Temora Australian Terriers

This page is going to be dedicated to Piffin, a young dog rescued from a Puppy Mill? by a local Rescue Group.
After having him stay with them since June, they made the decision to let Australian Terrier Rescue help.
He has come a long way since June, when he was a battered sore infested little dog scared to death of people.
He is still fearful of people and Piffin will now reside with me and my family until we feel he is ready for placement.
He needs a lot of socialization and a HUGE Thank You goes out to the staff at 'For Pets Sake' and Leslie Fischer
for working with this little guy.

8-6-2009
I met Adam (now renamed Piffin) for the first time when I went to pick him up. They said to back away as they let
him in as he had a routine and if you disrupted the rountine or he saw something different, he would high tail it back
outside. Sure enough, he came in, saw me, turned around and went right back outside.
They got him back in, gave him a bath and put him in my crate and we went home.
Is he an Australian Terrier? Maybe, the coloring is correct, but he is very small the size of a Silky Terrier, he could be a
cross between a silky-aussie or he could be just a badly bred aussie which would account for his size.
He met Ellie and Mikki, Mikki thought 'Great' I am no longer on the bottom of the totem pole and bowled him over,
Piffin took it good naturedly and kissed her nose, Mikki ignored him after that.
Piffin fell in love with Ellie (our GWP) and spent the rest of the time trying to kiss her nose and grovel to her, his
tail wagging a mile a minute.
He would not come to us, if you talked to him, he would get a panicked look in his eyes and retreat. So we did not talk
to him, we just stayed outside with him and let him get used to his new surroundings. When we went inside, he followed
at a distance and we left the door open for him, he eventully came in and settled in by Ellie on her bed in the
doggy room.
Later on, when Ellie was in by Jim in a different room, Piffin followed and layed by Ellie again, Jim went to pet him and he
allowed it until Jim shifted his postition, then he took off.
Danielle came in and sat by Piffin and petted him as well, he tolerated her really well, but was not relaxed, but did not
snap at her either or try to retreat
He was introduced slowly to the rest of the dogs, he greeted them warmly and followed them around, always keeping
an eye on us and what we were doing.
Later that night as he lay by Ellie, he watched the aussies play by me and then settle down by me, it is a good
lesson for Piffin as he sees that no harm is coming to anyone.
I put him into his crate for the night and he was quiet all night long, not a wimper out of him.

8-7-2009
This morning I let Piffin out, it was Bull and Libbys turn to sleep in bed, so he followed them outside, a bit more
relaxed and very happy to see them.
When I let all the dogs in to go to work with me, he did not follow me downstairs, so I had to catch him. Yesterday
I put a harnass on him to make it easier if I had to grab him, he ran from me and I had to corner him and grab
the harnass, he does not bite you when you do this, but he acts like he is going to, but he never opens his mouth
when he is fearful, does this mean he will not bite, who knows, the goal to is avoid that while we work with him.
Piffin also is a like an animal in rigor mortis when you pick him up. Stiff as a board!
We have a very long long way to go, we are just starting this journey.....

8-8-2009
Today I am noticing that Piffin will now walk past us when the other dogs do. The first two days, he would
not walk past us, if we did not move so he could go in a room, he would turn around and go in a
different direction that did not contain people. I also approached him very slowly while he was laying near Ellie
and let him sniff my hand and then petted him. He stiffened up, but DID NOT run away, a good sign.
He is still very intently watching all the other dogs and how they interact with me. Tommorow I am going to keep the
dogs in a larger area and have the kids join me, more people for him to have to walk around, but good for
him to see that he can mingle without fear. Baby steps, but it is progress....

8-9-2009
Today I was at a Dog Show for most of the day and Jim took care of Piffin while I was gone. He did ok until
Jim went to pick him up and moved too fast in the process, Piffin nipped at him when this happened. My husband
says it was his fault, and Piffin did not really 'bite' he just nipped, he did not leave a mark or break skin. I noticed this
evening instead of just laying on Ellies bed with Ellie, on occasion Piffin would get up and walk around and check
things out in the room, something he has not yet done. He would always retreat back to Ellies bed if I spoke, so I
just kept quiet and let him explore.

8-10-2009
Today I was able to once again pick Piffin up with no problem to take him downstairs with me so I
could go to work. (My office is in my basement). He stiffend up as usual, but not the extent he
normally does and he did not turn his head away from me either this time. When we got into the basement
area that my office is at, he came into my office with the other dogs for a bit before walking out. I was looking
for him a short time later as I did not see him by Ellie, and there he was lying on the doggie bed underneath
one of my desks, I am very proud of him!!
Took him out in front on a leash, he went crazy like a pro-wrestler the way they do all their flips and leaps.
He was not in his element and he was TERRIFIED. I kept talking to him and after an hour he settled down to
some extent. Will keep up the leash training with him on a daily basis.

8-11-2009
Today Piffin learned to go down stairs. I was trying to show him and also had to carry him down
(he had no problem going up the stairs). This afternoon when the dogs were let in to go back down after I had
lunch he went right down with them. Took him outside on his leash again, another 45 minutes of panic with him
before he settled down and kinda walked with me on the front lawn. Someone from the neighborhhod walked by
and watched for a while after I explained why he was acting this way. It is good for Piffin to see people as I noticed
that he is somewhat comfortable with me and my family, but if you introduce someone new, he regresses back
to when I first saw him, very scared and panic stricken.

