Introducing Jefferson

Usually when you foster, you get an average dog.  A dog who is good, and maybe has a few problems but nothing that can't be overcome with a bit of basic training.  But every once in awhile, you get a great dog.  A dog who is so easy that you don't have to do a thing except give them love and affection while they wait for a home.

This is my newest foster dog Jefferson.  He's not just an average dog.  

"Who, me?"

 Unfortunately he's also not one of those "perfect" dogs that come along every so often.  Jefferson is full of energy.  He's rambunctious.  He's boisterous.  Rowdy.  Tumultuous.  Unruly.  Raucous.   There are many words to describe Jefferson.  Easy is not one of them.  

 Oh, he's a good dog.  He is loving and affectionate, and he gets along great with the other dogs and the cats.  He just has a lot of energy and a very short attention span.  And no self-control to speak of.  Jefferson is going to be a challenge.  

"But I'm a lot of fun!"

 Originally when Jefferson came to us with his brother Cooper, he was going to stay at another foster home, while I took Cooper.  I knew right away I got the easy end of the deal - for awhile.  Then Cooper got adopted.  And Jefferson decided he didn't want to get along with the other dogs in his foster home.  So I offered to take him.  For the past three weeks he's actually been living at a trainer's house, while she worked with him on his issues of mouthiness and jumping on people.  He's doing better, but he still has a lot of growing up to do.  Cooper had some of the same issues, so I did not expect him to be adopted so quickly.  I can only hope that another perfect family will come along that wants to work with Jefferson in spite of his issues.  And in the meantime, at least Ziggy has prepared me for the challenge of training Jefferson.  Now that I've fostered Ziggy for so long, Jefferson doesn't scare me at all.   

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Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for so many things, including the many memorable experiences I've had over the past several years of fostering.  

The most memorable event may be the time I traveled to Washington D.C. with my foster puppy Bear so he could participate in Animal Planet's Puppy Bowl VI.  It was the first (and so far, only) time that one of my fosters has been on national television.  I never would have had that opportunity if not for fostering.  

Of course, fostering has not been all fun and games.  And even the fun and games can take a dangerous turn. The time one of my foster puppies got his head stuck inside a Jolly Ball dog toy was very memorable.  I am mostly just thankful that I was eventually able to get him unstuck and he was not hurt.

Some of the most memorable experiences are not the special events, but the foster pets themselves.  The ones who take the longest to get adopted, like Scribbles, are the pets that I will never forget.  And at a time like Thanksgiving, I am reminded again how thankful I am that Scribbles finally got a home!

And then there's this guy.  Do you recognize him? This is one of the first pictures I ever took of him, when he came to my house as a foster puppy in December 2009.  Although I've tried really hard, he's never been adopted.  He has, however, provided me with countless memories over the past two years.  In spite of the challenges, I am still thankful that I took him home from the shelter.  And I'm going to be even more thankful when he is finally adopted!

I hope you've had a great day and have also had time to reflect on what you are thankful for.  Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm feeling slightly crowded.

I have a very large living room area.  In the living room, there is a full sized couch, a lot of open floor space with several dog beds, and a loveseat.  So why is it that right now there is no one on the couch, and no one on the floor or the dog beds, but there are six of us sitting on the loveseat?

I used the webcam on my laptop to take this picture.  I couldn't quite get the distance needed to see the whole area, but I think it shows enough for you to understand my confusion.

In case you need some help figuring out what you're looking at, I've added some labels for you.  

Molly likes to lay on top of the couch right behind my head.  That's her back leg and tail at the top of the picture.  Oscar is curled up on the left, and Roo is squeezed in between him and me.  Morgan found a comfy spot on my lap, and Charlie (best kitten ever) found a comfy spot on top of Morgan.  That's my arm reaching out between Morgan and Roo to reach the keyboard.  Ever tried typing with a dog and a cat laying on top of your arms?  It's not easy. 

I'll admit it's slightly chilly in here since I haven't yet turned on the furnace, but I don't think it's cold enough to explain the need for so much closeness.  Especially when both Oscar and Morgan are snoring rather loudly. If I didn't love them so much I'd go sit on the empty couch by myself.  Except I'd have exactly two seconds alone before they all followed me over.  At which point Morgan and Oscar would fall asleep and the snoring would begin again.  

