Adoption Events: What's Involved

Every Saturday, and even some Sundays, we hold adoption events to try to find our foster pets a home.  In case you've never been to a pet adoption event, I thought I'd share with you what is involved. 


Gonzo and Molly wait quietly at an adoption event.

 First, you need crates.  Wire crates are best, because they make it easier to see the dogs and cats than the plastic travel-type crates.  Crate liners (brightly colored fabric cloth that covers the bottom of the tray) are great, especially when you have a dark colored dog.  I have no crate liners, and many other groups don't either, so if you're looking for a good volunteer opportunity, and you can sew, there ya go.  Bandanas are also good.  I usually forget to put these on my fosters, but I remembered on the day this picture was taken.  It's also important to remember to take the leash off of any dog who might decide it makes a good chew toy.  I've learned this the hard way.  More than once.

Whenever possible, hold a dog out of the crate so people can easily notice him or her and pet him or her.  This makes the animals much more approachable to people, and really helps them get adopted.  See, doesn't Cookie look very approachable in this picture?  (We won't discuss the fact that after three adoption events she still isn't yet adopted...sigh).


Cookie, looking approachable

They make all sorts of "Adopt Me" bandanas and vests and collars for dogs - these are always popular.  They also make vests to collect donations, and we often get more donations when one of our dogs is wearing this vest than when we only have the standard donation box available. 


The ever-helpful Roo collecting donations.


Adoption events are mostly the same.  We set up at an area PetSmart store and wait.  People come by and pet the dogs and cats.  Most of them make at least one of the three following statements: 
"I wish I could take him but I already have "x number" of dogs or cats at home."
"If I could afford to, I would take you all home!" (Speaking to the cats/dogs, not the volunteers - I think)
"If my house was bigger/If I lived in the country, I would have "x number" of dogs or cats."

I think maybe they feel guilty for not adopting because most of the animals turn on their best "please save me" faces while they're in their crates.   What the people don't realize is that the pathetic looks are the dogs' way of trying to get people to let them out of their crates and pet them.  The dogs have no idea that people think they're begging for a home. 


Gonzo practicing his pathetic look.

Many new volunteers get overzealous and try to convince every person walking by that they should take home one of these pathetic-looking animals.  I have learned that it's a bad idea to guilt someone into adopting a dog or cat, because as soon as the guilt wears off, the dog or cat will most likely be returned to us!  Still, I have been known to offer cash rewards to anyone who is willing to adopt Ziggy and keeps him (no takers yet).  The most important thing about volunteering at an adoption event is to pay attention to the foster pets and to the people who may be interested in them, because you never know when one of the many visitors will actually be looking for a new member of the family and might choose one of your foster pets!
In addition to talking to people who walk by and answering questions about the foster pets, we also take dogs out for potty breaks (or clean up messes if they aren't taken out in time!), let the foster dogs play with each other, complete adoption paperwork for any adoptions, and just spend time with the animals.  Most of the foster parents who bring their pets stay at these events so they can answer questions about their fosters, and we also have several volunteers who don't foster but are available to help with adoption events.  These volunteers are so greatly appreciated because adoption events are a lot of work, and setting up for the event, taking care of the dogs during the event, and taking everything back down at the end of the day is exhausting.  So if you can't foster but want to help, you can inquire of your local shelter or rescue group if they need help at adoption events. 

Adoption events are a lot of work, but I always enjoy them.  Not only do my foster pets get a chance to find a home, but I get to spend a day surrounded by good friends.  So next time you see a shelter or rescue group at your area PetSmart or PetCo stores, stop by to visit the dogs, drop a dollar in the donation box if you can, and remember that there is a cash incentive being offered to whomever adopts Ziggy.  He'll be waiting with his best pathetic look!


Pleeease adopt me!