8-12-2009
Piffin regressed for a while this morning, something spooked him, he would not let me near him and ran away
when I tried to pick him up. He would not go down the stairs when I had to go to work.
This afternoon he was better, he went down the stairs on his own and he is starting, ever so slightly to make eye
contact. When you talk to him he will for the most part, not look directly at you, but will focus on something else on
either your face, or he looks at my knees. Pretty ugly Knees, not much to look at there!
Today I was talking to him and he looked briefly at me before looking away. I praised him and let him know what
a good boy he was. I am also notcing that his tail instead of being tucked up tight under his belly, is now at
about half mast when you speak to him. I keep encouraging him and let him know he is doing good.

8-13-2009
Piffin is going to Leslie Fishers today for the weekend. I have an out-of-town dog show that my husband
is also attending and I did not want to leave Piffin with my kids. Leslie is familiar with his case as she spent
time with him when he was at the Rescue Facility.
They met and Leslie had Teddi with her, Piffin had no problem going up to Teddi, Teddi had no problem pouncing
on him and bowling him over. Seems to be a hereditary trait since Mikki, Teddi's half sister did the same thing
to Piffin when she first met him.
Piffin was a bit nervous, but handled things pretty well. Leslie called later to say he was adjusting well
except that he would not go to the bathroom when on the leash.
Here we have the fenced in yard, so there was not a problem. I am sure at the shelter he had a kennel
run and at the puppy mill, well, who knows. So Piffin does not know how to relieve himself while on leash
Something I did not think about and will work on when I come home.
There will be no updates until I get back.

8-16-2009
Leslie took excellent care of Piffin, he was dropped back off by me when I came home this afternoon.
I let him out into the backyard and he greeted Rufus like his long lost buddy. After getting Rufus back in the
house I let Bull, Siren and Paris out and of course they acted like I had been gone for ages! With all their
jumping around and howling and barking I noticed that Piffin was looking right at me, not really wagging his tail
but it was at half mast and he had a 'Happy look' on his face. Whether he was actually happy to
see me or the dogs excitement was contagious and he just went along with it, I do not know, but when
I went to pick him up at bedtime to put him in his kennel, he kinda rolled on his back and allowed me to
scratch him for a while on the belly and was not stiff when I picked him up. He was relaxed in my arms. Yeah!

8-17-2009
We had a break through today and in the evening with the little guy, he actually wagged his tail!
I was talking to him and the other dogs and he looked directly at me and wagged his tail ever so slightly.
I felt like a mom who just watched her kid walk for the first time!
Piffin also when lying with Ellie in the evening, laid on his back with his belly up. This is very very
significant as his stomach is exposed to the air so he is able to keep cool, but more importantly
by not being all curled up in a ball, none of his muscles are tense, and so he is able to be
completely relaxed.
He went from laying in a tight ball, to laying stretched out, to now feeling comfortable enough to lie on his
back. HUGE HUGE development
We also heard him for the first time as well. He is a very quiet dog, have not heard him bark at all.
Last night Rufus and Piffin decided to howl and sing to Mikki, who is in season. Made for a long night,
as they started at 4:00am, but it was nice to hear that he had a voice.
Sometimes Puppy Mills will debark their dogs, we did not know as he has not barked, but we know now, it
has not had it done!

8-18-2009
Yesterday Piffin used his voice for the first time, today he is like the Energizer Bunny and will not stop
barking, he just keeps going and going and going........
Normally I do not let my dogs carry on like that, but he has been silent for so long, I am letting
him 'voice his opinion' on things for a while. Will work on the barking after he gets it all out of his
system. Rufus and Piffin, 4:00am on the dot, started to serenade Mikki again, spent the rest of the
night sleeping on the couch with Piffin by me and making sure Rufus knew I was near and that the
'singing' was not going to be tolerated. Mikki probably thinks I am a 'Mean Mom'.
Wonderful thing when you live in a house with intact girls. :)

8-19-2009
I watched this evening when Piffin was lying near Ellie, that he got up and dragged a towel over by his
bed and started to chew on it, then he grabbed a chewed up toy and started to do the same.
Something new for him, have not seen him play with toys.
Will have to wait to see if Rufus and Piffin start singing again tonight. Hope not, I am still pretty
tired from the howling the night before. Does not look like it will ease up anytime soon as Libby
has now gone it no season as well. Piffin just does not know what to make of all these girls! Paris keeps
trying to play with him, but all he does is roll over, then she sits on him and head butts him in the stomach.
When someone figures that one out, please let me know! :)
It's never boring around here.........

8-20-2009
It was busy around here today with work and then taking the kids shopping for clothes for school.
Danielle is a Private Stock Holder at Amber Crombie, that is the only store she wants to shop at.
Of course, I had other ideas so she said when she gets her drivers license she will work there and
get all the clothes she wants, I told her to 'Go for it!'...
Jim babysat the dogs and when we got home he wanted to know if Piffin has chewed on bones yet.
Told him no, so he said that this evening Piffin took a bone and brought it back to his/Ellies bed and
started chewing on it. (He was very proud of Piffin for doing this)
Piffin is learning new things everyday, but still will not come to me. That will take time, but he does follow
me at a distance and sleeps by my feet while I work. Little guy is coming around slowly but surely.
I will try and groom him up this weekend, will see how that goes...

8-21-2009
So I am working away and a smell wafts by me like 3 week old rotten eggs
It's Piffin!!!!
Where the gas came from, I DON'T KNOW, but man, can this little guy clear a room!
All the dogs but Rufus have moved to the other bed, of course Piffin is right under me by my feet, so
guess who gets to smell this mess while I work.
If anyone calls, they will probably be wondering why I am coughing and gagging!!! :):):)
Have to remember what I fed him last night....

