Amazing Adoptions

The main reason I foster is because I love helping dogs go from awful circumstances to awesome homes.  This week has been especially amazing with adoptions.  

My foster dog Ellie, pictured here before she was released from a shelter, was originally picked up as a stray and scheduled to be euthanized.  She was very shy and fearful.  

After a few weeks in foster care, she's a totally different dog.  She's been spayed and vaccinated and learned to walk on a leash and feel safe around people.  And now she's been adopted and is loving her new life with her new family.  

Next it Tulsa, the deaf Australian Cattle Dog who's been bounced around her entire life.  A cattle dog is not an easy breed to keep for a pet, and no matter how much people say they can handle the high drive and high intensity of a cattle dog, they often change their minds after a few weeks or months.  In Tulsa's case, she's been through several homes and kept coming back to foster care, until now.  Tulsa went to a foster-to-adopt home a few weeks ago, and yesterday we made the adoption official.  I really like her new mom, and feel confident that this home will be her forever home!  Tulsa is living with another cattle dog, so I know her family is familiar with the breed, and they are very in love with Tulsa.  We couldn't ask for a better home for her.  

And one more amazing adoption this week was Roxy the American Pit Bull Terrier.  Roxy is a wonderful dog - good with people, other dogs, cats - she's just very friendly!  This is Roxy with another All Paws volunteer. 

 As you can see, Roxy loves to give kisses.  Roxy always was happy to wear the donation vest at adoption events.  She earned her Canine Good Citizen certification while in foster care, and she became my best friend.  It was really hard to let Roxy go - she's an amazing dog, and I miss her every day.  But I know that right now she has a new best friend - a 19 year old who just loves her.  And although she will always have a very special place in my heart, her adoption means I'm able to save another pit bull now that would otherwise be euthanized.  

In addition to all of these adoptions, I have one more exciting announcement.  No, Ziggy is not being adopted.    But Bunny the feral Bichon just went into a foster-to-adopt home!   Bunny made a lot of progress while in foster care.  She learned to enjoy cheese, dog treats, and dog chews.  She learned that people weren't as scary as she originally thought.  She got started on house-training and leash training.  She learned to chase cats (even though I never taught her this, she loves it!).  Her personality really came out, and she became very attached to me, and would even come greet me and let me pet her.  She still has a long way to go, but her new foster family is willing to give it a try and see how she does.  They have another Bichon and two Westies that they've rescued, and that will help Bunny a lot to feel safe with other dogs around.  I am hopeful that this will work out and Bunny will have her very own home for the first time in her life.  

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.

Dog Update

Gizmo

Gizmo has been adopted!  He is now living with a family with six kids, another dog and a cat!  I can only imagine the mischief he will be able to get into with that crew.  It's a wonderful family and I think he'll be very happy.

Huey

Huey was also adopted!  He was the only puppy to get adopted this past weekend, but hopefully the others will have better luck this coming weekend.  Donald, Daisy, Dewey and Louie are starting to grow a lot, and starting to develop their own personalities now.  Donald and Dewey are the two cuddle-bugs.  They just want belly rubs and attention.  Daisy and Louie are too busy running around and playing tug to stop for cuddles.  They're into everything!

Bunny

Bunny is still doing about the same.  She continues to enjoy the outdoors, and continues to take treats from me, but still doesn't like to be petted.

Tulsa

When I first fostered Tulsa as a puppy several years ago, my husband really didn't care for her.  So I am really enjoying the fact that she's improved so much that he actually asked to foster her!  Since he's still living at our old house with our dogs Remi and Noelle, I didn't expect him to ever want to foster another dog.  But several times while he was here at the cabin he commented on how much Tulsa has improved, and eventually said he'd like to take her to his house to foster!  So last week Tulsa moved back to our old house, where she's doing great with Remi and Noelle.  We're still trying to find her a permanent adoptive home, and I'll still be taking her to adoption events, but in the meantime it's nice to know she's somewhere that she is doing so well.

Ziggy

And then there's Ziggy.  I'm very happy that he's back, but he told me today that he's ready to go back and live with his second mom again.  He's talking about the trainer who has been fostering him and working with him for several weeks.  She's awesome, but I told Ziggy that she might not want him to come back again.  He said that was ridiculous.  So we'll see.  We've been trying to learn how to do agility weave poles, and I may have been pushing him too hard, because he says that she's more fun than I am. So now I'm determined to change that, and we'll be going for another river walk soon - one of Ziggy's favorite things!

