Four Kittens and a Dog; Update on my fosters

Five of my foster pets were adopted this weekend!  Thunder and Stormy, two kittens from the Tornado litter, were adopted together.  And then Lightning and Raine, the other two kittens from the same litter, were also adopted together!  We always like to adopt out young kittens in pairs if possible, because it gives them a friend to play with in their new home.  So I was really excited to have all four of them go home in pairs.

In addition to the four kittens being adopted, Forrester was also adopted!

It was a great weekend, as several other puppies and dogs were also adopted.  It also gives me a much needed break, since for awhile there I had five foster dogs and eight foster cats.  Four foster dogs and four foster cats is a much easier number.  Here's a quick summary of my remaining fosters, in order of arrival:

Ziggy - Deaf pit bull, he got to stay home on Saturday because there wasn't enough room in the car for everyone to go.  I'm planning to alternate him and Tulsa at adoption events because both of them can be challenging to handle at PetSmart with all the strange dogs and people.

Kira, Kimba and Kona - All three cats are finally ready for adoption.  Kimba and Kona, the two kittens, went to adoptions today, and I don't think they'll take long to be adopted.  Kira, the momma cat, is still recovering from being spayed so she will not be ready for adoption events until next weekend.

Belle - Belle, the FIV positive calico cat, has settled in to life in my bedroom, and she enjoys spending her days looking out the window, and her nights cuddled up with me.  I had planned to take her to the adoption event today but somehow I forgot about her she managed to stay behind.  Adoption events aren't her favorite thing, but they're her best bet for finding a permanent home, so I'll try to take her next weekend.

Target - White and brown mixed breed dog - Target is doing great - he's learned to walk well on a leash, is crate trained and is doing very well with house-training.  He is very popular at adoption events, and I expect that he will soon be finding a home of his own.

Toby - Another white and brown mixed breed dog! - Toby is also doing great, and had a lot of fun at today's adoption event.  He got some great new toys from the lady who was responsible for getting him into foster care, and he loved the new toys and all of the attention from the volunteers and customers at PetSmart.

Tulsa - Deaf Blue Heeler, went to her first All Paws adoption event and did much better than expected.  She met and greeted several dogs without issue, and although she barked at dogs while in her crate, she was very good about not getting too excited when being held on leash.

The Best Things In Life Are Free

One thing I love about dogs is they don't care about brand names or what's in style.  They don't care if their toys come from a specialty pet store or a discount store.  I bet you can't guess where this wonderful toy came from:

Actually, this was Target's find.  Before it was a dog toy, it was a discarded broken plastic cup left under the deck.

But now, it's become a highly sought after, favorite dog toy.  Best find ever!

Three Out and Three In

Cleo, Brie and Sorbet were all adopted!!  I expected Brie and Sorbet to be adopted quickly, but I wasn't sure that they'd be able to be adopted together.  Fortunately a very nice guy came along who had previously had two littermates with completely opposite personalities, just like Brie and Sorbet, and he adopted them both!  And Cleo I also expected to be a quick adoption.  She was such a perfect dog at my house - well, except for wanting to eat the cats.  But when we got to the adoption event on Saturday, she quickly became a non-stop barker, a bully to other dogs, and a strong leash puller.  Basically she was very bratty and I feared she'd never be adopted.  So I was surprised when a nice older couple came along and asked about her.  I stood there with her pulling on the leash and barking away, and told them how she was a great dog - usually.  They have no cats, and a perfect home for her, so Cleo went out on a trial adoption this weekend.  I really hope she's behaving better at their house now than she did at the adoption event. 

Our group had a very good weekend at adoptions - in addition to my fosters, there were several cats and dogs placed into new homes, including Tucker - a foster who's been waiting almost as long as Ziggy for a new home!   


Somehow before Saturday's event had ended, I had already filled Cleo's spot with a new foster dog.  A lady showed up at PetSmart with this adorable dog in tow:

She explained that her daughter had rescued the dog as a puppy, along with 12 other puppies left in the freezing cold.  She found homes for all of them, but this puppy had mange and was returned by the person who originally took the dog.  So her daughter took the puppy back, and the lady was helping her daughter by keeping the dog at her house.  They treated the dog and had her spayed, and she'd been spoiled rotten at this lady's house.  But the lady lived in an apartment and due to a disability couldn't walk her, so the dog, who had been named Abby, needed a home with more space and a yard where she could run.  Sometimes people rescue dogs and do everything right by them, including giving them up when it's what is best for them.  I know it was very hard for the lady to give up Abby, but it won't take long until Abby is adopted.  She'll have a loving, wonderful home with a fenced in yard where she can run to her heart's content.  And in the meantime, she's having a blast running around my back yard and playing chase with my other foster dogs.  Then she cuddles up to me on the couch and falls asleep.  I love this dog. 

You may have noticed I said "other foster dogs".  That's because I have more than just Ziggy and Abby now.  Last week I took in two other foster dogs.  They're the same age as Abby - 5 months old - and just about the same size as her, so they love playing together.  Target and Forrester were also turned in by someone who couldn't care for them properly.  Another rescue volunteer contacted me about some dogs owned by a lady who had cancer and was losing her home.  She had been trying to save up to get her dogs spayed and neutered, but being on a tight income, she hadn't been able to come up with the money in time.  Unfortunately her vet, who knew she was saving up, never bothered to tell her about the low-cost spay/neuter options available, and she never knew she had any other options except to come up with hundreds of dollars for the surgeries.  So her dogs had litters.  And while some of the litter was taken in by another rescue, she still has four dogs waiting to get into rescue.  So I took two of the dogs now, and if no one steps forward to take the other two by the time these two are adopted, I'll try to take them then.   

Target and Forrester are having a hard time with the change in environment, in spite of their young age.  They've never had a collar and leash before, so they're not sure what to make of that.  I have to carry them if I want to take them anywhere. Everything new is scary, and it seems almost everything is new to them, but they're quickly adjusting.  Forrester, the brown one, is already becoming my shadow.  He's always right by my side.  He's also the braver of the two.  Target, the white dog, is still a little bit nervous around me, but he'll finally let me pet him.  Forrester never makes a sound, but Target is more vocal, and will bark at anything scary - like a school bus, or a stranger, or a cat.  They've had a few days to settle in, so today they're going to start dragging around their leashes to begin their leash training.  This will get them used to the feel and presence of a leash without anyone pulling on the other end.  We're also starting to work on some basic manners training like "don't jump up", and of course house training.  But it's not all work around here - most of the time, all I see of Abby, Forrester and Target is a blur that looks like this: