ABMC Malinois Rescue Blog

Feb 24th 2008

Hello from the land of Bluegrass and Exuberant Malinois!

I write in the blog because I want all the people who work to rescue these beautiful dogs that their work is appreciated. They are making a difference. And I write because I want people who are considering welcoming a Malinois into their forever home that these dogs have endless possibilites. Every day really is an adventure. Ella gives so much more than she takes. I cannot stand on my soap box long enough. Thank you ABMC Rescue.

Well we had our first sanctioned Rally Match and Ella was the true angel she has grown into. The match was in a warehouse and the echoes were booming. Ella was a little anxious but we walked around to get used to all the funny noises, smells and sounds. There were 23 dogs entered and she was several down the line, 15th.

This was my first official rally and I was mostly concerned that I would get lost. I walked the course a few times and as we were waiting I was going over the pattern in my head. After the initial excitement Ella settled down and fell asleep at my feet while I mumbled incomprehensible commands, come, come, come, heel….

We were on deck waiting our turn when the dog right before us experienced an ‘accident’. The clean up crew rushed in as the offender was whisked out. Before I knew it the judge was asking me if I was ready. I looked down at my dance partner and she wagged her tail in anticipation. Yes!

When I stepped off and started the pattern she was prancing right at my side her tail ticking back and forth with every step like a metronome. Not too fast, not too slow. I continued at a brisk pace from station to station and she never took her eyes off me, she popped every sit sharply with explosive exuberance. Unfortunately when we went over the wet spot, burning with chemical cleaners, she paused for a second like a princess not wanting to get her precious paws wet, and leapt to catch up. The other snag in our pattern was the come with a right finish. She has a fantastic left flip finish but her right finish was shaky and she ended up with a crooked sit. Not too shady for a first try. When we walked out everyone was congratulating us on an excellent run.

Outside the ring they post the scores after every entry and I was thrilled to see Ella scored a 98 out of a possible 100!!! They also time the runs and she had the fastest time of the day! We scored third place!! The best part was people were coming up to me and asking me questions and asking me if I knew any Malinois breeders in the area. This is a big step for a dog that has been snubbed and avoided at every function we have attended. People were shocked and amazed she was a rescue and I spread the word about all the great Mals available. One lady stated she wanted a puppy and I told her that they had some mal puppies too! Finally, Ella is the ambassador I knew she could be!

So now the big announcement, this Friday, March 7th Ella is entered in her first AKC show. She is making her debut in Tennessee, entered in the Novice Rally class. Keep your fingers crossed!

January 20th, 2008

Well the big day has finally come, Ellas first show! It seems like just yesterday I was picking Ella up from Kristen. She has come so far in such a short time! Every other Saturday we track and we have obedience class on Tuesdays. It was only 8 degrees today when we left the house. I bundled up in layer upon layer. Ella seemed immune the cold. She was just excited to go for a ride! We got to the expo hall and it was HUGE! At least 8 rings with both obedience and conformation going on. They were thump! dump! dropping the mats and the gates, people were rolling crates filled with excited barking dogs by and people were buzzing us in golf cards. Ella literally lost it. She was overwhelmed!

She quickly dragged me over to registration. The little old ladies taking money were cowering behind their table, you are going to show that dog? Yes, ma’am that is my intention….lunge, bark, hack, slobber, lunge again…. in what class?…. Jump, drag, poke,whine, lunge….obedience! Of course! The ladies took my money warily. Good luck they said meekly. I think they meant it…

When I went to check in at my ring I asked when my class would be. What class? Pre-novice. Its first up. Oh gosh, dont make me first, please, please, please. How about second? Sigh… wrestle wrestle… Okay. How much time do I have? Thirty minutes. Boy thats not enough to get my dog off the ceiling….

So in a desperate attempt to take the edge off I took Ella out across the parking lot for a freezing game of ball. She was unaffected by the cold arctic blast but my tail was freezing. Her little seal whiskers became frosted white with the frozen slobber. Her tongue longed and she seemed to smile. Maybe now she would calm down? Love springs hope eternal.

