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.

Introducing Maddie

This is Maddie.  She's a one year old purebred Australian Shepherd.  A very nice lady contacted the rescue community for help recently.  She had met Maddie at a breeder's facility and was able to get her released with the intention to find her a new home.  When a month went by and they still weren't able to find her a home, they asked for help.  

So here's the bad news about Maddie.  The breeder where she came from is an 85-year-old woman trying to take care of over 100 dogs by herself since her husband died.  The dogs are not getting the care they need.  Maddie has spent her entire life living outdoors with little to no socialization.  She's scared of everyone.  She has a problem with her back leg or hip that causes one leg to turn outward.  She was from a litter where both parents were merles (genetic color pattern).  They should never have been allowed to breed, because statistically 25% of the litter would be double merles.  Often double merles have hearing deficiencies and they may also have a variety of eye defects. Maddie is a double merle and appears to be partially deaf.  

But there's good news too.  The best news is Maddie was rescued from her living situation by the family who contacted rescue for help.  Maddie is still young and with some work I know she will  learn to enjoy being around people.  She still has partial hearing and in addition to being beautiful she is great with other dogs and fine with cats - all things that will help her to find just the right home.  She'll be spayed and vaccinated and get any needed medical care for her bad leg.  She'll be living indoors for the first time in her life, and learn all about being spoiled and sleeping on soft beds and eating chicken and special treats.  We'll work on house-training and positive reinforcement for every new experience.  And someday soon she'll find an adoptive home where she'll be spoiled rotten for the rest of her life.  In spite of her sad beginnings, Maddie is one of the lucky ones, because she made it into Rescue.

So far Maddie has not made a sound since I brought her home two days ago.  She found refuge on the fireplace hearth, and has chosen to sleep there since she arrived.  She doesn't leave the hearth unless I pick her up and carry her outside.  Then she walks around the yard, relieves herself and waits for me to come get her and carry her back in.   The first few times I had trouble catching her.  Then she let me come get her, and this morning she even came in the door herself!  She still ran straight to her fireplace refuge, but I'm happy with her progress.  I've provided food and water on the hearth and am giving her a lot of space while she gets accustomed to life in a home.  The TV was a new experience for her I believe - she looked quite confused by the box that suddenly had moving pictures on it.  She has never shown any signs of aggression, and since she doesn't move or make a sound, so far she's been much more of a household decoration than a living dog.  I do enjoy having such a beautiful decoration, but I am ready for her to transform into a real dog, because that's what she was made to be.