Amazing Adoptions

The main reason I foster is because I love helping dogs go from awful circumstances to awesome homes.  This week has been especially amazing with adoptions.  

My foster dog Ellie, pictured here before she was released from a shelter, was originally picked up as a stray and scheduled to be euthanized.  She was very shy and fearful.  

After a few weeks in foster care, she's a totally different dog.  She's been spayed and vaccinated and learned to walk on a leash and feel safe around people.  And now she's been adopted and is loving her new life with her new family.  

Next it Tulsa, the deaf Australian Cattle Dog who's been bounced around her entire life.  A cattle dog is not an easy breed to keep for a pet, and no matter how much people say they can handle the high drive and high intensity of a cattle dog, they often change their minds after a few weeks or months.  In Tulsa's case, she's been through several homes and kept coming back to foster care, until now.  Tulsa went to a foster-to-adopt home a few weeks ago, and yesterday we made the adoption official.  I really like her new mom, and feel confident that this home will be her forever home!  Tulsa is living with another cattle dog, so I know her family is familiar with the breed, and they are very in love with Tulsa.  We couldn't ask for a better home for her.  

And one more amazing adoption this week was Roxy the American Pit Bull Terrier.  Roxy is a wonderful dog - good with people, other dogs, cats - she's just very friendly!  This is Roxy with another All Paws volunteer. 

 As you can see, Roxy loves to give kisses.  Roxy always was happy to wear the donation vest at adoption events.  She earned her Canine Good Citizen certification while in foster care, and she became my best friend.  It was really hard to let Roxy go - she's an amazing dog, and I miss her every day.  But I know that right now she has a new best friend - a 19 year old who just loves her.  And although she will always have a very special place in my heart, her adoption means I'm able to save another pit bull now that would otherwise be euthanized.  

In addition to all of these adoptions, I have one more exciting announcement.  No, Ziggy is not being adopted.    But Bunny the feral Bichon just went into a foster-to-adopt home!   Bunny made a lot of progress while in foster care.  She learned to enjoy cheese, dog treats, and dog chews.  She learned that people weren't as scary as she originally thought.  She got started on house-training and leash training.  She learned to chase cats (even though I never taught her this, she loves it!).  Her personality really came out, and she became very attached to me, and would even come greet me and let me pet her.  She still has a long way to go, but her new foster family is willing to give it a try and see how she does.  They have another Bichon and two Westies that they've rescued, and that will help Bunny a lot to feel safe with other dogs around.  I am hopeful that this will work out and Bunny will have her very own home for the first time in her life.  

Living With Fourteen Dogs and Cats

As one of my friends recently pointed out, only in the rescue world does it seem normal to live with seven dogs and seven cats.  That's how many I have right now, although the numbers change a bit from day to day.  My house is divided by baby gates, and each room has a purpose related to the animals.  One room is currently occupied by several dog crates where Ziggy, Miley, Elton and Ellie sleep and eat their meals.  They also stay there when I'm not home.  The rest of their time is spent with me in the living room or outside.  The other three dogs - Harry, Roxy and Bunny - currently have crates in the living room.  Harry just came back from a foster-to-adopt home which didn't work out for him.  His crate is in the living room so he can get used to the other dog's presence and they can get used to him.  Bunny is in the living room because that's where I spend most of my time and I want her to get used to me.  Her crate door is never closed but she feels safe in her crate so she spends most of her time in the crate by choice.  And Roxy is only in her crate at meal times, but I've found it's convenient to leave her crate in the living room in case one of the dogs needs a short time-out when they're playing.  The living room is basically one very large room consisting of a living area, dining area, and kitchen area.  This leaves a lot of floor space for the dogs to run around and play.  There are also several good spots for the cats to hide if the dogs get a bit over exuberant.  I only foster cat-friendly dogs, but occasionally one of the dogs will think chasing a cat is a terrific idea.  Hiding behind the couch or sitting up above them on the top of a cabinet is a great relief to the cats at times.  Of course they have their own spaces too.  I have one room currently used only for a new cat to settle in and get accustomed to the house prior to introducing him to the other cats.  Then there is another room blocked off by a baby gate (so the cats can jump over and have freedom but they dogs can't get in).  That room has the cat trees, food, cat toys, and all other things that are too tempting for dogs to stay away from.  Of course the cats don't spend much time in that room - they prefer my bedroom.  Right now only Roxy has been allowed to sleep on my bed at night, plus of course the cats.  And during the day no dogs are allowed in the room but again the cats take it over. All in all, everyone seems quite happy.  At least it's much better than the alternative of a shelter while they wait for their forever homes.

