Hanna

All I want for Christmas...

2010-12-22T12:04:00.013-06:00

Hanna's wish has come true - she has found her forever home! She will be moving to Ohio next week to a home with a nice big backyard and three furry siblings. We will miss her soooo much but know she is going to have a blast in that backyard with a brother her size to romp with.

For the next week Hanna and Tuck will get in all the snuggles they can. :)

Sweet girl

2010-12-21T11:07:00.005-06:00

We have really been having a good time with Miss Hanna. She is such a sweet girl; she really is just looking for a best friend. She still does not go out and wrestle with Tucker, but she does play tug of war and light wrestling with him in the house. It is either Tucker's size or the layout of our backyard (we have a u shape, not a large space to run freely) that is holding her back. When we've taken her to friends houses where there is more open space she runs freely with their dogs.
She most definitely loves her Tucker...here she is demonstrating her "Who, me?" technique of getting Tucker to pay attention to her (aka sit on him until he starts chewing on you).

Hanna girl sees a squirrel...

2010-11-10T19:47:00.004-06:00

Well, time flew and here we are, almost two months into Hanna's relocation. She took a while to warm up to the city - the first month had me worried she would never adjust as she was so very skittish. Then she took some baby steps...
3 weeks ago we took her on a home visit to meet a family with a greyhound. While we were there she jumped and played and ran around like crazy - something we'd never seen her do. A week after that, she sat watching the world from her favorite perch at the back open door. A huge squirrel decided to jump on the top of the fence and when Tucker took off after him, Hanna could not contain herself. The two chased the squirrel up and down the length of the fence three times before he took a leap to the other side. Tucker was barking the whole time as he trailed the very fast and agile Hanna down the fence line. We never heard a peep from her but she did bounce up the fence a few times to try to get a closer look. I'm so impressed by this girl's athleticism!

That moment seemed to be a turning point for Miss Hanna, as she started freely venturing out into the backyard without any of her people. Tucker is slowly learning not to wrestle her quite so enthusiastically, but she has discovered that she can quickly outrun him and has found a few places where he cant fit even if he did catch up to her. She's also started to wrestle him just a little bit, some tug-o-war and good hearted neck nibbling. Its also been a big help that Champ (the world's best dog walker) has been taking Hanna and Tucker on play dates with two of Tucker's Labrador buddies.

Hanna still pulls towards home if a large truck or noisy motorcycle passes too close on a walk, but she is really becoming a different dog. Her greetings are the absolute best - I'll try to get one on video. A Hannah hello makes you feel like the most important human in the whole wide world. :)

A few more notes about Hanna...she is potty trained, has very good recall, loves her sleep - do not expect her to wake early - and she does need guidance if expected to stay out of her family's beds. :)

We are working on teaching her "sit" - she is very food motivated so I don't think its going to be hard. Really love this little girl!!

Warming up to the city

2010-09-24T10:52:00.004-05:00

In her first week with us Hanna has certainly proven to be a love bug. She likes to sit in our son's lap and cuddle up with our daughter (us too!). She goes out to do her business and comes right back in - not a lot of stopping to play as she is still unsure of all the road noise out there. Every now and then, though, Tucker will run out back to bark at a squirrel and Hanna forgets her worries and follows him to see whats up. She is not very vocal but definitely interested in seeing what the fuss is about. I can see when she runs up and down the deck stairs that this girl is quite an athlete - when she jumps it looks effortless.
Our big Tucker is possibly a bit rowdy for her yet which may be part of what's keeping her in her shell a little bit. The two of them do love each other though - Tucker thinks she makes a great pillow and she doesn't mind it one bit. In the morning she gives him little love nibbles in his scruff which he mistakes for wanting to play. In reality, this little girl could sleep for a few more hours, and she usually does, once we've stopped making noise around her.

Hanna's big trip...

