Introducing Orca, Penguin and Puffin

I know, the names are silly.  But I like having a kitten named Penguin.  And this way all three kittens have names of sea creatures that are black and white, just like them.  At least until they're adopted, when their new families will no doubt rename them!

This is Penguin.  He's the only boy of the group.  I can tell him apart from the others because he has a little black "mustache" right under his nose.  I got these kittens from a nice lady who saved them after they were born to a feral momma cat.  Now hopefully she can get the momma cat trapped and spayed so she won't have any more babies in the future. 

This is Orca.  She has more black on her face than the other two, so it's easy to tell her apart.  Her and her littermates are very sweet and affectionate.  They're only about 7 weeks old, so I'll have to wait another week or so until they're old enough to be spayed/neutered. Right now they're very tiny!

This is Puffin.  She's my favorite of the litter (don't tell the other two!)    A friend of mine made some wonderful cat and dog bed covers for me.  They are great especially for kittens and puppies, because I can cover a dog or cat bed to give them somewhere comfortable to sleep, and then easily remove the cover for washing without having to wash the entire bed every time.  Puppies and kittens can find danger in the most innocuous things though.  Puffin somehow managed to get under the elastic edge of the cover and got stuck between the cat bed and the cover.  Poor kitten - I think she was stuck there for quite awhile before I found and untangled her. 

These three black/white kittens fit right in with most of the rest of my animals.  Do you notice a theme?

Remi - my Great Dane

Delta - my foster Lab/Boxer puppy

Noelle - my pit bull mix

Lizzy - my foster Border Collie mix

Artemis - my foster cat

 It's hard to tell from the pictures, but Noelle has some black spots on her, and even Artemis has a small patch of white on his chest.  Okay, it's probably too small to be called a patch of white.  Maybe a few stray white hairs would be more accurate.  Nonetheless, all of the above pets at my house are black and white! 

Okay fine, I admit I have a few that aren't black and white.  Non-black and white pets need love too.  So Merlin (my cat) and Gandalf and Scribbles (foster cats) are very much loved even though they aren't pictured above.  And tonight I'm picking up two more dogs that I agreed to take sight unseen, so I'm pretty sure they're going to ruin my black and white theme as well.  That's okay - I'll love them anyway.

Introducing Lizzy

I have had a lot of easy, or at least quick, adoptions lately.  I decided it was time for a difficult foster dog.  Well not really - it just happened that way.  I saw this dog at an adoption event on Saturday, and asked about her.  It turned out she was adopted out as a puppy and returned recently, and since no one had room for her at the time, she's been staying at a shelter for the past month. I thought she was beautiful and since all of my foster dogs except Delta are adopted now, I offered to take her. They said yes! so I brought her home on Saturday afternoon.

You may wonder why a dog as beautiful as Lizzy would be a difficult dog to adopt out.  She's a Border Collie mix, and I love how the tip of her tail is white while the rest of her is mostly black.  She loves other dogs (even gets along with Noelle!), does fine with cats (fortunately for my cat Merlin), and is very intelligent and well-mannered.  She's 11 months old, already house-trained and knows basic obedience commands.  She also gets a lot of attention from people at adoption events.  The reason she hasn't found a home yet is probably because of how she was raised.

Lizzy was adopted out as a puppy to a family who didn't socialize her much.  She was never around children or other adults.  She didn't learn as a puppy that people aren't scary, and that when children run to pet her, they don't want to hurt her.  So now all people are scary to her.  Especially children.  And unfortunately almost everyone out there wants a dog that will be good with children.  Even if they don't have small children of their own, they may have neighbors or grandchildren or nieces and nephews who visit often, so they want a dog who is good with kids.  So I am afraid that Lizzy may take awhile to find someone who doesn't have young children at home, and will be patient with her and help her to learn that not all people want to hurt her. 

I can relate to Lizzy - as someone said to me at PetSmart today - I trust dogs more than people too!  And I know that as quickly as she learned to trust me, she can learn to trust other people as well.  So I'll try to work with her and help her to learn to be braver, and hopefully someday she will find her very own home. 

