Thursday, March 7, 2013

Balton the Brave

Over the course of the last several months, Balton has earned himself a series of nicknames that marry themselves to appropriate situations, or randomly materialize depending on my mood. These nicknames range (coincidentally, many with an alliterative B sound) range from Beebop, to Bubba, to Butthead. But in the last 6 weeks, our dear foster has earned himself a very special nickname, which, like a knight of the court, has been dubbed through great nobility and accomplishments: Balton the Brave.


Balton the Brave is what I can best identify as Balton's superhero alter ego. He shows up every time time Balton has a big moment, where he absolutely makes me well up with pride for facing the things that scare him and acting with poise and strength. Balton the Brave first arrived on the scene after we had been doing a good deal of practice in seeing new people on leash, not reacting, and getting lots of yummies. We then took our practice to a new level by walking several blocks in the busy streets of Georgetown, DC. Balton was a rock star, and handled himself very well among the commotion. 

Today, Balton the Brave once again emerged from his superdog phone booth crate. Since I switched from working at home to an office job, we've had to help Balton get accustomed to the idea of a mid-day dog walker. As you might imagine, this has been a rather tall building to take on in a single leap. Going from a consistent 5 months of having your foster mama home with you for walks and potty breaks, to having a strange new person come to take you out in the middle of the day, isn't easy. So we found ways to make the stressful event less of an event, and get together for social, fun, after work walks. 

Thanks to a very patient and persistent dog walker, and bringing a little outside help from his dog, Lucky Dog Alum Hank, Balton the Brave triumphantly dared to go where no dog...okay, well, where plenty of other dogs have gone before. 



I know that to some, a mid-day walk with the dog walker may not seem like a huge deal, but for Balton, it's another sign of baby steps leading to big strides, and I couldn't be more proud.

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Snow Day (and where the heck have we been)

I've come to realize that it's been an extraordinarily long time since we've checked in here, and time to start writing a lot more regularly. We've definitely been learning and growing lots in the 6 months since Balton has come to our lives and hearts. He's the longest standing foster by a mile here at our house, and he's still looking for a home. He's still learning about the good things in life, and we're still learning how to help him along in his training, and how to show the rest of the world the amazingly sweet, loving, and loyal dog we get to see when he is unafraid and able to trust. And I am happy to say that while no changes happen immediately, we have learned to find joy in all of Balton's successes, great and small.

Today, Balton found some joy of his own in his first real snowfall. I've never seen someone love the cold, white, and wet quite as much as this guy. So, if you're looking for someone to take on the arctic tundra with you...he's your guy. 



It's not always easy, but Balton has been learning in this last half a year he's been with us, to trust in us enough that he can trust the people in the world around him. 30 minutes at a Petsmart parking lot, an hour at an adoption event, and since my job has changed so I am no longer working from home, making the acquaintance of the dog walker. 

Our journey, and our search for the forever home that can celebrate all the same successes that we have with a lifetime of love, continues. So keep checking back for more updates on our friend Beebop, and share his bio RIGHT HERE and all his fun updates from Social Media land RIGHT HERE.

Thanks to everyone who, though not in this space, has continued following Balton's progress and rooting for him and every baby step and big stride he takes. Our Lucky Dog family has been an incredible support, and we wouldn't be where we are today without you. 

With love and puppy kisses, and deeper thoughts to come, our search for happy ever after happily continues.

-Lynn and Balton