Wordless Wednesday: Ziggy

Saying Goodbye, and a New Arrival

Saying goodbye to a dog is always hard, but this month has been especially difficult. Two weeks ago my husband and I made the decision to euthanize Remi, our Great Dane. He was only 7 ½ years old, but due to health issues he was in a lot of pain and could no longer walk, and we could not bear for him to suffer anymore. We adopted Remi when he was a year and a half old – he was my first dog, other than the family dogs I had growing up. He taught me a lot about dog behavior, and I went from being afraid of dogs to reading about them and starting to understand them to loving dogs. He endured all of my mistakes as I learned to train dogs and to manage a multi-dog household. He was a clown who loved to drink directly from the sink faucet and loved to de-stuff teddy bears. He won the Tallest Dog contest in a local pet parade, and yet was afraid to step over a ledge that was just two inches above the floor. He wouldn’t go through a doorway unless the door was all the way open, and he once pulled me face-down across the front lawn in order to meet some very nervous neighbors out walking their dog. He sounded ferocious but was a big baby, and yet I always felt completely safe with him by my side. In spite of the fact that he was a purebred Great Dane and weighed 160 pounds, people - both adults and children - would often ask if he was a Dalmatian.  I was always tempted to say yes, yes he is.  


I miss you, my Giant Dalmatian.

 A week after losing Remi, I was back at the vet’s office with Lee, the smallest of the Chihuahua puppies. Lee was diagnosed with hydrocephalus, which is a buildup of fluid inside the skull. There are a variety of causes but in his case it was most likely a congenital defect. Lee did not survive, and walking out of the vet’s office without him was so hard. I am glad that both of his littermates do not have any issues and are doing well, but I really miss him. 

Lee


I also said goodbye to Stella the deaf Lab mix this week, but that was under much happier circumstances since she was adopted into a wonderful family. Saying goodbye is not so hard when I know the dog is going to a wonderful home and I will get to see pictures and hear updates on her in the future.


Stella and her new family


I have also had a new arrival this week. Brittany is a two-year-old dog who came into rescue after being picked up as a pregnant stray. She went to a neonate rescue until her babies were weaned and now she’s been spayed and is ready to find her forever home. Brittany is a sweet girl who loves attention and loves to play with other dogs. She went to her first adoption event on Saturday and many people were drawn to her, so I am hoping that she will find her forever home very soon.


Brittany



Eeyore Has Returned

A few months ago I fostered a deaf white pit bull named Eeyore.  Eeyore always looks a bit gloomy and depressed, which is why I named him after one of my favorite Winnie the Pooh characters. 

Eeyore was quickly adopted, but was just recently returned due to being too overwhelming with the small children in the home.  At only ten months old, Eeyore is still a puppy and doesn't quite know how big or how strong he really is.  He doesn't seem happy to be back, and I can't really blame him. 



"Thanks for noticin' me."

These pictures are from the first time Eeyore was at my house.  He gets along well with the other dogs for the most part, but I think he'll be happier in a home with fewer dogs.  Maybe.


"One can't complain. I have my friends. Someone spoke to me only yesterday."

 He also isn't used to being crated, and is used to sleeping in bed with his people, and having someone home with him 24 hours a day.  So he's having a hard time adjusting to life in a foster home, where he doesn't get the attention he's used to and he is crated for long periods.  It's a better situation than a shelter, but it's not a real home.  I hope he finds his forever home soon!

Outsmarting Joey the Chihuahua

Joey, the little 5-pound Chihuahua that I'm fostering, likes to lift his leg and mark everywhere in the house.  So we're working on correcting that behavior, but for times that I can't watch him, I needed an alternate solution.  Dog belly bands were invented for that very reason.  They are basically a strip of fabric that wraps around the dog's belly and you can put in an absorbent pad for easy cleanup.  The problem is Joey is sneaky, and he quickly figured out that if he rolls around enough he can slide right out of the belly band, no matter how tightly I put it on him.  So I turned to the Internet for help, and came up with this solution:

Joey

What's that, you ask?  I will tell you.  Joey is now the slightly-embarrassed owner of an Alfie Couture Designer dog diaper - with suspenders.  That's right - the little guy now has his own suspenders!  

