Morgan was Adopted

Back in August, I took home this dog:

Morgan is very small dog with a very big personality.  She has some problems with separation anxiety, and her skill as an escape artist made her a bit of a challenge to place into a home.  It didn't help that she spent her time at most adoption events getting very excited and barking every time she saw a new dog.  So I was very excited when a wonderful family saw her online and adopted Morgan.  I'm really hoping that she settles into her new home quickly and becomes a perfect fit.

This is Morgan being held by a member of her new family:

And here is Morgan modeling a Santa hat that her new family purchased for her.  I'm pretty sure she's being spoiled rotten.

Merry Christmas Morgan - I'm so glad you have finally found your home!

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!

Foster Pet Update

There have been a few changes around here lately.

Elton the Shiba Inu/Shepherd mix has been adopted!
Benny the Beagle/Corgi mix has been adopted!
Thumper the Bearded Collie mix has been adopted!
Kirby the funny looking kitten has been adopted!
Pogo the cat is on a trial adoption!
Roo the American Pit Bull Terrier mix is now being fostered by a new foster volunteer.
Cookie the Beagle mix puppy returned to her original foster home.  She came here because she was having some problems with getting along with other dogs, but now she's doing really well so she got to go back to her original foster family.

At this point perhaps you're thinking that I must be getting lonely with all of these foster pets gone.  But don't worry about me -- I'm keeping busy with these additional changes:

Morgan the escape artist Puggle is back at my house because she kept breaking out of the fence and escaping at her foster-to-adopt home.

Morgan and Gonzo

Cooper is a Black Lab mix who was turned into rescue by his owners once he became too big.  He and his littermate had lived their entire lives outside and never had any training, so when they saw their people they would jump up and knock down the kids, so the family decided to get rid of them.  I took Cooper and another foster home has his brother.  Now they're living in homes for the first time in their lives, learning manners and looking for a new family.

Cooper

Bailey is a Golden Retriever mix who was turned in to Animal Control as a stray.  She had no tags, no microchip, and no one ever came looking for her, so we pulled her, had her spayed, a bad tooth was removed, and she has been treated for ear infections in both ears.  She's doing great now and already has several adoption applications!

Bailey

I also had a very short-term foster dog - a Miniature Daschund/Beagle puppy came to stay for a few days, but then she was stolen.  Okay, she wasn't really stolen.  Another foster home offered to take her.  I knew the other foster home would be good for her because she would get more one-on-one attention.  And it would help me to have one less foster and not have to take off work to get her to the vet.  But oh how I miss that puppy!  Her name is now Paisley and she is doing very well in her new foster home.

Catching Up; Introducing Ellie and Elton

I have a lot of foster dogs right now.  I'm pretty much at the maximum number of fosters I can adequately care for without losing my mind.  So I was really excited on Saturday when Morgan the Puggle went to a foster-to-adopt home.  I checked in with Morgan's new mom and was so glad to hear that she's doing very well.  We talked a lot about Morgan's separation anxiety before they took her home, but I was still concerned that it would be an issue.  So it was exciting to hear that Morgan is fitting in quite well, and her new mom is willing to be patient with her and help her to adjust.  She said "I like to think of Morgan more as having really attentive bodyguard tendencies than separation anxiety".  I love that.

Teddy the Poodle also went to a foster-to-adopt home.  Usually a dog like Teddy would have just been adopted instead of being fostered first, but in this case the family who wanted him has children with dog allergies, so this is a good way for them to be sure the children are not too allergic to him.  So far everything is going well.

Kona and Kimba the kittens went up to stay at PetSmart in hopes that they will find forever homes.  Kimba had a bad habit of waking me up at 4am each morning by licking my face and purring non-stop.  When I would put the pillow over my face, she's start pulling my hair with her teeth, while still purring.  When I pushed her off the bed 15 times in a row, she just kept coming back.  I am sleeping much better at night now that the kittens are at PetSmart.

Tulsa the deaf Australian Cattle Dog and Roxy the American Pit Bull Terrier both have applications pending on them.  Both dogs are challenging to place into homes because of their breeds, so I'm trying not to get my hopes up that they'll be adopted.  The family who wants Tulsa has another ACD so they're familiar with the breed, but at the initial meeting the two dogs didn't do so well together, so we'll let them meet again this weekend and see how it goes.  Roxy gets along with everyone, but the family who wants her has a dog who is picky about his dog friends, so we'll have to see how they do together first.  So within the next week we should find out if even one of these very-hard-to-place dogs soon has a forever home!

So since many of my fosters have left or are in the process of leaving, you're probably wondering who all these dogs are that are keeping me on the edge of insanity.  Have you met Ziggy?  He alone can keep anyone on the edge...  Oh wait.  I mean, let me introduce you to Ellie and Elton.

Elton

Ellie

Elton and Ellie came from a high-kill shelter in a nearby county.  They are under a year old, and are silly, happy dogs.  They're probably going to be very quick adoptions, because they're both rather small (under 25 pounds) and so incredibly sweet.  We're not sure what breeds they're made up of, but Ellie acts a lot like Tulsa, so I'm betting there is some Australian Cattle Dog in there somewhere.  They do great with the other dogs and the cats here, and are a lot of fun to have around. 

