Dog Foster Mom

Improper Use Of a Dog Crate

2012-01-24T22:38:00.000-06:00

Dog crates can be a huge help when raising a puppy or an adult dog who hasn't yet learned good house manners. They are a useful tool, but they can also be used incorrectly. Ace recently provided me with an excellent demonstration of this fact.

"Am I doing it right, foster lady?"

So if you use a crate with your dog, make sure to give them proper instructions first!

The Flying Ace

2012-01-20T17:52:00.000-06:00

Ace was living in Tennessee with a family who had rescued him from a bad situation. They tried to find him a permanent home in their area but weren't able to do so. Ace is deaf, and the family needed to find him a home with someone who was willing to take on a deaf dog. I said if they could get him to me, I'd take him as a foster dog. That's where the wonderful people at the Dogo Argentino Rescue Network stepped forward. They put me in touch with a pilot from Pilots N Paws, who would use his own time, money, and his own plane to fly Ace to me. He also took many pictures along the way so I could tell you about it.

The Flying Ace

Ace used to be named Doofus, by an uncaring owner who thought he was stupid just because he was deaf. The family who rescued him renamed him Einstein because they quickly realized he was really smart. Since I have fostered a dog named Einstein very recently, I decided to change his name (he's deaf, so he doesn't mind). And since Pilot Jim told me that Einstein wanted to fly the plane on the way here, I decided he must be a great pilot so I renamed him Ace.

Ace in flight

Ace is an amazing dog. He did great on his flight here - after supervising Pilot Jim and finding that he was a more than capable pilot, he watched out the window for awhile to make sure Pilot Jim knew where he was going, and then like any smart relief pilot, he took a nap so he'd be well rested and ready to fly if Pilot Jim needed a break.

"Wake me if you need me, Pilot Jim!"

Fortunately for everyone involved, Pilot Jim did not need to call on Ace's untested flying skill, and they made it safely to the ground without any help from Ace. Pilot Jim has flown many of these flights, rescuing dogs all over the country and flying them to safety. It always amazes me how many people are out there willing to help these homeless animals. Pilots N Paws is a non-profit agency devoted to saving innocent animals by pilots donating their time, money and talents to get these animals to rescues, shelters, and adoptive homes all over the country. Huge thanks to Pilot Jim for helping to save Ace!

"Thanks so much Pilot Jim!"

After the flight, I met Pilot Jim and Ace at the airport, where we posed for a quick picture. Ace looks quite proud of himself for making it through the flight.

"I flew all the way here!"

He's now at my house and settling in nicely. He's met all the other dogs and loves to play with Jefferson and Roo. Charlie is still being stand-offish, and Ziggy seems to think I tried to replace him while he was gone, but everyone else just loves Ace. He was already fully vetted by the family who rescued him so he'll be ready to start training and trying to find a new home right away. He's such a sweet dog that I think he'll have no trouble finding a home.

Message from Ziggy

2012-01-19T20:07:00.000-06:00

Hello my friends, have you missed me? My foster mom says there might be some new readers out there, so if that's the case, let me introduce myself. I'm Ziggy.

This is me.

I'm the only foster dog my foster mom has ever had long enough to actually give me my own page on her blog. And my own website. And my own Facebook page. And my own business cards. Yeah, she's been trying to ~~get rid of me~~ get me adopted for years now. This is me and my foster mom:

I know you're hiding a treat in your hand! Please let me have it!

She says she loves me a lot, but I'm a very special dog who needs a home without other pets, so she is trying to find a great home for me. Recently I had the chance to go into a foster-to-adopt home. I've been gone for about three weeks, and enjoyed every second of my time with Darren, but we finally realized that we're not meant to be together. You see, Darren is one of those wonderful dog owners who likes to take his dog everywhere, and spend time with his family, and go on long walks. The long walks part was great, but I'm not really a take-everywhere, hang out with family sort of guy. Plus, can you believe, Darren doesn't have any cows living next door to him. Boy did I miss those cows. And I missed all of you too, of course (my foster mom reminded me to say that). She claims that I missed her too, but really Darren has better treats at his house. Anyway, I'm back now and I am once again looking for my forever home. I told Darren not to worry, that he'd find the right dog for him, and he said he'd do what he could to help me find a home too. He's a very nice guy and I will really miss ~~his treats~~ him. It's very important that I find just the right owner (maybe a dairy farmer?) so if you know of someone who might want a dog like me, please let me know!

When Bassets Attack

2012-01-16T18:19:00.001-06:00

I used to like Basset Hounds. I always thought with their short fat legs and long fat bodies, they were quite silly. And when I brought home a Basset Hound mix named Fanny yesterday, I made the mistake of not taking her seriously.

The attack happened this morning. The victim was Chloe, the sweet affectionate pit bull. The perpetrator was Fanny. She's a Basset Hound mixed with Border Collie and maybe Labrador Retriever. Three very dangerous breeds of dogs - I should have been more wary of her. If you own one of these dangerous breeds - especially a Basset Hound - be aware that they should be taken very seriously.

WARNING: The following pictures are quite graphic.

Fanny stalks her prey:

She approaches her victim, who is enjoying a nice back scratch.

With no warning at all, she leans over Chloe's neck, and gives her a little lick.

Mission accomplished, Fanny looks up and scopes out her next victim.

She leaves the scene and leaves Chloe behind, totally upside down after the vicious lick she received.

The whole thing happened so quickly, I hardly had time to react. I am relieved that Chloe seems to have bounced back quickly from the event, and seems almost normal.

At least normal for Chloe.

Introducing Charlie Scaredy-Dog

2012-01-12T20:44:00.002-06:00

Recently a no-kill shelter in a very rural area of the state asked for some help in moving out some of their dogs. They were willing to give other shelters and rescues their most adoptable dogs, but I decided I would rather help with a harder to adopt dog. I picked out Charlie, a mixed breed dog who has been at the shelter longer than any other resident.

Charlie is now in a home for the first time ever. He'd been living in the shelter since 2007, and has never experienced being a pet dog before. He barks like crazy at the television because he can't understand where the people on TV are coming from. He is scared of people and loud noises and new places. He was very well cared for in the shelter, but in a place with so many dogs, and so few adopters, he wasn't lucky enough to get a home before now. So Charlie is now here, and learning about being a pet dog for the first time. He is great with the other dogs, and does okay with the cats too. He will start going to adoption events and training classes every week so he can learn that other places aren't so scary. And hopefully soon he'll find a home with a patient adopter who is willing to give him the time he needs to adjust.

There are many more dogs like Charlie waiting in no-kill shelters around the country. Foster homes make a huge difference in the lives of these dogs because they can teach them about living in a home and help them prepare for an adoptive home. I hope to get a second dog from this shelter this weekend, and several of our foster volunteers also took dogs from this shelter. We usually take in dogs that are going to be euthanized, but it's nice to be able to help these dogs who were safe but don't have as much of a chance at being adopted.

Ziggy is still out on his trial adoption. And Allie is meeting some potential adopters on Saturday, so hopefully she'll go to her new home and that will open up space for another foster.

Oscar, Theo, and Ziggy

2012-01-03T22:18:00.000-06:00

Oscar, the deaf Boston Terrier, has been adopted! You can see here the scar on his back from where someone poured lighter fluid on him and set him on fire. It hasn't stopped him from loving people one bit though. Oscar is always happiest when someone is holding him and giving him attention. He often stands on his back legs and uses his front paws to tap people on the arm and say "please pet me!" Now he has a home where he will get all the attention he wants.

Theo the kitten was also adopted, before I even had a chance to take his picture! Theo was a cute brown tabby kitten who had been at animal control for over a month when I brought him home. Within a week of being at the local PetSmart store, someone spotted him, fell in love, and adopted him.

And last, but certainly not least, is Ziggy. Ziggy won an awesome, personalized collar from Gangs of New Yorkie via a contest on Kol's Notes. He looks so handsome in his new collar.

Unfortunately Ziggy is having some trouble settling in to his new home. He was adopted by a great guy who is doing everything he can to help Ziggy settle in, but Ziggy is showing some aggression at times. I am sad because I know this is Ziggy's only chance. If he can't make it in this home that is perfect for him, with an owner who really loves him and is doing everything he possibly can to make this work, then he's not going to be adoptable. I'm trying not to dwell on that, but just hoping for the best. I saw Ziggy a couple of days ago at a training class, and I wanted to lecture him and yell at him and beg him to straighten out, but I knew he wouldn't understand. Ziggy's adopter is working closely with the trainer, and I'm just praying it works out.

"Sorry, mom - I'll try to do better."

The rest of the fosters are doing well. Molly, Chloe and Roo went to training class last weekend. Some other rescue volunteers are working with them during class so they can all attend at the same time. Roo and Chloe are both working toward earning their Canine Good Citizen certification, and Molly is just working on some basic obedience. They've all mastered "sit" and "down" and are starting to learn "stay" and loose leash walking.

It's A Christmas Miracle

2011-12-26T22:41:00.000-06:00

Most people thought it was impossible. Only a few kept the faith. Some offered encouragement, and others prayed. One special friend even asked Santa - for the second year in a row - for a Christmas miracle. And on Christmas day that miracle happened. I got a phone call from someone who wants to adopt Ziggy.

Ziggy prays for a home.

When I brought Ziggy home as a foster puppy two years ago, I didn't expect to have him for long. But as the days turned into weeks, and then months, I began to fear he would never know what it was like to have a home of his own. Ziggy is an amazing, wonderful dog and I love him very much. But he's never been an easy dog. He prefers to be an only pet, so it hasn't been easy for him living with so many other foster dogs. He deserves a home of his own, and it seems that he may finally get his chance.

Part of me is trying to not get my hopes up in case this doesn't work out. Another part of me is trying not to be sad that I may soon lose this dog who is such a big part of my life. But mostly I am just so excited for Ziggy. He's waited so long for a home of his own, and this is a perfect fit for him. The adopter met him today and is very excited about adopting him and continuing to train him. Ziggy will be leaving me sometime in the next week and will go to his new home as a foster-to-adopt situation to see if he'll be a good fit. I'll continue to share updates as I receive them. Sometimes long-term fosters get adopted and returned more than once if they have issues, but Ziggy has never even been adopted once. I hope and pray that he has finally found his forever home.

Ziggy

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T01:28:00.002-06:00

I'm trying a new kind of decoration on my Christmas tree this year.

Charlie the kitten - not just a decoration!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

Update on my fosters... part 2

2011-12-21T11:24:00.003-06:00

In addition to the foster pets in yesterday's post, I also have the following:

Molly

Molly is a Puggle/Min-Pin mix that I've been fostering for three months now. She's very talented at jumping, she furiously tries to scare away the vacuum cleaner every time it's turned on, and she loves to bark ferociously at Ziggy - but only when he's walking away from her. Molly has become very attached to me, and she will not look at anyone else during adoption events. This makes it challenging to find her a home. I also can't leave her alone during the events because she gets snippy with people (imagine a three year old child throwing a tantrum and screaming "Where's my MOM? I WANT MY MOM!") That's Molly. I'm taking her to training classes and we continue to work on socialization (other people are nice too, Molly!) as well as basic obedience. She's a very smart dog, and one of these days I'm sure she's going to figure out that the vacuum cleaner really won't hurt her.

Ziggy, the deaf and slightly famous pit bull, is continuing to work hard at agility classes, and was recently promoted to the Intermediate-Advanced class! Okay actually he's still in the intermediate class because there is no intermediate-advanced class, but when I asked his trainer when we'd be ready for the advanced class, she said he was at an Intermediate-Advanced level now, so I'm considering that a promotion. Ziggy is proof that pretty much any dog can do agility. Not because he's deaf, but because he's slow and not very athletic. Other dogs get all excited in class and jump around and run - Ziggy just patiently waits for the treats to appear, and does the agility routines solely because it gets him food. Oh every once in awhile he jumps over an extra jump when he doesn't have to - but even then I doubt he's doing it for fun - I think it's because it's the shortest way to get to me and the treats. We still have a lot of fun together though, and it's good exercise and good mental stimulation.

Allie

A rescue friend recently invited me to go with her to a shelter. She wanted to pull a young dog as a friend for another young puppy she had recently rescued. Of course I said yes. I know some rescuers who hate visiting shelters because it makes them so sad, but I enjoy going there as long as I can take at least one of the animals home with me. It's great to take them from their small steel cage where they are scared and alone, facing an uncertain future, and take them home where they can live in a house and get all the affection and attention that they want. I know that their uncertain future just became a whole lot more certain of a happy ending, and although it's hard to leave the others behind, I always focus on the joy of the one I can save. In this case, I knew my friend was going to pull a puppy, and I decided I had enough dogs at the moment but could take in a cat. So off we went to pull a dog and a cat. We looked at the dogs first. It didn't take long until she found the puppy she wanted, but we finished looking at the few other dogs that we had not seen yet and quickly saw a second one that we both fell in love with. I agonized over the decision for several minutes (okay actually it was more like 10 seconds) and then said she should take the first pup and I'd take the second one. She quickly agreed that sounded like a fantastic idea, and I said "at least it will keep me from pulling a cat". The idea being since I was pulling a new dog, I really didn't need to pull a cat as well. But even as I said those words, I felt sad about leaving without a cat. So while the paperwork was done for the two puppies, I headed over to look at the cats. And I guess you aren't surprised to learn that I came home with both Allie the puppy and Theo the kitten.

Unfortunately both Allie and another puppy who had been pulled previously came down with pneumonia. They both ended up at the emergency clinic overnight, but are doing better and are both back at their respective foster homes now. Allie is getting two different kinds of medicine, and she's having to get a nebulizer treatment three times a day, but she's feeling much better. I'll have her for at least a few more weeks while she fully recovers, then she'll be able to go to the vet to get her vaccinations and be spayed, and then she'll be ready for a home of her own.

Allie

So those are my seven foster dogs currently. I was going to give a status update on my two foster cats as well (Theo and Charlie) but Charlie really needs a whole post of his own, so I'll share that another day.

Update on my Fosters... part 1

2011-12-21T11:23:00.000-06:00

Currently I have seven foster dogs and two foster cats. King, the extremely smart pit bull puppy, has gone to a foster-to-adopt home where he's doing really well. And Bandit the previously semi-feral kitten has finally found a home just in time for Christmas!

You may remember me claiming that I could handle Jefferson, the incredibly energetic and challenging Shepherd mix. Well, I was wrong. Fortunately one of my friends gave me the best Christmas present ever when she took Jefferson to work with him some more. She's a professional trainer and if anyone can get through to him, it's her.

Oscar

This is Oscar, the deaf Boston Terrier. He's doing really well with house-training and is finally allowed to sleep in bed with me and the other dogs at night (all the dogs except Ziggy, who would likely eat the bed while we slept). Oscar has such a funny personality - I've learned from a friend who often sends me Youtube videos that many Boston Terriers have this same "silly gene". He loves attention, likes to play with the other dogs, likes to be held, and thinks that he is Mr. Tough Guy. He always makes me laugh.

Chloe, my brown and white cow-dog, tested positive for heartworms. This means she will have to undergo a painful, expensive and dangerous treatment to get rid of them. If left untreated, they will eventually cause congestive heart failure. I'm talking to more and more people who don't have their dogs on heartworm preventative. They often want to adopt one of our rescue's dogs, but we don't adopt to people who don't use heartworm preventative, because we've seen the devestating effects firsthand. If you don't use heartworm preventative, please talk to your vet and see if it is recommended in your area.

Roo

Roo the red pittie mix with the large ears, is doing very well with her Canine Good Citizen training classes. She has passed her first level (where she learned sit and down) and is now working on stay and come when called. She's also learned she can jump four foot tall baby gates and fences. This is why the new fence will be a six foot privacy fence. In the meantime, she's having to stay on a tie-out or leash while in the yard, which makes her sad. I call her my squeaky girl, because she she whines/squeaks when she is sad or nervous. And lately, I've needed some WD-40 to stop all the squeaking! In case you were wondering... yes she was squeaking when we made her wear a Santa hat. But she looks so cute!

I'll update the status of the rest of my current foster pets tomorrow!

Why I've Been Slacking...

2011-12-20T15:35:00.000-06:00

The truth is, I just haven't felt like talking lately. There's been a lot of things happening that have made me sad, scared, angry, and frustrated, so I've been spending my free time doing things that don't require thinking - things like reading, or playing computer games, or going on walks with Ziggy. But I've slacked off for long enough, so it's time to start writing again! Here are a few of the things that have made me so anti-social lately:

- My new foster puppy Allie got out of my yard and disappeared for two days. She eventually turned up at a neighbor's house, but those were a very scary two days.

