A-D-O-P-T-E-D!!

It’s the reason rescue organizations exist. To take homeless animals, care for them and love them, and then provide them with the one thing they need the most – a loving family of their very own. It’s the reason I foster. And today, it’s the reason I am celebrating, because several of my foster pets have been adopted recently. All four of them had one issue or another that made them difficult to find a home for. In some shelters, they never would have stood a chance. But today they’re all in loving homes, where I hope they will be able to spend the rest of their lives! Here are their stories:




Tank (left) and Mayzie



Mayzie – As an adult pit bull mix picked up as a stray, most places wouldn’t have given Mayzie a chance at life. Lucky for her she was found by someone who took her to a vet’s office instead of a shelter. And even more lucky, when the owners couldn’t be found, one of the employees reached out to everyone she knew to find Mayzie a place to go. The employee paid for Mayzie’s shots and spay, and then brought her to me. Mayzie is one of those dogs who loves everyone – human and animal. She makes friends wherever she goes, and she is always so happy. The daughter of one of the other foster volunteers fell in love with Mayzie, and adopted her last week. Now Mayzie (now named Mila) has a great family, and a step-brother named Tank who looks like he could be her real littermate. I was very confused when I first saw them together as to which one was Mayzie!



Shiloh in her new home



Shiloh – This Blue-tick Coonhound almost starved to death before she was rescued by my neighbors. Dogs like Shiloh – hunting dogs such as coonhounds and beagles – are often lost and end up in shelters all around the country. These dogs can go quite a long way from their home when they’re on a hunt or chasing a scent, and then not only can they not find their way back home, but their owners may not be searching for them in the right places because the dogs have gone so far from home. So shelters are full of dogs like Shiloh, and she may not have been lucky enough to make it out alive of most. Shiloh was one of the lucky ones and ended up in rescue. I was one of the people who fostered her during this time, and like her other foster mom, I just fell in love with her. She would often give very gentle hugs by standing up on her back legs and wrapping her front legs around my waist. She had long silky ears that were so much fun to play with. And her personality was extremely sweet, in spite of her lack of house manners! Shiloh had a lot of people interested in her, but she never found the right fit, until two weeks ago when a man came up to see her and decided to take her home as a foster with the plans to adopt her if everything went well. Last I heard, Shiloh is doing very well in her new foster home, and will hopefully be adopted in the next couple of weeks!

Charlie

Charlie – Also known as Charlie the Scaredy-Dog, Charlie has been waiting for a family of his own for his entire life. The first four years of his life were spent in a no-kill shelter, and while he was cared for by extremely devoted volunteers, he was just one of many homeless animals in the shelter. Then he came to me, and had to learn how to trust, and what it meant to live in a house, and go for car rides, and go out in public. And that was very traumatic for him. Even once he learned to trust me, he still was afraid of everyone else, and would huddle in the back of his crate at adoption events and bark at anyone who dared to pay him any attention. No one seemed inclined to adopt a scaredy-dog like Charlie, until Nathan and Catherine came along. This young couple met Charlie and immediately said “we want him”. Charlie is learning to trust them now, and I am hoping that within a few weeks, the adoption will be official and Charlie will get to live the rest of his life with a family who wants him.



Fawn

 Fawn – This four-year-old Italian Greyhound is another dog who spent the first four years of her life without a home. She was a puppy mill dog, kept only to produce puppies to sell, and never learned what it is like to be a part of a family. She came to us extremely frightened, and it took several months before she would come anywhere near me. Since she was a small purebred dog of a rather rare breed, Fawn got a lot of attention from potential adopters. But invariably by the time I told them that even though she had lived with me for months, she was still terrified of me and all other humans, they would realize she wasn’t what they were looking for. Until recently, when a lady contacted me and asked about Fawn, and wasn’t scared off by Fawn’s extreme shyness. She was knowledgable about Italian Greyhounds and couldn’t wait to meet her. Two days after going to her new home, I received an e-mail from the lady and expected to hear that “this isn’t working out”. Instead I heard “Fawn is fantastic!” And again I thought “this is why I foster”. The breeder who gives up Fawn and dogs like her will euthanize them if a rescue group doesn’t take them. Either these dogs aren’t producing babies anymore, or they get too old, or in Fawn’s case the breeder just decided to stop breeding Italian Greyhounds. If a rescue volunteer hadn’t stepped forward to take Fawn and the other breeder dogs, she would never have known life with someone who thinks she is fantastic.

