Cats and Bulldogs

Last week two cats in my neighborhood went missing, and then showed up dead. No physical trauma (i.e dog, coyote, car), just dead. It is thought that they were poisoned. My two cats thankfully are fine, and are on restricted outdoor adventures. Usually they are allowed to come and go as they please, but I've only been letting them out in the day when I am around to keep an eye on them. And I may stop outside completely soon. I hesitate to do that only because I think the cats will drive me nutty if I take their freedom away completely. Right now we have a compromise.

Also, I have Stevie back. This time as a foster, and not just for dogsitting. It makes me so sad for him. For those that don't know, Stevie is a french bulldog. I've been dog sitting him off and on since he was a puppy. I found out his original owners sold him in July and his new owners just happened to contact me regarding training shortly after that. Since then I've worked with his new family but it became very apparent that they were not equipped to deal with him either. They tried very hard, but it just wasn't safe for Stevie, or for their dog.

 Stevie is a bully. He really is a big, mighty bulldog in a tiny little package. He acts like he's king of the world and gets mad if he doesn't get his own way. He is a resource guarder and needs to be an only dog. He is a good player (he does go to dog daycare), but it can quickly go south, and he is always "on edge" around other dogs. I don't think Stevie has ever learned to relax. In any case he is a foster now- and we will be working on manners, and sharing skills, and on decreasing his bossiness a tad. At my house he will have to settle for Court Jester rather than King...