dog rescue, Ehrlichia, foster dogs, foster-to-adopt, fostering, heartworms, Humane Society of Shenandoah County

Ain’t Nothing But Two Hound Dogs

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.

Continue reading “Ain’t Nothing But Two Hound Dogs”
adopters, dog rescue, Ehrlichia, foster dogs, heartworms, Humane Society of Shenandoah County, owner responsibility

When the Rescuer Needs Rescue

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.

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dog rescue, foster cats, foster dogs, Humane Society of Shenandoah County

Off the Chain and Into a Foster Home

It was clear that Abby was ready for a new life. I met her two months ago, living on chain tied to a dog house in the hot sun in Cowen, West Virginia. She’d been saved from euthanasia at the local dog pound, but life laying in the mud, chained to her house, made me ponder the word ‘saved.’

When I returned last week, Abby was still there, chained to the dog house. Still greeting every person who approached with joy, her tail wagging, leaning in with pleading eyes that said, ‘love me.’ This time, I had made arrangements to pull her for the Humane Society of Shenandoah County and bring her home to foster.

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cats, foster cats, fostering, Humane Society of Shenandoah County, kittens

Let Me Introduce You to ‘The Ladies’

You know me, never one to go all-in on anything when it comes to animals….

My latest foster kittens have all moved on. Chett and Poe found a great adoptive home not too far away. Their adopter sent this picture of their new spoiled life:

And Harper, Hemingway, and Twain caught a transport headed to a rescue in Carroll County, MD in need of kittens (WHO is in need of kittens anywhere at this point in history??).

So…when the cat foster coordinator texted and said, “Would you consider five more ‘middle-aged’ kittens?” I thought, I survived this last lot, so, why not?

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cats, foster cats, fostering, Humane Society of Shenandoah County, kittens

Five Little Kitties Jumping on the Desk

It’s pretty quiet here at this foster home. That’s the difference between fostering cats and fostering dogs. Dogs require a lot more attention.

But cats, kittens in this case, also require a little attention. Just like puppies, there is a lot of deworming. Plus, for the first few weeks with us, Harper needed to be bathed almost daily because she had not figured out how to take care of herself. Thankfully, she’s finally doing her own grooming. Neither of us enjoyed her baths.

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