Home Again with a Stowaway

It has been a long time since I brought in a new foster dog. April to be exact.

(Which makes me wonder what I’ve been writing on this blog for all these months!)

There is a very special dog in my kitchen. She arrives with a story that began back in June. A story that inspired me to return to Tennessee and go on to Alabama and to now explore more ways I can change the situation.

You may recognize her face…

Although she looks much different now…

She is no longer covered with poop and emaciated and waiting to be killed in a pound in western Tennessee. I wrote about the Huntingdon Pound on the Who Will Let the Dogs Out blog, it was by far the saddest situation I’ve seen in my travels.

Four days after I visited the pound with my son Ian (who took those powerful pictures of her), a hero of mine, Trisha (of RARE – Rural Animal Rescue Effort) rescued her from that nightmare and brought her (and three others) home to her house. She named her Mocha, but in my heart I had already named her Fanny.

Over the course of the summer I kept tabs on this pup. She remained at Trisha’s living in a crate most of the day but getting opportunities to snuggle on the couch or romp in the yard too. Trisha is on the front lines saving dogs in Tennessee and at any given moment there can be more than a dozen or two at her house while she looks for homes for them.

As I planned the next trip with Nancy, determined to continue to shine a light on what is happening in our rural south, I learned that Mocha/Fanny was still at RARE with Trisha, so I asked OPH to pull her and allow me to foster her.

At the end of our trip to Tennessee and Alabama, Nancy and I stopped at Trisha’s and picked up this precious pup, now known as Miss Fanny Wiggles.

Fanny was silent on our nine-hour drive north. After a quick stop for a potty break, I couldn’t bear to put her back in her crate and she rode the final few hours awkwardly perched between the seats with her head on my arm, or snoozing on the seat behind me.

We stopped at our cabin in Virginia for the night and once out of the car, Fanny cautiously came to life. We discovered that she loves chew toys and seems to be housebroken. She is shy and anxious, having been exposed to very little in her short life, and much of it not so good, but she warms up quickly.

The next morning before loading her up for the final leg home, we took her for a short hike in the Shenandoah River State Park. She loved exploring the woods and really, really wanted to catch a squirrel.

Home now, in the kitchen, she is shy and worried. There’s been a lot of upheaval in her world, so we are letting her take it slow.

As I learn more about her, I will share it with you. So far, though, I’m pretty smitten with this special girl.

Meanwhile, a few updates:

Daisy moved to a new foster home! I’m excited for her to be with Deb and Scott. Deb is a trainer and they have a wonderful set up in which Daisy has her own room and her own yard. I went to visit her Sunday night (and dropped off my orange kitties!). She looked great and seemed calm and happy. Fingers crossed this is a big step towards finally finding her family!

We’ll still host Daisy when Deb and Scott need a babysitter and I’ll keep you updated on her progress. Fred and George also moved to their house to take up their new jobs as mousers.

Flannery is still here keeping us all entertained. She is now rooming with our two remaining cats and getting along great. She has even shared her dog bed (inside her small crate!) with Luna, but jumps up to greet me too fast so I have yet to get a picture. (Nevermind that a picture of a black dog and a black cat together in the dark of a small crate will be a challenge.) Flannery began her second session of agility training and continues to love it and learn quickly.

I have so much to say about all that I learned while traveling the south with photographer Nancy Slattery and visiting thirteen shelters and rescues. If you’d like to read about those experiences, please visit our blog, Who Will Let the Dogs Out.

While much of what we saw was heartbreaking, there were also incredible stories of hope and heroes. Please do take a gander and consider subscribing because I’ve got lots more stories to tell and big plans for evolving this site and this mission.

Thanks for reading!

If you’d like to know more about my blogs and books, visit CaraWrites.com or subscribe to my occasional e-newsletter.

If you’d like to know how you can volunteer, foster, adopt or donate with OPH, click here. And if you’d like more pictures and videos of my foster dogs past and present, be sure to join the Another Good Dog Facebook group.

I love hearing from readers, so please feel free to comment here on the blog, email carasueachterberg@gmail.com or connect with me on Facebook, twitter, or Instagram.

 Best,

 Cara

Released August 2018 from Pegasus Books and available now