Darcy

Darcy ’ s Story

Oct. 20, 2007

Lesley writes: Foster girl has arrived. I decided she needed a boost of confidence just now so I took the girlie portion of the name of one of the smallest Maple Leafs, Darcy Tucker. I quite like the name Tucker too, but Darcy is prettier. And this relatively little hockey player is long on confidence in the midst of a bunch of giants.

Oct. 21, 2007

Lesley writes: Well, in reading all of the posts about the girls progress so far, Darcy's behaviour seems to mirror the rest.

She is very frightened, but is making improvements every minute. Not much interested in water or food as yet. No to kibble, so I topped it with Beef Stew. She licked up the stew and spit out the kibble. I made some plain white rice and boiled chicken for her. She ate the chicken leaving most of the rice. :)

She is incredibly quiet. Not a peep. The crate is definitely a safe/secure spot for her. The little boys here have tried desperately to get her to play. She's not going for it yet, but I suspect we're close. She's quite interested in what the resident dogs are getting up to, but scurries into her crate if I make a move in her direction. She is curious though and will approach me when my back is to her. I was going to put off giving her a bath, but decided she might feel better afterward. Plus, I could have a look for scrapes, scratches, bugs &/or whatnot. I put her in the walk-in shower where she lie down and practically curled herself up into a ball. We got it done. She looks to be in really nice shape. Droopy boobies. Very minor worn and pinkish spots on her hocks, the part that bends backward on the back legs, above the paws & below the knees. I think she does feel better.

Darcy has been enjoying going in and out the back door between exploring the backyard and lounging in her crate. I won't bother her today with going for a walk since she's got enough going on and is doing quite well without tackling the leash. I'm basically just keeping watch on her and leaving her be as she gets used to her surroundings. I tried taking pictures of her outside, but she bustles around too quickly for that.
 

Oct. 21, 2007 (later)

Lesley writes: Darcy is very quiet and very frightened. I got her to pee finally last night, but once outside (I carried her) she kept wanting to hide in the flower bed. My dogs are being really great and actually helpful as she is more apt to follow them than me right now. She has mostly stayed in the crate with the door open. She will begin creeping out, however, soon as I look or walk by she backs right back up into the crate. Not interested in eating yet. I put some Beef Stew on top of the food Jen sent and she ate the stew, spitting out the kibble. I'm making her some rice and boiled chicken.

Oct. 21, 2007 (later still)

Darcy ate tonight! ½ cup of kibble (a la Jen) mixed with quite a bit of Beef Stew. Apparently more stew is key. "Come on, foster mummy. What's wrong with you?" Darcy had a great time in the backyard most of the day, however she discovered she could crawl under the deck. She would not come out. I thought she might work it out on her own, but ended up crawling in after her. Well, this is not going to develop into habit. For the time being Darcy will be on leash in the backyard.

Oct. 22, 2007

Lesley writes: I blocked off access for Darcy to get under the deck. Our Ellie was only slightly offended with this due to she has a special 'Ellie Only' pooping area behind the deck. Ah well, we're all helping right? Darcy has been doing all of her business outside. Hooray. This morning she went right out to poop & pee. She has just discovered the TV, wowie! And Colby has spent about 15 minutes showing her all of his toys. "I have this. This is also mine. All of these things belong to me." He continues to do his best to have a game with her. Not yet, Peanut! Darcy wasn't especially interested in eating this morning. that is with the exception of the Beef Stew. She continues to bolt from Theo and I, but it seems as though she's trying. That is to say she's curious, but frightened. Bot scared of the other dogs though. I'm proud of my crew for behaving so well. Wee Reggie stayed outside with Darcy until she had a pee before bed. Another day of adventure for Darcy.

Oct, 23, 2007

Lesley writes: Like Lilly, Darcy went for a walk today too. I put a harness and a short lead on her so she could not escape me. Ellie was along to act the dog leader. Once we got started, it wasn't so bad. I was nearly clocked a few times because she tried to dart into any shrubbery along the way and if there were a pole or tree she always went the opposite of me. A brisk pace, a beautiful day and some great exercise. Darcy looks very pretty in her pink harness. She ate an entire meal tonight so I was able to start with the supplement Jen gave us. I caught her taking a toy out of the toy box and outside to toss up into the air and chase after. As soon as she realized she had an audience she stopped immediately. Though Darcy bolts when Theo or I go toward her (or sometimes even look at her) I believe she has figured out that I am the chuckwagon because when I took the trash to the curb this evening, Theo said she was looking for me.

Oct. 23, 2007 (later)

Lesley writes: No sooner did I post about her last night when she decided she would take part and join the rest of us. She was all over the house. Up & down the stairs. She has attached herself to me and follows me everywhere. Still if I look at her or move toward her, she scampers away. Darcy slept on a doggie bed in the room with the family all night.

