Tag: dogrescue

adopters, euthanasia, fosterdogs, fostering, fostering dogs, Husky, oph, puppies, shelters

Last one left is a….wonderful puppy.

Cara Achterberg

Last one left is a….wonderful puppy.

I never really know why a person picks one puppy instead of another. I suppose it’s kismet or karma or whim. What I tend to believe is that there is almost always adoption magic afoot. People tend to find the dog they need (and vice versa).

I have only one foster puppy left looking for her forever family. And she is a gem. Becca is crazy smart but eager to please and VERY food motivated, so training this baby will be fun. The sky’s the limit. With her long legs and athletic body, I’d bet she’d be an ace at agility.

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fostering, puppies

Christmas Puppy Anyone?

Cara Achterberg

Who is hoping to find a puppy under the Christmas tree?

I’ve got some pretty adorable puppies looking for a home of their own. The ABC pups – Alex, Becca, and Cassie – arrived this past week from Mississippi.

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dog rescue, foster dogs

Almost-Adoptions

Cara Achterberg

Leche is still here. She’s had two almost-adoptions in which her status changed to ‘adoption pending’ for nearly a week, and then the adopter never followed through (or even came to meet her). This is why, people, if you see a dog you want to adopt and it’s listed as ‘adoption pending,’ you should still apply. Adoption pending can, too often, never finish pending.

Many potential adopters are looking on multiple sites and often have multiple applications submitted at the same time. That’s normal. And on occasion, people apply on impulse, but in the cold gray light of day, they think, Maybe I really can’t handle a gorgeous Husky dog who is probably smarter than me.

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adopters, Breeds, foster dogs, fostering, fostering dogs, Husky, oph

Life with a Foster: Routines Make All the Difference

Cara Achterberg

Life with a Husky cannot possibly be boring. The more time I spend with Leche, the more I think either she’s exceptional or Huskies are just smarter than regular dogs. Her memory and her cunning ability to understand when I’m paying attention and when I’m not, have floored me time and again.

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Berry’s Day Out

Cara Achterberg

Since arriving here in my foster cottage, Berry has had a pretty sheltered life. We’ve journeyed all over the back roads around me at dawn and taken dozens of turns around our back pasture, but beyond that, his world has been pretty small.

Not anymore! If there was any doubt that Berry is a dog about town, it has all been shushed. My ‘shy’ guy spent this past Saturday greeting all kinds of people at the Farmer’s Market and in downtown Woodstock.

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adopters, canine health, dog rescue

Lingering Foster Dogs

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

A Puppy Just for You

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

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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adopters, fosterdogs, fostering

Team Bonnie

Cara Achterberg

Bonnie and I have had a quiet week.

I was tempted not to write at all, but didn’t want to miss the opportunity to put out more Bonnie propaganda. Not that it’s propaganda, but any/all exposure is good because you just never know when the right person will catch of glimpse of her and think – ‘Yes! That looks like a great dog for me!”

I looked up propaganda to be sure I was correct in my assumed definition…

Propaganda is the dissemination of information—facts, arguments, rumors, half-truths, or lies—to influence public opinion. Deliberateness and a relatively heavy emphasis on manipulation distinguish propaganda from casual conversation or the free and easy exchange of ideas.

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Little Moments Equal Big Progress

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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