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!

Adoption Events: What's Involved

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


Gonzo and Molly wait quietly at an adoption event.

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

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


Cookie, looking approachable

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


The ever-helpful Roo collecting donations.


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

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


Gonzo practicing his pathetic look.

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

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


Pleeease adopt me!



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!

Best Adoption Weekend Ever

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

Gonzo

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

Einstein

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

Eight other dogs also found their new homes on Saturday!