William

He really is a super-duper sweetheart! If you get a chance to visit again, you'll most likely see him. He's the pogo stick with the tail. :)

I plan on going back mid February so i'll be sure to go visit him =)

Is he at the KAPs shelter in daegu thats located close to the cat shelter?

sthill, yes, he is. :) I've never actually found the cat shelter, but I know it's close to the dog shelter. They would all just love it if you came to visit!
William's always my favorite. :)

It's unbelievable that no one has scooped up this stud yet! I get butterflies when I get to see him on the days that I volunteer! He's one of a kind. :) Please, someone adopt William!

William!

<3 <3 <3 <3

Hearts to William!

Thank you for the directions, Emma! I hope to check it out tomorrow. :)

Willllllliiiiiiiiaaaaaammmmm!

I put William in a presentation I did. (It was about me.) There are now about 200+ school children ready to take him home. If only their parents agreed!

We took William and Happy for a walk a few weeks ago. Here are the photos. There are about 200+ school children that fell in love with him because of these pictures. :)

Edit: My hands are kinda big - but not that big! So it's a decent size comparison. He's super tiny, like a corgi/jindo/chihuahua mix.

OH MY GOSH!! Adoption pending?! There could not possibly be any better news today!! I will hope and pray it really is a forever home for him! He deserves nothing less! Who is adopting him?!

I literally almost cried when someone told me that he was getting adopted! :) so happy for the little man! ♡

Soon, very soon!

AAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!! You just hugely brightened my already bright day!! :) Wonderful, wonderful news!! Yay, William and yay, Megs!! :) Absolutely can't wait for pictures of him at home!! :)

HAHAHA, that picture of William is HILARIOUS! He looks so disappointed!
Thank you for all the well wishes! He's beginning to settle into his new home. We're working on not whining/barking and getting rid of his separation anxiety. Soon we'll move on to potty training and basic commands, and getting along with the cat.
He needs to have major surgery on his ACL and a major tooth scaling. I suspect his teeth have been hurting him a lot/ are rotten through. We'll find out more on Saturday.
Currently he's enjoying big fluffy blankets and canned Evo food. He's a really mellow and loving dog, and he could have been great in any situation. He's different in a good way from the dog I knew at the shelter. Still, every day I'm surprised that he lived there so long - he's a poster pup for what many potential adopters could find if they gave a dog a chance. (And seek help in training from the beginning!)

Pictures will be forthcoming!

Congrats!! I'm SO happy to hear William's good news!!

Haha, he looks like a sloth in the picture! I don't know why. But it's great to see him in the adopted section after so long! I remember meeting him at the shelter 2 and a half years ago.

How is William doing?! :)

I was just going to update this!
Yesterday he went to the vet's. He has a bacterial skin infection, had most of his teeth removed and scaled (he has 3 left) and had his ACL (ligament) re-knit. The vet says it had a small scar on it, so he'll be able to put weight on it, but sometimes it'll still hurt him. Right now he's at the vet's, recovering. He gets to come home on Tuesday.
He and the cat are getting along for the most part, but Bernie cat is taking it much faster than I thought she would!

Marla, that's my thought, too! He'll still get lots of yummy food, but with chicken broth. What dog doesn't like chicken?! Just wait until you see the pictures of him ASKING for belly rubs! I was really surprised, and of course charmed by him even more.

William Chaucer asking for belly rubs.....twice!

W. Chaucer update!
He had surgery on his right hind leg last weekend, and a tooth scaling, then had a 3 night stay for observation. Dr. says he took it like a champ - he didn't even growl. All but 3 of his teeth have been removed (the Scrat teeth remain!), so his food gets soaked in hot water and chicken broth and mashed for him. There was a small scar on his ACL, so Dr. says he'll be able to walk, but it might still hurt him at times. We'll try and get him swimming to strengthen things up. His bacterial skin infection SEEMS to be getting better, but I'm still bothered by the spot on his nose, which he regularly scraped against blankets.
When he got home on Tuesday, he had a little cast. It's kind of cute! He'll have it for 3 weeks. We're going to the vet's today for a check-up, to make sure everything is healing okay.
He's been a great dog! He's extremely motivated by hot dogs, his new squeaky banana toy, comfort, and praise. As soon as I started praising him lavishly for going to the bathroom on newspaper, he quickly became a pro and almost never misses. When he does, it's only a few inches off the mark.
He's slowly improving on "sit" (quick on the draw when hot dogs are involved - not so quick without them!), and today we started working on "stay" (starting to get it!).
He's also self-crate training, thanks to the 3 blankets I moved in there. Now I wake up to his little face hanging out of the crate, so he can see me better.
His separation anxiety has gotten A LOT better, though he still does it. Not as bad as when he first got here, though!
He "expanded" his area yesterday while I was out, but didn't chew or pee on anything - so that's great
The cat is continuing to push things forward with their relationship (on her own), which has mixed results.
All in all, he's a very loving dog, and he's doing a great job of taking his medicine and being loved on. Right now he's sitting on his blanket next to me, very happily getting pet in between typing.

The other pictures are giving me some trouble, but here's one.

