Another Good Dog™

Nine puppies create quite the poopapalooza. I’d forgotten that.

It’s been a long time since I fostered a litter this large. It’s taken a few weeks, but I have a system for cleaning now. Mostly, it involves a lot of laundry and covering every inch of the floor with a washable puppy pad or a towel.

In the beginning, I left the floor bare, but I soon found it took so long to scrub and sanitize the floor that the puppies would have finished eating in the small auxiliary pen and begun filling that small space up with poop. Having little room, this meant that when they came back into their newly pristine pen, they tracked poop all over my clean floor (while I was in the auxiliary pen scrubbing that floor). This could have led to perpetual clean up.

So instead, there are two large puppy pads for the ‘poop room’ in the regular pen. (btw, THANK YOU to whoever sent those large 4 x 4 puppy pads for the whelping box – while I only used them for a week in the box, they are an absolute lifesaver in this setup.)

I cover the rest of the floor with large towels and anchor them in place with the fence, the crate, and my wooden stool. I then cover it with LOTS of toys so there is plenty to do and no need to chew on towel edges and drag the towels around.

(also, there is not a train running through the cottage, that’s the sound of my washing machine!)

It’s working.

For now.

It does help that these puppies seem to be very smart and pick up on everything quickly. They are already sitting for treats at just six weeks.

My friend (and veterinarian) Shelley came by to give the puppies well puppy exams and do their first set of vaccinations, and she remarked that they were a really nice litter. I don’t think she was just saying that to humor me. They are the sweetest puppies. They’ve been so cooperative with nail trims and deworming, and were perfect for their exams and vaccines. Shelley finished each exam by nuzzling each puppy and whispering, “You are perfect.”

Padme’s exam answered the questions I’ve been holding in since she first started walking. I’ve watched her and, I guess I knew in my heart, something wasn’t quite right, but I couldn’t explain it. Some days she seemed to be unbalanced and stumbly, but then the next she was racing around the pen. She often cocks her head to the side. Plus she is always a little less involved with whatever is going on in the pen. She doesn’t chase after me every time I step in the pen to do anything, and she sleeps a lot. But none of that pointed to anything. I thought, “Maybe she’s just independent, and she likes her naps.”

Shelley’s exam revealed that she is likely visually impaired. It also was clear that she has some kind of neurological issues. Her reflexes, particularly on the left side, just aren’t right.

Team Memphis is committed to seeing this puppy through. The next step is an exam in a vet’s office. I’m taking her to my vet (who is incredible) so she can have testing on actual equipment and lab work (two things Shelley can’t do here in my foster cottage). Depending on how that goes, we will get a referral to take Padme to a specialist. We’ll figure out next steps from there, but it’s my hope that whatever is going on, she can still have a happy life in a forever home. She eats, plays, and snuggles with her siblings. She loves my attention, and she is growing. She is smaller than the others, and that difference becomes clearer each week as she isn’t gaining weight at the same rate. Beyond the neurological stuff, though, she is healthy and happy and just a sweet puppy.

The puppies will be 7 weeks old on Monday! Which is hard to believe, but it means they will be ready to go home soon! We need adopters. If you know of anyone looking for a puppy, please encourage them to consider this special bunch.

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They are smart puppies who have been absolute dreamboats in terms of fostering (they can’t help that there are so many of them!). They will be ready to go home after July 1. At that point, they will have had two sets of distemper vaccines, one Bordetella, and their first heartworm preventative. They will also be microchipped. The puppies are available for adoption through Team Memphis Rescue & Support.

Meanwhile, Blarney is doing great – such a stellar student. In the right hands, he could learn anything. He’s mastered the agility tunnel, has turned into an excellent running buddy for me, and is solid on his sit and stay and go-to-place (although we are still working on duration and distraction).

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Amelia Bedelia is beyond ready for a home of her own. She is a love and has absolutely stolen my heart. If my pack would accept another dog, she would be home. She is just such a cool dog – athletic, smart, SO loving, and solid in her manners and housetraining. We take her to all kinds of places because she is so well behaved and excellent at meeting new people or sitting quietly beside us. She’s also a first-rate traveler.