Speaking of forever homes, Tulsa recently went out on a foster-to-adopt situation which is so far going very well!  And Roxy has a home visit scheduled for this weekend, so she may have her forever home soon also.  Harry also has a home visit to be scheduled, and he may only be back for a short time.  Now if only Ziggy or Bunny would find their forever homes!

Here is a short video of the dogs enjoying the nice weather:

Wordless Wednesday

Happy....

Happy...

Happy... (and shaved!)

Grumpy.

Foster Updates; Introducing Teddy

I've been very busy the past few weeks, so now I have a lot to share!  In no particular order, here are some recent happenings:

* Harry the American Bulldog/Lab mix went to a foster-to-adopt home.  This is a great option for someone who is not sure if they're ready for a dog or who wants some time to make sure the dog will work with their household.  They foster the dog, and if it works well, they adopt the dog, and if it doesn't work well they either keep fostering until the dog is adopted or return the dog to his original foster home.  I am hopeful that Harry will do very well in his new foster home.

* Maddie the Australian Shepherd went to another foster home who fell in love with her when they saw her.  Maddie has had her surgery and is now recovering.  She was able to keep her leg (there was some concern that they may have to remove it) and will now be able to run and walk without being in pain.  She's doing great in her new foster home and quickly learning all about living in a home and being spoiled.

* All of the Beagle/Shih Tzu/Brussels Griffon puppies have been adopted.

* Roxy the pit bull has had two adoption applications on her this week.  One family lives in a city that requires a six foot fence for pit bulls, which they do not have.  The other lives in a city that doesn't allow pit bulls.  So Roxy is still stuck with me, but neither of us are complaining.  Today she takes her Canine Good Citizen test.

* Tulsa the deaf Australian Cattle Dog and Noelle, my deaf pit bull, have both started beginning agility class.  And Ziggy has started intermediate agility class.  Everyone seems to be enjoying themselves.

* Yesterday's adoption event was very slow so we packed up early and four of us went to a nearby shelter and pulled four dogs that were out of time.  They are all what we call "foo foo" dogs - small, fluffy, easily adoptable breeds.  We took a Shih Tzu, a Lhasa Apso, a Pekingese and a Poodle.  I got the Poodle.  At least I think it's a poodle.  You decide...

Poodle?

Or mop with a pink tongue?

He does have eyes under there, and he can see through all that hair, believe it or not.  I named him Teddy, and he fits right in here.  I say that, because he has separation anxiety just like Morgan, and he cries nonstop if I leave the room without him.  He also jumps in little circles when he is happy, and he seems to be housetrained, and he does great with the other dogs and the cats.

Bunny, Morgan and Teddy

The first thing I did when I got him home was to give him a bath, because he was rather smelly after being in the shelter for two weeks.  He will be groomed as soon as possible, and I think then he'll look like a whole different dog.  Although I have to admit I kind of like the "mop" look.

Three Reasons For Hope

Reason #1: Bunny is Happier

Bunny, the Bichon Frise puppy mill survivor, is finally learning to trust me.  She doesn't run away from me as fast as she used to.  She will go in and out the door even when I'm standing nearby.  She barks when I leave the room and wags her tail when I come back in.  She seems more relaxed and happier - and I finally can see her starting to become a "real dog", and maybe someday have a real family of her own!

 Reason #2: Roxy is Smarter

Roxy has been attending Canine Good Citizen classes and has learned to sit on command, lie down on command, stay until released, and sit quietly while being petted.  She did jump on the UPS guy when he came to deliver packages, but I can't blame her.  I can barely contain my excitement everytime the UPS guy shows up too.  I am hopeful that she will pass her CGC test with no problems in just a few more weeks. 

Reason #3: Ziggy is Famouser...errr..More Famous
He's managed to make 99 friends on Facebook so far.  He's also been featured on the Facebook pages of  Shelter Pet Project, Echo the Deaf Pittie Mix, and may soon be featured by StubbyDog Project.  With so many wonderful people helping to spread the word about him, he may someday find his very own adoptive home! 