- I've started job searching, since I've been laid off at work as of the end of the year. It's difficult to find a job that is going to be anywhere close to where I'm living now, which means a long commute and no one to help with the foster dogs while I'm gone for 11+ hours a day, so I'm dreading actually finding a new job. Then again being out of work with two house payments doesn't seem like such a good idea either.

- My best friend was also just laid off from her job, effective in a few months. She's been at her company for over 30 years, and the company decided to move her job to India, so they could save a few dollars.

- My foster dogs continue to find new ways to escape the fenced yard. It is a temporary "hog wire" type of fence and the dogs are digging out underneath, or in some cases actually climbing or jumping it. They then proceed to lead me on a merry chase around the neighborhood.

- After running through a field behind my house, they end up in the Bad subdivision. I call it that because one of the residents there came and complained about the dogs and said her neighbors would shoot them on sight. I understand complaining about the dogs - they shouldn't be allowed to run loose, although in all fairness I have spent many, many hours trying to keep them contained. But threatening to shoot my dogs makes me angry. I was told that they would shoot the pit bulls because they were afraid of them. The sad part is the pitties I have would never hurt them - it's the Min-Pin/Puggle that they should be scared of! Regardless, I am now going to have to get a regular wood privacy fence in order to keep my foster dogs safe. I was hoping to put off this major purchase until I found a new job, but that's not going to be an option now.

In spite of these many stressful and scary events, I am still constantly reminded to be grateful for all that I have. My family and friends, good health, a place to live, food to eat, and the ability to help those less fortunate. I am blessed and have not forgotten it.

There's one more recent "event" that made me want to throw up, but then it made me finally decide to write another blog post even if I wasn't feeling up to it. Because when bad things happen, who better to share them with than friends right? Good. So fortunately for you I did not take any pictures. But if you're easily grossed out, you may want to skip this next paragraph. Especially if you've been considering fostering but haven't decided if you can handle it or not.

Today I was taking Allie to the vet because she has not been feeling well. I was driving down the highway and feel something warm and look down to see I'm completely covered with partially digested puppy food, really gross digestive juices, and to top it off, two or three roundworms swimming around in the puddle. Do you know what it's like to be frantically looking for somewhere to pull over while watching these long yellow worms swim around in a puddle that is quickly soaking through your jeans and onto your legs? It easily qualifies as my most disgusting experience of 2011 - if not of my entire life! Hopefully 2012 will be a better year!

Houston Pittie Pack

2011-12-16T17:41:00.000-06:00

Kissa-bull is a blog written by Sandra about her dogs, known as the Houston Pittie Pack and the Wee Ones. It was heartbreaking to learn this morning that Sandra's home was destroyed in a fire last night. Sandra and her human family members survived, but she lost her home and five of her dogs. As Mayzie's mom reported, "She tried desperately to get all the dogs out of the house but they were hiding under beds and in closets. She was only able to save Brinks and Bella. The rest – Guero, Coco Chanel, Tiger, Lucky and Shelby – are all now at the Bridge." These dogs were so special, and so loved. I can only imagine the pain that Sandra and her family are going through. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers.
A chip-in has also been set up to help with any immediate needs that the family has. If you can help, please consider donating any amount to this family. You can also leave Sandra a comment on her blog at http://kissa-bull.blogspot.com/ to let her know that you're thinking of her during this time.

Introducing King

2011-12-10T19:56:00.001-06:00

This is my newest foster dog:

I received a call from another rescue volunteer who saw this puppy at a rural pound. The pound has only outdoor kennels, and the dogs' only shelter is in doghouses. Since the weather has been below freezing, I immediately agreed to take him. He is around ten weeks old, and I named him King.

King is a very smart puppy. He quickly learned to sit on command and is doing very well with house-training. He went to his first adoption event today, and already has someone interested in adopting him! He may only be here a short time, but he's fitting in all of the fun he can while he's here. He enjoys wrestling and playing with all the other dogs - especially Jefferson and Ziggy. He loves to eat, and he loves to cuddle once he's tired out. He's a great puppy, and I'm hoping he will have a home for Christmas.

My Very Own Moo-Cow

2011-12-05T14:02:00.001-06:00

Earlier this year I moved to a very rural area for the first time in my life. Growing up, I was one of those kids who never saw cows or horses unless we went to a petting zoo or drove somewhere on vacation and passed a field of animals. That was always an exciting event. But now that I'm all grown up, and I live next door to a field of cows, I'm much more mature. I no longer point out the window and yell COWS! when I drive by. Sure, I still slow down to admire them, and I talk to them and take their pictures, but so does everyone, right? Right??

So now that I'm a country girl, I've been wanting my very own cow. The only thing stopping me was that I have no idea how to get a cow, how to feed a cow, how to take care of a cow, or what Ziggy would do with a cow. Fortunately Chloe came along to take my mind off having my own cow. It's sort of like giving a guinea pig to a child who really wants a dog. They might be disappointed to not get a dog, but having a guinea pig is still pretty cool. I know I can't have a real cow right now, but having a dog who sort of looks like a cow is still pretty cool.

My very own cow dog

Chloe is around five years old, and she is extremely sweet. In fact, one of the great things about Chloe is she is so eager to please. She's been working really hard to do a good cow imitation.

"Moo"

It sounds a bit more like "woo, woo, woo", but it's a better imitation than any of the other dogs have ever managed. She seems really happy to be out of the shelter, and she shows this by her constant wagging tail and her beautiful smile.

Happy girl!

That's Roo in the background, carrying a toy around in her mouth as usual. Chloe gets along really well with the other dogs, does fine with the cats, and loves people. She is house-trained and loves to cuddle. So I guess she's the best kind of moo-cow I could imagine!

Morgan was Adopted

2011-12-04T22:16:00.001-06:00

Back in August, I took home this dog:

Morgan is very small dog with a very big personality. She has some problems with separation anxiety, and her skill as an escape artist made her a bit of a challenge to place into a home. It didn't help that she spent her time at most adoption events getting very excited and barking every time she saw a new dog. So I was very excited when a wonderful family saw her online and adopted Morgan. I'm really hoping that she settles into her new home quickly and becomes a perfect fit.

This is Morgan being held by a member of her new family:

And here is Morgan modeling a Santa hat that her new family purchased for her. I'm pretty sure she's being spoiled rotten.

Merry Christmas Morgan - I'm so glad you have finally found your home!

Ziggy and the St. Louis Blues

2011-12-01T13:06:00.001-06:00

Ziggy has always wanted to be a hockey player. Really, it's true. He doesn't talk about it much, but I think it's obvious in the way he acts. For one thing, he's always practicing his body checks. He loves to run around the house and body check other dogs or people. Like some hockey players, he is ready to immediately defend himself if another dog tries to push him around. And he spends quite a bit of time in his "penalty box", also known as a crate, as a result of his tough-guy hockey player attitude. If Ziggy got to play hockey, I'm pretty sure he'd be the enforcer of the team.

However since Ziggy is a dog, he can't play hockey. But he was extremely excited to get to meet a real-life professional hockey player and get his picture taken with him. Ziggy met Carlo Colaiacovo, and immediately tried to steal his jersey. Once he realized he couldn't get away with that, he settled down and posed for a picture. And now, that picture is going to be on a calendar being sold by the St. Louis Blues as part of their Pucks for Paws promotion. You can buy a calendar online here to support several area rescue groups.

Now it's true that there are eleven other months of the calendar with eleven other adoptable animals, but in Ziggy's mind, this is his calendar. His and Carlo's, that is. So when he heard that Carlo would be signing autographs at the Pucks for Paws kickoff event, he decided that of course he should sign autographs as well. This is why we spent thirty minutes yesterday with Ziggy's trainer, so he could learn how to pawtograph a calendar. The event is this Sunday and hopefully it goes well. Maybe a hockey fan will even be there looking to adopt a dog who loves hockey as much as they do! If you're in the area and would like to come to the calendar kickoff event, find out details here. Ziggy will be glad to sign his pawtograph for you.

Introducing Jefferson

2011-11-29T15:37:00.001-06:00

Usually when you foster, you get an average dog. A dog who is good, and maybe has a few problems but nothing that can't be overcome with a bit of basic training. But every once in awhile, you get a great dog. A dog who is so easy that you don't have to do a thing except give them love and affection while they wait for a home.

This is my newest foster dog Jefferson. He's not just an average dog.

"Who, me?"

Unfortunately he's also not one of those "perfect" dogs that come along every so often. Jefferson is full of energy. He's rambunctious. He's boisterous. Rowdy. Tumultuous. Unruly. Raucous. There are many words to describe Jefferson. Easy is not one of them.

Oh, he's a good dog. He is loving and affectionate, and he gets along great with the other dogs and the cats. He just has a lot of energy and a very short attention span. And no self-control to speak of. Jefferson is going to be a challenge.

"But I'm a lot of fun!"

Originally when Jefferson came to us with his brother Cooper, he was going to stay at another foster home, while I took Cooper. I knew right away I got the easy end of the deal - for awhile. Then Cooper got adopted. And Jefferson decided he didn't want to get along with the other dogs in his foster home. So I offered to take him. For the past three weeks he's actually been living at a trainer's house, while she worked with him on his issues of mouthiness and jumping on people. He's doing better, but he still has a lot of growing up to do. Cooper had some of the same issues, so I did not expect him to be adopted so quickly. I can only hope that another perfect family will come along that wants to work with Jefferson in spite of his issues. And in the meantime, at least Ziggy has prepared me for the challenge of training Jefferson. Now that I've fostered Ziggy for so long, Jefferson doesn't scare me at all.

.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T17:23:00.001-06:00

I am thankful for so many things, including the many memorable experiences I've had over the past several years of fostering.

The most memorable event may be the time I traveled to Washington D.C. with my foster puppy Bear so he could participate in Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl VI. It was the first (and so far, only) time that one of my fosters has been on national television. I never would have had that opportunity if not for fostering.

Of course, fostering has not been all fun and games. And even the fun and games can take a dangerous turn. The time one of my foster puppies got his head stuck inside a Jolly Ball dog toy was very memorable. I am mostly just thankful that I was eventually able to get him unstuck and he was not hurt.

Some of the most memorable experiences are not the special events, but the foster pets themselves. The ones who take the longest to get adopted, like Scribbles, are the pets that I will never forget. And at a time like Thanksgiving, I am reminded again how thankful I am that Scribbles finally got a home!

And then there's this guy. Do you recognize him? This is one of the first pictures I ever took of him, when he came to my house as a foster puppy in December 2009. Although I've tried really hard, he's never been adopted. He has, however, provided me with countless memories over the past two years. In spite of the challenges, I am still thankful that I took him home from the shelter. And I'm going to be even more thankful when he is finally adopted!

I hope you've had a great day and have also had time to reflect on what you are thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm feeling slightly crowded.

2011-11-21T22:15:00.001-06:00

I have a very large living room area. In the living room, there is a full sized couch, a lot of open floor space with several dog beds, and a loveseat. So why is it that right now there is no one on the couch, and no one on the floor or the dog beds, but there are six of us sitting on the loveseat?

I used the webcam on my laptop to take this picture. I couldn't quite get the distance needed to see the whole area, but I think it shows enough for you to understand my confusion.

In case you need some help figuring out what you're looking at, I've added some labels for you.

Molly likes to lay on top of the couch right behind my head. That's her back leg and tail at the top of the picture. Oscar is curled up on the left, and Roo is squeezed in between him and me. Morgan found a comfy spot on my lap, and Charlie (best kitten ever) found a comfy spot on top of Morgan. That's my arm reaching out between Morgan and Roo to reach the keyboard. Ever tried typing with a dog and a cat laying on top of your arms? It's not easy.

I'll admit it's slightly chilly in here since I haven't yet turned on the furnace, but I don't think it's cold enough to explain the need for so much closeness. Especially when both Oscar and Morgan are snoring rather loudly. If I didn't love them so much I'd go sit on the empty couch by myself. Except I'd have exactly two seconds alone before they all followed me over. At which point Morgan and Oscar would fall asleep and the snoring would begin again.

Okay, I admit it, I am loving the closeness. It would be a lot colder in here if I didn't have so many furry warm bodies to keep me warm! And even the snoring is kind of cute.

By the way, for anyone wondering where the other fosters went... Ziggy is asleep in his crate, the rest of the cats are asleep in the bedroom, Gonzo went to a temporary foster home, and Bailey and Cooper have been adopted!

Ziggy Goes for a Bike Ride

2011-11-20T21:00:00.001-06:00

Thank you so much for your kind comments on my last blog post. It means a lot to me that you take the time to comment on my blog, and your support really helped me to deal with losing Sal. I thought it might be time for a happier post, so of course Ziggy is the dog for that!

Ziggy doesn't ask for much out of life. Some good meals, a good chew bone, and a daily walk is his idea of a perfect day. However trying to fit in a daily walk between working and caring for the other fosters can be challenging. Ziggy would be happy to take himself for a walk - no human required - but the neighborhood cows would probably not appreciate that. So for times when Ziggy needs a walk but I don't have an extra hour to spare, we use the bike.

Ready for a bike ride!

I tried to teach Ziggy to ride the bike, but for some reason he just couldn't get the hang of it. So I bought this neat attachment that lets me ride while Ziggy walks. At first I was worried about using this with Ziggy, because he's very strong and when he sees something he wants, he just goes for it. Since I live on a dead-end road and have to ride past a field of cows to get anywhere, this means a long distance where Ziggy would be trying his best to pull me and the bike into the field. However I'm pleased to say that as long as we're moving, Ziggy has not managed to pull me off the bike. He does pull me up hills, which I appreciate during a long bike ride.

On our way!

So far Ziggy has only managed to pull me off of the bike once. That was when we were standing still, and he was anxious to get started. He managed to pull me and the bike on top of him, which must have hurt! But he got up, shook himself off, and was much more patient after that. In the interest of fairness, I should report that I also managed to fall off the bike once when neither Ziggy nor any other dog was around. I'd like to claim I ran over a big rock or something.... but I can't, because at the time I was standing still. I'm not a very good cyclist. Fortunately I live in the middle of nowhere, so there isn't a lot of traffic on my road, and I have plenty of space to swerve back and forth as we go.

Empty roads help a lot.

Ziggy usually wears a harness on our rides so my unique style of weaving back and forth doesn't pull on his neck. I'm careful not to go too fast, and we occasionally take breaks so he can sniff around or watch the cows. It's not quite as good as a regular walk, but for days when we don't have a lot of time, it's a great alternative.

In Memory of Sal

2011-11-17T16:49:00.001-06:00

Today I had to let my foster dog Sal go to the Rainbow Bridge. He was only with me for a very short time, and it wasn't nearly long enough. When I first met Sal, it was in the parking lot of a McDonald's halfway between my house and the animal control facility he'd been turned into. A volunteer met me there with him, and she told me Sal had just finished enjoying a hamburger while they waited for me to arrive. I met this muscular brown pit bull who looked very pleased to have just eaten such a yummy meal. He greeted me happily, and was on his best behavior all the way home.

Once we got home, Sal quickly made himself comfortable. It took a few days to get him introduced to the other dogs, but before long he was running around and playing happily with all of the other dogs. The more I got to know Sal, the more I knew what a great dog he was. Sal absolutely loved to eat. As soon as he saw me approaching the area with the food bowls, he began his "happy dance". He did his happy dance while following me back and forth across the room as I put each bowl down into an empty crate. He often tried to run into a crate that wasn't his just so he could get to eat sooner. Finally, it was Sal's turn, and he ran into his crate and gobbled down his food. Then he lay there quietly and waited while all the other dogs finished up. When meal time was over and the dogs were out of their crates, Sal went from crate to crate looking for any missed pieces of kibble. Only when he was certain that there was no more food remaining would he return to my side, ready for his after-mealtime belly rub.

Sal loved belly rubs. He would jump up on the couch next to me and press his nose against me and look at me with his big brown eyes as if to ask "what are you waiting for?" Then I'd start petting him, and he'd roll over on his back and wag his tail and smile. All he wanted out of life was a good bowl of food and a person to cuddle with and give him belly rubs. And for a week, that's exactly what he got.

I thought Sal was perfect. He was good with other dogs, and fine with cats. He was friendly and easygoing and even though he was a deaf pit bull, I was sure he'd be able to find a home. I took him to meet a dog trainer so he could start working toward his Canine Good Citizen certification. He didn't even know how to sit on command, but with a little practice I thought he could learn quickly. The first incident happened when the trainer greeted him. He suddenly growled and then lunged at her for no apparent reason. We both thought it was odd. I hoped that it was just that he was excited - maybe he was trying to play. I had never seen any aggressive behavior from him and neither had the volunteers at the shelter where he came from. The trainer tried to figure out what caused it and tried to get him to react to her again, but the rest of the time he was calm and friendly. The event worried me, but I decided to just wait and test him with her again later to see what happened. We went back home and things went back to normal.

