Our adventures as a foster dog family
I’m pretty sure my neighbors know what kind of dogs we have squirreled away in our foster cottage.
Rufus and Bug sing lovely songs periodically that make me smile. I’m not even sure what gets them started or what they are singing about. The serenades rarely last long and sometimes happen shortly after I’ve left them, but sometimes two hours later.
Rescuing animals can be is overwhelming.
I know that first hand, as does anyone in the rescue world. It’s part and parcel to the whole rescue mentality – you want to help and you can easily over-extend. You can’t bear for animals to suffer.
And sadly, lately, that proclivity to take on more and more has led to rescues turning into hoarding cases.
Two different situations came through my world this weekend that I could do nothing about, but a local wannabe rescuer’s overwhelm did spill into my world, or to be exact, my not-quite-finished foster cottage.
Continue reading “When the Rescuer Needs Rescue”
Our latest foster, Moose, is on a diet. I can’t remember ever having a foster dog who seriously needed to lose weight. Moose needs to lose about 20% of his weight. He arrived weighing close to 95 pounds and really should be closer to 75.
No problem, right? Since we control what he eats and how much he exercises. (I’ve always thought I’d love to go to a diet camp where someone controlled all that for me.)
And we are controlling how much he eats – measuring his food (only a high quality, grain-free dry food) and serving it with a vitamin and probiotics.
Continue reading “Low Calorie Doggie Snacks”
My dog Otis is a super hero.
Really. He saves lives.
It’s possible that your dog could also be a super hero.
Continue reading “Is YOUR Dog a Super Hero?”
Sometimes rescue sucks.
I’m sorry. I’m not usually so negative. I’m really a very positive person.
When my children were small and we talked about swear words, I told them, “People who need to use those words so often simply lack creativity.” But sometimes, those bad words fit the situation. And I muttered more than my share in the past week.
Continue reading “A Little Dog From Texas Who Changed the World”
I don’t know what to tell you about Bippity Bop. Her health situation is a mystery. As we back off (very slowly) from the anti-seizure medications, she is still not herself. It’s like the little dog who arrived here a month ago, is gone, vanished.
In her place, is a timid pup who startles easily, is unsteady on her feet, and seems confused most of the time. X-Port Paws and I are reaching out to different doctors and rescue organizations for advice and plan to do all we can to get to the bottom of this, but my heart is heavy as she is deteriorating quickly. I just want my spunky little girl back.
Continue reading “Heartbreak and Happiness Exist Side By Side in Rescue”
It has been quite a rollercoaster ride with Miss Bippity Bop this past week.
The good news is that we’ve been able to get her seizures under control.
The bad news is that we still don’t know what brought them, and the medication she is taking to prevent them is having a strong effect on her.
She is docile, dopey, and a wobbly. Gone is her fiery little personality that claimed her space at this house. Now, she seems to be sleep-walking through her days, and sleep-walking unsteadily at that. She naps all day long and is happiest if she can nap in a lap.
I put off writing this post because I wasn’t sure what was really happening to my little foster dog, Bippity. I still don’t know, but I’ve decided to write anyway.
The not knowing? That is a big part of rescue.
Continue reading “Rescue Comes With A Lot of Unkowns”
After ten days of quarantine and pumping her skinny body full of steroids, antibiotics, and as much food as she could eat, Bippity has joined our pack.
She quickly submitted to Fanny’s established leadership, will run and chase Otis but not wrestle with him (he is 3x her weight), and took no offense at Gracie’s warning snarls. She is undeterred; with her tail wagging and her happy energy, she trails all three other dogs all over the house.
Continue reading “Bippity Bop is Ready to Bop On Out of Here”
Every foster experience I have is the same and different. Probably because every dog is the same and different. Bottom line, dogs are dogs, and it’s important to remember that. They are not people in furry suits. They have the same needs in terms of food, safety, comfort, health, etc., but they are also individuals.
Bippity may look a lot like Dippity and possibly even be a littermate, but she is a different dog. Bippity is quirky and confident, with a personality much bigger than you expect from a 25-pound dog who is sick with Bordetella and Erhlichia.
Another Good Dog™ 