Dog Update

Gizmo

Gizmo has been adopted!  He is now living with a family with six kids, another dog and a cat!  I can only imagine the mischief he will be able to get into with that crew.  It's a wonderful family and I think he'll be very happy.

Huey

Huey was also adopted!  He was the only puppy to get adopted this past weekend, but hopefully the others will have better luck this coming weekend.  Donald, Daisy, Dewey and Louie are starting to grow a lot, and starting to develop their own personalities now.  Donald and Dewey are the two cuddle-bugs.  They just want belly rubs and attention.  Daisy and Louie are too busy running around and playing tug to stop for cuddles.  They're into everything!

Bunny

Bunny is still doing about the same.  She continues to enjoy the outdoors, and continues to take treats from me, but still doesn't like to be petted.

Tulsa

When I first fostered Tulsa as a puppy several years ago, my husband really didn't care for her.  So I am really enjoying the fact that she's improved so much that he actually asked to foster her!  Since he's still living at our old house with our dogs Remi and Noelle, I didn't expect him to ever want to foster another dog.  But several times while he was here at the cabin he commented on how much Tulsa has improved, and eventually said he'd like to take her to his house to foster!  So last week Tulsa moved back to our old house, where she's doing great with Remi and Noelle.  We're still trying to find her a permanent adoptive home, and I'll still be taking her to adoption events, but in the meantime it's nice to know she's somewhere that she is doing so well.

Ziggy

And then there's Ziggy.  I'm very happy that he's back, but he told me today that he's ready to go back and live with his second mom again.  He's talking about the trainer who has been fostering him and working with him for several weeks.  She's awesome, but I told Ziggy that she might not want him to come back again.  He said that was ridiculous.  So we'll see.  We've been trying to learn how to do agility weave poles, and I may have been pushing him too hard, because he says that she's more fun than I am. So now I'm determined to change that, and we'll be going for another river walk soon - one of Ziggy's favorite things!

Roxy

Roxy is still continuing with her Canine Good Citizen classes.  She's learned to lie down on command and is doing very well with her stay command.  Around here she's doing much better too - she doesn't follow me everywhere, and will lay down across the room instead of having to be touching me constantly.  She's such a great dog, and I really enjoy fostering her.

Toby

You may have noticed that there have been several dogs leaving here recently (Phil, Gizmo, Tulsa, etc) and not so many dogs coming in.  There's a deaf dog in Memphis that I'm hoping to foster soon, so I want to leave some room for him.  And since Roxy had no one to play with, I also brought home Toby for a short visit.  I fostered Toby a few months ago, and then he moved to another foster home for awhile.  He'll be going back to that foster home again soon, but for now he's taking a short vacation with me.  He's a great dog, but he has so much energy that it's difficult to get him to ever calm down.  This is probably the main reason he hasn't been adopted yet.  He goes to adoption events every week, and hopefully his turn will come soon!

Success!!

My foster dog Bunny is a Bichon Frise who spent the first five years of her life as a breeding dog in a "commercial breeding facility".  When she came to us she was a mess, both physically and emotionally.  She had seven teeth removed, received medical care, grooming and good nutrition for the first time in her life, and learned what it was like for the first time to have someone who loved her.  She doesn't know how to play with toys.  She doesn't know how to enjoy being petted.  She gets scared and runs away when someone even looks at her.

Bunny has been working very hard to be a normal dog.  She has learned to enjoy treats.  She will approach me and occasionally lick my hand, although she still runs if I try to pet her.  She's even learned to bark at Merlin, my cat, when he walks by.  This is not something I wanted her to learn, but I guess it's good she's feeling safe enough here to interact with the cat, if not with me.  But the best news of all, is Bunny has learned to go outside.  She's wanted to go outside, but she was always afraid to take a step out onto the deck.  She'd stand on a dog bed in the open doorway (because she was afraid to walk on the bare floor) and watch the other dogs outside.

Sometimes she'd get really brave and step out onto the deck with her front feet - but she'd never let her back feet leave the safety of the house.

Even when I took her crate outside, she'd do the same thing and only go as far as she could while leaving at least one foot touching the safety of her crate.  It didn't matter if the crate was placed on the deck or on the grass - she'd walk out as far as she could while still touching the crate.

