. Riley is a happy girl. She likes people and toys. She sleeps a lot at home but gets little bursts of energy in the evening. She often follows us around the house, but she can also go to another room to lie down Health: She has some arthritis but with a lot of walks she seems to get stronger every day. She has some problems with stairs, but in the last few days she started to climb our carpeted stairs. So probably occasional stair climbing will be ok, even though a one level house may be best. She also seems to handle our hardwood floors better than a week ago. We put some yoga mats and she likes to lie on them but she can get up from the bare floor. She can get into the car, she prefers to get on the floor first so the car that has more space for her to do that is easier for her. If there is not enough space in the back, she tries to go through the front seats. Sometimes she settles herself on the floor. Walks: Riley absolutely loves her walks and does a happy dance when I get a leash. We are walking about four 30 minutes walks, but less if it is hot. I don’t think she ever walked on the leash before, she is all over the place with her nose to the ground, she wants to check out all the smells, people, dogs, etc. We are working on loose leash walking, but she still has a long way to go. She appears to like all other dogs and greets them politely, but she gets excited by little yappy dogs and starts pulling. She is learning to check with me when we walk ( I carry a lot of treats) but since we do not have a big yard, I can’t test her recall. She could probably benefit from a yard where she could run/explore a little before the walk, or the company of another mature dog, however, a young energetic dog could be too much, because she gets tired quickly. Overall Riley is really good company and when she learns to walk on the leash a bit better she will be close to perfect.

Introduction - Riley is a very friendly senior gal, black with white frosting on her face and feet. Check out those white eyebrows! She made new friends at a volunteer’s home- a smaller older chill mutt, an active young Golden Retriever mix, and horses. In between rainy periods, she enjoyed exploring the property. She was fine with the resident kitty until she saw the kitty was being fed and then let out a “hey, feed me” bark. No aggression toward the kitty. Food is important to Riley. That and her crate. She bypassed a large dog bed brought out for her and put herself in the crate for a nap. Riley is an expert at giving kisses, a wonderful coffee buddy, and is a calm car companion. She sits for treats and takes them gently. She’s just an all around good girl happy to be out of a shelter.