Back in the building, someone’s loose springer spaniel races to brawl with Ella. Poor Ella, with a booming No!! I string her up to prevent her from extinguishing said spaniel. I don’t think she would actually bite him but I couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t bite her.

So by the time we make it back to the ring she is firmly placed back on the ceiling. I pull off all my layers down to my new sweater. It is gold and tan and black. We look quite stunning together. But the sleeves were a little long. My daughter said its the style. Almost to my fingers. But it is toasty…

Now at this point I have several concerns… Namely, stand for exam, this could go either way. Sometimes she just doesn’t like men. I was considering asking to skip this part, but it was a fun match right? The other concern was the figure 8. I had been there for forty minutes and she had lunged at every person that came with in 5 feet of her. I shuddered to think of those poor ladies standing as posts enduring 65 pounds of malinois hurdling in their direction…

Number 107….number 107, Ella? Here goes nothing. At least her heeling is strong… my last thoughts entering the ring. The judge seemed kind enough. Reminded me that I could not correct my dog. I understood. I looked down on her as we were about to begin. An angel, she looked at me just like an angel, filled with adoration in her eyes. It was going to be alright…

My first three strides Ella was po-go-ing it on two hind legs. I have never seen such a sight. People were gasping. I tried to calmly with out due force request her to off. At which point she looked down and notice my shoe laces. Now I have worn the same shoes to train her in the past few months but today she noticed that I had fun looking laces and she promptly started pulling on them as we walked. I was completely flabbergasted! I lost sight of my heeling pattern and was concentrating on stopping that behavior and not falling down. Once we came back to our senses and we were back on track we made the final about turn and she noticed…. an new sweater!! And its long! at which point to my horror she started playing tug of war with the left sleeve of my sweater. I kept trodding on, praying the sweater didnt rip apart and I would blind the audience (who was now growing at the spectacle.) topless. She kept up quite deftly grrring and tugging along. Right then I was praying for lightning or spontaneous combustion or any way out of the ring.

After completing? the heeling pattern it was time for the dreaded figure 8. The two stewards scuffled out to their posts like dead men walking. There was fear in the air. Nervously they stood, cringing as much as a post can cringe, bracing for the inevitable. The judge asked if I was ready, I hope so… And beyond all expectations, Ella did the figure 8 perfectly! No lagging, no forging, no tug of war, sitting perfectly, smiling up at me, her tongue hanging out to one side. The audience broke out in applause! The judge asked me if that was the same dog… I think so… maybe the demons took leave.

And the stand for exam, perfect! She didnt move one toe, she barely licked sweetly when he offered his hand to her. Maybe the demons had left… I thought too soon, the recall was more like a tackle. She came bounding to me jumped up paws on my chest, eye to eye and then plopping down on my feet. The finish was explosive she burst up and around and once again the audience clapped.

On the long sit and down she was next to a papillon and I think she spent the entire time trying to decide if that was a dog or a cat. She didnt move but she did stare intensely making me and the dogs owner quite nervous. So all in all it was an educational experience.

We came, we saw, we conquered. Well kinda.
Colleen

I would like to introduce you to my pride and joy Ella. Also known as Ellie the Gazelle, Ella Blue and Oh No!!!! I adopted her from ABMC Malinois Rescue. I don’t know if I rescued her or she rescued me. I do know life has been an adventure since she arrived in October.

The first time I went into Petsmart I thought we would be banned for life. She tried to jump everything moving and somethings that weren’t. Mothers were clutching their children and brave dogs cowered. I can’t bear to tell you what happened in the Science diet aisle. Lets just say, it happens.

So it was off to obedience school. The clutching and cowering continued but we went every week. Ella is a sponge! She wants so badly to please and to have fun. Her bat ears and determination always makes me smile. By the third week people started to talk to us. They did stay a safe distance away but they would smile meekly and nod.

By the end of the six weeks Ella was the Star Pupil. She put pizazz in her heeling. She performed every command with explosive energy. The true test came after graduation. It was back to Petsmart! The cashier saw her as she entered the doors, I could see her catch her breath in anticipation. Ella looked left, she looked right, I braced myself and she looked into my eyes with a smile and sat sweetly. Miss Ella Blue has arrived.

