Flashback Friday

THEN:
Neo is a seven year old blue Neapolitan Mastiff. I fostered him last August for about three weeks before he was adopted. Neo is one of those rare dogs that we don't usually see in rescue. A rare and sought after purebred - he normally would have been easily adopted out. And in Neo's case, we did receive several applications on him once he was placed on the website. But as a giant-breed dog, Neo is approaching old age quickly. He has some health problems. And he drools. A lot.

Neapolitan Mastiffs - also known as Italian Mastiffs - are not as large as their English Mastiff counterparts (like Mango - at 230 pounds, he's the heaviest dog I know!)  Neapolitan Mastiffs have more wrinkles though - it's like a tradeoff.  I have a theory that more wrinkles = more drool.  Just look at his loose jowls - do they do doggie jowl-lifts?  All I know is he drooled everywhere.  Constantly.

Many people met him at adoption events and were immediately drawn to his many wrinkles and large size. And most were immediately repulsed by the constant drool, made worse by the fact that he was nervous. I wasn't worried about finding him a home - I just wanted to make sure it was the right home. So after a lot of thought and many e-mail conversations with one applicant, I finally set up a meeting for her to meet Neo.

Maria lives in Tennessee - I think she had about a nine hour drive just to come meet Neo. She drove here with her female Neapolitan Mastiff, who was also a rescue. She met me and Neo, and I immediately realized she was perfect for Neo. She was prepared for his medical issues, and with another Neapolitan Mastiff, was also prepared for the drool!  So I waited anxiously, hoping that she would come to the same decision. And she did!

NOW: 
So now Neo lives in Tennessee, on a farm with his mom and dad, a female Neapolitan Mastiff named Kira and a white Boxer named Chewy. Here is part of a recent e-mail from Maria, updating me on Neo.

"I thought I'd send you a couple more pictures of Neo and let you know he's doing awesome. He's such a cuddle bunny (if you can believe a bunny that weighs 130 pounds) and adores attention. He's my constant companion when I'm outdoors feeding critters or working on stuff around the farm. And loves to lay at my feet when I'm watching a movie. Probably so I'll scratch his back with my foot... LOL!"

She went on to say he's doing well on medication for his lower back inflammation, and that even though she has shown him several times that there is no back door to the chicken house, he still insists on running behind it and checking everytime she goes inside.  I love that he's so attached to her, and that he's so obviously happy in his pictures.  Thank you Maria!!

Neo was adopted!

Neo is one of my more interesting adoption stories.  He was an interesting mix of hard-to-place and highly adoptable.  If he wasn't such a rare breed of dog, he'd be considered very hard to place.  Between his advanced age, some hip problems, and the huge amount of drool he left everywhere, it would normally take a very special person to adopt him.  But because of his rare breed and large size, he actually had several people interested in him.  So the trick was to find that special person who knew what they were getting into with his age and health and constant drooling and would still give him a wonderful home. 

Here's where it gets interesting.  One of the first applications I received was from a lady who lives in Tennessee.   I generally don't like to adopt my foster animals out of state.  For one, if the adoption doesn't work out, I am not really wanting to drive 10 hours to pick the dog up if the adopter decides to drop the dog off at their local shelter.  Plus I didn't really like the idea of Neo going to someone who I couldn't meet in advance, short of when she actually showed up to pick him up.  It's hard to get a read on a person just from e-mail or phone calls sometimes.  And with Neo, I was even afraid someone might adopt him with his very low adoption fee and then turn around and sell him just to make money.  So my first thought on the application from Tennessee was "too risky".  So I kept looking. 

