Jolly Jack arrived on a transport from Memphis earlier this week. Through sheer timing and luck, we were able to get him into Anicira to be neutered on Wednesday, thanks to a little help from the Humane Society of Shenandoah County.
This pup is pretty much turn-key. JJ is already solidly housebroken (sigh of relief here), walks pretty well on a leash (considering he is still young and excitable), and is quiet in his crate (and kind of getting used to having to go in it).
Mostly, he is just a JOYFUL pup. His name is perfect.
When you foster as much as I have, you come to expect the unexpected. You also come to expect a little destruction from time to time. A puppy can wreak some serious havoc, especially a bored puppy.
Idling away in the puppy room, Alex discovered the tear in the vinyl floor that another foster dog had made. Well, actually, he unearthed the tear by first removing the packing tape I’d covered it with to discourage its growth.
And once the protective tape was gone, there was nothing to stop him from pulling that edge all the way across the room, exposing the plywood beneath. I didn’t witness this event, but imagine it brought a lot of joy to Alex’s day.
It wasn’t really a shock to discover what he’d done, what was a shock was to discover that the plywood beneath the vinyl was wet. Nick surveyed the mess, ripped up the vinyl, and then pulled up the plywood. Beneath that plywood was another layer of plywood, which was thoroughly soaked, and parts of it were covered in black mold. Beneath that layer of plywood, were two layers of linoleum, and beneath the linoleum was the original plank floor that dated back to when the cottage was built over a hundred years ago. Parts of the floor might be salvageable, but some of it was so rotten you could put your foot through it to the dirt beneath.
Seems the cottage has a history of occupants covering up one problem after another. Because no one thought to put any kind of ventilation in the crawlspace, the damp from the ground and any water that might have run beneath it (the ground is slanted slightly) simply seeped upward into the floor. It had also seeped upward on at least one wall.
Suffice it to say there won’t be any foster puppies anytime soon. There is much to be done and many decisions to be made. Hopefully, I’ll have a functioning puppy room by spring.
Meanwhile, Alex has finally found his forever family! He went home last week with a family who adopted a puppy from me six years ago. Slat (now Cooper) from the Road Trip litter will be Alex’s new brother. His adopter told me he turned out to be a super chill dog and is very much loved. Here’s Slat (and his adopter) to jog your memory (think they have a ‘type’?!):
Alex also got a new name – Max! Which seems pretty perfect for him. I forgot to get an adoption picture, but his new mom sent these pictures and reports that he is doing great. I love the last one of him sleeping on a foot – he’s such a love.
Diamond is still here entertaining me every day. She is just the sweetest, most butt-wiggling love bug you can imagine. She charms everyone who visits.
Her mom had a healthy baby and has a job now, so she’s working on housing. You can imagine the challenge of finding affordable rental housing that allows a 55-pound pit bull, but she’s hopeful that she can eventually take Diamond home again. I think I shared this on Another Good Dog, but here is a video of how she stayed warm during our recent deep freeze:
And here’s a video of her just being the happy, silly, sweet girl she is:
One last thing – Chrysanthemum, from the Literary Mice Litter will be in the puppy bowl this Sunday! She’ll be going by the name ‘Maya’ because the producers deemed Chrysanthemum too much of a mouthful for the announcers. Show business!
Her DNA will be revealed during the puppy bowl and you will likely be surprised as I was to hear the results! Here is her official Puppy Bowl picture:
Just in case you miss the Puppy Bowl, I’ll try to remember to share the DNA results on the Another Good Dog Facebook group next week.
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Who Will Let the Dogs Out: Stories and Solutions for Shelters and Rescues is a primer for those new to the cause, an invitation to get involved, and a source of inspiration for those already working tirelessly to save lives. With stories of successful shelters, innovative strategies, and the key ingredients for success—strong leadership, veterinary access, and community engagement—it’s a celebration of what’s working and a call to scale those solutions nationwide. Learn more and get your copy and/or send one to a shelter or rescue on our website. Also available in paperback and e-book on Amazon.