A little privacy please...

Getting them on and off is a hassle every time I want to take him outside, but it's well worth it to be able to give him more freedom in the house!  And I think eventually he'll forgive me for this humiliation.  Especially since I was able to convince him that all the dogs are jealous - even the puppies!

"Dude, what is she making you wear?!"

Okay maybe he's not quite convinced yet.  

Seven Chihuahuas? How Did This Happen??

 

Joey

It all started so innocently. One little 5-pound Chihuahua was in need of rescue, and although I usually foster bigger dogs, I figured one small dog would be easy enough to manage. Thus Joey the Chihuahua came to my house. Other than not being house-trained, and not liking strangers, and barking all the time, and wanting to mark everything in sight, he is just about perfect.  I use that term loosely.  But things were going along well, until as often happens in the rescue world, there was an emergency. Another rescue was closing down and they had dozens of dogs they needed to place. The rescue had offered to help me with one of my fosters before, so I had to do what I could to help.  I offered to take two dogs, and it just so happened that the two they gave me were both Chihuahua mixes.

 

Chula



Soon Joey met his new friends Kiwi and Chula.  Both Kiwi and Chula are seven years old, and they both are extremely sweet and loving.  Chula has something called microphthalmia which means that her left eye is smaller than it should be.  But it doesn't bother her and I think it actually makes her more loving and affectionate.  While there is no scientific basis for this theory, it would explain why she is sooo friendly with everyone she meets. And if I can convince anyone of this theory it might even help her get adopted.  She's house-trained, great with other dogs, and all-around a pretty easy dog to foster, so hopefully she will find a forever home soon. 

 

Kiwi



Her brother Kiwi is actually missing an eye, which he lost last year due to an injury of some type.  He looks like he is perpetually winking.  He is also very friendly, but he's not one of those dogs that has to be right on your lap at all times, which is nice too.  He loves to play fetch, and he loves to play in the puppy pool.  He also has a cute curly tail.  



Blondie



So at this point I'm up to three Chihuahuas, with no plans to take any more small dogs.  Then a tornado hit town. Literally. A friend who was fostering a momma Chihuahua and three puppies had no power due to the tornado damage, so guess who offered to take said momma and pups? Yep. Me.  Suddenly three Chihuahuas became seven Chihuahuas. It was only temporary though – the power came back on after a few days and the dogs returned to their foster home. Except for one problem. The momma Chihuahua – let’s call her Blondie (because that’s her name) – is terrified of strangers. She barks. She screams. She attacks. She does NOT like strangers. So for those few days she was at my house, I made friends with her. That was my mistake.

 

Leo and Lee - 6 weeks old



Because in the process, I started to like her, and even worse, I started to feel sorry for her. She was so scared. I knew her foster circumstances were temporary and soon she would have to leave the foster home where she had been staying (it was a neonate rescuer who only takes on pregnant moms and puppies until the puppies are 6-8 weeks.) Then she’d have to go to yet another foster home where she would be scared all over again. I may have accidentally offered to take her and the puppies back when they were old enough to leave the neonate rescuer. Which happened a few days later. 



Leah - 6 weeks old



So suddenly, I find myself the caretaker of four adult Chihuahuas and three Chihuahua puppies.  The puppies will be adopted quickly as soon as they're available for adoption, but it will be three more weeks until they're big enough for that to happen. Right now they are at the age where they are into everything - especially Leah, the only girl in the litter.  She is twice the size of the two boys, and she is the fearless leader who is the first to explore and try to chew on everything.  Which mostly means my toes, while I'm in her room cleaning or feeding or playing with the pups.   

So this is how I found myself surrounded by seven tiny dogs. Plus three large deaf dogs. And one medium sized Beagle mix. And my cat Merlin. We’re one big happy family, you might say. Or not.



Stella

Stella is a deaf Lab mix that came in from an area animal control. She loves everyone, but she doesn’t seem to realize the little dogs are not the same size as her. When I’m on the couch typing on my laptop, she tries to lay on the top of the couch behind my shoulders, and she regularly slides down onto the Chihuahuas who are laying on the couch next to me. She can’t hear them barking or growling, and she just lays there on top of them, on her back with all four feet in the air, like she’s completely comfortable on her bed of wiggling Chihuahuas. I’m always surprised when they wriggle out from under her and just scoot over instead of making good on their threats.



Pablo

 This is especially true because of how they treat Pablo. Pablo is a deaf Boxer mix who came from an animal control facility in Illinois. He was turned in by his owners because they said he wouldn’t eat. He has some separation anxiety, and we’re working on putting some weight on him. He does fine with all of the other dogs except for Joey and Blondie, who he likes to bark at. Kiwi and Chula stand up for their foster siblings though and the four of them gang up on him. Have you ever faced down a pack of four angry Chihuahuas? I have to say, I feel sorry for Pablo. They won’t let him anywhere near the couch, so he’s taken over the chair next to the couch instead.


It may sound like pandemonium at my house, but there is a bit of order to the chaos. Not a lot, but some. None of the dogs are really allowed to pick on the others, although did I mention how scary it is to face down a pack of four angry Chihuahuas? Fortunately they all listen well and one or two words will often calm down anyone who needs it. Or one or two hand signs, in the case of the deaf dogs. Stella is very smart and in the past two weeks she has learned how to sit, lay down, come when called, and stay! We’ve been going to training classes and I think she could earn her Canine Good Citizen certification quickly if she’s not adopted first. She is extremely affectionate and very popular at adoption events, so she’s already received two applications for adoption. We have a home visit scheduled for tomorrow so she may be gone very soon! Chachi the brindle Boxer/pit bull mix has also been adopted, and is doing well in his new home. Pablo goes to the vet tomorrow, and I’m scheduled to get a shy dog named Brittany sometime in the new week or two.  Right now shelters everywhere are over-crowded with both dogs and cats (and especially kittens) so if you've ever thought about fostering, you are needed right now!  Please contact your local rescue group or shelter! 

Introducing Chachi

I recently pulled this dog from a shelter:

  

His name is Chachi.  He was four months old when he was turned into the shelter, and he's been there for four months, so he's basically grown up in the shelter.  He's one of the sweetest dogs I have right now, and is very affectionate and eager to please.  Chachi is energetic and he still needs some work on house manners, but he loves everyone he meets and he immediately flops on his back for a belly rub every chance he gets.  He has been a big hit at adoption events, and has loved making new friends. 

 Yesterday the momma dog (Nina) and her nine puppies went to a wonderful rescue group called A Mother's Safe Haven.  This group takes in newborn puppies and moms and cares for them until they're ready for adoption.  The puppies are now three weeks old and they will stay there until they're eight weeks old, then they'll go back to the shelter to be adopted out.  Since Nina (the momma dog) is heartworm positive and has erlichia she will have to wait and be treated once the puppies are weaned.  I fell in love with her while she was at my house so as soon as the puppies are weaned she will come back and stay with me while she goes through her treatment, instead of having to go back to the shelter. 



Nina

Rugby the deaf Australian Shepherd and Tater Tot the Cocker Spaniel were both adopted on Saturday!  And Joey the 5-pound Chihuahua was returned because he apparently loves to bark - not a good thing in an apartment!  So now I have Ziggy, Joey, Annie the Beagle mix, and Chachi at home.  I am going to be out of town for a bit but when I return I already have several waiting to come in - a deaf Lab mix, two Chihuahua mixes, and a shy pit bull mix.  That should keep me busy for awhile! 