Fighting Dogs

A friend sent me a link to this video from the stltoday.com website:  http://videos.stltoday.com/p/video?id=6165018.  It is a video supplied by the Humane Society of Missouri that shows the conditions of some of the dogs rescued during the July dog fighting raids.  I will warn you the video is graphic - it shows dogs with scars, dogs missing limbs, and so on.  It also shows the location where the dogs and puppies are being kept until they are released by the federal courts.  It's hard to watch, but I hope you'll watch it anyway.  Because it happens everyday, and if we pretend it doesn't, nothing will ever change.

Just as a reminder, my matching donation challenge ends in a few days.  I am a supporter of BAD RAP, a rescue group who works with pit bulls, including some that came from this July raid.  They're raising money to build a safe place to care for dogs in emergency situations like these dogs, and I'm going to match whatever my blog readers donate during the month of September.  Here's a link to the post with more details:  http://dogfostermom.blogspot.com/2009/08/bad-rap.html.

Introducing Delta

This is Delta.  She's the last of the litter of nine puppies - the other eight were adopted yesterday.  I took her home last night, and took her to PetSmart today but she wasn't adopted, so I'll keep her until she finds a home.  She's adorable, and very annoying at the same time, as only a puppy can be.  She is very sweet, but she misses her littermates and she hates to be alone.  So she now cries if I put her in her kennel.  I've found the easiest way to deal with this is to not put her in her kennel.  I know that's not the BEST way to deal with it - but hey, we've both had a tough weekend and she'll have to deal with being alone all day tomorrow while I'm at work.  So for now, her first day without her littermates, I'm going to give in to her.  

Because seriously, look at this face.  She's so good at looking sad and pathetic.  I think I'll put this picture on her petfinder listing - how could anyone who's looking for a puppy NOT want this dog?!  

I might put this picture on too.  Her new nickname is Fuzz-face.  I could put a Santa hat on her and she could pretend she's Santa Claus.  I don't know where the fuzz came from, but she sure did look cute with it stuck to her chin!

Puppy adoptions!

All four of my foster puppies were adopted today, and four of their littermates from another foster home were also adopted today!  It was a huge adoption day for puppies, in spite of the poor weather.  I really miss my puppies, but I was able to take the last puppy from the litter home with me.  It's so sad now that she's all alone, but I'm sure she'll be adopted soon.  I'm going to take her to PetSmart tomorrow to try to get her a home.  My foster cats also need a turn at PetSmart since they haven't been for a few weeks, so I'll take Gandalf and Artemis.  I might even get brave and take Scribbles, but I'm not sure about that yet.  I think she needs a break from the bedroom where she's living alone, but I'm not sure that going to PetSmart is her idea of a break. 

Speaking of Garfield...

Garfield has always been one of my favorite cartoons.  And I've often thought about naming one of my foster cats Garfield.  But the right cat just hasn't come along yet.  At least not for me.  A friend of mine has a foster cat she named Garfield, and I think the name is a perfect fit.  Meet Garfield...

As his bio says, he hasn't passed up any dinners - lasagna or otherwise!  Garfield weighs about 20 pounds.   Of course, no one wants Garfield to weigh quite this much - an overweight cat (or dog) is unhealthy, so we'd love to see Garfield lose some weight and feel better and live longer.  Garfield is staying up at the O'Fallon, MO PetSmart right now if you'd like to stop by and visit him. 

It's a good thing I'm not fostering this cat.  I would probably try to see how much like the cartoon character he really is.  I'd be making him lasagna (if I could cook) and letting him pick on the dogs (I'd have to name one Odie) and I'd even give him a teddy bear named Pooky.  He'd already have the cutest kitten in the world at my house to annoy him - I'd just have to change Merlin's name to Nermal.  It'd be perfect, and so much fun.  So like I said, it's a good thing I'm not the one fostering him.

Garage Sale this weekend!