Okay, I admit it, I am loving the closeness.  It would be a lot colder in here if I didn't have so many furry warm bodies to keep me warm!  And even the snoring is kind of cute.  

By the way, for anyone wondering where the other fosters went... Ziggy is asleep in his crate, the rest of the cats are asleep in the bedroom, Gonzo went to a temporary foster home, and Bailey and Cooper have been adopted!

Ziggy Goes for a Bike Ride

Thank you so much for your kind comments on my last blog post.  It means a lot to me that you take the time to comment on my blog, and your support really helped me to deal with losing Sal.  I thought it might be time for a happier post, so of course Ziggy is the dog for that!  

Ziggy doesn't ask for much out of life.  Some good meals, a good chew bone, and a daily walk is his idea of a perfect day.  However trying to fit in a daily walk between working and caring for the other fosters can be challenging.  Ziggy would be happy to take himself for a walk - no human required - but the neighborhood cows would probably not appreciate that.  So for times when Ziggy needs a walk but I don't have an extra hour to spare, we use the bike.

Ready for a bike ride!

I tried to teach Ziggy to ride the bike, but for some reason he just couldn't get the hang of it.  So I bought this neat attachment that lets me ride while Ziggy walks.  At first I was worried about using this with Ziggy, because he's very strong and when he sees something he wants, he just goes for it.  Since I live on a dead-end road and have to ride past a field of cows to get anywhere, this means a long distance where Ziggy would be trying his best to pull me and the bike into the field.  However I'm pleased to say that as long as we're moving, Ziggy has not managed to pull me off the bike.  He does pull me up hills, which I appreciate during a long bike ride.

On our way!

So far Ziggy has only managed to pull me off of the bike once.  That was when we were standing still, and he was anxious to get started.  He managed to pull me and the bike on top of him, which must have hurt!  But he got up, shook himself off, and was much more patient after that.  In the interest of fairness, I should report that I also managed to fall off the bike once when neither Ziggy nor any other dog was around.  I'd like to claim I ran over a big rock or something.... but I can't, because at the time I was standing still.  I'm not a very good cyclist.  Fortunately I live in the middle of nowhere, so there isn't a lot of traffic on my road, and I have plenty of space to swerve back and forth as we go.

Empty roads help a lot.

Ziggy usually wears a harness on our rides so my unique style of weaving back and forth doesn't pull on his neck.  I'm careful not to go too fast, and we occasionally take breaks so he can sniff around or watch the cows.  It's not quite as good as a regular walk, but for days when we don't have a lot of time, it's a great alternative.

In Memory of Sal

Today I had to let my foster dog Sal go to the Rainbow Bridge.  He was only with me for a very short time, and it wasn't nearly long enough.  When I first met Sal, it was in the parking lot of a McDonald's halfway between my house and the animal control facility he'd been turned into.  A volunteer met me there with him, and she told me Sal had just finished enjoying a hamburger while they waited for me to arrive.  I met this muscular brown pit bull who looked very pleased to have just eaten such a yummy meal.  He greeted me happily, and was on his best behavior all the way home.

Once we got home, Sal quickly made himself comfortable.  It took a few days to get him introduced to the other dogs, but before long he was running around and playing happily with all of the other dogs.  The more I got to know Sal, the more I knew what a great dog he was.  Sal absolutely loved to eat.  As soon as he saw me approaching the area with the food bowls, he began his "happy dance".  He did his happy dance while following me back and forth across the room as I put each bowl down into an empty crate.  He often tried to run into a crate that wasn't his just so he could get to eat sooner.  Finally, it was Sal's turn, and he ran into his crate and gobbled down his food.  Then he lay there quietly and waited while all the other dogs finished up.  When meal time was over and the dogs were out of their crates, Sal went from crate to crate looking for any missed pieces of kibble.  Only when he was certain that there was no more food remaining would he return to my side, ready for his after-mealtime belly rub.

Sal loved belly rubs.  He would jump up on the couch next to me and press his nose against me and look at me with his big brown eyes as if to ask "what are you waiting for?"  Then I'd start petting him, and he'd roll over on his back and wag his tail and smile.  All he wanted out of life was a good bowl of food and a person to cuddle with and give him belly rubs.  And for a week, that's exactly what he got.

