Kai on Pitter Patter

I fostered Kai last June and July. She was a sweet, wonderful dog, and I fell in love with her immediately. She was shy and scared of new things like going through doorways, or loud noises, or walking on a leash. It took almost two months before we got to the point she would walk all the way around the block without me having to carry her back home! But every day she made small improvements, and by the time she was adopted she was a very different dog than when she came to my house. At first, one of the things she was scared of was cameras. So in most of the pictures I took she looked terrified. Of course I didn't see the point in wasting such adorable pictures, although they didn't do much to help her get adopted. So recently I sent in one of the early pictures I took of her to Pitter Patter - and on Monday, she was featured on their website!

For those of you who don't know, Pitter Patter is a website that features pictures of pit bulls and pit bull mixes with funny captions. You can send them pictures of your dogs (or foster dogs!) and they may choose it to post on their website. They come up with all the captions and they are always amusing!

Below is a short video from last summer of Kai looking happy, and a 2-second clip of Noelle on the end. Noelle likes to jump up onto the hot tub cover, and I just happened to catch her on video trying to jump up and not quite making it. :-)

Kai was adopted; I adopted Noelle!

Kai was adopted at PetSmart yesterday by a very nice lady who met her and fell in love. She will be in a great home with a fenced yard and another dog friend to play with. I am missing her but I'm so happy she found a good home!

Also, I finally gave in and adopted my long-term foster dog Noelle. I've had a rough couple of weeks and through it all she's been there for me to make me feel better. We rescued her from the pound when she was only a puppy, and we've had her for nine months now. We're the only life she's ever known and she's bonded so closely to myself and my husband that I can't bear to send her away. I always thought if I adopted another dog it would be one that I'm typically drawn to (sweet and shy) and one that's great with other dogs and cats. Instead I have fallen in love with a dog who's the complete opposite! She is the most outgoing dog - never intimidated by anything - never meets a person she doesn't love - never lets anything deter her from her goals. She's also leash-reactive and iffy around some dogs, and enjoys chasing cats. Not the ideal for a foster mom, but perfect for a wanna-be dog trainer to practice with, I guess. :-) But most of all she's got those typical pit bull qualities - she is loyal, loving, affectionate, funny, and wants nothing more than to be with her family and show how much she loves us. I adore her and I'm so happy that she's now officially mine. :-)

New pictures!

Here are some new pictures of my Sea Litter kittens. First is Cabbie. He's not only adorable but also so affectionate. I love his laid-back personality.



Next is Cabbie's sister - Cilla. She is stalking one of the dogs in this first picture which is why her tail is straight up in the air and very fluffy!

Third is Chessie. She's the high energy kitten of the group - always on the go, and always getting into trouble. She's so friendly and cute and good at making me laugh.



Last but not least is Capri. She's become my all-time favorite cat foster ever. I have never been so attached to any other foster cat - she's kind of the feline version of Coal for me. Coal was the first foster dog I fell in love with when I started fostering, and until Noelle there's never been another dog that I've connected with in the same way. It was really hard to adopt out Coal, but I was very fortunate that the family who adopted him not only gave him a good home but has done an awesome job of keeping me updated on him and bringing him to PetSmart so I can visit with him! I can only hope I am so lucky in finding a similar situation for Capri (hey Bernice, want another cat?) :-D

This weekend I'll be taking Kai, Mercury and Solara to PetSmart to try to find homes for them. Oh, I have exciting news! Angie, the volunteer who found Andy the beagle, came over last night and we walked dogs, and Kai made it ALL THE WAY AROUND THE BLOCK!!! I was so excited. :-) We tried using a harness instead of a regular collar, and that seems to have helped. She's now officially no longer a shy scaredy-dog, and while we'll keep working on walks on leash, she's able to start on the regular obedience training - no jumping on people or counter-surfing, learning to sit/stay, and so on. She now loves to greet new people and new dogs, and has no fear of anything at my house, so I'm very proud of her.

Raven was adopted!

