Special Events

This weekend is going to be very busy!  If you're looking for something fun to do, join us at one of these special events:
All Paws Rescue Garage Sale
Friday and Saturday
7:00am - ???
533 Rascal Crossing, O'Fallon MO

Purina Pet Project Event
Saturday
10:00am - 2:00pm
Purina Farms

Hope to see you there!

Introducing Molly and Kirby

Because it's Puggle Season, and because she had nowhere else to go, today I brought home this girl:

Molly

Molly is a Puggle mix who was adopted out as a puppy, and the people who adopted her failed to socialize her.  She's been bounced around from one home to another, and recently was turned in to a shelter.  The shelter scheduled her to be euthanized because she has shown aggression.  She is very hand shy and insecure.   I said I'd give her a try at my house and if she was too aggressive we'd have to make the tough decision to have her euthanized.  She's been here for three whole hours now and I'm pretty sure that she's not going anywhere except to an adoptive home eventually.  She's very sweet.  She acts a lot like Miley, except that she does startle very easily.  We will have to find just the right adoptive home for her, and until then I'll be working a lot with her to boost her confidence and teach her better ways to handle her fear.  Right now she's curled up next to me on the couch as I type, and Miley is curled up on her other side.  I think she's going to fit in just fine.

Kirby, on the other hand, is a different story altogether.  I wasn't looking for a foster pet like Kirby.  But when I went to the shelter last week and saw him, I had to rescue him.  He's been at the shelter for three months!  He's been featured as the "Pet of the Week" twice, and still no one picked him.  I can't understand why... one glance and I was in love with this very strange looking creature....

Kirby

Can you guess what he is?




If you guessed a very unique looking kitten, you are correct!

 I've never seen a kitten with black fur with silver tips.  His tail is almost all silver.  He's gorgeous and extremely friendly - he starts purring as soon as I touch him.  I'm in love.

Anticipation

I always feel a bit excited when I agree to take in a new foster.  Since so many of my foster dogs have found homes recently, I've been able to finally say "yes" to some recent requests for help.  But it's hard to know for sure who I will end up with.  Another rescuer and I went to a shelter together recently.  There were three dogs that we offered to take if they were to run out of time.  The first dog is a cute black/brown Dobie mix who may be rescued by a breed-specific rescue group, but if not, we offered to take her.  The next dog is a young Lab mix who is still on hold to see if the owner turns up - if not, and if he isn't adopted, we may get him too.  And the third dog is a beautiful Border Collie who is running out of time.  We're waiting for the Border Collie to be cat-tested to see whether I will get him or my friend will get him.  So worst case, we may be getting three dogs from this shelter.  Then there's the lady in southern Missouri who often sends us dogs.  She has a Beagle-Corgi mix and another Beagle who need rescue.  They'll be here in a week or two I think.  So we're up to five dogs - between the two of us, that isn't bad.  And we have another foster home who can take one of the dogs probably.  But of course as soon as we agree to take these dogs, other dogs start coming in.  My friend received a request from a friend of hers who had picked up two dogs on the highway - they'll be here in about three weeks.  And I received a request from a friend who had a stray dog show up at her house - he'll probably be coming my way.  And oh yes, there are two returns coming back in the next few days.  Let's see - that puts us up to ten new foster dogs between the two of us.  Of course that's a worst case scenario - most likely we'll end up with only four or five of these dogs, and hopefully by the time we get the last of them, we'll have had a few more adoptions to give us more space.  But in the meantime, I'm going to stop scouring the Internet for deaf dogs needing help, and start stocking up on dog food.  I just hope one of these new foster dogs shows up soon, because I am impatiently waiting!

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.  

Feral Felines and Parvo Puppies

The rescue group I volunteer with recently took in a litter of puppies, and five of them came down with a deadly virus called Parvo.  This is the same virus that Ziggy had when I first brought him home. Parvovirus takes five to ten days to show symptoms after being infected, so dogs often acquire this in shelters and then carry it into a foster home with them.  To make matters worse, shortly after the five puppies were treated (at a cost of over $3000!), we took in more puppies and they also came down with the virus.  The newest pups were taken in to a different foster home, so it was not spread from the first puppies, and they came in from a different shelter, so there was no way to know that they had also been exposed.  But four more puppies became sick, and the vet bills are going up and up.