Until today, when we went to the vet's office. Sal needed some shots and a heartworm test before he'd be ready for adoption. The vet took Sal to the back and a few minutes later I heard a commotion. The vet then returned to tell me that Sal had growled and lunged at her during her exam. It was before she did anything invasive or painful, so she didn't know what had triggered him to act that way. This was the worst possible news. If Sal was aggressive with people, especially when we were unable to recognize what triggered the aggressive behavior, then he couldn't be safely adopted out. The fact that he'd been aggressive with two professionals - people who knew how to interact with dogs and could easily read their signals if they were uncomfortable - was a clear indicator that he could become aggressive again with anyone at any time. I didn't want to make the decision to have him euthanized. I wanted to believe he could be saved. I've saved dogs who were much more people aggressive than Sal - how could this be happening? But I knew that Sal was a special case because he didn't have any obvious triggers that made him become aggressive. The vet also believed that Sal may have had distemper and could be having mini-seizures when stressed. The cute sideways head tilt that I found adorable was a sign, the vet said. So was the silly air-licking that he did sometimes, and the funny gait, and the pacing. So after talking to the vet, the rescue group president, a trainer and the volunteer who drove him to me, I made the tough decision to let him go.

I petted Sal and gave him the hand sign for "okay" and "good dog" as the vet euthanized him. I'll miss him every day. This is the hardest part of rescue - the ones we can't save. Rest in peace, my Sal.

Introducing Oscar

2011-11-15T16:51:00.001-06:00

Recently I received an e-mail from someone looking for help with a deaf Boston Terrier. Since I love working with deaf dogs, I immediately offered to take him. The people who had rescued him weren't able to keep him, so after giving him a lot of love and attention, and getting him vetted, they contacted the rescue community for help. That's how I came to foster Oscar, a five or six year old Boston Terrier.

Oscar

Oscar has had a rough life. Before being rescued, he was moved around to several homes. At one point he was reportedly injured by one of his previous owners when they poured lighter fluid on him and set him on fire. He has a long scar on his back from this injury. He's a happy little guy though, and is quickly settling in here. He's doing great with the other dogs, and he will do just about anything for a belly rub.

I've started teaching Oscar some basic hand signs, and he is learning very quickly. It shouldn't take long for him to find a perfect forever home, but in the meantime we'll keep working on house-training and some basic obedience. I think as long as I keep those belly rubs coming, he'll be happy!

They're Laughing At Me

2011-11-13T10:42:00.001-06:00

I'm not being overly sensitive. I have proof that they're laughing at me. I try not to take it personally. I tell myself that they're laughing with me, not at me. But the problem is, I wasn't laughing.

You see, it all started when we were out in the backyard. The dogs were doing their thing - sniffing around, playing, and basically just having a good time. I was sitting on the deck and taking pictures. I was thinking about how much I loved each and every one of them, and how much I would miss them when they were gone. I thought about how happy they were and how hard it would be for them to leave and go somewhere new. And I started explaining to them about how they were going to be adopted, and how they would have wonderful new lives. And I said that I knew they would miss me... and then I saw their expressions. The more I talked about them leaving, the happier they looked. And by the end, when I said they would miss me, they started outright laughing at me!

Benny thought it was the funniest conversation ever.

Cooper did not seem worried about missing me.

I have such inconsiderate foster dogs. Happy, but inconsiderate of their foster mom's feelings. I hope they show a little more respect when they're adopted and their new families try to have a serious conversation with them.

Rescue Me Week: Ziggy

2011-11-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

I couldn't finish off Rescue Me Week without including Ziggy! Here are just two of 250 pets named Ziggy currently looking for their forever homes.

Ziggy #1 is a Boxer/Pit Bull Terrier mix at an all-breed rescue group in Virginia. He is two years old, and is house-trained and crate trained. Ziggy is very intelligent and social. He can be pushy with other dogs, and can be a bit too rough for young children. His listing says he's be a great agility dog. Ziggy knows basic obedience like sit, down, off and wait. He is said to be "a very smart boy and his new family needs to be pretty clever to stay a step ahead of him!".

Ziggy #2 is not all that different. He's at an all-breed rescue group in Missouri (currently being fostered by me!). He is also two years old, and is also house-trained and crate-trained. Like Ziggy #1, Ziggy #2 is also very intelligent and social. He can also be pushy with other dogs and needs a home without young children. He is a great agility dog - not the fastest dog out there, but he's not bad. He knows basic obedience just like Ziggy #1, and he is also "a very smart boy with a family who will need to stay a step ahead of him!" You can read more about Ziggy #2 on this blog or by visiting www.adoptziggy.com.

It's kind of amazing that over the past week, I could take five of my own foster pets and find five more adoptable pets out there that had so much in common with each one, AND shared the same name! Right now there are over 364,000 pets available for adoption on Petfinder.com. This doesn't even include the many other shelters and rescues who don't advertise their adoptable pets on Petfinder. This country still has a huge problem with unwanted pets. Thank you Mayzie for bringing together the blogging community to bring awareness to this problem.

I often try to keep this blog as a positive place - sharing the fun times, the funny things that happen, and the joy that I get from fostering. But there are times that rescue is heart-breaking. I know I can't save them all, but that doesn't make it any easier to walk away from those I can't save. I made this video to help others realize the need that is out there.

Youtube link: http://youtu.be/gbtq0ZaWj6o

Rescue Me Week: Molly

2011-11-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

Before I talk about two more adoptable pets, I have some exciting news. Belle, one of my FIV+ foster cats, has been adopted!! I brought home Belle in May, and she's been waiting patiently for a home for over six months now. Last week she received an adoption application, and yesterday she went to her new home! I know she's going to be so happy to have a quiet home where she gets all sorts of attention.

Now, to continue with Rescue Me Week, I'd like to feature Molly.

Molly #1 is a Pug/Miniature Pinscher mix in Missouri. She was turned in to a shelter, where she was scheduled to be euthanized due to some fear issues. I brought her home and found that once she felt safe, she is a sweet, loving dog. She loves to sleep near my feet, always under the covers. She is house-trained and has very good manners. Molly is good with other dogs and with cats, but needs a home without young children.

Molly #2 is a Miniature Pinscher mix in Kentucky. She also likes to snuggle under the covers with her foster mom! She is a happy little girl who loves to play. Molly #2 also needs a home without young children.

Both of these Mollys, along with 1,333 other pets named Molly, are waiting for homes. Of the 1,335 pets named Molly, two are birds, 452 are cats, 850 are dogs, 8 are horses, 13 are rabbits, and the rest are an assortment of ferrets, gerbils, guinea pigs, rats, and even a pot-bellied pig!

Rescue Me Week: Sal

2011-11-09T10:00:00.000-06:00

It's Rescue Me Week, and today I'd like to introduce you to Salvador, also known as Sal.

Sal #1 is an American Pit Bull Terrier in Illinois. He is eight months old, and is good with other dogs. He likes to roll around in the grass and cuddle up on blankets and pillows.

Sal #2 is an American Pit Bull Terrier who was also in Illinois - at least until this morning. Then he came to my house. Salvador is my newest foster dog. Special thanks to Linda who transported him to me! Sal #2 is about two years old, and he is deaf. He is extremely sweet and is settling in just fine. Being a pit bull and a deaf dog means Sal will have a much more difficult time being adopted, but I know he will make someone a wonderful pet. He is very friendly, does fine with cats, and so far has been absolutely perfect.

Both Sal #1 and Sal #2, along with 43 other pets named Sal or Salvador or Salvadore are looking for their forever homes!

Rescue Me Week: Scotty

2011-11-08T13:00:00.000-06:00

As part of Rescue Me Week, I'm featuring two adoptable pets each day. Today is Scotty's day!

Scotty #1 is a Domestic Short Hair buff colored cat. He has crinkled ears and he is FIV positive. Scotty is good with kids and friendly with other cats. He lives in Missouri. Currently he's taken over the cat tree in my room as his own personal territory. I believe he's planning to take that cat tree with him when he is adopted!

Scotty #2 is a Domestic Short Hair black and white cat. He also has crinkled ears, and he also is FIV positive. Scotty is good with kids and friendly with other cats. He lives in a foster home in California.

These two Scottys, along with 90 other dogs, cats and rabbits named Scotty, are waiting to be adopted.

It's Rescue Me Week!

2011-11-07T23:30:00.000-06:00

For the next five days, as part of Mayzie and her mom's awesome way to honor their Grampa J, I will be participating in Rescue Me Week. This means I'm going to pick an adoptable pet to feature each day. Since I already write about my foster pets, I thought it might be fun to find some adoptable pets who share a name with one of my fosters, and do a two-for-one feature. So today I'm going to feature two dogs named Bailey.

Bailey #1 is a female Golden Retreiver who was found as a stray and never claimed by her original owner. She is very sweet and loves attention. She lives in Missouri. Specifically, she lives at my house, and sleeps on my couch, at least for now.

Bailey #2 is a male Golden Retriever who was turned in by his owner. He is a senior dog who is also very sweet and loves belly rubs. He lives in a foster home in Florida.

Both of these dogs, along with 694 other adoptable dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, horses, ferrets and guinea pigs named Bailey, are waiting for homes!

Foster Pet Update

2011-11-06T23:24:00.000-06:00

There have been a few changes around here lately.

Elton the Shiba Inu/Shepherd mix has been adopted!
Benny the Beagle/Corgi mix has been adopted!
Thumper the Bearded Collie mix has been adopted!
Kirby the funny looking kitten has been adopted!
Pogo the cat is on a trial adoption!
Roo the American Pit Bull Terrier mix is now being fostered by a new foster volunteer.
Cookie the Beagle mix puppy returned to her original foster home. She came here because she was having some problems with getting along with other dogs, but now she's doing really well so she got to go back to her original foster family.

At this point perhaps you're thinking that I must be getting lonely with all of these foster pets gone. But don't worry about me -- I'm keeping busy with these additional changes:

Morgan the escape artist Puggle is back at my house because she kept breaking out of the fence and escaping at her foster-to-adopt home.

Morgan and Gonzo

Cooper is a Black Lab mix who was turned into rescue by his owners once he became too big. He and his littermate had lived their entire lives outside and never had any training, so when they saw their people they would jump up and knock down the kids, so the family decided to get rid of them. I took Cooper and another foster home has his brother. Now they're living in homes for the first time in their lives, learning manners and looking for a new family.

Cooper

Bailey is a Golden Retriever mix who was turned in to Animal Control as a stray. She had no tags, no microchip, and no one ever came looking for her, so we pulled her, had her spayed, a bad tooth was removed, and she has been treated for ear infections in both ears. She's doing great now and already has several adoption applications!

Bailey

I also had a very short-term foster dog - a Miniature Daschund/Beagle puppy came to stay for a few days, but then she was stolen. Okay, she wasn't really stolen. Another foster home offered to take her. I knew the other foster home would be good for her because she would get more one-on-one attention. And it would help me to have one less foster and not have to take off work to get her to the vet. But oh how I miss that puppy! Her name is now Paisley and she is doing very well in her new foster home.

Sometimes I'm Mean to Molly

2011-11-02T17:02:00.000-05:00

Molly is a Puggle/Min-Pin mix that I am fostering. Generally I tend to err on the side of being too lenient with my fosters, but I do have to admit that I am occasionally mean to Molly. I can't help it - she's just so cute when she's out in the backyard and wants to come in. Most of the dogs will either bark or scratch at the door to come inside, but Molly doesn't do either of those things. Instead, I will happen to glance over and see a bouncing dog who doesn't make a sound, but bounces up and down like a jumping bean. And she's so funny that instead of being nice and letting her in as she requested, I like to stand there and watch her bounce for a minute. I know, it's mean. She just wants to come inside, and instead I stand inside the house and laugh at her. But I bet you would too. Pictures can't quite capture the true experience.

Ready for takeoff...

Going up...

"Hellooooo...I'm waiting to come in!"

It's almost as fun to watch another dog watching Molly...

Morgan saying "what in the world are you doing??"

Do any of you know any bouncing jumping bean dogs?

Adoption Events: What's Involved

2011-10-31T15:25:00.000-05:00

Every Saturday, and even some Sundays, we hold adoption events to try to find our foster pets a home. In case you've never been to a pet adoption event, I thought I'd share with you what is involved.

Gonzo and Molly wait quietly at an adoption event.

First, you need crates. Wire crates are best, because they make it easier to see the dogs and cats than the plastic travel-type crates. Crate liners (brightly colored fabric cloth that covers the bottom of the tray) are great, especially when you have a dark colored dog. I have no crate liners, and many other groups don't either, so if you're looking for a good volunteer opportunity, and you can sew, there ya go. Bandanas are also good. I usually forget to put these on my fosters, but I remembered on the day this picture was taken. It's also important to remember to take the leash off of any dog who might decide it makes a good chew toy. I've learned this the hard way. More than once.

Whenever possible, hold a dog out of the crate so people can easily notice him or her and pet him or her. This makes the animals much more approachable to people, and really helps them get adopted. See, doesn't Cookie look very approachable in this picture? (We won't discuss the fact that after three adoption events she still isn't yet adopted...sigh).

Cookie, looking approachable

They make all sorts of "Adopt Me" bandanas and vests and collars for dogs - these are always popular. They also make vests to collect donations, and we often get more donations when one of our dogs is wearing this vest than when we only have the standard donation box available.

The ever-helpful Roo collecting donations.

Adoption events are mostly the same. We set up at an area PetSmart store and wait. People come by and pet the dogs and cats. Most of them make at least one of the three following statements:
"I wish I could take him but I already have "x number" of dogs or cats at home."
"If I could afford to, I would take you all home!" (Speaking to the cats/dogs, not the volunteers - I think)
"If my house was bigger/If I lived in the country, I would have "x number" of dogs or cats."

I think maybe they feel guilty for not adopting because most of the animals turn on their best "please save me" faces while they're in their crates. What the people don't realize is that the pathetic looks are the dogs' way of trying to get people to let them out of their crates and pet them. The dogs have no idea that people think they're begging for a home.

Gonzo practicing his pathetic look.

Many new volunteers get overzealous and try to convince every person walking by that they should take home one of these pathetic-looking animals. I have learned that it's a bad idea to guilt someone into adopting a dog or cat, because as soon as the guilt wears off, the dog or cat will most likely be returned to us! Still, I have been known to offer cash rewards to anyone who is willing to adopt Ziggy and keeps him (no takers yet). The most important thing about volunteering at an adoption event is to pay attention to the foster pets and to the people who may be interested in them, because you never know when one of the many visitors will actually be looking for a new member of the family and might choose one of your foster pets!
In addition to talking to people who walk by and answering questions about the foster pets, we also take dogs out for potty breaks (or clean up messes if they aren't taken out in time!), let the foster dogs play with each other, complete adoption paperwork for any adoptions, and just spend time with the animals. Most of the foster parents who bring their pets stay at these events so they can answer questions about their fosters, and we also have several volunteers who don't foster but are available to help with adoption events. These volunteers are so greatly appreciated because adoption events are a lot of work, and setting up for the event, taking care of the dogs during the event, and taking everything back down at the end of the day is exhausting. So if you can't foster but want to help, you can inquire of your local shelter or rescue group if they need help at adoption events.

Adoption events are a lot of work, but I always enjoy them. Not only do my foster pets get a chance to find a home, but I get to spend a day surrounded by good friends. So next time you see a shelter or rescue group at your area PetSmart or PetCo stores, stop by to visit the dogs, drop a dollar in the donation box if you can, and remember that there is a cash incentive being offered to whomever adopts Ziggy. He'll be waiting with his best pathetic look!

Pleeease adopt me!

Ziggy Gets Mail

2011-10-27T16:54:00.000-05:00

Recently Ziggy received four (yes, FOUR) packages in the mail. They were addressed to Ziggy Superstar, and Ziggy immediately knew that meant him. The packages were from Ziggy's friend Hannah, who has been following him on the blog and wanted to send him a care package. Ziggy immediately tore into the box.

"I'll just open this right now!"

He was so excited to find that all four boxes were full of various dog chews just for him! There were some old favorites like rawhides, and new favorites like Moozles. There were elk and moose antlers, venison shins, bully sticks and many other varieties of dog chews. Hannah said that Ziggy could share his treats with the other dogs, but since Ziggy has to spend so much time in his crate, I am saving all the treats for him so that he doesn't get so bored while crated.

"This Moozle is really good!"