Sounds like things are great, Megs!! Yay William! It's a celebration for him and old dogs in need of a home everywhere! He's proof that old dogs with lots of problems still make WONDERFUL family members!! :)

Yes, definitely! The phrase "couch-potato, know thyself" keeps echoing through my mind. I think it's so important that people consider the dog's personality, not just his age or his looks. This pup is a great family pet, and would have been perfect for everything from a family with 1 person to a family with kids. It's hard to believe that so many people passed him up!

How is William doing after a month in his new home? I'd LOVE to have an update!! :)

He's doing awesome!
I was just thinking about doing a short video this weekend. He plays with the cat, the cat's toys, etc. She tries to wrestle with him. It's really funny when they chase each other, too. He's still dealing with the melassezia on his paws, but it looks like it's getting better. (I'm getting better at trimming them, too.)

He's extremely popular with just about everybody, and is a great doggy ambassador, especially to kids afraid of dogs. One little boy had a very long conversation with him (no idea what it was about), and he was so patient, letting the little boy pet him and touch his tail and touch his ears. (Don't worry, I watched the entire time, and made sure to tell the little boy when it was time for Chaucer to "sleep," so Chaucer could be left alone. Some of the restaurant owners that know us even let us bring him in with us. I've also learned the Korean word for "cute," because teenage girls practically scream it and faint whenever he walks by. Kind of feel like I'm walking Elvis sometimes.

I keep his toys in the bottom shelf of a bookshelf, and he'll often go in there to get the one he wants to play with. It's really cute. Only having 3 teeth has yet to stop him from gumming his Nylabone, squeaky toy, or the cat's toy to death. Also, Bernie Cat and Chaucer Pup like to play with "bell balls" - the cat toys that make lots of noise as they roll. They bat it to one another and take turns chasing it. I'd have a video for you, but they usually do it at 4 AM. >.<
He's always happy to go for walkies, and Steve has taken up the grooming gauntlet. Since he learned not to whine (very early on in the adoption), he's very well-behaved. He still has accidents sometimes, but it's always been a miscommunication of sorts (he thinks bathroom access is blocked, but it's just my long legs in the way, and I'm not really paying attention.) I really want to work on getting him better trained, but I confess I'm not sure how to do it or where to start. He does well with sit/stay/okay for dinner and breakfast, and he's really improved about coming when called (at least, when I call him.) I really want to work on sit/stay/leave it/ etc., though.

Also, he's extremely cute. He's often very playful right after I come home. He runs over, wags his tail, and sits shortly after I come through the door. I won't acknowledge him until he's calmed down, but I think it's the cutest thing that he sits on his own for that. He does a good job maintaining, and when I give him my "come home cuddles," I like to play with him a little when he's got all that energy. I throw a toy for him, he grabs it and runs, and I chase him around my tiny apartment. Then I take the toy and throw it again. I swear, when he runs around, it takes 5 years off of him. He looks (and acts!) like a younger dog. :)

Last bit, his leg has healed up. It's all better, but it's taking Chaucer a while to accept the fact it DOESN'T hurt him.

For the most part, I think he's pretty happy with us - excepting the times the cat tries to groom him. :)

p.s. I would like to add that he brings a lot of joy into our lives. All of our furry darlings do. It's getting so I can't really imagine life without any of them. :)

Hi everyone!
Thought you might like a video of Chaucer playing with Bernie's cat toy. He loves that thing!

Just a brief update, W. Chaucer is now learning to lay down, but we both wish we had more guidance on the matter. We're also working on peeing on a proper plastic pad, not just newspaper. He's resisting it, but some tasty (smelly) duck jerky and vintage cheddar cheese are making it worth his while. I hope to have him doing it regularly before we go on vacation.

In other news, though, I paid off his vet bill! His surgery/tooth scaling/ etc. is finally, finally done with! Now I can invest the extra cash flow into his edible Nylabone passion. A bit ironic, since he's got no teeth...

Also, we're getting better about the grooming. He used to think it was a toy (rubber handle) and of course hated sitting still. Doing it more regularly, though, he's learned to sit for longer, and it's keeping all of us sane and (mostly) fur-free.

He's also been trying to go to work with me. Whenever I start to head out the door, Mr. Chaucer thinks it's time for walkies. His ears perk up and his tail perks up and he is SO READY to walk 3x a day, 10-years-old or not!....as long as we take a break going uphill.

Sunday morning, Chaucer doesn't think it's time to get up. :)

In other news, he's started favoring his hind leg a bit like before. I'm worried about it, and I hope that keeping him off it will help it get better again. (He might just need to rest it, like my tennis elbow, since he's still using it a bit.) If it doesn't look better soon, we'll have to go back to the vet and see what he has to say.

Chaucer's doing well. He lost a few pounds when we first got him, since he wasn't eating much for a few weeks. I was worried, but the vet said not to be. He was 5.3 kg (or thereabouts) and went to 4.5 (I think.) He was weighed on Saturday and is 4.7 kg. He eats regularly, and he's getting lots of treats while we continue to work on the "sit" command. He's doing very, very well with it. There's a soft kangaroo jerky from Australia that he likes, so on Saturday we had lunch on the patio and Chaucer practiced "sit" with distractions. Lots of people came up to pet him and called him "cutie." Of course he is! He did fabulous on the bus ride, too.....but he kept staring at an old lady and her crab snack! She wanted to give him some, but (to his chagrin) I politely declined.