2010-09-15T13:31:00.006-05:00

A few days ago Hanna moved to our house in the big city. She was definitely not sure what to think of all the people walking on the streets or the giant bus which was noisy AND full of people. She did a lot of moving around looking out car windows but didn't bark or cry. She is doing great in the house but hasn't ventured out back much - I think she's wondering what happened to her big grassy back yard. :)

Her new furry foster brother Tucker is dying for her to come out and play; he stands by the door squeaking a toy just daring her to take another step. She ventures to the end of the deck and out to the yard only if one of her foster people come out with her, and even then she sticks to us instead of running with Tucker - but she's definitely thinking about it! She likes to sleep with Tucker at night and is very good in her kennel while were gone. She is also very good with her foster brother and sister, who are 12 and 13. We're being patient and letting her settle in - she is such a good girl!

But what about ME?!?!

2010-04-08T17:16:00.001-05:00

2010-04-08T17:12:00.001-05:00

Hanna loves to pull herself around the yard on her tummy. I wonder sometimes just how far she could go doing this if there wasn't a fence? Shouldn't there be a prize for this kind of thing?

Hardwired to RUN!

2010-03-28T14:04:00.002-05:00

Above anything else, in the entire world, Hanna lives to RUN!

She's not for the faint of hearts, or if you get worried if your pup leaves your side- because once let loose, this girl is easily-within seconds- more than 1/2 a mile out... and just keeps going...

deflated basketballs = best toy ever

2010-03-28T10:14:00.001-05:00

2010-03-27T19:39:00.000-05:00

snow daze.

2010-02-06T12:30:00.001-06:00

2010-02-03T22:05:00.001-06:00

I've been super busy the last few weeks and haven't sent out an update on Hanna in a while, so here's a quick one.

Well, I have to say that Hanna is the nuttiest dog I've ever fostered. Hands down. Ever. She's a total sweetheart through and through and when I'm not shaking my head at something she's done or gotten herself into, I'm laughing my ass off at something else she's cooked up. She has finally started to calm down in the house, and is actually sleeping in the evenings instead of bouncing off of the walls or skidding around on the wood floors. And yes, she gets more exercise daily than the average dog! She hasn't climbed my privacy fence in a while and I'm "trusting" her enough in my yard now that she doesn't have to drag the checkcord around : ) Her favorite toy is a half deflated basketball that the previous owners left behind and she's hilarious to watch as she hauls it around and hides it along with all the other yard toys.

She's insane on birds, and has the speed and desire in the field that's almost refreashing to see. She's not afraid to barge into any kind of cover, or even climb a tree after something that interests her. She still is completely deaf in the field, and totally ignores the whistle and sometimes her collar, but we're working on this! She's also getting better with regular household noises, but we're still taking everything fieldwise sloooooow and I'm just letting her have fun. Everyday is a good day for this girl, and she's getting better about going places and meeting new people. When she's not going 100 mph, she's actually a real lover.

I'm attaching a few pics I took of her today when we were out roaming some fields and ditches. She has a line on because one of our field collars has been acting up, and believe me, it's not nearly as much fun to run her when you're attached to the other end! In the first pic she was watching some field sparrows take off and she seemed to think it TOTALLY and UTTERLY unfair that she couldn't chase....

Friday Night.

2010-01-15T18:16:00.002-06:00

Hanna had a full day of running the kennel yard while I worked- she had mud EVERYWHERE!

I think her bath wore her out : )

:sleepy afternoon:

2009-12-23T20:00:00.000-06:00

before the point...

2009-12-20T12:29:00.000-06:00

2009-12-20T12:27:00.000-06:00

Hanna was going about 90 mph when she 360'd into this point!

Look! No feet!

2009-12-20T12:22:00.000-06:00

CHRISTMAS!

2009-12-13T18:53:00.001-06:00

Yup, this snow tastes good too!

2009-12-08T21:28:00.000-06:00

Here bunny bunny bunny...

2009-12-08T21:26:00.000-06:00

Hanna has a recall!