All Paws Rescue is having a garage sale this Saturday starting at 10am at the O'Reilly's Auto Parts store parking lot on Main Street (just north of the Highway 70/Hwy K intersection).  Not only will there be a lot of garage sale treasures, but you can also purchase food, pet beds, and other items.  Bring the kids along to meet Scooby-Doo and Garfield.  How cool is that - a cartoon dog and cat... I read that Scooby-Doo and Garfield would be there, but it took it awhile (like two weeks) to click that they aren't just cartoon characters but are actually cartoon animals like the ones that All Paws is raising money to help.  Duh... don't laugh at me please.  Whomever thought of having a cartoon cat and cartoon dog at an event to raise money for homeless cats and dogs is brilliant.  And I'm just sorry that I wasn't intelligent enough to see it right away.  Hopefully the rest of the world isn't quite as oblivious as me. 

There will also be various pets there for adoption, including my new foster puppies!  Get 'em in, and get 'em out, that's my motto.  Seriously, the sooner they can get into permanent homes, the easier on them for adjusting, and the easier on the foster mom (me) who has less time to get attached.  Plus that is that much sooner I can go save some more who need help.  So if you have some time this Saturday, come visit, play with the puppies, buy some food, search the garage sale items, and meet the cartoon characters.  Just please don't point out to me while you're there that they are cartoon ANIMALS.  I'm embarrassed enough as it is. 

(click on the flyer to view a larger version)

Introducing Darby, Deuce, Dusty and Dozer

I took in four puppies yesterday.  They're lab/boxer mixes, and they turn eight weeks old tomorrow.  There were actually nine puppies in the litter!  Another All Paws Rescue foster home took in the other five puppies.  I have three boys and one girl.  This black puppy is the girl - I've named her Darby.  She is very sweet and outgoing - she's the most vocal of the four, and the first to try new things. 

Next is Deuce.  He kind of looks like he is wearing a diaper, but he isn't.  Although with as much of a mess as four puppies can make, diapers are an interesting idea.  Anyway, Deuce is rather shy.  He's warming up quickly though.  He fell asleep in my lap yesterday while I watched TV, and I have to say, there's nothing like cuddling with a soft warm puppy to make your day better!

This is Dusty.  At least, I think it is.  It could be Deuce.  I can't tell them apart very well yet - don't tell anyone.  I think Duece has more white on his back feet than Dusty, but that doesn't help me identify which puppy this is in the picture. Suffice it to say they look very similar.  Dusty is more outgoing than Deuce though. 

This is Dozer.  He's the biggest of the four, and the most shy.  Except when it comes to food - then he's not shy at all. 

Neo was adopted!

Neo is one of my more interesting adoption stories.  He was an interesting mix of hard-to-place and highly adoptable.  If he wasn't such a rare breed of dog, he'd be considered very hard to place.  Between his advanced age, some hip problems, and the huge amount of drool he left everywhere, it would normally take a very special person to adopt him.  But because of his rare breed and large size, he actually had several people interested in him.  So the trick was to find that special person who knew what they were getting into with his age and health and constant drooling and would still give him a wonderful home. 

Here's where it gets interesting.  One of the first applications I received was from a lady who lives in Tennessee.   I generally don't like to adopt my foster animals out of state.  For one, if the adoption doesn't work out, I am not really wanting to drive 10 hours to pick the dog up if the adopter decides to drop the dog off at their local shelter.  Plus I didn't really like the idea of Neo going to someone who I couldn't meet in advance, short of when she actually showed up to pick him up.  It's hard to get a read on a person just from e-mail or phone calls sometimes.  And with Neo, I was even afraid someone might adopt him with his very low adoption fee and then turn around and sell him just to make money.  So my first thought on the application from Tennessee was "too risky".  So I kept looking. 

