Where have you been? With Fusco...

Wow...I feel like I haven't posted in FOREVER!  To be honest, I haven't been doing much computer related anything since 29 Faces ended.  My internet friends probably think I'm dead.  It's been a few weeks of busy nothingness for me actually.  Just daily life, bill paying, work going, busy evenings...I guess it's fall catch up time for me.  

Fall is my favorite season...I may have mentioned that before...but I could say it a million times and it wouldn't be any less true.  When the weather gets cooler, I feel myself trying to breath out all the yucky stuff that has been accumulated throughout the year.  

I feel like I want to 'sink in'.  I just want to get more calm and more peaceful feeling.  I want to pick up my crochet hook and make scarves.  I want to cuddle under blankets.  I want to put on a jacket and meander around town after dark with a coffee in my hand.  ...but all that comes a little later.  It's still warm here...not hot, but warm.  And so in these first days of fall, I am just working to get to those good fall things. Cleaning up the house a little...withdrawing from the world a little...even vegging out in front of the television. 

I'm trying not to let myself withdraw too far this year.  I have a tendency to want to isolate myself completely, but too much isolation is not good.  I tell myself that constantly, but I seldom listen.  This time, I'm trying to be different.  Hence the post today.  

Not much art related stuff going on around here...I've got two things that really need to get done, for my friend Anna, but I'm taking it slow because I want them to be awesome.  I always make myself get nervous when it comes to making art for others.  I just want to do a good job, I guess!  So when I'm done here, I'm going to work on those things for Anna some more...so she doesn't think I forgot about her!

I do have something pretty interesting to report.  Wednesday night, when I came home from work, there was a dog tied to a tree in my yard.  Someone just left him!  We live on a road that only has two other houses on it, so we're pretty much by ourselves, even though we're less than five minutes from town.  In other words, perfect drop off spot for unwanted animals.  Truthfully, I'm surprised it hasn't happened before.  

So, even though I'm not surprised that someone left a dog at my house, I'm totally shocked at what they left.

My friends, I give you...the drop-off: 

This is Fusco.  I'm calling him that because I think he looks like Lionel Fusco on the tv show "Person of Interest".  My husband is still trying to give him other names, but I've already made my choice.  Besides, Fusco likes me better...even after just a few days, he's clearly MY dog.

Yeah, can you believe someone would drop off a dog like this?  Me neither!  I am pretty sure he's full-blooded boxer.  He sure looks the part anyway.  His ears and tail are not cropped (hooray...I'm always sad when people crop their dogs for no reason...) and he's still got his dangly boy bits (which is less exciting for me...I've got three boy dogs and they're all neutered...so he may go in for the snippy snippy when tax time comes...).  He's between eight and ten months old, definitely in the awkward puppy stage...the time of their lives when their heads look too big for their bodies...  He's a little bit skinny, so I've been fattening him up a bit.  Boxers are supposed to be barrel chested and then go in at the waist, but you're supposed to be able to see the ribs, not count them.   So he's been getting some good food and extra healthy treats.  Other than being on the thin side, he's clean and healthy and looks like he was well taken care of...his toenails had even been trimmed pretty recently.  With all that, I thought maybe he'd been someone's dog and he just ran off, but he was definitely tied around the tree on purpose and no one's come back for him.  I even thought maybe he might have been micro-chipped, but he wasn't.

If I told you all of his good qualities, you would probably not believe me...but I'm going to do it anyway!  He is house trained.  He can sit on command.  He takes food very gently if you give it to him.  If you toss a treat in the air he catches it.  He comes when he's called...even when he's outside.  He plays fetch!  He walks pretty well on a leash...like a million times better than my other dogs do...and with a little effort, I think he'll do even better.  He loves to ride in the car.  That one is huge for me, because all my other dogs get carsick.  He's not protective over his food or toys...if he's eating you can put your hand over his food or take his dish away and he's ok with it...well, minus the fact that he tilts his head and looks at you like he was saying "Why'd you take my food away?"  You can touch his ears, feet, tail and stomach and he's totally cool with any of it.

Best of all, he reminds me of my dog Dingo who we had to put down earlier this year.  At the ripe old age of 19.  I'd had her since I was ten and she was the dog that made me be a dog person...before her, I was cats all the way.  She was the best dog in the entire universe.  And Fusco does so many things just like Dingo used to.  Like sitting on my feet when I'm standing still.  Or if I'm eating, he'll watch me eat but when I look at him he turns his head away.  Or putting his paw on my leg when he has to go outside.  The list goes on.  So even though it's only been a few days, Fusco has kind of wormed his way into my heart.