Roxy

Roxy is still continuing with her Canine Good Citizen classes.  She's learned to lie down on command and is doing very well with her stay command.  Around here she's doing much better too - she doesn't follow me everywhere, and will lay down across the room instead of having to be touching me constantly.  She's such a great dog, and I really enjoy fostering her.

Toby

You may have noticed that there have been several dogs leaving here recently (Phil, Gizmo, Tulsa, etc) and not so many dogs coming in.  There's a deaf dog in Memphis that I'm hoping to foster soon, so I want to leave some room for him.  And since Roxy had no one to play with, I also brought home Toby for a short visit.  I fostered Toby a few months ago, and then he moved to another foster home for awhile.  He'll be going back to that foster home again soon, but for now he's taking a short vacation with me.  He's a great dog, but he has so much energy that it's difficult to get him to ever calm down.  This is probably the main reason he hasn't been adopted yet.  He goes to adoption events every week, and hopefully his turn will come soon!

Pirates and Alligators

I just found some old pictures on my camera from when I was fostering Ritter a few weeks ago.  I took Ritter, Ziggy and Tulsa on a walk by the river, and the walk went something like this:

We set off, with the dogs leading the way but not pulling (most of the time).  I had all three leashes attached to my belt which let me keep my hands free for important things like photography and skipping rocks.

We paused to watch the salvage ship at work.  It's busy digging up a pirate ship filled with treasure.  At least that's what I told Ritter.  

Then we stopped to watch the freshwater alligators (or so Ritter believes).  Ziggy wanted to go play in the water, but I said no. 

Things were progressing nicely until we came to several piles of bones on the trail.  I explained to Ritter that the alligators must have eaten one of the pirates.  I think he believed me.

The bones presented a challenge for me, since Ziggy is bone aggressive.  Fortunately there were plenty of pirate bones to go around.  Tulsa preferred to give hers a thorough sniffing.

Ritter was happy to roll in his pile of bones. Very happy.  Maybe pirate bones are like catnip for dogs.

Ziggy chose a bone to chew along the way, and I quickly got the dogs moving again.  We stopped once more to admire the view. Ziggy chose to lay in his favorite "frog leg" position, as close to the water as possible.

Tulsa and Ritter stayed with me up by the trail and enjoyed the cool breeze.  

Finally we had to go home, where we all slept soundly and dreamed of pirate treasure, or pirate bones.

Dog Foster Update

It was a very busy weekend, starting on Friday night with a dog training seminar, then an adoption event all day Saturday, and another adoption event on Sunday in between a CGC class with Roxy and an agility class with Ziggy.  Here's an update on all my dog fosters:

Duchess

Duchy was adopted on Saturday!  She was such an easy dog to foster, because she had perfect manners and was very calm.  I really miss her, but I'm happy that she has a good home!

Roxy

Roxy went to adoptions on Saturday and Sunday, and she did very well.  If I ever get her to pay attention to anyone other than me at events, I think she'll get adopted rather quickly.  In the meantime, we started our first CGC class today, and we were total failures.  I was so used to Ziggy who was already well trained in obedience, that I didn't know what to do with a dog who has no concept of down/stay/heel/etc.  It didn't help that we'd just left an adoption event and she was already tired out.  We'll practice a lot this week and hopefully next week's class will go better.

Tulsa

And then there's Tulsa, the deaf Australian Cattle Dog.  Tulsa doesn't do well at adoption events - she barks at every dog she sees.  So she stayed home on Saturday, and only went to Sunday's adoption event which was a shorter event.  I covered her crate up and it was a rather slow day so it went pretty well, meaning she didn't drive everyone crazy with nonstop barking!

Bunny

Bunny, the Bichon from the puppy mill, also went to Sunday's adoption event.  She got a haircut while we were there, so she looks a little less fluffy now than she did in this picture.

Ziggy

Ziggy, the deaf pit bull, has been staying at another foster home for the past week.  I have to admit I have missed him, just a little bit.  He went to stay with a dog trainer, and she said he was a perfect angel almost all week.  So he's staying another week so she can get to know what he's really like (hint: not an angel).  So I got to see him at the training seminar and at agility class and then send him back with the trainer afterwards.