Rescuing animals isn't cheap, and small groups like ours rely solely on the donations of individuals, so we're all doing whatever we can to help raise the funds to pay for the parvo puppies' vet bills.  We have a fund raiser garage sale coming up, and we're also raffling off a quilt.  These vet bills were on my mind when I received an e-mail from another rescuer.

She told me about a lady who had been doing everything she could to care for some stray and feral cats near her home.  The lady had paid to have them all spayed or neutered, and had rescued many of the kittens and gotten them into foster homes until they could be adopted.  She had two kittens left and was willing to make a large donation to anyone who would help with them.  The problem was the kittens were both around seven months old, and they were fearful of people.  They would need a lot of work before they could be placed for adoption.  I thought about how much work it would take, and then I thought about our vet bills, and then I thought about those kittens that might end up living outside if no one would help them, and then I thought about the lady who had gone to so much trouble and expense to save them.  And then I said yes, we would take them.  So now this lady has not only helped to save these two kittens, she's also helping to save several puppies with parvo!  And as for the two kittens, well, they're slowly adjusting to life in a home.  One of the kittens has gone to another foster home to live with an expert in cat socialization.  The other kitten is currently with me, although another very experienced cat foster mom has offered to take him, so I'm not sure how long he'll be here.  But I've sort of fallen in love with him, so hopefully it will be for awhile.  I named him Bandit, and he finally purred for me for the first time today!

Socializing semi-feral cats is a multi-step process.  The first step was to separate them - check.  Next, I added some Feliway to help them feel calm - check. Next step, teach them to be comfortable around me by bribing them with canned food and treats - check.  Also, pet other cats around them so they see that i'm not so scary - check.  I'm not sure if that really helps or not, but it doesn't hurt!  Next, hold them and pet them and teach them that human attention is a good thing.  This is the step we've been working on.  Bandit is comfortable with me in the room, and he's okay with me holding and petting him (once I catch him), but he doesn't like it when I approach him.  I am keeping him in a "cat playpen" when I can't be with him, but spend some time each evening letting him run around and he's finally comfortable enough to let me take pictures while he explores the room.  The more time I spend with Bandit, the more I love him.  I don't have a lot of experience with taming cats, but it seems that it's not that different than taming a feral Bichon.  Already Bandit leans into my hand when I pet him, and I'm pretty sure that the whole bribery with canned food is starting to really pay off, because he seems to look forward to my visits instead of trying to hide.  Hopefully it won't be long before he becomes comfortable around people and gets to have his own home and his own family.

Re-Introducing Mercury

In May 2009 I took in a litter of 12 week old kittens, and named them after planets.  Mercury is the gray kitten on the right.

He has always been very outgoing and social.  He likes other cats, he likes dogs, and he loves people.  This is Mercury bossing around a foster puppy that I had when he was a kitten.  He was very good at it.

Mercury was adopted out two years ago, but was recently was returned when his mom and dad got divorced.  He's grown up to be a beautiful cat, and should not have too much trouble being adopted even as an adult.

Mercury is currently living at a local PetSmart store while he waits to be adopted.  My previous foster kittens Kona and Kimba were both adopted from the store recently!  I am hoping that Mercury has the same experience and gets a great home quickly, because he is much too outgoing to be happy living in a cage.  The volunteers that take care of the cats at the store will have their hands full because he is extremely affectionate and extremely energetic!

Ziggy Takes On A Wild Dog Pack

Ziggy is one tough dog.  He recently stood up to a pack of wild dogs, all on his own.  He wasn't scared.  He didn't need backup.  Ziggy can hold his own.  I was nearby monitoring this pack of wild dogs and was able to capture some photographs to share with you.


It all started with Ziggy just walking along, carrying a toy and minding his own business.  Then a huge, vicious wild dog approached him from behind.

The wild dog has brought along a pack of dogs, all there with one intention - to steal Ziggy's toy.  They quickly surrounded him so he had nowhere to escape.

They repeatedly tried tackling him.

One member of the wild dog pack even used a rather rude method to try to dominate and distract Ziggy, but even that didn't work.

Finally, the wild dog pack managed to get Ziggy to drop the toy, and quickly stole it from him.

That didn't last long though, because Ziggy immediately tried to steal it back, and an impromptu game of tug broke out.

