worms – Another Good Dog™

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

Down to the Wire with These Puppies

December 22, 2023 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 30^th.

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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dog rescue, foster dogs, kittens, multiple dogs, poop, puppies, worms

One of Those Weeks

July 7, 2023 Cara Sue Achterberg

Fostering is a lot of work.

I won’t lie or paint a warm fuzzy picture of it being all unicorns and happy endings and lovely dogs who don’t poop indoors.

This past week has been one of those weeks. Nothing terrible happened and everyone is fine and on-their-way-to-being-healthy.

They are happy and engaged and exercised and gaining weight. (Pretty much every animal in this cottage except me, needs to gain weight.)

But I am pretty wiped out. It’s been non-stop.

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cats, foster cats, fostering, kittens, worms

My Surprising New Fostering Assistant

June 2, 2022 Cara Sue Achterberg

I have a surprising new assistant helping me with the foster kitties.

We’ve discovered that Otis simply loves the kittens. All our foster cats/kittens usually live out on the sunporch. We haven’t added furniture or renovated the area because we need to replace the supporting posts (one is rotting) and possibly the windows (which are sagging, but once the posts are replaced that problem may correct itself).

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Diary, dog rescue, fostering, hookworms, puppies, training

Diary of a Rescue Week Five

May 1, 2020 Cara Sue Achterberg

There aren’t as many entries this week because, well, everybody’s fine. The cuteness and the mess continue to escalate, but otherwise, no news is good news, right?

This week the puppies were offered to the people on the ‘Puppy Waiting List.’ After they make their selections, the puppies will be added to the rescue’s website. I’m excited to get to know the people who will be taking these precious pups home in less than two weeks!

Here are this week’s diary entries for Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue Week Five” →

dog rescue, fosterdogs, fostering, hookworms, puppies, returned dogs

Hookworms Round Two

April 28, 2020 Cara Sue Achterberg

The trip to the vet with puppies was a quite different experience this time around.

The last time I drove there with a small airline crate full of nearly lifeless puppies who didn’t make a sound. I stopped once just because I was worried that Pippin was being smothered (there was no evidence to indicate it was even a possibility but the overtired, distraught mind conjures up all kinds of scenarios on a long drive alone in silence with sick puppies).

Once at the vet’s office, we had to wait in the parking lot like everyone else – only everyone else had Continue reading “Hookworms Round Two” →

dog rescue, fostering, heartworms, hookworms, litters, poop, puppies

Hookworms & Heartworms: Lots of Healing Happening Here

April 21, 2020 Cara Sue Achterberg

I’m breathing a little easier now. I no longer walk into the puppy room holding my breath. Instead, I hold my nose!

Last Friday, the pups finally breached the side of the box, so we moved them to bigger digs and they are enjoying having plenty of room to play and poop.

The Broadway Babes are busy, happy, messy pups! Their biggest fault is Continue reading “Hookworms & Heartworms: Lots of Healing Happening Here” →

Diary, dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, hookworms, litters, puppies

Diary of a Rescue Week Three: A Tough Development

April 17, 2020 Cara Sue Achterberg

This last week has been a tough one. Just like my beautiful tulips that were bright and healthy a few days ago and now droop and struggle in the below freezing temperatures, the puppies’ story changed drastically this week.

Below are the entries from our week in rescue. If you’d like to read them in real-time, you can follow the daily diary on my Facebook page, Cara Sue Achterberg, writer.

Diary of a Rescue Day 15: Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue Week Three: A Tough Development” →

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

The Reality of Rescue Hits This Foster Home Hard

April 14, 2020 Cara Sue 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.