Phil

Since the trainer took Ziggy home, I took her foster dog Phil to my house.  He is doing great here.  He loves to play with Roxy, and he gets along really well with all of the dogs.  He constantly has to have something in his mouth, and will carry around a ball or chew toy for hours.  He went to Saturday and Sunday's adoption events and received a lot of attention just for being so cute!

Dog Communication

One of the main ways that dogs communicate with each other, as well as with humans, is through body language.  It's a language that can impart many concepts and emotions, but if humans don't learn to understand it, we can often miss what a dog is trying to tell us.  There are many books and websites that deal with the subject, so I won't bore you with details.  But here is an example of dog body language that we think means one thing and it often means something else:

A dog rolls onto his side and lifts his rear leg as if asking for a belly rub.  If this is a dog that knows you and/or loves belly rubs, that could be precisely what he's saying.  But if it's a dog you don't know well or that you're meeting for the first time, what he may be actually saying is "I'm smaller than you and I don't mean any harm, please don't hurt me."  Unfortunately we often respond to this message by walking straight up to the dog and rubbing their belly, when the polite thing to do is to look away, maybe bend down to make yourself smaller, and encourage the dog with high pitched happy talk that you mean him no harm.  By looming over him and reaching out and touching him you're simply reinforcing to him that you're bigger and meaner than he is, thus scaring him further!  If you wait to pet him until he gets up and comes to you, then you'll have one very happy dog, because you understood him and responded appropriately.  

I took this short video of my foster dogs playing, and it's amazing to see all of the body language that they use to communicate:

What did you see?  I saw some play bows (where a dog bends down on his front legs to communicate he wants to play), some "look aways" (a dog looks away to communicate he means no threat), and at one point, Roxy the brindle pit bull had her hackles raised (hair on the back of her neck stood up).  That was a sign she was too excited and the other dogs sensed it and backed away so it didn't escalate into a fight.  These signs happen so quickly that it's hard to catch in the act!  But note that two of these three dogs are deaf.  Do you think that made any difference in how they communicate? 

I often have luck communicating to a dog that they need to do something (or stop doing something) by whether I look directly at them or look away, move toward them or away, and so on.  I think fostering deaf dogs has helped me to communicate better with hearing dogs as well, because I have learned to rely more on body language which is the natural communication method of dogs.  Do you use body language to communicate with your dogs?

By the way, sometimes deaf dogs also use verbal communication, such as growls or barks, to communicate even though they can't hear.  This photo was taken during the above play session.  I think Ziggy's bark certainly got Roxy's attention!

They Try So Hard

It's tough for foster pets to come into a new home - most especially a new home that is completely unlike their previous home. And when that previous home is the only home they've ever known, well, it hurts sometimes to watch them struggle to adjust. Of course some dogs adjust more easily than others, but the most difficult ones are the older dogs who lose the only home they've ever known. This is the case for three of my five current fosters, and while they're all making progress toward settling in, it can be alternately humorous and heart-breaking to watch their efforts.


 Duchess is five years old, and she lived with one family since she was adopted as a puppy. Then she went to a shelter for awhile, and then to my house. She is the perfect dog - sweet, laid-back, perfect manners. She was probably an only dog, because she ignored all of the other dogs for several weeks. She's just starting to try to play with the other dogs, and she doesn't seem to know quite what to do. Ziggy, Tulsa and Roxy will chase each other around the house or yard, and she'll run behind them as fast as she can, not usually able to catch them. If she does catch them, she'll jump into the middle of them, and then stand there as if thinking "now what do I do?" I have to be careful because she doesn't have great dog-dog skills when it comes to playing, and the other dogs sometimes misconstrue her attempts to play as aggression. But I don't want to discourage her from learning to play, so I'm just monitoring them closely and intervening when necessary, since I know that her communication skills should improve with practice.  I am excited that she's starting to relax enough to play with the other dogs!