Until last week, when she had a breakthrough.  I had taken her in her crate and set her on the deck right by the door, and she did her customary stand and watch while the other dogs played.  I was taking pictures of Gizmo when I noticed that she had finally left her crate and was walking around the deck!  Next thing I knew, she was running around the yard like she'd been doing it all her life.

Now she goes in and out the door with the other dogs with no hesitation.  It sounds like a small thing, but for Bunny it is a great success.

Dog Foster Update

It was a very busy weekend, starting on Friday night with a dog training seminar, then an adoption event all day Saturday, and another adoption event on Sunday in between a CGC class with Roxy and an agility class with Ziggy.  Here's an update on all my dog fosters:

Duchess

Duchy was adopted on Saturday!  She was such an easy dog to foster, because she had perfect manners and was very calm.  I really miss her, but I'm happy that she has a good home!

Roxy

Roxy went to adoptions on Saturday and Sunday, and she did very well.  If I ever get her to pay attention to anyone other than me at events, I think she'll get adopted rather quickly.  In the meantime, we started our first CGC class today, and we were total failures.  I was so used to Ziggy who was already well trained in obedience, that I didn't know what to do with a dog who has no concept of down/stay/heel/etc.  It didn't help that we'd just left an adoption event and she was already tired out.  We'll practice a lot this week and hopefully next week's class will go better.

Tulsa

And then there's Tulsa, the deaf Australian Cattle Dog.  Tulsa doesn't do well at adoption events - she barks at every dog she sees.  So she stayed home on Saturday, and only went to Sunday's adoption event which was a shorter event.  I covered her crate up and it was a rather slow day so it went pretty well, meaning she didn't drive everyone crazy with nonstop barking!

Bunny

Bunny, the Bichon from the puppy mill, also went to Sunday's adoption event.  She got a haircut while we were there, so she looks a little less fluffy now than she did in this picture.

Ziggy

Ziggy, the deaf pit bull, has been staying at another foster home for the past week.  I have to admit I have missed him, just a little bit.  He went to stay with a dog trainer, and she said he was a perfect angel almost all week.  So he's staying another week so she can get to know what he's really like (hint: not an angel).  So I got to see him at the training seminar and at agility class and then send him back with the trainer afterwards.

Phil

Since the trainer took Ziggy home, I took her foster dog Phil to my house.  He is doing great here.  He loves to play with Roxy, and he gets along really well with all of the dogs.  He constantly has to have something in his mouth, and will carry around a ball or chew toy for hours.  He went to Saturday and Sunday's adoption events and received a lot of attention just for being so cute!

They Try So Hard

It's tough for foster pets to come into a new home - most especially a new home that is completely unlike their previous home. And when that previous home is the only home they've ever known, well, it hurts sometimes to watch them struggle to adjust. Of course some dogs adjust more easily than others, but the most difficult ones are the older dogs who lose the only home they've ever known. This is the case for three of my five current fosters, and while they're all making progress toward settling in, it can be alternately humorous and heart-breaking to watch their efforts.


 Duchess is five years old, and she lived with one family since she was adopted as a puppy. Then she went to a shelter for awhile, and then to my house. She is the perfect dog - sweet, laid-back, perfect manners. She was probably an only dog, because she ignored all of the other dogs for several weeks. She's just starting to try to play with the other dogs, and she doesn't seem to know quite what to do. Ziggy, Tulsa and Roxy will chase each other around the house or yard, and she'll run behind them as fast as she can, not usually able to catch them. If she does catch them, she'll jump into the middle of them, and then stand there as if thinking "now what do I do?" I have to be careful because she doesn't have great dog-dog skills when it comes to playing, and the other dogs sometimes misconstrue her attempts to play as aggression. But I don't want to discourage her from learning to play, so I'm just monitoring them closely and intervening when necessary, since I know that her communication skills should improve with practice.  I am excited that she's starting to relax enough to play with the other dogs!



 Roxy is three years old, and she also lived with one family since she was a puppy. She was also an only pet, but she has pretty good dog-dog skills. She does have some separation anxiety though, and refuses to let me out of her sight. She even follows me into the shower! I tried to show her there was nowhere for me to disappear in there, but she refused to believe it. So this means we go everywhere together - outside or inside. When I leave for work I have to crate her, and she cries piteously. She sleeps, not just on my bed, but pushing me halfway off the edge, so as to be as close to me as possible. She'll stop eating if I walk more than two steps from her bowl, and she won't go outside unless I go out with her. I am trying to keep her on a routine so that she will learn that even though I leave, I always come back, and it is okay for her even if I'm not there. I'm hoping to someday take a shower again without her help.