Why Didn't Someone Save This Dog?? The Answer...

Today my Facebook page was covered with pictures of this dog:

Dog #251018

Dog #251018 was found as a stray and held by a Good Samaritan for three days, then after getting into a fight with another dog in the home, was turned into the local animal control facility.  A plea quickly went out to local rescue groups to find someone to pull her.  Various people offered to donate to any rescue that pulled her to help with her vet fees, and she ended up with over $100 in sponsorship money.  Her picture was shared over 220 times and more and more people begged someone to please save this dog. 

Today there was even someone who offered to keep the dog until the end of June when she moves out of state, and someone else offered to board the dog if a foster home had not been found by then. However the dog could only be released from the shelter if a certified rescue took her.  And in spite of everyone's best efforts and good intentions, still no rescue had stepped up for this dog by the deadline, and she will now be euthanized. 

At this point, many people begin looking for someone to blame.  Why won't the shelter keep this dog longer?  Why won't any rescues step up?  The vetting cost is covered and there is a temporary foster home, so why will no rescue put their name on this dog and take responsibility for it?  Whose fault is it??

Dog #251018

Do we blame the shelter - an animal control facility who is not known for giving dogs any more time than required by law to find a home?  If the shelter gave her until Saturday could a rescue be found by then?  It's possible.  But if they waited until Saturday and still no rescue stepped up, should they give her another week?  And what should they do with the dogs who come in between now and Saturday?  If all the cages are full, where do they go with the new dogs? 

What about the dozens of rescues who routinely pull from this shelter?  Why did none of them step up?  There were so many people willing to help this dog, so the rescues didn't have to find funds for vetting or a foster home or anything - they just had to be willing to put their name on the dog to have her pulled and save her life!

As one of those rescuers who saw the pleas and still said no, I'd like to tell you why.  When the dog is only days or hours from being euthanized, everyone wants to save her life.  But then the excitement dies down, another dog comes along, and all of a sudden everyone is clamoring for someone to save that dog.  In the meantime, the first dog is sitting in a shelter or a foster home, waiting patiently to be adopted.  And waiting, and waiting, and waiting.  Several of my foster dogs, such as Juno and Annie B, were pulled from this same animal control facility (I don't always say no!)  They also had sponsorship money and people begging a rescue to save them.  So now they're saved, but because of their issues, they haven't been adopted.  They take months or years to find permanent homes, and in the meantime that takes away foster home space from more adoptable dogs that could be saved. 

Dog #251018 was a dog-aggressive pit bull mix.  She was not going to be easy to adopt out.  In fact, I have been fostering a dog similar to this one for over three years and still haven't been able to find him a home.  Ziggy now lives in my basement, with minimal human interaction, because I can't trust him around the other foster dogs I have upstairs.  In spite of years of training, earning his Canine Good Citizen certification, attending adoption events, being featured in magazines and new shows, and being shared all over the Internet, he still does not have a home.  I am not being picky with who adopts him (far from it), but very few people are willing and able to adopt a dog-aggressive pit bull, and there are so many of them out there already that finding a home for one - especially one that is already "in a foster home" - is very difficult. 



Ziggy the Adoptable Dog

 There's one more reason that we stay away from dogs who have a foster home offer from someone that hasn't fostered dogs before.  Many people see a sad picture of a dog and feel an instant desire to help.  That same desire is quickly overcome by frustration when the dog comes into their home as a foster and they realize the dog isn't house-trained, loves to eat couches, and picks fights with their own dogs.  The majority of time a temp foster steps up to take a dog they feel sorry for, within a week they will be contacting the rescue saying they can no longer foster that dog.  And then the rescue who took responsibility for the dog once again has a difficult-to-place dog and nowhere for her to go.  This is why we urge people who want to save a dog to foster a dog that is already in our rescue.  Then we can tell them more about what the dog is like, and if they find out that the frustrations of taking in an untrained rescue dog outweigh their desire to help, we also have a place for that rescue dog to go back to.  The rescue I volunteer with has many wonderful foster homes who take in these difficult-to-place dogs (like the foster home who has Juno right now) and they make it possible for the dogs to live.  Unfortunately we don't have enough foster homes like them to be able to save dog #251018. 

