Once Upon a Puppy

Early last June, while sipping too many rum drinks on the ferry between Cape Henlopen and Cape May, I checked my email and saw a plea from OPH. They were looking for someone to take four adorable puppies from the same litter. Oh my! how cute, I thought. I want them!

When I came home from vacation, I learned there were actually two more puppies from that litter that needed foster care. What’s two more? I thought (although this time I wasn’t even tipsy, so I should have known better).

Well, those puppies were SO BEYOND CUTE that now all I want is puppies, puppies, puppies. They were my entry drug. And even the mess and the noise and work had no deterring effect. Seriously hooked. See?

All six were adopted pretty quickly, although there was a humorous (and embarrassing) hiccup in Homeboy/girl’s adoption.

Have you been wondering what happened to them? Me, too. I do hear from a few of them occasionally with pictures which I pore over and news which always makes me smile. So, for this post I emailed all of the adopters and asked for updates. I heard back from five of them!

First, Homeboy/girl who is now Nahla!

It was a long and winding road for Jennifer to Homegirl- another of those adoptions where I’m convinced there are other powers at work. Nahla is named after the character from the Lion King. This seems appropriate since she is pretty pushy with her furbrother Nore, preferring to be the center of attention herself. It’s clear from Jennifer’s updates, that she’s taken over the place. She’s a serious cuddler and much loved. She’s had a blast playing in all the recent snow.

Next, let me tell you about Marzle, who is now Tyson.

When his adopters told me that he is like a teenager who dawdles in the morning and doesn’t want to get out from under the covers, I thought, How appropriate. He was named after the main character in my son’s novel. This is the son who rarely gets up before noon and when faced with an 8am exam time, simply decided it would make more sense to stay up until then and go to bed afterward.

Tyson is 39 pounds and is an easy going guy who is also loving the snow. Oddly, he doesn’t have any fur on this belly and neck at present, so he wears a sweater outside and now a scarf (which he loves!) to play in the snow. He is a serious fetcher, chasing tennis balls for hours on the top level of his parking garage. He loves playing with other dogs and children. Since he was generally the instigator of trouble with his siblings, this makes complete sense.

And remember Boz? His new name is Reggie.

Boz was a favorite here because he was the smallest (and still is!). The other puppies tended to run right over him or pull his overly long ears. He seems to have grown into those ears, and is as handsome as ever. When the puppies left, I missed cuddling Boz the most. I used to carry him around with me and he was always happy as a little clam in my arms. He’s still a snuggler and that hound appearance? Apparently he comes by it honestly, following his nose and trying to take off on his own adventures. Gosh, I miss that little guy.

And then there’s Chick Pea, who is now Payton.

She was the puppy I wanted to keep. She had long legs and a smart mind, always a step ahead of her siblings. I was tempted to foster-fail and keep her as my running dog. I loved her funny ears that stuck out and her sweet face that always seemed to be asking, “What’s next?” She’s till got those long legs and has grown into a sleek 40 pounds. As you can see in the pictures, she’s a lover. Bethany tells me Payton enjoys the dog park and playing in the new snow. She sure did grow up gorgeous.

Last minute update on Jillie Bean!

The little cuddlebug and prettiest puppy of them all goes by just Jillie. She’s also loving the snow -especially eating it. She’s growing, still adorable and greatly loved.

Ah, puppies. Nothing like them. But puppies are always such a gamble. You never know what you’ll get. When we picked out our puppy Gracie, I had no idea what she would be like all grown up. Had I known…. (I won’t go there.).

I don’t think I’ll adopt another puppy for lots of reasons, but mostly because I’m not a gambler. I do love the puppies though, so look for a few more puppy litters in our next year of fostering. Hello, my name is Cara and I’m addicted to puppies. It’s been two months since my last foster puppy….