Joys and Sorrows of Fostering; Photos of Cat Fosters

These are all the good and bad things I've felt about fostering, just in the past 72 hours!

Joys
- Snuggling with my foster puppy Boo, and laughing as she once again climbs under the covers to sleep next to me.
- Laughing as three white dogs come running into the house, all having turned brown from mud!
- Volunteering at a shelter and seeing the gratitude in the dogs' eyes as they each receive pets and affection.
- Watching as my foster cat Shiro starts to trust me and comes to greet me at the door.
- Smiling as Noelle, Remi, Lucy and Boo all try to play tug of war together with a little tiny dog toy.
- Hearing how well Keebler, another of my previous foster dogs, is doing in his new home.
- Watching Lucy playing in the sprinkler and having a blast getting wet.
- Seeing Petey, a beagle and FiFi, a lab mix puppy, finding their new permanent homes during the Adoption Event at PetSmart.

Sorrows

- Cleaning up the mud left all over the house after it rains and four dogs track it in.
- Trying to give Noelle a bath before adoptions on Saturday - the dog doesn't like water!

- Trying to give ear drops to two cats who really don't like having their ears touched.

- Walking away from the dogs at the shelter; leaving them behind because I don't have room for more.
- Leaving PetSmart on Saturday knowing that the many dogs that were there and weren't adopted will have to wait another week to try again for their very own home.

I'm sad that Noelle, Boo or Lucy wasn't adopted this weekend. But it is kind of nice to have another week with these three foster dogs. I'm falling more in love with Boo every day - it's going to be really difficult to give her up. Of course Noelle is going to also break my heart when she's adopted - I'm more attached to her than any other dog I've ever fostered. And Lucy hasn't been around as long as the other two, but she's such a good dog - very obedient, and always happy. I love having the three of them around because they know the house rules, and they know the schedule, and it makes it a lot easier on me that way. Still, I'm sad they weren't adopted because there are so many other dogs who need me, and I can't help them until one of my foster dogs is adopted.

I realized I never posted pictures of my foster cats Una, Shiro and Princess Rana, so here they are. My friend Rhonda took these pictures. I'm pretty sure I've captured all three cats in these four photos - sometimes they are hard to tell apart!

Update on Boo...

I just spoke with someone about Boo, then looked at my blog and realized I don't have any recent posts about her! So here are some pictures of Boo, taken by a good friend and awesome photographer (from http://krazycatlady.vox.com/).

I realized today that the spots on her ears are becoming darker - originally they were sort of light brown and now they're becoming black. She's also getting so much bigger - it's hard to believe she was only 4 pounds when I got her! And strangest of all, she's becoming much more laid-back than before. Originally she would never settle down - now she climbs up by me on the couch to cuddle with me while the rest of the dogs play! I'm not complaining - she's a very good cuddler. She also likes to sleep under the covers, with just the tip of her nose sticking out. I wonder if its just because she's trying to stay warm - whatever it is, it's so cute!

The other dogs are also doing well... Noelle fell off the couch a few days ago, and I'm still laughing about that! She was zooming around the room, and ran full-force across the room to jump on the couch, like she usually does - ready to turn around and have the "high ground" to play with my dog Remi. But instead she was going too fast, and just kept going right over the top off the couch and fell on the floor on the other side - she learned a lesson in physics I guess. :-) Lucy goes to the vet on Tuesday to be spayed, so she should be ready for adoptions on Saturday, I hope.

Zeke, Princess Rana and Kiwi were adopted!

Three of my fosters found homes on Saturday! Kiwi, my foster cat, was adopted first - a family fell in love with her affectionate personality and adopted her first thing on Saturday morning. They are prepared to keep her on her special diet if needed, and they seem like a really good home. Next, Princess Rana, went home. She is the first of the three Desert Lynx/Pixie Bob cats that I took in several weeks ago to find a home. It was her first time up at PetSmart, and her new family was there shopping, and when they saw her, the kids promised to give up their allowance if they could only take her home. She'll have kids and a small dog to play with, and as long as her family is patient and gives her time to settle in, I think she'll also do great in her new home. And last but definitely not least, my foster puppy Zeke was adopted. He is so adorable, I knew he would go quick, and I'm very sad to see him go, but I was very happy that he went to such a great home. I was very fortunate that even though I lost three much-loved foster animals this week, they all went home with people that I felt really good about. The family who adopted Zeke has adopted from us before, and they are one of those families that will do anything for their pets - the kind that treat them as family members, not just animals. I've already talked to Zeke's family and heard how well he is doing, and that makes giving him up so much easier.