I think she would thrive with an adopter who wants a best friend and is an active person who likes to walk or hike. I think she could likely excel at nearly any canine sport. But all of that said, she is happy and quiet and well-behaved inside. She is not a dog who needs your nonstop attention. I leave her alone in the cottage loose while I’m out and have never come home to any kind of destruction or mess. She is simply SUCH a good dog. Who needs a good dog?

On Wednesday, Roxy’s original foster mom picked her up and took her back to Maryland. She’ll stay with Gina while until she is spayed and then will (finally) go home with her patient adopter.

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We had visitors this morning who helped me take the puppies outside for the first time. They also brought some fun new toys for the puppies (always a hit as they get tired of my rotation) and other much-needed supplies. While they played with the puppies in the outdoor pen, I was finally able to thoroughly clean the entire puppy room and catch up a bit on laundry.

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Lots happening in the foster cottage – this is a busy place! But a happy one.

If you’re looking for a way to help us, please consider making a donation to Team Memphis for Padme’s treatment (be sure to say that in the comments when you donate). I don’t know what it will cost, but I know it will not be inexpensive. Or consider shopping our Amazon wishlist. Currently we are most in need of additional large-size puppy pads, puppy toys, dog vitamins, dog enrichment tools, treats, and salmon oil, but there’s lots of other stuff on our wishlist.

If you or someone you know is looking to add a furry family member, please share the dogs and puppies in my foster cottage. I need help spreading the word! You can always find information about the dogs on this blog site (under the tab ‘foster dogs currently available for adoption’) and also on the Facebook page, Adoptable Dogs in Shenandoah County.

Until Each One Has a Home,

Cara

For information on my writing and books, visit CaraWrites.com.

If you’d like regular updates of all our foster dogs past and present, plus occasional dog care/training tips, be sure to join the Facebook group, Another Good Dog. And if you’re on TikTok, you can find regular videos of my current fosters, dog news/tips, and more if you follow me there.

And if you’d like to know where all these dogs come from and how you can help solve the crisis of too many unwanted dogs in our shelters, visit WhoWillLetTheDogsOut.org and subscribe to our blog, where we share stories of our travels to shelters, rescues, and dog pounds, plus ideas, solutions, and resources to help shelters save lives.

If you can’t get enough foster dog stories, check out my book: Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs. Or it’s a follow-up that takes you to the shelters in the south, One Hundred Dogs & Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and a Journey Into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues.

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I love to hear from readers and dog-hearted people! Email me at carasueachterberg@gmail.com.

If you’d like to support the work we do (and save the rescue and me some money), shop our Amazon wishlist. We are currently in need of dog vitamins, canned pate dog and puppy food, probiotics, puppy toys (always), and salmon oil.

If you’d like to take a vacation with your whole pack, consider visiting one of our two dog-WELCOMING vacation rentals. Visit BringDogs.com to learn more.

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Teenager Dogs & the Latest in the Foster Cottage

June 11, 2026June 11, 2026 Cara Achterberg

Teenager dogs, like teenager humans, can be challenging. They test limits, can be impulsive, and sometimes seem to have multiple personalities. They overreact, can be quite dramatic, messy, noisy, and contrary—unwilling to give you their attention because of all the other things calling to them.

Blarney is a teenager. So he’s a ton of fun, always ready for an adventure, but also a lot to manage. For the most part, he’s just blasted along following Amelia and Toothless. Amelia is older, wiser, so much more steady and mature. She is quick to call him out but also loves to run and rumble with him.

Toothless was only a puppy when he was here, so he was the perfect foil and sidekick for Blarney. With him gone, I have more time to focus on Blarney and I’ve realized that I should not have just assumed he was doing fine because he was more or less compliant in going in/out to potty, quietish in his crate, and seemed very happy.

Now I see that he is also very much into his teenagerhood. So, I’ve begun working with my little guy. I know the potential here. He is smart and happy and such a positive soul. I need to build him some guiderails and teach him how to self-regulate.

We are going slow. Just like I would with a puppy. Sitting calmly gets you rewarded. Not pulling on the leash means we can move forward. We are starting to learn go-to-place, which he is picking up at remarkable speed. He is an incredibly bright and eager student. He already knows sit, down, come, crate, and place. Stay is a work-in-progress. So is leash-training.