He's also discovered where the boxes of treats are sitting on the counter, and has tried a few times to help himself.

"I can almost reach them..."

I think Hannah has managed to really brighten Ziggy's days! He's getting one chew bone a day and he really looks forward to "treat time". Each time I give him a chew, I tell him "This is from Hannah" and he says "Can she adopt me?" Okay maybe he doesn't really say that. But if Hannah didn't live so far away, I think I would be saying that. Thank you Hannah for caring so much about one very special homeless dog who has to spend too much time alone in his crate with nothing to do. Thanks to you, he will have something fun to occupy him for quite some time!

Living In Beagle World

2011-10-24T23:37:00.000-05:00

It's a whole new world around here. It started out with just a Puggle mix, or two. Somehow they kept coming. First Beagles mixed with Pugs, then a Beagle mixed with Pug and Min-Pin, then an adorable puppy that was a Beagle mixed with no-one-knows-what, and now a Beagle mixed with Corgi. I'm currently fostering four Beagle mixes and a Ziggy, who has the same scent-obsession as a Beagle. It's a strange experience having all of these dogs around who are all so much alike. I enjoy fostering a variety of breeds, but it's kind of fun to have so many fosters that are at least part-Beagle right now. Here are my current foster dogs:

Gonzo is a Puggle - a Beagle/Pug mix. This guy will do absolutely anything for food. He's not picky either - if it's even slightly edible, he'll eat it. He's my old man - he's only four years old, but he's happy just eating and sleeping most of the time. He puts up with the other dogs, and even the cats sleeping on him and getting in his way, and he never does anything except a slight grumble from time to time. He is my easiest foster dog right now because he's house-trained and listens well, and never does anything wrong. This means he'll probably not be around for very long.

Molly is a Beagle/Pug/Miniature Pinscher mix. She is my most challenging beagle-mix. I blame the Min-Pin in her. Molly is easily frightened, and she's learned that the best defense is a good offense. She will snarl, bark, growl, and become aggressive if she feels trapped. But once she's learned to trust, it's a different story. She's now so attached to me that she follows me everywhere. She even sleeps in bed by burrowing under the covers so she can make sure she'll know if I move. She is slowly learning to trust other people, and may someday find her very own home!

Cookie is a Beagle mix pup who was misbehaving in her previous foster home. As is sometimes typical of puppies who had to fight for every piece of food that they could get, Cookie came into foster care with some resource guarding issues, where she would guard her food and her crate and anything else that she feared might be taken away from her. So since I've had some practice with this issue (thanks to Ziggy), and since I had no other puppies for her to bully, I took her in to work with her. She's doing very well now and will hopefully find her forever family soon.

This is Benny, my newest foster dog. Benny is supposed to be a Beagle/Corgi mix. He's definitely part Beagle! Benny came in as a stray from a very rural area. He is a little bit shy of new people, but has quickly settled in here and enjoys playing with the other dogs and Charlie the kitten. We're now working on house-training and I'm hoping to teach him that chewing on the kitten's tail is not a good way of playing. Charlie the kitten isn't the type to complain when a dog wants to chew on him.

Okay so he's not a Beagle. But Ziggy has a nose that could rival any Beagle, when it comes to sniffing out food. I took this picture of Ziggy at his agility class tonight. If he looks happy, it's because to him agility is all about doing things to get food. Jump over some jumps and get food. Go through some tunnels or over some obstacles and get food. It's all so much fun!

Message From Ziggy

2011-10-22T17:00:00.000-05:00

I just heard that today is the national Pit Bull Awareness Day. I have to say, I'm rather sad about how I've been treated today. No one has acknowledged my presence. My foster mom got up early to go to an adoption event, and she left me at home. Alone. In my crate. She didn't even leave me a chew bone. Oh wait, yes she did. But I ate it so fast I almost forgot about it. Does anyone remember me, here all alone? I'm a pit bull. Today's my day. Where is the awareness?

Ha ha - Did I fool ya? I'm not really sad! I am sure that I am one of the luckiest homeless pit bulls in the entire city of Foley, MO. I get to do agility and go on walks and I even get really yummy chew bones and treats from people sometimes. I have lots of friends and people who care about me. There are a lot of homeless pit bulls that don't have any of those things. Please remember that being a pit bull doesn't make a dog bad or scary. And please be aware of all the other homeless pit bulls out there, who are not allowed to be adopted because of laws against their breed. Happy Pit Bull Awareness Day!

Introducing Cookie

2011-10-21T23:29:00.000-05:00

She's about four months old.
She's a Beagle mix puppy.
She loves to play with Charlie the kitten.
She is a little bit shy around people.
She needs a home!

Best Adoption Weekend Ever

2011-10-17T22:33:00.000-05:00

At least, it's the best adoption weekend we've had in as long as I can remember, which granted, isn't all that long. Still, we had ten dog adoptions on Saturday, which has to be some kind of record for our rescue group. I went camping with some friends and missed the whole event, but the two foster dogs that I sent with another volunteer were both adopted. Here's the scoop on my fosters:

Gonzo

Miley the Puggle was adopted on Saturday! I talked to her new family today and they said they love her and she's doing great. This is good timing, since I just brought her littermate Gonzo home on Sunday. Gonzo was at another foster home but needed a new place to go, so since I've become Puggle Central lately, I took him home. He's so much like Miley that it seems like there hasn't even been a change in fosters.

Einstein

The other foster dog that was adopted is Einstein. Einstein was my newest foster - I only had him for a week. Einstein is a two year old Pomeranian/Sheltie mix (a designer breed mix known as a Poshie). He was the friendliest, happiest little guy. He was rescued from a very rural animal control facility, and he loved everyone he met. He had a few bad habits, so I'm hoping that his new owners will be patient with him and his adoption will work out.

Eight other dogs also found their new homes on Saturday!

Keeping Track

2011-10-11T00:00:00.000-05:00

When I have a lot of foster animals, it can be a challenge to keep track of all of their adoption/medical records, any medication they are on, when their heartworm preventative and flea/tick preventative is due, and where anyone should be at any time. I have a bag that I take to adoption events that contains all of the adoption paperwork and medical records. I have a whiteboard in my kitchen that keeps track of when my fosters' heartworm and flea/tick preventative was last given:

And the rest of the info is just stored in my slightly overfull brain. For example, my current mental list for fostering contains the following information:
Two kittens need dropped off at PetSmart in the morning.
Einstein, my newest foster dog, needs dropped off at the vet in the morning and picked up after work.
Elton needs dropped off at another volunteer's home in the morning so he can attend a meet-and-greet with a potential adopter.
Pogo needs to go to PetSmart on Wednesday to meet a potential adopter.
Thumper needs a dental scheduled at the vet.
Roo needs to have her stitches taken out from her spay surgery.
Miley needs to go to PetSmart on Saturday to meet a potential adopter.
Need to follow up with Morgan's foster mom and see how she is doing.
Need to follow up with Roxy's new family to see how she is doing.

Trying to keep track of all of this may explain why on most days I can no longer remember my own name! However it's all worth it every time one of these previously homeless pets finds a forever home. This weekend Audrey the Shih Tzu was adopted, and Thumper the Bearded Collie went to a foster-to-adopt home. I saw both Bosco and Farley, two previous foster dogs, shopping with their families. They were both doing great. Also, Bunny the Bichon from a puppy mill was officially adopted!

Introducing Roo and Audrey

2011-10-06T16:41:00.000-05:00

This is my newest foster dog.

I named her Roo. She's very sweet, and she has sad eyes and large ears. Roo was picked up as a stray by an area animal control facility. She is around four years old, and she is very laid back. She does really well with the other dogs, and completely ignores the cats, so she's no problem here at all. This is good since she is a pit bull and will probably be here awhile.

Ever since she arrived, Roo almost always has either a bone or a stuffed toy in her mouth. She learned her new name right away, and already knows how to sit on command. She is house-trained and comes when called. So far she has absolutely no bad habits, but I figure if she hangs around here very much, Ziggy is sure to teach her a thing or two.

Audrey is my other newest foster dog, although she's only here until Saturday when she's being adopted! Audrey is a two year old Shih Tzu, and is great with other dogs, although she thinks that cats are great fun to bark at and chase. She is such a happy little girl - it's hard to believe that just a month ago she was scheduled to be euthanized at an area shelter.

There are so many purebred, young, well behaved dogs in shelters that are euthanized instead of being saved. Audrey and Roo are two of the few lucky ones that make it out alive. They're now enjoying the comfort of a foster home until they are adopted!

Ziggy Wins An Award

2011-10-05T14:22:00.000-05:00

I recently took Ziggy to an area fundraiser so he could participate in the agility demonstration. While we were there, Ziggy entered the "Best Trick" contest and did his prayer that all the homeless pets would find homes. This is a picture of him doing this trick at an adoption event earlier this year:

Ziggy won second place in the contest and received a medal!

Highlights of the past week...

2011-10-04T13:40:00.000-05:00

September 27th - Went to an area shelter to drop off Harry and pick up Molly and two more FIV+ cats. Harry is a previous foster dog that wasn't doing well here with the other fosters, and since we currently have no other foster homes available to take him, he is temporarily staying at the shelter. Molly wasn't doing well at the shelter so she became my foster dog. And since this shelter doesn't adopt out FIV+ cats, I brought home Scotty and Charley until room opens up at another area no-kill shelter that has a free-roaming adoption room for just FIV+ cats.

Scotty

Charley

They have joined the rest of my foster cats - Kirby, Bandit, Belle, Thomas, and Pogo. Mercury, Kona and Kimba have all been adopted!

September 28th - Went back to the shelter and picked up Thumper, a Bearded Collie mix. She's eight years old and very sweet.

Thumper

September 29th - Helped set up the All Paws garage sale fundraiser. Got to do some pre-sale shopping. Spent more money than I had planned.

September 30th - Got up at 4:30 a.m. for the garage sale. Spent most of the day trying to stay awake. Bought more items and spent even more money. Realized I ran out of checks and had no cash. Blamed it on lack of sleep and wrote an IOU.

October 1st - Went to the Purina Pet Project Event. Ziggy got to join the Purina Dog Show and pray for all the animals to find homes. I didn't actually see anyone get adopted at the event, so I'm hoping that's not Ziggy's fault. We had a great time and I met some wonderful people.

October 2nd - Held a small adoption event at PetSmart. No one was adopted, and I came home completely exhausted. Brought home Audrey, a temporary foster dog who is already scheduled to be adopted as soon as she is vetted.

October 3rd - Got up early and dropped off Audrey and Carlos, another All Paws dog, at the vet. Went back home and worked for several hours. Went back to the vet with Elton and Thumper for their exams, and then took all four dogs with me to the shelter to pick up Roo, another foster dog. Came home and got Roo introduced to everyone else. Left and took Ziggy to Agility class. Came home and collapsed. Got a good night's sleep surrounded by Miley, Molly, Elton, Thumper, Roo, Audrey, Pogo and Charley.

Special Events

2011-09-29T21:45:00.000-05:00

This weekend is going to be very busy! If you're looking for something fun to do, join us at one of these special events:
All Paws Rescue Garage Sale
Friday and Saturday
7:00am - ???
533 Rascal Crossing, O'Fallon MO

Purina Pet Project Event
Saturday
10:00am - 2:00pm
Purina Farms

Hope to see you there!

Introducing Molly and Kirby

2011-09-27T19:16:00.000-05:00

Because it's Puggle Season, and because she had nowhere else to go, today I brought home this girl:

Molly

Molly is a Puggle mix who was adopted out as a puppy, and the people who adopted her failed to socialize her. She's been bounced around from one home to another, and recently was turned in to a shelter. The shelter scheduled her to be euthanized because she has shown aggression. She is very hand shy and insecure. I said I'd give her a try at my house and if she was too aggressive we'd have to make the tough decision to have her euthanized. She's been here for three whole hours now and I'm pretty sure that she's not going anywhere except to an adoptive home eventually. She's very sweet. She acts a lot like Miley, except that she does startle very easily. We will have to find just the right adoptive home for her, and until then I'll be working a lot with her to boost her confidence and teach her better ways to handle her fear. Right now she's curled up next to me on the couch as I type, and Miley is curled up on her other side. I think she's going to fit in just fine.

Kirby, on the other hand, is a different story altogether. I wasn't looking for a foster pet like Kirby. But when I went to the shelter last week and saw him, I had to rescue him. He's been at the shelter for three months! He's been featured as the "Pet of the Week" twice, and still no one picked him. I can't understand why... one glance and I was in love with this very strange looking creature....

Kirby

Can you guess what he is?

If you guessed a very unique looking kitten, you are correct!

I've never seen a kitten with black fur with silver tips. His tail is almost all silver. He's gorgeous and extremely friendly - he starts purring as soon as I touch him. I'm in love.

Anticipation

2011-09-26T23:42:00.000-05:00

I always feel a bit excited when I agree to take in a new foster. Since so many of my foster dogs have found homes recently, I've been able to finally say "yes" to some recent requests for help. But it's hard to know for sure who I will end up with. Another rescuer and I went to a shelter together recently. There were three dogs that we offered to take if they were to run out of time. The first dog is a cute black/brown Dobie mix who may be rescued by a breed-specific rescue group, but if not, we offered to take her. The next dog is a young Lab mix who is still on hold to see if the owner turns up - if not, and if he isn't adopted, we may get him too. And the third dog is a beautiful Border Collie who is running out of time. We're waiting for the Border Collie to be cat-tested to see whether I will get him or my friend will get him. So worst case, we may be getting three dogs from this shelter. Then there's the lady in southern Missouri who often sends us dogs. She has a Beagle-Corgi mix and another Beagle who need rescue. They'll be here in a week or two I think. So we're up to five dogs - between the two of us, that isn't bad. And we have another foster home who can take one of the dogs probably. But of course as soon as we agree to take these dogs, other dogs start coming in. My friend received a request from a friend of hers who had picked up two dogs on the highway - they'll be here in about three weeks. And I received a request from a friend who had a stray dog show up at her house - he'll probably be coming my way. And oh yes, there are two returns coming back in the next few days. Let's see - that puts us up to ten new foster dogs between the two of us. Of course that's a worst case scenario - most likely we'll end up with only four or five of these dogs, and hopefully by the time we get the last of them, we'll have had a few more adoptions to give us more space. But in the meantime, I'm going to stop scouring the Internet for deaf dogs needing help, and start stocking up on dog food. I just hope one of these new foster dogs shows up soon, because I am impatiently waiting!

Amazing Adoptions

2011-09-25T15:31:00.000-05:00

The main reason I foster is because I love helping dogs go from awful circumstances to awesome homes. This week has been especially amazing with adoptions.

My foster dog Ellie, pictured here before she was released from a shelter, was originally picked up as a stray and scheduled to be euthanized. She was very shy and fearful.

After a few weeks in foster care, she's a totally different dog. She's been spayed and vaccinated and learned to walk on a leash and feel safe around people. And now she's been adopted and is loving her new life with her new family.

Next it Tulsa, the deaf Australian Cattle Dog who's been bounced around her entire life. A cattle dog is not an easy breed to keep for a pet, and no matter how much people say they can handle the high drive and high intensity of a cattle dog, they often change their minds after a few weeks or months. In Tulsa's case, she's been through several homes and kept coming back to foster care, until now. Tulsa went to a foster-to-adopt home a few weeks ago, and yesterday we made the adoption official. I really like her new mom, and feel confident that this home will be her forever home! Tulsa is living with another cattle dog, so I know her family is familiar with the breed, and they are very in love with Tulsa. We couldn't ask for a better home for her.

And one more amazing adoption this week was Roxy the American Pit Bull Terrier. Roxy is a wonderful dog - good with people, other dogs, cats - she's just very friendly! This is Roxy with another All Paws volunteer.

As you can see, Roxy loves to give kisses. Roxy always was happy to wear the donation vest at adoption events. She earned her Canine Good Citizen certification while in foster care, and she became my best friend. It was really hard to let Roxy go - she's an amazing dog, and I miss her every day. But I know that right now she has a new best friend - a 19 year old who just loves her. And although she will always have a very special place in my heart, her adoption means I'm able to save another pit bull now that would otherwise be euthanized.

In addition to all of these adoptions, I have one more exciting announcement. No, Ziggy is not being adopted. But Bunny the feral Bichon just went into a foster-to-adopt home! Bunny made a lot of progress while in foster care. She learned to enjoy cheese, dog treats, and dog chews. She learned that people weren't as scary as she originally thought. She got started on house-training and leash training. She learned to chase cats (even though I never taught her this, she loves it!). Her personality really came out, and she became very attached to me, and would even come greet me and let me pet her. She still has a long way to go, but her new foster family is willing to give it a try and see how she does. They have another Bichon and two Westies that they've rescued, and that will help Bunny a lot to feel safe with other dogs around. I am hopeful that this will work out and Bunny will have her very own home for the first time in her life.

Feral Felines and Parvo Puppies

2011-09-22T09:00:00.000-05:00

The rescue group I volunteer with recently took in a litter of puppies, and five of them came down with a deadly virus called Parvo. This is the same virus that Ziggy had when I first brought him home. Parvovirus takes five to ten days to show symptoms after being infected, so dogs often acquire this in shelters and then carry it into a foster home with them. To make matters worse, shortly after the five puppies were treated (at a cost of over $3000!), we took in more puppies and they also came down with the virus. The newest pups were taken in to a different foster home, so it was not spread from the first puppies, and they came in from a different shelter, so there was no way to know that they had also been exposed. But four more puppies became sick, and the vet bills are going up and up.

Rescuing animals isn't cheap, and small groups like ours rely solely on the donations of individuals, so we're all doing whatever we can to help raise the funds to pay for the parvo puppies' vet bills. We have a fund raiser garage sale coming up, and we're also raffling off a quilt. These vet bills were on my mind when I received an e-mail from another rescuer.

She told me about a lady who had been doing everything she could to care for some stray and feral cats near her home. The lady had paid to have them all spayed or neutered, and had rescued many of the kittens and gotten them into foster homes until they could be adopted. She had two kittens left and was willing to make a large donation to anyone who would help with them. The problem was the kittens were both around seven months old, and they were fearful of people. They would need a lot of work before they could be placed for adoption. I thought about how much work it would take, and then I thought about our vet bills, and then I thought about those kittens that might end up living outside if no one would help them, and then I thought about the lady who had gone to so much trouble and expense to save them. And then I said yes, we would take them. So now this lady has not only helped to save these two kittens, she's also helping to save several puppies with parvo! And as for the two kittens, well, they're slowly adjusting to life in a home. One of the kittens has gone to another foster home to live with an expert in cat socialization. The other kitten is currently with me, although another very experienced cat foster mom has offered to take him, so I'm not sure how long he'll be here. But I've sort of fallen in love with him, so hopefully it will be for awhile. I named him Bandit, and he finally purred for me for the first time today!

Socializing semi-feral cats is a multi-step process. The first step was to separate them - check. Next, I added some Feliway to help them feel calm - check. Next step, teach them to be comfortable around me by bribing them with canned food and treats - check. Also, pet other cats around them so they see that i'm not so scary - check. I'm not sure if that really helps or not, but it doesn't hurt! Next, hold them and pet them and teach them that human attention is a good thing. This is the step we've been working on. Bandit is comfortable with me in the room, and he's okay with me holding and petting him (once I catch him), but he doesn't like it when I approach him. I am keeping him in a "cat playpen" when I can't be with him, but spend some time each evening letting him run around and he's finally comfortable enough to let me take pictures while he explores the room. The more time I spend with Bandit, the more I love him. I don't have a lot of experience with taming cats, but it seems that it's not that different than taming a feral Bichon. Already Bandit leans into my hand when I pet him, and I'm pretty sure that the whole bribery with canned food is starting to really pay off, because he seems to look forward to my visits instead of trying to hide. Hopefully it won't be long before he becomes comfortable around people and gets to have his own home and his own family.

Re-Introducing Mercury

2011-09-21T14:40:00.000-05:00

In May 2009 I took in a litter of 12 week old kittens, and named them after planets. Mercury is the gray kitten on the right.

He has always been very outgoing and social. He likes other cats, he likes dogs, and he loves people. This is Mercury bossing around a foster puppy that I had when he was a kitten. He was very good at it.

Mercury was adopted out two years ago, but was recently was returned when his mom and dad got divorced. He's grown up to be a beautiful cat, and should not have too much trouble being adopted even as an adult.

Mercury is currently living at a local PetSmart store while he waits to be adopted. My previous foster kittens Kona and Kimba were both adopted from the store recently! I am hoping that Mercury has the same experience and gets a great home quickly, because he is much too outgoing to be happy living in a cage. The volunteers that take care of the cats at the store will have their hands full because he is extremely affectionate and extremely energetic!

Ziggy Takes On A Wild Dog Pack

2011-09-18T12:29:00.000-05:00

Ziggy is one tough dog. He recently stood up to a pack of wild dogs, all on his own. He wasn't scared. He didn't need backup. Ziggy can hold his own. I was nearby monitoring this pack of wild dogs and was able to capture some photographs to share with you.

It all started with Ziggy just walking along, carrying a toy and minding his own business. Then a huge, vicious wild dog approached him from behind.

The wild dog has brought along a pack of dogs, all there with one intention - to steal Ziggy's toy. They quickly surrounded him so he had nowhere to escape.

They repeatedly tried tackling him.

One member of the wild dog pack even used a rather rude method to try to dominate and distract Ziggy, but even that didn't work.

Finally, the wild dog pack managed to get Ziggy to drop the toy, and quickly stole it from him.

That didn't last long though, because Ziggy immediately tried to steal it back, and an impromptu game of tug broke out.

In the end, the toy was not quite strong enough, and one member of the wild dog pack ended up with a headless duck for a toy, while Ziggy happily carried off a duck head as a prize.

Disclaimer: Please do not try this at home. These dogs were closely monitored during their play session to make sure the play did not escalate into aggression. No dogs were harmed during the making of this blog post. One stuffed duck toy was harmed, so please send donations of dog toys to All Paws Rescue at PO Box 1274, O'Fallon MO 63366.

Living With Fourteen Dogs and Cats

2011-09-16T12:14:00.000-05:00

As one of my friends recently pointed out, only in the rescue world does it seem normal to live with seven dogs and seven cats. That's how many I have right now, although the numbers change a bit from day to day. My house is divided by baby gates, and each room has a purpose related to the animals. One room is currently occupied by several dog crates where Ziggy, Miley, Elton and Ellie sleep and eat their meals. They also stay there when I'm not home. The rest of their time is spent with me in the living room or outside. The other three dogs - Harry, Roxy and Bunny - currently have crates in the living room. Harry just came back from a foster-to-adopt home which didn't work out for him. His crate is in the living room so he can get used to the other dog's presence and they can get used to him. Bunny is in the living room because that's where I spend most of my time and I want her to get used to me. Her crate door is never closed but she feels safe in her crate so she spends most of her time in the crate by choice. And Roxy is only in her crate at meal times, but I've found it's convenient to leave her crate in the living room in case one of the dogs needs a short time-out when they're playing. The living room is basically one very large room consisting of a living area, dining area, and kitchen area. This leaves a lot of floor space for the dogs to run around and play. There are also several good spots for the cats to hide if the dogs get a bit over exuberant. I only foster cat-friendly dogs, but occasionally one of the dogs will think chasing a cat is a terrific idea. Hiding behind the couch or sitting up above them on the top of a cabinet is a great relief to the cats at times. Of course they have their own spaces too. I have one room currently used only for a new cat to settle in and get accustomed to the house prior to introducing him to the other cats. Then there is another room blocked off by a baby gate (so the cats can jump over and have freedom but they dogs can't get in). That room has the cat trees, food, cat toys, and all other things that are too tempting for dogs to stay away from. Of course the cats don't spend much time in that room - they prefer my bedroom. Right now only Roxy has been allowed to sleep on my bed at night, plus of course the cats. And during the day no dogs are allowed in the room but again the cats take it over. All in all, everyone seems quite happy. At least it's much better than the alternative of a shelter while they wait for their forever homes.

Speaking of forever homes, Tulsa recently went out on a foster-to-adopt situation which is so far going very well! And Roxy has a home visit scheduled for this weekend, so she may have her forever home soon also. Harry also has a home visit to be scheduled, and he may only be back for a short time. Now if only Ziggy or Bunny would find their forever homes!

Here is a short video of the dogs enjoying the nice weather:

It's Puggle Season

2011-09-13T21:17:00.000-05:00

Okay, I'm not exactly sure Puggle Season is a real thing... but somehow I've gone four years without ever fostering a Puggle, to suddenly fostering two within the same month. Where are all these Puggles coming from? Puggles are a designer breed mix of a Pug and a Beagle. The ones I have met all have the spirit of a Pug plus the affectionate nature of a Beagle plus the self-confidence of a world-class athlete. In other words, these dogs may soon be taking over the world.

My latest Puggle is named Miley. She's four years old, and she's almost as food motivated as Ziggy. This means she will spend hours searching the house looking for any stray kibble. It keeps her out of trouble, so I've started hiding kibble all around the house in order to give her something to do.

Miley had a medical condition known as 'cherry eye' so she had to have eye surgery. This means she has to wear the cone of shame for seven days.

However I recently caught her doing some amazing world-class athletic stretching maneuvers that allowed her to use her back leg to reach around the cone and still scratch at her eye. Fortunately her eye seems to be healing well in spite of this unauthorized behavior, so she should be ready for adoption by this weekend. And hopefully there's someone out there who won't be able to resist this face.

Catching Up; Introducing Ellie and Elton

2011-09-09T15:55:00.000-05:00

I have a lot of foster dogs right now. I'm pretty much at the maximum number of fosters I can adequately care for without losing my mind. So I was really excited on Saturday when Morgan the Puggle went to a foster-to-adopt home. I checked in with Morgan's new mom and was so glad to hear that she's doing very well. We talked a lot about Morgan's separation anxiety before they took her home, but I was still concerned that it would be an issue. So it was exciting to hear that Morgan is fitting in quite well, and her new mom is willing to be patient with her and help her to adjust. She said "I like to think of Morgan more as having really attentive bodyguard tendencies than separation anxiety". I love that.

Teddy the Poodle also went to a foster-to-adopt home. Usually a dog like Teddy would have just been adopted instead of being fostered first, but in this case the family who wanted him has children with dog allergies, so this is a good way for them to be sure the children are not too allergic to him. So far everything is going well.

Kona and Kimba the kittens went up to stay at PetSmart in hopes that they will find forever homes. Kimba had a bad habit of waking me up at 4am each morning by licking my face and purring non-stop. When I would put the pillow over my face, she's start pulling my hair with her teeth, while still purring. When I pushed her off the bed 15 times in a row, she just kept coming back. I am sleeping much better at night now that the kittens are at PetSmart.

Tulsa the deaf Australian Cattle Dog and Roxy the American Pit Bull Terrier both have applications pending on them. Both dogs are challenging to place into homes because of their breeds, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up that they'll be adopted. The family who wants Tulsa has another ACD so they're familiar with the breed, but at the initial meeting the two dogs didn't do so well together, so we'll let them meet again this weekend and see how it goes. Roxy gets along with everyone, but the family who wants her has a dog who is picky about his dog friends, so we'll have to see how they do together first. So within the next week we should find out if even one of these very-hard-to-place dogs soon has a forever home!

So since many of my fosters have left or are in the process of leaving, you're probably wondering who all these dogs are that are keeping me on the edge of insanity. Have you met Ziggy? He alone can keep anyone on the edge... Oh wait. I mean, let me introduce you to Ellie and Elton.

Elton

Ellie

Elton and Ellie came from a high-kill shelter in a nearby county. They are under a year old, and are silly, happy dogs. They're probably going to be very quick adoptions, because they're both rather small (under 25 pounds) and so incredibly sweet. We're not sure what breeds they're made up of, but Ellie acts a lot like Tulsa, so I'm betting there is some Australian Cattle Dog in there somewhere. They do great with the other dogs and the cats here, and are a lot of fun to have around.

Group Photo

2011-09-08T00:09:00.000-05:00

I recently took the opportunity to take a short nap on the couch, and even after I got up, most of the dogs and cats stayed where they were, so I took a group picture.

Please note that Teddy the poodle's preferred sleeping spot is on top of my pillow, whether I'm using it or not. Also please note the woebegone look on the face of Roxy and Morgan. Perhaps this is because they knew that things are changing around here. Less than a week later, three of the five foster pets in this picture are no longer here, and the last two both have adoption applications pending! In addition, I have three new foster dogs here, and two new foster cats on the way. I'll have more details soon, so stay tuned.

Teddy Gets A Haircut

2011-09-01T19:28:00.000-05:00

Teddy used to look fluffy. His fur was very matted, so another rescue volunteer shaved him down for me. This is Teddy before he was shaved.

This is Teddy after he was shaved. Please note the large pile of fur on the table next to Teddy. This large pile of fur used to be part of Teddy. Now it is not.

Teddy is now about half the size he used to be.

Wordless Wednesday

2011-08-31T22:27:00.000-05:00

Happy....

Happy...

Happy... (and shaved!)

Grumpy.

Foster Updates; Introducing Teddy

2011-08-28T12:05:00.000-05:00

I've been very busy the past few weeks, so now I have a lot to share! In no particular order, here are some recent happenings:

* Harry the American Bulldog/Lab mix went to a foster-to-adopt home. This is a great option for someone who is not sure if they're ready for a dog or who wants some time to make sure the dog will work with their household. They foster the dog, and if it works well, they adopt the dog, and if it doesn't work well they either keep fostering until the dog is adopted or return the dog to his original foster home. I am hopeful that Harry will do very well in his new foster home.

* Maddie the Australian Shepherd went to another foster home who fell in love with her when they saw her. Maddie has had her surgery and is now recovering. She was able to keep her leg (there was some concern that they may have to remove it) and will now be able to run and walk without being in pain. She's doing great in her new foster home and quickly learning all about living in a home and being spoiled.

* All of the Beagle/Shih Tzu/Brussels Griffon puppies have been adopted.

* Roxy the pit bull has had two adoption applications on her this week. One family lives in a city that requires a six foot fence for pit bulls, which they do not have. The other lives in a city that doesn't allow pit bulls. So Roxy is still stuck with me, but neither of us are complaining. Today she takes her Canine Good Citizen test.

* Tulsa the deaf Australian Cattle Dog and Noelle, my deaf pit bull, have both started beginning agility class. And Ziggy has started intermediate agility class. Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.

* Yesterday's adoption event was very slow so we packed up early and four of us went to a nearby shelter and pulled four dogs that were out of time. They are all what we call "foo foo" dogs - small, fluffy, easily adoptable breeds. We took a Shih Tzu, a Lhasa Apso, a Pekingese and a Poodle. I got the Poodle. At least I think it's a poodle. You decide...

Poodle?

Or mop with a pink tongue?

He does have eyes under there, and he can see through all that hair, believe it or not. I named him Teddy, and he fits right in here. I say that, because he has separation anxiety just like Morgan, and he cries nonstop if I leave the room without him. He also jumps in little circles when he is happy, and he seems to be housetrained, and he does great with the other dogs and the cats.

Bunny, Morgan and Teddy

The first thing I did when I got him home was to give him a bath, because he was rather smelly after being in the shelter for two weeks. He will be groomed as soon as possible, and I think then he'll look like a whole different dog. Although I have to admit I kind of like the "mop" look.

No More Cats

2011-08-23T19:25:00.000-05:00

I prefer to foster dogs. I've been trying for years to give up fostering cats and focus solely on dogs. I would like to say that I've finally succeeded. I would like to say that, but it's not true. Because currently at my house are six foster cats who are pretty sure they own the place. And although I don't talk about them much, I thought maybe if I wrote about them on my blog, someone out there would want to adopt one of these wonderful, fantastic, absolutely perfect cats. Really, they are.

I've introduced Belle to you before. She's a very sweet front declawed cat who does well with other cats and is a great companion. She would love a quiet home with someone who would give her a lot of attention. She's very calm and laid-back and loves to sit on laps and purr.

Next is Pogo, a five year old gray tabby cat. He is very outgoing and loves everyone he meets. He is great with other cats, and he loves dogs. I introduced him to Roxy, my foster pit bull, and he immediately walked up to her and started rubbing his head against her. He does this all the time now, and she gives him baths with her tongue. He would do great in an active, loud, noisy household with a lot going on.

Then there is Junior. If anyone wants to adopt a cat that sneezes constantly, this is the cat for you. Junior has some kind of sneezing issue. He's been through every test known to veterinarians and no one can figure out what is up with him. He had his nose checked to see if something was stuck in it - nope. He has been allergy tested and tried on different diets and different environmental factors with no luck. He's been on all sorts of medicines with no luck. So he's not really adoptable (unless you want a cat who sneezes a lot!) but he's staying here temporarily until he goes back to his other foster home. He gets along well with other cats and with the dogs. He's front declawed. He's rather independent and doesn't seek out attention. If you want a cat who you hardly notice except when you hear him sneezing, this is the cat for you.

