Patches

1/25/2014: I'm delighted to say that Patches is currently in the USA! A kind and wonderful person couriered him all the way home for us. Now Patches is just waiting for the rest of his family (two humans + Chaucer) to join him. We've been seriously considering adopting the cute fuzzball, so he might soon be a permanent member of our families. Thank you all so much for helping Patches get better, and for supporting and encouraging us in taking care of him. We deeply appreciate it, and we know that Patches appreciates it most of all.

Patches has had the best of luck getting healthy. He's doing fantastic. He loves to run and play in the grass at the park. At home he loves to cuddle and play. He's clever and quick to learn. Patches is a fantastic dog. At this point, no one has even asked to meet him, and I've had no applications for him. Because of this, my fiance and I are going to bring him home to the States, where he can continue to look for his forever family. If you'd like to meet him, please let us know, as Patches won't be sticking around! :)

12/23/2013: Patches has the o.k. from the vet to exercise. He received his rabies and mixed vaccine yesterday, as well as a microchip. He'll need to be re-tested for heartworms in a few months. He's up-to-date on his external and internal flea/tick/heart worm/ parasite nasties protection. He's a wonderful dog and very charming.

Patches is doing FABULOUS in home life. He's extremely comfortable now, and getting better, stronger, and more energetic with each passing day. He's finished 2 rounds of post-heartworm medication, and the vet says his lungs/heart sound really good. He's doing amazing with my dog, and I've caught them cuddling on several occasions. Even though Patches isn't neutered yet, he's every bit the gentleman. He's crate trained and housetrained, and sleeps through the night without a peep. He knows "beg" "sit" "paw" and we're working on "down" and "come" (he already knew some commands when we got him.) He's got a goofy and super sweet personality, and completely charms the humans he meets. He ignores rodents, loves other dogs, is completely fine with adult cats. Come meet him and fall in love with Patches!

10/21/2013: Nori went to a new foster home, which has been really good for Patches. He's calmed down a lot. We also got him x-rayed, and he has level 3 heartworms. He's going in next weekend to begin treatment. It's hard to believe anyone would abandon such a sweet, cuddly, loving dog to die. He's an excellent companion and always eager to please. He loves people, is doing really well with our adult cats, is quiet (unless he needs to go outside, when he whines) and is also doing well with our dog/rat/hamster/hedgehog.

9/30/2013: Did I mention he's a chick magnet? He is. It's like walking with Elvis. Women come running out of their shops just to say "hello" to him. College girls scream and faint. Children point and cry when their mothers wheel them away. Even hardened old ajoshis stop to whistle at him.

Seriously.

He's Elvis.

9/29/2013: Patches went to the vet yesterday. Besides needing to put on 1.5 kilos, he's in very good shape. Normal body temperature, clean ears, etc. He has some gingivitis, but no skin issues or other problems. NO MICROCHIP. The vet is convinced that his owners abandoned him. He's very loving, loves walking around outside, and always seems extremely eager to meet other dogs. He didn't growl at the rats, cats, hamster, hedgehog or our dog yesterday. (Chaucer wasn't particularly interested in meeting the newcomer). He takes treats VERY gently, and knows "shake" in Korean. He always wags his tail and goes towards people when they whistle or click their tongue at him. I've only known him for a few days, so we're taking things slow with the "meeting strangers" bit. We're currently trying to train him to stop whining/get over his separation anxiety.
He'll need a good chunk of vet work done in the future (neutering, teeth cleaning, microchipping, vaccines, etc.) but first and foremost he needs to put on weight.
We put him on Frontline Plus and got him an intestinal de-wormer. We currently can't afford to do more, as we just paid for our foster cat Berry's vet visit/medicine/vaccinations, and it took a big chunk of our paychecks.

I found Patches as a stray, wandering along a busy street in the countryside. He was in the middle of the road, trying to cross. Cars were honking and swerving. I called him over and he came. He let me pet him, rub his ears, and scratch his belly. I took him home with me on the bus. I had to argue with the bus driver because I didn't have a carry case for him. Fortunately, several of the ajummas on the bus told him it wasn't a problem, and he left me alone.

Now Patches is at my apartment, and I have no idea what I'm going to do about it. I don't want to take him to a shelter, but I CANNOT keep him here at the moment. I need at least 1 week to get things organized. I already have 7 animals, so space and compatibility is an issue. He doesn't bark at cats or other dogs, but he did growl at my rats. They all need time to get used to the idea of another member, and I'll have to re-arrange my entire life to fit him into it. I would really love for another foster home, at least short-term, to be found for him!
Not only that, but he hasn't been vet checked yet. I know for a fact that my foster cat, Berry, has ear mites. It's a problem waiting to happen.
So I need time and someone willing to allow at least a week to two weeks for me to figure out space and finances. And to feed him! He's so skinny. :(

About finding his family:
I found him outside an set of tall apartment complexes. I've never seen him before, and the people running businesses haven't seen him before, either. I checked angel.co.kr, but found nothing. He's very skinny, so I think he's been out longer than a week.
When I can take him to get a vet check, I'll have them check for a microchip, too.
For the moment, it's the best I can do.

Regarding Spot: His hobbies include sleeping on humans and eating boiled chicken breast. And scratchies. He's all about attention and affection. :)