2009-11-13T17:05:00.002-06:00

She's learning that when I say "Hanna, Come!" She gets a yummy cookie...

Where's Hanna?!

2009-11-13T17:01:00.002-06:00

Hanna loves to roll around in the grass, but I've never seen a dog head dive into a pile of leaves and roll around! She seriously disappeared into the leaves and the Weims were wondering what was going on- she would then burst out of the pile and take off like a crazy puppy!

2009-11-13T16:55:00.000-06:00

and this is why I call her jumping Bean : )

Bean's first mini romp after her spay...

2009-11-13T16:51:00.001-06:00

2009-11-08T20:36:00.001-06:00

Bean got to come outside into the yard this afternoon since it was so nice out. I think she was a bit disappointed though when she found out she couldn't romp and chase leaves with the Weims though.

Poor Bean...

2009-11-08T09:28:00.002-06:00

Doesn't get to chase squirrels or cats in the new yard cause she got spayed on Wednesday. I swear I don't think this girl realizes she has had surgery and has sutures!

2009-10-26T21:14:00.002-05:00

I've been fostering Hanna since June, and have really never heard her bark. She makes an adorable yawn/whine sound in the morning, but never, ever barks. Today, while she was stalking the squirrel with the Weims she just started to belt out these random barks! She told the squirrel off for a bit, then after she said her piece, went back to zooming around the yard!

2009-10-26T21:01:00.000-05:00

Bean's boytoy, Connor

Ballet Beanie style

OH! BIRD!

2009-10-26T20:58:00.001-05:00

Hanna lives to RUN! But don't worry, her recall is getting better everyday!

2009-10-26T20:54:00.000-05:00

I wanted Hanna to show off her mad A frame skills...

but she had squirrel on the brain...

Becoming one with the tree rat...

2009-10-26T20:46:00.001-05:00

2009-10-17T15:03:00.000-05:00

the ideal rainy afternoon for Hanna.

2009-10-09T17:33:00.001-05:00

2009-10-04T19:54:00.000-05:00

2009-10-04T19:53:00.000-05:00

OOOOOOOOO!

"Just taste that sweet fall air!"

2009-10-01T18:24:00.000-05:00

Lake dog!

2009-09-10T18:41:00.000-05:00

Hanna is officially a lake dog! She LOVED being on the boat and playing in the water- she even acted like she wanted to jump off the dock! She spent a lot of time in my parents laps too, doing her usual snuggle moves. She was scared to death though of the kids playing baseball outside, but the icecream for Sylvie's birthday more than made up for it : )

A garage sale for me???

2009-08-31T18:43:00.001-05:00

GARAGE SALE Sept 3rd, 4th and 5th. 9am-5pm. Sponsored by: Illinois Birddog Rescue @ 559 Gilbert Dr. Wood Dale, 60191
ALL proceeds benefit the vetting care of abused and neglected dogs in our care.

Illinois Birddog Rescue, Inc. is a 501c3 not-for-profit organization dedicated to saving, transporting, vetting, fostering, and adopting homeless American Field-bred English Pointers and English Setters - a group of canines commonly known as BIRDDOGS. We are funded solely from adoption fees and donations.

It is our mission to provide a temporary safe haven and rehabilitation for field bred English Pointers and English Setters found homeless in shelters. In an effort to find the dogs homes, we also hope to educate the public on dog health and training. Most of our rescue dogs are in foster care in the Chicagoland area with a wonderful group of volunteers who dedicate their free time and energy to help the dogs get ready for their forever homes. While in foster care, the rescues live in a home and are socialized with other dogs, people, children, and cat tested if possible. To assure that they will make good house pets, our rescues are also taught basic manners, are housebroken and crate trained. Unfortunately many of the rescues that come in have been abused or are in poor health. We take care of any medical issues and give these dogs lots of TLC.

Hanna likes...

2009-08-30T12:04:00.000-05:00

*butt rubs- She seriously turns into a cat!
*to grab toys and hide them in secret locations
*to splash around in kid pools
*to run like a crazy puppy in fields
*to wiggle so much it looks like she's dancing
*to sleep on laps or draped over you somehow, someway!
*car rides!

