Honey the rescue foster

A new addition has arrived at our house, Honey.

Honey was found four years ago as a stray. She has been returned to Toller Rescue for rehoming, and we're fostering her until she finds a forever home. She's a goofy little girl with some quirks that made it impossible for her remain in her first adoptive home.

So far, I at least, am enjoying her. The jury is still out with the rest of the pack. They are all being quite tolerant, but I think that Ranger is disappointed that Honey is not a Mastiff or Dane. The girls are trying to pretend Honey doesn't exist for now.

Honey is being very socially appropriate with my guys, deferring to their status as long-term pack members. She's been inviting them to play, but so far only Ranger is accepting, and he loses interest quickly. Undaunted, Honey amuses herself by throwing balls for herself and then chasing them down and throwing them again.

Even though she is at least five, she still sometimes does the puppy froggy down. She has a big cataract in one eye, and has to have the longest tail I've ever seen on a retriever. It's so long that when she chases it, she has no trouble catching it. She gets wound up pretty easily, so will need an active, yet laid back household, where controlled quiet play is encouraged. She doesn't seem to require lots of exercise, and is perfectly content to sack out on the floor, as long as we're in the room with her. However, she hates to be left alone and likes the sound of her own voice quite a bit, which is why she ended up back in rescue.

This weekend we will be experimenting with a couple of different types of bark collars to see how much help she is going to need to stay quiet. Her previous owners used a shock collar on her, but I'm going to try out a citronella spray collar and see if that will be enough incentive for her to stay quiet. In the meantime, indoor crating during the day seems to be managing the situation quite nicely. I'm also going to try a friend's suggestion and put some of her obsessive behaviors on cue in order to manage them.