That is why I foster. And that is why I love it.

Ziggy the adoptable dog!

P.S. Ziggy wants to remind you that his birthday is coming up in seven days. Since he will be turning three years old, he asked me to tell his friends to each send him three chewbones for his birthday, but instead I convinced him that I could ask his friends to donate three dollars to a shelter or rescue in their area next time they have the opportunity. He said he’d rather have the chewbones, but that would be a nice birthday gift too. So if you’d like to make a donation in honor of Ziggy’s birthday, please drop a few dollars into the donation jar of a rescue group or shelter near you next time you have the opportunity. Thank you – from Ziggy and all the other foster dogs and shelter dogs!

Flashback Friday: Charlie

It's been awhile since I've done a Flashback Friday, but today I'm excited to share with you an update on one of my previous foster cats.


Life was never boring with Charlie around


Anyone remember Charlie?  This is the kitten I took in as an FIV+ cat, and then later learned was actually positive for FeLV - a much more serious disease.  I had Charlie for several months, and he entertained me with his sweet personality, his love of the dogs, and the enjoyment he found in life.  Then an amazing thing happened, and a wonderful family decided to adopt this special needs cat.  So it's been six months since Charlie has left, and I still think about him often.  Today I contacted his new mom to see how he is doing, and here was her reply:

Charlie is doing really well. He's healthy and doing great with our new Dog Cooper. My daughter loves him and when ever we've had people over to the house they talk about how beautiful he is and what a sweetheart he can be. I've attached a picture of him with Coop curled up next to each other.

We love him and continue to enjoy his bursts of energy and love on him every chace we get. He's giving kisses now and loves when I carry him to see the birdies thru the patio doors. He's wonderful and we are all glad he's a part of our family! 

Charlie in his new home


Thanks Tracey, for adopting Charlie and giving him such a happy life!

Foster Dog Update

I never say it enough, but thank you all for the comments and just for reading.  I appreciate it!

Last week Thor the German Shepherd was returned, Chief the Beagle was adopted, Mayzie the energetic pit bull went to another foster home, and Vinny the Italian Greyhound came to stay with me. So I still have eight foster dogs, but fortunately they all get along well, even though they range from only 12 pounds to 100 pounds! Here is one interesting fact about each of my current fosters that you may not already know:



Thor

This 100 pound German Shepherd used to be owned by a priest. This may explain why he is the best behaved of all the dogs. 

Charlie

Charlie does not like fireworks while he is inside the house. He barked at them constantly. Then we finally had to go outside for a final potty break before bedtime, and suddenly he just ignored the fireworks. So the sound of fireworks inside = danger, but the sound of fireworks outside = safe.

Bogey

Bogey is a hoarder dog. No, he didn’t come from a hoarder – he actually is the hoarder. He goes around and collects toys and blankets and anything else he can find and hides them in his crate.

Ziggy

Ziggy has been extremely well behaved (for him) lately. And he’s stopped chewing on everything – even on his chew bones! I think something must be wrong with him. He still loves to eat his kibble though.



Jupiter

Jupie has had to undergo a bunch of extra tests because he is anemic and may even have a weird doggie disease known as babesia. Test results are pending.  Bonus fact - he likes to sit in laps. 



Aridan

This eleven year old German Shepherd has won several Schutzhund awards, and even competed in the 2009 GSDCA-WDA Schutzhund National Championship and World Qualifier. I feel very safe with her around.