8-22-2209 to 8-23-2009
Piffin got his haircut this weekend, I just worked on trimming his face & feetup a bit,
which he did really good with.
He let me touch his face and trim the hair under his muzzle, I then worked on his feet.
I still have to do his tail, but I did not want to push it to far.
He is slowly exhibiting 'happy' signs like wagging his tail slightly when you talk to him. He still will not come to me,
but that is ok, he is not running as far now and I can just approach him and pick him up vs having to speak
to him for a bit and casually go up to him before picking him up.
Last night when I put the dogs to bed, I found him in his crate, he went in all by himself.
Normally I have to get him and put him in his crate, he would not go in willingly.

8-24-2009
Today was pretty quiet, Piffin is really into the routine of the house, he goes into his crate at night,
I have a different crate in the living room that I feed him in, as of yesterday, he goes into that one
knowing that is the 'Chow' crate. Yesterday was the 'Beef Tripe' feeding day. I feed the canned version
by Solid Gold, dogs go crazy over it, Piffin was not too sure of it at first, but after a bit, he cleaned
his bowl. He is a really good eater and has probably put on at least a pound by now.
Piffin still will not come to us and is somewhat interactive until you speak to him, then he tries to go in a
different direction, that will come over time, he has made great progress over the little time we have had
him. Now he needs to get used to other things, he is great in his routine, like all the dogs are, but he will someday
be in a different routine when he goes into his new home, so he needs to get used to new and unfamiliar
territory so he can adjust quickly. This weekend I will take him to a dog park (on-leash though). I would
take him now, but I am not going anywhere until Siren has her puppies, she is due any day now.

8-26-2009
Not much going on today, spent the night on the couch with Siren as she paced around, panted,
dug at the rugs, threw up, all the things an expectant (dog) mom will do before she has puppies.
She is digging everywhere, but has not gone into true labor yet. I expect her puppies to arrive either
today or tomorrow, I think today. It was a long night, it will be an ever longer day today as I did not get
much sleep and have to keep an eye on Siren and work. This morning I was handing out treats and Piffin
took the treat from my hand. Normally you have to toss it to him, of course he took it and ran to his bed
to eat it, but he did take it from me, another first!

8-27-2009
Today has been a very longggg day, Siren after 24 hours of tossing and turning, nesting, scratching
and everything else imaginable had her babies.
Piffin was a bit confused over the constant shuffling around, it took him out of his 'routine' and comfort level
and by this morning it showed. He would not take a treat out of my hand and refused to go in his crate and
had a very confused look on his face. He was not scared, just confused and of course tonight he will
get to listen to all the puppy noises coming out of the puppy area. The girls will stand by the door and
cock their heads this way and that to listen, Bull and Rufus will completely ignore the sounds. We will wait
to see what Piffin does with this new development.

8-29-2009
Piffin has decided, like the rest of the boys, that puppy noises are not going to mean much to him. He has
ignored them. The girls on the other hand for the first day or two, sat by the door listening.....
Piffin has regressed a bit, he will not go into his crate at night, but he will go in it for his dinner!
He seems to know when it is chow time. Maybe he picks up on the fact that when I am getting dinner
ready for them, Ellie is barking and drooling and the Aussies are jumping and barking??? Probably.
I feed Piffin in his crate to make sure he gets all his food, he comes right in past the other dogs now
and scoots over to his crate to wait for me to open the door and let him in. He is a good eater and when
done waits for me to open his crate door, then he dashes out and goes back to the patio door to be let
outside again. This morning he actually looked at Jim while he was eating breakfast and did not run
and hide when Jim spoke to him.....

8-30-2009
Amazing sight this weekend, Piffin playing with Ellie our GWP and all the aussies. It is quite funny
as Ellie is so big, the Aussies are medium sized and Piffin is so small. We normally find him with
the other dogs, but not interacting with them. He was actually PLAYING with them on Saturday and
Sunday. He looked like he was having a good time too! :)
He was running and jumping with the dogs, Paris would do her famous knock you over and sit on
you routine, then they would get up and run and jump and play some more before Paris would
knock him over again. I think Paris is enjoying this and Piffin does not seem to mind and has
a big grin on his face in the end. It is nice to see him happy, he is such a serious little guy.
Will try and get a photo of them playing, it will not be easy as he will not play with the dogs if someone
is outside, only when it is just him and the other guys, no people. We had no time to go to the dog
park as it rained on and off all weekend, will try for next weekend.

8-31-2009
I was trying to get a photo of Piffin playing with the other dogs, it is proving to be quite challenging.
Piffin will play like crazy, but as soon as he hears something, he will stop and go into his 'serious/defensive'
mode. It takes him about 30 minutes to loosen up to start playing again. So I am trying to stand in
the house by a window, he spotted me right away and once again, stopped playing. He is very
aware of his surroundings and is constantly 'on guard'. Probably a defense mechanism from living
in a Puppy Mill and in an environment that was not safe or secure. He is starting to relax, but goes
defensive in an instant around people if they take him out of his comfort zone. Again, one of those things
that will take months if not years to overcome. It is nice to see him happy, even if it is only with the
other dogs, he is a character when playing, will keep trying to get that photo....

9-2-2009
So I have this little game I play with the dogs, I grab their muzzles and gently shake them and they try
and get out of my grip. They love it and I tried it on Piffin, he of course does not understand the game,
but he let me do it and I shook his muzzle gentley and let go. Will see how long it takes to get him
to understand.
This morning I fed the dogs, I always give them a handful of Merricks B.G. Buffalo food. They love it and
Piffin has learned to like it as well. I make them all STAND before I put the food on the floor for all to
share. Today I noticed that when I did this Piffin also stood with his tail wagging slightly. So he now
knows how to stand:) Whoever gets him is going to wonder why the dog does not sit! :) I guess Piffin
now wants to be a show dog. Still trying to get that photo of him playing, he does it more and more
everyday. His favorites are Mikki and Paris, once in a while Rufus. Bull, Siren and Libby kinda ignore
him and Ellie does as well, but she will join in with the aussies when they are all playing chase around
the yard. Of course Ellie is the biggest and the fastest so they actually get to chase her. Piffin does
not join in with this game. He just stands and watches and tries to stay out of the way. He has gotten
knocked over a few times as the dogs are not watching out for him and they bowl him right over in
passing.

