Big Announcement

Josh's foster mom Patricia finally gave in to the sweet face of her foster boy Josh and declared him "adopted". We love foster flunks!!Josh celebrated in his own special way...
Look mommy---I might be blind, but I can behave like any other dog---and make a mess...

I AM adopted--- right? You won't change your mind---right?

Sweet Josh!

He is a happy boy and likes to lay in front of the front screen door in the breeze or in front of the tv in the sunbeam.

Up For Cheese...

Josh is learning a new trick. It is called Up for Cheese and it is a lot of fun for both of us. The last two mornings he has stepped on birds while we are out for our morning walk. Possibly in his youth he was a great hunter. He just gets the funniest look on his face, freezes with his tail up and actually faces the direction that the bird flew.

Josh keeps his nose trained...

I think I'm very smart for a blind little fella. Now that my nose has extra sensory perception from all the "Find the cookie" training, I'm ready to sniff out new exciting stuff, i.e. things that are hidden in boxes!

Josh & the Yard

Josh loves the yard---especially the shady part of it!

JOSH AND HIS STASH...

Josh just plays with anything, including the empty dog food box. He is especially fond of my shoes and takes them in his crate with him. Over the weekend he put 3 of my shoes and a queen size blanket in his crate. He is stashing some supplies for when he goes to his forever home. Silly boy!

FiND THE FILET...

Okay, my foster brother Jesse and I have created a new game. My foster mom thinks it's funny to play "Find the Cookie" with a blind dog...so we came up with..."Find the Filet"! We patiently waited for her to get distracted and in a split second, we snatched the bacon wrapped filets from the counter. She came back just as we were sitting down for our feast! Bummer! After a taste of the bacon and filet, cookies are BORING!

A PUPPY AT HEART...

Josh is a big puppy!! He goes into the living room, knocks the newspaper on the floor and then shreds off a couple of small pieces for me. He was spotted last night in the kitchen counter surfing for turkey. And when I put him to bed last night, he has one of my tennis shoes in the crate with him now. I guess this means that he likes me...
He has had no house accidents in the past two weeks since he started going to the door. When I'm fixing his dinner has a wonderful "WOO WOO WOO" that he does to let me know that he is ready for supper.

JOSH B'GOSH

Josh Josh b'Gosh likes to play ball!! I have to pick him up some with noise makers inside and I think he will be better at it, but he chases the ball and play bows to whoever has it after him. Josh and Jake are playing together exceptionally well It is just adorable. Last night was "everybody run all over the house cuz it's cold out there and mom's tired night". I think they were more tired than when we play outside. Josh will retreat to his crate for a rest! ~ Foster Mom

Don't worry about the shiny spots in my eyes! The camera flash doesn't bother me at all because I'm blind. Don't feel silly...everyone tends to forget that I am blind! ~Josh

ONE HAPPY BOY

Who needs to see a beautiful place to enjoy it? Not me! I'm having a blast!

I think I'll check my Foster Mom's eyesight! I plan to keep rolling in the grass to add a few grass stains to my coat. Let's see if she can spot the green spots! Maybe she'll think I'm coming down with something that can only be cured by eating lots of cookies? What a great plan!

FIND THE COOKIE!

Okay, everyone is really excited that I can play the game "Find the Cookie"! Honestly, I don't understand what the fuss is all about. Sure I'm blind but last time I checked...my nose worked just fine! Silly humans! Don't tell my foster mom that I've caught on to her game. I don't want to hurt her feelings and I certainly don't want to miss out on any cookies!

FIND THE COOKIES!

Josh now goes to the front door to go out!! He helped me bake cookies Sunday night and was very dissapointed that he could not have any (too much sugar). But, we invented a game of "find the cookie" this weekend. I place cookies all over the house on the tables, window ledges etc. and Josh goes and finds them all. He starts prancing when he gets near the front steps and looks like one of those British soldiers walking with stiff legs.

AMAZING JOSH!