My foster puppy Raven was adopted on Saturday. Chip doesn't even seem to realize she's gone. When I foster puppies that young I like to expose them to as many new things as possible. Puppies who meet a lot of different people and a lot of different animals, and experience a lot of different places and things will generally do better in new situations as they get older. There's a trade-off because puppies that young can be at a higher risk of disease since their immune system isn't fully developed, so I can't just take them to the park or the store to meet people. I have one friend, another Heartland volunteer, who has been great about coming over everytime I have puppies to help me socialize them. She came over on Friday so both Raven and Chip got to meet another new person. We also took Remi and Noelle for a walk around the neighborhood. I've been working on teaching Noelle to use a Gentle Leader collar instead of a regular collar, since she pulls so hard on the leash. She's still getting used to it though, and Friday she tried several times to get it off, and in the process she scraped her nose on the concrete. I kept teasing her that she was just trying to be a red-nosed pit bull (some pit bulls have red noses instead of black noses, and some people prefer this for looks). Fortunately her nose is looking much better today! We tried to take Kai on a walk also - she's getting better, and she'll actually walk farther now on a leash than she ever has, but we still could only get her to go about two houses down from mine before she got overwhelmed and stopped walking. Every time she goes a little bit farther though, and its rewarding to watch her improve.

Another volunteer stopped by yesterday to drop off a leash attachment she made for Noelle (hooray - another new person for Chip to meet!). And after that a third Heartland volunteer came over to help me with my kitten fosters. We rearranged the locations of a bunch of them, and she spent hours helping me clean and move everybody. My Sea Litter (Cilla, Capri, Caboose and Chessie) are now staying in the living room, and they're having a blast running around and exploring the new location. Kai and Noelle are really enjoying them too! Chip doesn't seem to mind them either way - he'll play with them but then he gets distracted by a toy or a piece of string or a noise and he forgets all about them. It's not that he's not smart - but he has a shorter attention span than a kitten - and that's saying something! He's the first to stick his nose into every open door or cabinet or drawer and check things out, but he doesn't get himself into too much trouble because by the time I get to him, he's already moved onto something else!

The great thing about my dogs...

Maybe all dogs aren't like this, but my dogs are the greatest. When I have a bad week, they always cheer me up. If I come home from work in a bad mood, I can't help but smile when Kai runs to greet me with her ears flopping up and down and a big smile on her face. I have to laugh to watch my foster puppies trip over each other trying to be the first one out the door. Remi lets me hug him and his soft fur catches my tears. And Noelle listens while I rage against the injustice in the world and then licks my face to comfort me. The fact that she's deaf doesn't stop her - she listens with her heart - better than most people or dogs ever could. My dogs are my best friends, and I can't imagine life now without having a dog. They share in the heartaches of life but they also share in the joy, and bring more joy than I ever thought possible. I know someday Kai will find her own home, and bring that same joy to another family. Maybe even Noelle will find her home and be able to rescue someone else like she rescues me now. I look forward to that day because I know they will have brought comfort and joy to more people, and we all need that. And I'll still have Remi to catch my tears whenever I miss my other best friends.

Sedna was adopted!; Update on my fosters

It was a busy weekend for Heartland volunteers. In addition to our regular adoptions at PetSmart, we had two other events going on. Some of our volunteers went to a special off-site adoption event, and they were nice enough to take a couple of my foster cats for me. One of the cats, Sedna, found a new home at the event. Thanks to Julie, Ashley, Sue and Lisa for volunteering at this event! Other volunteers held a bake sale fundraiser at Dierberg's. They did a great job raising money for Heartland! Thanks to Brenda, Erin, Becky, Teresa, Lisa, and Michael, and all the volunteers who donated baked goods for the event.

Here's an update on my fosters. I started this blog so I could write about my foster pets and go back later to read it and remember them and things about them, so I want to write a bit about everyone I have right now (no counting please).

Noelle - She turned one year old this week! Happy Birthday my girl. Noelle is the longest term foster I've had, and the favorite foster I've had. She gets so excited to see me every time, and just comes flying at me wagging her tail as fast as she can. She had a home visit with a family this week that sounded like a perfect fit, and I was scared I would lose her - but she attacked their dog and so she came back home with me. Last night I gave her a donated stuffed animal, and she got to engage in her favorite pastime - destuffing! Tonight after work I get to go home and pick up stuffing that is spread all over the bedroom. She's worth the extra work though. :-)

Kai - Kai is a temporary foster dog that I've had a hard time letting go. Her foster mom finally convinced me she should come back to her, so later this week she'll go back to her original foster home. She's such a good dog - rather timid and shy, but she's improved so much in the past few weeks. Her favorite thing to do is to sit by the baby gate that blocks the hallway to the back rooms where the kittens are. She LOVES the kittens - a little too much. She will sit at that gate for hours, waiting for a glimpse of the kittens. Even when I have the bedroom doors shut so no kittens could possibly come out, she still sits there staring down the hall, looking for them.