Oct. 25, 2007

Linda writes: Darcy is in trouble. Need prayers for Darcy. Last night we attempted to transfer Darcy from Lesley's home to a foster-to-adopt home with a previous adopter. During the transfer from the car the buckle on Darcy's harness broke and she escaped into the night. Her new dad has been up all night looking for her and Lesley headed down there with one of her dogs but we have not been able to find Darcy or entice her to come out if she's hiding. The local humane society has been alerted as have cab companies who service the area in the hopes someone will spot her but the problem is she is terribly frightened and is unlikely to come out for anyone. If we don't find her by the weekend it may be well worth organizing a search party with some of the other mill dogs in case she comes out for them.

After 10 days on the run, Darcy was finally and thankfully recaptured on Nov. 3. Read more about Darcy’s return to Boxer Rescue here "Darcy's Rescue"

Nov. 3, 2007

Lesley writes: This didn't take long (see picture). Darcy is back in the care of BRO just in time for pizza night at Harvey Manor. More tomorrow. BIG thanks to everyone...I can't believe it.

Nov. 3, 2007

Lesley writes: This didn't take long (see picture). Darcy is back in the care of BRO just in time for pizza night at Harvey Manor. More tomorrow. BIG thanks to everyone...I can't believe it.

Nov. 4, 2007

Lesley writes: No trouble eating! Certainly makes me want to feed her more, but no need to make her sick, right? I have fed her two small meals now made up of browned ground beef, plain white rice and a little bit of the kid's kibble. She's had two peeing accidents in the house which really were not her fault. I want the leash on her to go outside and probably she couldn't wait. I just watched & waited while she had a nice two minute pee on the carpet by the back door last night. And she left another pretty nice piddle inside this a.m. as I was getting the leash then, a solid poo outside. She seems to prefer the retractable leash since it doesn't drag and she's not tripping on it or anything. She is so much less timid. She follows me everywhere. Reggie seems to have taken on the job of caretaking. He came outside last night to help me get Darcy to have a pee before bed...she just wanted to go back inside which certainly is not a bad thing! She took one of my slippers into the living room this morning and then worked on a nylabone for a while.

Nov. 5, 2007

Lesley writes: Busy Bee (Darcy) gets busy. She likes shoes. I keep finding pairs of shoes or slippers split up and left in strange places. She spent some time this a.m. working on a nylabone. I've seen her nub wiggle. At first I thought it was only for the other dogs, but she did it for me too. No trouble eating. Solid poo. She lines up with the other "kids" waiting for Theo to dole out the treats. Little Darcy the busy bee is significantly less timid than before. She still enjoys the crate, but is much braver. She follows me everywhere. Comes right up to both Theo & I. Is already learning her name and has no trouble letting us look at her. She had a bath. She smelled so badly. Aside from being very, very skinny, Darcy has a couple of scratches, but is otherwise in seemingly good condition.

Nov. 9, 2007

Lesley writes: It has been nearly one week since little Darcy returned to Harvey Manor and I am happy to report that she is doing very well. While she has indeed attached herself to me, she really does take her cues from the other dogs. Every day we see that nub going more & more often. She likes our frenchie Reggie quite a bit and I have caught her licking his head on several occasions. In turn, he has taken it upon himself to look after her. He shows her what needs to be done in the backyard as far as “hitting the grass” goes and waits for her to do the same before heading back in the house. It is Reggie & Darcy who get snuggled for sleeping time, Reggie on the big dog bed and Darcy on the wee dog bed, their two heads stacked on top of each other. (Perhaps they have some invisible bond as Reggie spent his first six years in a puppy mill?) That being said, Colby has convinced her to play a little bit and our Ellie chills with Darcy in the crate and just sets a good example in general.

Darcy was to the bet today. I took Ellie along to help show her the way. Darcy is so frightened of people and everything really, but will follow the lead of another dog. Should she decide to put the breaks on, if I can get Ellie to take the lead Darcy will follow. A good plan I thought because there is no need for Darcy to come to expect to be carried everywhere when she is perfectly able bodied. My plan worked beautifully excepting I always forget that our Ellie continues to be leery of smooth surfaces, so once inside the clinic I had two dogs tippy-toeing along the tile floor. Only slightly embarrassing!

Darcy weighs 40.8 lbs. She now has a micro-chip. She's been vaccinated and is scheduled to be spayed in two weeks time. A lady in the waiting area recognized Darcy from the website! She is a boxer owner and apparently visits the BRO homepage. She was very nice and was happy to read and see that this pretty girl had been found and returned to safety. All of the office staff ohh'ed and ahhh'ed and commented on how she behaved just like her sister as Jen had had Tansy in a few days earlier.