There are a lot of people locally who were interested, and I did have a few good applications, but I kept coming back to the Tennessee applicant.  We'd continued to talk via e-mail, and the more I talked to her, the more I liked her.  She has another Neapolitan Mastiff, so I knew she was prepared for the special needs of the breed (like constantly cleaning up drool).  She also has fostered and worked with rescues in the past, and her own Neapolitan Mastiff was also a rescue.  Eventually she convinced me that if she were to adopt Neo, he'd be a very loved and well-cared for dog.  So I said okay, how soon can you come meet him?  Less than two days later she made the ten hour drive with her own Neapolitan Mastiff to meet Neo.  And after meeting her, I was so glad I took a chance.  In fact, I asked her if she'd please consider adopting one more dog while she was here (thinking of Kermit!).  Of course she's got that one quality I admire most in rescue people - she knows how much time she has for her pets, and said she didn't want to adopt more than one dog because she wouldn't have enough time for the ones she already has.  Awesome.  I know that Neo is one lucky dog to be adopted by her. 

The other thing that made this adoption interesting was that while we introduced her mastiff and Neo at the local PetSmart, we had a number of people ask if we were going to breed them.  Uh, no.  I loved how she answered them - not judging them or preaching and making them feel bad, just explaining that they were both rescues, and there were so many dogs out there needing homes that she always adopted rescues instead of buying from a breeder.  I'm sure she'll have many more opportunities to educate people when they see her with a male and female purebred Neapolitan Mastiff, and I'm so glad that she's a great advocate for rescue.

Foster Pet Updates

I thought it was time for another update on my foster pets.  Today I'm taking a vacation day from work so I can go with my nephew to the Zoo, and in addition I managed to fit in three vet appointments on the same day.  This may sound like no big deal, until you realize that these three vet appointments are with three different vets!  Impressive, isn't it? :-)  I have to take advantage of my days off work when I can get them! 

Tessa - She's turned out to be such a wonderful dog.  She does whatever I ask of her, even when its difficult.  Like when she's trying to eat Noelle's food, and I call her to come, she listens even though she doesn't want to.  She's better behaved than my own two dogs.  She's started sleeping next to my bed, and no matter where I go, she always follows me. She's awesome. 

Artemis - Artie is back at my house after a short stay at PetSmart and he's doing well.  He's getting braver around the dogs every day, but he still prefers to spend most of his time in his own area where the dogs can't bother him.  He always comes out to give me a hug when I ask though.   

Scribbles - She purrs!  It's been so long since I've heard her purr.  She didn't purr much (if ever) while she was at PetSmart.  Now she's back and as soon as I pet her she starts up with this low growly purr sound that when I first heard it I mistook for a far-away motorcycle.  I like it.
Neo - I finally saw Neo looking excited.  And happy.  I didn't know he had it in him.  The excited look came first, when I introduced him to one of the cats.  He acted like a puppy, running all over and trying to play with the cat.  At least I think he wanted to play.  I didn't want to let him get too close in case he wanted to turn the cat into a snack.  Suffiice it to say he really likes cats.  And then later, when I took him outside and just spent some time petting him, I saw him act happy for the first time.  He is starting to adjust to life without his family, and starting to settle into his foster home.  He still does the loud mournful howl from time to time that makes me sad, but he's doing it less and less. 

Princess - She needs a home with kids who will play with her, or at least with adults who will give her a lot of attention.  She just loves people.  She does well with other cats too, so hopefully it won't take her long to find her very own family.  This will be my last update on Princess since next week she's going on to another foster home.  I will miss this sweet affectionate cat.  

Merlin - I am in love with this cat.  He's so cute and friendly and funny to watch.  He's not very brave though.  In fact, he runs away from scary things on a regular basis.  He also finds himself getting stuck a lot, since he'll climb up somewhere high (like the top of a dog crate) and then not be able to climb back down.  Every other kitten or cat I've ever had would've just jumped down, but not Merlin.  Did I mention he's not very brave?  But that's okay, he doesn't need to jump, because all he has to do is give his quiet pathetic little "meow" and I come running and carefully lift him into my arms and cuddle him, then set him back on the floor.  I never get tired of rescuing him. 