This is Thomas. He was at a local shelter and tested positive for FIV, just like Belle, so I brought him home. He's a very friendly cat. He's great with the other cats and he is very, very affectionate. He also has a giant head. I'm still learning more about how he is with dogs and what kind of home would be best for him, but if you want a rather large cat with a big head and a squeaky voice, he's your guy.

This is Kona. Or Kimba. I can't tell them apart. I originally had them when they were kittens, and they were adopted out together. The family who adopted them decided they couldn't keep them, and they gave them away to someone else. Those people either lost them or gave them away or something, because they were turned in to a shelter today by someone who said they found them. So now they're safely back home with me, and we'll try to find them better families this time! Kona and Kimba are very sweet and affectionate. They're typical kittens (around five months old) and love to play. If you want to add a cute and loving kitten to your home, Kona or Kimba might be a perfect fit!

So that's it for my foster cats. Which one would you like?

Introducing Morgan

2011-08-19T23:31:00.000-05:00

I walked into the animal shelter with plans to talk to one of the workers about a cat, and then get out. I had six foster dogs at home, and no interest in adding to that number. But of course it's very difficult, if not impossible, for a dog rescuer to enter an animal shelter and NOT look at the dogs. So I decided to just walk through and say hi to them - nothing more. There was a beautiful red pit bull there, appropriately named "Red". He lay by the door, looking quietly at me. He looked sad, and he didn't get up or bark or do anything but look at me with big eyes that looked hopeless. I had just found out that my work was going to be laying off people at the end of the year, and I was one of the people who would be cut, so I was just as sad as he was. His family had gone to a homeless shelter and had to turn him in to the animal shelter. He felt even more lost than I did at that moment. So I felt an instant connection to him. Still, I have Ziggy and Roxy, both pit bull fosters, and it would be very tough to bring in another big dog right now, so I kept walking and greeting all the dogs. Then I stopped back by the office and let them know that if Red ran out of time, to please contact me first. Like most shelters and rescues in the area (and all over the country), pit bulls are very difficult to adopt out. I don't know if I'll be able to save Red even if they contact me, but I couldn't just leave him there without doing something. If Roxy or Ziggy (ha) gets adopted then Red will be the first pit bull I will try to save. As it was, as I talked to the manager about Red, she told me about another dog that was out of time right then. This dog was a puggle. Puggles are a designer mix of a Pug and a Beagle. They're not my favorite breeds, and our group already had two Puggles available for adoption, so I immediately thought I'd be able to say no. I wasn't looking for a new foster dog, and especially not another problem dog. As sad as it was that this dog was out of options, I have to say no to dogs that are out of options every day, so this one would be no different. Then she showed me the puggle. And I sighed. Because the puggle was so extraordinarily cute and happy to see us. She jumped in the air, and ran in circles, and smiled a giant smile. And she cheered me up and made me forget all my problems. And I couldn't walk away. I asked about the reason she was out of time, and they explained that she had separation anxiety. Many dogs have this to some degree, including my foster dog Roxy, so I wasn't too concerned. But the reason they weren't making her available for adoption anymore was because she'd already been adopted and returned. And adopted again and returned. Then a third time. And a fourth. After the fourth return, they said they couldn't keep doing that to her. Obviously her separation anxiety issues were pretty severe, and not something they were able to work with in a shelter environment. But the only complaint the last owners had made when they returned her was that she barked nonstop when they left and the neighbors had complained. I live in the country and have no close neighbors, so I said okay, I'll take her and see what I can do.

I took her to my mom's house and kid-tested her with my young niece and nephews. She did great! Then I took her home and cat tested her - passed with flying colors. Then a slower introduction to the other dogs, and again, she was perfect. Then after she was settled in and comfortable, we performed the first test of her separation anxiety. I put her in a wire crate with a bed, some water, and a couple of toys. I sat down on the couch in the next room where she could still see me, and I ignored her as she barked and cried. This went on for awhile, and I wasn't looking at her because I didn't want to encourage the barking. Suddenly I realized the barking sounded closer. I looked over, and she was out of her crate and standing behind the baby gate, still trying to get to me. So I investigated and this is what I found:

Somehow she'd managed to bend out the wires in the top of the crate and crawl out. I was amazed. She then proceeded to jump over the three foot high baby gate to get to me. I was even more amazed. So I named her Morgan after the famous female escape artist. Because if the human Morgan ever needs an assistant, I think puggle Morgan is the one for her!

I have had to leave Morgan a couple of times since she arrived, and have found a plastic crate that so far she has not figured out how to escape from. She does continue to bark while I'm gone, but I've received some helpful advice from some Facebook friends and I don't think her separation anxiety is anything too serious. We'll keep working on it and I'll try to find her a permanent home with someone who is able to also work with her, and is home most of the time to make it as easy on her as possible. Until then, I guess she's my therapy dog, because it's hard to be sad when you have a dog who looks at you like this:

Introducing Harry

2011-08-17T17:25:00.000-05:00

Harry before rescue

When Harry first came into rescue, he was a very sad sight. He
was very skinny, and he'd lost all of his hair due to bacterial and fungal infections. His ears were infected, his skin was awful, and he was a miserable guy. But his foster mom took him in and nursed him back to health. She named him Harry in hopes that someday he would become hairy again, and she fattened him up and took care of all the infections with medicine and special baths. It was a lot of work, but by the time she was done with him, he no longer looked like the same dog.

Harry

He's now gained 30 pounds, grown out all his hair, and is feeling great. He's good with kids, ignores cats, and is fine with calm dogs. Unfortunately his foster home has a foster dog named Toby. It's the same Toby that visits here periodically. Toby is anything but calm. And Harry had a hard time adjusting to Toby's energy level, so it was decided that perhaps one of them should be moved to a different foster home. I immediately volunteered to take Harry, because my foster dogs are so very calm and laid back. Stop laughing. I wasn't talking about Ziggy. Or Roxy. Or Tulsa. I was talking about my OTHER foster dogs. Okay fine, my foster dogs aren't calm and laid back, but no one else had room for Harry, so I brought him home anyway. And although he hasn't met Ziggy yet, he's doing great with the rest of the crew. He has picked out his favorite spot on the couch. Fortunately this is not the same couch that is usually occupied by me, Roxy, Tulsa, and one or more cats. Because it's really getting crowded on this couch.

Harry is an American Bulldog/Labrador Retriever mix. He's four years old, and he loves to play fetch. He also enjoys playing tug with Roxy, and letting Tulsa herd him. Even though he towers over the other dogs (he weighs 91 pounds), he is very gentle with the little dogs, and never chases the cats. I think he's going to fit in fine around here!

Ziggy Redecorates

2011-08-16T18:43:00.000-05:00

I had such good intentions. Ziggy spends most of his time in his crate, because he can't be trusted alone with other pets. I can't leave him alone in the house even when there are no other pets, because he has a history of chewing boxes, breaking glass, counter surfing, and helping with chores. Since Ziggy does not like to be outside alone, I decided to give him his own room in the house. A room that had been stripped of all decorations, furniture, and even most of the baseboards. Surely this would be a safe place for Ziggy to hang out and have a little bit more room. I originally had used the room for foster cats, so my husband had put down a vinyl floor for easy cleaning, and I'd filled the room with cat trees, toys, litter boxes, and everything a cat could want. Except it wasn't everything a cat could want. I currently have four cats living in my house, and all four have migrated from the cat room into my bedroom. No matter how many times I put them back in the cat room, they insist on jumping the baby gate and immediately returning to my bedroom. I finally gave up and moved their stuff to the small office next to my bedroom so they no longer had to run the gauntlet of dogs in the living room/kitchen area each time I tried to relocate them. This meant the old cat room was available to become Ziggy's room. And to be on the safe side, I put in toys, chew bones, and even a cow hoof, one of Ziggy's favorite items to chew. I left his crate door open and settled down in the living room with one ear tuned to any suspicious sounds coming from the room. It didn't take long for him to finish the food in his Kong Wobbler, and soon the noises of him playing with the dog toy changed. It took me a few minutes to realize it and go investigate.

Oh, hi mom!

I've been doing some redecorating.

Do you like it?

I'll be finished up in just another hour or two.

At that point I had to intervene and tell Ziggy that as proud as he was of his redecorating.. and even though I DID tell him it was his very own room... he still was not allowed to tear out the entire floor and remove the remaining baseboards. So Ziggy is back to living in his crate and hoping to be adopted by someone who will appreciate his redecorating talents.

Ziggy on Pitter Patter

2011-08-15T17:33:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite blogs is Pitter Patter, the fun site that takes reader photos of pit bulls and adds funny captions. Ziggy and my own dog Noelle were featured on the site yesterday - here is their picture:

And for any Ziggy fans out there, here are a few other times he's been featured on Pitter Patter this summer:

http://pbrcpitterpatter.blogspot.com/2011/07/here-kitty-kitty.html

http://pbrcpitterpatter.blogspot.com/2011/06/ok-maybe-some-kittehs.html

http://pbrcpitterpatter.blogspot.com/2011/06/team-huddle.html

http://pbrcpitterpatter.blogspot.com/2011/06/playing-it-cool.html

http://pbrcpitterpatter.blogspot.com/2011/05/cable-guy.html

Noelle has also been on Pitter Patter twice this summer!

http://pbrcpitterpatter.blogspot.com/2011/06/scaredy-cat.html

http://pbrcpitterpatter.blogspot.com/2011/05/tender-ears.html

I'd like to think that my dogs have been featured so many times because I take such excellent pictures. But I know better. The real reason is because my dogs are usually into so much trouble that I'm constantly taking their pictures. Check back tomorrow for a new Ziggy photo that is likely to end up on Pitter Patter sometime in the future and you'll understand what I mean. But in the meantime, enjoy the laughs offered by this great PBRC website and if you have a pit bull or pit bull mix, make sure to send in a few photos of your own!

Sunday Scoop: Why I Won't Rescue Your Dog

2011-08-14T20:10:00.000-05:00

So many times people have to give up a pet (sometimes for very good reason) and think they'll just contact a no kill shelter. So they look up the shelters closest to them, and the rescue groups, and they start making calls or sending e-mails. They very quickly get frustrated. Usually they don't hear anything back, and even when they do get a real person to respond, it's only to hear "sorry, we're full". They think they're trying to do the right thing by getting their pet somewhere safe, and no one will help them. And yet they know there are plenty of rescue groups and shelters doing adoptions, and space opens every day, so why can't anyone help them?

This is a very good question, and it's one reason I hate telling people I'm full. I usually offer to put them on a "waiting list" but most people can't wait that long when I tell them it could be several months. This is because most people do not want to turn in a puppy or a fluffy small breed dog that is house-trained and good with dogs, cats and kids. And sadly, this is what most adopters are looking to adopt! Puppies are out of here quickly. So are almost all small breed dogs. Purebred dogs have a better shot, unless they're a bully breed. But give me a large mixed-breed dog or a bully breed and it's a whole different story. This is why I have to turn away the lady who found the American Bulldog mix, and yet I can say yes to the lady with the Shih Tzu/Beagle mix puppies. The puppies are out of here in less than two weeks, while the last pit bull I took in (Roxy), although she's house-trained and good with dogs, cats, and kids, and the sweetest dog you'll ever meet, is here going on two months now. We're not even talking about dogs with issues - dogs that won't get along with some other dogs, or dogs that have some behavior problems or some physical problems. I help whenever I can, as do all other rescue people, but sadly there are too many dogs and cats needing help and not enough rescuers and adopters wanting these dogs. So this is why if you ever ask a rescue or shelter for help in placing your dog, you're likely to hear "sorry, we're full".

Here are some suggestions on what to do if you do need to rehome your dog or cat:

* Take two pictures - a good full body shot and a good face close-up. This will help more than anything in getting someone to say "yes" because it's much harder to turn away a pet needing help once you've seen a picture!
* E-mail the pictures and relevant info to every shelter and rescue group you can find. Include physical characteristics (size, weight, age, sex) as well as health status (if spayed/neutered, any health issues or special needs) and information such as if they're good with male and/or female dogs, cats, children, house-trained or not, any special behavioral problems such as separation anxiety, fear of a water bowl, guard their food or toys, or whatever.
* Tell the truth! You'll make people very angry if you say a dog is healthy and they find out he or she is not. Your dog may even end up being sent to a kill shelter or euthanized if the group who took them in can't handle whatever issue you lied about. Also, you'd be surprised how many times that special need that you can't handle is what makes a rescue person help. For example, tell me a dog can't hear and I'll generally jump at the chance to help. Other rescuers specialize in senior dogs or cats, bully breeds, dogs with special needs, and so on. So for the sake of the dog or cat, be honest.
* Think ahead. Don't wait until a week before you're moving out of the country to start looking for someone to take your pet. Be willing to help as much as possible. Offer to foster the pet yourself if the group will put the pet on their website to help him or her get a home.
* Be patient. Remember that the majority of rescuers and no-kill shelters are run entirely by volunteers. These are people just like you who give up space in their homes and give up their time to take in unwanted pets. They're not getting paid. They spend their time caring for animals who come to them afraid and unsure, and after they give the pets love, affection, vet care, basic training, and anything else they need, they turn around and adopt them out to someone else. Just so they can start all over again with another scared, needy animal. They do it because they want to help the animals, and even if they can't help you, won't return your calls, or seem to be rude, remember that without them, a lot more animals would be suffering and dying. So be patient. And if they do offer to take in your pet, be thankful! Shower them with appreciation, make a donation if possible, or bring them cookies. Well, that's just my personal preference. Just make sure you acknowledge the sacrifice they are making to take in your pet. And then spread the word about the good work that animal rescuers are doing. Encourage your friends to donate or adopt. Because that is what makes animal rescue possible!

Ziggy Learns Agility

2011-08-12T15:52:00.000-05:00

Ziggy just completed a six-week beginning agility class at Infinite Pawsibilities. You may wonder how a deaf dog can do agility. Ziggy is happy to demonstrate:

Here's Ziggy going up the A-Frame. Many dogs find the A-frame a little bit scary at first, but not Ziggy. This has been one of his favorite from the very beginning!

Then there's the dog walk. Ziggy can walk just as well as any dog, and he's pretty much fearless, so he has no problem with this one either!

There are two different types of tunnels in agility. Like most dogs, Ziggy loves the tunnels!

The hardest obstacle for Ziggy, other than the weave poles which he is still learning, are the jumps. Because he is so intently focused on me he forgets to watch where he is going and sometimes runs into the jumps before realizing that they are there!

Being deaf does not stop Ziggy from learning Agility. I use a flashlight instead of a clicker to let him know when he's doing something right, and he's so food motivated that he will do anything to get me to "click". We've started sequencing the obstacles together, and he's doing very well with that. Being deaf does cause a bit more of a challenge, because I can't tell him where to go ahead of time (which obstacle to do next) with a voice command. He has to be looking at me which distracts him from the obstacles. So he may never be an agility champion, but we're having a great time together and that is what counts! One of my good friends is also in the class with her Airedale Terrier, and it's a lot of fun to take the class together. Next week we will start Intermediate Agility!

So if you ever see this dog:

Lexi

or this dog...

Ziggy

please make sure to congratulate them for their hard work in completing Beginning Agility!

Three Reasons For Hope

2011-08-09T12:40:00.000-05:00

Reason #1: Bunny is Happier

Bunny, the Bichon Frise puppy mill survivor, is finally learning to trust me. She doesn't run away from me as fast as she used to. She will go in and out the door even when I'm standing nearby. She barks when I leave the room and wags her tail when I come back in. She seems more relaxed and happier - and I finally can see her starting to become a "real dog", and maybe someday have a real family of her own!

Reason #2: Roxy is Smarter

Roxy has been attending Canine Good Citizen classes and has learned to sit on command, lie down on command, stay until released, and sit quietly while being petted. She did jump on the UPS guy when he came to deliver packages, but I can't blame her. I can barely contain my excitement everytime the UPS guy shows up too. I am hopeful that she will pass her CGC test with no problems in just a few more weeks.

Reason #3: Ziggy is Famouser...errr..More Famous
He's managed to make 99 friends on Facebook so far. He's also been featured on the Facebook pages of Shelter Pet Project, Echo the Deaf Pittie Mix, and may soon be featured by StubbyDog Project. With so many wonderful people helping to spread the word about him, he may someday find his very own adoptive home!

Daisy was adopted!

2011-08-07T22:56:00.000-05:00

Daisy, the last puppy from the Donald Duck litter, has been adopted. So many times people ask me how I can possibly let my fosters go. But unless it's a dog that I've had for a long time, or very closely bonded with, I usually have no problem sending the dog into a new home. I worry about them of course, and miss them a bit, but I'm mostly just happy they're in a good home. It means I have room to save more dogs. And it helps that I have several other fosters here to keep me busy so I don't have too much time to miss the ones who are adopted. Right now the Scouting litter of puppies are doing their best to keep me entertained (and they're doing a great job!)