Group Photo

I recently took the opportunity to take a short nap on the couch, and even after I got up, most of the dogs and cats stayed where they were, so I took a group picture.  

Please note that Teddy the poodle's preferred sleeping spot is on top of my pillow, whether I'm using it or not.  Also please note the woebegone look on the face of Roxy and Morgan.  Perhaps this is because they knew that things are changing around here.  Less than a week later, three of the five foster pets in this picture are no longer here, and the last two both have adoption applications pending!  In addition, I have three new foster dogs here, and two new foster cats on the way.  I'll have more details soon, so stay tuned.  

Wordless Wednesday

Happy....

Happy...

Happy... (and shaved!)

Grumpy.

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 Morgan

I walked into the animal shelter with plans to talk to one of the workers about a cat, and then get out.  I had six foster dogs at home, and no interest in adding to that number.  But of course it's very difficult, if not impossible, for a dog rescuer to enter an animal shelter and NOT look at the dogs.  So I decided to just walk through and say hi to them - nothing more.  There was a beautiful red pit bull there, appropriately named "Red".  He lay by the door, looking quietly at me.  He looked sad, and he didn't get up or bark or do anything but look at me with big eyes that looked hopeless.  I had just found out that my work was going to be laying off people at the end of the year, and I was one of the people who would be cut, so I was just as sad as he was.  His family had gone to a homeless shelter and had to turn him in to the animal shelter.  He felt even more lost than I did at that moment.  So I felt an instant connection to him.  Still, I have Ziggy and Roxy, both pit bull fosters, and it would be very tough to bring in another big dog right now, so I kept walking and greeting all the dogs.  Then I stopped back by the office and let them know that if Red ran out of time, to please contact me first.  Like most shelters and rescues in the area (and all over the country), pit bulls are very difficult to adopt out.  I don't know if I'll be able to save Red even if they contact me, but I couldn't just leave him there without doing something.  If Roxy or Ziggy (ha) gets adopted then Red will be the first pit bull I will try to save.  As it was, as I talked to the manager about Red, she told me about another dog that was out of time right then.  This dog was a puggle. Puggles are a designer mix of a Pug and a Beagle.  They're not my favorite breeds, and our group already had two Puggles available for adoption, so I immediately thought I'd be able to say no.  I wasn't looking for a new foster dog, and especially not another problem dog.  As sad as it was that this dog was out of options, I have to say no to dogs that are out of options every day, so this one would be no different.  Then she showed me the puggle.  And I sighed.  Because the puggle was so extraordinarily cute and happy to see us.  She jumped in the air, and ran in circles, and smiled a giant smile.  And she cheered me up and made me forget all my problems.  And I couldn't walk away.  I asked about the reason she was out of time, and they explained that she had separation anxiety.  Many dogs have this to some degree, including my foster dog Roxy, so I wasn't too concerned.  But the reason they weren't making her available for adoption anymore was because she'd already been adopted and returned.  And adopted again and returned.  Then a third time.  And a fourth.  After the fourth return, they said they couldn't keep doing that to her.  Obviously her separation anxiety issues were pretty severe, and not something they were able to work with in a shelter environment.  But the only complaint the last owners had made when they returned her was that she barked nonstop when they left and the neighbors had complained.  I live in the country and have no close neighbors, so I said okay, I'll take her and see what I can do.  

I took her to my mom's house and kid-tested her with my young niece and nephews.  She did great!  Then I took her home and cat tested her - passed with flying colors.  Then a slower introduction to the other dogs, and again, she was perfect.  Then after she was settled in and comfortable, we performed the first test of her separation anxiety.  I put her in a wire crate with a bed, some water, and a couple of toys.  I sat down on the couch in the next room where she could still see me, and I ignored her as she barked and cried.  This went on for awhile, and I wasn't looking at her because I didn't want to encourage the barking.  Suddenly I realized the barking sounded closer.  I looked over, and she was out of her crate and standing behind the baby gate, still trying to get to me.  So I investigated and this is what I found:

 Somehow she'd managed to bend out the wires in the top of the crate and crawl out.  I was amazed.  She then proceeded to jump over the three foot high baby gate to get to me.  I was even more amazed.  So I named her Morgan after the famous female escape artist.  Because if the human Morgan ever needs an assistant, I think puggle Morgan is the one for her!

I have had to leave Morgan a couple of times since she arrived, and have found a plastic crate that so far she has not figured out how to escape from.  She does continue to bark while I'm gone, but I've received some helpful advice from some Facebook friends and I don't think her separation anxiety is anything too serious.  We'll keep working on it and I'll try to find her a permanent home with someone who is able to also work with her, and is home most of the time to make it as easy on her as possible.  Until then, I guess she's my therapy dog, because it's hard to be sad when you have a dog who looks at you like this: