Meet Kiki Dee

Back in January of this year, I started fostering a sweet little cattle dog named Kiki Dee. Well, one thing led to another, and suddenly we found ourselves adopting her. Adopting a foster dog is known as a 'foster fail,' because the overall goal of fostering is to keep an animal with you until it's well enough or ready to go to its forever home. The foster home ideally is not the forever home, for multiple reasons. Adopting a dog you're fostering takes up the place of what could be an opening for another foster dog. Apparently I'm really bad at fostering, since the last two dogs I've fostered I've ended up adopting.

So sad and timid on her first day with us

Here's a little back story on Kiki Dee. Kiki was found roaming around the desert on the Navajo reservation with her 8 puppies. She was originally swept up by a puppy rescue that goes out to the local reservations on a regular basis looking for puppies. The reservations out here are rough places to be a dog, particularly a puppy. There's very little access to food or water, it's hot, there are lots of other animals fighting for resources, and there are so so many dogs. Too many dogs.

Pouting in the kitchen on her first day with us

I remember when we first moved out to Flagstaff, people would comment about how amazing their rez dogs were...that's what people call dogs obtained from the reservation...rez dogs. They're about any combination off mutt you could imagine, the vast majority being medium-sized and looking like either shepherd mixes or cattle dog mixes. When I asked about how one goes about getting a rez dog, most often the response was, "you just go out there and get one...they're everywhere. If they don't have a collar on, they're fair game." Which to me with my Midwestern mindset, sounded like stealing. What I later learned is that most dogs roaming around out on the reservation don't necessarily belong to anyone in particular. Most of the time if a dog does belong to someone, it has a collar on, but this isn't a hard and fast rule. Knowing my luck, I'd find myself out on the reservation stealing a dog that actually belonged to someone and having to answer to the reservation cops about it; that's a situation I'd really rather avoid.

My fuzz butts!

It is true though, that there are dogs everywhere out there. Every time we drive through the reservation, there are always multiple dogs loitering around at the gas stations, digging through the trash, many of which are obviously nursing puppies, judging by their swollen mammaries (sorry, I don't know what those are called on a dog...teats? udders?). Some of them would approach us, but most of them keep their distance. There's also a fair number of them lying dead along the side of the road, which always makes me so sad. Kiki and her pups were some of the lucky ones, fortunate enough to be spotted and taken up by the puppy rescue.

Kiki on the day she was picked up by the puppy rescue

The pictures of Kiki on her day of rescue are heart breaking...she's emaciated, all her ribs are showing, she has an obvious deformity to her left hind leg, and she's got scars all over her face. I can't imagine the number of times she had to defend herself or her puppies to receive all those scars. It's hard to say how old she is, how many litters she'd had prior to this one, how long she'd been alone, and if she had ever belonged to anyone. Given her incredibly sweet demeanor, I'd have to think that she'd at least had some contact with humans, but it's hard to say. Perhaps she was just a good-natured dog and a mix of breeds that are drawn towards people. Or maybe she's just very trusting. So she and her puppies got picked up by the puppy rescue, where they were then transported to a holding area prior to being brought to Flagstaff. There were 21 puppies total in one pen, along with Kiki, so she took it upon herself to nurse all of them. Super mom alert! The puppy rescue then contacted the Arizona Cattle Dog Rescue, which operates out of Flagstaff, and Kiki started her journey to being adopted into her forever home.

Kiki and some of the 21 puppies

Kiki was taken in with another cattle dog, a red heeler that they named Elton John. For those who don't know, (I didn't) Kiki Dee was a singer who sang "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with Elton John. Since Kiki and Elton entered the rescue at the same time, it makes sense that they were named as they were. Having worked in a busy animal rescue in the past, it can be quite challenging to come up with new and interesting names for the dogs coming through. Litters of puppies typically have names that all start with the same letter, or are named after national parks, after famous actors and actresses, or after streets or restaurants in the town they were found. It keeps them from all having the same name, really, as inspiration can sometimes run low when you've got a high volume of intakes. My first rescue/foster fail was named Lady P, the P being for Plainview, which is the town in Minnesota where she was found. I eventually took to calling her Ladybird, and that name fit her quite well. Most of the time, it's quite easy to change a dog's name, especially if they're in a traditional shelter and not a foster home, as shelter dogs don't have as much one-on-one human interactions where you're saying their name over and over again. Even a foster dog's name can be easy to change. I elected to keep Kiki's name because she already responded to it, and because I thought it was kind of cute. It also met the requirements of a double-syllable word that ends with the "ee" sound, which I've read is the ideal combination for a dog name.