We had a lot of dogs available for adoption this weekend, and it was surprising that only Zeke and Shiloh, a beagle, were adopted. There were four other adorable puppies, and several adults including two bichons, a lab, a beagle, a cattle dog mix, an australian shepherd mix, a border collie mix, and of course Boo and Noelle as well. I think there were other dogs there that I am forgetting also! Hopefully next week more dogs will be adopted.

Since I was busy running back and forth with the dogs most of the day, a few of the cat foster volunteers helped me with my adoptions for Kiwi and Princess Rana. I am very grateful for their help - Heartland has such a great group of people - if you're looking to make new friends and find a place where you can make a difference, consider volunteering!

Also don't forget our Heartland Spring Trivia Night is coming up on April 4th!

Lucy at the parade

Last Saturday morning I went to the Cottleville run/walk and parade for St. Patrick's Day. It was Lucy's turn to go with me, and she had a great time.

Here we are on the 1-mile walk. My niece Darby helped me walk Lucy.


Waiting for the parade to start!

Lucy was very popular with the kids!

It's been a long day!

Lucy received several beads from the parade participants.

Funny picture of Noelle

I really shouldn't share this - no one will want to adopt such a funny looking dog if they see it. But I was trying to take a picture of her tonight while she was looking so happy playing with Dave, and this is one of the pictures that didn't turn out as I had hoped. She looks like a scary alien or something I think.

I guess this is more proof of why they shouldn't let me take the pictures of the dogs that go on the adoption website. :-)

Boo is back

Boo, my foster pit bull puppy, was returned yesterday. Since she is a "pit bull", she is discriminated against by various insurance companies, subdivisions and condo associations, and entire cities. They don't even know her, they've never met her, but they've already decided she is dangerous and shouldn't be allowed to live there. Poor Boo - she's such a well behaved puppy and would never hurt anyone, but she's not given a chance. The wonderful family who adopted her last week found out that their city doesn't allow pit bulls. They couldn't stand the idea of her being taken from them and impounded if the city found out they had her. I am glad that they loved her enough to give her up to a family who will be able to safely keep her without someone coming and taking her away. I know it was really hard on them to give her up, and I am so sorry that they had to make that choice. I am hoping they will find another Heartland puppy to fall in love with. And I am hoping that there are still some homes out there who aren't restricted from adopting such a wonderful dog as Boo, and that she finds a new home soon.

None of my foster animals found homes this weekend, but we did have a lot of other exciting dog adoptions on Saturday at PetSmart. Brandy, a shepherd mix who is always very happy and gets along with everyone finally found a new home after waiting a very long time. Also, Peanut Butter and Sidney, both golden retriever mixes, and Harvey, the biggest black lab mix I've ever met, were all adopted on Saturday. So four adult dog adoptions was very exciting!

A few people even looked at Noelle on Saturday. I was hopeful she'd find a home, but no luck yet. My husband is happy - he adores that dog. It was so cute this morning... my husband had been in the basement, so he left the lights on down there, and when he came upstairs Noelle was looking the other way and didn't know he came up (she can't hear him, remember). So she thought he was still downstairs, and as soon as I let her out of her crate after she finished eating, she headed straight for the basement. All the other dogs followed me outside, but she went the other way and went from room to room in the basement looking for Dave, her tail wagging, looking so excited. I could just see how disappointed she was when she couldn't find him. They are really cute together. But I hope she gets adopted soon so she can start bonding to her new owners. There are so many pit bulls out there who need help, and as long as I have Noelle I don't have room to save any more hard to adopt pit bulls. She is doing so well now - she's over her mange, and her button tumor is gone and the hair has grown back, and she's housetrained finally, so I am hoping that all of that will make it easier for her to find a home!

Tulsa was adopted!

Tulsa, the deaf Australian Cattle Dog, was adopted this past weekend! She has been waiting a long time to find the perfect home, and I really hope that this is it. I met her new family on Saturday, and I really liked them (and their dog), and I think it'll be a great match for Tulsa. Another volunteer who had been fostering Tulsa for a few weeks now was also happy that Tulsa found her own family, but also is going to miss her a lot!

