Favorite Foster Pet Video

In January 2009 I brought home a four pound pit bull puppy.  I named her Boo, and I took this video of her barking at me so I would let her out of her pen.  The funny part is not her bark (although I think that's pretty cute too) it's her ears.  Watch her ears...

Foster Pet Updates

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Boo was adopted!

I miss her a lot, but I'm really glad that Boo found a home with a wonderful family and another dog to play with. They were originally hoping to adopt Noelle, so I took her to meet them on Friday. However, Noelle decided she wasn't crazy about their current dog, so we decided that perhaps Boo would be a better fit. We were all sad that Noelle didn't work out, but it is a great home for any dog so I'm glad that they decided to give Boo a chance instead. And Boo did great with their other dog, so hopefully it will be a perfect fit.

While I was at PetSmart, a family came by and asked if we could help with some kittens they were caring for. The kittens' mother had been killed, so they had been bottle feeding the kittens, and they were finally old enough to begin eating on their own. It's been a long time since I fostered kittens, so of course I had to take them! I will post pictures of them tomorrow!

Introducing Marco and Polo, Update on other fosters

Tonight I took in two new cat fosters - Marco and Polo. They are brothers, around 6 years old, and they are the most beautiful cats I've ever fostered. They are also both very friendly. They remind me of a cat that I had growing up, and I'm crazy about them after only having them for a couple of hours! Marco and Polo have been through a lot in their life, but they've always had each other. So I'll be keeping them both until they can find a home together. Sometimes adult cats are hard to place together - especially when one is special needs (Marco is deaf) but in this case I can't imagine that they'll have a hard time finding a home. Not only are they beautiful, but they are easy-going, and get along with other cats, dogs, and kids. The family who rescued Marco and Polo originally was very sad to give them up, but the son was allergic so they had to find another home for the cats. But then a few years later the second family who adopted them decided they could no longer keep them and they turned them in to a shelter. Fortunately the first owner had microchipped the cats, and when the shelter contacted her, she immediately went and rescued them again. Then she asked for our help to find them a good home. When I got them tonight, she told me that Polo was very athletic. He proved this when I put him in the bathroom while getting his room ready for him. I went in to get him and found him on top of the shower doors! He actually seemed quite comfortable up there. This is Marco on the left, and Polo on the right.




As usual, the camera was out so I had to take pictures of the rest of my fosters. Here is a picture of Una, snuggling among some stuffed animals. She is still a bit shy, but she's starting to come greet me occasionally now.

Here is Shiro. He's always ready to greet me and get attention and petting, and of course canned food!

Here is a picture of Lucy with Boo. I always think its a good sign when the dogs don't mind going in a crate even when they don't have to. It means I'm doing a good job of keeping the crate as a good place to be, instead of somewhere they have to stay when I'm not home. Here Lucy went in and settled down for a nap, and I guess Boo thought that she looked so comfortable, that she decided to go join her!

And for anyone who heard rumors that Lucy was adopted - it's not true, unfortunately.

Here's Boo on the left and Noelle on the right. These two aren't related. But I think Boo is starting to look more like Noelle every day. Poor Boo. :-)

I have a temporary, one night house-guest. He doesn't have a name right now, but I'm calling him Romeo because he likes to give kisses. He's on his way from a shelter to the vet, and then he's going to be adopted tomorrow!

And here are a couple pictures from our Trivia Night. A few of the Silent Auction items...

Trivia Night

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.

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!

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!

Another quiet day at PetSmart

It was very slow at Petsmart today. We still had a few dogs adopted though. I came back home with the same dogs and cats that I took up there - but at least I didn't add any new ones this week! :-)

Boo is so funny - of all my foster animals, she is the only one who seems to enjoy going to PetSmart. In fact, she seems to enjoy everything she does. At home when I can't watch her she stays in an exercise pen, with a plastic crate inside it where she sleeps. Lately she's been climbing on top of her crate - my husband said she thinks that she's Snoopy. Today she's figured out how to climb onto the top of the crate and then out of the expen, and she's done it several times already. I finally had to take the crate out - the ex-pen is four feet tall, and I'm afraid she will get hurt one of these times jumping down from that height! Right now she's curled up in her new dog bed and seems very content.