Gator - Gator has improved a lot in the past couple of weeks - he no longer bites my shoes or feet or legs every second that he can. Now he only does it once every 10 or 15 seconds! He has the cutest puppy gallop, and when I call the dogs and they all come running, he is so cute always lagging behind everyone else because he's too little to keep up. I was hoping that Gator would be adopted this weekend, since he's such an adorable puppy, but he was not. I recently received an e-mail from another Heartland volunteer who's neighbor brought her a puppy that she didn't want. So in order for me to take in that puppy, another Heartland volunteer offered to take Gator and foster him. So tonight Gator goes to a new home. He's already been there to be "dog-sat" for a few hours, so I'm sure he'll do fine - actually he'll be spoiled rotten - first time foster homes are usually awesome at that. :-)

Pip - Pip is a very small beagle mix who is living in my daughter's room with some kittens. He acts JUST like a kitten - I'm a little concerned that he doesn't know how to be a dog. It would be good for him to be around other puppies or dogs right now, but he's so little that he'll get hurt playing with any of my other dogs, so he just has me and the kittens to play with. He likes to climb up on my shoulder when I hold him, and he likes to play with feather toys, and he loves to wrestle with the kittens. He sleeps in a cat bed too.

Rowdy - Rowdy hasn't been properly introduced yet, but I'll introduce him and post his picture soon. Rowdy is, well, he's the opposite of rowdy. He's very laid back for the most part. He loves to go outside and roll in the grass. He doesn't appear to care for bones or most treats. He doesn't want to play with most toys. He mostly wants to sit in your lap and be petted. Then maybe go for a walk, then straight back into the air conditioning for some more petting.

Scribbles - My foster cat who is living at PetSmart. She's kind of taken Whisper's place as the "cat with an attitude" at PetSmart now that Whisper is adopted. I hope Scribbles gets a home soon too - she is such a sweet cat when she's not at PetSmart or around other animals, but no one has been able to see that since she's kind of mean while she's there.

Marco & Polo - These guys are also living at PetSmart temporarily, and they get a lot of attention up there. They're my most laid-back cats I've had in a long time. Although that could just be because I'm used to hyper kittens all the time now. :-)

Anastasia - The last of the Disney litter, Stasi is living up at PetSmart temporarily and hopefully will be adopted quickly. She's my little complainer - she is very vocal and quick to complain if she's unhappy, but she's also quick to purr if she's happy.

Mercury & Venus - The last two of the Solar System litter - they're doing great. Both of them constantly try to sneak out of the bedroom they're in and join the rest of the house, even though Kai is stalking them on the other side of the gate. They are super affectionate and friendly and purr everytime I pick them up. These kittens are going to be big - they're about double the size of the Disney litter at the same age.

Chessie - She's the most playful of all the kittens I have. She's constantly running or climbing or jumping.

Capri - I never particularly wanted a Siamese cat - I've never been drawn to their looks, and was surprised they are always in such high demand. But I think if I adopted a cat of my own, it might be Capri. She's a Siamese mix - cream with chocolate points, and blue eyes, and she's so affectionate. I can't figure out what it is about her that makes me want to keep her so much, but I am considering the idea of adopting her.

Cabbie & Cilla - These two kittens are so funny - they're roly-poly kittens who are probably a week or two younger than Capri and Chessie. Cabbie has a cold right now, and Cilla has some missing hair so they're both quarantined from the rest of the kittens while they undergo treatment. They don't seem to mind so much though - they are playful but not as much as Chessie - and they're affectionate but not as much as Capri. They're mostly happy with each other, a few toys, someplace comfortable to sleep, and lots of canned kitten food.

Introducing Kai

Rags the puppy has gone on to his permanent foster home, and now I have a new short-term foster dog. Her name is Kai, and she is the sweetest puppy. She's the kind I always fall for - the ones that are so sweet but so scared of the world. She's afraid to go through doorways, and afraid of being on a leash, and afraid of loud noises. But she loves to cuddle and I'm hoping she gets over her fears soon and realizes that she is safe now. I'm only supposed to have her for a few days - dog-sitting for her permanent foster mom - but I might try to hold onto her a little longer. She's one of the special ones that I'd adopt for myself if there was any way that I could.
Here's a short video of Kai, and a 2-second clip of Noelle on the end. Noelle likes to jump up onto the hot tub cover, and I just happened to catch her on video trying to jump up and not quite making it. :-)