Do you wonder why the animal control facility would only release dog #251018 to a rescue group instead of an adopter?  Two weeks ago we were at an adoption event and a young girl showed up.  She had a cute black Husky mix with her that had been about to be put down at another animal control facility near the one where dog #251018 came from.  She saved the dog's life, but when she got the dog home, her parents said she couldn't keep him.  The animal control facility had not had the dog spayed or neutered, so we took in the dog, got him neutered, heartworm tested, microchipped, and all those other things responsible rescue groups do before adopting out dogs.  Then we found him a home with a wonderful family who was prepared to add a dog to their life.  He was one of the lucky ones, but so many others don't have that luck.  They either end up at another animal control facility (or back where they started) and end up being euthanized, or they are given away and never get any medical care or a home where they are properly cared for.  They may end up with owners who aren't responsible and the dog may injure another animal or a human, or the dog may be sold to research or used as a bait dog in a dog-fighting ring.  There are a lot of bad things that can happen to dogs, and if a shelter takes a high-risk dog like dog #251018 and gives her away to anyone who wants to save her, she'll more likely end up suffering more before being killed. 

So if it's not the rescue group's fault for not saving her and it's not the shelter's fault, who do we blame?  Sometimes I'm tempted to blame all the people who say "someone should do something!" but don't do anything themselves, but truthfully it isn't their fault either.  And in fact most people DO do something, whether it is fostering, volunteering at a shelter or rescue group, or donating.  They are the solution to the problem.  So who does that leave? 

Do we blame the owner because they didn't care enough about this girl to go looking for her when she got lost? Or maybe they dumped her, figuring someone would find her and give her a good home. Did they know she'd end up sitting scared and alone in a shelter and then be killed? Did they care?

I don't like to blame anyone without knowing the full story - and in almost every case, we don't know the full story - so I'm going to choose not to blame anyone, and instead to focus on finding a home for Ziggy, and all the other dogs that also need homes.  I hope you will join me in saving dogs whatever way you can.

Ziggy and The Kong Contest

So I saw this contest online to submit a picture with your dog and their classic Kong toy, and they could win a Kong prize package.  I love Kong products - they are great at keeping the dogs busy, and I don't think I could have survived fostering Ziggy if he didn't have a steady supply of Kongs.  So I searched through all my pictures of Ziggy to see if I had any of him chewing on a Kong.  I couldn't find any, so I thought I'd just take a new picture.  No problem, right?  It started with me in the kitchen grabbing a stuffed Kong out of the freezer.  Ziggy looked on hopefully. 

Then I gave him the Kong and he ran to his favorite spot - the living room couch - to chew on it.  I tried a picture but it was too dark.  So I made the mistake of taking the Kong away in order to get Ziggy outside where there was better lighting. 

Ziggy immediately jumped up on me trying to get his Kong back.  I didn't drop the Kong, but sadly I dropped my camera instead.  My next picture of Ziggy came out like this:

After messing around with the camera settings for awhile, I finally got it working again, and was able to take a few more pictures.  Then I had to decide which one to submit into the contest. 

Option 1 - Scrunched-nose Ziggy

I like the way his nose is all wrinkled as he tries to shove his entire mouth into the Kong opening.

Option 2 - Eyes-Closed Enjoyment Ziggy

When Ziggy really enjoys something, he closes his eyes!

Option 3 - Don't Steal My Kong!

Did I mention that Ziggy has a problem with sharing?