Fawn

Fawn's birthday is today – she is four years old.


Vinny

This Italian Greyhound thinks he is invisible as long as no one looks at him. He’ll approach strangers from behind and sniff them, then dart away. He’s stealthy.



Jasper

Tonight I’m bringing home Jasper. He’s staying for a week while his foster mom goes out of town. I don’t know any interesting facts about Jasper yet. 

Updates and Adoptions

I’m sorry that I’ve been too busy to update my blog lately! Somehow I’ve ended up with eight foster dogs and a constantly changing number of kittens and cats, which keeps me too busy to write posts or take pictures. So today I’m going to play “catch up” and give you the condensed status of my foster pets:

Scamp the Fox Terrier mix, Socks the cat, and Thor the giant German Shepherd Dog have all been adopted. I still have Charlie the unknown mixed breed who is frightened of new people and barks at them non-stop. I also still have Bogey the Mostly Hairless dog who is frightened of all people, including me. Not surprisingly, I still have Ziggy the deaf and difficult pit bull mix, although he is currently on a two week vacation at a friend’s house, where he gets to be an only dog and go for walks in the park and have a real life. I also have Aridan the German Shepherd Dog who I am dog-sitting for a friend. She used to be a well-trained dog. Now she ignores me constantly, counter surfs, jumps over baby gates to eat the cat food, and chews up metal cans full of spray cheese. Don’t tell her human mom, but I think I ruined her dog. In addition to all of these dogs, I still have Chief, the Beagle. He’s my only “highly adoptable” dog. He’s also my favorite of all my fosters, and the easiest dog I have, so I’m sure he’ll be adopted soon.

Minnie - aka "Bitey Girl"

I took in a few new dogs. It turns out they all have issues. One dog – an eight month old Chihuahua/Doxie mix - was given to me by my neighbors when a family member went to jail and the dog was left without a home. Her issue is called fear aggression. I am calling her Bitey Girl. She’s going to a new foster home tomorrow with someone who actually likes working with little aggressive dogs. I’m very grateful.



Another dog is an Italian Greyhound that was a breeder release. I named her Fawn, and she is terrified of me (it seems to be a theme with my foster dogs lately) and won’t let me touch her. She is only going to stay with me until another foster home can be found. Charlie and Bogey are enough shy dogs for me.

Fawn the Italian Greyhound

A third dog I took in is a brindle pit bull named Mayzie. Her issue is the opposite of fear. She is a typical joyful, excited, highly energetic pit bull. She really doesn’t have any issues except that she is a hard-to-adopt breed.



Mayzie the brindle pittie

And the last dog that I unexpectedly took in is Jupiter. He’s a pit bull mix, and he was given to me by a friend of my neighbors, because the original owner was planning to shoot him and the guy didn’t want to see that happen. He couldn’t keep him but didn’t want him to be shot, so he ended up in my driveway. And now he’s living in my house. And he is capturing my heart. I can write a whole post about Jupiter, if I ever find the time. He has several issues, including being heartworm positive, and having an extremely high prey drive, but I love him anyway.

Jupiter - a dog with issues

As for the cat fosters, I still have Midnight and Murphy, the two FIV+ cats. I had nine kittens and their mom, who have all moved to a shelter for adoption, but then three of them came back because they weren’t big enough to be spayed yet. I also ended up with five more kittens who will be going to the shelter in another week or two. I have sworn to never ever take in any more kittens – at least for the next month.