More to come on the Adventures of Ella

As we continue to have Beau be part of our family, we keep ‘testing’ to determine what sort of behavior his forever family could expect. So, I decided to eat my dinner in front of him and even leave some food on the counter to determine if he was going to beg, bug, or counter surf.

So, I made some carne asad tacos. Of course, I had some some cilantro and onions, refried beans, and a good salsa. All very aromatic to a Belgian. I left my plate and all the goodies on the counter and walked away. Beau, who had been milling around, went to investigate. I watched from a distance giving him room and no pressure.

He looked. He paced. He stopped. He looked at the food again. He even got close enough to the counter to smell the tempting food……but never attempted to come up off of his front legs. I walked back and without a word, picked up my food and sat down at our little cafe table where I normally have my laptop.

Once again, he came around sniffing and pacing. He was a little more insistent this time since I was now around. He obviously remembered that when foster daddy has food, he often will be treated if he does something. Well, he didn’t do anything but he did lay down at my feet. Definitely too low to treat. So I waite and once he came up in a sit I congratulated him on his sit and gave him a ‘treat’. He then became insistent for more – now was my opportunity. I gave him a firm “No” and a small push/redirection. He understood! He immediately walked away, grabbed a stuffed toy and began playing by himself.

One small lesson learned/one more trait and behavior observed!

We wanted to get away for a couple of days so we decided to board the dogs at a local kennel. We brought Beau a few days before the actual stay for some ‘day camp’ exposure. He did very well with the other dogs. The kennel we leave the dogs has a ‘living room’ area with two couches, television and food prep area. The kennel owners said he came right in and made himself at home. Very good news to our ears – we felt very good about leaving him for five days.

We got back from our short vacation today and Beau was very happy to see us! The kennel owners were very complimentary of him – they were also able to give us some insight into a possible food guarding habit. Although we have found Beau to be a little possessive, he easily gives up an object if you ask. The kennel owners indicated that he would give his low warning growl but immediately become his happy-go-lucky self once you talked to him and rubbed his head.

We have found that Beau can be a little possessive with his toys but not in a bad way. He will run away and try to keep it to himself but does not become aggressive at all. It makes for an interesting episode as he tries to run away from Asia [our pocket rocket Mal bitch] but can’t quite ‘escape’ her. He runs around trees, under the deck, into a small hedge, and then back around again. Eventually, all the dogs are so tired that they all lay down and no one can remember why they got into this running mess to begin with!

Beau also didn’t want a bath but it might be because the bathing area has a semi confined spaced area and he might not have been comfortable with that. He is fine with being groomed on a grooming table so I think it was just a new person trying to bathe him in a strange place.

When we first picked Beau up from his previous owner, he wailed and screamed in the car. He didn’t thrash around or spin – he just barked up a storm. So 5/20, we decide we are going to take him to a conformation show about 2.5 hours away. It should give us time to see his reactions and his adjustments to riding in a crate.

Well, he didn’t scream or bark, but he did PANT and sat up the entire ride up. He panted to the point that there was a puddle of drool under him. But once again, no thrashing or spinning. We turned the air conditioner up just a notch and covered his crate but kept on driving. When we got to the show, we prepped the van as we normally do by covering it with the sun shields and sun mesh blankets. Not a peep and not a sound. Asia was sound asleep next to him and he must have caught on to her quiet vibe.

We left him for about an hour and half before coming back to walk him and Asia. He wasn’t too keen on the crowds but we kept him away and he eventually calmed down. We took him back to the van for another two hours. We retrieved him to let some people see him and he was FINE!

The drive home was great. No panting although he did sit up some. He eventually laid down and even took a short nap. Good progress.

He has acclimated very well with the other dogs showing very good social skills in backing off when warned and play very vigorously but not aggressively. He has shown good play drive [tugs like a mad man] but doesn’t know very many commands. We’ll get there.

Hello Everyone,
It’s Babeesh again. I thought I would post a little note about what’s been going on with me lately. I am still hanging out with Foster Moms Liz and Steph in NJ but really want to find my own forever home. I’ve gained 10+ lbs since coming here and I’m feeling pretty good now. I’m not that skinny thing the FMs (aka Foster Moms) picked up at the end of December.