09-7-2009
We have been absent from news as we had 'family' projects to do like getting ready for winter by
finishing the window painting, mowing the lawn, taking care of things we have been neglecting as I have
either been off to dog shows or off to the kids activities which seem to happen on evenings and
weekends now.
Piffin is doing something interesting lately. He ignores everyone in the house for the most part, he
just makes it a habit of staying clear of everyone, which is going to take time to overcome. But
I noticed that lately, when Danielle comes down with wet loose hair, he goes balistic in barking and
growling at her. If her hair is in a ponytail, he ignores her. He does this with no other person in the house,
and again ONLY if her hair is wet and loose (she has very long hair). We do not know why, but Piffin
gets himself into quite a tizzy over this and she has to leave the area before he will calm down.
Something from the Puppy Mill where he came from? Some bad experience that has imprinted on him
that he is using his eyes and not his nose to figure things out? I do not know.
He is now eating with the other dogs and not in his crate, he does real well and has learned that if he
does not eat his food, someone else will, so he eats it all up pretty good. He is not food aggressive
at all with other dogs, but while he eats, he has one eye on the food and one eye on me:)

9-8-2009
Piffin Can Dance! He started last night when it was dinner time of shuffling his feet back and forth and prancing.
He is actually smiling while he is doing this! It is soooooo cute, but you have to be quiet when he
starts because if you start talking to him, he will stop. He is very cautious about things, but has his
moments when he will do something out of happiness, it is lovely to witness knowing that he is happy,
not sad like when he first came here. Today I am picking up two australian terrier puppies (3 months old)
from IA that came from a puppy mill that were turned over to rescue. We shall not have the two new additions
for very long time (I am assuming), they will be checked over by my vet first before I bring them home.
You have to be careful when you bring in dogs from a Mill and you have puppies on the ground. You can bring
in all kinds of diseases that you may not think the Mill puppies have and then your own puppies get sick.
Will post photos of them as soon as they arrive.

9-9-2009
So when I am feeding the dogs, (I now feed Piffin along with them), he does well until the very end when
everyone else is done and they head over to Piffins bowl to see if he has left anything for them. Piffin is
usually still eating and I tell the other dogs to stay away, they all listen except Mikki, she has selective
hearing. Problem is, as soon as you speak, Piffin stops eating and backs away. That is like telling my other dogs
"Hey, its a Free For All!"
Trying to work that one out, the more I talk, the more Piffin backs away. Have to work on that. The other problem
I am having is that when I do speak to Piffin, every other Aussie is there making sure they get their
fair amount of attention. Aussies like to jump so they are jumping, Paris is doing her moaning, (she is
very good at this) Mikki is harrassing Libby and Libby is trying to jump in my lap to get away from Mikki
Rufus on the other hand is guarding the door in case Bull comes along. That is his main mission in life
right now. During all this Piffin is by Ellie trying to hide knowing I am going to come over there and
pick him up. He tolerates this, but does not like it. He does however relax when I am working and he is
by my feet and I reach down to scratch him behind the ears. Of course, once again, every other dog is
there, going 'How about Me!!!!!!'.
Anyone that has more then one Aussie will know EXACTLY what I am talking about :):)

9-11-2009
This evening I was getting the dogs dinner ready. It is very noisy around here when I do as each knows
that dinner is coming and react differently. Ellie starts howling and baying at the sun while she drools, Rufus
just starts barking obnoxiously, Paris starts her moaning, Mikki does not say much, but her tail is going a
mile a minute and Libby just sits there. Bull is normally by me jumping straight up and down. This evening
I heard the strangest noise while getting dinner for the dogs, it sounded like a half bark, half howl and a
bit of moaning, but all in a slightly high pitched voice. So I stopped what I was doing and just watched a
bit from the kitchen window (all the dogs are outside staring through the patio door waiting for dinner).
Suddenly I saw Piffin raise his head slightly and he was the one howling/barking/moaning! Guess he
figured out his own way of letting everyone know he is excited about dinner time now!
This evening the dogs got a treat, my husband has gone up north hunting and took Bull & Ellie with him.
So ALL the dogs left (with the exception of Siren of course), got to sleep in bed. They were so excited,
except Piffin of course. He had no clue what was going on, I was breaking routine and he was
freaking out! All the other dogs were running up and down the stairs to my bedroom, Piffin was in a
panic, so I picked him up and took him upstairs with me. He kept hiding under the bed, so I left him alone
and all the other guys jumped on my bed. Piffin found Bulls bed on the ground and slept there.
He did good going down the stairs this morning, we will see how he does tonight.
It is good for him to experience new things, maybe tonight I can get him on the bed.
Tomorrow I am taking Piffin to the Dog Park..