My foster pets are lucky.  And your pets, they're even luckier.  There are nine white pit bull puppies at a local shelter right now.  I desparately want to save them, but I can't.  They look a lot like the picture on the right.  That's a picture of Boo, a previous foster dog I had.  These nine puppies are even smaller than Boo was, and are only 5 or 6 weeks old.  They're going to be put down in a few days unless a rescue steps up and takes them. But many rescue groups are scared to rescue pit bull puppies, because of their breed.  They have to worry about liability and breed specific legislation and finding good adoptive homes.  So chances are very good that these puppies will die, less than two months after being born, for no fault of their own.  That's why the very few we're able to rescue, and those pets who are loved and cared for by their owners, are the lucky ones.  And that's why when you hear people preaching about spaying and neutering, it's easy to understand why.  They've seen the litters of puppies and kittens and adult pets being put down simply because there is no one to step forward and rescue them.  It happens every day and its heartbreaking to walk away from those animals, knowing their fate.  So give your pets an extra treat today and remind them how lucky they are.

Neo and Noelle

This is my girl Noelle.  She's laying on her favorite spot on top of the hot tub cover.  I have no idea what the piece of lumber next to her is.  It's been there all summer, while my husband has been finishing our basement.  I'm pretty sure its warped beyond use by now, but I keep forgetting to ask him why its still there.  I hope its not there to keep Noelle from jumping on the hot tub cover.  Because its not working. 

Noelle is my difficult dog. I think the term for her is dog-selective. In other words, she doesn't like most dogs on first sight. But over the past year I've been learning how to introduce her to other dogs properly, and at least when it comes to bringing in new fosters, we've done reasonably well together. She's gotten along with every foster dog I've brought in. Until Neo. She does not like Neo. Noelle and Tessa, the other female pit bull in the house, get along great. They run and play together constantly.  But Noelle does not like Neo, and the feeling appears to be mutual. 

Neo doesn't seem to like Tessa either, but he does okay with Remi.  Maybe he has something against pit bulls.  Or girls.  Huh... maybe he just doesn't like dogs who are smaller than him.  Or, maybe he doesn't like light-colored dogs.  It could be so many things.  A dog expert would probably tell me that Neo doesn't like dogs trying to engage him in play, and it has nothing to do with their breed or sex or size or color.  They'd probably tell me that he gets along okay with Remi because Remi leaves him alone, and as a senior dog, Neo really just wants to be left alone.  And sure, they could be right.  But I like to keep an open mind on these things.  It makes life more interesting. 

I read some good tips on introducing dogs to each other here.  This is basically what I've been doing with my new foster dogs anyway, but it had some helpful tips that I will be sure to try out for Noelle and Neo.  It may take awhile, and I can always hope that Neo gets adopted quickly, but in the event that he's with us for awhile I want to integrate him into our home as much as possible. 

Introducing Neo

Neo is a Neapolitan Mastiff.  We don't see these dogs a lot in rescue - they are relatively rare.  Neo is seven years old, and he weighs about 150 pounds.  Unfortunately for Neo, his family has to move and they are unable to take him.  I think this is why he looks so sad in this picture. 

Neo is a great dog, and although its obvious that he misses his family, he's very sweet and affectionate.  I am enjoying having him here until he is adopted. 

Calvin and Hobbes and Cilla were adopted!

Calvin and Hobbes, the Basset/Lab mix puppies, were adopted yesterday.  Calvin's new name is Dexter, and he went home with a very nice couple and several children who will hopefully be able to keep him busy and give him all the attention he seeks.  Hobbes is now named Red, and he is now being spoiled rotten by his new mom and dad.  I'm very excited for both puppies to have found such great homes.

Also, Cilla, my last kitten from the Sea Litter, was adopted this morning.  Cilla will have a great time with her new mom and dad and kids and a Chocolate Lab to give her a lot of love.  She is also a very lucky kitten.

Yesterday I brought home a very special new foster.  His name is Neo.  Stay tuned and I'll post all about him tomorrow.