So that’s my story – I don’t usually do this, but today I’m begging for foster homes to help out with some of these animals. Like most rescue animals, these foster pets do not come already trained. Most of them aren’t house-trained. Most of them will climb on your furniture and try to steal food from your countertops. As foster parents, our job is to work with these animals and make them more adoptable. We work on house-training, and we work on behavior issues like counter surfing. We also work on self-control, for the highly excitable dogs, and on overcoming their fear, for the shy dogs. We truly make a difference in these dogs’ lives, because we aren’t just “warehousing” them until someone comes along and adopts them and fixes their issues themselves, we’re actually working to make them more adoptable with each interaction. Foster homes that have only one foster pet are ideal, since they have more interaction with each foster pet. Right now I have too many foster pets that need some extra help to overcome issues, and they each need someone to step forward and say “I am willing to help.” I’m not the only one with too many foster pets. Rescue groups and shelters around the country are overflowing with homeless animals. They all need help. I can honestly say that fostering is the most rewarding thing that I’ve ever done in my life. I hope that you find that is true for you too.  To find out more about fostering, please contact me. 

Fostering - Can't Do It Alone

After being out of work for four months, I finally got a new job. I am working as a contractor at Monsanto Corp, and although I’ve been there less than a week, I’ve already started to feel comfortable. This could be because I changed the background picture on my monitor to this:

I did that just in case one of my new co-workers walks by, sees his picture, and says “what a great dog”, so I can say “he’s for adoption” and they can say “well, I’ve been looking for a deaf pit bull who loves to chew, always pushes boundaries, and wants to be an only pet”. And I’ll say “you won’t be disappointed with Ziggy” and then they’ll live happily ever after. Hey, it could happen.
The hardest part about going back to work is the amount of time it takes away from my fosters. The office is over an hour away from where I live, so I end up being gone for almost twelve hours a day, five days a week. Not only do my foster pets miss me (or at least my ability to open doors and throw tennis balls) but I also no longer have time for all the vet appointments and other errands that I did while I was out of work. Fortunately, I am only one volunteer in an organization made up of many other volunteers. When I shared the news that I was going back to work, many people have stepped forward to help. Bev took Thor to the vet for me, and offered help with future vet visits. Karen took home Salem, a foster cat who just had his leg amputated (more about him later), so she could take care of all his medical needs while he recovers. Lynsey is taking Ziggy to the vet for me tomorrow. Even the local shelter is helping out – they took in a dog that my neighbors found, and got her vet work done before she comes back to me later this week. They’re also going to take Jefferson for awhile, because he has so much energy, he needs more play-time and attention than I can give now that I’m working. At the shelter he’ll get to go outside to the play yard and play with other dogs and get attention from the volunteers. I couldn’t survive without all of these wonderful people stepping forward to help.

So now I’m gainfully employed, and no longer have to worry about how I’m going to make my house payment or afford gas for my car. I’ll soon be able to buy more chew toys for Ziggy and maybe even get a riding lawnmower someday (such lofty goals). I’m hoping to eventually hire someone to come out to the house a few days a week to play with the dogs while I’m at work. Until then, I’ll have to cut back on the number of fosters I can take in, but I’ll keep fostering. After all, with foster dogs like Bogey the Extremely Fearful and Partially Hairless Dog, Charlie the No-Longer-Hairless But Still Fearful of Men, People with Hats and People with Sunglasses Dog, and Ziggy the Waiting-For-Two-And-One-Half-Years And Still Not Adopted Dog, I am going to be fostering dogs for a very long time.

They Come And They Go

Except for Ziggy of course.  He came and refuses to leave, no matter what I do.  But the others come in and sometimes leave sooner than I expect.  I thought Oreo the American Bulldog would be a tough one to place due to his breed and the fact that he wasn't house-trained.  But as soon as I put him on the Internet, applications started coming in.  He received three applications in one week, and last week he went on a trial adoption with his new family.  I also thought that Amber the Pointer mix would be adopted before Sox the Border Collie/Basset mix.  I was wrong again - Sox was adopted to a wonderful family last week.  Amber is still waiting, although she does have an interested family who may adopt her soon!  Lindsay the Aussie mix has also been adopted and is doing great in her new home.  This just leaves me with Chloe the often-upside-down pit bull, Bogey the feral and semi-hairless Shar Pei mix, Charlie the shy dog, Jefferson the obnoxious Shepherd mix, Amber the hopefully-soon-to-be-adopted Pointer mix, and of course Ziggy the Adoptable Dog.

