returned dogs – Another Good Dog™

The Leftover Puppy

January 9, 2025 Cara Achterberg

Nick keeps referring to Alex as the ‘leftover puppy’.

In my last post, I told you about Becca, who I thought was my ‘last puppy.’ But as is too often the case in puppy adoptions, there was another shuffle, and in the end, I still have one puppy. Just not Becca.

Alex was briefly adopted (for just over 24 hours) but it was not a good fit for the other dogs in the household, so he is back.

To be honest, I’m not a fan of the name Alex, but Leftover Puppy isn’t any better.

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

Looking for that Adoption Magic

January 13, 2024January 12, 2024 Cara 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, fosterdogs, fostering, hard to adopt, Long Term Dog, returned dogs, training

When a Bite Was Just a Bite

February 23, 2021 Cara Achterberg

Someone told me I jinxed Mia by writing about her last week in such a celebratory way.

Sad to say, she is back and not because I jinxed her but because she was set up to fail. I’ve agonized over how to explain what happened. I don’t want to throw Mia, the adopter, or the rescue under the bus, but I’d say that we all deserve to be runover on this one.

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dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, returned dogs, training, Uncategorized

Four-legged Happy

September 22, 2020 Cara Achterberg

Do you want to know what happy looks like in a 45 pound package with four legs?

That would be Mia. This dog simply never has a bad day, or a dull moment, or an off-switch. Well, that’s not entirely true. She does sleep—in fact, when she does it is much like she lives—loud. The girl can snore.

Mama Mia is back with us and she is an entirely different dog than the dog who arrived here last April with ten puppies still nursing.

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adopters, Billie Jean, dog rescue, former foster dogs, fosterdogs, returned dogs

A Dog I Once Fostered…

September 15, 2020 Cara Achterberg

Billie Jean is launched.

Gosh how I hope this time it sticks. I think it is a good match, but we never really know until she goes home.

I’m still awaiting word. I haven’t heard anything since a quick text from her adopter while they were driving home (four hours to northern New Jersey). She said Billie Jean, now Piper, was sleeping in the back seat most of the time, occasionally standing up and putting her head between the seats to give a few kisses.

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adopters, Behavioral Euthanasia, Billie Jean, dog rescue, foster dogs, oph, returned dogs, training

Our Beauty Queen Returns

August 18, 2020 Cara Achterberg

Having Billie Jean back with us has been really fun. She has an energy that shimmers off her and an eagerness to please that is refreshing. Like most cattle dogs, she has a lot to say and a huge repertoire of sounds. She is great company and an entertaining guest.

She is so much the dog I remember, but at the same time there is Continue reading “Our Beauty Queen Returns” →

adopters, Breeds, dog rescue, Fanny, former foster dogs, fostering, returned dogs, training

Judging By the Heart

August 11, 2020 Cara Achterberg

It’s another quiet week at this foster house. We’re in between foster dogs, something that feels rare for us as the dogs have generally overlapped for years now.

Tito was adopted on Sunday by a couple of ‘old hippies’ (their words!). It seems like a really great fit. They are experienced pit bull people who don’t just want to adopt, but to ‘rescue.’

They understand that Tito is a work in progress and that any dog adopted into a new home will require a significant effort on their part. At the start of this pandemic, Tito had only ever lived on a logging chain 24/7. Since then he has been in two rescues, one foster home, and now a second adoptive home. They are committed to helping him feel safe and loved, while teaching him about life in his new home.

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adopters, Carla, Daisy Duke, dog rescue, Flannery Oconnor, Foo Foo, former foster dogs, foster dogs, fostering, owner responsibility, returned dogs

Returned Dogs Are Inevitable

July 28, 2020July 28, 2020 Cara Achterberg

There have been so many adoptions this spring and summer. It’s a wonderful thing, but with lots and lots of adoptions come the inevitable returns.

Making a decision as momentous as adopting a dog for the rest of its life based on pictures, maybe a few videos, a foster’s notes, an adoption coordinator’s questions, and usually only a single meeting, is definitely a gamble, albeit an educated one (the same kind my brother claims he uses to win money in Vegas).

We shouldn’t be surprised or dismayed when a dog is returned. It doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with the dog or the adopter.

What’s really remarkable, I think, is Continue reading “Returned Dogs Are Inevitable” →