There are a lot of people locally who were interested, and I did have a few good applications, but I kept coming back to the Tennessee applicant.  We'd continued to talk via e-mail, and the more I talked to her, the more I liked her.  She has another Neapolitan Mastiff, so I knew she was prepared for the special needs of the breed (like constantly cleaning up drool).  She also has fostered and worked with rescues in the past, and her own Neapolitan Mastiff was also a rescue.  Eventually she convinced me that if she were to adopt Neo, he'd be a very loved and well-cared for dog.  So I said okay, how soon can you come meet him?  Less than two days later she made the ten hour drive with her own Neapolitan Mastiff to meet Neo.  And after meeting her, I was so glad I took a chance.  In fact, I asked her if she'd please consider adopting one more dog while she was here (thinking of Kermit!).  Of course she's got that one quality I admire most in rescue people - she knows how much time she has for her pets, and said she didn't want to adopt more than one dog because she wouldn't have enough time for the ones she already has.  Awesome.  I know that Neo is one lucky dog to be adopted by her. 

The other thing that made this adoption interesting was that while we introduced her mastiff and Neo at the local PetSmart, we had a number of people ask if we were going to breed them.  Uh, no.  I loved how she answered them - not judging them or preaching and making them feel bad, just explaining that they were both rescues, and there were so many dogs out there needing homes that she always adopted rescues instead of buying from a breeder.  I'm sure she'll have many more opportunities to educate people when they see her with a male and female purebred Neapolitan Mastiff, and I'm so glad that she's a great advocate for rescue.

Senior Dogs

While doing some research for my Ten Most Wanted project, I discovered another blog written by another St. Louis area dog foster mom.  It's written by the President of St. Louis Senior Dog Project, a rescue group who mostly focuses on rescuing and adopting out senior dogs.  You can check it out here.  I'm also putting a link to it in the Links to Related Websites section so you can easily find it in the future. 

I like senior dogs - they're a nice rest from the young dogs I usually foster.  The majority of dogs in shelters seem to be around 1 to 2 years of age.  That's the age that families start getting tired of the puppy they got from a friend a few years ago who's grown up now.  The age when the dogs who weren't trained as puppies start becoming problems - the little puppy who liked to jump up and mouth on your fingers was adorable, but the same thing at 50 or 60 pounds just isn't so cute anymore.  Instead of taking the time to work with the dog, people are more likely to develop sudden allergies or find some other reason to dump the dog at a shelter.  So the majority of the dogs I've fostered have been younger.  But there are plenty of senior dogs out there needing homes also, and it's great to have a rescue focus mostly on them.  These are the pets who are more likely to already be housetrained, and don't want to chew up every piece of furniture in your house.  They sleep more and run full-speed around the house less.  Just the thought of it makes me smile.

 

I have only fostered two senior dogs.  One was Benny, a bloodhound mix who we all expected to take awhile to find a home.  He was adopted within a week of me taking him home.  The other is Neo, a purebred Neapolitan Mastiff.  Due to his purebred status and being such a rare breed, he had adoption offers pouring in within days of being put on the web.  He has a family coming from Tennessee to meet him tonight, so hopefully I will be reporting his adoption later this weekend!  So basically my time with these easygoing, calm, sweet senior dogs has been very short.  I'm looking forward to my next senior dog foster. 

All of the pictures of dogs in this post are senior pets currently waiting to be adopted.  The schnauzer at the top is named Shelly and she's from the St. Louis Senior Dog Project.  The Australian Shepherd mix is Cosmo, from Heartland Humane Society.   The white Pointer mix is Maggie, from Tender Care Adoptions.  And to the left is Casey, from All Paws Rescue. 

I love the fact that I can talk about any pet I want on here. I'm no longer linked to any particular rescue group's website, so I have a lot more freedom to support other pets and other rescue groups.  As a new volunteer for All Paws, I was initially concerned that they would ask me not to write about other groups.  But I'm pleased that they've been nothing but supportive of other groups, by word and example.  They're referred adopters to other groups when they didn't have the type of pet the adopter was looking for.  They've also encouraged me to save dogs from anywhere, not just one particular shelter or pound.  They are a great example of what we can all accomplish if we just work together.  So Thank You, All Paws Rescue!  And if you're looking for a rescue to donate to or volunteer with, I highly recommend them. Of course I highly recommend you adopt from them too.  In fact, I highly recommend you adopt from me personally - especially if you're in the market for a cute orange tabby kitten, or a sweet tortoiseshell cat who despises dogs, or a beautiful black cat who answers to Artie.  Or if you want a puppy - I'm pretty sure I know where you can get one or two... or nine.