Brownie, Pixie and Cadette

Scout

Cubby

More Pups

2011-08-04T23:16:00.000-05:00

These five puppies are half Beagle, a quarter Shih Tzu, and a quarter Brussels Griffon. I know I've said it before... but this time I'm absolutely positive. These are definitely the cutest puppies I've ever seen. They're much cuter in person than they are in these pictures, but I hope this will give you some idea of how adorable they really are.

Pixie

Pixie is one of the smallest of the bunch, but don't let that fool you - she eats railroad ties for breakfast!

Brownie

Brownie is another female, and is so sweet and cuddly.

Cadette

Then there's Cadette, the ringleader of the bunch. She's found high ground to keep her troops in line.

Scout

Scout is the happy-go-lucky male. Nothing phases him!

Cubby

And then there's Cubby. He's..well, he's special. He gets left behind sometimes because he can't quite figure out how to get through an open door. He may face some extra challenges in life, but he does so with a lot of joy and enthusiasm!

Toby and the Water Bowl

2011-08-02T19:42:00.000-05:00

I sent Toby back to his original foster home on Saturday. That's because I have well water here, and I became concerned that if he stayed much longer, the well would dry up. Really, it's true. Toby has issues with water. He has a lot of energy, and he seems to fuel all that energy by drinking a lot of water. In fact, he drinks so much water that he starts out drinking while standing up....

And after twenty or thirty minutes*, his legs get so tired that he has to lay down while continuing to refuel.

In fact, he continues drinking even while he's in the process of lying down.

He's not very neat about drinking either. He sticks his entire nose in the bowl and tends to drip water all over the place. I tried to point out the mess he was making...

But he tried to claim that the bowl had a hole in it. And when I tried to tell him that he was drinking up all the water in the well, he just laughed at me. Like he knew more than me about how wells work. So that did it - I sent him back to his foster mom.

Where he's now happily running up her water bill!

*Twenty or thirty minutes might be a slight exaggeration.

Introducing Maddie

2011-08-01T14:46:00.000-05:00

This is Maddie. She's a one year old purebred Australian Shepherd. A very nice lady contacted the rescue community for help recently. She had met Maddie at a breeder's facility and was able to get her released with the intention to find her a new home. When a month went by and they still weren't able to find her a home, they asked for help.

So here's the bad news about Maddie. The breeder where she came from is an 85-year-old woman trying to take care of over 100 dogs by herself since her husband died. The dogs are not getting the care they need. Maddie has spent her entire life living outdoors with little to no socialization. She's scared of everyone. She has a problem with her back leg or hip that causes one leg to turn outward. She was from a litter where both parents were merles (genetic color pattern). They should never have been allowed to breed, because statistically 25% of the litter would be double merles. Often double merles have hearing deficiencies and they may also have a variety of eye defects. Maddie is a double merle and appears to be partially deaf.

But there's good news too. The best news is Maddie was rescued from her living situation by the family who contacted rescue for help. Maddie is still young and with some work I know she will learn to enjoy being around people. She still has partial hearing and in addition to being beautiful she is great with other dogs and fine with cats - all things that will help her to find just the right home. She'll be spayed and vaccinated and get any needed medical care for her bad leg. She'll be living indoors for the first time in her life, and learn all about being spoiled and sleeping on soft beds and eating chicken and special treats. We'll work on house-training and positive reinforcement for every new experience. And someday soon she'll find an adoptive home where she'll be spoiled rotten for the rest of her life. In spite of her sad beginnings, Maddie is one of the lucky ones, because she made it into Rescue.

So far Maddie has not made a sound since I brought her home two days ago. She found refuge on the fireplace hearth, and has chosen to sleep there since she arrived. She doesn't leave the hearth unless I pick her up and carry her outside. Then she walks around the yard, relieves herself and waits for me to come get her and carry her back in. The first few times I had trouble catching her. Then she let me come get her, and this morning she even came in the door herself! She still ran straight to her fireplace refuge, but I'm happy with her progress. I've provided food and water on the hearth and am giving her a lot of space while she gets accustomed to life in a home. The TV was a new experience for her I believe - she looked quite confused by the box that suddenly had moving pictures on it. She has never shown any signs of aggression, and since she doesn't move or make a sound, so far she's been much more of a household decoration than a living dog. I do enjoy having such a beautiful decoration, but I am ready for her to transform into a real dog, because that's what she was made to be.

One left

2011-07-30T20:50:00.000-05:00

It was a good week for puppy adoptions. First Huey was adopted, then Donald, then Louie, then Dewey. So now Daisy is sitting here with me all alone. She doesn't seem to mind that her siblings are all gone. This could be because now she gets all the attention. She's cuddled up with me and Roxy on the couch right now. She doesn't have to share her puppy food with her brothers. She gets to go outside with the big dogs now, and we'll start working on house training. But with as cute as she is, I am pretty sure she'll be adopted before long too!

Dog Update

2011-07-26T20:17:00.000-05:00

Gizmo

Gizmo has been adopted! He is now living with a family with six kids, another dog and a cat! I can only imagine the mischief he will be able to get into with that crew. It's a wonderful family and I think he'll be very happy.

Huey

Huey was also adopted! He was the only puppy to get adopted this past weekend, but hopefully the others will have better luck this coming weekend. Donald, Daisy, Dewey and Louie are starting to grow a lot, and starting to develop their own personalities now. Donald and Dewey are the two cuddle-bugs. They just want belly rubs and attention. Daisy and Louie are too busy running around and playing tug to stop for cuddles. They're into everything!

Bunny

Bunny is still doing about the same. She continues to enjoy the outdoors, and continues to take treats from me, but still doesn't like to be petted.

Tulsa

When I first fostered Tulsa as a puppy several years ago, my husband really didn't care for her. So I am really enjoying the fact that she's improved so much that he actually asked to foster her! Since he's still living at our old house with our dogs Remi and Noelle, I didn't expect him to ever want to foster another dog. But several times while he was here at the cabin he commented on how much Tulsa has improved, and eventually said he'd like to take her to his house to foster! So last week Tulsa moved back to our old house, where she's doing great with Remi and Noelle. We're still trying to find her a permanent adoptive home, and I'll still be taking her to adoption events, but in the meantime it's nice to know she's somewhere that she is doing so well.

Ziggy

And then there's Ziggy. I'm very happy that he's back, but he told me today that he's ready to go back and live with his second mom again. He's talking about the trainer who has been fostering him and working with him for several weeks. She's awesome, but I told Ziggy that she might not want him to come back again. He said that was ridiculous. So we'll see. We've been trying to learn how to do agility weave poles, and I may have been pushing him too hard, because he says that she's more fun than I am. So now I'm determined to change that, and we'll be going for another river walk soon - one of Ziggy's favorite things!

Roxy

Roxy is still continuing with her Canine Good Citizen classes. She's learned to lie down on command and is doing very well with her stay command. Around here she's doing much better too - she doesn't follow me everywhere, and will lay down across the room instead of having to be touching me constantly. She's such a great dog, and I really enjoy fostering her.

Toby

You may have noticed that there have been several dogs leaving here recently (Phil, Gizmo, Tulsa, etc) and not so many dogs coming in. There's a deaf dog in Memphis that I'm hoping to foster soon, so I want to leave some room for him. And since Roxy had no one to play with, I also brought home Toby for a short visit. I fostered Toby a few months ago, and then he moved to another foster home for awhile. He'll be going back to that foster home again soon, but for now he's taking a short vacation with me. He's a great dog, but he has so much energy that it's difficult to get him to ever calm down. This is probably the main reason he hasn't been adopted yet. He goes to adoption events every week, and hopefully his turn will come soon!

Cat Update

2011-07-25T19:23:00.000-05:00

Chip

I'd just like to say that it wasn't my fault. I'm not the one who rescued these two kittens. I was just trying to be nice, and since I had to take one of my fosters to the vet, I offered to take these two kittens in for another foster mom.

It's not her fault either. She took these kittens in the day before, from someone who found them living outside and begging for food. She just accepted my offer, and planned to take them right back as soon as they got checked out by the vet.

Dale

It's not the kittens' fault either. They're just typical, adorable, sweet, purring kittens. I can resist kittens. Even when they purr. I'll tell you whose fault it is. It's the vet's fault. They were running late, and kept me waiting for half an hour. I have a lot of self-control, but being stuck in a small room with two purring kittens for half an hour is more than even I could resist. Thirty minutes after arriving in the office, I called the original foster mom and offered to take the kittens back home with me. That is how I ended up fostering Chip and Dale. Not my fault at all.

In addition to Chip and Dale, I am also fostering the following cats:

Belle, the FIV positive cat with very soft fur. She likes me, and she likes other people, and she puts up with other cats, but she doesn't much care for the dogs. Every night she waits for me at the door to her room and meows until I give her treats. She's very good at begging.

Lovey - the FIV positive cat who pretends she's not a tortie. She is one of the sweetest cats I've ever met. We've been struggling to get some health issues cleared up, so she's been on various medicines and different foods, and in spite of it all she still acts..well....lovey. I am starting to understand why she was named this. She does great with other cats, isn't crazy about the dogs but does okay with them, and does great with all people.

Lily - Originally named Lightning (as part of the Tornado litter), Lily was adopted out to a family along with her brother Thunder. The resident cat in that home didn't particularly care for Lily, and Lily likewise showed her displeasure by refusing to use the litter box. After confirming that there was no medical cause, Lily came back to us and immediately returned to having perfect litter box habits. So Lily is now looking for a home where she will be a better fit. In addition to being beautiful she's also very sweet and loving. Lily is staying up at PetSmart for a few weeks and hopefully she'll find a new home quickly!

Many of our cats have the opportunity to stay up at PetSmart for a few weeks at a time. This gives shoppers a chance to visit them and often causes them to be adopted much more quickly than when they're living in a foster home. Volunteers come in each day and take care of all the cats, scooping litter boxes and providing love and affection and playtime. If you're in the St.Charles, MO area and are interested in volunteering your time one morning or evening a week, please contact me! Or if you're in another area, consider contacting your local PetSmart or PetCo store to see if they have adoptable cats and need assistance.

He's Back....

2011-07-24T20:33:00.001-05:00

Did you miss him?

A Pit Bull Adoption!

2011-07-21T10:50:00.000-05:00

Now before you get too worried, I will tell you that it's not Ziggy who was adopted. In spite of having his own web page and being a featured pet on several websites and Facebook pages including the Shelter Pet Project, he hasn't had any inquiries for adoption. But he's not complaining. In fact, he's still being fostered by the best dog trainer I know, and he's attended more parties and events in the past few weeks than I have in the past few years. Ziggy is a busy guy, and he's doing great. We're attending agility classes on Sundays, so last Sunday I asked him to come back home with me but he said no thanks. I told him his fans missed him, and he said he'd come back soon, but not quite yet. Apparently Lynsey, his trainer, is more fun than me. But that's okay, because I have decided to take him back home on Sunday whether he likes it or not. At least for a little while. Because as much as I don't want to admit it, I really do miss him. And I think my blog is starting to get boring without him!

The pit bull who was adopted is Phil, my temporary foster dog who is almost as much fun as Ziggy. He loves to carry around toys in his mouth, and does his best to fit in as many as possible. He drinks by sticking his entire snout into a bowl of water, and only coming out when he needs to breathe. He was Roxy's best friend and playmate. Phil was found in a dumpster, skinny and sad and unwanted. He's come a long way from those beginnings, and now he's off on his newest adventure with a family of his own.

Success!!

2011-07-19T21:52:00.000-05:00

My foster dog Bunny is a Bichon Frise who spent the first five years of her life as a breeding dog in a "commercial breeding facility". When she came to us she was a mess, both physically and emotionally. She had seven teeth removed, received medical care, grooming and good nutrition for the first time in her life, and learned what it was like for the first time to have someone who loved her. She doesn't know how to play with toys. She doesn't know how to enjoy being petted. She gets scared and runs away when someone even looks at her.

Bunny has been working very hard to be a normal dog. She has learned to enjoy treats. She will approach me and occasionally lick my hand, although she still runs if I try to pet her. She's even learned to bark at Merlin, my cat, when he walks by. This is not something I wanted her to learn, but I guess it's good she's feeling safe enough here to interact with the cat, if not with me. But the best news of all, is Bunny has learned to go outside. She's wanted to go outside, but she was always afraid to take a step out onto the deck. She'd stand on a dog bed in the open doorway (because she was afraid to walk on the bare floor) and watch the other dogs outside.

Sometimes she'd get really brave and step out onto the deck with her front feet - but she'd never let her back feet leave the safety of the house.

Even when I took her crate outside, she'd do the same thing and only go as far as she could while leaving at least one foot touching the safety of her crate. It didn't matter if the crate was placed on the deck or on the grass - she'd walk out as far as she could while still touching the crate.

Until last week, when she had a breakthrough. I had taken her in her crate and set her on the deck right by the door, and she did her customary stand and watch while the other dogs played. I was taking pictures of Gizmo when I noticed that she had finally left her crate and was walking around the deck! Next thing I knew, she was running around the yard like she'd been doing it all her life.

Now she goes in and out the door with the other dogs with no hesitation. It sounds like a small thing, but for Bunny it is a great success.

The Puppies Have Names

2011-07-17T21:12:00.000-05:00

There were some great submissions for names! I had a hard time choosing, but because I have the maturity level of a five-year-old, I had to pick the Donald Duck theme. Congratulations on selecting the winning names, Harper! I'm a huge Donald Duck fan. I even have a poster of him on my wall. Okay, I don't really have a poster of Donald Duck. But I am a huge fan, and I might just have to hang up a picture of this Donald:

Donald

Daisy

Huey, Dewey and Louie

And just because he's so cute, here's one more picture of Donald:

Naming Help Needed!

2011-07-15T12:53:00.000-05:00

All Paws Rescue was recently asked to help with some puppies. The request came much too late, because six of the eleven puppies had already died due to the heat and other factors. But we gladly took in the remaining five puppies and made arrangements to have the momma dog spayed. The puppies are now happily residing in an ex-pen in my basement where it is nice and cool. There are four boys and one girl, and they need names! I like to keep their names all part of a theme, to make it easier to remember them - especially if one gets returned several years down the road. So I'm looking for suggestions - please leave your ideas for names in the comments. The reader who picks out the names I like most will win.... are you ready?....it's a great prize.... here it is... the names they pick out will be used to name the five puppies! And as if that's not enough of a prize, there's MORE! That's right, the winner will also receive the opportunity to be the first to adopt one of these wonderful puppies.* Can you believe it? Act now, because this offer won't last long!

Puppy details:

2 male fawn with black mask

2 male black

1 female black

*Winner must complete adoption application, pass background check and adoption interview, and live within 25 miles of Dog Foster Mom. Winner is responsible for all taxes, adoption fees, and transportation costs. Not valid outside of the U.S.

Introducing Gizmo

2011-07-13T06:00:00.000-05:00

A week ago I heard about a Pomeranian/Min-Pin mix needing a new home. I decided that Bunny, my foster Bichon, might be happy to have another small dog around, so when I heard the dog was good with other dogs and with cats, I offered to take him. I know a small dog like this with no real issues will find a new home quickly, so I knew better than to get too attached. Then I met him.

Gizmo

With one ear up and one ear down, he has a constant mischievous look about him. He is always making me laugh with his silly antics. He has fit in here very quickly and I can only hope he gets adopted quickly before I think any more about if I could fit him in here permanently!

Pirates and Alligators

2011-07-12T02:00:00.000-05:00

I just found some old pictures on my camera from when I was fostering Ritter a few weeks ago. I took Ritter, Ziggy and Tulsa on a walk by the river, and the walk went something like this:

We set off, with the dogs leading the way but not pulling (most of the time). I had all three leashes attached to my belt which let me keep my hands free for important things like photography and skipping rocks.

We paused to watch the salvage ship at work. It's busy digging up a pirate ship filled with treasure. At least that's what I told Ritter.

Then we stopped to watch the freshwater alligators (or so Ritter believes). Ziggy wanted to go play in the water, but I said no.

Things were progressing nicely until we came to several piles of bones on the trail. I explained to Ritter that the alligators must have eaten one of the pirates. I think he believed me.

The bones presented a challenge for me, since Ziggy is bone aggressive. Fortunately there were plenty of pirate bones to go around. Tulsa preferred to give hers a thorough sniffing.

Ritter was happy to roll in his pile of bones. Very happy. Maybe pirate bones are like catnip for dogs.

