foster dogs – Page 10 – Another Good Dog™

adopters, Boarding Buddies, dog rescue, foster dogs, puppies, returned dogs

Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog (and a Nice One at That)

February 11, 2020February 11, 2020 Cara Achterberg

Even with two of the tiny puppies still here, the house seemed much too quiet, so on Sunday Nick and I went to visit Rockee, a hound dog in a boarding facility nearby.

Rockee (formerly known as Witch Doctor) is an OPH dog who, through no fault of his own, landed in boarding because of foster’s schedules and an unexpected return. He’s had a few faithful boarding buddies who have taken him for hikes and gotten him out to adoption events, but living in a boarding facility isn’t great for any dog’s mental state, plus it costs the rescue money that could be better spent saving dogs.

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Rockee was adopted and then returned (after one day) for Continue reading “Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog (and a Nice One at That)” →

adopters, dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, puppies

Fosterless

January 28, 2020 Cara Achterberg

And poof! He was gone.

I warned you we wouldn’t have Bo very long. They don’t make them much nicer. We had a fun week with him and packed in as much as we could, but on Sunday Bo left for his forever home.

It’s a great home with Continue reading “Fosterless” →

Boarding Buddies, dog rescue, foster dogs, returned dogs, shelters, Volunteering

Three New Friends I Met This Week

January 14, 2020 Cara Achterberg

Bell is recovering from her spay surgery. She’s sporting the cone of shame and confined to crate or kitchen, and it’s still a challenge to keep this busy dog down. I’ve never had a mama dog bounce back from this surgery so unaffected and strong.

Thankfully, she tolerates the cone, even sitting calmly for me while I try to figure out how to feed all the plastic straps in and out of the holes to keep it in place!

Yesterday Bell had her last romps with Fanny. They played all day long, wrestling and chasing. We had nearly eight inches of snow last week and Continue reading “Three New Friends I Met This Week” →

adopters, dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, litters, puppies

Last Day of Puppies!

December 17, 2019December 17, 2019 Cara Achterberg

The countdown has begun. Puppies will begin leaving tomorrow!

Normally, we have ‘adoption day’ on a Saturday and all the puppies leave the same day. This keeps it simple for me and less disruptive for the family. I like them all to go on the same day so that I’m not left with one crying puppy.

This will be the first time the puppies leave their siblings and it will be their first experience ‘all alone.’ There tends to be a great deal of Continue reading “Last Day of Puppies!” →

dog rescue, foster dogs, fosterdogs, fostering, litters, puppies

It’s the Cuteness That Saves Them

December 3, 2019December 3, 2019 Cara Achterberg

What can I say about the puppies? They are adorable, but a ton of work. Every time I get to this point (six weeks), I wonder why I do this and swear I will never do it again.

Like small children, I suppose, it’s the cuteness that keeps us from tossing them out on their ears. This bunch is especially cute, with something for every taste. Only four puppies are officially spoken for, so if you’re considering a puppy in your lives (and you’re ready for the work that involves), let me tell you who is still available… Continue reading “It’s the Cuteness That Saves Them” →

dog rescue, Dogs with Issues, Flannery Oconnor, former foster dogs, foster dogs, fostering, Gala, hard to adopt, Long Term Dog

Sometimes it Don’t Come Easy…

November 26, 2019November 26, 2019 Cara Achterberg

Sometimes rescue is hard. Sometimes it doesn’t come easy.

As I put the final touches on my next book, due to the publisher December 1 (and if all goes well, released July 2020), I’ve spent a lot of time remembering one particular dog who changed my life. Gala was with us for over eleven months, but truly she has never left my heart.

The new book, One Hundred Dogs and Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and a Journey into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues (and yes, that is a mouthful and no, it wasn’t up to me), begins with Gala. Up until Gala, fostering had been mostly fun, occasionally stressful, but ultimately a win-win for all parties involved.

Gala challenged me, not just in terms of exposing how much I don’t know about dogs, but emotionally as I wrestled Continue reading “Sometimes it Don’t Come Easy…” →

dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, litters, puppies, Runt

One Hundred Percent Chance of Mutt

November 19, 2019November 19, 2019 Cara Achterberg

So…..puppies! Now that Houdini is safely launched and Flannery is thriving in her new home, we can talk about puppies!

Everyone keeps asking me what breed they are and the only answer I have is 100% mutt. If you can think of a breed, I can probably find some evidence for it amongst these ten puppies. They are all so different!

Some have short hair, some long hair, and some fuzzy hair. They arrived in a rainbow of colors – black, chocolate, brown, mocha, tan, white, and gray. Some of the puppies have a thick density to them and others are light-boned. The two black puppies might look similar in photos, but one is fuzzy and stocky, and the other is short-haired and leggy. I keep color collars on them, but it’s easy to distinguish one from the other. There is something for everyone in this crowd.

Nancy was here for a photo shoot over the weekend and Continue reading “One Hundred Percent Chance of Mutt” →

adopters, dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, lost dog

Houdini’s Last Act

November 12, 2019November 12, 2019 Cara Achterberg

Houdini was adopted on Sunday by a lovely family who met him at an event the week before. He’s a first family dog and they were over-the-moon happy to welcome him to their family.

Nick handled the adoption because I was attending the volunteer seminar for OPH.

volunteer seminar for operation paws for homes

The day had nearly wrapped up and I quick checked my phone to see if there were any messages from home regarding the adoption, the ten-pack of puppies, or their mama.

Nothing from home but there was a message from the adoption coordinator who handled Houdini’s (aka Hot Diggity) adoption. He had slipped his collar moments after the adopters arrived home and he was now missing. OPH was Continue reading “Houdini’s Last Act” →