 Roxy is three years old, and she also lived with one family since she was a puppy. She was also an only pet, but she has pretty good dog-dog skills. She does have some separation anxiety though, and refuses to let me out of her sight. She even follows me into the shower! I tried to show her there was nowhere for me to disappear in there, but she refused to believe it. So this means we go everywhere together - outside or inside. When I leave for work I have to crate her, and she cries piteously. She sleeps, not just on my bed, but pushing me halfway off the edge, so as to be as close to me as possible. She'll stop eating if I walk more than two steps from her bowl, and she won't go outside unless I go out with her. I am trying to keep her on a routine so that she will learn that even though I leave, I always come back, and it is okay for her even if I'm not there. I'm hoping to someday take a shower again without her help.


And then there's Bunny. I only wish she had a bit of the separation anxiety that Roxy has. She's lived the first five years of her life in a puppy mill, and is terrified of people. She's getting a  bit more comfortable around me, but still doesn't like me to touch her. She also is afraid of the hardwood floors, so limits herself to one small area of the room that is covered by a tarp (to make clean-up easier since she isn't house-trained). It's tough to house-train a dog that doesn't want to be touched, won't walk on the floor, and is scared to go outside. This is what puppy mills do to dogs by leaving them in small cages with no human interaction for their entire lives. So please, don't buy a puppy from a pet shop or from anywhere that you can't meet the parents and see their living conditions for yourself. Don't support the people who treat the puppies' parents this way. Bunny is trying really hard to learn to be a normal dog, but I'm not sure that she ever will be. My goal by the end of the summer is to get her to enjoy the outdoors. She wants to go outside very much, but she's afraid. If I carry her out to the deck, she seems to enjoy herself, but she won't go a foot beyond the safety of her crate or dog bed.  I wish there was some way I could make her feel safer.

At the other extreme, Tulsa and Ziggy, my last two foster dogs, seem completely comfortable at my house. Ziggy has never lived anywhere else since he was a puppy, except a short stay at doggie boot camp, and he thinks he owns the entire house (or at least the room where his crate is). Although I'm pretty sure that anywhere Ziggy goes, he is immediately comfortable. The dog has more self-confidence than any other dog I've ever met! Tulsa on the other hand, is not as self-confident, but she is quick to adjust to a new home. She's had a lot of practice, this being at least her eighth home that she's lived in in three short years. I wonder if she knows that I'm another temporary stop on her journey. I wonder if she thinks that all dogs spend their lives going from family to family, pack to pack. I hope and pray that her next stop will be her permanent home - for her, and for each of my fosters who have already had enough upheaval in their lives. There are times when it is unavoidable to give up a pet, or it is in their best interest, so I am not qualified to judge anyone who makes that decision. I know that foster pets are the lucky ones, able to live in a home instead of a shelter, their lives spared unlike most dogs in shelters. Still watching them try to adjust to their new circumstances can be difficult. So if you decide to adopt an adult dog, please be patient with them. Give them some time to settle in, and forgive any mistakes they make. It's not easy to go to a new home! But they need you, and if you give them that new home filled with love, they'll show you so much gratitude! Unless you adopt Ziggy, in which case he will just consider it his due. I think I may have mentioned this before, but he's not a normal dog.

Toby Plays Soccer

Toby loves soccer. Recently he called all the dogs together for a game of soccer in the back yard. I got to be the referee. My first act as referee, before the game even started, was to eject Ziggy for bad behavior. He hadn't done anything wrong yet, but I knew it was just a matter of time, so he was forced to leave the playing field before someone got hurt. Then, I blew my imaginary whistle and tossed the soccer ball into the middle of the field.

 This is how soccer games start, right? I'm not really a soccer fan, so I sort of made up rules as we went along. None of the players seemed to mind.


Jumping right into action, Target gets the ball first, while Toby circles around to steal it, and Tulsa gives him "the look".

 
Tulsa's stare-down wins her the ball and she sniffs it to make sure it isn't trying to get away. 

In an action packed moment, Toby steals the ball from Tulsa and takes off towards the goal.



Toby is cheered on by his rhinocerous, donated by his sponsor, who also donated the soccer ball and many other toys!



 Toby doesn't get far before being tackled. I blow my imaginary whistle, which all the dogs ignore, and play continues as before.


Target has taken a breather on the sidelines (i.e. the back deck) and Toby chases him down to force ask him to rejoin the game.


Mission accomplished, Toby and Target return to the field.



The game continues for awhile, until finally the other dogs get tired of playing and leave Toby alone, wondering where everyone went. 

Undeterred, Toby continues to play soccer alone.  This is one soccer-loving dog!