Ziggy Gets Mail

Recently Ziggy received four (yes, FOUR) packages in the mail.  They were addressed to Ziggy Superstar, and Ziggy immediately knew that meant him.  The packages were from Ziggy's friend Hannah, who has been following him on the blog and wanted to send him a care package.  Ziggy immediately tore into the box.

"I'll just open this right now!"

He was so excited to find that all four boxes were full of various dog chews just for him!  There were some old favorites like rawhides, and new favorites like Moozles.  There were elk and moose antlers, venison shins, bully sticks and many other varieties of dog chews.  Hannah said that Ziggy could share his treats with the other dogs, but since Ziggy has to spend so much time in his crate, I am saving all the treats for him so that he doesn't get so bored while crated.   

"This Moozle is really good!"

He's also discovered where the boxes of treats are sitting on the counter, and has tried a few times to help himself.

"I can almost reach them..."

I think Hannah has managed to really brighten Ziggy's days!  He's getting one chew bone a day and he really looks forward to "treat time".  Each time I give him a chew, I tell him "This is from Hannah" and he says "Can she adopt me?"  Okay maybe he doesn't really say that.  But if Hannah didn't live so far away, I think I would be saying that.  Thank you Hannah for caring so much about one very special homeless dog who has to spend too much time alone in his crate with nothing to do.  Thanks to you, he will have something fun to occupy him for quite some time!

Living In Beagle World

It's a whole new world around here.  It started out with just a Puggle mix, or two.  Somehow they kept coming.  First Beagles mixed with Pugs, then a Beagle mixed with Pug and Min-Pin, then an adorable puppy that was a Beagle mixed with no-one-knows-what, and now a Beagle mixed with Corgi.  I'm currently fostering four Beagle mixes and a Ziggy, who has the same scent-obsession as a Beagle.  It's a strange experience having all of these dogs around who are all so much alike.  I enjoy fostering a variety of breeds, but it's kind of fun to have so many fosters that are at least part-Beagle right now.  Here are my current foster dogs:

Gonzo is a Puggle - a Beagle/Pug mix.  This guy will do absolutely anything for food.  He's not picky either - if it's even slightly edible, he'll eat it.  He's my old man - he's only four years old, but he's happy just eating and sleeping most of the time. He puts up with the other dogs, and even the cats sleeping on him and getting in his way, and he never does anything except a slight grumble from time to time. He is my easiest foster dog right now because he's house-trained and listens well, and never does anything wrong.  This means he'll probably not be around for very long.

Molly is a Beagle/Pug/Miniature Pinscher mix.  She is my most challenging beagle-mix.  I blame the Min-Pin in her.  Molly is easily frightened, and she's learned that the best defense is a good offense.  She will snarl, bark, growl, and become aggressive if she feels trapped.  But once she's learned to trust, it's a different story.  She's now so attached to me that she follows me everywhere.  She even sleeps in bed by burrowing under the covers so she can make sure she'll know if I move.  She is slowly learning to trust other people, and may someday find her very own home!

Cookie is a Beagle mix pup who was misbehaving in her previous foster home.  As is sometimes typical of puppies who had to fight for every piece of food that they could get, Cookie came into foster care with some resource guarding issues, where she would guard her food and her crate and anything else that she feared might be taken away from her.  So since I've had some practice with this issue (thanks to Ziggy), and since I had no other puppies for her to bully, I took her in to work with her.  She's doing very well now and will hopefully find her forever family soon.

This is Benny, my newest foster dog.  Benny is supposed to be a Beagle/Corgi mix.  He's definitely part Beagle!  Benny came in as a stray from a very rural area.  He is a little bit shy of new people, but has quickly settled in here and enjoys playing with the other dogs and Charlie the kitten.  We're now working on house-training and I'm hoping to teach him that chewing on the kitten's tail is not a good way of playing.  Charlie the kitten isn't the type to complain when a dog wants to chew on him.

