Wishbone is transforming before my eyes. Security makes all the difference. When he first arrived, he was skeletal and skittish and focused inward, curling up in a ball in his crate whenever he wasn’t eating.
I took him for very short walks, trying to venture further from the cottage each day, but going at his pace. In the foster cottage, we kept things quiet. He and Diamond take turns being loose/crated. After a week, he finally felt secure enough to stretch out and sleep soundly (snoring loudly!).
When Wishbone arrived, he weighed 39 pounds. Yesterday, the scale read over 54 pounds!
He’s filling out and looking very lab-like with soft fur and heart-shaped ears. He’s a beautiful dog, and as some of his scabs and injuries heal, he’s even more beautiful.
As he has gained weight, he’s also gaining confidence and interest in everything around him. He loved the stuffed, squeaky toy that Liz from X-Port Paws sent him. Eventually, he loved it so much he unstuffed and unsqueaked it, so I pulled out lots more chew toys and the remnants of stuffed toys (his favorites). He is finally starting to act his age (approximately 2 years old).
He’s most especially interested in chasing poor Hazel. For her part, she did start them off on the wrong foot by swatting him in the face the first time they met.
Newly-arrived Wishbone cowered from her aggression and avoided Hazel that first week, but now he’s always on the lookout for her, ready to chase if she tries to make a dash through my office and out the dog door. Hazel is learning to time those escapes to when Wishbone is eating, just like she waits for Diamond to be snoozing on the futon underneath the cover.
Wishbone has yet to use the dog door to go out to the playyard without a lot of coaxing. He has a little bit of phobia around doors. The first week, he would not follow me out a door, but if I opened it and stood back, he would dart through and wait for me. He’s getting better about that, following me inside happily, but still preferring to go out the door with me behind him.
Thankfully, he continues to prove that he is housetrained and enjoys the sanctuary of his crate, often hanging out in it, even when it’s his turn to be loose.
Diamond, with her usual enthusiasm, makes nonstop overtures to him while he is in his crate and she is loose, but he looks away and won’t make eye contact, clearly either terrified or uninterested. Going by the scars on his body that are likely from other dogs, his fear makes sense. He has the same response to my dogs when they run alongside the fence as I walk him. It’s going to take a lot of healing with a patient dog, for him to learn that not every dog he meets wants to do him harm.
Dogs (and people too) have an inherent need to feel safe. Maybe that wasn’t the case before humankind domesticated them, but now, security is critical for every dog, and lack of it drives much of their anxiety and misbehaviors. Again and again, I’ve seen how not just love and affection, but crate time, routine, consistent care, and good nutrition transform every foster dog we’ve hosted.
It’s such a privilege to foster dogs. If it’s something you’d like to know more about, please reach out. I’m happy to talk you into it! Just email me: cara@wwldo.org.
Until Each One Has a Home,
Cara
For information on my writing and books, visit CaraWrites.com.
My newest book, Who Will Let the Dogs Out: Stories and Solutions for Shelters and Rescues is a primer for those new to the cause, an invitation to get involved, and a source of inspiration for those already working tirelessly to save lives. With stories of successful shelters, innovative strategies, and the key ingredients for success—strong leadership, veterinary access, and community engagement—it’s a celebration of what’s working and a call to scale those solutions nationwide. Learn more and get your copy and/or send one to a shelter or rescue on our website. Also available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.
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.
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
- chicken-free and chicken-byproduct-free, high-quality food & treats (for Diamond)
- large dog beds (or cover replacements any size – we can cut the memory foam pieces I have to fit)
- probiotics and salmon oil
- Martingale collars in size Large
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™ 
Nothing better to see than a pup who’s confident and happy enough to enjoy a good evisceration. He’s looking terrific in your care!
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