Boo's drive-by eating habits

I noticed something this morning that I hadn't paid much attention to before. I'm calling it Boo's drive-by eating habits. Boo, the little pit bull puppy, has been skinny since I got her. She always seemed to eat a lot, but then she'd burn off all the calories with her non-stop energy. Since she's been living with the other puppies, I've noticed she doesn't seem to get as much food as them. I feed them twice a day, and dump their alloted portion into two bowls in their exercise pen, and watch them all dive in. They don't get aggressive with each other, and at first I was worried that Boo would push the other ones out of the way - she's not shy about getting what she wants. :-) But she tended to stay in the background - she'd go up and get a piece of food then retreat, while all the others were practically immersed in the food bowls. So I started hand feeding her extra food after they finished eating. So this morning, I decided to let her run around the house with me while I got ready for work. The puppies were in the ex-pen, and the adult dogs were in the backyard, so I just carried an extra food bowl into my room with me, hoping she would eat more. It was then that I realized what she does, whether there are other dogs around or not. She runs up to the food bowl, grabs one piece of kibble, and then darts away as fast as she can. She gets ten feet away or so, and chews up that one piece of kibble, and then she goes running back to the food bowl and grabs another piece. She acts like she's stealing each piece, and she won't eat anywhere in the vicinity of the bowl. Sometimes she rushes by so fast, she grabs for a piece of kibble but misses it altogether. It's so funny to watch - I didn't have time before work, but later this weekend I'll try to get it on video. She seems to do it whether there is anyone around (human or canine) or she is alone. I think she probably burns more calories running to and from the food bowl than she actually gets from each little piece of kibble she takes. Silly puppy!

Puppy adoptions; Introducing Artemis

Taking care of 9 puppies keeps a person busy! But I'm happy to report that two of the nine puppies were adopted on Saturday. Keebler and Clover both found new homes. Tonight, Amos is supposed to be adopted, and I have a couple more pre-arranged adoptions for this weekend. At times I think anyone who adopts a puppy is crazy - especially if they work full time. Puppies are soooo much work. But then at other times I think about keeping one of the puppies for myself. Oh, I know I can't (my husband wouldn't let me, for one thing) but they are just so darn cute. It would be fun to watch them grow up, and be able to train them and not have to give them up. So in the end, I do understand the attraction of getting a puppy, even if they ARE a lot of work. For now I'm just enjoying playing with them, and looking forward to the day that I only have one or two left, and I can stop spending all my free time changing puppy paper! :-)

Since I have no room left to bring in new dogs (or puppies), I brought home another cat on Saturday. I know, I know.... but this cat needed me. Black cats are the hardest to find homes for, and a family who was moving couldn't take their all-black cat, and was unable to find a home for him. I agreed to take him sight-unseen, which is always a little scary. The family might say he's affectionate and a great cat, but what if he turns out to be really mean? Still, he had nowhere else to go, so I said I'd take him. His name is Artemis, and I must admit, from the second I saw him, I fell in love. He is quite possibly the most beautiful cat I've ever seen. He has this shiny, beautiful black coat, and bright yellow eyes, and he looks like a black panther. AND, he's sooo friendly. I am very happy to be fostering Artemis, and I will try to take some pictures and post them soon.

As an update on my other fosters, here's the news:

Whisper (tortie cat) has moved up to PetSmart, and has settled in very well. We weren't too sure how she would do, since sometimes she can have a bit of an attitude, but so far she's doing fine. Now if someone will just fall in love with her, we'll be set.

Tulsa (deaf Blue Heeler dog) is also doing well. Since I had the puppies I didn't take her to adoptions on Saturday, so she got another week off. She is driving my husband crazy by barking at the cats whenever she sees them behind the baby gate that blocks the hallway. Scribbles likes to sit there and hiss at her.

Noelle (deaf Pit Bull Terrier mix) has finished her first month of treatment for mange. She will be going back to the vet to get rechecked this week, and maybe she'll be able to start going to adoption events again soon! She's as sweet as ever - the best cuddler I know.

Scribbles (tortieco cat) is another cat with an attitude. She is the sweetest most affectionate lap cat when we're alone, but if any other cats are around, she hisses at them. And if there are dogs around - well, I even avoid her then, because she is downright scary. She spits and growls and hisses and attacks, and I have to protect the dogs from her. I'm possibly going to move her to PetSmart just so she can get away from the dogs, and I think everyone (but especially Scribbles) will be much happier then.

Kiwi (torbie cat) is my friendly, perfect, highly adoptable cat, except that she vomits occasionally. This cat is one of the best cats I've had - everyone who meets her loves her. She is friendly, gets along with everyone and everything, and would probably be adopted right away if she were healthy. However since I got her she's been vomiting every few days, so the vet checked her out and suggested a change in diet to a special prescription food. I'm going to try that and see how she does - hopefully the new food will do the trick.

Boo (American Pit Bull Terrier puppy) is growing so fast! She's so cute, and her ears seem to be growing at a faster rate than the rest of her body. She still has more energy than she knows what to do with, and has become adept at climbing baby gates and fences to get to where she wants to be.

Tommy was adopted! Introducing Kiwi & Scribbles

Yesterday, my gray tabby foster cat Tommy has found a home! He's been living up at PetSmart for awhile, and yesterday someone met him and adopted him! Now he can finally have a real home with room to run and play and people to give him a lot of love and attention.