I was spayed last week and I’m healing up quickly. I didn’t have any problems after my surgery – just a little tired the night I came home but I recovered with flying colors and was back to my goofy self in no time. I get my stitches out this weekend. Whew, that’s a good thing as they’re kind of itchy. It will feel good to get them out!

I finished my obedience class but I still need some help in that area. I was kind of worried about being in a different place with lots of other dogs so I didn’t do as well as I could. I know I can learn my commands if I just concentrate – kind of hard to do when I’m interested in what everyone else is doing, though!

I think that’s about all for now. I’m tired so I’m going to hang out with the FMs and watch some tv.
Talk to you later,
Babeesh

Hello Everyone,
It’s Babeesh again…sorry I haven’t posted in a while. My foster moms have been busy and they always hog the computer!!

Anyway, I’ve been going to doggy obedience class with Mom Liz the last 6 weeks. Our last class is this Wednesday. I’ve been nervous in class and had some accidents (oops!) a few times. I think I need to get used to being in class with other dogs. I have to be watched carefully since I still think the small dogs are just fancy squeaky toys!! I have learned how to walk better on a leash and sit when we stop walking (I usually have to be reminded, though). I also have a great recall. Mom Liz says I need to work on “down” more, though, because I don’t really want to do that at all. Hopefully, my new family can work with me on more obedience.

The “Moms” weighed me today and I gained some weight! When I came from the shelter, I was only 53 lbs. and today I weighed 59 lbs.!! The “Moms” are very happy that I have gained weight and they even say that my hips are not sticking out anymore and you can’t see my ribs either. I have gained lots of muscle in my legs and filled out more in my chest – I look much healther now and still love to eat my raw food every day. Yummy!!

Tonight, I went to get microchipped. I was very good in the vet’s office and made friends with all of the vet techs there. I even showed the “moms” that I could catch treats! They didn’t know that I could – I kept it a secret from them. Hehehehe!! The vet used a large pokey thing to put my microchip between my shoulder blades and I didn’t even flinch. The “moms” were so proud of me and told me so after we finished.

Well, that’s about all for now. I’ll be sure to write again soon – as long as the “moms” let me near the computer!

Babeesh

Hello Everyone,
My name is Babeesh and I’ve been living with Stephanie and Liz in NJ for over a month now. They were so nice to allow me to come live with them until I can find my forever home. They have 4 other dogs and 3 cats who have also been very nice to me since I’ve been here. Stephanie and Liz have never had a Malinois before but they do own 3 Tervurens (2 boys and 1 girl). I really like the oldest Terv – he likes to flirt with me a lot! Stephanie says that’s how he is with all the girls – a “ladies man!”

The shelter where I came from said that I’m probably around 3 years old and I sure do act like it! I have tons of energy and always look for lots of loving. I’ve been told that I need a job to do since I am so active. My nose is always following some scent inside or outside so Stephanie and Liz think I would make an excellent tracking dog. I think my forever family should be really interested in doing lots of activities with me – I love to be with people and, like I keep hearing, I need a job!

I was really skinny when I came to my foster home but I have added a couple of pounds since I’ve been here. I am eating a raw diet and LOVE IT!!! I get all kinds of different meats to eat like lamb, duck, chicken, beef, tripe…..gosh, the list just goes on! I gobble my food down and lick my bowl clean. My foster Moms say that I eat enough for a horse but I just seem to burn it right off with my high metabolism.

I am learning to relax and just “hang out” after being here for a month now. I like toys (shhhh…they’re fun to rip apart….) and love to chew on bones to keep me occupied.

I went to the vet a few weeks ago and received an excellent bill of health! I don’t think I’ve been to a vet before with my previous owners but I was really well-behaved at the holistic vet’s office. Everyone there loved me and thought I was very sweet. I even let them stick with me something sharp and take some of that red stuff out of me. The foster Moms said that it was to check for things called tick diseases and also check my blood values – I didn’t have a problem with the sharp thing at all – just sat there like the Moms asked. I even got a liver treat afterwards for being such a good dog! Yummy!! All of my results came back just fine so I’m very healthy – yeah!

