Nine puppies create quite the poopapalooza. I’d forgotten that.
It’s been a long time since I fostered a litter this large. It’s taken a few weeks, but I have a system for cleaning now. Mostly, it involves a lot of laundry and covering every inch of the floor with a washable puppy pad or a towel.
In the beginning, I left the floor bare, but I soon found it took so long to scrub and sanitize the floor that the puppies would have finished eating in the small auxiliary pen and begun filling that small space up with poop. Having little room, this meant that when they came back into their newly pristine pen, they tracked poop all over my clean floor (while I was in the auxiliary pen scrubbing that floor). This could have led to perpetual clean up.
So instead, there are two large puppy pads for the ‘poop room’ in the regular pen. (btw, THANK YOU to whoever sent those large 4 x 4 puppy pads for the whelping box – while I only used them for a week in the box, they are an absolute lifesaver in this setup.)
I cover the rest of the floor with large towels and anchor them in place with the fence, the crate, and my wooden stool. I then cover it with LOTS of toys so there is plenty to do and no need to chew on towel edges and drag the towels around.
(also, there is not a train running through the cottage, that’s the sound of my washing machine!)
It’s working.
For now.
It does help that these puppies seem to be very smart and pick up on everything quickly. They are already sitting for treats at just six weeks.
My friend (and veterinarian) Shelley came by to give the puppies well puppy exams and do their first set of vaccinations, and she remarked that they were a really nice litter. I don’t think she was just saying that to humor me. They are the sweetest puppies. They’ve been so cooperative with nail trims and deworming, and were perfect for their exams and vaccines. Shelley finished each exam by nuzzling each puppy and whispering, “You are perfect.”
Padme’s exam answered the questions I’ve been holding in since she first started walking. I’ve watched her and, I guess I knew in my heart, something wasn’t quite right, but I couldn’t explain it. Some days she seemed to be unbalanced and stumbly, but then the next she was racing around the pen. She often cocks her head to the side. Plus she is always a little less involved with whatever is going on in the pen. She doesn’t chase after me every time I step in the pen to do anything, and she sleeps a lot. But none of that pointed to anything. I thought, “Maybe she’s just independent, and she likes her naps.”
Shelley’s exam revealed that she is likely visually impaired. It also was clear that she has some kind of neurological issues. Her reflexes, particularly on the left side, just aren’t right.
Team Memphis is committed to seeing this puppy through. The next step is an exam in a vet’s office. I’m taking her to my vet (who is incredible) so she can have testing on actual equipment and lab work (two things Shelley can’t do here in my foster cottage). Depending on how that goes, we will get a referral to take Padme to a specialist. We’ll figure out next steps from there, but it’s my hope that whatever is going on, she can still have a happy life in a forever home. She eats, plays, and snuggles with her siblings. She loves my attention, and she is growing. She is smaller than the others, and that difference becomes clearer each week as she isn’t gaining weight at the same rate. Beyond the neurological stuff, though, she is healthy and happy and just a sweet puppy.
The puppies will be 7 weeks old on Monday! Which is hard to believe, but it means they will be ready to go home soon! We need adopters. If you know of anyone looking for a puppy, please encourage them to consider this special bunch.
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They are smart puppies who have been absolute dreamboats in terms of fostering (they can’t help that there are so many of them!). They will be ready to go home after July 1. At that point, they will have had two sets of distemper vaccines, one Bordetella, and their first heartworm preventative. They will also be microchipped. The puppies are available for adoption through Team Memphis Rescue & Support.
Meanwhile, Blarney is doing great – such a stellar student. In the right hands, he could learn anything. He’s mastered the agility tunnel, has turned into an excellent running buddy for me, and is solid on his sit and stay and go-to-place (although we are still working on duration and distraction).
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Amelia Bedelia is beyond ready for a home of her own. She is a love and has absolutely stolen my heart. If my pack would accept another dog, she would be home. She is just such a cool dog – athletic, smart, SO loving, and solid in her manners and housetraining. We take her to all kinds of places because she is so well behaved and excellent at meeting new people or sitting quietly beside us. She’s also a first-rate traveler.
I think she would thrive with an adopter who wants a best friend and is an active person who likes to walk or hike. I think she could likely excel at nearly any canine sport. But all of that said, she is happy and quiet and well-behaved inside. She is not a dog who needs your nonstop attention. I leave her alone in the cottage loose while I’m out and have never come home to any kind of destruction or mess. She is simply SUCH a good dog. Who needs a good dog?
On Wednesday, Roxy’s original foster mom picked her up and took her back to Maryland. She’ll stay with Gina while until she is spayed and then will (finally) go home with her patient adopter.
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We had visitors this morning who helped me take the puppies outside for the first time. They also brought some fun new toys for the puppies (always a hit as they get tired of my rotation) and other much-needed supplies. While they played with the puppies in the outdoor pen, I was finally able to thoroughly clean the entire puppy room and catch up a bit on laundry.
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Lots happening in the foster cottage – this is a busy place! But a happy one.
If you’re looking for a way to help us, please consider making a donation to Team Memphis for Padme’s treatment (be sure to say that in the comments when you donate). I don’t know what it will cost, but I know it will not be inexpensive. Or consider shopping our Amazon wishlist. Currently we are most in need of additional large-size puppy pads, puppy toys, dog vitamins, dog enrichment tools, treats, and salmon oil, but there’s lots of other stuff on our wishlist.
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.
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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.
Another Good Dog™ 