Chloe will be receiving her final heartworm treatment tomorrow, and then will need four more weeks of rest and relaxation before being allowed to resume attending adoption events and running marathons.  Okay maybe not the marathons.  But she will be allowed to go to adoption events in four weeks.

Bogey is still afraid of me.  He loves to play with the other dogs, and he loves to play with toys, and he loves to collect things.  He'll go around the house and pick up any dog toys or blankets or anything else he can and hoard them in his crate.  He will not willingly come anywhere near me, and will move away if he notices that I'm looking at him.  I tell myself that he's making progress, but I'm really not so sure.

Charlie the unknown mix dog (breed guesses, anyone?) has completed his treatment for demodex manage and was given a clean bill of health at the vet.  He is doing great here, but when we go out he is still afraid of strangers - mostly males.  He loves hot dogs so we're starting "hot dog therapy" where strangers toss him small pieces of hot dog so he learns that when a man approaches him, good things are going to happen!

Jefferson is being his usual happy and obnoxious self.  He's now decided that cats are Public Enemy #1, and he feels obligated to bark non-stop whenever he sees one.  If possible, he will also chase and possibly chew on the cat.  I say possibly, because so far I've kept him from actually obtaining a cat - but in a house with five cats, he gets plenty of opportunity to observe and bark at them!

Amber is such a good girl.  She does really well with all the other dogs, and she loves to play.  She and Jefferson are a really good match - they are roughly the same size and have the same amount of energy, so they wear each other out quite well.  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with Jefferson once Amber is adopted!

Ziggy is in BIG TROUBLE!  We had an incident where he decided to run across the room and down the hall in order to attack my cat Merlin, because he thought Merlin was going to go into his room.  Merlin ended up with a dislocated jaw, and Ziggy ended up with one more strike against him, since now he can no longer go to a home with cats.  In the past two years he's never attacked a cat, and typically ignores them altogether, so now that he's decided that cats are a threat who must be attacked to keep them from eating his food, it makes him even harder to adopt (and much harder to live with).  He already spends too many hours in a crate because he can't be out with other dogs - now I'll also have to rotate and make sure when he's out there are no cats around either.  Did I mention he's in Big Trouble?

Ziggy did not want me to tell you about this Most Dreadful Incident because he was embarrassed that he panicked and thought Merlin was there to steal all his stuff.  He did not mean to hurt Merlin and claims is very sorry for his bad behavior.  I have not completely forgiven him yet, since Merlin is still in pain and has to stay in a crate for two weeks while he recovers.  Merlin should make a full recovery though and my guess is that he will never, ever, go down that hallway to Ziggy's room again.  As for Ziggy, plans are in the works to build him his own room in the walk-out basement and fence in an area on the side of the house with a dog door in the basement door so he can have much more freedom and the other dogs and cats will not be forced to "time-share" the house and backyard. At this point, it's still just a dream, but several wonderful people have volunteered their time and expertise to make it happen, so hopefully it will one day be a reality!

Also, for any of you familiar with the All Paws dogs, you may remember that I occasionally fostered Toby, the Shepherd/Pointer/Hound mix.  He has been in foster care for a Very Long Time, and has caused more than his share of destruction and trouble.  He has a lot in common with Jefferson, as they both have goofy and obnoxious attributes.  But it finally happened - a lady who loves big, goofy dogs saw Toby on the Internet and ended up adopting him.  She says he is doing really well and she's very happy with him.  So sometimes there are Happy Endings even for the very special fosters like Toby!

New Fosters!

