Sunday, August 9, 2015

My Name is Omar and I Need a Home!

Omar with his foster brother Blue in the background.
Rob and I are fostering Omar - a 5-6 year old sweet boy - through a wonderful organization called Virginia Paws for Pits. He originally came from Shenandoah Valley Animal Services. When they saw how sweet Omar was when he came in, and how bad his eyes were, they contacted Paws for Pits for help. Page was happy to help if she could find a foster and reached out to us. We have a soft spot for the special needs cases. Omar (known as Thor at the shelter, but we couldn't call him that - our first dog was Thor and we still miss him. Sniff.) needed us, and we said we could help. The Jessica Beath Clinic was enlisted for his surgery - he was suffering from bilateral entropian that had rendered him unable to see and in lots of pain and he needed to be neutered. I picked him up after his surgery and even though he was still groggy, he was happy to see me.
He quickly fit right into our home. We went slow with introductions to our cats and two dogs - we started with parallel leash walks for the dogs and picked up all the toys so there would be no skirmishes. Omar was interested in the cats since he could see now, but our cats are dog savvy and didn't run. Omar was easy to distract and now, three weeks later, they live in harmony. 
Omar is not a big player - he would rather sit on your lap. He enjoys walks and toys - he LOVES toys. And so does Blue, on of our other dogs, so when we give toys, we give them in separate rooms so each can chew to their heart's content and not get jealous.
Omar is completely house trained and it only took him a few days (and a few pieces of cheese) to get used to being in his crate (that is stuffed with comfy blankets)  at night and when we go out. 
Omar is easy to walk and just has a happy-go-lucky attitude. He knows "Sit" and "Touch" and how to wait for his food. We boarded him for a couple of days when we went out of town and The Dogg House staff said he did great. 
He tolerates baths and getting his toenails trimmed. He is friendly to all people he meets. He has seen deer on walks and isn't overly interested.
All in all, Omar is a ROCK STAR! And have you seen a sweeter face??



Exploring the outdoors and getting pets.

"Take a break from work and cuddle me!"

"I like hanging out and watching TV. Sometimes I snore a bit."