Six Months!

Today is 6 months since we brought Stanley home to live with us. It's hard to imagine that there was ever a time when he wasn't here....


And, for extra celebration, we have a new low on the scale! 97.3 lbs!!!! We may make it to 95 by the end of the year.



Then and now....


I'm going away for the holidays, so I'll definitely be missing Mr. Stan, but his dad will take good care of him! Sardines for dinner tonight!!

Do you know someone who can help Trixie?

Hi all. Stanley wanted to share Trixie's story with you. We wish we could bring her into our home, but Stanley isn't sure he can share his home full time with another dog. Like Stanley, Trixie is an older girl who needs someone to help her shed a few pounds so that she can get back her girlish figure and have some relief from arthritis.

You can read more about Trixie here. Even if you can't take this lovely girl home, please help us spread the word!

99 lbs! Double Digits!

Finally - the number we've been waiting for!!! Stanley has officially gone down to double digits on the scale!

We are super duper crazy excited! He's been playing more than ever lately and just the other day ran off with a ball of my yarn, which was hilarious. It's great to see him getting more playful and silly as we get to know each and he starts to feel better.

Stanley made sure to ignore the tasty mexican breakfast place on his last chance workout. I know quite a few humans who've been asking about his diet plan.....

Relaxing at home *after* we realized that his collar was too tight and needed to be taken in about an inch.

Simple things that I am sure Stanley is thankful for this year:

1. Licking his back paw!
2. Holding his head up high!
3. Hustling (I wouldn't call it running yet...)
4. Choosing how fast/slow to go up and down the stairs!
5. Fitting into his fetching purple harness!
6. Making sure that no one gets by him without paying the "pet me" tax :)
7. And of course, all of the support he gets from the blog! He doesn't read so well, but I make sure to pass along all the good thoughts and encouragement.
   

Thiiiisssss close!

We had another weigh in today. Still not officially into the double digits, but inching closer! I think winter is going to be tougher for weight loss, and I knew we wouldn't keep things up at the rate they were going, but it's so hard to be soooo close to the 90's!!!!

100.3!!!!

Rainy day on the way to the weigh in!

Go Stillers!

Stanley is getting in touch with his new people and their culture....

Baa baa white sheeps!

Since Stanley arrived at our house, we have been trying to get him to play. He hasn't shown much affinity until recently....

Everyone, Stanley would like you to meet Baa Baa.

Baa Baa makes a really obnoxious sound like a baby wailing, and Stanley will not abide anyone hurting the Baa Baa! Once squeak, and he comes running to save the baby from your evil clutches.


It's really quite amusing to see him go from no toys at all to being so possessive of just this one. You'll see his skineez in there and his kong and his bone...but baa baa is the only one that matters! (Unless that kong has some peanut butter in it!)

Woohoo! 100 lb dog!

Stanley would like you to observe what a 100.1 lb dog looks like:


We're down 21.9 lbs in 16 weeks! Most people would be excited to make such good progress on their weight loss plan, so we are super proud of Mr. Stan.

Winter coat is in, so his measurements are all up, but the weight just keeps going down!!

That's his baa-baa there in the picture...more on baa baa in a future post!

Stanley's excited! He says WOOT!

Howl'o'ween!!!

Every year, JNMRF holds a Howl'o'ween Fundraiser. Moosedoggers from around the world dress up their pooches and felines and there's a fun vote to raise money for the rescue. For each vote, JNMRF asks that you donate $1 for elkhound rescue.


Stanley dressed up as Margot this year! (To vote, he's the center on the bottom row!) Donations can be made by credit card, check or paypal on the site!

Stanley hopes that you'll donate. If his folks hadn't been so quick to find him at Homeward Pet , organizations like JNMRF would have been his best hope, and they need your help to save more elkhounds! Please consider a vote (a vote for Stanley is even better!!!)

Stanley on Upsidedown Dogs!

Recently, Stanley was featured on http://upsidedowndogs.com/


Someone mentioned that it was appropriate for October...He does have a bit of an "elkula" look going on!

Weigh in!

SO - We had a weigh in this week and we've hit the next big milestone! Stanley is under 105 lbs...104.4 to be exact!