His back leg is doing fantastic. I keep him from jumping or straining it, so he's not limping anymore.
He loooooooves walkies! Whenever I start to put my shoes on, he comes up to me and clearly thinks we're going on a walk. That's true about 50% of the time! Friday evening he was so excited that he walked himself out the door. >.< So we'll be putting the gate up now that he's more comfortable.

Meanwhile....I'M SO HAPPY HE'S MICROCHIPPED!

A picture of Chaucer napping, and of last night's BBQ. He brought jerky treats to share, but ate them all himself. :)

What a lucky boy! :)

Chaucer is doing FANTASTIC. Patches has really helped him come out of his shell. It's been kind of amazing to watch Patches (the clever, well-socialized foster) teach Chaucer the Ways of the House Dog. Chaucer now wags his tail more often, learned to pee outside like a male dog, and will even play a little with Patches. Not only that, Patches really helped Chaucer learn the "lay down" command, something we previously had a lot of trouble with.
Chaucer will traveling to the USA in a few weeks, so if you'd like to meet him to say goodbye, please let us know. ^^

Hi everyone,

Here's an update on Sir William Chaucer. He's loving the USA. We did very well on a very miserable trans-Pacific flight/layover/flight/2-hour drive (not counting the trip just to get to Seoul!) I was very impressed, since he didn't whine at all. (He did "paw" his way through his carrier case, though. Now his head fits through. ><)
He settled in to his new American citizenship extremely well. He loves running around the house. He gets cans of Evo Salmon&Herring mixed with a tiny bit of cooked beef liver, as well as Costco lamb & rice. He has a huge backyard to run around in. He sleeps on my bed at night, and he's often the reason I get up in the morning. (No joke! He has a bladder the size of a walnut.) He even has his own bed, made out of a fluffy pillow. Lately he's preferred laying on clothes near the window, though.
For a while he had a cat friend, Miss Abigail Mae (also known as "Berry" in the past.) They sometimes took naps together, which surprised me and always caught me without a camera.
Chaucer's first trip to Petsmart involved him getting a new toy (It IS the dog version of Disneyland after all, minus squirrels). I didn't even know KONG made squeaky toys! But they do. He picked the bear.
Actually, we went to Disneyland and took Chaucer with us. He had to stay in the Disneyland kennel, but he LOVED the communal "dog park" area. It was probably like the dog version of Harry Potter or LotR, because his nose was glued to the ground for 10 minutes at a time. We did take pictures with him outside of the park, too.
Meanwhile, in the comfort of home, Chaucer has been charming every single friend and relative that's come over to visit. Today he curled up for a cuddle next to a very dear friend of mine, a few days ago he actually helped my sister's dog (a not-dog-friendly GSD) be a little more Zen, and weeks before that he actually charmed my mom into allowing himself on the couch. If you don't know my mom, you don't know how momentous that is. Chaucer is just such so darn suave! ^^ Soon we're headed to a more permanent life on a farm in Ohio. He's had sunny days and warm winter weather in CA, but he'll have yards and yards of grass, squirrels, and hundreds of trees to "write" on soon.

He's such a wonderful dog, you can see why it breaks my own heart to tell you that he has a heart condition. It's an "edema" I think. It's common for older dogs (and people). Basically, fluid rushes into the heart, as it's no longer pumping correctly. We took him to the vet in Korea, and he was diagnosed after an ultrasound. (He had to have his chest shaved....just like all the Italian dogs.) We have medication for him, and his symptoms have gone away, though the condition will not. We had to take him to our vet in CA for more meds, and we learned quite a bit more about it. The vet said that typically, dogs with this condition only live about a year after the diagnosis. This came as quite a shock to me, since my vet in Korea hadn't mentioned that part.
Chaucer is my very best friend. I want him to live forever, and never go away.

That's definitely how I feel about it, marlajoy. The only time he looks/acts old is when he's just waking up from a nap. Once the squeaky toy comes out, or the squeaky ball, you'd swear he was only 5, not 11. I'm hoping we have many, many more years with him. Both my fiancé and I absolutely adore him, and we can tell he loves us, too. :)
Regarding symptoms, he just randomly started coughing one night while we were settling down to go to sleep. It was a kind of hack, the way dogs act when they want to throw up or something's caught. Nothing was coming out, though. He actually fainted, and would have fallen off the bed if I hadn't caught him. It scared the crap out of me. We took him into the vet, where they diagnosed him but wanted to do an ultrasound to be sure. It was kinda cool; I got to see Chaucer's heart. ^^ The vet explained that the heart wasn't pumping properly. Chaucer was re-diagnosed by our vet here, too, who also did an ultrasound to be sure he was right.
That's really been Chaucer's only problem, the hacking/coughing when he tried to settle down and sleep. He has meds that have helped stop it completely. We both sleep much better now.