And then there's Bunny. I only wish she had a bit of the separation anxiety that Roxy has. She's lived the first five years of her life in a puppy mill, and is terrified of people. She's getting a  bit more comfortable around me, but still doesn't like me to touch her. She also is afraid of the hardwood floors, so limits herself to one small area of the room that is covered by a tarp (to make clean-up easier since she isn't house-trained). It's tough to house-train a dog that doesn't want to be touched, won't walk on the floor, and is scared to go outside. This is what puppy mills do to dogs by leaving them in small cages with no human interaction for their entire lives. So please, don't buy a puppy from a pet shop or from anywhere that you can't meet the parents and see their living conditions for yourself. Don't support the people who treat the puppies' parents this way. Bunny is trying really hard to learn to be a normal dog, but I'm not sure that she ever will be. My goal by the end of the summer is to get her to enjoy the outdoors. She wants to go outside very much, but she's afraid. If I carry her out to the deck, she seems to enjoy herself, but she won't go a foot beyond the safety of her crate or dog bed.  I wish there was some way I could make her feel safer.

At the other extreme, Tulsa and Ziggy, my last two foster dogs, seem completely comfortable at my house. Ziggy has never lived anywhere else since he was a puppy, except a short stay at doggie boot camp, and he thinks he owns the entire house (or at least the room where his crate is). Although I'm pretty sure that anywhere Ziggy goes, he is immediately comfortable. The dog has more self-confidence than any other dog I've ever met! Tulsa on the other hand, is not as self-confident, but she is quick to adjust to a new home. She's had a lot of practice, this being at least her eighth home that she's lived in in three short years. I wonder if she knows that I'm another temporary stop on her journey. I wonder if she thinks that all dogs spend their lives going from family to family, pack to pack. I hope and pray that her next stop will be her permanent home - for her, and for each of my fosters who have already had enough upheaval in their lives. There are times when it is unavoidable to give up a pet, or it is in their best interest, so I am not qualified to judge anyone who makes that decision. I know that foster pets are the lucky ones, able to live in a home instead of a shelter, their lives spared unlike most dogs in shelters. Still watching them try to adjust to their new circumstances can be difficult. So if you decide to adopt an adult dog, please be patient with them. Give them some time to settle in, and forgive any mistakes they make. It's not easy to go to a new home! But they need you, and if you give them that new home filled with love, they'll show you so much gratitude! Unless you adopt Ziggy, in which case he will just consider it his due. I think I may have mentioned this before, but he's not a normal dog.

Introducing Bunny

I recently brought home another foster dog.  Bunny is a five year old Bichon who came from a puppy mill.  She was released along with many other breeding dogs, including Chihuahuas, Miniature Dachshunds, and Shih Tzus. My previous foster dog Polly was one of this group.  The two Bichons who were released were the most afraid out of all of the dogs.  The rest of the dogs have been adopted, but both Bunny and Sassy, the other Bichon, are still finding it hard to learn how to be normal dogs.  Often dogs who are very scared will do better when they are separated, so I took Bunny home in hopes that both she and Sassy would start to show more improvement apart.  After only a week, Sassy is already doing better without Bunny, and has begun to explore her foster home and go out in her back yard to play with the other dogs.  Bunny is not yet showing so much improvement here.  I blame this on Ziggy.  I'm not sure how it can be his fault - he hasn't even been around Bunny - but when things go wrong around here, Ziggy usually has something to do with it, so I figure he must be somehow responsible.

Bunny is a very sweet dog and I've finally found something she likes - Cheese Whiz - so we've started cheese therapy.  So far she's progressed to licking cheese off of my fingers if I lay flat on the floor and hold my hand as far from my body as possible.  She also will come out of her room about two feet to lick cheese off of a plate if I'm nowhere nearby.  At the rate she's going, I think she'll be running around the house like a normal dog in no time several months.

I have to admit, I am really attached to this dog who doesn't want anything to do with me.  She's spent the first five years of her life without knowing how good life can be, or how nice people can be.  I am really looking forward to the day when she comes to meet me instead of running away from me!