It would be very easy to keep Flannery. I’d love to foster fail and make her a permanent part of our pack.
Undoubtably, she fits in here just fine. Continue reading “Flannery, Flannery, Flannery—what will we do with Flannery?”
Category: fostering
Diary of a Rescue Weeks Eleven and Twelve: This has gone on Long Enough
When I started this diary, I thought it would go for about ten, maybe twelve weeks. I figured eight or ten weeks until the puppies went home and then another week or two after that for the adorable mama I saw in the photos to be adopted. As you all know, nothing went according to plan. And now, here we are at just over twelve weeks and Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue Weeks Eleven and Twelve: This has gone on Long Enough”
Foster Dog Overwhelm: Saving Dogs Even When Your House (and heart) are Full
Sitting down to write this morning, I’m debating with myself how much I should tell you. There are times during this fostering experience when the difficulties stretch my commitment thin as tinsel and I am certain it will snap.
I don’t blame the dogs or OPH or even the wrongness of the necessity of the work we do. I occasionally blame my husband, because Continue reading “Foster Dog Overwhelm: Saving Dogs Even When Your House (and heart) are Full”
A Mama’s Instinct
The natural instincts of animals are remarkable. Spending so many of my hours with animals in the course of a lifetime, I’ve come to respect this, but I’ve also come to wonder at length about human instinct and whether we are compelled to follow it the way animals do, but that is decidedly a topic for another post.
A week ago today, I had just finished a post about Thelma’s arrival and the happenings in this foster house, when Continue reading “A Mama’s Instinct”
Diary of a Rescue Week Ten: Frightened Dog Getting Braver
Daisy continues to surprise us as she gains her confidence and health. Thelma had her puppies on Tuesday and I watched Daisy, wondering if she would be bothered by the sounds in the next room, but she seemed unfazed.
The only notable thing that happened Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue Week Ten: Frightened Dog Getting Braver”
Time for some Puppies!
Puppy watch has begun in earnest. After a week of her temperature holding steady at a consistent 100 degrees, this morning Thelma’s temp dropped to 98.7. She is still happy to see me and thumps her tail, but she doesn’t get up and climb over the side of the whelping box to greet me. More tellingly, Continue reading “Time for some Puppies!”
Diary of a Rescue Weeks Eight and Nine: Separation Sometimes Makes You Stronger
I really hope I won’t be writing, Diary of a Rescue Week Fifty-Two, some day.
Daisy is still here, but she is ready to go. She is healthy and happy, and while she still needs a slow introduction to women and won’t go near men, I think she is ready.
Whatever happened to this dog to create such a deeply-rooted fear of men is not something she will simply get over. I don’t know if she ever will, but I do think she will make a wonderful best friend and awesome canine companion for some lucky woman.
As she has gained her confidence, her Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue Weeks Eight and Nine: Separation Sometimes Makes You Stronger”
Diary of a Rescue Week Seven: Progress!
After what felt like no progress or only incremental progress for weeks and weeks, this week Daisy had several big breakthroughs!
She’s like a butterfly emerging from a cocoon. I don’t know what kind of butterfly is spunky, mischievous, and a little bit pushy, but that’s the kind Daisy is.
She’s also LOVES attention – butt scratches, ear rubs, kisses, any and all of it., in fact she demands it. For a dog who couldn’t tolerate my touch at the start, this has been startling for me. She is one affectionate dog. She’s also playful and funny and busy. adjectives I would not have used to describe her only a month or so ago.
Today she Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue Week Seven: Progress!”
Foster Dog Overload
I’ve often wondered what my limit is.
I know other people who have four, five, even nine dogs living in their houses.
Five.
That’s clearly my limit, judging by Continue reading “Foster Dog Overload”
Diary of a Rescue Week Six: Change is Coming
The coming week will mean a big change for Daisy.
I am preparing to leave on the OPH Rescue Road Trip, a weeklong trip with seven other volunteers to visit six of our partner shelters in North and South Carolina to spend our days working in the shelters. Our hope is to not only offer physical help with the dogs and the work, but to learn more about the needs of our shelters and to raise awareness of those needs.
You can follow along on our Facebook group, OPH Rescue Road Trip, where we’ll be sharing pictures, stories, and live videos all week long.
This is an exciting adventure for me, but it means that Daisy will have to leave our home which has been her safe haven for nearly seven weeks. Nick and Ian cannot be left in charge of Daisy for an entire week.
It’s not their safety I’m worried about – Daisy has shown no aggression at all towards any people (although it’s more than clear that she has suffered at the aggressive hands of people). The problem is that she goes into a blind panic if Nick or Ian approach her and I worry for her safety and emotional health if we force the issue. We have made incremental progress, but sadly, there is still so far to go in convincing her to trust them.
She has three options. One would be Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue Week Six: Change is Coming”
Another Good Dog™ 