I guess that’s about all from me for now. I’ll go chew my bone and think of some other things I can tell you in my next post. Hope you enjoy reading about me and my foster life. Thank you to everyone who helped “spring” me from the shelter – I really appreciate it!

Talk to everyone soon – hi to rest of the foster Mals out there – ain’t life great now?
Babeesh

Wow! I woke up today and mom’s off her rocker. She’s so excited I can hardly breathe. What’s up with her. She keeps saying “you’re going home big guy” and then she starts crying. Her excitement is starting to rub off on me. I’m starting to get excited too. She says I’ll have a big yard and really nice lady to love me. She said it’s the only place in the world for a perfect guy like me (did you hear that Katana, mom called ME perfect). She said I can take my bed and my quail and that I’ll have a new brother named Sam. She said I won’t have to share the bed with so many anymore. I’ll have my own couch and t.v. and I’ll get to go to work with her too! That means I’ll have my own office even- wow! It does sound good. The best part is that sometimes when I go to work my foster dad will be there and I’ll get to see him and send hugs and kisses back to mom. I better go ’cause mom’s crying again and hugging on me so I can’t write. I’ll send word of how I’m doing with mom and she can update everyone or maybe I’ll get my own computer at my new house and I’ll be able to get on. Thank you all for getting me here!!
Love, Si Guy AKA the luckiest dog in the world

It’s been a rather crazy week here! With an impending home check for a possible placement for Lily I’ve been on pins and needles waiting for news. Then, on New Year’s Eve we attended a family get-together with Jack’s family. His brother’s mother-in-law began asking about why I rescue and I began telling her EXACTLY WHY we do it and of course Simon’s name came up. I went on to tell her what a great dog he is and how he (and rescuing) have impacted our lives. She then stated that she’s interested in another dog “tell me more about a malinois” she said so I gave her my best description. She then began telling me about the GSDs she’s had over the years and how she missed that type of dog. She asked if I had pictures of Simon (ha, how many albums would you like to see I asked her) and then I took her to the website. Well, after seeing him she sounded interested and asked me to send the site to her and not even a week later I get word that she’s sent in the application (I’ve already done the home visit myself- I’ve known this woman for 20 years and we’ve been to her house many times). So of the list of things I had on my list for the PERFECT home for Si Guy she hit a 10 on every aspect. Older person, dog savy, not weary of larger dogs, large house and yard to patrol, no kids 24/7 but interaction to keep him on his toes, a dog to keep him company. Did I tell you he will accompany her to work EVERYDAY!! What a wonderful end to a long story for such a wonderful boy. To those of you that asked me if I’ll be able to let him go and I replied “yes, sure….if I find the perfect home for him (never thinking that anything but here was going to be perfect enough) Well, I did it!! I’m so happy I could just…….. well, I better just go hug my dogs. If anyone asks if it’s worth it the answer is YES, momments like this make it all worth it!
Cher

Whoa! What a great get-well present. Today we went to see the gang at Dr. Abfall’s office. They took the poky things out of my leg and had me walk around a bit and checked to see that my toes aren’t getting damaged. It was great! I’m such a celebrity there and I get all of the hugs and stuff. My best Katana got to go with me this time and they didn’t even give her all the attention. They still thought I was the coolest! Then we got home and mom let me out in the yard. I haven’t been allowed out there for days. I was allowed to go all over the yard without the leash and I even got to run a little bit. THEN, the big brown truck came and brought a box. It was kinda like Christmas all over again. The box smelled really good but mom said that I had to share the bones and that the toys were for Gyver. Heck that little runt sure doesn’t need any more toys he’s got two baskets of them now. Well, she bought some more bees for the bee hive and a gingerbread house that looked kinda cool but then she pulled out a quail. Not any quail mind you but one that honks! I took it from her hands and she let me play with it!! I was allowed to chew it and throw it for myself and to just be silly for the first time in 10 days. It feels so good now. It must made mom happy too ’cause she said I could keep the quail in my basket and that Gyver has too many toys anyway (no, ya think?). You know what? I just realized I didn’t have to play the stupid where’s the treat game with mom today and I didn’t lay around with my Kong. I wonder where I put that thing anyway. I guess I won’t need it so much now that I’m allowed to move around a bit more! Thanks again for all the well wishes and I hope everyone’s new year is filled with as much love and as many friends as I’ve got now!
Hugs and kisses, Simon