Hanna is nervous about...

*loud noises
*children
*being guided by the collar

2009-08-23T21:20:00.001-05:00

Birdbrain.

HannaBean !

2009-08-21T17:27:00.000-05:00

Hanna ran a 3 acre field the other night with a bunch of Weims, Welsh, and a preggo Clumber and did a wonderful job! While her recall is still something to be desired, she played well with all the other girls, and loved on all the people.

Lazy Sunday morning...

2009-08-02T12:15:00.000-05:00

Hanna entertains herself with the new gatorball toy...

Hanna and Vera acting goofy

Hanna asking Neva if she can scoot over on the couch so that she has a spot.

BFF's

2009-08-02T12:11:00.000-05:00

Hanna gets sooooo excited when kids come to visit, but is still a little nervous about their fast movements at times. She loves to give them kisses and nuzzle her head into their laps.

2009-07-30T19:30:00.000-05:00

Just relaxin'

Sharing a pear with Mer...

Wait?! What was that smell???

Need a kiss?

There's no denying it...

2009-07-30T19:25:00.000-05:00

Hanna LOVES toys!

2009-07-11T15:24:00.000-05:00

2009-07-02T21:31:00.000-05:00

Cat crazy.

2009-07-01T12:11:00.000-05:00

Hanna (and the Weims) go nuts whenever the neighborhood tom decides to saunter by and tease them.

2009-07-01T12:01:00.000-05:00

While Hanna enjoys a good game of tug every so often, she does tend to get a little upset when she ends up loosing the toy. So we've been doing some great little games of give and take by herself and with the other pups around. She's picking it up quick and will learn that sharing isn't such a bad thing after all!

Pretty girl Hanna.

2009-07-01T11:52:00.000-05:00

Check out Hanna's ears!!!

2009-07-01T11:50:00.000-05:00

Just had to add this one...

2009-06-27T17:35:00.000-05:00

2009-06-27T17:28:00.000-05:00

This girl LOVES to roll in the grass- And no, there's nothing dead there!

She'll start out running full speed then just do a face dive into the grass and ROLL! I took enough photos of this phenomenon to make a great flipbook : )

First Romp!

2009-06-27T17:15:00.000-05:00

Hannah has a great group of dogs to choose from for pick playmate. She has Sylvie, the boss of all, Neva, the mighty huntress, Vera, the rough and tumble pup, Dylan, who likes to sleep in the grass and graze, and Mermer, the 9 yr old who keeps to herself- guess who she chose...Vera! They have similar play habits, both romp hard, like to swim, tug, get a kick out of destroying stuffed animals, and both LOVE to tell off the neighbor cats!

Vera and Hannah tugging as the sunset.

Hannah LOVES to get in the pool! She even lays on her side in it and floats!

She likes to "talk" to the stuffies...most likely apologizing for what she's about to do to it!

"Wait...was that a cat?! AROOOOO!"

the arrival!

2009-06-27T17:06:00.000-05:00

Hannah arrived safely! She took to the flight so much that she kept trying to get back IN to the plane!

3,2,1 TAKE OFF!

2009-06-27T16:57:00.000-05:00

Miss Hannah is such a lucky girl! First, she was pulled from an overcrowded shelter by her friends the Millers. Then, a pilot through Pilots for Paws, offered to take Hannah to the skies and to a new foster home! What a ride!

Here's Hannah hanging out with her wonderful mum from her first foster family!

Hannah being fitted for her flying harness by the pilot and her friend the animal control officer.

Hannah says "Bye everyone! The sky is callin' my name!"

And their off!

Hanna Arriving in Style

2009-06-26T08:51:00.001-05:00

This pretty little girl arrived today into foster care with Illinois Birddog Rescue. Her foster mom will have more to tell about just how she arrived. So come on back and read all about it.