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.
Moonpie (I had to give her a name) is a gorgeous, chocolately edged black colored long-haired cat. We live in a rural area, and she doesn’t belong to any of my neighbors, so it’s quite obvious that someone dumped her.
Her tail was matted with burs. She was thin as a rail and incredibly hungry. I first spotted her in the field behind our barn while I was walking dogs. She didn’t run at the sight of us, so I knew she wasn’t one of the many feral cats in the area. The next day, Nick spotted her in the barn. I put out a little extra food, and she started eating with our barn cats.
She next tried to approach the house, but Hazel was having none of that.
While I don’t have time for another project or anywhere to put her, she couldn’t stay in our barn even if the barn cats liked her. The last time I tried to take a cat to our county shelter, they turned me away and told me to find it a home. They manage their intake by not taking any animal in unless they have to (read: the animal control officer of the day drops it off).
Moonpie was easy to woo, as most starving animals are, coming close for pets and treats. It was relatively easy to get her into a crate. I just placed a bowl of food inside and in she went.
She is now living in our guest room with the hall blocked off by baby gates and the door shut tight to keep Otis and Fanny from gaining access. They are VERY interested in the new resident.
Thankfully, the Humane Society of Shenandoah County will help me rehome her. This past Tuesday, she hopped their transport to Anicira Vet in Harrisonburg, where it was confirmed that she is already spayed, but she had a closed abscess and was treated for that with a powerful antibiotic shot. They also gave her a rabies shot, and while she was under, they shaved most of her tail to remove the burs and mats.
Once Moonpie has two distemper shots, she will hopefully relocate to the Cat Café in Harrisonburg. She is a beauty and seems pretty young. She’s very affectionate and clearly cat friendly. I hope that will help her find a real home. Otis and Fanny check the door to her room regularly and are not exactly thrilled to have a cat in the house.
As rescues go, Moonpie has been pretty easy (so far). Mostly because my friend Linda, who is much more of a cat expert than I, was here and handled the heavy lifting: deworming and first distemper shot, plus she roomed with Moonpie and cleaned up the barf-fest that ensued because I fed her too much too fast. (thanks, Lou)
Toothless update
Toothless will leave on a transport on Sunday (yay for him). He’s headed to a new life with adopters in Wisconsin! I am fostering him (and the puppies) through Team Memphis Rescue and Support. They save dogs, primarily from Memphis and the surrounding area, and have foster homes all over the place, including Woodstock now. Their team screens adopters carefully and, if it’s a good home, will arrange transport even as far away as Wisconsin!
That means if you aren’t in my area and have your heart set on one of my puppies, don’t let distance stop you!
Still Waiting for Adopters
Meanwhile, Amelia Bedelia and Blarney Stone, who are both amazing dogs, sit here with no adoption applications. I’m flummoxed. Both have really fun personalities. They love people, do well with other dogs, are healthy, young, spayed/neutered, house-trained, crate-trained, and ready to go. Yet, here they sit.
Amelia is going to join me for a girls’ weekend with friends today. She’s so easy to have around, and Nick and I have enjoyed taking her out on adventures. I’m hoping she finds her person. If you know anyone looking, here’s the 411 on both (please tell anyone you know who is looking!):
Blarney weighs 28 pounds and recently turned one. He is high energy, but knows how to settle. He loves people, is great with kids, and is a devoted cuddle bug. He is a definite cat chaser, but has done well with other dogs (he has a full-on play style). He travels great in a car and walks pretty well on a harness. I have no idea what kind of dog he is, just that he’s a compact little cutie with pointy ears and a nonstop tailway.
Amelia Bedelia is 40 pounds and is about three years old. She is gentle and calm, but has strong herding instincts so wants to chase anything moving – squirrels, cats, cows, and BUGS. She has perfect manners inside and I leave her loose in the cottage even when I’m not here because she is that good. Housetrained, quiet, and very lovey. We’ve taken her to busy venues and she is an angel, walking perfectly on a leash, greeting everyone, and sitting patiently while we talk or eat. I think she may be one of the smartest dogs I’ve fostered, and she has the innate wisdom of a mama dog.
Both of these dogs are so special. It breaks my heart that they are still here two months after arriving. They should be easy placements, but it’s a tough time to find adopters. I’d appreciate any help you can give me.
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.
Until Each One Has a Home,
Cara
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 can’t get enough foster dog stories, check out my book: Another Good Dog: One Family and Fifty Foster Dogs. Or it’s a 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 Denta-life chews, dog vitamins, canned pate dog and puppy food, probiotics, puppy food, 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.
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