Everyone (myself included) will be glad to know that Darcy wants to go right back into the house after having been on a walk or just out in the backyard to take care of business. As well, today she hopped into the car from the sidewalk with enthusiasm after her vet visit. Like I have done all week, I will continue to take her for her walks with a martingale collar (thanks, Chance!) and her regular collar (including ID tag) using two leashes. Also, I received a harness to borrow from Barb today for added security. Even though she is still skittish out walking, she really does check in with me and sticks close by my side or just behind me. The backyard is a regular fortress and no one goes out unaccompanied.

Like the rest of the crew, this one has already acquired a few nicknames: little Darcy Beatrix Busy-Bee. She eats like a trooper. She isn't particularly interested in the “Colby mix” biscuits I bake for our crew, so I have gotten her her own smelly & moist treats to enjoy. I tried her in Ellie's jacket earlier this week, she swims in it. As it turns out my local pet store has doggie coats on sale, so Darcy got a new jacket. I'm sure it will fit her only temporarily as I hope to fatten the skinny minnie back up before long.

Each day is an improvement. We are enjoying watching Darcy come out of her shell and helping her along the way.

Dec. 16, 2007

Lesley writes: Since we're cozy inside watching the snow fly, I thought I would write a few words about little Darcy. she is doing very well.

Darcy continues to be frightened of people. while she does indeed scuttle away from eveyone (excepting foster mummy for the most part,) she will sit at a safe distance and watch. Theo is disappointed that she is still running from him, but I told him to be patient as I'm sure it will only be a matter of time.

she's great with the other dogs and has started to play a little bit. puts a big playful paw on the back of another then zips and bounces around. the last several days she has decided that toys are loads of fun. she's been in the toybox all by herself.

chow-time is a thrilling event for Darcy. she goes bonkers with the rest as I'm getting it prepared. she loves to eat. hooray. she has gained 3 pounds since returning to Harvey Manor. I would like her to gain a bit more, so we'll just keep doing what we're doing for the time being as far as feeding goes. the last time she was on the scale she weighed in at 43 lbs.
she's had her spay and re-check exam. no problems. I have to drop off another poo sample to ensure she's rid of the worms she came with. :)

we're finally looking good in the potty-training department. I do take her out a lot. we did really well straight away then struggled for about a week and a half and now we've plateaued. no accidents in some time. )ah, relief for Lesley.)

she loves to go for walks. she's pretty good on the leash(s.) haha! I make an effort to take her by people as much as I can and also by all of the home construction and loud yard care equipment which seems to be going on every day in our neighbourhood. as soon as her harness comes out of the closet, she comes right over to be put in it.

likely I'm forgetting to report something here, but I'll post an update again before long. plus, you can expect more pictures.
Darcy, the little busy bee, is a good girl and we're enjoying watching a playful & pretty boxer slowly being revealed.
stay warm. stay safe in the incredible weather situation. & stay tuned,

Lesley & Darcy and the entire canine crew @Harvey Manor.

Jan. 13, 2008

Little MS. Darcy proves herself to be quite the rascal as time passes. if she were a cat she would literally launch herself from wall to wall. At some point each day she empties the toybox and spreads toys throughout the house. she is out of control with excitement when it's chowtime...spinning, running up & down the stairs, all the while making grunting/snorkling noises. she loves the other dogs and adores foster mummy, smothering and slathering us with kisses. Darcy is quite good at playing fetch in the house with whatever toy of choice (usually one of Colby's favourites.) the one snag we encountered was about a two week period where she barked and growled at Theo. it seems to have begun after she was startled by Theo's morning stretch...she came round the corner just as he was throwing his arms into the air. though she does not yet climb up onto Theo like she does with the rest of the household, she no longer voices her fear (hooray.) she accepts kisses from Theo, comes to him for treats, spends time watching him and will happily go about her business with him around, but we're still waiting for her to completely warm up to her foster dad.

Darcy loves to go for her walkies. I've mostly been taking her with Colby because they both like to run as much as I can handle keeping up with them. she will occasionally approach people, but will more often take a wide berth around. she does go right up to other dogs.

in the area of potty training, we're all good (fingers crossed.) I have hung little bells on the back door and am working on teaching her to ring when she needs out. so far what goes on is that I ring the bells and she comes running to the back door. it's a start, right? she does go to the door when she needs out, but doesn't make a peep. (should the bells take off for my crew then all the better!)

there is no mistaking that as far as Darcy's fear issues are concerned, she will continue to be a work in progress. I am very happy to report that she has taken great strides in this regard. her new family will have to be patient and diligent as she makes the transition which is bound to be at least somewhat difficult for the busy bee. that being said, Darcy will make a wonderful boxer addition to just the right family. let's not forget pretty too. she will need a backyard fortress. a high fence for sure. for a little girl, Darcy can really leap and she's a wily one.

I've attached a few pictures here. she's too quick to catch in action, but here's proof that she's gotten involved in Harvey's boxes too.
:)

That's all for now,

Lesley & Darcy and the rest @Harvey Manor