If you’d like regular updates of all our foster dogs past and present, plus occasional dog care/training tips, and occasional foster cat updates (!) be sure to join the Facebook group, Another Good Dog.
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.
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 chicken and chicken-byproduct-free, high-quality food, puppy treats, large dog beds (or cover replacements any size – we can cut the memory foam pieces I have to fit).
If you’d like to take a vacation with your whole pack, consider visiting one of our two dog-WELCOMING vacation rentals. Visits BringDogs.com to learn more.
I never really know why a person picks one puppy instead of another. I suppose it’s kismet or karma or whim. What I tend to believe is that there is almost always adoption magic afoot. People tend to find the dog they need (and vice versa).
I have only one foster puppy left looking for her forever family. And she is a gem. Becca is crazy smart but eager to please and VERY food motivated, so training this baby will be fun. The sky’s the limit. With her long legs and athletic body, I’d bet she’d be an ace at agility.
Who is hoping to find a puppy under the Christmas tree?
I’ve got some pretty adorable puppies looking for a home of their own. The ABC pups – Alex, Becca, and Cassie – arrived this past week from Mississippi.
Life with a Husky cannot possibly be boring. The more time I spend with Leche, the more I think either she’s exceptional or Huskies are just smarter than regular dogs. Her memory and her cunning ability to understand when I’m paying attention and when I’m not, have floored me time and again.
We have a new foster dog keeping Diamond company these days. Berry traveled a long way to join us here. He’s from Kosovo!
OPH has an international dog program, pulling dogs from countries where they are often treated as ‘pests’ rather than sentient beings. They pull a small number of street dogs from India, Kosovo, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Dogs living in the streets in these countries live in terrible conditions, dying in large numbers from disease, malnutrition, and car accidents.
While there are many who question why a rescue would pull dogs from another country when so many are dying here, OPH’s stance is, “In our eyes, rescue has no borders or boundaries.”
More important than that powerful value, their explanation of ‘the ripple effect’ is compelling:
My fostering has taken a new turn. But before I tell you about that, let’s celebrate that all my puppies (and their mama) found wonderful homes!
Not long after the puppies arrived, I spotted a post on Facebook. It was from a local woman who was trying to help a friend with her dog. The friend’s life had (in her words), ‘taken a left turn.’ She was pregnant, and she and her dog were now homeless. She had an opportunity to move into a shelter program, but couldn’t bring her dog.
I’ve seen posts like this before and read all the statistics about how sometimes people will forego entering a shelter program because they would have to give up their dog. Most of the time, I scroll past, feeling that there’s nothing I can do. I’m too busy helping other dogs.
It’s been a week with these little mice puppies, and while they have gotten bigger, they’re still tiny.
At seven weeks, the smallest (Chrystanthemum) is 2 pounds, four ounces and the largest (Gus Gus and Norman) are 3 pounds, 13 ounces. Which, if you trust a puppy growth calculator means they will grow to be 16 pounds and 27 pounds.
So, they’ll be small dogs when they grow up, which is why I’m kind of surprised, and not, that they don’t have adopters yet. This is typically a slow time of year for adoptions. But because these puppies will grow to be small dogs, I did think they’d have a better chance than most of finding a family quickly.
I was tempted not to write at all, but didn’t want to miss the opportunity to put out more Bonnie propaganda. Not that it’s propaganda, but any/all exposure is good because you just never know when the right person will catch of glimpse of her and think – ‘Yes! That looks like a great dog for me!”
I looked up propaganda to be sure I was correct in my assumed definition…
Propaganda is the dissemination of information—facts, arguments, rumors, half-truths, or lies—to influence public opinion. Deliberateness and a relatively heavy emphasis on manipulation distinguish propaganda from casual conversation or the free and easy exchange of ideas.
Another Good Dog™ 