In the end, I went with an old picture of Ziggy with his Kong Wobbler. 



While it may not make people want to adopt Ziggy (unless you like a dog demolition expert), it does accurately reflect who Ziggy is, and will hopefully help him win more Kongs to keep him busy and keep my floors safe! 

The contest ends on Sunday May 12th, so if you'd like, you can vote here.  Or adopt Ziggy here!

New Dogs

I had some medical things going on so didn't keep up with the blog for awhile, but I am back now, hopefully.  To catch everything up, I'll just say that everyone I have ever introduced on this blog is either adopted or in another foster home now, except of course Ziggy. 

www.adoptziggy.com

I now have a whole new crew of fosters, some of whom have been and gone already, here's a brief introduction. 

Annie B. is a Beagle mix who was pulled from Animal Control by a new volunteer.  She didn't work out at her house, so she ended up at my house, where hard-to-adopt animals come to stay.  Annie B. is extremely sweet and well behaved, but she is scared of strangers, and she deals with that fear by snapping at people.  This does not make her easy to adopt out.  We're working on getting her used to strangers and in the meantime, she's doing well with all the other dogs and loves to sleep under the covers any chance she gets.

As if one Annie in the house wasn't enough, another dog came into All Paws and also needed out of the foster home that took her in, so she also ended up with me for awhile.  Since she also already knew the name Annie, instead of changing it I just refer to her as Annie C. (because she is a Coonhound mix).  Fortunately I am not the only volunteer in the rescue group who takes in the dogs no one else has room for, and Annie C. is now at another volunteer's house while she waits to be adopted.  This not only makes it less confusing when I call "Annie" but it means she gets to be in a home where she gets more attention and has a dog door to go in and out whenever she wants (which is often!)

Then there's Loco, a Boston Terrier mix who was named Loco at the shelter.  I should've thought about that a bit more before I pulled him.  But he was going to be euthanized (he bit the plastic hand that tried to steal his noms) so one look at his picture and I said "I'll take him!"  Sadly, the little guy truly is loco.  He has boundless energy and almost no manners whatsoever.  Fortunately another volunteer actually wanted an energetic small dog to foster, and before she knew it, she was regretting that decision because I gave her Loco to foster.  I still expect he'll come back to me someday, but for now I am enjoying the time without a loco Loco, and his current foster mom is enjoying the newly discovered toys that actually let you turn the squeaker off when it is about to drive you loco.  Loco is a big fan of squeaky toys and tennis balls. 

I currently am fostering three-year-old Rugby, a deaf Australian Shepherd.  He was turned in by his owners to an animal control facility in central Illinois, and I jumped at the chance to foster a deaf dog who wasn't part pit bull.  It's been a nice change.  Rugby is very smart and very energetic.  He loves tennis balls and playing fetch almost as much as Loco.  He is friendly to everyone he meets and has learned how to act loving and adorable to potential adopters at adoption events, so I am thinking it won't be long at all before he finds a forever home. 

Takara is another dog I pulled from Animal Control who turned out to be a bit more challenging than I expected.  It turns out that Takara doesn't like other dogs very much. Especially rowdy dogs that get too close to her.  Other than that, she is just about perfect.  Fortunately another volunteer with our rescue group has no other pets and was able to take Takara in as a foster dog.  She's doing very well there and is happily waiting for her forever home to come along. 

It's not the best picture of him, but this is Tater Tot, an eighteen month old Cocker Spaniel.  He's at my house right now and he's an extremely sweet guy.  He loves to play with other dogs and has a great temperament.  Tater Tot was turned in by his owner who could no longer care for him.  He will probably be adopted by the end of this week. 

Then there's Eeyore, a deaf eight-month-old pit bull who has never lived in a home before and has absolutely no manners.  I thought I might have another long-term foster on my hands, because even though Eeyore is incredibly sweet, he is not yet house-trained and he sometimes didn't like to share with other dogs, and he has many bad manners.  But in spite of all of that, someone came along and fell in love with him and adopted him! 