Cooper and Kiki...not quite a cuddle

When we first got Kiki as a foster, she had recently had surgery to repair her dislocated hip on her left hind leg. Unfortunately the joint was unable to be salvaged, as it had been dislocated for too long with too much damage, so an FHO (femoral head ostectomy) was performed. An FHO is the removal of the femoral head and neck; this removes the ball of the ball-and-socket joint, leaving just an empty socket. The muscles of the leg will initially hold the femur in place and over time, scar tissue will form between the hip socket and the femur to provide cushioning that is referred to as a 'false joint.' Although this joint is anatomically very different from a normal hip joint, it provides her pain-free mobility. She was undergoing physical therapy once a week to strengthen the false joint when she came to us. When we first got her, she would occasionally run around on three legs, holding up her left rear leg when she wanted to get somewhere quickly. I'm not sure if it was still painful from the surgery or if it felt weird to her and she didn't trust it. She definitely had a pretty obvious sashay when we first got her, but if you were to see her now, not knowing about the modified joint, it would be difficult to tell that there is anything different about her at all. She moves normally, although every now and then there's a hitch in her step that you wouldn't see in a dog with two normal hip joints. The hip definitely does slow her down sometimes, and she does better on hikes across flat ground where she doesn't have to jump up on rocks or do technical traverses. Despite all that, she's always ready and willing to get outside for a trek in the woods or a jaunt around the neighborhood. 

Trekking with Simon last winter

I can't quite say enough about how much Kiki has been a positive addition to our lives. It's interesting to me how sweet and trusting Kiki is, given the very real possibility that her interactions with humans prior to being picked up by the rescue had been limited at best, if at all. She loves all manner of humans, including children, and pretty much all animals. I trust her completely around anyone. She has a pretty decent prey drive, however, with squirrels being her primary obsession. I don't know that she would kill a squirrel given the chance that she was actually able to catch one, and I'm glad I haven't yet had to have that experience. When we go out for walks in the woods, it's hard for me to break her focus when she's on the trail of a squirrel or any other ground dwelling creature. It's something that we're still working on, as she'll take off and be out of sight, completely ignoring my attempts to call her back. It's not a safe situation for her to be so singularly focused, as she might get too far away from me and become lost, she might encounter an animal who doesn't appreciate her curiosity, or even get herself into an unsafe situation with another human or animal who might feel threatened by her presence. I was particularly concerned on a couple occasions when she took off after some deer in the woods, knowing that most of the time deer will run and can very easily outrun her, but if in a situation where they feel the need to defend themselves or their babies, deer will absolutely stomp a dog to death, as will domestic livestock, which I'm sure she would also be happy to chase if given the opportunity. We did have her around my cousin's horses once and she paid them little mind, but if they had started to run the situation might have been different.

Too cool for school

She's an incredibly goofy and quirky dog, and given the fact that she's definitely got cattle dog in her, that doesn't come as a surprise. Cattle dogs are quite quirky, and typically bond with one person and one person only. Sometimes they'll bond with an entire family, but they usually bond with one family member more strongly than the others. Kiki has definitely bonded strongly with both Simon and I, but Simon is the person that is her primary bond. She doesn't herd us around the house too much, which some cattle dogs will do, but she does nip at our lower legs and thighs when she's excited or trying to get our attention. Every now and then she gets me in the back of the arm...it's funny how good she is at using those tiny little front teeth of hers, and that she's gentle enough to not hurt me, but assertive enough to apply just enough pressure to relay her intentions. She adorably does the cattle dog lean, at times leaning so forcefully that she nearly tips either herself or one of us over. For a cattle dog, I find Kiki to be incredibly social, as she wants to greet and interact with every person and animal she comes into contact with. Most cattle dogs I see are very aloof when it comes to interacting with anyone who isn't their person, and most of them I've encountered haven't exactly been dog friendly either. I'm glad that she's social, as I think aloof dogs can sometimes make people feel uncomfortable, particularly if they're not familiar with the personality traits of cattle dog breeds. She's incredibly playful, and while she's still a little awkward playing with our friends' dogs, she still tries. She loves her squeaky toys, but will only play with them in the house, although she tries to carry them outside and leave them out there all the time. Not sure what that's about. The cutest thing ever is when she snuggles and sleeps with her toys. It just melts my heart to see this dog that no one wanted, resting so comfortably in a home with her toys and people who love her.

