Category: puppies

dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, hookworms, puppies, Spay and Neuter, worms

The Reality of Rescue Hits This Foster Home Hard

Cara Achterberg

Health is sacred. We are all realizing this as we struggle together against a virus we can’t see.

I’m also realizing this as I care for our foster dogs this week. Siobhan is handling heartworm treatment beautifully so far, but I will not say she is out of the woods because I am still learning the hard way that we cannot take anything for granted when it comes to these amazing, yet fragile animals.

We lost one of our puppies on Sunday night. Continue reading “The Reality of Rescue Hits This Foster Home Hard” →

Diary, dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, puppies

Diary of a Rescue Week Two

Cara Achterberg

This week the pups morphed from guinea pigs to real puppies. They are growling and wrestling and starting to even notice the toys I’ve placed in their box. I tried a few Live Streams but as about 23 hours of their day is spent sleeping both ‘puppy hours’ mostly featured a big pile of pups napping. I will try again this week.

Mia continues to be an all-business mom, getting the job done and getting back out of the box. She is much more interested in what is happening in the rest of the house or the other dogs.

Below are the entries for this week. If you’d like to read them in real time (and maybe catch a puppy hour livestream) be sure to follow my public Facebook page.

Diary of a Rescue Day 8: Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue Week Two” →

fosterdogs, fostering, heartworms, puppies

Quarantined with Puppies: Saving Lives in Uncertain Times

Cara Achterberg

If you have to stay in your home for a month, it’s not a bad thing to be stuck home with puppies.

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Caring for this little family is a wonderful distraction; it gives me a purpose and is defining the days that have begun to blur together – is it Tuesday or Friday?

Mia, for her part, is Continue reading “Quarantined with Puppies: Saving Lives in Uncertain Times” →

Diary, dog rescue, foster dogs, puppies, rescue flight

Diary of a Rescue (Take Two) Week One

Cara Achterberg

I think all of us could use a happy story right now, so I’ve decided to create another Diary of a Rescue to follow the story of Mama Mia and the Broadway Babes. The last time I did this, about a year ago, I had the same intention but instead the story took a tragic turn right off the bat.

Daisy B, the mama dog featured in that story finally found her forever family the same week that Mama Mia arrived, so that seems like a sort of cosmic seal of approval to try again.

So far, so good.

Below are the dairy entries from our first week with this little family. If you’d like to see them in real time, you can follow along on my writer Facebook page. I also post extra pictures and videos in the Another Good Dog facebook group. Here’s hoping this story proves a heartwarming distraction to all that is going on in this world.

Diary of a Rescue Day One: Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue (Take Two) Week One” →

Diary, dog rescue, former foster dogs, fosterdogs, fostering, litters, oph, puppies, rescue flight, Updates

Combatting Quarantine Stress with Foster Dogs

Cara Achterberg

I’ve realized that there is a correlation between how many dogs are in our house and the amount of stress in my life.

I’m pretty sure the stress brings the dogs, not the other way around. I tend to pile on the animals when I’m feeling stressed or uncertain. Their needs, their affection, the immediacy of their presence is calming for me.

Yes, the world feels upside down right now, but Continue reading “Combatting Quarantine Stress with Foster Dogs” →

dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, oph, puppies, Rescue Road Trip

You Can’t Come Home Without a Dog

Cara Achterberg

After spending nine days visiting shelters, rescues, dog pounds, and one awful flea market where they sold dogs and puppies, it was inevitable that I would come home from our Who Will Let the Dogs Out trip with a dog.

Mind you, I didn’t even take a crate with me on this trip. (It wouldn’t fit in our rental – Jeep’s look much bigger from the outside than the inside.)

Wednesday night, I finally hit a wall of exhaustion and emotion. I told Nancy in colorful language that I was finished with the trip, Continue reading “You Can’t Come Home Without a Dog” →

adopters, dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, puppies, returned dogs, Who Will Let the Dogs Out

Doing the Impossible Requires Rose-Colored Glasses (or I Believe in Adoption Magic)

Cara Achterberg

A week ago, I still had four foster dogs under my roof.

That’s not so odd (for me) except that on Friday I leave for a ten-day whirlwind tour of 16 rescues, shelters, and pounds in Tennessee, Mississippi, and the tail of Missouri as part of Who Will Let the Dogs Out (an initiative of Operation Paws for Homes).

Leaving foster dogs at the house for my busy husband and my even-busier son to care for in my absence isn’t really an option. Which meant Continue reading “Doing the Impossible Requires Rose-Colored Glasses (or I Believe in Adoption Magic)” →

adopters, Boarding Buddies, dog rescue, foster dogs, puppies, returned dogs

Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog (and a Nice One at That)

Cara Achterberg

Even with two of the tiny puppies still here, the house seemed much too quiet, so on Sunday Nick and I went to visit Rockee, a hound dog in a boarding facility nearby.

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Rockee (formerly known as Witch Doctor) is an OPH dog who, through no fault of his own, landed in boarding because of foster’s schedules and an unexpected return. He’s had a few faithful boarding buddies who have taken him for hikes and gotten him out to adoption events, but living in a boarding facility isn’t great for any dog’s mental state, plus it costs the rescue money that could be better spent saving dogs.

Rockee was adopted and then returned (after one day) for Continue reading “Ain’t Nothin’ But a Hound Dog (and a Nice One at That)” →

dog rescue, fosterdogs, fostering, puppies, transport, Who Will Let the Dogs Out

Meet the Pep Boys- Manny, Mo, and Jack!

Cara Achterberg

I’m not a night owl, so when I saw the transport time to pick up my puppies, I joined the chorus of grumbling that came from pretty much everyone whose new foster dog was on the last stop scheduled to arrive at 11:30pm Friday. Normally, transport arrives around 9:30 (although one recent transport didn’t arrive until closer to 1am thanks to traffic on 95). I am generally sound asleep by 9:30, so that was already pushing it, but 11:30?

I registered my unhappiness but accepted that it wasn’t within my realm of control. I’ve long ago come to grips with the fact that fostering can be a lot of things and one of those is inconvenient.

Friday night, we had a nice send-off dinner for my oldest who was moving to Phoenix the next day for a job and then I settled in to binge watch Pitbulls and Paroles until it was time to go. In the end, transport arrived at 10:45; somehow like the pilots flying east, they made up time in the air. Continue reading “Meet the Pep Boys- Manny, Mo, and Jack!” →

adopters, dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, puppies

Fosterless

Cara Achterberg

And poof! He was gone.

I warned you we wouldn’t have Bo very long. They don’t make them much nicer. We had a fun week with him and packed in as much as we could, but on Sunday Bo left for his forever home.

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It’s a great home with Continue reading “Fosterless” →