Mr. Benjamin Brown goes to Washington, er, Houston...

Ben got adopted by a wonderful family on July 3rd. They drove from Houston to Little Rock (about 8 hrs) and met Benjamin. They, of course, were enamored by his charm and the ever-cool ears. :) They also gave a ride to a GSP named Ajax who had been in a shelter in northwest AR and had a foster home waiting in Houston. Ben's new mom and dad are happy with him, and he has a Lab buddy named Beau. Yay for Benjamin!!! And thanks so much to the Lee's, who survived my barrage of "are you sure you really want him?" and "He will take some time..."
I am happy for Ben, although it is a bit lonely without him. I am sure he will charm his new family just as he did me.

Benjamin Brown is right at home...

Ben has really made a lot of progress in the 2 months he has been here with me. I allow him run of the house when I am gone and he does not potty in the house or tear things up. He knows about toys and about being petted. He knows his name and "come" and "outside." He is very sweet and is fine with my dogs. He is not a barker unless he is outside and is ready to come in or unless there is a squirrel in the yard that needs to be "talked" about. I have inadvertently had him outside off leash and he kept track of where I was and just followed me. He is a very good boy and I hope a family or individual will adopt him and love him as much as he deserves.

I'm a happy dog....

So, Ben has decided that he likes civilized life, and more importantly, he likes people, or at least his foster mom. Ben is very sweet and even lets his foster mom clean out his long ears. He likes sleeping in the bed at night and could be considered housebroken at this point. We are going to start meeting new people now and will move closer to considering Ben ready for adoption.

Benjamin Brown goes to the dog park...

Benjamin Brown and a resident GSP went to the dog park today. We went during the day on a Monday, so there weren't many dogs or people there. Ben was decidedly unimpressed with the park--he found a tennis ball and laid down in the gravel to chew on it. Ringo, my GSP, kept running back to Ben to try to get him to go play, but Ben would have none of it. Ben did go up to a woman that was there, but that was it--he wasn't sure about being petted. He was visibly afraid of an older gentleman that was there--the man also had a cane so not sure what was the trigger. He did get sick in the truck on the way home--he rides relatively well in a vehicle but maybe the tennis ball didn't agree with his tummy. He is becoming very much a velcro dog to me--he follows me around the house at home and likes to sit near me when I work at the computer.

I'm a good boy, I promise...

Benjamin has really started to show some personality this past week. He is very silly and sweet. He was allowed to sleep in the bed a couple of nights ago--he really liked sleeping on a human and with 4 other dogs. He is a hard sleeper--he didn't want to get up in the morning. Benjamin also needs a 6 foot fence to keep him safe--he was spotted climbing over a 4-foot chainlink divider a few days ago. I don't think he necessarily wants to leave, but just wants to see what's on the other side. Overall, Benjamin is starting to be a "normal" GSP (whatever that may be) and is going to make someone a fine, devoted companion.

Mr. Benjamin Brown in Arkansas...

Mr. Benjamin Brown is one of 75 GSP's rescued from a puppy mill in southern Missouri. He is currently in foster care in Little Rock, Arkansas learning about all kinds of cool doggie things. Benjamin Brown is a goofy, happy-go-lucky kind of guy. He went for his first car ride yesterday and did very well. He was fascinated by all the different smells that came through the window. Benjamin is working on the concept that crates are not bad things--they are nice places to sleep. Benjamin has also been to the dog park during his short (almost 2 weeks) stay in Little Rock so far--he was not sure of what to think/do at the dog park with all the new people faces, and there were lots of new dogs, too. Overall Benjamin is a nice dog with lots of potential. He will need boundaries in place in his new home, as the GSP "gremlins" are starting to show--countersurfing, jumping up, and some redecorating in the backyard have been on Benjamin's agenda this week.