I thought Sal was perfect.  He was good with other dogs, and fine with cats.  He was friendly and easygoing and even though he was a deaf pit bull, I was sure he'd be able to find a home.  I took him to meet a dog trainer so he could start working toward his Canine Good Citizen certification.  He didn't even know how to sit on command, but with a little practice I thought he could learn quickly.  The first incident happened when the trainer greeted him.  He suddenly growled and then lunged at her for no apparent reason.  We both thought it was odd.  I hoped that it was just that he was excited - maybe he was trying to play.  I had never seen any aggressive behavior from him and neither had the volunteers at the shelter where he came from.  The trainer tried to figure out what caused it and tried to get him to react to her again, but the rest of the time he was calm and friendly.  The event worried me, but I decided to just wait and test him with her again later to see what happened.  We went back home and things went back to normal.

Until today, when we went to the vet's office.  Sal needed some shots and a heartworm test before he'd be ready for adoption.  The vet took Sal to the back and a few minutes later I heard a commotion.  The vet then returned to tell me that Sal had growled and lunged at her during her exam.  It was before she did anything invasive or painful, so she didn't know what had triggered him to act that way.  This was the worst possible news.  If Sal was aggressive with people, especially when we were unable to recognize what triggered the aggressive behavior, then he couldn't be safely adopted out.  The fact that he'd been aggressive with two professionals - people who knew how to interact with dogs and could easily read their signals if they were uncomfortable - was a clear indicator that he could become aggressive again with anyone at any time.  I didn't want to make the decision to have him euthanized.  I wanted to believe he could be saved.  I've saved dogs who were much more people aggressive than Sal - how could this be happening?  But I knew that Sal was a special case because he didn't have any obvious triggers that made him become aggressive.  The vet also believed that Sal may have had distemper and could be having mini-seizures when stressed.  The cute sideways head tilt that I found adorable was a sign, the vet said.  So was the silly air-licking that he did sometimes, and the funny gait, and the pacing.  So after talking to the vet, the rescue group president, a trainer and the volunteer who drove him to me, I made the tough decision to let him go.

I petted Sal and gave him the hand sign for "okay" and "good dog" as the vet euthanized him.  I'll miss him every day.  This is the hardest part of rescue - the ones we can't save.  Rest in peace, my Sal.

Introducing Oscar

Recently I received an e-mail from someone looking for help with a deaf Boston Terrier.  Since I love working with deaf dogs, I immediately offered to take him.  The people who had rescued him weren't able to keep him, so after giving him a lot of love and attention, and getting him vetted, they contacted the rescue community for help.  That's how I came to foster Oscar, a five or six year old Boston Terrier.

Oscar

Oscar has had a rough life.  Before being rescued, he was moved around to several homes.  At one point he was reportedly injured by one of his previous owners when they poured lighter fluid on him and set him on fire.  He has a long scar on his back from this injury.  He's a happy little guy though, and is quickly settling in here.  He's doing great with the other dogs, and he will do just about anything for a belly rub.

I've started teaching Oscar some basic hand signs, and he is learning very quickly.  It shouldn't take long for him to find a perfect forever home, but in the meantime we'll keep working on house-training and some basic obedience.  I think as long as I keep those belly rubs coming, he'll be happy!

They're Laughing At Me

I'm not being overly sensitive.  I have proof that they're laughing at me.  I try not to take it personally.  I tell myself that they're laughing with me, not at me.  But the problem is, I wasn't laughing.

You see, it all started when we were out in the backyard.  The dogs were doing their thing - sniffing around, playing, and basically just having a good time.  I was sitting on the deck and taking pictures.  I was thinking about how much I loved each and every one of them, and how much I would miss them when they were gone.  I thought about how happy they were and how hard it would be for them to leave and go somewhere new.  And I started explaining to them about how they were going to be adopted, and how they would have wonderful new lives.  And I said that I knew they would miss me... and then I saw their expressions.  The more I talked about them leaving, the happier they looked.  And by the end, when I said they would miss me, they started outright laughing at me!

Benny thought it was the funniest conversation ever.

Cooper did not seem worried about missing me.

I have such inconsiderate foster dogs.  Happy, but inconsiderate of their foster mom's feelings.  I hope they show a little more respect when they're adopted and their new families try to have a serious conversation with them.

Rescue Me Week: Ziggy

I couldn't finish off Rescue Me Week without including Ziggy!  Here are just two of 250 pets named Ziggy currently looking for their forever homes.