Advertising Help Needed

Now that I have a lot of free time (with only one foster dog and three foster cats, life is very calm!), I've found a new project.  It might be silly - it might be expecting too much - it might even be a huge waste of time.  But then again, it might help a pet find a home, so I'm going to do it anyway. 

There are certain pets out there, like this guy, who have been waiting a long time for a good home.  You may remember me talking about Kermit before.  He caught my attention when I first started helping with rescue, and I've felt an attachment to him ever since.  He even came and stayed at my house for a few weeks so we could see how he did in a real home setting.  He did great, but because he has some balance issues and he had to navigate stairs to go outside at my house, it wasn't a good fit long-term for him.  So he's back at the shelter waiting for a real home.  There are so many pets like him - ones that are great dogs, or great cats, but for one reason or another they are just passed over for adoption time and again.  Maybe they're like my foster cat Scribbles who doesn't do well at adoption events.  Or maybe they're like Kermit and have physical limitations.  Or maybe they're just shy, or too old.  Whatever it is, pretty much every no-kill rescue group or shelter has at least one or two pets that have been waiting for too long for a home. 

I believe there are adopters out there who would love to give one of these special animals a home.  But they don't always know who has been waiting the longest, or who needs them the most.  And with the thousands of animals in the St. Louis area out there on websites like PetFinder and AdoptAPet.com, they are going to have a hard time finding the ones where they can make the biggest difference. 

Best Friends Animal Society, one of the largest and best-known rescue groups in the country, recently created their "Purrty Dozen" - a list of the twelve cats that had been waiting a long time for homes and that the staff most wanted to see adopted.  Since they created the list in January 2009, seven of these 12 cats have found homes.  That's pretty amazing, considering how long some had been waiting (at least 7 years in the case of one cat!).  Obviously Best Friends has more resources and a wider range of adopters than I do.  But I hope that with some support and help from others, we can make a difference in the lives of a few hard-to-adopt pets right here in the St. Louis area.

I've created the Ten Most Wanted list of pets that have been waiting awhile to find a home.  Kermit is on there of course.  So are nine other pets from other rescue groups.  I hope to get some adoption posters made up for these pets and recruit volunteers to post them on bulletin boards in the area.  I'd also like to add some buttons so you all could share these pets with people through social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  If you're interested in helping with this project, please contact me.  I really need help with things like advertising, web design, creating posters, etc, and we will eventually need volunteers to be willing to put up posters at their local library, restaurants, grocery stores, churches and work places.  This project is just getting started, so you can get a sneak peek at the website here, but it may be changing a lot before we're ready to "go live" with it.  I am getting three or four puppies to foster sometime this weekend, so my free time may quickly be dwindling away!

Stay tuned... puppy pictures should be available within a few days!

Interesting newscast about shelter dogs...

http://nightly.newsvine.com/_video/2009/09/14/3268326-shelter-dogs-learn-new-tricks?chromedomain=nightly

50 cats!

That's how many I've fostered at my house over the past two years. To celebrate, I've decided to adopt my first cat foster.

That's a good excuse to adopt Merlin, don't you think? It's kind of ironic because I had also fostered just about 50 dogs (56 to be exact) when I decided to adopt Noelle. Now I can be a failed foster for both dogs and cats. I am so in love with Merlin - he's just wonderful. He's not only really cute, with incredibly soft hair that I could pet forever, but he also is so sweet and loving. He purrs constantly and he does great with other cats and with the dogs. I couldn't ask for a more perfect foster cat. It sort of balances out me adopting Noelle, whom I love dearly, but is somewhat less than a perfect foster dog. Merlin will stand up to Noelle which most cats won't do. She doesn't ever try to hurt them, but she sure does love to chase cats if they'll run from her. Merlin doesn't let her get away with that and he just lays there and looks at her until she gets bored and wanders away. He even cuddles with me at night. I love this cat.

