Our adventures as a foster dog family
So here’s the fun part…..
All of the puppies went home to wonderful adopters. And what lucky adopters they are, as these are some wonderful puppies!
Meanwhile, Argus left on a trial adoption.
Continue reading “And the Fun Goes On and On”
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.
Continue reading “Adoption Swaparoo”
It’s always something when you have as many dogs as we have in the house. Let me catch you up on the latest.
First, the happy news that Darla was adopted. She’ll be living just a few miles up the road from me. She’s doing great and her new family is adjusting to the unique energy level a Catahoula, especially one as young and smart and fun as Darla, brings to a home. She’s enjoyed the ornamental pond in her new mom’s garden and enjoyed a romp with her another family member’s golden retriever. Luckily, her new family has a big piece of property and a plan for managing all that dog. She really hit the jackpot.
The puppies are one by one getting approved adopters. Being houndish puppies (my best guess, although I’m pretty sure there are probably a dozen different breeds in their DNA), they’ve required a few adjustments. Everyone is eating separately now to reduce the competitive eating urge and attempt to slow them down (adopters: you will want to purchase a slow-down or puzzle feeder!). We are also trying to get outside as much as possible, since clean up inside is a challenge as they grow and get more active.
Continue reading “The Latest in this Foster House”
Puppies.
What can I write that I haven’t written before?
This bunch is unique only in that they are all boys. I’ve never had a litter of all one sex. I came close with Edith’s litter of eleven girls and one boy.
Continue reading “Puppies!”
Today is the first day of Stela’s real life. The life in which she will never have puppies again. She will never be thrown away again. Now we can find her a real family—one that will value this special dog.
And I mean it when I say special.
I keep telling people that she’s really special. And they all say, “But you think every dog is really special.”
Which I do.
But Stela?
Continue reading “One Special Dog.”
Traveling to shelters is hard. But it’s harder for me to sit at home and not do it. The silver lining of this trip was that as I walked through overcrowded shelters in three states, I knew that on our last visit to Huntington-Cabell-Wayne Regional Shelter in West Virginia, I would be taking a mama and five puppies out of that situation and giving them their freedom ride.
Continue reading “Freedom Ride”
Up until recently, I haven’t really worried about Argus finding an adopter. He’s such a great guy, so easy to have around, so sweet, so minus any serious hang-ups, I figured eventually someone would be willing to drive ‘all the way’ out to the Shenandoah Valley to adopt this guy.
But now we’re going on four months together and he’s still here. Still the same sweetheart. Still full-body waggling his happiness at the sight of me. Still obediently trotting into his crate for too many hours at a time.
Continue reading “Adoptable Argus”Our life with foster animals is an ever-changing cast of characters. I’ve been reading a lot about character as I dig deep into a rewrite of my latest novel. I love my characters, but the story needs so much work. Story depends on characters though, just like life, I suppose. I know if I get my characters right, the story is much easier.
Nice little metaphor for fostering, right? If I can help these furry characters develop, get to know them well, I can set them up for a great story.
Take Argus, he is the quintessential insecure, nerdy sweet guy who has a heart of gold, only the average person doesn’t see that. Think Michael Cera or Jeff Goldblum.
Continue reading “Cast of Characters”
Current Foster Roll: 7 kittens, 5 puppies, 3 dogs
Yesterday morning, I met the 6am vet transport and delivered my seven kittens to be spayed/neutered at Anicira in Harrisonburg. I waited all day to find out if Addie and I were correct in our designation of who is a boy and who is a girl. I know it should be obvious, but I’m here to tell you, when you’re looking at a tiny, fuzzy, squirming kitten, it isn’t so clear. Thankfully, we were correct!
(Finally, I got something right with these kittens! I’ve managed to screw up the deworming schedule, the vaccine schedule, and the dosage for meds to treat their Upper Respiratory Infection. No real harm was done, except to my belief that I know what I’m doing. The HSSC may never ask me to foster kittens again. Nick doesn’t think that’s a bad thing.)
Continue reading “One Out, One In”
Fostering is a lot of work.
I won’t lie or paint a warm fuzzy picture of it being all unicorns and happy endings and lovely dogs who don’t poop indoors.
This past week has been one of those weeks. Nothing terrible happened and everyone is fine and on-their-way-to-being-healthy.
They are happy and engaged and exercised and gaining weight. (Pretty much every animal in this cottage except me, needs to gain weight.)
But I am pretty wiped out. It’s been non-stop.
Continue reading “One of Those Weeks”
Another Good Dog™ 