Boo was adopted!, Introducing Oscar

Today was a good adoption day. My foster puppy Boo was adopted. She now has a great family and a wonderful future. Two of our other Heartland dogs were also adopted at PetSmart... Sampson, a black lab, and Dallas, a lab/border collie mix, both found new homes today.

Yesterday I made a trip to a shelter to pick up one of our Heartland dogs that had been dropped off there. We always ask people to let us know if they can't keep the dog or cat they adopt from us, but sometimes that doesn't happen. In this case, the dog was adopted from us many years ago, and two years ago he was given away to another family, who then recently turned in the dog to a shelter when they could no longer afford to keep him. I am only keeping him temporarily until he gets checked out by the vet later this week, and then he will be going to another foster home. But I'm really enjoying having him around right now! This is Oscar:



Oscar is a basset hound, approximately 8 years old. He is a very nice dog. Here is Oscar greeting my dog Remi.


I also have pictures of Zeke, my newest puppy now. Zeke is around 10 weeks old, and he's probably a bassett hound mix. He has the long body and short stubby legs and big feet just like a bassett hound, but his ears aren't quite long enough, so he's mixed with some other kind of hound I think. He also has the basset hound bark!

Introducing Shiro, Una, Princess Rana and Zeke

Please don't tell my husband, but I brought home three more fosters last night, and am getting one more tonight! I'm thinking I can go awhile without him noticing the three new cats. The little hound-dog puppy might be a bit harder to hide though.

Shiro, Una and Princess Rana came from a lady who rescued their pregnant mom from a backyard breeder in Arkansas two years ago. The kittens were born in her care, and they are now a little over two years old. She's not able to keep them anymore so I offered to take them and find good homes for them. The cats are 1/2 Desert Lynx and 1/2 Pixie Bob. For those of you who aren't familiar with cat breeds, they basically just look like large gray tabby cats, and are supposed to act more like dogs than cats. Right now they are all three hiding in the spare bedroom, and they are much better at hiding than most cats I bring home. The room is not that big, and while there is a lot of stuff in there, it's not easy to find a good hiding place, so most cats end up just hiding under the futon. These cats are more inventive though. Two of them have hollowed out little cubbies behind the books on the bookshelf and it took me a very long time to locate them. The third one is even better at hiding - I have no idea where she's at! I am trying to entice them out with some canned food but so far they've only come out when no one is around to use the litter box and go right back to their hiding places. I am hoping they start to feel safer soon and come out to see me!

In addition to the three cats, I am bringing home a little hound-mix puppy tonight. I saw him when I was there last week, and he wasn't ready to go yet when I got Lucy, but today is his final day and the shelter called to see if I could come get him tonight, so I'm heading there right after work. I think I'm going to name him Zeke, and I will post pictures of him soon!

Introducing Lucy; Pictures of other fosters

I haven't posted in awhile because I haven't had much to report! After the puppies were all adopted, I was sort of taking a little break, but break time is over. I went with two friends to a shelter yesterday and we ended up coming home with four dogs! I am only fostering one of them - the other three went to other foster homes. The one I took is a yellow lab mix, and I've named her Lucy. I saw her at the shelter last week and fell in love with her when she kept trying to lick my hand through the bars of her cage. I was out of town this past weekend so I couldn't get her right away, but I thought about her all weekend and was very excited to bring her home last night. I snapped a few quick photos of her this morning... this is Lucy:


She is very sweet, and so happy to be out of the shelter and be able to run and play! She is probably around a year old. It's too early to tell what she'll be like once she settles down, but right now she is just this hyper whirlwind of energy running around the yard. I guess I would be too, if I'd been stuck inside a small steel cage for 3 weeks and hadn't been outside in all that time! Still she is most likely to run in circles - she doesn't seem to want to get too far from me. And everytime I call her, she runs to me and leans against me to get a belly rub. She does fine with other dogs and cats so I am hoping she will be an easy dog to find a home for!

Here are pictures of two of the other dogs we took. Both are cute chihuahuas, under 10 pounds, approx 1 year old, and very sweet. They are not related - they just happened to have two chihuahuas there at the same time!

And I finally got a picture of my black cat Artemis. I call him Artie, and I love him more every day. He is very affectionate, and always eager for me to come home from work! I was worried about how he'd do with the other animals since he's been an "only pet" for his whole life so far, but he has fit in great and is doing really well with Kiwi (my only foster cat at home right now), and he also is starting to get more comfortable around the dogs.