What he needs now is a family ready to continue his training and give him the steady love he craves. I know he would be a whiz kid at agility. I spent twenty minutes on a course with him, and he conquered multiple obstacles – even tunnels on the first try.

Here is a video of that day:

At just 28 pounds, he’s a great size. And while he probably couldn’t cohabitate with a cat, he does love kids and would be a fun family dog ready for any adventure.

I welcome any ideas you have for continuing to build this teenager into a good adult dog. I want to prepare him to succeed in his future adoptive home. He’s such a special guy and I know he will make someone super happy.

Meanwhile, Amelia is still here. Still steady. Still sweet. Still needing a person to call her own. She is wicked smart and I’m sure she could be a rock star at dog sports like flyball or agility for Fast Kat. She has so much focus, you could likely train her to do anything. Also, I’ve discovered she is a wonderful hiking buddy – steady and sure, not wandering to sniff nonstop (like my other hiking buddies). I’ve run with her also, which she does well unless the cows are near the fence, then its game over.

Here is a video I made of her yesterday:

And the puppies are growing. Roxy abruptly weaned them last weekend. She refuses to nurse them and just jumps away when they try. She will head back to her Maryland foster and eventually her adoptive home next week.

A few of my favorite puppy pics from this week. To see more pictures and live videos, visit Another Good Dog on facebook.

If you are local or want to make the road trip, the puppies would love visitors. They love people and need the attention/socialization. Their personalities are really starting to show and I’ll introduce you to them in the next few weeks. Lots of individuals, but gosh, the sweetest bunch – just like their mom and dad.

If you are interested in adopting one of these precious babes, click here to apply. They are available for adoption through Team Memphis Rescue & Support.

If you are interested in adopting Blarney or Amelia, click here for the adoption application.

And, of course, feel free to contact me with questions about any of these darlings. (fosterdogcottage@gmail.com)

Until Each One Has a Home,

Cara

For information on my writing and books, visit CaraWrites.com.

Another Good Dog: one family and fifty foster dogs book

One hundred dogs and counting: one woman, ten thousand miles and a journey into shelters and rescues

I love to hear from readers and dog-hearted people! Email me at carasueachterberg@gmail.com.

If you’d like to take a vacation with your whole pack, consider visiting one of our two dog-WELCOMING vacation rentals. Visit BringDogs.com to learn more.

dog rescue, foster dogs

Fostering Joy: Amelia’s Perfect Weekend with Friends

June 5, 2026June 5, 2026 Cara Achterberg

This past weekend Amelia joined two friends and me for a girls’ weekend. I was only slightly concerned about how she would handle it. She’s been an excellent guest at the foster cottage, besides jumping the fence and digging some sizeable holes in the yard.

We’ve remediated those issues by adding electric wire to the fence and throwing in the towel on the holes. We’ve long needed to sod the foster playyard. The grass has never grown well ever since routing our septic line through the area, which was formerly a gravel parking place. Amelia made the decision for us. Once she is adopted, we’ll spend the money and buy the sod.

Taking her with me to our dog-friendly rental, Gracie’s Place, to meet my friends was an opportunity to see how she does out in the world and living inside a ‘real’ home. She was perfect. Really. I’m not making it up. I have two witnesses. She explored the house but settled on hanging out on the back patio where she chased reflections every time the door opened and searched for bugs. The sandbox was a hit, too.

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Meet Moonpie: From Rescue to Adoption Journey

May 28, 2026 Cara Achterberg

When I adopted/hired Hazel to join me in the foster cottage, I thought my cat rescue days were over. Hazel hates other cats. Her primary jobs beyond being beautiful and keeping me company are cat-testing the foster dogs and training the puppies to respect cats. She does both jobs very well.

So when a strange cat turned up on our property, Hazel made sure that cat did not come within striking distance of the cottage or the house. She likes her job and is not interested in an assistant.

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foster dogs, fosterdogs, mama dogs, puppies

Fostering is a Bittersweet Journey

May 16, 2026May 14, 2026 Cara Achterberg

It’s been a bittersweet week of fostering.

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Fostering Fun: Find Your Perfect Dog Companion

May 14, 2026May 14, 2026 Cara Achterberg

It’s that time of year – adoption season! I’ve got some amazing dogs still looking for homes of their own. They make fostering more fun than work, but I’d still rather they move their party to your house instead of mine!