Okay so he's not a Beagle.  But Ziggy has a nose that could rival any Beagle, when it comes to sniffing out food.  I took this picture of Ziggy at his agility class tonight.  If he looks happy, it's because to him agility is all about doing things to get food.  Jump over some jumps and get food.  Go through some tunnels or over some obstacles and get food.  It's all so much fun!

Message From Ziggy

I just heard that today is the national Pit Bull Awareness Day.  I have to say, I'm rather sad about how I've been treated today.  No one has acknowledged my presence.  My foster mom got up early to go to an adoption event, and she left me at home.  Alone.  In my crate.  She didn't even leave me a chew bone.  Oh wait, yes she did.  But I ate it so fast I almost forgot about it.  Does anyone remember me, here all alone?  I'm a pit bull.  Today's my day.  Where is the awareness?

 Ha ha - Did I fool ya?  I'm not really sad!  I am sure that I am one of the luckiest homeless pit bulls in the entire city of Foley, MO. I get to do agility and go on walks and I even get really yummy chew bones and treats from people sometimes.  I have lots of friends and people who care about me.  There are a lot of homeless pit bulls that don't have any of those things.  Please remember that being a pit bull doesn't make a dog bad or scary.  And please be aware of all the other homeless pit bulls out there, who are not allowed to be adopted because of laws against their breed.  Happy Pit Bull Awareness Day!

Introducing Cookie

She's about four months old.
She's a Beagle mix puppy.
She loves to play with Charlie the kitten.
She is a little bit shy around people.
She needs a home!

Best Adoption Weekend Ever

At least, it's the best adoption weekend we've had in as long as I can remember, which granted, isn't all that long.  Still, we had ten dog adoptions on Saturday, which has to be some kind of record for our rescue group.  I went camping with some friends and missed the whole event, but the two foster dogs that I sent with another volunteer were both adopted.  Here's the scoop on my fosters:

Gonzo

Miley the Puggle was adopted on Saturday!  I talked to her new family today and they said they love her and she's doing great.  This is good timing, since I just brought her littermate Gonzo home on Sunday.  Gonzo was at another foster home but needed a new place to go, so since I've become Puggle Central lately, I took him home.  He's so much like Miley that it seems like there hasn't even been a change in fosters.

Einstein

The other foster dog that was adopted is Einstein.  Einstein was my newest foster - I only had him for a week.  Einstein is a two year old Pomeranian/Sheltie mix (a designer breed mix known as a Poshie).  He was the friendliest, happiest little guy.  He was rescued from a very rural animal control facility, and he loved everyone he met.  He had a few bad habits, so I'm hoping that his new owners will be patient with him and his adoption will work out.

Eight other dogs also found their new homes on Saturday!  

Keeping Track

When I have a lot of foster animals, it can be a challenge to keep track of all of their adoption/medical records, any medication they are on, when their heartworm preventative and flea/tick preventative is due, and where anyone should be at any time.  I have a bag that I take to adoption events that contains all of the adoption paperwork and medical records.  I have a whiteboard in my kitchen that keeps track of when my fosters' heartworm and flea/tick preventative was last given:

And the rest of the info is just stored in my slightly overfull brain.  For example, my current mental list for fostering contains the following information:
Two kittens need dropped off at PetSmart in the morning.
Einstein, my newest foster dog, needs dropped off at the vet in the morning and picked up after work.
Elton needs dropped off at another volunteer's home in the morning so he can attend a meet-and-greet with a potential adopter.
Pogo needs to go to PetSmart on Wednesday to meet a potential adopter.
Thumper needs a dental scheduled at the vet.
Roo needs to have her stitches taken out from her spay surgery.
Miley needs to go to PetSmart on Saturday to meet a potential adopter.
Need to follow up with Morgan's foster mom and see how she is doing.
Need to follow up with Roxy's new family to see how she is doing.

