Our adventures as a foster dog family
The foster cottage is filling back up!
After a year with us, Diamond was able to go back home this past weekend! You can read about how she came to be with us here. From the start, we were never sure this day would come. But it finally did, and I’m thrilled for her. She has a fenced backyard of her own and is back with her mom for good.
Things are moving very slowly in the dog adoption world. Which means dogs are backed up at shelters all over. And we all know what that means.
My adorable, sweet, smart, healthy puppies are twelve weeks old today, and neither has any interested adopters. This seems crazy to me. But it speaks to the times.
It seems unlikely that everyone who had ever planned to adopt a puppy has adopted one. It’s more likely that I just can’t find them. Which guts me because as long as they linger here, I have no room to save more puppies.
Continue reading “Dogs Are Backing Up”
Things are a bit busy here in the foster cottage, so here’s the rundown:
Lima Bean had her amputation surgery on Wednesday and is doing really well. She’s back to wearing toddler shirts to protect the huge incision and keep her from messing with it. When I picked her up, they recommended she wear a cone, but this poor girl is miserable, so we’re going with shirts instead. So far, so good.
It is time to find homes for these puppies! They are more than ready for forever families.
The Beanie Babies are now eight weeks old, age-appropriately vaccinated, and microchipped. And I need your help finding those homes!
Please share this blog post (or any of the Facebook posts I’ve put up on Another Good Dog) with anyone and everyone.
Continue reading “Time to Find Homes for these Puppies!”
Many of you remember when Diamond came to stay with us last summer after a few traumatic months while her mom was homeless. She was in rough shape, and we agreed to house her while her mom accepted a spot in a homeless shelter for pregnant women.
We had Diamond spayed and addressed all her health and skin issues. It took me a few months to figure out the right diet to keep her allergies in check, but she’s been doing great for the last six months since we eliminated all chicken products from her diet.
The plan was for Diamond to go back with her mom once she got on her feet. That plan has been delayed repeatedly while her mom faced set back after set back. And now, finding affordable housing with a toddler and infant and 50 pound bulldog has proved elusive.
Continue reading “Diamond is a Diamond”
Fostering is often a lot of work, and always rewarding, but sometimes it’s also just plain heartbreaking.
Every time we welcome foster dogs or puppies, they are a mystery. They are most often strays, and lately, most have been pulled from the euthanasia list at an overcrowded shelter.
We don’t know their medical histories before the day of their intake at the shelter, but we do know they have often been subjected to neglect and rarely have had good nutrition, medical attention, or even basic care. They suffer physically, but emotionally as well.
Continue reading “Sometimes Fostering is Hard on the Heart”
Have I gotten myself in over my head? This is the question that rolled across my mind early this morning when I couldn’t sleep.
The last time I had this many dogs in the foster cottage, I was overwhelmed.
In fact, it was also four dogs and four puppies. Of course, those were basically feral dogs and worm-riddled puppies, so the physical work was overwhelming. After the seventh or eighth poopified crate, I’d come pretty close to quitting this whole foster gig.
Continue reading “Have I Gotten Myself in Over My Head?”
Rescue is always a roller coaster. But I tend to go with the most death-defying coasters (at least when it comes to rescuing, definitely not on real coasters!).
Lately, there have been too many situations that have made me angry, sad, and/or heart-broken because I am powerless to do anything about them. I wallow briefly, but then rally and look for situations where I can have an impact.
So, as weeks have gone by in which the news in my world and the larger world has kept me awake, twisting my insides, or leaving me emotionally spent, I started casting around for a dog to save. Maybe I can’t fix the world, but I can rescue a dog! (or maybe six…)
Continue reading “Rescue is a Roller Coaster”
Jolly Jack arrived on a transport from Memphis earlier this week. Through sheer timing and luck, we were able to get him into Anicira to be neutered on Wednesday, thanks to a little help from the Humane Society of Shenandoah County.
This pup is pretty much turn-key. JJ is already solidly housebroken (sigh of relief here), walks pretty well on a leash (considering he is still young and excitable), and is quiet in his crate (and kind of getting used to having to go in it).
Mostly, he is just a JOYFUL pup. His name is perfect.
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.
Continue reading “The Leftover Puppy”
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