In the end, the toy was not quite strong enough, and one member of the wild dog pack ended up with a headless duck for a toy, while Ziggy happily carried off a duck head as a prize.

Disclaimer: Please do not try this at home.  These dogs were closely monitored during their play session to make sure the play did not escalate into aggression.  No dogs were harmed during the making of this blog post.  One stuffed duck toy was harmed, so please send donations of dog toys to All Paws Rescue at PO Box 1274, O'Fallon MO 63366.

Living With Fourteen Dogs and Cats

As one of my friends recently pointed out, only in the rescue world does it seem normal to live with seven dogs and seven cats.  That's how many I have right now, although the numbers change a bit from day to day.  My house is divided by baby gates, and each room has a purpose related to the animals.  One room is currently occupied by several dog crates where Ziggy, Miley, Elton and Ellie sleep and eat their meals.  They also stay there when I'm not home.  The rest of their time is spent with me in the living room or outside.  The other three dogs - Harry, Roxy and Bunny - currently have crates in the living room.  Harry just came back from a foster-to-adopt home which didn't work out for him.  His crate is in the living room so he can get used to the other dog's presence and they can get used to him.  Bunny is in the living room because that's where I spend most of my time and I want her to get used to me.  Her crate door is never closed but she feels safe in her crate so she spends most of her time in the crate by choice.  And Roxy is only in her crate at meal times, but I've found it's convenient to leave her crate in the living room in case one of the dogs needs a short time-out when they're playing.  The living room is basically one very large room consisting of a living area, dining area, and kitchen area.  This leaves a lot of floor space for the dogs to run around and play.  There are also several good spots for the cats to hide if the dogs get a bit over exuberant.  I only foster cat-friendly dogs, but occasionally one of the dogs will think chasing a cat is a terrific idea.  Hiding behind the couch or sitting up above them on the top of a cabinet is a great relief to the cats at times.  Of course they have their own spaces too.  I have one room currently used only for a new cat to settle in and get accustomed to the house prior to introducing him to the other cats.  Then there is another room blocked off by a baby gate (so the cats can jump over and have freedom but they dogs can't get in).  That room has the cat trees, food, cat toys, and all other things that are too tempting for dogs to stay away from.  Of course the cats don't spend much time in that room - they prefer my bedroom.  Right now only Roxy has been allowed to sleep on my bed at night, plus of course the cats.  And during the day no dogs are allowed in the room but again the cats take it over. All in all, everyone seems quite happy.  At least it's much better than the alternative of a shelter while they wait for their forever homes.

Speaking of forever homes, Tulsa recently went out on a foster-to-adopt situation which is so far going very well!  And Roxy has a home visit scheduled for this weekend, so she may have her forever home soon also.  Harry also has a home visit to be scheduled, and he may only be back for a short time.  Now if only Ziggy or Bunny would find their forever homes!

Here is a short video of the dogs enjoying the nice weather:

It's Puggle Season

Okay, I'm not exactly sure Puggle Season is a real thing... but somehow I've gone four years without ever fostering a Puggle, to suddenly fostering two within the same month.  Where are all these Puggles coming from?  Puggles are a designer breed mix of a Pug and a Beagle.  The ones I have met all have the spirit of a Pug plus the affectionate nature of a Beagle plus the self-confidence of a world-class athlete.  In other words, these dogs may soon be taking over the world.

My latest Puggle is named Miley.  She's four years old, and she's almost as food motivated as Ziggy.  This means she will spend hours searching the house looking for any stray kibble.  It keeps her out of trouble, so I've started hiding kibble all around the house in order to give her something to do.

Miley had a medical condition known as 'cherry eye' so she had to have eye surgery.  This means she has to wear the cone of shame for seven days.

However I recently caught her doing some amazing world-class athletic stretching maneuvers that allowed her to use her back leg to reach around the cone and still scratch at her eye.  Fortunately her eye seems to be healing well in spite of this unauthorized behavior, so she should be ready for adoption by this weekend.  And hopefully there's someone out there who won't be able to resist this face.

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.  

Teddy Gets A Haircut

Teddy used to look fluffy.  His fur was very matted, so another rescue volunteer shaved him down for me.  This is Teddy before he was shaved.  

This is Teddy after he was shaved.  Please note the large pile of fur on the table next to Teddy.  This large pile of fur used to be part of Teddy.  Now it is not.

Teddy is now about half the size he used to be.