Our adventures as a foster dog family
The last time I set foot in the southern shelters, I was stunned.
We wandered through the kennels, head spinning and heart-aching, helpless to do anything except offer a few bags of dog food, a box of cat litter, and a promise to share what we saw. This time… Continue reading “I Want to Be Hopeful”
I have to forewarn you that this past week hasn’t been terribly exciting. The progress with Daisy is only incremental and likely will stay that way. Again and again, I shake my head at the depth of pain this dog has endured. Her scars are deeper than any dog I’ve encountered.
It has been a month now since I picked up Daisy on a cold night at the bowling alley where she arrived on a transport from South Carolina.
And yet despite the fact, that during that first week of fevers, labor, delivery, and surgery, literally carrying her 60+ pound body in and out of cars, hospitals, and vet offices, she Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue Week Four: Progress is an Eight-Letter Word”
We are settling in for the long haul with our pack.
Flannery has no applications (C’mon people! You are missing out on this super fun, super loving, super smart pup!)
and I really can’t imagine anyone Continue reading “The Long Haul”
Word of Warning: If you are not following along on this Rescue Diary on Facebook, you may not know that this story is a hard one. Sadly, it is a reality of rescue that we can’t save them all and that sometimes the damage that has been done prior to the dog arriving with us is insurmountable. Still, we do all we can and while that may not be enough, it is more than many dogs would experience apart from rescue. The following are the Facebook Diary posts in their entirety: Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue: Week One”
For two days there were no dogs.
At least no foster dogs.
It was weird. Frankie was so bored he managed to get Gracie to (sort of) play with him and he even went on a short run with me.
Reports are that both Oreo and Dixie are being loved and spoiled in their new homes. AND each of them has their own little boy. Pretty cool. This makes me beyond happy. It’s what this whole gig is all about.
Friday evening we picked up Continue reading “What’s Better than a Houseful of Dogs for the Holidays?”
The puppies are gone. It’s just us now.
Well, us and four dogs.
And Hermoine.
And the horses.
And a few visiting cousins.
And two foster kittens.
What? Continue reading “And Then There Were Kittens….(what?)”
Oreo went to his first adoption event on Sunday. At a jewelry store!
Nelson Coleman Jewelers in Towson, MD featured OPH dogs in their holiday catalog. The pictures are gorgeous (and so are the dogs!). To celebrate, they hosted an adoption event on Sunday.
Oreo was pretty nervous at first—hair raised, clinging to me, but after he realized all that was expected of him was to sit calmly while people loved on him, he did great. He’s such a gentle, well-mannered giant, I forget that he hasn’t seen very much in his four years besides the rural countryside and the inside of a shelter.
Which is what makes him so remarkable. For all he’s been through and the many, many ways that people have let him down, Continue reading “Saving Oreo’s Life”
“Ah. I can’t do this anymore!” I wailed at Nick after I cleaned up puppy diarrhea coated on every square inch of the puppy pen, every toy, every fence.
“You know,” Nick observed from where he sat with Oreo watching football with a beer in his hand, “You reach this point with every litter.”
He’s right.
I know I post all the fun and cuteness and make it look like puppies are the best thing ever, but here’s the God’s-honest truth: Continue reading “It’s Worth All the Poop (really)”
It’s hard to write about the dogs when I’m not with the dogs, but I’ll try. I’m actually in a California hotel room recovering from my brief brush with Hollywood. If you’d like to read about that adventure, you can find it on my other blog, My Life In Paragraphs.
The drama continues with Oreo. Continue reading “Should He Stay or Should He Go Now?”
My heart is so full this morning that tears seem to turn up on my face without warning.
Sunday night was the official ‘end’ of my tour, although there are still a bunch of events this month and I’m hoping to get more opportunities to talk about the book, its purpose, shelter dogs and how we can all make a difference. (So feel free to toss my name/contact in any direction you want!)
My last event was sponsored by an awesome person, Karen Johnson and Paws Go. She designs and sells fabulous t-shirts and gives away much of what she makes to dog-related causes. During August and September that cause was OPH.
Sunday night, Karen hosted a book signing for me at Nectar Wine & Coffee Bar in Alexandria, an adorable little spot with great VA wine selections and amazing food. Rooney came to sign along with me (thanks Lauren!).
The generosity and kindness of so many overwhelmed me as I drove home from Nectar through the growing darkness. Not only Continue reading “My Heart and House is Full”
Another Good Dog™ 