But first, the remaining updates on current fosters that you've already met:

Charlie the Hairless Dog has been treated for demodex mange and is doing great.  He has two more weeks of medicine and then another recheck at the vet, and then he's hoping that he'll be done with the bad-tasting medicine and even worse medicated baths.  He is getting much braver, although he's still scared of men, but he now approaches strange women and children without much hesitation.  He still barks at the television if it's too loud, but he's getting much better with that as well.  He's been going to adoption events each weekend to work on meeting strangers, and he's hoping he'll soon meet that stranger that wants to adopt him.

Bogey the Other Hairless Dog is making progress as well, but much more slowly.  He had some skin biopsies done which found that the missing hair is due to scarring, most likely from mange as a puppy, and will not grow back.  So he is permanently hairless, but he doesn't seem to mind.  He is still very, very shy, and will not come near me or even look at me if I'm looking at him.  I would like to find a foster home for him with someone who could really work with him and help him to overcome his shyness.  If you're interested, let me know!


After Fanny was adopted, I had no one to take to the beginning agility class.  Charlie and Bogey were too shy, Ziggy had already passed the beginner class, and Chloe was still undergoing heartworm treatment.  So that left me with two options - take Jefferson, or get a new foster dog.  I considered Jefferson - after all, he's very energetic, but he's also got the memory of a goldfish and the coordination of a giraffe on roller skates.  So new foster dog it was!

I brought home Lindsay, a sweet four year old dog who had been waiting at the shelter for a long time.  She is another one of those rare brilliant, perfect dogs.  Already house-trained, good with other dogs, cats, and kids, and extremely affectionate.  She caught up with the rest of the dogs in the agility class very quickly, and she's been wonderful at home.  Since our trainer's name is Lynsey, I have nicknamed Lindsay "Zee" to make things less confusing.  Zee has been here a couple of weeks now, and she's done really well at adoption events and at obedience classes.  She's learned to sit, lie down, come when called, and we're now working on staying in place.  Zee is a wonderful dog and whomever adopts her will be very lucky to have her.

"Zee"

In addition to Zee, I also brought home another FIV+ cat.  This one looks nothing like Merlin either, but at least this time I was able to recognize that right away.

Midnight

Midnight was picked up by animal control and once he tested positive for FIV he was turned over to the vet to be euthanized.  The vet realized that Midnight was a great cat - very friendly and sweet - and instead asked for help saving him.  Since I already had one FIV+ cat, I figured one more would be no problem, so I took him home.  And yes, I'm the one who named him Midnight.  I know it's an odd choice for a black cat, but I like to be original.

Midnight is a great cat.  He has very thick plush fur, and he loves to be petted.  He gets along great with the other cats, although he's not such a big fan of dogs.  He's actually much cuter than his picture looks, but I'm not so good at photographing black cats.  Especially when they want nothing more than to rub against the camera and won't stay in place for a picture.  Cats are much harder to teach to "stay" than dogs.

So that's it for the new fosters, at least for now.  For latest news and previews of soon-to-be foster pets, visit me on Facebook.

Charlie's Story

With every foster pet that comes in, a small part of me always keeps in mind that they are just a foster - they aren't staying.  But every once in awhile, no matter how much I try to keep a bit of distance, one of the foster pets just captures my heart and won't let go.  This is what happened with Charlie the cat.

I took in Charlie last October after he had been diagnosed as FIV+ by an area shelter.  He immediately decided that he owned the house, and should be allowed to do whatever he wanted.  This included things like decorating the Christmas tree, stealing my food as I was trying to eat, and sneaking out the door every chance he got, so he could go climb a tree:

Recently Charlie was re-tested for FIV since sometimes kittens who test positive will test negative as they grow older.  Unfortunately in this case Charlie tested positive again, but for Feline Leukemia, not FIV.  Feline Leukemia is a very serious virus that is the main cause of cancer in cats.  There is currently no cure, and most cats who test positive for Feline Leukemia don't live more than a few years.  Charlie was most likely diagnosed incorrectly at the shelter when he was a kitten, and was never FIV positive, but has been positive for Feline Leukemia all along.  Once I learned this news, I knew then that I'd be keeping Charlie for whatever amount of time he had left.  He had captured my heart from the moment he came here, and cats with Feline Leukemia are very difficult to find homes for.  