Ziggy chose a bone to chew along the way, and I quickly got the dogs moving again. We stopped once more to admire the view. Ziggy chose to lay in his favorite "frog leg" position, as close to the water as possible.

Tulsa and Ritter stayed with me up by the trail and enjoyed the cool breeze.

Finally we had to go home, where we all slept soundly and dreamed of pirate treasure, or pirate bones.

Dog Foster Update

2011-07-11T02:00:00.001-05:00

It was a very busy weekend, starting on Friday night with a dog training seminar, then an adoption event all day Saturday, and another adoption event on Sunday in between a CGC class with Roxy and an agility class with Ziggy. Here's an update on all my dog fosters:

Duchess

Duchy was adopted on Saturday! She was such an easy dog to foster, because she had perfect manners and was very calm. I really miss her, but I'm happy that she has a good home!

Roxy

Roxy went to adoptions on Saturday and Sunday, and she did very well. If I ever get her to pay attention to anyone other than me at events, I think she'll get adopted rather quickly. In the meantime, we started our first CGC class today, and we were total failures. I was so used to Ziggy who was already well trained in obedience, that I didn't know what to do with a dog who has no concept of down/stay/heel/etc. It didn't help that we'd just left an adoption event and she was already tired out. We'll practice a lot this week and hopefully next week's class will go better.

Tulsa

And then there's Tulsa, the deaf Australian Cattle Dog. Tulsa doesn't do well at adoption events - she barks at every dog she sees. So she stayed home on Saturday, and only went to Sunday's adoption event which was a shorter event. I covered her crate up and it was a rather slow day so it went pretty well, meaning she didn't drive everyone crazy with nonstop barking!

Bunny

Bunny, the Bichon from the puppy mill, also went to Sunday's adoption event. She got a haircut while we were there, so she looks a little less fluffy now than she did in this picture.

Ziggy

Ziggy, the deaf pit bull, has been staying at another foster home for the past week. I have to admit I have missed him, just a little bit. He went to stay with a dog trainer, and she said he was a perfect angel almost all week. So he's staying another week so she can get to know what he's really like (hint: not an angel). So I got to see him at the training seminar and at agility class and then send him back with the trainer afterwards.

Phil

Since the trainer took Ziggy home, I took her foster dog Phil to my house. He is doing great here. He loves to play with Roxy, and he gets along really well with all of the dogs. He constantly has to have something in his mouth, and will carry around a ball or chew toy for hours. He went to Saturday and Sunday's adoption events and received a lot of attention just for being so cute!

Ziggy Still Chews

2011-07-07T18:34:00.000-05:00

Since I've been doing better at hiding the No Chew Spray bottle from Ziggy lately, he's had to find other things to chew on. He's not picky, just about anything will do.

A stick is good:

Although sometimes a bit sour...

No stick is too small, or too far out of reach.

He can chew standing up...

or upside down.

He can even chew ~~minty leaves~~ weeds... hopefully not poisonous.

Sometimes though, he seems to confuse chewable sticks with not so chewable tails.

Dog Communication

2011-07-01T17:49:00.001-05:00

One of the main ways that dogs communicate with each other, as well as with humans, is through body language. It's a language that can impart many concepts and emotions, but if humans don't learn to understand it, we can often miss what a dog is trying to tell us. There are many books and websites that deal with the subject, so I won't bore you with details. But here is an example of dog body language that we think means one thing and it often means something else:

A dog rolls onto his side and lifts his rear leg as if asking for a belly rub. If this is a dog that knows you and/or loves belly rubs, that could be precisely what he's saying. But if it's a dog you don't know well or that you're meeting for the first time, what he may be actually saying is "I'm smaller than you and I don't mean any harm, please don't hurt me." Unfortunately we often respond to this message by walking straight up to the dog and rubbing their belly, when the polite thing to do is to look away, maybe bend down to make yourself smaller, and encourage the dog with high pitched happy talk that you mean him no harm. By looming over him and reaching out and touching him you're simply reinforcing to him that you're bigger and meaner than he is, thus scaring him further! If you wait to pet him until he gets up and comes to you, then you'll have one very happy dog, because you understood him and responded appropriately.

I took this short video of my foster dogs playing, and it's amazing to see all of the body language that they use to communicate:

What did you see? I saw some play bows (where a dog bends down on his front legs to communicate he wants to play), some "look aways" (a dog looks away to communicate he means no threat), and at one point, Roxy the brindle pit bull had her hackles raised (hair on the back of her neck stood up). That was a sign she was too excited and the other dogs sensed it and backed away so it didn't escalate into a fight. These signs happen so quickly that it's hard to catch in the act! But note that two of these three dogs are deaf. Do you think that made any difference in how they communicate?

I often have luck communicating to a dog that they need to do something (or stop doing something) by whether I look directly at them or look away, move toward them or away, and so on. I think fostering deaf dogs has helped me to communicate better with hearing dogs as well, because I have learned to rely more on body language which is the natural communication method of dogs. Do you use body language to communicate with your dogs?

By the way, sometimes deaf dogs also use verbal communication, such as growls or barks, to communicate even though they can't hear. This photo was taken during the above play session. I think Ziggy's bark certainly got Roxy's attention!

They Try So Hard

2011-06-29T23:58:00.001-05:00

It's tough for foster pets to come into a new home - most especially a new home that is completely unlike their previous home. And when that previous home is the only home they've ever known, well, it hurts sometimes to watch them struggle to adjust. Of course some dogs adjust more easily than others, but the most difficult ones are the older dogs who lose the only home they've ever known. This is the case for three of my five current fosters, and while they're all making progress toward settling in, it can be alternately humorous and heart-breaking to watch their efforts.

Duchess is five years old, and she lived with one family since she was adopted as a puppy. Then she went to a shelter for awhile, and then to my house. She is the perfect dog - sweet, laid-back, perfect manners. She was probably an only dog, because she ignored all of the other dogs for several weeks. She's just starting to try to play with the other dogs, and she doesn't seem to know quite what to do. Ziggy, Tulsa and Roxy will chase each other around the house or yard, and she'll run behind them as fast as she can, not usually able to catch them. If she does catch them, she'll jump into the middle of them, and then stand there as if thinking "now what do I do?" I have to be careful because she doesn't have great dog-dog skills when it comes to playing, and the other dogs sometimes misconstrue her attempts to play as aggression. But I don't want to discourage her from learning to play, so I'm just monitoring them closely and intervening when necessary, since I know that her communication skills should improve with practice. I am excited that she's starting to relax enough to play with the other dogs!

Roxy is three years old, and she also lived with one family since she was a puppy. She was also an only pet, but she has pretty good dog-dog skills. She does have some separation anxiety though, and refuses to let me out of her sight. She even follows me into the shower! I tried to show her there was nowhere for me to disappear in there, but she refused to believe it. So this means we go everywhere together - outside or inside. When I leave for work I have to crate her, and she cries piteously. She sleeps, not just on my bed, but pushing me halfway off the edge, so as to be as close to me as possible. She'll stop eating if I walk more than two steps from her bowl, and she won't go outside unless I go out with her. I am trying to keep her on a routine so that she will learn that even though I leave, I always come back, and it is okay for her even if I'm not there. I'm hoping to someday take a shower again without her help.

And then there's Bunny. I only wish she had a bit of the separation anxiety that Roxy has. She's lived the first five years of her life in a puppy mill, and is terrified of people. She's getting a bit more comfortable around me, but still doesn't like me to touch her. She also is afraid of the hardwood floors, so limits herself to one small area of the room that is covered by a tarp (to make clean-up easier since she isn't house-trained). It's tough to house-train a dog that doesn't want to be touched, won't walk on the floor, and is scared to go outside. This is what puppy mills do to dogs by leaving them in small cages with no human interaction for their entire lives. So please, don't buy a puppy from a pet shop or from anywhere that you can't meet the parents and see their living conditions for yourself. Don't support the people who treat the puppies' parents this way. Bunny is trying really hard to learn to be a normal dog, but I'm not sure that she ever will be. My goal by the end of the summer is to get her to enjoy the outdoors. She wants to go outside very much, but she's afraid. If I carry her out to the deck, she seems to enjoy herself, but she won't go a foot beyond the safety of her crate or dog bed. I wish there was some way I could make her feel safer.

At the other extreme, Tulsa and Ziggy, my last two foster dogs, seem completely comfortable at my house. Ziggy has never lived anywhere else since he was a puppy, except a short stay at doggie boot camp, and he thinks he owns the entire house (or at least the room where his crate is). Although I'm pretty sure that anywhere Ziggy goes, he is immediately comfortable. The dog has more self-confidence than any other dog I've ever met! Tulsa on the other hand, is not as self-confident, but she is quick to adjust to a new home. She's had a lot of practice, this being at least her eighth home that she's lived in in three short years. I wonder if she knows that I'm another temporary stop on her journey. I wonder if she thinks that all dogs spend their lives going from family to family, pack to pack. I hope and pray that her next stop will be her permanent home - for her, and for each of my fosters who have already had enough upheaval in their lives. There are times when it is unavoidable to give up a pet, or it is in their best interest, so I am not qualified to judge anyone who makes that decision. I know that foster pets are the lucky ones, able to live in a home instead of a shelter, their lives spared unlike most dogs in shelters. Still watching them try to adjust to their new circumstances can be difficult. So if you decide to adopt an adult dog, please be patient with them. Give them some time to settle in, and forgive any mistakes they make. It's not easy to go to a new home! But they need you, and if you give them that new home filled with love, they'll show you so much gratitude! Unless you adopt Ziggy, in which case he will just consider it his due. I think I may have mentioned this before, but he's not a normal dog.

Introducing Roxy

2011-06-27T13:03:00.000-05:00

My foster dogs come from a wide variety of places. Sometimes they are turned in by owners, sometimes they are transferred from another rescue group, and sometimes I go to a shelter and pick out a foster dog from those that are likely to be euthanized. The ones I pick out myself tend to hold a very special place in my heart, and Roxy is one of those dogs. I brought her home from a high-kill shelter three years ago, when she was just a puppy. At the time I named her Pepsi. She immediately captured my heart with her loving personality and her enthusiasm for everything in life.

Roxy as a puppy

Pepsi was adopted by a great family and renamed Roxy. She has grown up with a child her same age, and has not lost a bit of her enthusiasm for life. Unfortunately her family recently had to return her due to economic circumstances, so yesterday Roxy came back home with me.

I was excited to see her again, but a bit concerned about how she would settle into a multi-dog and cat household after being an only pet for three years. I need not have worried. By the time night arrived, she was settled in on the bed with me, other foster dogs, and my cat Merlin. She's made herself right at home, and she and Tulsa enjoy playing together. I hope to start Canine Good Citizen classes with her soon, to help her learn a bit more self-control and basic obedience. Like many dogs, she just needs to learn to control her extreme enthusiasm for people! She's very smart and I think she's going to do great in class.

Roxy today

Ritter is a Bad Dog!

2011-06-23T16:59:00.000-05:00

I usually don't like to be too negative about a foster dog, because no one wants to adopt a dog that is criticized by the foster parent. But fortunately for me, Ritter has already been adopted! I'm keeping him for the week because his new family is out of town, but he's going to his new house on Sunday. And I don't think they are aware of this blog, so it should be safe to tell you all about Ritter.

Ritter pretended to be a perfect dog when he came to my house. He was perfect at his last foster home, but he was being picked on by bigger dogs, so he came to my house for his own safety. At least that's what his last foster mom said. After keeping him for two weeks, I think maybe he came here for her own safety. And I already warned her if he gets returned, he's going to have to go back to her house or no one will be safe, most especially him!  I was mostly kidding, but don't tell her that.

It all started off so easily. He was said to be house-trained, and good with other dogs, perfectly well behaved in the house and very affectionate. Sounds great, right? And for three days, he was. Then the real Ritter appeared. And I found out none of those things was true. Except the last, which turned out to be not a good thing at all.

House-trained? Not really.  Oh, most of the time he does fine, but it seems he can't pass an empty dog crate without lifting his leg and urinating into the crate. This may be because he hates the crate and is showing his displeasure, but keep in mind the only time he does this is when he is outside of the crate. And okay fine, he's only done this twice in two weeks, despite constantly being around dog crates, but it's still really annoying, especially when said crates had a blanket and several dog toys in the line of fire.

Good with other dogs? Well, okay, yes.  It's true he's great with other pets, but he's also great at getting them into trouble. He's found at least three different places to escape the fenced in yard, and then Tulsa just follows him right out into the surrounding fields. He's a very bad influence, and I'm constantly worried about them getting out and getting hurt. At least he's finding all the weak spots in the new fence so I can get them sealed up one at a time! In the meantime, they're bringing in ticks from the fields, which somehow find their way to the couch and the bed and onto me - all in spite of their monthly flea/tick preventative.

Well behaved in the house? Sure, if you don't count the computer cord he ate one day while I was at work. I was so careful after that - I knew he couldn't be trusted. The cord had the chew-repellent cover on it, but that didn't stop him from chewing it into little pieces. Fortunately I had a replacement cord. I kept the computer in another room unless I was using it so he couldn't hurt it. Then the next night while I was typing away, my computer went dim, and I looked down, and Ritter had crawled under the desk to chew up the other cord. This was when I officially deemed him a Bad Dog.

Very affectionate. In spite of his Bad Dog designation, it's hard to be mad at the little guy when he just wants to be close to you. And by close to you, I mean right in your face, laying on your chest like he's a cat, close to you. And the more you push him away, the closer he insists on being, as if by scooting closer he can make you like him more. This was annoying, but I could live with it. Until he started hanging out by the rose bush outside, which is currently surrounded by poison ivy. So now I have poison ivy on my legs and arms, thanks to one very affectionate Bad Dog. Sunday is not getting here soon enough!

Ziggy's Profile Picture

2011-06-21T13:00:00.000-05:00

Ziggy requested a new close-up picture for his profile page, so we had a short photo shoot where I took the following pictures. Please let me know which one you like the best!

A) This is Ziggy when he is happy, because he is getting his own web page.

B) This is Ziggy pouting, when I tell him if he wants to keep his web page, he has to learn to whistle. Because a dog who can whistle would be pretty cool.

C) This is focused Ziggy, trying to understand my instructions on how to whistle.

D) This is Ziggy trying to whistle. Notice the puffed out cheeks as he tries his best. Not bad for a deaf dog.

E) This is disappointed Ziggy, when he found out that he wasn't whistling after all.

F) This is confused Ziggy, when I told him he could give up on whistling and learn to surf instead.

G) This is Very Confused Ziggy, as I try to describe the ocean and a surfboard with sign language.

H) This is happy and relieved Ziggy, after being reassured he doesn't really have to learn to surf.

Ziggy Becomes Famous (sort of)

2011-06-20T18:17:00.000-05:00

Ziggy needs your help! He has talked me into letting him get his own website -- apparently his very own fan page on my blog just wasn't enough. I tried to get him to settle for a Facebook page, but he insisted that he needed his own web page too! This dog is nothing but trouble, I tell you. But since both his Facebook page and his own webpage are aimed at getting him his own home, I really can't complain. I hear he's even recruited a friend to create some business cards for him. I'm not sure where this all will end - but I hope it's with him getting adopted!

Since he's just getting started with his own on-line presence, he's asking for your help. He'd like to get his website up and running before his business cards arrive, and he wants to make sure that he presents himself in the best light possible. So please, if you have a moment, visit his website and let him know what you think. He'd really appreciate any suggestions for improvement. The website will be changing quite a bit in the coming weeks, so if you see something you really like, let him know so he doesn't take it out. And if there is something in particular that you think would help him get adopted (a funny Ziggy story, or a testimonial from one of his friends, for example), please share that as well!

Here is Ziggy's website: http://www.adoptziggy.com/

If any of you have some website creation experience, and want to give Ziggy a hand, feel free to contact him at dogfostermom@aol.com. Yes, he'll be getting his own e-mail address too - but for now, it's faster to reach him through me (his secretary).

Thank you!
Dog Foster Mom

Introducing Ritter

2011-06-17T21:11:00.000-05:00

Ritter is a Beagle mix, possibly with Dachshund. He is about a year old, and he's a great dog. He is housetrained and gets along well with the other dogs and the cats. He loves to cuddle and he usually wants to be a lap dog. He is a little guy, but I don't think he's figured that out yet.

He loves to play with Tulsa and Ziggy, and I can often find them off by themselves plotting some sort of mischief. I think it's obvious that Ritter is calling the shots in these little pow-wows.

I took Ritter home last weekend because Target went out on a trial adoption! He was adopted by a family with two children and another dog who looks remarkably similar to Target. I hope that this trial goes well and Target has found his forever home!