9-13-2009
Have some photos of Piffin. They are adorable!
He is such a serious little guy, but on occasion, he lets his 'Happy Face' show through

9-13-2009
DOG PARK DAY!
So we went to the Dog Park, of course it was utter chaos for poor Piffin, I decided knowing how difficult he
is to catch ,to keep him on leash by me.
He did many many circles around me at first, not so much because of the dogs, but it was all the PEOPLE
that had him going!
I think he was thinking I had brought him to his death, he has never seen so many people. I of course, had
to keep him away knowing the stress would do him in and he may bite someone. Because he is
so cute everyone wanted to pet him and I had to tell them not to touch as I was sure he would bite.
So we went around the park and other dogs come up to him and he was submissive and the other dogs left him
alone. By the time we got done, he was comfortable being there with the other dogs were around, but
he would walk as far as the leash would let him when someone approached.
What was nice is that everyone was very very pleasant and cooperative once I explained his situation. I know
there could have been a fuss, but everyone understood and gave him the space he needed to maintain his
sanity. Needless to say, the photos above were before we went, he has not smiled since we got home :(

9-15-2009
Another break through for Piffin!
I always make it a point to speak to Piffin in a very soft and calm voice.
Normally, when I do speak to him, he puts his ears back and tail goes between the legs and he walks in the
opposite direction. Today, when I did it, he kept his ears up and kept his 'Happy Face' and wagged his tail
ever so slightly. Later in the evening, he came over on his own accord and sniffed my hand when I held it
out to him. I guess he has forgiven me for taking him to the Dog Park, which I am sure he thought was a
'People Park'. When feeding him in the morning, I noticed that he also was not as timid as he usually is,
and knew that he was going to get something good. (His treat in the morning is a little Pro-Plan dry, and a
scoop of Merricks Southern Comfort Canned food which has real chicken breasts in the can).
Piffin loves his Merricks food!
YEAH for Piffin!!

9-16-2009
I bought some new toys for the dogs. Aussies like to 'kill' the toys. First, they destuff the toy, then remove
the squeaker and after the toy has been properly destuffed and desqueaked, they play with what is left.
So today, I gave them the new toys knowing they would last about 2 days. Piffin was right in there
playing tug-a-war with one of the stretchable toys and did not let Mikki have the whole thing to herself.
Mikki can be quite the 'HOG' when it comes to toys.
It was quite fun to watch and I could see Piffin was really having fun with the 'squeaky' end of the
toys. Hopefully they will last for at least a day or two. But that is whey I buy 10-12 toys at a time :)
I do not give them to the dogs all at once, and some are saved for the puppies, so they learn to play
with toys too. Watching puppies tackle a toy 3x's bigger then them is hysterical, especially when they
do it and they have no teeth yet!

9-18-2009
So Piffin has decided that the purple lizard toy is his. He is clearly dominant with the other dogs about
that. It is good to see him exert himself a bit, not overly aggressive about it, just letting everyone know
that this is HIS. Everyone pays attention to this except the puppy - Baby. She just ignores his warnings
and keeps trying to take it away from him. This morning he let her have it, and although I was right
there and she let out a yelp, I did not interfere. She needs to learn rules too, and Piffin taught her one.
Since that happened, she has not tried to take it away from him. This is how puppies learn about what
to do and what not to do, the adults teach them the rules and manners.
So Piffin is attacking the toy, squeaking the heck out of it, and then trying to rip it apart. All this is
happening at my feet! So far, he has not done any damage to the toy, but I am sure with persistence
the lizard will finally keel over and die for him:)
To see him play is amazing, I am sure at the Puppy Mill he never had that chance or capability living in
a small cage.

9-19-2009
Ha-Ha, I managed to get photos of Piffin playing with Babee, the new puppy:) They are a bit fuzzy as
I was a long distance away. Had to keep out of sight so Piffin would play without worrying if anyone
was observing him.

9-22-2009
As you can see from the photo below, Piffin is relaxed when by my feet as I work.

But what I want to point out here is , yes, he has come a LONG way since I first got him at the
beginning of August. But, he still has a long long way to go.
In the above photo he is right under my feet and I can reach down and scratch his head and he remains
relaxed and happy, but if I try to do that when he is not surrounded by the other dogs, he looses his
confidence and either runs or walks away and then stops and crouchs down in a defensive position.
Piffin spent possibly 2-3 years in a small wire cage with no human contact other than some one probably
feeding him and possibly tossing him around on occasion. We are talking YEARS here of this happening!
I have had him for a little over a month. You can not undo that many years of abuse in a month or even
two, it will probably take YEARS for him to overcome his fear of people.
The way to combat it is to constantly show kindness, even when you want to get mad. Let them know
unconditional love no matter what they do until they realize that they have nothing to fear. Depending
on the severity of the abuse, the dog will either come around like Piffin is doing, or they will not.
Unfortunately, dogs that can not be rehabilitated are put down. It is sad, but it does happen.
So everyday we show Piffin love and kindness, I talk to him constantly in a soft voice and always tell
him what a good boy he is. Sometimes he reacts, other times he does not. I take it all in stride and
start again the next day. One day, maybe not tomorrow, maybe not next week or even next month,
he is going to come to the realization that life is not so bad and let his guard down.
Then the real work will begin.
THAT is the day I am waiting for, and it will come.

9-23-2009
I have been doing some research and I have found where Piffin comes from.
It gives me some clues as to what he had to endure and why he is so terrified of people
The attached links will tell you about it.

http://www.aspca.org/fight-animal-cruelty/aspca-in-action/cazenovia-wi.html

http://www.nowisconsinpuppymills.com/thyme-and-sage-overview.html

9-24-2009
The last couple nights while I am watching TV, I am noticing Piffin and Babee playing. It is very physical
and they have a lot of fun. Babee has something that she likes about Piffins tail, so she is always
going after that, he in turn goes after her feet. They get into quite a wrestling match.
I am also noticing that Piffin, where he used to sleep and stay by Ellie all the time while in the doggie
room with me, is now staying more with the Aussies (Ellie has a bed on the floor, Aussies lay on the
couch or on the floor by my feet).
Last night also while Piffin and Babee were playing, she would do a half jump on the couch and start
playing with my hand. Puppy teeth are small but sharp! But I tolerated it because when she did this,
so would Piffin! I was actually able to play with him and pet him at the same time and he enjoyed it!
How could I tell, because he had his Happy Face the entire time!
One thing about Piffin, if you look at photos through out this blog, he has his 'Serious' Face and his
'Happy" face. I am looking for that happy face more and more as it is so beautiful. Last night I
actually had a dream where he was playing with me on my lap and he was happy and relaxed.
I know now, that day will come!