So I left Charlie listed on the website with information about Feline Leukemia, and accepted that he was basically my cat.  Charlie is the best cat - not because he is well behaved - he isn't - but because he is always affectionate and always purring.  He loves the dogs, and cuddles with them every chance he gets:

He sleeps with me every night, and entertains me every day.  At least he did, until a couple of weeks ago, when someone saw his information on the website and ended up adopting Charlie!  I am happy that he found a permanent home, but oh how I miss my cat!  I hope he has many more happy years in his new home. 

Charlie

Hairless Dogs - We've Got 'Em!

Charlie

My foster dog Charlie went to the vet to get checked out for some missing hair, and we learned he has demodex mange.  This is not contagious to other dogs, but it will require several months of treatment.  So in addition to medicine for the mange and medicine for secondary skin infections, Charlie will also be receiving weekly baths.  Poor guy is not very happy with me right now!  

 Charlie's not the only hairless dog around here though.  Meet Bogey, a Shar-Pei mix.  He's missing a lot more hair than Charlie, but he doesn't have mange or any other skin conditions that the vet can find.  They're doing some tests to try to determine the problem, but it may just be that Bogey is going to always be mostly hairless.  

Bogey

Bogey came to my house after escaping his previous foster home and going on the run for a week.  He had countless volunteers out looking for him and was spotted several times but was too shy to approach anyone.  Eventually he was caught in a live trap and came here.  He used to be best friends with Charlie at the shelter they both lived at, so I thought they might like seeing each other again.  However Charlie seems to think that since he was here first, he should get all the attention and he's not making Bogey feel welcome.  Poor Bogey is very afraid of me, doesn't want to play with the other dogs, and just looks really sad all the time.  

He's also getting medicine for ear infections and an injury he received while on the run, so I'm playing doctor a lot these days.  Hopefully Bogey will start to settle in soon and feel better.

In happier news, we've had several adoptions lately, including Allie the Border Collie mix puppy, Roo the pit bull mix, and Molly the Min-Pin/Puggle mix!  

Introducing Charlie Scaredy-Dog

Recently a no-kill shelter in a very rural area of the state asked for some help in moving out some of their dogs. They were willing to give other shelters and rescues their most adoptable dogs, but I decided I would rather help with a harder to adopt dog.  I picked out Charlie, a mixed breed dog who has been at the shelter longer than any other resident.

Charlie is now in a home for the first time ever.  He'd been living in the shelter since 2007, and has never experienced being a pet dog before.  He barks like crazy at the television because he can't understand where the people on TV are coming from.  He is scared of people and loud noises and new places.  He was very well cared for in the shelter, but in a place with so many dogs, and so few adopters, he wasn't lucky enough to get a home before now.  So Charlie is now here, and learning about being a pet dog for the first time.  He is great with the other dogs, and does okay with the cats too.  He will start going to adoption events and training classes every week so he can learn that other places aren't so scary.  And hopefully soon he'll find a home with a patient adopter who is willing to give him the time he needs to adjust.

There are many more dogs like Charlie waiting in no-kill shelters around the country.  Foster homes make a huge difference in the lives of these dogs because they can teach them about living in a home and help them prepare for an adoptive home.  I hope to get a second dog from this shelter this weekend, and several of our foster volunteers also took dogs from this shelter.  We usually take in dogs that are going to be euthanized, but it's nice to be able to help these dogs who were safe but don't have as much of a chance at being adopted.

Ziggy is still out on his trial adoption.  And Allie is meeting some potential adopters on Saturday, so hopefully she'll go to her new home and that will open up space for another foster.

Merry Christmas!

I'm trying a new kind of decoration on my Christmas tree this year.

Charlie the kitten - not just a decoration!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas!

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!

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!