| Mona |
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Gender: Female
Age: Adult
Foster Home: Sheila
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From our Facebook page, July, 2014: "Mona doing her Happy Prance!" 
From our Facebook page, December, 2013: "Mona (on the right) and her son, Odin, adopted November of 2004. The furry loves of my life." 
Update: Mona was adopted in December, 2004, by the same family who adopted her son, Odin. We received the following update in June, 2005: "Our "puppies" are really something else....such wonderful sources of entertainment around here. We all get a good belly laugh everyday from each of them. But first you must know what an absolute peach our Mona is. What a little lady our girl is (except when she drinks and eats...well, and when she plays...but other than that...) and the absolute most affectionate dog, LOVES to cuddle with me, or anyone for that matter. She is still very patient with Odin, who really annoys the heck out of her sometimes...as any good adolescent son is wont to do. But she and Odin are quite the team. For instance, the other day when cleaning my room, I came upon an old, short statue of Louis Armstrong....the type made of plaster, from the '70s, with really large heads, kind of characatures..Anyway, I found ours in a corner and had forgotten about it. I took a break from cleaning, went into the Living room, sat, had an iced tea; then a commotion started. The dogs, Odin first, were barking, growling, just going crazy. Thinking they had spotted a deer out the doorwall, I went into the family room, no dogs. Went to the bedroom, and there they had poor Loius Armstrong cornered. He wasn't going ANYWHERE, by golly. They were gonna hold him. They were ready to attack the poor statue. I laughed so hard I almost wet myself. They just didn't know what to make of it."
"Then, the other day, my son was bringing in the groceries and had a big box of Snapple he was carrying in. Mona went nuts. She growled and barked until she finally realized it was just Zach with a box. She looked a little humiliated after...and of course, laughing at her didn't help. Desdemona Suzette, aka Monasue (she will come to her middle name sometimes...when she feels like it) is just such a wonderful companion and playmate. I just found out too, that Mona "comes" much better to finger snapping rather than just requesting Mona, come. She loves everyone here (but I am still her favorite). Odin loves everybody, everywhere. He is such a good boy, has a lot to learn, but just loves life, people, everything....except gettting his nails trimmed. Odin now weighs about 62#, quite an ox. He is very, very smart....listens and responds to sentences. He is just exuberant, funny, sneaky and hilarious and somewhat mischevious. Mona too. But she is growing up into a real snuggler. I will say it again and again, Thank you."
Mona's Story
Mona was found as a stray and taken to Animal Control, so there is little history available.
What we do know is that Mona shared a kennel with another stray Border Collie, named Ollie. Both were intact. When asked why the shelter staff would place an un-neutered male with an un-spayed female, the reply was, "because they're both Border Collies". (A phrase which could be added to the list of things that make you go "hmm"). It seemed a logical question to ask "Why were they separated?" The answer, "because they got stuck". So, with this information, we knew there was a possibility of Mona's pregnancy.
Oliver, Mona's "puppy daddy."
Both, Mona and Ollie were taken into foster care. Both were extremely thin, yet not clinically emaciated. Both are young, friendly, happy, adaptable dogs looking for loving attention, affection, and a chance to romp and play. Ollie was neutered immediately after coming into foster care and has found his forever home.
Mona's spay was postponed, until we could determine if she was pregnant. This was not an easy task. She gained weight, mostly because she was so underweight in the beginning. The gestation period for canines is 63 days. Knowing that Ollie and Mona were together, at the shelter, since mid July and came into foster care on Aug. 31, it seems obvious that Ollie is the sire. On Oct. 6th, Mona's belly dropped. It was then that we realized she was, in fact, pregnant. Three days later, she gave birth to four tiny puppies.
Mothers do much more than nurse their young; they provide socialization skills no human can teach as well. A puppy that is properly socialized in the first 10-12 weeks will have a better foundation to interact comfortably with humans, other dogs, and situations s/he will encounter later in life. This is why it is so important to keep the pups with their mom. The pups were born on Oct. 9, 2004. They will be 10 weeks old on Dec.18, which is when they will be available to leave Mama Mona.
The puppies are named according to their birth order. Each puppy's name begins with a letter of their mom's name, except the “M” is reserved for Mona, and the second “O” name is chosen to honor their father, Ollie.
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