dog rescue, Dogs with Issues, foster fail, fosterdogs, fostering, heartworms

A Sick Foster Dog Changes Everything

You know what they say about plans?

Okay, I think that is actually assumptions.

And maybe I was naively assuming our plan would work.

When our newest foster dog, Tito (OPH Lieutenant Howl) arrived last week, two things became instantly clear: Continue reading “A Sick Foster Dog Changes Everything”

dog rescue, Fanny, foster dogs, foster fail, fostering, Gracie

Tito or Not to Tito

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”

Diary, dog rescue, fosterdogs, fostering, puppies

Diary of a Rescue Week Seven

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”

Diary, dog rescue, fostering, hookworms, puppies, training

Diary of a Rescue Week Five

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”

Diary, dog rescue, fostering, puppies

Diary of a Rescue Week Four: A Week of Growing Puppies

The puppies are doing well. Growing plump and busy.

litter 4-23

It is odd to be raising them in such isolation. Normally, by now, we would be having lots of visitors to help with socialization and even a few potential adopters would be stopping by to meet them. Until they get the all-clear from the vet next week, the rescue has not offered them to the people on the Puppy Waiting List (approved adopters who have been through the application process and are just waiting for the right puppy) or put them on the website. I expect them to be cleared on Monday, but I qualify my assumptions these days.

Below are the diary entries from this week. Continue reading “Diary of a Rescue Week Four: A Week of Growing Puppies”

Diary, dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, puppies

Diary of a Rescue Week Two

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”

adopters, dog rescue, foster dogs, fostering, puppies, returned dogs, Who Will Let the Dogs Out

Doing the Impossible Requires Rose-Colored Glasses (or I Believe in Adoption Magic)

A week ago, I still had four foster dogs under my roof.

That’s not so odd (for me) except that on Friday I leave for a ten-day whirlwind tour of 16 rescues, shelters, and pounds in Tennessee, Mississippi, and the tail of Missouri as part of Who Will Let the Dogs Out (an initiative of Operation Paws for Homes).

Leaving foster dogs at the house for my busy husband and my even-busier son to care for in my absence isn’t really an option. Which meant Continue reading “Doing the Impossible Requires Rose-Colored Glasses (or I Believe in Adoption Magic)”

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

Fifteen Dogs in My House

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

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, Dogs with Issues, Flannery Oconnor, fosterdogs, fostering, hard to adopt, Long Term Dog, oph, returned dogs, training

A Designer Dog Looking for his Designer Family

There was a time when we had two, even three new fosters each month, but for the last few years, it’s been one long-term foster after another (Gala, Flannery, Daisy…) and a few puppy litters. This weekend we had planned to welcome a much anticipated foster dog from Alabama – Houdini, whom I met while visiting Walker County Animal Shelter where OPH partners with RUFF to support the shelter and rescue dogs.

That reunion has been postponed because transport for Houdini and the other RUFF dogs fell through at the last moment. Hopefully, he will catch his freedom ride at the end of this month and we’ll welcome him then.

Meanwhile, Fanny was in need of a playmate as Flannery and Gracie easily tire of her endless puppy-like energy, so I Continue reading “A Designer Dog Looking for his Designer Family”