Amelia Bedelia

We took Amelia to a busy event at a winery recently, and she was unfazed by the chaos and crowd. She greeted everyone with wags and kisses. She sat nicely while we talked and listened to music. Such perfect manners. Neither of my dogs could have handled that scene or allowed us to enjoy ourselves. (not the best picture, the cameraman had a glass of wine in his hand)

Amelia is something special. She seems wise beyond her years and grounded, but also possesses serious focus and prey drive. She is ready for adventures and life with someone who can appreciate her incredible smarts, athleticism, and affection.

This is the gorgeous face I see often during the day when she comes and quietly sits beside me, waiting for me to pet her. She’s a very patient pup.

Blarney Stone

Blarney weighed in at 28 pounds at our weigh-in this week (Amelia was 42). He continues to be the happiest guy, no matter how much I scold him for jumping on me or climbing on the back of the couch or chasing the cat up and down the fence.

He would be such a great family dog. He likes everyone, but kids are his favorite. He is the definition of happy puppy. So, if you need some happy in your world, consider adopting this little package of fun. I’ve already done the hard work of house and crate-training. He’s neutered, microchipped, up to date on shots and ready to go!

Toothless

Toothless has a potential adopter who is out of the area, so Team Memphis is working on arranging transport for him. He is such a doll baby, and I’m happy for him to get a home where he can get the love and attention he needs. I do my best, but it’s a busy cottage. Thank goodness he is good at entertaining himself and for Amelia, who is always happy to wrestle with him.

Want to see my little trio in action? Here’s what is usually going on behind me as I work at my desk….

Until Each One Has a Home,

Cara

For information on my writing and books, visit CaraWrites.com.

And if you’d like to know where all these dogs come from and how you can help solve the crisis of too many unwanted dogs in our shelters, visit WhoWillLetTheDogsOut.org and subscribe to our blog where we share stories of our travels to shelters, rescues, and dog pounds, plus ideas, solutions, and resources to hep shelters save lives.

I love to hear from readers and dog-hearted people! Email me at carasueachterberg@gmail.com.

If you’d like to support the work we do (and save the rescue and me some money), shop our Amazon wishlist. We are currently in need of Denta-life chews, dog vitamins, canned pate dog and puppy food, probiotics, training treats, soft treats, and bully sticks.

If you’d like to take a vacation with your whole pack, consider visiting one of our two dog-WELCOMING vacation rentals. Visit BringDogs.com to learn more.

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Surprise! Puppies!

May 4, 2026 Cara Achterberg

Here is the post I had scheduled for today. I thought I’d have plenty of time to tell you about the impending (well, now present) little family in my puppy room. But if you’re curious how it happened, read on. It’s quite a story.

You may have noticed that we have a mama dog in the foster cottage! How did that happen? It’s a long, but magical story….

When I pulled Zarko, Blarney, and Amelia back in March, I posted a video telling the story of how I randomly picked them. Making the point that often, dogs get saved on whims, luck, and timing more than anything. (you can find it on my TikTok, and probably Facebook, if you’re curious)

A friend saw that post and looked into Critical Memphis Animals on Facebook, which posts the dogs scheduled for euthanasia at the city shelter (where all of my dogs have come from lately). She offered to pull a dog named Roxie on the eve of her euthanasia. I put her in touch with Team Memphis Rescue, who I work with to save dogs from the shelter.

Since Team Memphis has a policy of never leaving a kennel mate behind, I agreed to take the kennel mate, and they pulled that dog, too. At the time, I remember asking, if Roxie is not spayed, why is she in a kennel with an unneutered male? No one knew.

Things at that shelter are desperate. They euthanize for space three days a week, and all dogs get just two weeks before they are put on the euthanasia list. Likely, that was the only kennel available, and they came from the same home.

It may have been a choice between them bunking together or another dog being euthanized that day to make room. I don’t know, but please don’t demonize the shelter. They are working hard to bring in the more than twenty thousand strays still on the streets. (A result of the previous management’s practice of ‘community sheltering’ in order to obtain a No-kill status. If you want to know more about that devastating trend, hop over to Who Will Let the Dogs Out.org or watch this video.)