Josh loves to roll in the grass!!! He also likes to dig small holes and pounce on them. He is able to negotiate the stairs, front door and to the kitchen for water and food now with no problems. He also goes to his crate without assistance and seems to like to be in there because he feels safe. I leave the gate open until bed time and he can go in and out as he pleases. He does still think that cookies before bedtime are requied.

WHO"S THE BLIND ONE?

I just love it here at the Pointer Palace! My foster mom is the most amazing person! She is fostering Jake, Juliet, Josie and her puppies and myself! She must REALLY love Pointers!

I think we need to line up a few furever homes! She could use a vacation. Yesterday morning, I was waiting for my medicine and I heard someone laughing! My foster mom had my medicine in one hand and hers in the other hand! She got them mixed up and she took mine! I'm sure her coat will be beautiful and her cough will be gone in no time! AND I'M THE BLIND ONE?

JOSH AND THE CORNER!

Josh put himself in a self imposed time-out last night. I was pretty confused. We had been out for a walk and played in the yard and had been out about an hour. When we came in the house he got just inside the door and sat in the corner. He wouldn't budge and sat there about 30 minutes. I sat on the couch for a bit and he just sat there staring at the corner. I put the leash on him and we went back out. He did some more business and when we came in he went back to the corner. Now I realize that he probably doesn't know that he is sitting facing the corner, but it looks pityful. After one more trip outside and another walk, he went in the kitchen for his drink and dinner and then straight to his crate. What a goof!! Maybe this is
his way of letting you know that he isn't finished outside yet.

THE SOURCE OF THE SMELL...

Josh has almost completely stopped sneezing and got a brand new IBR collar this morning. I practically had to cut his old collar off of him and I finally found that smell - it's not his breath, it was that collar. He must have been wearing it for a very long time. Poor boy! We took a walk down the drive last night with Katie and Jesse. Josh had to show off his new collar to the birds and squirrels!

THE SECRET WAY TO GET EXTRA COOKIES...GUILT!

Josh is still being just a happy boy. Last night when he went to bed, I forgot to put the cookie in the crate before he went in and he sniffed the blanket and gave me the most puzzled look. I apologized and gave him two cookies to make up for it. I started him on Clavamox last night because he coughs just a little, but he is really doing the reverse sneezing a lot when we're outside. I thought it was just the wind over the weekend, but Freda thought he might have an upper resp. infection when she transported him.

"Who me - handicapped?"

You would not know that Josh is blind if you weren't told. He is one happy boy. We took a walk to the mail box and back yesterday morning (about 1/4 mile one way) and when he got to the end of the leash he would jump straight up in the air and then go around in circles. I quickly learned that if you go around in circles with him you get dizzy. He gets along well with my dogs and my friends little 10 lb pointer wanna-be dog. He is negotiating the stairs on the front porch just great and follows the other dogs around in the yard. He would do very well with a fenced yard and other dogs including small ones to be his eyes for him. What a sweetheart.

WAITING TO HEAR FROM YOU

I am a pretty handsome man, aren't I? I had a feeling because I hear everyone talking about me! The latest word on the shelter grapevine is that I will be on my way to my new foster home! I can't wait! I'll be it smells great and has interesting sounds! I can't wait until I hear the news that I am going to go to a furever home! I'll be patient and wait for the right family. But...deep down, we all know that you and I were meant to be together!

JOSH'S REPORT CARD FROM THE SHELTER

I have Josh at my shelter. I have only had him since Monday. He was picked up as a stray. He has gained about 2-3 pounds already. He wasn’t much underweight to begin with. He actually looked in good shape. He has already been neutered. His eyes are clear but he is definitely blind. He wants out of the kennel in a bad way. He hates it.
He listens pretty well and does okay finding his way around. He appears to be an older boy probably 10 or so. He looks overall healthy. He is eating well.
Ashley

JUST WANDERING AROUND

Hello! My name is Josh White! I am on older Pointer boy that managed to wander into the yard of a very nice family!
Even though I am blind, I was able to find my way to safety! I was taken to the shelter but my family never came to claim me! Don't worry! The people at Illinois Birddog Rescue have made sure that I am completely safe and are bringing me into foster care! They named me after a blind singer from the south! Gee, I wonder if I can sing?