Essie and Tessa were adopted!

I had a good weekend at adoptions - not only did we have beautiful weather, but two of my foster pets found homes!  Essie, the sweet kitten who I just took back as a return immediately found another home with a great family.  I'm happy for her that she was adopted so quickly, to make the transition from her last home to her new home as easily as possible.  Also, the surprise adoption for the day was Tessa.  My beautiful sweet foster dog who I thought would take awhile to be adopted received a lot of attention at PetSmart and ended up going home with a new family at the end of the day.   They've sent me pictures and she's doing great in her new home.  I'm very happy for her, but I sure do miss her!

Introducing Essie; Art

One more new cat - Essie was adopted out a few months ago but due to unfortunate circumstances, her family had to return her.  Essie is such a sweet cat - she just fits right into my crazy household.  She made friends with Merlin and Gandalf, and she even seems to like the dogs.

 

I don't get how to work my camera.  I really need to take a class or something.  Otherwise I end up with weird pictures.  In the picture above, Essie almost looks orange.  In the picture to the left, she almost looks white.  I'm pretty sure she doesn't actually change colors, so it must be the photographer.  Maybe if I paid more attention to what settings I was using instead of just randomly saying "let's try this", I would know how I end up with these odd pictures.

Take these picture of Merlin, for example.  The one on the right looks normal.  But then I randomly changed my camera settings to something - no idea what - and got the one on the left.  It almost looks like some cool artist shot - like the bizarre colors were purposely done that way.  I kind of like it. 

Which gave me an idea.  I don't usually edit my photos.  That's for professional photographers and people with more time on their hands.  I prefer to give you the SOOC shot (straight out of camera), because I'm just lazy.  But since the colors in this photo are messed up anyway, I thought I'd try it in black and white.

I like it.  What do you think?

Introducing Gandalf

Orange kittens are cool.  I like Merlin so much, I decided to take in another orange one just like him.  I've named him Gandalf.  He has shorter hair than Merlin, and he's not quite as outgoing, but he's still very sweet.  I like his orange stripes. 

He'd be easier to adopt out if he didn't have to compete with this guy.  I still think Merlin might just be the cutest kitten ever. 

 I can't stand to be around him without picking him up and squeezing him.  Fortunately he seems to like that, and he purrs non-stop.  I love this guy.




 

Kill versus No-Kill

This is a big issue in the rescue world.  I've had conversations about this very subject a lot lately, and thought I'd share my thoughts with you.  Because yesterday those nine white puppies I talked about last week were euthanized.  And even though I only spent five minutes with them, I miss them!

Many people are concerned about whether or not a group is no-kill.  I've had people tell me they wouldn't adopt from a group because they were not a no-kill group.  I've had others tell me they wouldn't adopt from a group that was no-kill because they wanted to go to a city shelter and save one that was almost out of time.  But in the end, whether a group is open or closed admission (kill or no-kill), we're all in this together.  We're trying to save animals - trying to prevent unwanted litters from being born and then killed - trying to help those who can't help themselves.  So the more important question to ask is not is this shelter a kill or a no-kill shelter, but how do they take care of the animals that they have?  Some shelters have constant disease running rampant, animals suffering due to a lack of attention, and in the case of some no-kill groups, animals living for months or years in small cages with minimal human contact.  Other groups have animals that are well-cared-for, with shelters or foster homes where the animals are given time and attention and worked with to make them more adoptable.  Some shelters are open on weekends and evenings for adoptions, and others aren't.  Some do off-site adoptions and some don't.  There are a lot of things that can define a good or bad shelter or rescue group to me, but whether they are kill or no-kill is not high on the list - it's more about quality of life.  Some shelters are more worried about their numbers than about their animals.  I'd rather adopt an animal from a group that can tell me all about that animal instead of from a group that warehouses pets simply to "save their lives" and knows very little about them.  The care that the animals are getting, and the efforts made to find them good homes, is what matters to me.  So if you're thinking of adopting another pet, or donating money, please don't worry so much if the shelter is open admission or "no-kill".  Because either way, you'll be helping to save a life - and just like those nine puppies I couldn't save, there are many more puppies and kittens and dogs and cats just waiting right now for your help.