Anyway, back to my story. Roxie caught a transport north, and Gina fostered her at her home in Maryland. Roxie is a darling little pup (35 pounds at intake), super sweet, calm, and gentle. She quickly found an adopter.

Gina was scheduled to take Roxy for her spay surgery, but noticed that she was getting pretty fat. At the vet’s office, the vet said she definitely could be pregnant, so they canceled the spay (that vet will not do spay/abort, which is a relatively common practice in many shelters) and scheduled an ultrasound.

Meanwhile, the adopter still wanted to adopt her but was not able to whelp puppies. Gina wasn’t set up to do that either, so I volunteered. After all, it was my post that dragged them all into this. When the vet confirmed that she was six weeks pregnant, we arranged to meet up and transfer Roxie to me. And now she has taken up residence in the puppy room. And she is indeed a sweetheart, exactly as billed.

If the ultrasound is correct, I should have at least two weeks with her before the possibility of puppies. That puts the due date somewhere between May 3 and Mother’s Day.

When the puppies are born, we will likely know whether Roxie got pregnant in the shelter or before arriving there. With the animal crisis growing by the day, it seems insane that the shelter may have added to it. Maybe they assumed it was their only chance and figured if she got pregnant, she would be spayed anyway. Or maybe they assumed that since her kennel mate was only seven months old, he wouldn’t be able to impregnate her.

Who knows. All I know is that we have an impending birth and a beautiful dog whose life and puppies’ lives were saved because one woman spoke up for her.

Rescue truly is random.

Roxie continues to grow larger and sweeter. She is an easy girl to have around. We take regular laps of our back field, and she seems content to snooze her days away in the puppy room. Hazel is spending more time up in the rafters as Roxy is a serious cat chaser (so is Amelia).

If you’re local to me, I could really use more towels. Fostering puppies is towel intensive and my supply has dwindled! I need both bath and hand towels.

Meanwhile, I still have three amazing pups looking for homes of their own!

If you’d like more information about them, click on the “Foster Dogs Available for Adoption” tab I created on the blog’s main page. (and please share it!)

It’s been a long morning, so I’ll cut to the chase… (I can’t tell you how many as things are still not completed, but suffice it to say no one guessed a high enough number!)

I’ll tell you more later this week, or check Another Good Dog facebook group or my socials (FB, IG, or TT) for updates.

Until Each One Has a Home,

Cara

For information on my writing and books, visit CaraWrites.com.

And if you’d like to know where all these dogs come from and how you can help solve the crisis of too many unwanted dogs in our shelters, visit WhoWillLetTheDogsOut.org and subscribe to our blog where we share stories of our travels to shelters, rescues, and dog pounds, plus ideas, solutions, and resources to hep shelters save lives.

I love to hear from readers and dog-hearted people! Email me at carasueachterberg@gmail.com.

If you’d like to support the work we do (and save the rescue and me some money), shop our Amazon wishlist. We are currently in need of Denta-life chews, TREATS!, dog vitamins, canned pate dog and puppy food, probiotics, training treats, soft treats, and bully sticks.

If you’d like to take a vacation with your whole pack, consider visiting one of our two dog-WELCOMING vacation rentals. Visit BringDogs.com to learn more.

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These Dogs Are Gems and YOU Can Help Get Them Home

April 30, 2026May 3, 2026 Cara Achterberg

Hey friends, once again I need your help. We’ve got three gems lingering too long in my company who are more than ready for families of their own.

As my fostering is a bit ‘freelance,’ it’s hard for me to reach a wide enough audience.

To a dog, every one of my dogs saved from Memphis has been a good dog, and the three I have currently are no exceptions. If you can help me spread the word about them so they find homes, you’ll enable me to save more.

Here are a few options for doing that:

Share this post with your circle of influence, especially dog-hearted people, anyone looking for a new furry family member, dog-oriented groups, social media.
Share the link on my blog for currently available dogs: https://anothergooddog.org/foster-dogs-currently-available-for-adoption/
Share the AnotherGoodDog Facebook group where there is more info and live videos.
Share the Facebook Group: Adoptable Dogs in Shenandoah County

The longer I spend with them, the more I learn about them precious pups…

Like how Amelia would be an excellent Parkour prospect. Her determination, smarts, focus, and extreme athleticism make her a great candidate for any kind of dog sport.