It's been pretty thrilling watching him start to look less like a baby seal and more like a dog :) He even occasionally leaps to his feet these days!



We're off to a week at the happiest place on earth, but we have plans for the blog and we'll be returning to more regular posting when we get back! Woot!

Evening Magazine Video On Demand | Seattle News, Local News, Breaking News, Weather | KING5.com

This week, our local Evening Magazine did a piece focusing on Canine Connections, a program that pairs dogs deemed unadoptable because of behavioral issues and adolescents in a juvenile detention:

Evening Magazine Video On Demand | Seattle News, Local News, Breaking News, Weather | KING5.com

Posted using ShareThis

Great rescue organizations do such great work helping dogs deemed unadoptable - Stanley didn't have such a great outlook, but organizations like Homeward and Canine Connections are doing great work to help homeless dogs every day.

Stanley hopes you'll consider volunteering or supporting your local shelters and rescue organizations!!

Homeward's Story

The folks over at Homeward Adoption have posted their version of Stanley's story on the web. If you'd like to hear more about where Stanley came from, check it out!

Stanley is a Licker

Stanley likes to lick things. Mostly, he licks the rug.


But he also licks appendages....

His feet, my feet, Chris' feet...they're all game for Stanley and his epic tongue! I've been keeping an eye on his paws and feet for hotspots, but so far, so good!

On the move

Every week before his weigh in, we take Stanley for a "last chance workout"! He's always very energized in a new neighborhood, so he gives it extra effort :)

Stanley in action!

It's paying off, too! Last weekend, we took Stanley for a mile long walk - definitely the longest walk we've ever taken together! We definitely trained for it - we were up to about six long blocks before heading on our longest walk yet.

He was definitely beat by the time we got home, but he really enjoyed it and we were *very* proud of him!

The beach!

Resting in a sandy patch by Elliott Bay

Recently, we had a break in the hot weather and decided that we'd take Stanley for an outing at the beach. We packed him up in the Taurus and headed down to Golden Gardens.

In WA, dogs aren't allowed on the beaches, but there's plenty of walking paths that are dog friendly by the water.

Boats!

Checking out the view from the pier...

Hrm....maybe this water stuff's not so bad....

This dog has one HUGE tongue!

This might seem a little silly to highlight a simple walk at the beach, but just 8 weeks ago, we wouldn't have even been able to consider it. Just walking Stanley from the parking lot to the path would have been it. He's come a long way!!

Update!

First things first - we want to welcome everyone who saw us over on Melvin's blog Mouchois! It's great to have you!!

Wow - I can't believe how behind we are on the updates! Things are a little crazy in Stanley land - mom and dad are both doing national job searches, so things have been a little hectic!!

Now, time for the news you've all been waiting for, Stanley's big update!



I wanted to take a minute and give a run-down over his overall measurements from day 1 to today!

Chest:
Then - 43"
Now - 37.5" (-5.5")

Waist:
Then - 40"
Now - Waist: 34" (-6")

Neck:
Then - 28"
Now - Neck: 20.5 (7.5")

That's a total loss of 19" for Stanley!!! I know I mentioned his neck would be the hardest one to keep consistent, but he has a bit of fur line where he probably had a collar for a long time and we've been trying to keep it there. I think the area behind his head and around his waist is definitely where we've seen the biggest changes.



Weigh in today was very encouraging! 107.1 lbs! We're down a total of 14.9 lbs :) very exciting!

PSNEA Rescue 2008

Stanley was invited to this year's PSNEA rescue parade, but we weren't able to make it out to Enumclaw. This is last year's parade from 2008 - yay for all the folks who've brought elkhounds into their homes as rescues!

Making Friends

After his weigh in Saturday, Stanley was off to meet Sarah, the lovely wheaton mix. It was an important meeting - Stanley will probably be spending some time with Sarah and her family when we head out for vacation in September.



I was very nervous. We hadn't introduced Stanley to any other canines yet and let's just say that his encounters to date on the street have been less than friendly....

Apparently, I was nervous for nothing - they weren't exuberantly playing together, but things were uneventful. Whew!

