Adoption Swaparoo

It really came down to the wire on this one. Rainer’s adopter had vanished and adoption day was imminent. Would I be left with one puppy after everyone else went home?

I warned the family that we would all be taking turns carrying Ranier everywhere with us in the puppy sling, and mentally prepared myself for the crying.

Meanwhile, adoption coordinator extraordinaire, Chelsea, got to work hustling and shaking down all the potential adoption applications to see if there was someone out there who deserved this darling pup.

Ranier is one of the small, but mighty pups (Tart is the other). He is probably not going to grow up to be a large dog. My guess is 40 pounds tops. (No one say anything about my track record on these guestimates, please.) He is super smart and very agile – the only one to figure out how to climb out of the puppy pen fence when the gate is open (the bottom lip of the gate is well above their heads, but he’s a determined soul). He’s also mostly mastered the sit command. He loves to sit in your lap and gaze into your eyes. He has THE best nose. He’s a go-getter, always the first to check out anything new in the pen, always the one to notice if I didn’t latch the gate. He’s also a collector, carrying all the toys he finds in the pen and placing them in the small crate we have in there. Basically, he’s a lovable, industrious, clever little guy.

Thank goodness, Chelsea found a family who were already approved to adopt a puppy with OPH, but hadn’t picked one out yet. And they picked….Ranier!

Which means that ALL of the puppies go home today.

And speaking of adoptions! One lucky family hit the adoption jackpot and took home Stelaluna this week. She’s headed to a life on the river in Maryland with a dad who runs/walks and works from home, and a mom who has fostered (and might foster again!). They are well aware of how special she is and will give Stela the life she deserves. (Pardon the adoption picture with Stela in the crate. She had already told me goodbye and loaded herself up. Not kidding. That dog is incredible.)

Cherry and Argus have bonded instantly and are enjoying quality playtime and couch time together.

Cherry becomes more animated every day – showing a very playful side, but she’d still most prefer to lounge on the couch in my company. She is a sweet, low-maintenance girl who seems to be housebroken and is getting used to her crate. After a life on a chain in a yard in West Virginia, she seems grateful for a nice cool, soft place to lay her head. (She’s in the cone because she had an ear infection and scratched so hard, she created a wound on the outside of her ear. She’s nearly better now.)

Cherry is terrified of thunderstorms. As storms raced through the valley the last few days, we’ve spent a good bit of time together on the futon with her shaking like a leaf, trying to burrow behind me. I can’t imagine what torture it was for her to be living outside through storms for the last few years.

I cover her crate completely with a dark, heavy blanket at night, to at least shield her from the flashes of lightning, and she seems no worse for wear considering the storms that have come through. At least she doesn’t tear up her bed….

The most refreshing thing about Cherry is that after three bed-destroying dogs in a row, she is NOT tearing apart my last remaining dog bed. Argus, on the other hand, has destroyed two dog beds, all of the saddle pads that my friend gave me, plus two sets of old sheets, and is currently finishing off what was left of Stela’s mostly ripped up bed. After that, he’ll be sleeping on the plastic crate liner because I’m out of options.

If you’re in the Shenandoah Valley, or anywhere near Harrisonburg, VA, come out and join me at Pale Fire Brewing Company this Tuesday September 12 at 7pm for Books & Brews. I’ll be talking about my book, One Hundred Dogs and Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and a Journey Into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues. There will (hopefully) be adoptable dogs there from Rockingham County Animal Shelter, books for sale, plus, of course, yummy beer and pizza also for sale (my favorite is the Negative Boogie DIPA!).

For more information on Books and Brews click here.

Until Each One Has a Home,

Cara

For information on me, 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, and occasional foster cat updates (!) be sure to join the Facebook group, Another Good Dog.

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.

If you can’t get enough foster dog stories, check out my book: Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs . Or its 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.