Tic, Tac, Toe Pictures

December. 2015. After making an appearance in an event with some Colts players at the shelter three puppies needed a home to bulk up for their upcoming spay and neuter day. So for three hectic days we fostered some “Cattle dog mixes” that we temporarily called Tic, Tac and Toe. They had been in a previous foster home but Tic (black-white male) had gotten bit pretty badly on the lip by the resident dog. Why proved to be no mystery.

Tic, Tac (black and white female) and Toe (white and black male) were three little Tasmanian Devils. (Perhaps Taz, Mania and Devils might have been more fitting names.) Their play style included very loud and vicious sounding growling and biting. So lots of time was spent playing Umpire to teach them a more friendly way to play, with lots of redirecting their biting to toys.

When these little puppies each got hold of one of the larger toys and did a three-way tug-of-war you would have thought you were listening to a starving wolf pack taking down a caribou.

Tac and Toe would eventually settle down and display normal cuddly puppy behavior, but Tic proved to be relentless in wanting to rough play. So he got lots of toy redirection so his siblings could do their thing.

One of their somewhat unfortunate tendencies was to be on different pooping schedules. Even though they ate at the same time (food dumped across the newspapers instead of bowls) each would poop in turn over the next 30 minutes or so. So the usual cyclical “poop watch” took longer than usual.

After three days, our shortest ever fostering, they went back to the shelter to get spayed/neutered and go on the adoption floor. Here’ s hoping their future owners give them lots of toys and guidance – and not let them around any chickens or other critters before lots of “how to play nicely with others” training.