They both were very attentive when I had some treats in hand...



and we even made it out for a short walk around the block!



Hopefully things will only be better when Sarah comes to visit us!

Cool bed review!

We ordered Stanley a cool bed to try and cool him off when it hit near 100 degrees in Seattle two week ago. (It's freezing now - highs in the 60s! yipes!)



I was a bit skeptical - they don't really tell you how it works and I had nightmares of it leaking all over. But, on the contrary, it's MAGIC! The bed is still cool 10 days after we filled, and you can see Stanley was happy to plant himself on it to stay cool! (you can see the ice water that was in front of the fan to his right..it was HOT).

They can be pricey, but we got a deal by buying it on ebay - definitely a worthwhile investment for a dog who won't get in the kiddy pool!

Week 7!

Woohoo!

Stanley's got reason to celebrate with the latest weigh in:

If you're having trouble seeing, that says 108.3 lbs! We've broken the 110 lb mark, which was our first goal on the way. Of course, we're also on the way to the next goal: 100 lbs.

Here's some more pics from week 7...I think Stanley is a bit of a born story teller, no? When he's not being silly, he looks like he's turning to share some sage bit of advice about how to tell which carrots are the best for noshing ;)

the men in my life...

stanley and his dad are very photogenic!



update on the weight loss tomorrow! hopefully we'll have more posts coming now that the heat wave has abated!!

Well-read

Stanley knew his mom, being a librarian, would have high expectations of him. He decided to show off by reading Harper's with dad in the backyard...

Beatin' the heat: week 6

Stanley had a walk this morning for the first time in a week. We've had record high temps in the northwest, topping out at 103 on Wednesday! We've been working hard to keep cool: tried the wet t-shirts (he hates the wet!), but the big winner has been his cool bed that arrived finally yesterday. Whew!

But Stanley is still shrinking! Here's this week's numbers:

Neck: 21.5 (-.5)
Chest: 38.5 (-.5)
Waist: 34.5 (-1.0)

Down another 2 inches! Maybe I should adopt Stanley's lifestyle...At least he's down some weight during the heat; I can't imagine how he would have handled it 12 lbs ago!

Changes!

I wanted to post a before/after pic now that Stanley has hit a milestone. It's really amazing to see the difference in him. I've also posted a pic of him "before" with the collar on (his dad seemed to think that made a different; I still think the change in him is really dramatic!)

Garage sale!

We adopted Stanley from the very good folks at Homeward Pet Adoption. This weekend, they're having a garage sale fundraiser in Bothell, WA.

http://www.homewardpet.org/



Under the Big Tent at Country Village.
Proceeds benefit Homeward Pet Adoption Center.

When: Friday and Saturday, July 24 & 25
Time: 10am - 5pm
Where: 23718 Bothell-Everett Highway, Bothell

If you're in the area, stop by and help support this great shelter! Make sure to tell them Stanley says hi!

Help a pup!

I saw this post about this lovely senior Corgi girl over at danceswithcorgis.com We wish Stanley could have a sister, but Irvine is a little far from us. We're hoping to get the word out to get her to her forever home!



You can find out more about her at petfinder.com!

staying cool

Stanley is having a tough time staying cool with his made-for-Norway-winters coat and our Los Angeles-like summer. It's been crazy hot in the Northwest and we're looking at 90 this weekend!

Stanley with his "previously frozen" pillow case

We're freezing pillow cases while we anxiously await the arrival of his cool bed. I've been looking for some of those cool bandanas too, but haven't had good luck around here. (it's not usually so hot!) Any other good suggestions for a water-phobic dog?

Week 5 - Weigh-in!

Stanley is going gang-busters on his weight loss program! This week's weigh-in got us to our first milestone: 110lbs!!

photographic evidence!

neck: 22" (-.5)
chest: 39" (-.5)
waist: 35.5 (-2)!!

His waist is getting tinier and tinier, which is great. But carrying so much weight around his chest/shoulders makes things like stairs more difficult. We got some video of his last chance workout that we'll have up soon.

Stanley is starting to look forward to his weigh-ins -- everyone at the vet is cheering for him and he gets to walk around a different neighborhood. Look at how excited he is to go: