dog – Page 4 – Another Good Dog™

Huskies are special.

October 29, 2024 Cara Achterberg

Huskies are special. Leche is the second Husky we’ve fostered. The last one was equally special. Special dogs require special adopters.

Which is why so many Huskies land in shelters. The combined intelligence, athleticism, curiosity, and drive is both a joy and a challenge to live with. In the five days we’ve had Leche with us, I’ve already heard from multiple Husky owners and met several when we’ve taken Leche out with us. They all tell me how much they love the breed, how special they are, how beautiful Leche is, and then I hear stories of the Huskies they’ve loved. It’s like a club.

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adopters, canine health, dog rescue

Lingering Foster Dogs

October 2, 2024October 2, 2024 Cara Achterberg

Dogs just aren’t moving. Like everyone else’s, my foster dogs linger as adoptions have slowed down all over the country.

There are lots of theories about why this is happening, and I wrote about that this week on the Who Will Let the Dogs Out Blog.

‘Ann’ had a healthy baby boy and is doing well, but it is still undertermined whether she’ll be able to find work and housing that will allow Diamond to finally go home. This sweet girl is challenged by allergies and we are working through it, but treatment ideas are welcomed. She is red and itchy between her toes, and it’s quite a torment for her. I’ve cut out all chicken and chicken by-products in her diet, and that has helped but not eliminated the issue. She’s not a fan of probiotic wipes, but we’re trying that too.

Nancy was here to join me on the latest shelter tour and took some great pictures of this sweet, wiggle-butt:

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dog rescue, former foster dogs, fostering, fostering dogs, Momma Bear

Newest Foster Dog (from Kosovo!)

September 14, 2024 Cara Achterberg

We have a new foster dog keeping Diamond company these days. Berry traveled a long way to join us here. He’s from Kosovo!

OPH has an international dog program, pulling dogs from countries where they are often treated as ‘pests’ rather than sentient beings. They pull a small number of street dogs from India, Kosovo, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Dogs living in the streets in these countries live in terrible conditions, dying in large numbers from disease, malnutrition, and car accidents.

While there are many who question why a rescue would pull dogs from another country when so many are dying here, OPH’s stance is, “In our eyes, rescue has no borders or boundaries.”

More important than that powerful value, their explanation of ‘the ripple effect’ is compelling:

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Ehrlichia, foster cats, foster dogs, fostering, Humane Society of Shenandoah County, mama dogs, oph, puppies

A Puppy Just for You

July 25, 2024 Cara Achterberg

It’s been a week with these little ~~mice~~ puppies, and while they have gotten bigger, they’re still tiny.

At seven weeks, the smallest (Chrystanthemum) is 2 pounds, four ounces and the largest (Gus Gus and Norman) are 3 pounds, 13 ounces. Which, if you trust a puppy growth calculator means they will grow to be 16 pounds and 27 pounds.

So, they’ll be small dogs when they grow up, which is why I’m kind of surprised, and not, that they don’t have adopters yet. This is typically a slow time of year for adoptions. But because these puppies will grow to be small dogs, I did think they’d have a better chance than most of finding a family quickly.

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Humane Society of Shenandoah County, litters, mama dogs, oph, puppies

Summer Puppies: The Literary Mice

July 19, 2024 Cara Achterberg

I hadn’t planned on taking any puppies this summer. I wanted to be able to do some camping, kayaking, traveling…but then the heat/drought arrived and my youngest got a promotion that has him moving back to the east coast in August (2.5 hours from us).

I don’t think the temperatures will come down anytime soon if the Weather Channel is to be trusted, and Ian will need us (or at least our truck) for his big move. The water levels are so low that kayaking is out of the question, and frankly, I couldn’t justify staying on the sidelines while shelters are completely overwhelmed and the ‘euthanasia’ numbers continue to climb.

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Uncategorized

Little Moments Equal Big Progress

May 31, 2024 Cara Achterberg

It’s the little moments that feel like big progress with Bonnie and Clyde. Having spent their entire life until now in a small, poop-covered room, they are like giant, bewildered puppies most of the time.

In the early days, we worked on eye contact and impulse control (sit before being let out of crate or out the door or having dinner served). I improved my ability to be patient and learned to respond to the tiniest improvement. Now, over a month later, they’ve both more or less mastered those big asks.

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adopters, Dogs with Issues

Bonnie and Clyde

May 16, 2024 Cara Achterberg

I’ve been waiting to tell you this story. The puppies were much too distracting, but now that five of six puppies have been adopted (and the sixth will go home on Sunday), I can tell you about Bonnie and Clyde.

The other reason I’ve waited is because I wanted to give them time. Their minds were so completely blown when I first brought them home and I didn’t think it was fair to assess them until they had the opportunity to settle in and be treated like the good dogs they are.

Bonnie and Clyde were born in a house rented by an elderly woman. She kept all of the dogs in a small ten by ten room off her kitchen closed in with a piece of plywood. She had illusions of breeding ‘Scotch Terriers’ to make money. Her story is not unusual. In fact, it’s the reason so many shelters are overwhelmed by the number of puppies coming in.

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adopters, foster dogs, puppies

Knowing Where They Come From

May 10, 2024 Cara Achterberg

I don’t usually know where my foster dogs come from. Well, that’s not exactly right, I know it’s a shelter or maybe another foster home, but not much about their story.

I don’t know their parents or their previous owners.

When I foster puppies (and dogs), everyone wants to know what breed they are. But that’s another detail I don’t know and can only guess.

Not so, with the dogs and puppies I have fostered so far this year. All of them have come from local hoarding/eviction situations.

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adopters, dog rescue, fostering dogs, puppies

Puppy-palooza!

May 3, 2024 Cara Achterberg

It’s a regular puppy-palooza at this foster cottage. I was home from the latest shelter tour only a few hours when the deluge began.

Nancy and I picked up Sampson from the house of a new HSSC foster where he’d been with his mom for the last ten days. Tina told us that he’s a doll but he was driving her older dog a little nuts. She would continue to foster Sampson’s mama (Beatrix’s sister!) because she’s so easy and good, but would be grateful if I could take the youngster off her hands.

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