Category: puppies

adopters, foster dogs, puppies

Knowing Where They Come From

Cara Sue Achterberg

I don’t usually know where my foster dogs come from. Well, that’s not exactly right, I know it’s a shelter or maybe another foster home, but not much about their story.

I don’t know their parents or their previous owners.

When I foster puppies (and dogs), everyone wants to know what breed they are. But that’s another detail I don’t know and can only guess.

Not so, with the dogs and puppies I have fostered so far this year. All of them have come from local hoarding/eviction situations.

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adopters, dog rescue, fostering dogs, puppies

Puppy-palooza!

Cara Sue Achterberg

It’s a regular puppy-palooza at this foster cottage. I was home from the latest shelter tour only a few hours when the deluge began.

Nancy and I picked up Sampson from the house of a new HSSC foster where he’d been with his mom for the last ten days. Tina told us that he’s a doll but he was driving her older dog a little nuts. She would continue to foster Sampson’s mama (Beatrix’s sister!) because she’s so easy and good, but would be grateful if I could take the youngster off her hands.

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adopters, dog rescue, foster dogs, foster fail, fostering, Humane Society of Shenandoah County, oph, puppies

Adoption magic

Cara Sue Achterberg

I was really counting on that adoption magic to prevail this week, but I’m an overly optimistic person.

I was able to see four of my puppies into the arms of their new families.

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fosterdogs, Humane Society of Shenandoah County, Long Term Dog, mama dogs, puppies

Small Dog Puppies and Big Dog Puppies

Cara Sue Achterberg

Oh my gosh, small dog puppies are SO much easier than big dog puppies. At least in large quantities.

Clean up takes a fraction of the time and the correlating stink is also much lighter!

Maybe the best part is that I can hold three of four of them on my lap at a time (which still leaves two yelling for my attentions).

And talk about cuteness – why are small things so much cuter than large things?

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adopters, dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, hard to adopt, puppies, returned dogs

Looking for that Adoption Magic

Cara Sue Achterberg

From Marley’s point of view, people just don’t understand. What she’d like is a person (preferably a man) to be devoted to her in the same way that she is devoted to him. She’d like someone she could stick close to when he’s home and a safe, comfy crate to hang out in when he’s gone. Maybe a few long walks to sniff stuff, a few treats after she sits when asked, and a couch to snuggle on during movie marathons.

She’s a pretty simple girl.

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adopters, dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, hard to adopt, heartworms, hound dogs, Humane Society of Shenandoah County, multiple dogs, puppies

The House of Bark

Cara Sue Achterberg

I’m currently working in the house of bark.

It’s rarely like this, but for the next nine hours, until our temporary foster takes off for his new life, there doesn’t seem to be a way around it. I’m trying to breathe calmly and exude still energy, but nothing really helps with this particular combination of dog.

I’m fairly sure he’s a Husky mix because of his need to ‘talk’ all the time, his crazy smarts, and his style of play (chasing anything and everything but not bringing it back). At nine months, Steele is a bundle of energy and curiosity.

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adopters, dog rescue, fosterdogs, hound dogs, litters, mama dogs, puppies, worms

Down to the Wire with These Puppies

Cara Sue Achterberg

We are getting down to the wire with these puppies, matching them with adopters, microchipping (tomorrow!), and I just slogged through the multi-day Safeguard deworming protocol (none of us enjoyed it). They’ll get their second set of vaccines and be ready to go home as early as December 30th.

Every day I grow more convinced that they are hound dogs. As a foster, I try very hard to dodge fostering hound dog puppies. Not because they aren’t cute, oh my gosh, they are. And not because they aren’t fun or sweet or snuggly – they’ve got that in spades. But because they are messy.

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adopters, dog rescue, fostering, Humane Society of Shenandoah County, puppies, training

Love is Not Enough When It Comes to Puppies

Cara Sue Achterberg

Love is not enough. At least when it comes to puppies (maybe when it comes to anything…).

Raising a good dog means putting in the work when they are puppies. The genes and individuality of your puppy are out of your control, but there’s lots more that is within your control.

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adopters, Breeds, foster dogs, fostering dogs, hound dogs, Humane Society of Shenandoah County, puppies

How Big Will the Puppies Be?

Cara Sue Achterberg

The Snack Cake Pups were born November 2, so they were five weeks old on Thursday. They are weighing in at between six to seven pounds. The question everyone asks (right after they ask what kind of puppies they are) is—how big will they be?

The answer to that question depends largely on the answer to the first question. And the only one who has the answer to that question is Krimpet, and she’s not been forthcoming with the information.

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fostering, hound dogs, puppies

Introducing the Snack Cake Pups

Cara Sue Achterberg

Let me (finally) introduce you to the cuter-by-the-day pups who keep me from getting anything done these days. They were four weeks old on Thursday and all weigh about five pounds. Caitlin will be back to take some portraits of these cuties, but here are a few pictures taken with my iphone.

Ring Ding has probably the most dramatic brindle coloring of all. He is also the largest puppy. He is friendly and sweet, and seems fairly confident. He is often found lounging on his back and sleeps soundly (he’s not one to jump up if I come in the pen unexpectedly). The others love to pile on him, so perhaps he is the ‘popular guy’.

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