Trying to keep track of all of this may explain why on most days I can no longer remember my own name!  However it's all worth it every time one of these previously homeless pets finds a forever home.  This weekend Audrey the Shih Tzu was adopted, and Thumper the Bearded Collie went to a foster-to-adopt home.  I saw both Bosco and Farley, two previous foster dogs, shopping with their families.  They were both doing great.  Also, Bunny the Bichon from a puppy mill was officially adopted!

Introducing Roo and Audrey

This is my newest foster dog.

I named her Roo.  She's very sweet, and she has sad eyes and large ears. Roo was picked up as a stray by an area animal control facility.  She is around four years old, and she is very laid back.  She does really well with the other dogs, and completely ignores the cats, so she's no problem here at all.  This is good since she is a pit bull and will probably be here awhile.

Ever since she arrived, Roo almost always has either a bone or a stuffed toy in her mouth.  She learned her new name right away, and already knows how to sit on command.  She is house-trained and comes when called.  So far she has absolutely no bad habits, but I figure if she hangs around here very much, Ziggy is sure to teach her a thing or two.

Audrey is my other newest foster dog, although she's only here until Saturday when she's being adopted!  Audrey is a two year old Shih Tzu, and is great with other dogs, although she thinks that cats are great fun to bark at and chase.  She is such a happy little girl - it's hard to believe that just a month ago she was scheduled to be euthanized at an area shelter.











There are so many purebred, young, well behaved dogs in shelters that are euthanized instead of being saved.  Audrey and Roo are two of the few lucky ones that make it out alive. They're now enjoying the comfort of a foster home until they are adopted!

Ziggy Wins An Award

I recently took Ziggy to an area fundraiser so he could participate in the agility demonstration.  While we were there, Ziggy entered the "Best Trick" contest and did his prayer that all the homeless pets would find homes.  This is a picture of him doing this trick at an adoption event earlier this year:

Ziggy won second place in the contest and received a medal!

Highlights of the past week...

September 27th - Went to an area shelter to drop off Harry and pick up Molly and two more FIV+ cats.  Harry is a previous foster dog that wasn't doing well here with the other fosters, and since we currently have no other foster homes available to take him, he is temporarily staying at the shelter.  Molly wasn't doing well at the shelter so she became my foster dog.  And since this shelter doesn't adopt out FIV+ cats, I brought home Scotty and Charley until room opens up at another area no-kill shelter that has a free-roaming adoption room for just FIV+ cats.   

Scotty

   

Charley

 They have joined the rest of my foster cats - Kirby, Bandit, Belle, Thomas, and Pogo.  Mercury, Kona and Kimba have all been adopted! 

September 28th - Went back to the shelter and picked up Thumper, a Bearded Collie mix.  She's eight years old and very sweet.  

Thumper

September 29th - Helped set up the All Paws garage sale fundraiser.  Got to do some pre-sale shopping.  Spent  more money than I had planned.  

September 30th - Got up at 4:30 a.m. for the garage sale.  Spent most of the day trying to stay awake. Bought more items and spent even more money.  Realized I ran out of checks and had no cash.  Blamed it on lack of sleep and wrote an IOU.  

October 1st - Went to the Purina Pet Project Event.  Ziggy got to join the Purina Dog Show and pray for all the animals to find homes.  I didn't actually see anyone get adopted at the event, so I'm hoping that's not Ziggy's fault.  We had a great time and I met some wonderful people.

October 2nd - Held a small adoption event at PetSmart.  No one was adopted, and I came home completely exhausted.  Brought home Audrey, a temporary foster dog who is already scheduled to be adopted as soon as she is vetted.  

October 3rd - Got up early and dropped off Audrey and Carlos, another All Paws dog, at the vet.  Went back home and worked for several hours.  Went back to the vet with Elton and Thumper for their exams, and then took all four dogs with me to the shelter to pick up Roo, another foster dog.  Came home and got Roo introduced to everyone else.  Left and took Ziggy to Agility class.  Came home and collapsed.  Got a good night's sleep surrounded by Miley, Molly, Elton, Thumper, Roo, Audrey, Pogo and Charley.