9-27-2009
I groomed Piffins tail up today, it was getting pretty scruffy looking. He did well, and held his own.
He is a very handsome little guy.
Today I also had my husband walk with him when I was getting ready to take him for his walk. Piffin needs
to get used to having others handle him. Piffin at first was not cooperative and kept wanting to go
back by me, but once he got going, he settled down and the two of them did fine.
I also noticed that last night when playing with the dogs, like he has done a couple times already,
he is coming over when we start playing and is starting to play with me as well.
But it has to be on his terms, if you try and pick him up, he will shut down and stop interacting
I leave tomorrow for the PA shows. It is the last show for me for the year and it is also a HUGE terrier show.
On Sunday, there will be 1858 terriers entered at this show.
They say if you can not win your National, Eukanuba or Westminster, win Montgomery, it is for terrier
Breeders, in the top 4 of shows!
Last year Paris won Best of Breed at Montgomery.
No updates after Monday as I will be leaving Tuesday for the show and will be gone until the following
Tuesday.

10-5-2009
Well, we are home again.
From what my daughter and husband said, Piffin did ok. He was not a happy dog while I was gone, but
he behaved and my husband was actually able to pet him at times.
Last night while relaxing after my 14 hour drive home, Piffin came over by me and I scratched behind his ears
for a bit before he scooted away. I do not think he has quite forgiven me for leaving him, but he
seems to be content that he is back in his 'routine'.
He pounced on Babee for a while and took one of the bones I had brought back with me and started chewing
on it and defended himself against Paris when she tried to take it away from him.

10-7-2009
Piffin has decided that I am the least of two evils. The other evil is 6 week old puppies. They swarm him
like bees and he can not figure out what to do. He is not nipping at them, he just stands there dejected
while they jump all over him.
Of course the puppies are oblivious to it all, they are just happy having something close to their own
size to terrorize.
He LOVES Babee and the two play forever, but the puppies, he just
can not figure them out, so now he comes by me to save him. I pick him up and put him on the couch, where
he promptly goes to the other end and lies down.
He seems to have forgiven me for leaving him with my husband and daughter for a week. Today I was
able to pet him with BOTH hands on his face. Normally he will allow only one hand to touch him. He
just sits there and lets me scratch him all over. I think he enjoys it, but does not want to let on that
he does. He prefers the 'The Grouchy Ole Man' approach to life.
Working on getting that beautiful happy face back on him.
He is really a beautiful dog when happy, but a very serious/sad looking one when not.

10-9-2009
This morning when I fed the dogs their morning meal, I noticed that Piffin who usually retreats if you
come near him while he is eating, stood his ground when I walked passed him.
This is VERY VERY good. I have tried to make it a habit to walk by him while eating to work on this,
it seems to be finially paying off.
Having him confindent enough in himself and me while eating is important as it will lead to other
areas that he needs to work on.
I also noticed this evening, he approached me on his own to play with my hand while I was
watching TV. My dogs do what I call mouth wrestling with each other. They use just their mouths
to play while facing each other, normally lying down. Piffin is doing the same with my hand. He is very
gentle and is not biting, he is just 'wrestling' with my hand. Of course, once everyone else sees that
he is having fun with 'Mom', they are all right there as well so it gets quite chaotic on occasions, but
we are getting our time in together

10-10-2009
Today the Hertzler family came over to visit Sirens puppies (they are taking a boy) and they also
saw Piffin. I held him as each family member individually petted him. He tolerated it very well and
although not happy about strangers touching him, he did really really good. Again, another milestone for
Piffin as 2 months ago, he would not have allowed them to touch him.

10-11-2009
Today everyone was outside enjoying the fall day and I got this photo of Piffin with the puppies. As you
can see he none to happy about being swarmed by them, but he does nothing to the puppies and
allows them to jump on him until they get bored and move on to something else.

10-14-2009
Not much is going on with Piffin, family is fighting the flu, so dogs are being taken care of, but we are
all too sick to do much else. I have noticed that Mikki is a lot like Bull. Bull can tell if I am sick and
'Hovers' over me, constantly by me and will not leave my side. Most of the time I notice this behavior
in the boys, never the girls, until Mikki. When I got sick on Monday, she was right there by my side
and would not leave me. Husband had to drag her out of bed on Tuesday but as soon as she was done
going outside, she was right back by me. She is very attentive and very serious about wanting
to be by my side. So I have Bull on one side and Mikki on the other. The rest of the dogs could care
less. For those wondering, Bull is Mikki's sire so he must have passed something down to her in that
regard. Bull when I was Diabetic, could also detect when my blood sugars were low. Wonder if Mikki
can do that?

10-15-2009
Tonight we are sitting on the couch, dogs drapped all over me and Piffin gets up from where he was
lying by Ellie and does a half jump on me. So I am thinking, ok, I scratch him a bit and then pick him up
and put him on my lap. Normally if you do this, he stiffens up ever so slightly and has the body
posture of 'When can I get away from her'. Tonight he was somewhat relaxed and I must have
scratched him for about 10 minutes and he even let me do a belly rub, before he moved down the
couch. Interesting thing about that, is that he would normally go to the end of the couch. This time
he stopped about half way and then laid down. I rubbed his belly some more and he just closed his
eyes and fell asleep. Totally Amazing!

10-16-2009
Someone emailed me that has a Bully daughter and she commented that her aussie does the same
thing that Mikki does (10-14-09 post) when she is sick or having an asthma attack. Guess this must
be a 'Bully' thing. Will have to check this out further!

