I really thought my foster cottage would be emptying out this week. But clearly, I was (as always) overly optimistic.
The last puppy Han found a wonderful adopter I’ve known for years. Amelia had a Meet & Greet schedule, and Leia’s adopter requested her records so she could set up Doggie Daycare for her in preparation for picking her up on Sunday.
Fostering is nothing if not unpredictable. For weeks I have been communicating with Leia’s adopter. She’d applied and been approved to adopt three weeks ago, but asked if it was possible for me to hang on to Leia until after an important planned trip. She would come for her on August 2.
It’s been a big week for moving dogs! Last Saturday’s adoption event was a big success thanks to the marketing prowess and enormous heart of Joy at Traveler’s Treasures. From that one event FOUR puppies found homes!
Slowly, slowly, the adoptions are happening. Five left for their forever homes this past week!
The remaining four puppies will be joining me for another adoption event this weekend at Travelers Treasures in Woodstock. Joy, the shopkeeper who lives up to her name, is a big supporter of the foster cottage.
Adopting out puppies used to be easy. Especially when you have puppies as cute, sweet, and calm as the bunch I have.
But times have changed and/or I’m fostering in a different way than I used to foster. It’s much easier to find adopters when you have the power of a large, established local rescue’s marketing prowess behind your efforts.
Since relocating to Virginia, I’ve been more of a freelance foster. I’ve fostered for six different organizations – always trying to offer help where it is most needed. Of late, that has been for X-Port Paws and Team Memphis Rescue & Support. Neither is local to me, but both are saving lives no one else will save.
This means that finding adopters is mostly on me. I couldn’t do it without the several thousand subscribers to this blog, followers on Facebook/Instagram, and of late, the multitudes on TikTok.
I know that many of you already have a dog or three (or eight), so I’m not asking you to adopt one of these amazing animals in my foster cottage.
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.
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’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.
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)
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’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.
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.
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.
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….
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.
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 hep shelters save lives.
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.
Another Good Dog™ 