Maria: the water baby

Update: 21 October 2013
At 15 weeks old (4 months), Maria is a seriously awesome pup - the perfect balance of energy, fun, calm and loving, she is exceedingly playful and has a great temperament. She never get's irritated or moody with us, even when we purposefully test her patience. She really is most wonderful!
Maria responds to our voice commands excellently, and she does listen first time you say something, although her mischievous nature will seldom give up after her first warning.
She gets lots of exercise from playing fetch with her pink ball, her toy giraffe, our socks or a toilet roll... toilet rolls and tissues are some of her favourite toys in fact. She still hasn't ruined a single thing of ours, and has accidents around the house much less frequently these days - when she makes a mess on the floor she totally gives herself away because she looks so sheepish and hides under the table. haha.

She still has at least one more vaccination left before she can venture outdoors (that will bring her up to 3 so far, although vets here like to administer 5 shots to be safe!). She is due for that within the next 2 weeks.

Whoever has the privilege of loving and caring for this little lady forever will be one very blessed individual.

Update: 08 October 2013
Maria's little sister was adopted last Thursday, and ever since she has been the most gentle, affectionate, well mannered little puppy imaginable.
She loves to be in your lap, on your feet, or at your side, no matter where you are - even sits right between my feet, if not ON them while I'm cooking. If i am lying on my tummy she comes and naps right on top of my back. She has decided that ones lap or anywhere as close as physically possible is her safe place and she brings all her little treasures (toys, pellets, a piece of a treat) and sits with them there, or leaves them at your feet for safe-keeping :)
Maria really is one loyal little girl!! and she is very smart, picking up on discipline and training slowly but surely.
She is still enamored with water... infatuated with it, especially showers.

Another little trick of hers is her insanely good jumping skills!! Since we started fostering her we have always laughed at how she puts so much effort into leaping up of all fours, she is quite cowardly to try new things usually, but not when it comes to her bouncing around - she does this when happy and it reminds me of Tigger from Winnie the Pooh! She literally just bounces up and down on the spot and these days she uses her kangaroo-like skills to jump onto the bed and off it (usually in an unladylike crash-landing), and to bounce up and down to see what's happening on the kitchen table when I'm busy there. She is SO trusting and loving that she often comes leaping and bounding, flying through the air when she is aiming to land in your lap - climbing up carefully is clearly not half as much fun.

Maria spends lots of time amusing herself with her toys, and little prizes she thinks are hers from around the house - she collects our socks and headbands, and fluff, carrots and lettuce from my poor bunny, and is very proud of her things... wagging her tail and expecting them to come alive and play with her :) she hasn't ever chewed anything or broken things around the house, it appears she just likes to suck on stuff and carry things around (so we don't recommend letting her get into your laundry)

She is a real little gem, and we hope that she will find some people who love her as much as she will love them!

Update: 24 Sept 2013
Second round of vaccinations done, and nails clipped... a piece of cake for this little girl! She was timid and VERY well behaved at the vet!

Update: 23 Sept 2013
Maria is a typical clumsy, cuddly, excited puppy. She is a lot bigger and heavier than her tiny little sister Nellie. At 11 weeks old she has a healthy appetite, is always playful and LOVES WATER... loves drinking water, loves splashing the water out of her bowl, loves attacking the water, loves biting at the shower water and takes every opportunity to get wet! Maria is slowly getting the idea of how to use a pee pad and she is learning to sit quite nicely for a busybody. She is full of love, and only wants to be near to you all the time. She will sleep on the floor next to me when i am too busy to play and she sits between my feet when i'm cooking or getting ready to leave the house. She can be a bit of a bully to her little sis, but i think it's mostly because she is just naturally bigger so plays rougher and can wiggle Nellie out of the picture with her bigger body and longer legs.
Maria needs a patient and very loving family and i think she will be quite easy to train with consistent and gentle reinforcements - she can be very shy and sulky when reprimanded, and tends to be the more cautious and less adventurous of the two puppies... you will need to earn her trust, but once you have she will never leave your side.

Update: 14 Sept 2013
Maria & her smaller sister (Nellie) went into a new foster home last weekend. They needed foster parents who had more time to dedicate to them. She and her sister are loving their new foster parents who also have a bird and a bunny! The girls house training is a bit of a struggle at the moment but they will get there! Ideally Maria & her sister should go into a home where there is a slightly older dog to play with who can also show her the ropes. Her & her sister get so excited together that they don't fancy focusing on where to go to the loo. Mind you, it's only been 6 days so let's give the little girlies a chance. :o) Maria has had Advocate & her first vaccination. She will receive her next vaccination soon!

Update: 5 September 2013
Maria has always been the bigger of the two pups. When I bottle fed them from one-week old, Maria was always the good eater! Always hungry & always growing, she is now exactly twice the weight of her smaller sister, Nellie. She currently weighs 2.4kg's. Funnily enough, although she is bigger, she is the scaredy cat of the two. Poor little love. When I take her to the vet she hides in her crate corner & tries her best to stick to the back wall so you can't take her out. That said, at home she is 100% confident and loves being picked up for a major cuddle! She will adjust quickly to the big, wide world once she learns a bit more about it.

Maria loves water! She makes me laugh all the time by standing in her water while she drinks it! She also sometimes uses her front paws to splash herself as though she's playing just the BEST game ever, all on her own! She also joins me in the shower occasionally! :)

Maria is using peepads like a little gem, although she sometimes confuses the bathmat with a peepad...hey, she's only 8 weeks old! She's a very clever little girl and I can literally see the triumphant look on her face when she discovers something awesome, like how she can climb onto the bottom step now.

Maria & her sister are both very healthy little girls. They received the first of their vaccinations & heartworm prevention on September the 3rd. Neither of them should be allowed outside until they are fully vaccinated & their immunity levels are high enough to stave off any potential nasties.

I am hoping that the girls can find a new foster home as soon as possible because, while I adore them, having them means I am limited in my interactions with shelter dogs (don't want to bring any diseases home) and this is a BIG problem for me.

If you would like to foster Maria and/or her sister Nellie, please complete the application form here: http://www.animalrescuekorea.org/adoption-application and send it to me via e-mail. ([email protected])

Here is their Facebook album: https://www.facebook.com/clare.mills.902/media_set?set=a.101530200766754...
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Meet Maria!

Maria and her sister Nellie were born about one month ago. Their mum, Mae, came into the shelter with two of her older puppies that have since passed away (RIP). No one had any idea that Mae was pregnant! And then one Saturday evening out popped Maria and Nellie!

Unfortunately, Mae was ill and needed to be treated immediately. She could no longer feed her puppies. Nellie and Maria were taken into emergency foster care where they are being bottle fed and cared for. These two little girls have had a rough start. They were separated from their mum too early and then diagnosed with Coccidiosis (an intestinal disease). They have since been treated and are starting to resemble healthy, happy puppies!

Maria is just starting to get some energy. She is wobbling around and loves exploring her environment. She also loves to be picked up and cuddled. She seems to be a brave and outgoing little girl. At one month old she weighs 1kg.

Nellie and Maria will be ready to start life with new families in about one month.

If you are interested in fostering or adopting Maria, please don't hesitate to contact me.