Fostering Joy: Amelia’s Perfect Weekend with Friends

This past weekend Amelia joined two friends and me for a girls’ weekend. I was only slightly concerned about how she would handle it. She’s been an excellent guest at the foster cottage, besides jumping the fence and digging some sizeable holes in the yard.

We’ve remediated those issues by adding electric wire to the fence and throwing in the towel on the holes. We’ve long needed to sod the foster playyard. The grass has never grown well ever since routing our septic line through the area, which was formerly a gravel parking place. Amelia made the decision for us. Once she is adopted, we’ll spend the money and buy the sod.

Taking her with me to our dog-friendly rental, Gracie’s Place, to meet my friends was an opportunity to see how she does out in the world and living inside a ‘real’ home. She was perfect. Really. I’m not making it up. I have two witnesses. She explored the house but settled on hanging out on the back patio where she chased reflections every time the door opened and searched for bugs. The sandbox was a hit, too.

Saturday morning we took her for a 3.5 mile hike up Copernicus Ridge. She was a great hiker, keeping a steady pace and not stopping very often to sniff. She was focused on continuing up the trail, as if she knew we were headed to a gorgeous view.

After our hike, we drove to Basye and Pale Fire Brewing for (amazing) pizza and IPAs. Amelia wasn’t allowed in the restaurant (which was small and open on one side), so we waited in the patio and grassy picnic tabled area, where she entertained patrons by chasing after reflections from someone’s watch and then the menu cover. She never tires of chasing, pouncing on the spots again and again, with a wide grin and a helicopter tail.

On the way home, we stopped at Wolf Gap Vineyard to try the wine and listen to some excellent music. Amelia was charming with everyone she met, including two small children and a rude dog that ran right up to her face. She met one person who seemed like a potential adopter, but like all the others that have expressed interest upon meeting her, there was no follow up.

On Sunday, I drove Toothless to Cumberland, Maryland to meet up with another volunteer/foster with Team Memphis to hand him off for the next leg of his journey to his new home in Wisconsin. I got word late Monday night that he made it to his new home and was settling in.

Blarney will miss his buddy, but Amelia is also a great playmate. Even though Toothless wasn’t very noisy, the cottage seems quieter without him.

Now I just hope for the same outcome for Blarney. He’s such a fun dog and would make a great family pet. He loves children and is always up for adventures. He’s a very portable size (28 pounds), and you couldn’t find a more agreeable companion. The dog’s tail never stops wagging, and his grin is ever-present. I would guess that at this point he thinks this is home, but he deserves a bigger life than hanging out in my office and our tiny desert yard.

Tonight, I’m taking Amelia and Blarney to Wander Woodstock, a monthly event featuring music, vendors, artists, food, and shops that stay open late. It runs from 5-8pm, but we will have the dogs there only 5:30-7:30 (my adoption event limit is two hours for the four and two-legged participants).  We’ll be hanging out at Traveler’s Treasures, a fun dog-friendly shop on Main Street where my favorite shopkeeper always welcomes dogs and is liberal with the treats. If you’re in the area, please stop by and meet my pups.

If you want to see the latest on the May the Fourth Be With You puppies, find pictures and videos on the Another Good Dog Facebook page or my social media (TikTok, Facebook, Instagram). They are growing fast and just might be the cutest pups I’ve had. They are also growing fat as they start puppy food, and many of their coats are getting fuzzy! Here are a few of my favorite pics from the week:

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 dog vitamins, canned pate dog and puppy food, probiotics, puppy toys (always), and salmon oil.

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.