The one on the left is mine...

I wouldn't be able to post these pictures if I was still trying to find Noelle a home.  Just look at her - tormenting poor Tessa - Tessa looks afraid for her life!

She's going for Tessa's throat - she shows no mercy. 

But wait, Tessa isn't going to take that lying down!  (Ignore the Great Dane in the background calmly munching on grass - he sort of ruins the effect).   

And now Tessa takes down Noelle (in a nice, calm, not scary way, since after all Tessa IS still looking for a home)

I call this Tessa's pirate look - she's so cute, especially compared to the scary dog next to her!

It's a good thing that we adopted Noelle, the scary dog on the left.  Because otherwise I'd never be able to show you these pictures, for fear that no one would ever want her.  But we love her, and we know she's really not scary at all.  Noelle and Tessa are best friends and just love playing together.  So what you just saw in these pictures is what I see every day - inside, outside, doesn't matter - as long as they can wrestle together, they're happy. 

Reactions Contest Ended

Thank you to all of you who entered and helped me come up with some new reactions buttons for the bottom of each post.  Here are the winners!

Adorable - I made this one up, so when I post pictures of cute puppies or kittens you can vote if you find them adorable. :-)  Winning donation will go to All Paws Rescue.
Amazing - This one was entered by Anonymous and the winning donation will go to BAD RAP.
Inspiring - This was entered by Anonymous and the winning donation will go to Common Sense for Animals
Gutwrenching - This was entered by Anonymous but they didn't leave a group!  If you posted this winning entry, let me know where you want your donation to be sent.
Dog Gone Funny - This was entered by Ketstang - let me know where you want your donation sent. 

Thanks again to all of you for playing along! 

I got a new foster cat yesterday - I've named him Gandalf.  More info and pictures coming soon!

Lions and Tigers and Bears...

Oh my!

That had absolutely nothing to do with fostering, but because I like the pictures (taken this week at the St. Louis Zoo), I thought I'd share them anyway.   

---

I didn't take any of my fosters to adoptions today, but I did go to PetSmart and hang out for awhile.  I'm going to be fostering with a new rescue group - All Paws Rescue.  Well they aren't new, they're just new to me.  So today I went and met several of the volunteers.  It's a group I've heard a lot of good things about, and I have met a few of their volunteers before, so that made it less scary to go meet everyone.  And all the people I met today were very nice and made me feel welcome.  They even asked me to help with their upcoming fundraiser, which made me feel like a part of the group already.  I like to be useful, and I'm really looking forward to it.  By the way, they're looking for donations for their silent auction.  So if you can donate any kind of goods or services from your place of employment or know of someone else who may be able to help, that would be awesome.  You can e-mail me at dogfostermom@aol.com for more information.   

It only takes a minute...

I know it was exactly one minute, because I was playing Bejeweled Blitz on Facebook, and the game only lasts 60 seconds.  Before I started the game, the living room was relatively clean, the floor had been just vaccuumed, and the dogs were laying quietly in the room.  I had my back to the living room and concentrated on my game as I heard the dogs begin to play together.  The game ended, and I turned around, to find Noelle, Remi and Tessa each had a corner of a pillow.  Anyone ever see a pillow fight do this much damage in only 60 seconds? 

It looked like a freak snowstorm came through my living room.  I am mostly amazed that the stuffing was scattered so uniformly across the floor.  How did they do that?!  I got the pillow away from them (what was left of it) and then decided to take a few pictures before cleaning it up. 

Noelle and Tessa just love to play together. They're evenly matched in size and weight and energy level, so they make great wrestling partners. Here they are wrestling in the living room immediately following the freak snowstorm.  

If they don't have a pillow to play with, they'll just pretend to kill each other.  It's lots of fun. 

In spite of the fact that Tessa generally defers to Noelle in the rest of their lives, when it comes to play time, Tessa almost always wins. 