10-18-2009
We had a beautiful day today and I got some photos of Piffin with his bone and his ball. He is good at
keeping it away from the puppies and Babee, but not when it comes to the other Aussies.
They can just go in and take it away. But the point is that he is interacting with not only the dogs
and me, but taking toys and bones to play with while I am outside with him.

10-20-2009
Last night my husband came into the doggie room to sit and eat his apple pie and watch T.V. with me
for a while. Of course he had food with him, so every dog was on top of him like glue. After he got done
eating, and all the dogs were around him, I noticed Piffin had also come over to see what was happening
My husband reached out to pet him and it almost looked like Piffin was going to allow it, then at the very
last minute, Piffin changed his mind and and went over by Ellie to lie down. Soooooooo close.... but the little guy
decided this was not going to be the day. I know my husband was disappointed.
I heard from a friend of mine that has two dogs from me, both Bully offspring, she said BOTH of them stay by her or
her daughter when they are sick, this MUST be something genetic, I now have 4 offspring of Bull that will stay
by their owners when they are in need. I wonder if they can detect Hypoglycemic Blood Sugars like Bull can?
THAT would be interesting.........

10-21-2009
Piffin was outside with the other dogs and I was sitting in the chair with them playing with Babee. Piffin came
up and started his 'hand playing' with me. He allows me to scratch him and grab his muzzle in play, he then
starts weaving in and out with his head as he plays with my hand. He is very good at it and very agile.
He always has that 'Happy Face' on when he is doing this with me. It is amazing how much lately he is
interacting with me and now is actually looking to play with me. Still has reservations with the rest of the family
but they do not spend as much time with him as I do. He is really coming along and soon he will be ready
to go to his 'Forever Home'. That will be a sad day for me as I will miss him terribly.

10-24-2009
Piffin has decided that he really really does not like Puppies! He is now coming over by me when in the
room with them looking to be picked up and put on the couch besides me. Now that he is doing this, I am
noticing that insetead of running to the other end of the couch, he is getting closer and closer and
staying there, almost beside me. Jim was in the room with me the other day watching a movie and
Piffin came up to him and sniffed his hand. Piffin was not as comfortable on the couch with Jim there
as well, so he had to put up with the puppies while he tried to make up his mind who was worse, the
puppies or my husband. He finially decided that the puppies were more of a pain and let me put him
on the couch where he stayed my me.
He is getting better every day and is doing more in my presence then every before. He is now playing
outside with the other dogs, he no longer cares if I am there or not.
All of this is GREAT progress

10-26-2009
Piffin had an eye infection, I am not sure if he maybe got something in his eye or what, but he had a lot of
discharge and goop coming from it and it was caking around his eye. I was not sure if and how he was going
to react to me cleaning his eye, so I put him on the grooming table and took a warm wash cloth and wiped his
eye clean and put some eye ointment in and around his eye. He just stood there and let me take care of
him, no fuss, no problems. He was wonderful and it was like he understood that I was tryng to help him,
not hurt him.
This evening he spent the entire night (while I kept checking on Libby who was trying to dig to China
in the whelping box) on the couch next to me.
This is all wonderful progess, but it also means that it will soon be time for him to move on to his
"Forever Home', he is almost where he needs to be placed.

11-1-2009
The decision has been made that Piffin is ready for his 'Forever' home. He is as far as I can take him. He
still needs more one and one training and will, in the long run, make someone a great pet, but with all my
dogs, I have done as much as I can for him. He has overcome quite a bit with me, now he needs to go to that
special person that will continue to work with him.
Rescue will be notified and we will start looking for a home for him.

11-8-2009
Piffin was playing with Mac & Sini today. It was very funny as he would dart in and grab their foot and
when they tried to turn on him, he would flip them over by the foot. Harmless and the puppies seemed
to like the rough play. Piffin is very gentle in his play, he darts in and out with me when playing with my
hand. He never bites it and just head butts my hand for the most part while playing. He is very gentle with
the puppies as well, I think this is why they like to play with him. Babee can be a bit rough with them
Still looking for his next home.......

11-17-2009
We may have a home for Piffin!
A wonderful family that has in past had rescue dogs, are interested in Piffin!
Will keep everyone posted to see if this all works out.
Piffin deserves the very best and will get no less than that.
He has now become Paris's new 'Buddy' as she is in season. He has already started to sing to her, but
so far no 3am Serenades! :)
Piffin is trying quite hard to impress Paris, she is not paying much attention to him. I noticed that
he is very persistant and just stands in front of her sings, goes around her in a circle, sings some more
to her, Paris the entire time, is sleeping. So much for Romance! :):)

11-18-2009
The singing at 3am has begun!
Paris, being in season has prompted Rufus & Piffin to start howling and singing to her starting at
about 3am.
Piffin actually has a very pleasant voice when he is singing to the girls, Rufus has a deeper voice
with more cracks in it when he is carrying on.
Makes for a grouchy Mom the next day, but such is the life of a Breeder!
My kids and husband just sleep right through it, but it keeps me up as Bull who is in
our bedroom, starts pacing knowing that there is a girl to be had somewhere, he just does not
know 'exactly' where she may be.