Snuggling with her toy

When we first got her, I wasn't too sure about allowing her in our bed, since for the past few years we've just had Cooper in the bed, and sometimes, despite his size, he gets in the way, hogs the blankets, etc. For the first week or so after we got Kiki, she would come into the bedroom but wouldn't come up on the bed. She would peer over the edge of it at us, willing us to get out of the bed and interact with her. Truth be told, I love having dogs in the bed with me. As long as I can remember, I've always had dogs in my bed. Simon would rather have no dogs in the bed; in fact, he would honestly prefer that we not have any dogs at all, not because he doesn't like them but because they complicate our lifestyle. Dogs are such an important part of my life and are so good for my mental and emotional well-being, and he's accepted that, which I appreciate. I adore having Kiki in the bed. She's such a snuggler, and she loves cuddling in between us, snuggling against Simon while reaching out a paw to rest on me; she even grips with her toes, giving me a gentle squeeze. She loves physical interaction, and I love that about her. My pug Brie was a champion snuggler, and I've missed having a snuggly dog, as Cooper doesn't care to snuggle, preferring proximity but not touching. Sometimes Kiki and I will lay in bed together, she with her head on Simon's pillow, and just look at each other while I pet her. I know that makes me sound like a crazy dog lady (owning it), but I just love and appreciate her so much.

Holding hands in bed

It's still so amazing to me that a dog who had been so neglected can be so sweet. I can touch her anywhere, including her paws, which most dogs loathe; it just goes to show the trust she has in us by allowing us to touch her face, her tail, her ears, her belly, and her feet. She sits calmly and quietly while I trim her nails, something I've never been able to do with any of my other dogs. It's been interesting to see the progression of her confidence and trust versus the progression of my previous cattle dog, Lady. Lady had clearly been not just neglected, but also abused, and most definitely by a man. In the beginning she would try to hide from men, and if she felt cornered or not able to get away, she would get defensive. She nipped my brother Mike the first day I brought her home. Not hard enough to break the skin, but enough to let him know that she was not comfortable with him being near her. It took quite a while for Lady to be okay with men, and I think having her in my family home for the summer between my junior and senior years of college with frequent exposure to my dad and both my brothers started her on the path towards trusting men. Durning my senior year of college, I lived with 5 other girls, most of whom had boyfriends who visited quite regularly, who were all very kind and patient with her. Those interactions further encouraged her trust of men, and by the end of my first year with her, I'd say she was pretty trusting of most men, even those she hadn't met before. Kiki has had a much easier adjustment to becoming a member of our family, but I'm thankful that I had those experiences with Lady to give me some experience on welcoming a rescued pet into our home.

Beer:30 on the Humphreys Peak trail

Almost a year ago now, Kiki came to us very timid, shy, and little bit broken. Fast forward to now and it's like she's always been here. Even the grumpy old man has accepted the fact that she's here to stay, although he still keeps his interactions with her to a minimum. She fits in perfectly and I'm so incredibly thankful to have her in my life. She makes me happy everyday, and I can't imagine our home without her.

One of my favorite photos of her from last winter

Final thoughts: People choose their pets for all sorts of reasons, and while I'm not a rescue elitest, I do feel adopting an unwanted pet such a great way to go, even if there is a specific breed you're looking for. There are so many breed-specific rescues out there, with most of their dogs (even puppies!) in foster homes getting love, attention, care and training. Saving a life adds another dimension of love to your relationship with your dog, and it's almost as if they know they've been rescued.