Princess... I mean Prince

It happens occasionally.  A cat that everyone thought was a girl turns out to be a boy.  I found out when I took Princess to the vet today to be spayed that he's a male.  Oops.  I never thought to check.  The people who turned him in said she was a female.  No wonder he's been giving me dirty looks every time I call him Princess. 

Foster Pet Updates

I thought it was time for another update on my foster pets.  Today I'm taking a vacation day from work so I can go with my nephew to the Zoo, and in addition I managed to fit in three vet appointments on the same day.  This may sound like no big deal, until you realize that these three vet appointments are with three different vets!  Impressive, isn't it? :-)  I have to take advantage of my days off work when I can get them! 

Tessa - She's turned out to be such a wonderful dog.  She does whatever I ask of her, even when its difficult.  Like when she's trying to eat Noelle's food, and I call her to come, she listens even though she doesn't want to.  She's better behaved than my own two dogs.  She's started sleeping next to my bed, and no matter where I go, she always follows me. She's awesome. 

Artemis - Artie is back at my house after a short stay at PetSmart and he's doing well.  He's getting braver around the dogs every day, but he still prefers to spend most of his time in his own area where the dogs can't bother him.  He always comes out to give me a hug when I ask though.   

Scribbles - She purrs!  It's been so long since I've heard her purr.  She didn't purr much (if ever) while she was at PetSmart.  Now she's back and as soon as I pet her she starts up with this low growly purr sound that when I first heard it I mistook for a far-away motorcycle.  I like it.
Neo - I finally saw Neo looking excited.  And happy.  I didn't know he had it in him.  The excited look came first, when I introduced him to one of the cats.  He acted like a puppy, running all over and trying to play with the cat.  At least I think he wanted to play.  I didn't want to let him get too close in case he wanted to turn the cat into a snack.  Suffiice it to say he really likes cats.  And then later, when I took him outside and just spent some time petting him, I saw him act happy for the first time.  He is starting to adjust to life without his family, and starting to settle into his foster home.  He still does the loud mournful howl from time to time that makes me sad, but he's doing it less and less. 

Princess - She needs a home with kids who will play with her, or at least with adults who will give her a lot of attention.  She just loves people.  She does well with other cats too, so hopefully it won't take her long to find her very own family.  This will be my last update on Princess since next week she's going on to another foster home.  I will miss this sweet affectionate cat.  

Merlin - I am in love with this cat.  He's so cute and friendly and funny to watch.  He's not very brave though.  In fact, he runs away from scary things on a regular basis.  He also finds himself getting stuck a lot, since he'll climb up somewhere high (like the top of a dog crate) and then not be able to climb back down.  Every other kitten or cat I've ever had would've just jumped down, but not Merlin.  Did I mention he's not very brave?  But that's okay, he doesn't need to jump, because all he has to do is give his quiet pathetic little "meow" and I come running and carefully lift him into my arms and cuddle him, then set him back on the floor.  I never get tired of rescuing him. 

My foster pets are lucky.  And your pets, they're even luckier.  There are nine white pit bull puppies at a local shelter right now.  I desparately want to save them, but I can't.  They look a lot like the picture on the right.  That's a picture of Boo, a previous foster dog I had.  These nine puppies are even smaller than Boo was, and are only 5 or 6 weeks old.  They're going to be put down in a few days unless a rescue steps up and takes them. But many rescue groups are scared to rescue pit bull puppies, because of their breed.  They have to worry about liability and breed specific legislation and finding good adoptive homes.  So chances are very good that these puppies will die, less than two months after being born, for no fault of their own.  That's why the very few we're able to rescue, and those pets who are loved and cared for by their owners, are the lucky ones.  And that's why when you hear people preaching about spaying and neutering, it's easy to understand why.  They've seen the litters of puppies and kittens and adult pets being put down simply because there is no one to step forward and rescue them.  It happens every day and its heartbreaking to walk away from those animals, knowing their fate.  So give your pets an extra treat today and remind them how lucky they are.