Ziggy #1 is a Boxer/Pit Bull Terrier mix  at an all-breed rescue group in Virginia.  He is two years old, and is house-trained and crate trained.  Ziggy is very intelligent and social.  He can be pushy with other dogs, and can be a bit too rough for young children. His listing says he's be a great agility dog.  Ziggy knows basic obedience like sit, down, off and wait.  He is said to be "a very smart boy and his new family needs to be pretty clever to stay a step ahead of him!".

Ziggy #2 is not all that different.  He's at an all-breed rescue group in Missouri (currently being fostered by me!).  He is also two years old, and is also house-trained and crate-trained.  Like Ziggy #1, Ziggy #2 is also very intelligent and social.  He can also be pushy with other dogs and needs a home without young children.  He is a great agility dog - not the fastest dog out there, but he's not bad.  He knows basic obedience just like Ziggy #1, and he is also "a very smart boy with a family who will need to stay a step ahead of him!"  You can read more about Ziggy #2 on this blog or by visiting www.adoptziggy.com.

It's kind of amazing that over the past week, I could take five of my own foster pets and find five more adoptable pets out there that had so much in common with each one, AND shared the same name!   Right now there are over 364,000 pets available for adoption on Petfinder.com.  This doesn't even include the many other shelters and rescues who don't advertise their adoptable pets on Petfinder.  This country still has a huge problem with unwanted pets.  Thank you Mayzie for bringing together the blogging community to bring awareness to this problem.

I often try to keep this blog as a positive place - sharing the fun times, the funny things that happen, and the joy that I get from fostering.  But there are times that rescue is heart-breaking.  I know I can't save them all, but that doesn't make it any easier to walk away from those I can't save.  I made this video to help others realize the need that is out there.

Youtube link: http://youtu.be/gbtq0ZaWj6o

Rescue Me Week: Molly

Before I talk about two more adoptable pets, I have some exciting news.  Belle, one of my FIV+ foster cats, has been adopted!!  I brought home Belle in May, and she's been waiting patiently for a home for over six months now.  Last week she received an adoption application, and yesterday she went to her new home!  I know she's going to be so happy to have a quiet home where she gets all sorts of attention.  

Now, to continue with Rescue Me Week, I'd like to feature Molly.

Molly #1 is a Pug/Miniature Pinscher mix in Missouri.  She was turned in to a shelter, where she was scheduled to be euthanized due to some fear issues.  I brought her home and found that once she felt safe, she is a sweet, loving dog.  She loves to sleep near my feet, always under the covers.  She is house-trained and has very good manners.  Molly is good with other dogs and with cats, but needs a home without young children.

Molly #2 is a Miniature Pinscher mix in Kentucky.  She also likes to snuggle under the covers with her foster mom!  She is a happy little girl who loves to play.  Molly #2 also needs a home without young children.

Both of these Mollys, along with 1,333 other pets named Molly, are waiting for homes.  Of the 1,335 pets named Molly, two are birds, 452 are cats, 850 are dogs, 8 are horses, 13 are rabbits, and the rest are an assortment of ferrets, gerbils, guinea pigs, rats, and even a pot-bellied pig!

Rescue Me Week: Sal

It's Rescue Me Week, and today I'd like to introduce you to Salvador, also known as Sal.

Sal #1 is an American Pit Bull Terrier in Illinois.  He is eight months old, and is good with other dogs.  He likes to roll around in the grass and cuddle up on blankets and pillows.

Sal #2 is an American Pit Bull Terrier who was also in Illinois - at least until this morning.  Then he came to my house.  Salvador is my newest foster dog.  Special thanks to Linda who transported him to me!  Sal #2 is about two years old, and he is deaf.  He is extremely sweet and is settling in just fine.  Being a pit bull and a deaf dog means Sal will have a much more difficult time being adopted, but I know he will make someone a wonderful pet.  He is very friendly, does fine with cats, and so far has been absolutely perfect.   

Both Sal #1 and Sal #2, along with 43 other pets named Sal or Salvador or Salvadore are looking for their forever homes!

Rescue Me Week: Scotty

As part of Rescue Me Week, I'm featuring two adoptable pets each day.  Today is Scotty's day!