11-22-2009
Lately when Piffin wants to come up on the couch, he kinda jumps on it by me 'smiling', then when
I go down to pick him up, he gets down and turns around and looks at me, waiting to be picked up
and put on the couch. When he gets on the couch, he stays right next to me and I scratch him
all over his head, which he loves. Even when I am done, he no longer moves away, but stays right
next to me and falls asleep. He still does not like to stay in my lap, but I think over time he will
get there as he is now next to me, 2 months ago I could not even say that. I also noticed that he
has become a little Porker. Has put on a bit a weight, too much for his size. Will have to get him slimmed
down a bit:)

11-29-2009
When Piffin is on the couch, he now settles down next to me to get loved on and sleep. I was
watching TV and I looked down and he had taken the corner of my sweatshirt and was gentley
chewing on it. He stopped the minute I looked at him, but started up again as soon as I stopped
watching him. Guess he must think my shirt needs 'tenderizing'. He gets all excited now when I
call his name to have him come over so he can be put on the couch. He still does the same
routine, he turns around and waits for me to pick him up, but he comes over now when called
all happy and smiling. he is so cute when he smiles. He still has his 'serious' face, but I see it
less and less now a days.

12-3-2009
It started snowing a bit today, not much, but those really BIG flakes that stick around for about
1 second before they melt. I glanced outside as I had just let the dogs out and there was Piffin
pouncing on something on the deck. I moved closer to see what he was doing. Everytime a
snowflake landed, he pounced on it like a cat and then tried to eat it!
It was so funny and cute. You would think he should be used to snow as he was kenneled in
Wisconsin prior to being rescued, but he was in a cage the entire time, so he had no chance
to 'play' in the snow. Now he does and he is making up for lost time. Of course he tired of it
after a while, to many snowflakes for him to keep up with!

12-4-2009
Well, the novelty of snow has worn off for Piffin. We now have about an inch outside and it is
cold!
Piffin just does his business and is by the door ready to come in.
The Aussies are running around in it like lunitics thinking snow makes for a good snack, but
Piffin has had enough.

12-9-2009
Piffin knows how to 'hand wrestle' and is really good at it!
You are using your hand and you try and grab their muzzle. If you win, you get their muzzle.
If they win, they get your hand with their teeth.
When you are playing this game (I do it all the time with my dogs), they NEVER bite
your hand, they just gentley grab it and let go. It is like an 'unspoken' rule that they win if they get
my hand, before I can grab their muzzle. Piffin has watched the other dogs play this game with me,
and this evening when I tried with him he started playing!
To my amazement, he is better at it then the Aussies!
I had to cover my hand because he was beating me everytime and he was a bit more
aggressive in his wins then the other dogs:)
Way to go Piffin!!!

12-12-2009
Had some friends over on Saturday for dinner and to play with the puppies.
They were introduced to Piffin.
He was cautious, but held his own and allowed them to pet him. He had his 'serious' face on the
entire time, but did good.
He also came to me when I called him when I was sitting next to Ashley, their 8 year old daughter.
He sniffed her pants legs and came by me.
This is something new for him. Normally if someone is in his path to me, he will not come by me but
will wait until I move to an area that there are no people.
Piffin did good and tolerated everyone very very well.

12-19-2009
Piffin did something unexpected today.
My son came into the 'Doggie Room' to have me look at something. now, my son is big, TALL big.
Anyway, Piffin starts barking at him, a 'Stay Away' type barking. Then.... as my son came closer,
he started darting in trying to nip at Bryans feet! Of course, Bryan is like' Mom, this dog
is trying to bite me!", I looked down, and sure enough, there was Piffin darting in and out trying
to get Bryans attention AWAY from me by going after his size 14 foot! He was protecting me!
How amazing is that! Especially considering that the rest of the dogs were just barking in greeting,
just like they would with anyone that came by them.

12-21-2009
Merry Christmas from Piffin and the Gang! (Yes, that is Piffin in the middle)

12-26-2009

12-28-2009
Piffin has gone to his new home with a wonderful family that drove from Florida to Wisconsin to pick him up.
He was nervous, but did well and after crying for a bit as I miss him already, I am now getting ready
for the new rescue that will be coming in on Wednesday. With rescue, there is always a dog in need.
Piffin will enjoy his new life in Florida and will continue to grow and trust in people. He is done with this
chapter in his life and now will go on to his new and final chapter, his forever home..........

I miss you little one, Have a Wonderful Life

1-11-2010
Heard from Piffins New Home! Here is what Bobbi had to say:
Hope you and your family are doing well! It's hard to believe Piffin has been with us almost 2 weeks now.
He's doing great! Alan and I have had "Missy" (Dad's dog) most of the week and the three of them
have been getting along. It's funny to watch Piffin whenever he "thinks" he's ready to play with them.
He'll put his tail up and have a little running spurt with Sydney and Missy. It's really fun to watch.
Piffin doesn't play for long but his "spurts" of play have been getting somewhat longer with them.
Alan and I have noticed that he likes to play whenever we're not paying a whole lot of attention to him.
It seems the minute we start to watch, Piffin will back away from the other dogs.
Piffin even barked for the first time the other night. YEAH!!!!
-Bobbi

3-02-2010
Thanks for your e-mail! I've been meaning to send you an update on Piffin for a while now. He's doing GREAT!
Alan and I are having so much fun with him. He's getting along with Sydney and Missy as well.
I sent you some pictures a few weeks ago of the three of them playing in the Florida sunshine.
He's become very playful with us. He's even rolling onto his back and letting us pet him for a long time on his tummy.
He does well when I bath him too. I really need to give him a trim.
Did he do alright with you whenever you trimmed his hair? I don't want to take him to a groomer for fear it might traumatize him. I'll continue to send updates. Loved reading about your travels these past few weeks and your new additions to your household.
-Bobbi

5-4-2010
Piffin is doing great. He seems so happy and content. He loves to play with Missy and Sydney and is often
the instigator of their little "romps". We really want to take him down to the beach. He's not too fond of
walking on the leash in the neighborhood though. I gave him a trim over the weekend because it has become
so hot down here.
He looks like a puppy. We are really enjoying him.
- Bobbi