Tag: dogs

dog rescue, Dogs with Issues, Flannery Oconnor, former foster dogs, foster dogs, fostering, Gala, hard to adopt, Long Term Dog

Sometimes it Don’t Come Easy…

Cara Achterberg

Sometimes rescue is hard. Sometimes it doesn’t come easy.

As I put the final touches on my next book, due to the publisher December 1 (and if all goes well, released July 2020), I’ve spent a lot of time remembering one particular dog who changed my life. Gala was with us for over eleven months, but truly she has never left my heart.

Gala-7
photo by Nancy Slattery

The new book, One Hundred Dogs and Counting: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and a Journey into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues (and yes, that is a mouthful and no, it wasn’t up to me), begins with Gala. Up until Gala, fostering had been mostly fun, occasionally stressful, but ultimately a win-win for all parties involved.

Gala challenged me, not just in terms of exposing how much I don’t know about dogs, but emotionally as I wrestled Continue reading “Sometimes it Don’t Come Easy…” →

dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, oph, pregnant dog, puppies, shelters, Spay and Neuter

Fifteen Dogs in My House

Cara Achterberg

We survived our record-setting weekend.

Now we just have fourteen dogs. Which we’ve had before.

Gosh, this makes me sound like a dog-raving lunatic. Which maybe I am. Or at least I feel like one after this weekend.

Saying we fostered fifteen dogs this weekend is somewhat misleading since Continue reading “Fifteen Dogs in My House” →

dog rescue, emergency transport, foster dogs, fosterdogs, fostering, puppies, shelters

A Puppy Hero

Cara Achterberg

This week, I was reminded again when it comes to rescue—you can’t predict anything.

Or, at least, I can’t predict anything.

The wild ride began last Wednesday when Continue reading “A Puppy Hero” →

dog rescue, Fannie, Fanny, foster fail, fosterdogs, fostering, Frankie, Miss Fanny Wiggles, shelters

Miss Fanny Wiggles, My Girl

Cara Achterberg

It’s very hard for me to talk about my dog, Frankie.

FrankieDay-15

But while I don’t talk about him, he is constantly on my heart; I see him everywhere.

Losing him and the way we lost him truly leveled me and to be honest, Continue reading “Miss Fanny Wiggles, My Girl” →

Breeds, dog books, dog rescue, fosterdogs, fostering, Pit bull, training

Member of the Pack

Cara Achterberg

Normally when I bring home a new foster dog there is an extended shut-down period – a time when the new foster is kept away from the other dogs, spends a lot of time in her crate, is kept on a leash all the time even when out of the crate (and confined to the kitchen). This generally lasts one to two weeks.

We started down that path with Fanny Wiggles, but Continue reading “Member of the Pack” →

dog rescue, euthanasia, no-kill, oph, shelters

Please Don’t Forget the Dogs Still Waiting

Cara Achterberg

Today is Remember Me Thursday.

It’s a day to light a candle to remember the countless dogs who are waiting in shelters for a forever family or who have lost their lives while waiting.

Having just spent over a week visiting the shelters and Continue reading “Please Don’t Forget the Dogs Still Waiting” →

dog rescue, foster dogs, fosterdogs, fostering, Miss Fanny Wiggles, oph, Rescue Road Trip

Home Again with a Stowaway

Cara Achterberg

It has been a long time since I brought in a new foster dog. April to be exact.

(Which makes me wonder what I’ve been writing on this blog for all these months!)

There is a very special dog in my kitchen. She arrives with a story that began back in June. A story that inspired me to return to Tennessee and go on to Alabama and to now explore more ways I can change the situation.

You may recognize her face… Continue reading “Home Again with a Stowaway” →

dog rescue, Dogs with Issues, former foster dogs, foster dogs, fostering, hard to adopt, puppies

Here in This Kettle with the Other Frogs

Cara Achterberg

My world revolves around dogs.

They eat up every extra minute in my day. I probably knew that, but it was painfully obvious last Thursday. It was just me and Gracie. The house was so very quiet and weirdly still. I had time on my hands. I even cooked a real dinner.

How is that possible you ask? Continue reading “Here in This Kettle with the Other Frogs” →

dog rescue, Dogs with Issues, foster dogs, Long Term Dog

We’re All ‘Complicated’

Cara Achterberg

I’ve wondered what I will write about now that we are holding steady with the same two foster dogs. I could tell you more about Flannery and how entertaining she is—how she chases her tail on a near daily basis, how her enthusiasm for her supper knows no bounds, how she zips around outside like an oversize hummingbird and comes the moment she is called. (And don’t worry, in that second video she totally takes out my husband but he is fine). Continue reading “We’re All ‘Complicated’” →

dog rescue, Dogs with Issues, foster dogs, fostering, hard to adopt, Long Term Dog

Back to the Dogs

Cara Achterberg

This morning as I began to reorient myself to life in the real world after three wonderful weeks in the mountains, I started by cleaning up and putting away the detritus of summer. School starts on Thursday. It will be the last ‘first day’ for us as our baby starts his senior year in high school.

While I was away, Thelma Continue reading “Back to the Dogs” →