Scotty #1 is a Domestic Short Hair buff colored cat.  He has crinkled ears and he is FIV positive.  Scotty is good with kids and friendly with other cats.  He lives in Missouri.  Currently he's taken over the cat tree in my room as his own personal territory.  I believe he's planning to take that cat tree with him when he is adopted!

Scotty #2 is a Domestic Short Hair black and white cat.  He also has crinkled ears, and he also is FIV positive.  Scotty is good with kids and friendly with other cats.  He lives in a foster home in California.

These two Scottys, along with 90 other dogs, cats and rabbits named Scotty, are waiting to be adopted.

It's Rescue Me Week!

For the next five days, as part of Mayzie and her mom's awesome way to honor their Grampa J, I will be participating in Rescue Me Week.  This means I'm going to pick an adoptable pet to feature each day. Since I already write about my foster pets, I thought it might be fun to find some adoptable pets who share a name with one of my fosters, and do a two-for-one feature.  So today I'm going to feature two dogs named Bailey.  

Bailey #1 is a female Golden Retreiver who was found as a stray and never claimed by her original owner.  She is very sweet and loves attention.  She lives in Missouri.  Specifically, she lives at my house, and sleeps on my couch, at least for now.

Bailey #2 is a male Golden Retriever who was turned in by his owner.  He is a senior dog who is also very sweet and loves belly rubs.  He lives in a foster home in Florida.

Both of these dogs, along with 694 other adoptable dogs, cats, birds, rabbits, horses, ferrets and guinea pigs  named Bailey, are waiting for homes!

Foster Pet Update

There have been a few changes around here lately.

Elton the Shiba Inu/Shepherd mix has been adopted!
Benny the Beagle/Corgi mix has been adopted!
Thumper the Bearded Collie mix has been adopted!
Kirby the funny looking kitten has been adopted!
Pogo the cat is on a trial adoption!
Roo the American Pit Bull Terrier mix is now being fostered by a new foster volunteer.
Cookie the Beagle mix puppy returned to her original foster home.  She came here because she was having some problems with getting along with other dogs, but now she's doing really well so she got to go back to her original foster family.

At this point perhaps you're thinking that I must be getting lonely with all of these foster pets gone.  But don't worry about me -- I'm keeping busy with these additional changes:

Morgan the escape artist Puggle is back at my house because she kept breaking out of the fence and escaping at her foster-to-adopt home.

Morgan and Gonzo

Cooper is a Black Lab mix who was turned into rescue by his owners once he became too big.  He and his littermate had lived their entire lives outside and never had any training, so when they saw their people they would jump up and knock down the kids, so the family decided to get rid of them.  I took Cooper and another foster home has his brother.  Now they're living in homes for the first time in their lives, learning manners and looking for a new family.

Cooper

Bailey is a Golden Retriever mix who was turned in to Animal Control as a stray.  She had no tags, no microchip, and no one ever came looking for her, so we pulled her, had her spayed, a bad tooth was removed, and she has been treated for ear infections in both ears.  She's doing great now and already has several adoption applications!

Bailey

I also had a very short-term foster dog - a Miniature Daschund/Beagle puppy came to stay for a few days, but then she was stolen.  Okay, she wasn't really stolen.  Another foster home offered to take her.  I knew the other foster home would be good for her because she would get more one-on-one attention.  And it would help me to have one less foster and not have to take off work to get her to the vet.  But oh how I miss that puppy!  Her name is now Paisley and she is doing very well in her new foster home.

Sometimes I'm Mean to Molly

Molly is a Puggle/Min-Pin mix that I am fostering.  Generally I tend to err on the side of being too lenient with my fosters, but I do have to admit that I am occasionally mean to Molly.  I can't help it - she's just so cute when she's out in the backyard and wants to come in.  Most of the dogs will either bark or scratch at the door to come inside, but Molly doesn't do either of those things.  Instead, I will happen to glance over and see a bouncing dog who doesn't make a sound, but bounces up and down like a jumping bean.  And she's so funny that instead of being nice and letting her in as she requested, I like to stand there and watch her bounce for a minute.  I know, it's mean.  She just wants to come inside, and instead I stand inside the house and laugh at her.  But I bet you would too.  Pictures can't quite capture the true experience.

Ready for takeoff...

Going up...

"Hellooooo...I'm waiting to come in!"

It's almost as fun to watch another dog watching Molly...

Morgan saying "what in the world are you doing??"

 Do any of you know any bouncing jumping bean dogs?