Another Good Dog™

adopters, dog rescue, Ehrlichia, foster dogs, heartworms, Humane Society of Shenandoah County, owner responsibility

When the Rescuer Needs Rescue

February 23, 2023 Cara Sue Achterberg

Rescuing animals ~~can be~~ is overwhelming.

I know that first hand, as does anyone in the rescue world. It’s part and parcel to the whole rescue mentality – you want to help and you can easily over-extend. You can’t bear for animals to suffer.

And sadly, lately, that proclivity to take on more and more has led to rescues turning into hoarding cases.

Two different situations came through my world this weekend that I could do nothing about, but a local wannabe rescuer’s overwhelm did spill into my world, or to be exact, my not-quite-finished foster cottage.

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adopters, foster dogs, fostering

Happy Endings Never Get Old

January 26, 2023 Cara Sue Achterberg

I’ve put off this post, not because I didn’t think it was going to work, but because I didn’t want to put undue pressure on anyone. This one really felt meant to be, but until I got first reports, I thought it best to stay mum.

Moose was adopted! I’m super excited that this special boy is going to get the life he deserves.

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dog rescue, fostering dogs

The Foster Dog I Hope to Never Meet

January 19, 2023 Cara Sue Achterberg

Let me explain.

I’ve been watching Gina’s journey from a distance since I met her back in August at Saving Webster Dogs.

I actually must have met her back in June when I traveled there with Who Will Let the Dogs Out on a shelter tour, but at the time there were over 100 dogs and somehow, this large, muddy, sweet dog didn’t catch my eye.

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canine health, feeding dogs, foster dogs

Low Calorie Doggie Snacks

January 13, 2023 Cara Sue Achterberg

Our latest foster, Moose, is on a diet. I can’t remember ever having a foster dog who seriously needed to lose weight. Moose needs to lose about 20% of his weight. He arrived weighing close to 95 pounds and really should be closer to 75.

No problem, right? Since we control what he eats and how much he exercises. (I’ve always thought I’d love to go to a diet camp where someone controlled all that for me.)

And we are controlling how much he eats – measuring his food (only a high quality, grain-free dry food) and serving it with a vitamin and probiotics.

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foster dogs, fostering, training

The Moose Project

January 6, 2023January 6, 2023 Cara Sue Achterberg

After three weeks with Moose, I’ve learned a few things about our big boy (who lost five pounds and is now only 87 pounds!).

Moose has no idea that he is enormous. He never uses his muscle or size to break in or out of places. Initially, we put him in our ‘tiger crate’, the giant steel dog crate we purchased after a previous foster broke out of (and in the processed destroyed) two large wire crates.

Moose wasn’t crate-trained when he arrived, so it seemed like the safest place to put him, knowing that at 92 pounds, he could easily force the wire crate open if he wanted to. This week I transitioned him into a regular crate and he’s never challenged it, even when left alone overnight.

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dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, training

Moose Moves In

December 22, 2022January 6, 2023 Cara Sue Achterberg

I’ve tried. Hard. For the sake of my family and our new home and the holidays and my husband’s patience.

I’ve tried not to foster.

The plan we made (and I agreed on) was once we were settled in our new house, put up a dog fence, and renovated the cottage, then I would start fostering again.

So, we’re here. Mostly settled.

And the dog fence went in last week.

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canine health, dog rescue, parvo, parvovirus, puppies, vaccines

Is YOUR Dog a Super Hero?

November 30, 2022 Cara Sue Achterberg

My dog Otis is a super hero.

Really. He saves lives.

It’s possible that your dog could also be a super hero.

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adopters, fostering dogs, Pit bull

Every Dog Deserves a Good Home

October 14, 2022October 14, 2022 Cara Sue Achterberg

Every dog deserves a good home. I believe that. But some dogs deserve a little bit more.

Abby, for instance.

Although she can’t tell us (and certainly she doesn’t seem to hold any of it against anyone), but she has had a rough go.

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adopters, Breeds, foster dogs, foster-to-adopt, fostering, hard to adopt, Pit bull

Looking for Your Next Best Friend?

September 30, 2022 Cara Sue Achterberg

Abby is still here. And it’s just not fair.

She’s no longer living on a chain (yay), but she is confined to one room much of her day. She can see the other dogs, hang out with our foster cat, and watch the activity out her window, but she’d much prefer to be with a person.