Our adventures as a foster dog family
This weekend we bleached the puppy fences, the crate, and the baby gate that we used with our ‘parvo pups’ last fall one last time and finally stowed them in the attic of the garage. They’d been wiped down with bleach last fall and then left stacked in the corner of our stone porch all winter. Even though they’d been bleached once, I was still wary of them. So afraid that in a crevice or a hinge, parvo virus still lingered.
Continue reading “Movie Mutts and Parvo Puppies”
Where to begin? I’m exhausted and wired-awake at the same time. I feel a little like I’m in a war—anxious about the next assault, unable to mourn the current tragedy, and working so hard to prevent another.
My worst fears were realized last Wednesday when Hooch broke with parvovirus. This is the demon all puppy fosters fight against. It’s the reason we go through so much bleach, guard who handles our puppies, and count the days out of the shelter and the ones until we can vaccinate.
I suppose I have been incredibly lucky. I’m closing in on 200 fosters, and I hadn’t encountered parvo yet. So, maybe I was due. But, gosh, I would give anything to back this one up and get a different outcome.
Continue reading “Our War with Parvo”
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.
Continue reading “Four-legged Happy”
Our foster world is pretty quiet these days. And that’s a good thing.
I’m busy getting ready for the release of my new book, 100 Dogs & Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and a Journey Into the Heart of Shelter and Rescue. It’s a strange time for all of us, dogs included.
OPH has been saving dogs in record numbers with Continue reading “We CAN Rescue These Dogs”
Here is the post I thought I’d put up earlier this week before I left for the cabin to celebrate my birthday:
[Note: much has changed since then I will update you later this week!]
All of the puppies are now in their forever homes. So, it was time to pick up the really special dog I’ve been anxiously awaiting! Continue reading “Tito or Not to Tito”
And that was that. Hard to believe all the puppies are now in their forever homes. Mia has been spayed and is waiting for the right adopter to find her. She’s happy and healthy in her new home. Hard to believe it was 50 days ago that I picked up the little family on a gray, rainy day in Winchester.
I don’t know if I’ll chronicle another rescue, but while this pandemic has gone on, it has provided an excellent distraction for all of us, so you never know. We move to ‘yellow’ at the end of this week, but from where I sit, that doesn’t change much.
We’ve just picked up a new foster dog who is a special guy I met while traveling in Tennessee for Who Will Let the Dogs Out in March. I’m excited to share his story and to get to know him better.
This is the end of this rescue (for me), but you will likely still catch updates from the adopters, plus the adoption of Mia, on the Another Good Dog Facebook group. Thanks for following along! Below are the last entries for the rescue of Mama Mia and the Broadway Babes. Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue Week Seven”
In less than a week these puppies will head to their forever homes! I surely won’t forget this crew—it has been an equally heartbreaking and heartfilling experience being their foster mom. By this time with every litter I am ready for them to go – they have outgrown our little puppy room and the work of caring for them is enormous. Still, I am trying to treasure it and working hard to give them the very best start to the very best lives.
Here are this week’s entries in their entirety. Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue: Week Six”
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”
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”
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”
Another Good Dog™ 