But all that said, she is also an absolute love bug who shares kisses and snuggles freely. I wish I had more time to devote to training her, but with the wild boys demanding attention, like the forgotten middle child, she just keeps herself busy. She’s an easy, easy dog.

I think she’d do really well in an apartment or condo setting, living with someone who wants a dog to have adventures with, try agility (or parkour), a running buddy, or just great company. She is beautiful and has a fun personality.

The ‘boys,’ Blarney and Toothless, became fast friends and spend their days wrestling, chasing, tackling, and competing for my attention. Toothless is only 8 months old, so he is always ends up backing away when the tug of wars between Blarney and Amelia get serious.

Toothless is 8 months old about 30 pounds (we’re going to have a weigh-in soon and get official weights on everyone). He is a sweet boy who really wants to be a lap dog (a wiggly one at this point).

He was an owner surrender at the shelter, and whoever gave him up at least raised him with a kind hand because he loves people and is affectionate and cuddly. He’s so eager to please and has a busy, distractible puppy personality. That said, he’s making progress on “don’t jump on me,” “sit,” and “go to crate” commands.

Toothless is all legs and stays skinny no matter how much I feed him. I’ll try a third dewormer this week, but I’m beginning to think this is just who he is – that gangly teenager who can ten cheeseburgers and still be rail thin.

And Blarney. This funny little guy is something special. He’s a year old now and likely weighs 28 pounds (again, we’ll get a firm number soon!). I call him a ‘party on four paws’ because the dog is always happy. His tail doesn’t know how to stop. His grin is irrepressible. Even when I’m scolding him to not jump or to get down off the back of the futon, he complies but never takes it personally.

He has a funny hoarse bark that makes me wonder if someone damaged his trachea by yanking on him. He does pull on a leash, so I use a harness. He’s so little that the pulling isn’t terrible.

The HVAC guy came to deep clean the mini-splits in the cottage (there is so much dust tracked in by dogs running in and out). Blarney charmed him. He’s got four kids at home and seemed very interested in adopting Blarney, but turns out his landlord says that the only way he can is if he can show a DNA test proving he doesn’t have any bully breeds in him. Does he? I have no idea. I’d guess he’s got a range of dogs in him, but since he was a stray in Memphis, your guess is as good as mine. I did put DNA tests on my Another Good Dog Amazon wishlist, so if anyone wants to find out and potentially help Blarney get a home, have at it.

My spring was supposed to be devoted to finding these good dogs homes. I was considering fostering puppies later in May after my travel and work settle down a bit, but as always, the fostering gods had different plans. I’ll tell you about that in my next post!

Until Each One Has a Home,

Cara

For information on my writing and books, visit CaraWrites.com.

And if you’d like to know where all these dogs come from and how you can help solve the crisis of too many unwanted dogs in our shelters, visit WhoWillLetTheDogsOut.org and subscribe to our blog where we share stories of our travels to shelters, rescues, and dog pounds, plus ideas, solutions, and resources to hep shelters save lives.

I love to hear from readers and dog-hearted people! Email me at carasueachterberg@gmail.com.

If you’d like to take a vacation with your whole pack, consider visiting one of our two dog-WELCOMING vacation rentals. Visit BringDogs.com to learn more.

adopters, dog rescue, foster dogs, fosterdogs, fostering, fostering dogs

Need an Adventure Buddy? We’ve Got Three!

April 20, 2026 Cara Achterberg

Have I got some dogs for you! As always, I have adoptable dogs, but the three I have now are pretty special.

Sometimes fostering can be stressful – the crate and rotate, the noise, the poop, etc. So it’s refreshing to have a pack of three (relatively) easy fosters. They get along. They are all housetrained. And now, they are all crate-trained!

I’m happy to report that my streak is alive – I have successfully crate-trained every adult dog I’ve fostered, which must be close to 200 now. I thought Amelia was going to break my streak, but with time and patience, a super comfy bed, and a whole lot of squeeze cheese, she is happy in a crate overnight and for meals and naptime during the day.

With Zarko (now Toby) off to a new home….

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