Stanley is another dog I expected to have for quite awhile, and was pleasantly surprised to be wrong!  Stanley is a great dog - very friendly and happy - but he has a ton of energy.  He also can jump fences, and he loves to counter-surf.  But the perfect couple came along and saw what a happy loving dog he is and decided to adopt him! 

Joey is a five-year-old Chihuahua that I pulled from a local shelter.  Although I don't usually foster small dogs, Joey was one of those perfect little dogs that I could've totally kept forever.  So of course he was quickly adopted! 

 Maggie Moo is a twelve year old mixed breed dog that was pulled from a local shelter.  She was one of those dogs I wanted to carry around and never put down, and she never seemed to mind.  She is definitely a lap dog.  And she's great with other dogs and very sweet - it was no surprise that she was adopted rather quickly!

Sparky is a two-year-old Yorkie mix that wasn't doing well in a local shelter.  I pulled him and had him for less than 24 hours before he went to another foster home and then was quickly adopted.  I'm not even sure it's fair to call him my foster dog.  But I did pull him from the shelter and he did spend the night at my house and slept in my bed, so I am going to say that qualifies. 

Last but not least is this momma dog and her nine puppies that were born in a shelter a week ago.  A shelter is not a good place for newborn puppies - there is a higher stress level and a higher risk of infection to the pups.  A neonate rescue group is going to take the mom and pups in another week or so, when they have an opening, but until then I took them home so they would have a quiet place to stay.  Please don't judge me for the fact that they have no bedding - I keep putting it in and the momma dog keeps taking it back out! 

Introducing Sierra

I was recently contacted about a deaf pit bull mix at an area shelter.  They told me she had passed her evaluations and was very sweet, but they wanted her to go to a rescue because she is deaf. 

What they didn't tell me is that she has two different colored eyes. 

They also neglected to tell me that she's very laid-back.  Or that she is very affectionate. Or that she would follow me everywhere.

If I had known these things ahead of time, I would have been more prepared.  I still would have rescued her, but I would have tried to find another foster home for her, instead of taking her to my house. 

Because I love dogs with two different colored eyes.  And I really love dogs that are laid-back and affectionate.  And dogs that are very well behaved, and never bark or chew or misbehave.  And dogs that love to cuddle.  And dogs that do great with every dog, cat, and child that they meet. 

So now I'm stuck with this dog who is everything I love about dogs.  And I'm getting more attached by the day.  And if she doesn't get adopted soon, I'm going to cry when she actually does get adopted.  And I never cry when my fosters get adopted. 

So this is bad.  I was prepared to rescue a deaf dog, but I was not prepared to rescue such an awesome dog.  It almost makes me wish she had some bad habits.  Almost. 

Intros and Adoptions

Lots of new fosters lately, and lots of adoptions have been keeping me very busy!  This is Otis, an 8-year-old Beagle who was adopted out six years ago and recently returned due to not liking the new baby in the house.  Otis is a sweet dog, very loving, and quickly found a wonderful home with a lady who also prefers a life without young children. 

Then there is Eli - a sweet puppy, afraid of new things, and not quite sure of men.  He went out on a trial adoption this past weekend, and hopefully has found his forever home. 



And finally Tiger, a Boxer/pit bull mix, and one of my newest fosters.  I went to an area shelter to pick up several other dogs, and while I was there I learned that one of the dogs I had planned to take would be going to another foster home instead.  This meant I had room for one more dog.  I walked past cage after cage filled with dogs who had been waiting weeks or months for their forever home.  Something drew me to this sweet dog. 

He is only around 8 months old, and passed his evaluation with flying colors.  He had been at the shelter for about two months and hadn't been adopted, so he came home with me.  He is extremely sweet and loving, and does great with other dogs.  I hope he can find his forever home soon!