Hi all! Simon had his follow-up today and they removed his stitches. He got the all-clear and is now allowed to use it minimally. No running up and down stairs and no off-lead out of the fences. I asked about jumping onto the freezer for cat food and the vet just laughed. He’s doing pretty well. He and Katana were playing crazy today and chased each other around the house for about 10 minutes. He still isn’t using that leg but now that he’s no longer restricted he will begin to use it. Everyone at the clinic was so pleased to see how well it looks and we’re all really happy that the arthritis should no longer be a problem for him. Looks like things are looking up for the old boy!

Hello everyone!
Simon has been resting well for the past four days. His velcro-like habits have increased and I am never more than a room away from him. He is beginning to go a bit stir crazy and is quite tired of being cooped up. He lays by the back door when I’m in the kitchen just waiting for someone to come in and set him free. The kids are a bit tired of the door staying locked but we can’t chance that he’d get out and chase a kitty across the yard. He is not using the leg at all and I’m a little discouraged as we’d hoped that he’d be at least setting his toes down to steady himself by this time. His pain level is managed with Rimadyl for now but that will change when we go back in this Friday for a check-up. He knows when it’s time for his next dose and sits by the counter to remind me that “it’s time”. Trying to keep him from going crazy has really paid off in the tricks area. He can now beg and roll over and he’s working on covering his eyes with a paw when I say “nite-nite”. I have spent about an hour a day hiding treats for him under toys, boxes, and blankets in a variation of the cup came. We’ve had to cut his daily rations in half due to the number of treats he’s getting in order to keep him quiet. His new Kong has gotten a thorough work out already! He absolutely adores the newest addition to the family. Our 8 week old terv, Guyver, loves uncle Simon, too. They mouth wrestle and Guyver will take off around the house with Simon waiting for him to return to ‘finish him off’. Katana also takes some time out of playing with Lily to entertain Si Guy. They mostly play tug of war with the rope tugs and that’s a few more minutes a day I’m not responsible for filling up with silly human games. Overall things are going well and I’m looking forward to him being able to get around on his own soon.
Hugs from Simon!

Just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone. Mom’s been singing ‘All I want for Christmas is my two front legs’ all day. Hahaha isn’t she funny. My two-legger brothers and sisters just roll their eyes when she gets their way. I roll on my back. That usually gets her to stop acting goofy and rub my belly. I’ve been sleeping on the bed all day and dad hasn’t even one time said ‘hey, what are you doing up there’? He loves to do that and watch me jump out of my skin. I always think I’m in trouble until he laughs and rubs my ears. Humans- sick senses of humor let me tell you! I was pretty happy to see mom this morning. I was kenneled next to a grumpy boxer for the past three days. I was glad to get out of there! I was surprised to see it was mom that came to get me. It seems there for awhile I kept meeting new faces everytime I was left. Nice people. But not my family. I feel like I’m in a family now. Thanks to everyone who helped me get here. There are too many to name. Everyone keeps saying how special I am but come on- what about all of you? You’re special, too. All the people that helped make this happen. It’s just too much to think about. I’ve slept all day except some time to eat and do those necessary things you should never do in the house. I would never miss a meal that’s for sure! I may not have time to get on here for a few days. You know, Santa Paws is making his trip tomorrow night so we’re busy here making ready! I helped mom wrap presents today. I saw a new Kong toy (my favorite). Suppose it’s for me? There were some balls and a couple boxes of treats. Mom said I’d have to share. I’m so excited! Well, mom’s putting everyone to bed so that means I better go find my spot right in the middle of dad’s side of the bed. He really loves trying to make me move before he lays down (and they say dogs don’t have a sense of humor). Hugs to all and to all a good night!

Simon