There are a few things he does that I'd prefer he didn't do, but not big things.  He growls at everyone that comes in the door.  I know boxers are protectors, but I'm not a fan of the growling.  Again, I've only had him a few days, and he's already getting better about not growling.  He is a little skittish/nervous, but he's still getting used to us.  He might growl, but he's not aggressive at all.  My other dogs were sniffing and barking at him, and he doesn't care.  He doesn't like to be by himself.  Even if I go in the bathroom, he whines at the door for a few minutes, then lays down outside the door and waits for me to come out.  Right now he's laying down next to me with his head on my legs.  I'm not used to a dog that's so...underfoot (?)...for his sake (because I'm REALLY clumsy), I want him to learn to give me a few more inches and to learn to be by himself a little better.  (I may or may not have already tripped on him, so he's learning this lesson pretty quickly...)  I'm training him to go into a crate at night and while we're at work.  The first night it was a little hard to get him in there...there was some treats and trickery involved...but last night, I said "Go to bed" (which is the phrase I used with all my dogs) and he went right in without a fuss.  

I honestly think he's a really smart dog, so he's going to be easy to train...but smart can also mean destructive in the wrong circumstances.  They get bored, so they have to make their own fun...which usually involves mischief that you'd prefer they not get into.  My dog Dingo was VERY smart, and she was a shoe chewer when left alone too long.  

Fusco's also a high energy dog, which is different for me.  My other dogs are older and not very energetic (even when they were puppies), so I'm getting used to his...rambunctious personality.  We've got a big yard, so I take him out and play fetch with him for a while and let him run around like a maniac...I'm still getting used to the fact that he actually brings the ball back to me!  My other dogs will run after the ball and then take it and go chew on it...again, they're not too energetic...  Fusco, on the other hand, will bring it back every time and plays till you tell him it's time to go in.

I'm also trying to get myself in the habit of walking him on a leash.  A nice long walk every day.  He's not the only one who's got to learn!  We've been on two long walks so far.  One with my nephew Michael on Friday (that I didn't get any pictures of, even though there were many a photo opportunity!) at Steele Creek Park in Bristol (where he lives, about 45 minutes away from me).  And then one today, just me and Fusco, around the historic section of Elizabethton (which is the town I live in) early this morning.  And I did get a few pictures on that walk:

Pretty roses, covered in rain from last night

Lovely morning glory...one of my favorite flowers... with the river behind it.  

A blurry Blue Heron standing in the river

The pictures above were from today, and it's overcast and cool.  The pictures below were from a walk I took with my mom a few weeks ago (when it was still hot and much more sunny), but they're taken in the same place as we (Fusco and I) were walking today.

This is Elizabethton's covered bridge...look how pretty it
was with the blue sky and the mountains in the distance!  

This is the view in the opposite direction as the picture
above.  Doe River is just gorgeous!

Fusco and I walked all around the historic section of town this morning...we spent the better part of three hours taking in the sights and smells.  It's really nice to have a pal to ramble with...it's been a lo-o-o-ong time since I've had a good long stroll.  My legs are letting me know that as I sit here typing!  Despite my the fact that I am wimpy, I had a really good time today!  I know that the more I walk with Fusco, the less wimpy I will feel and the more my happiness level will increase.  

I had bought him a nice new collar and leash at Petsmart on Thursday, which were a sound investment.  I got him a leash that has a "traffic loop" on it, which is just an extra handle on the leash close to the clasp so that you can have the dog up close when you need.  I think that's a cool feature.  Anywho, after our walk, I stopped at the store and got him a bone and some dog doo clean-up bags (because walking around with a bunch of walmart bags in my pocket made me look super pregnant...).  

I'm sure you'll be hearing more about Fusco in the future...he's so cute and sweet, it's impossible to stop talking about him...

So, you may have notice a new look to the blog...I thought it was time to change it up a little.  Some brighter colors to cheer it up and bigger letters to make it a little bit easier to read.  I'm giving it a while to see how we like it...so if you've got any thoughts on it, please let me know.

In addition to the new look, I'm also going to try the Amazon Associates program.  I'm not going to inundate you with products, but if I find something cool, I will put the link in for the product (if Amazon has it)...so I'll earn a little bit of moolah if you buy the product through my link or my Amazon store.  I'll only put links for things I actually have and like, not for a bunch of random junk.  And if I got the product somewhere other than Amazon, I'll let you know that too.  For instance, the leash I was talking about earlier.  I got it at my local Petsmart, (who had it cheaper than Amazon) but you may not have a Petsmart near you, so here's the link:

I got a green leash and a matching collar.  The collars are nice, because they are padded (with neoprene, like the handles on the leash), so they're a little nicer than the standard nylon collar...here's the link to the collars:

I was a little worried about the plastic clasp on the collar...I didn't know how hard Fusco would pull and I was scared it might get busted...so I put a metal chain type collar on him too...what people call 'choke' chains...(that was about three sizes too big...it was a little comical) in case the plastic clasp broke or something he would still have a collar around him and he wouldn't be loose in traffic, but the clasp on the Kong collar was really secure and I don't think I'll need the chain collar in the future.

I'm a little bit of an Amazon-aholic, so I really do get and use a lot of things off the site.  Now I can share what I've found, and maybe make a little money to buy more stuff with!

Anyway, that's what I've been up to lately and what the current goings on are.  I've got a little bit of art to share, but that will have to wait until next time...this post ended up being much wordier than I thought it would be, and besides, Fusco is recovered from our morning jaunt and ready to go play some fetch!  Until next time...