I also took in two new foster cats about a week ago. First is Kiwi - she is a gray tabby with brown markings, aka a torbie. She is very sweet and affectionate, and loves everyone. She is not scared of much either - she already hangs out in the house with all the dogs, and even ignores them when Tulsa barks at her. Here is a picture of her staring down the dogs. :-)

And this is Scribbles. She has tortoiseshell markings and calico markings, aka a tortieco. She is very sweet and affectionate with me, but very scared of everything else. She's afraid of the other cats and the dogs, and still spends most of her time in the cat room. Whenever I go in she runs to me and sits on my lap to be petted. I hope she finds a quiet home where she will be given a lot of attention, because she is so loving when she isn't afraid.

Here is a picture of Tulsa (my foster Blue Heeler) and Remi (my own Great Dane) - they were watching the cats sitting behind the gate on the other side of the room. They kind of look like they're waiting for the cats to jump over the gate so they can have a meal. :-) Remi is really afraid of cats though - and Tulsa just likes to bark at them, but she doesn't try to eat them!

Boo is only a week older than the litter of 8 puppies I am fostering, so I put her with them so she would have company and be able to practice her dog relationship skills. She has done great with them - as you can see, she fits right in!

The puppies are finally ready for adoption, and will be able to go to PetSmart this weekend to try to find homes.

Boo's Bark; New Puppies

Okay, to properly enjoy this video of my foster puppy Boo, pay close attention to her ears!



The bad thing about this is I find it so funny, that I find myself going into the room and waiting to open the door of her ex-pen just so I can watch her bark and laugh at her. It is probably frustrating for her, not to mention teaching her bad habits (to bark when she wants something) but its so funny to watch that I can't help myself, at least for the next day or two. :-)

So I have three adult fosters and one new puppy - you'd think that would be plenty to keep me busy. But I heard a sad story at PetSmart yesterday. A family had taken in a dog who had been abused, and when they did it they didn't know the dog was pregnant. The dog had eight puppies and once they were weaned they had to get rid of them. So, I agreed to take them and foster them until they were ready for adoption. The puppies are about six weeks old, and they appear to be All-American Mutts - in this case, probably a mixture of pit bull, rottweiler and/or husky, with possibly a splash of beagle or shepherd thrown in for good measure. There are five girls and three boys. Here are pictures of my new foster puppies!

This is Scooby - he is the largest of the litter, at 7 pounds.

This is Pebbles, Clover and Duchess - three mostly black puppies, all females. The smallest (Clover) is 4.8 pounds!

Two tan puppies - Amos (male) and Kasey (female).

This is Gretchen she is brindle and her face looks like a husky!

This is Keebler, a tan and black puppy with beautiful blue eyes.

Group photo!

Introducing Boo (name may be changed!)

A have another foster friend (click here to read her story) who came over last night and took some pictures of my new puppy for me. Right now I'm calling the puppy Boo, because that name has the most votes - you can still vote in the post below and her name may change in the next few days! Here is Boo..

This is a great picture of the black spot at the base of her tail - the rest of her is all white.


Every time the flash started to go off, Boo would cock her head to the side, trying to figure out what was going on!


I still look at her and think she's adorable.


However, after further discussions with my foster friend, and further consideration, I have come to the realization that she may not be so much cute as she is pathetic. At only 4 pounds, she is tiny!! So she's either cute and pathetic, or so ugly she's cute, or some combination of the two. :-)

With her big black round eyes, she still reminds me of a little white rat. Hence, her nickname from me will forever be "Little Rat". Most of my foster animals get nicknames - Noelle is "Little One" even though she's not little anymore! Duncan was "dunk-dunk" - silly I know, but that's just what I call them. Anyway, my Little Rat is so funny. She is definitely not a huggable cuddly little girl - she is a super-energetic, not afraid of anything, let's see what kind of trouble I can get into kind of girl. She does not want to sit still, even when she's being held.

Is it a puppy? Or a fuzzy white rat?

A friend of mine was teasing me because I was describing this puppy, and in the same sentence called it "the cutest puppy ever" and "it looks like a hairless white rat". Somehow, I think they're both true!

I got an e-mail from a local shelter who had taken in this puppy and wanted to get it into rescue. Of course, I immediately volunteered to take her, based just on her picture. She's so much cuter in person too - I will hopefully have more pictures to show you soon. She is this little tiny puppy - she only weighs 4.2 pounds!!! And she is all white, except for a little bit of black around her nose, and one black spot at the base of her tail. She is probably around 6 or 7 weeks old right now. Giving her a bath after I brought her home was easy - I could just hold her in one hand under the faucet to bathe her! She is so affectionate, and she is very energetic and curious. I need some help naming her. It's hard to do without meeting her, but help me out please. I like names that have to do with the one little black spot on the base of her tail, so I was thinking of calling her Dot or Speck. I also included some other choices, or I'd love some suggestions. Please vote below to help me name this puppy - thanks!