The realities of fostering...

This doesn't happen in all foster homes, but if you foster several pets at once, you may find your life becoming a bit like this:

Baby gates separate various rooms in your house.

Your favorite fleece jacket gets ripped to shreds and is turned into a favorite dog toy.

Your back yard gets a giant bare spot where grass may never grow again.

Your favorite teddy bear is in constant danger of being destuffed. Again.

The expensive dog bed you purchased becomes a favorite cat window.

By the way, the animals pictured in these photos were not responsible for the damage shown here. Except Remi, my Great Dane. He's totally responsible for the destuffing of Teddy.



But here's the other reality of fostering...

Every dog and cat just pictured was an animal that was running out of time at an animal control facility and would likely have been euthanized if I had not fostered it, and had some kind person not adopted the animal. And that makes the messy house and the damaged belongings and the bare spots in the yard all worth it, to have helped save so many lives.

Scribbles

My foster cat Scribbles has been living up at PetSmart recently. She's been a bit crabby up there, so last night I went and got her and took her home. It was quite an adventure getting her into her carrier. But we both survived, and boy was she happy to see her old room again. I went in to visit her and take a few pictures, and she was her usual affectionate self. Well, anyone who has met her at PetSmart has never seen her usual affectionate self. But trust me, she is totally different at home.





I'm going to try to take some video of her to put on the website since she never displays her true loving personality at PetSmart. I am tempted to take some video of her with Noelle too. You have to see her around a dog to truly understand how scary a cat can be. She hisses and spits and makes horrible noises as she tries to attack. But that would be mean, so I won't do that. You'll just have to take my word on it that sometimes an angry cat is much scarier than an angry dog. But as long as Scribbles can find a permanent home without dogs, I know she will be a loving, affectionate companion and can have that happily ever after ending that so many dogs and cats don't get.

BAD RAP

One of my favorite blogs is from BAD RAP (Bay Area Doglovers Responsible About Pitbulls), a rescue group located in California who works exclusively with pit bulls. They've been working with federal authorities on the recent fighting dog bust in our area, as has the Humane Society of Missouri, and when it comes to pit bulls, the people at BAD RAP are my heroes. They have done a tremendous job teaching people about the breed. They have repeatedly shown that fighting dogs are just like our dogs at home, except they were born into the hands of abusers.

The dogs in this picture are all dogs rescued from the Michael Vick fighting ring. You can see for yourself that they aren't people aggressive, or even dog aggressive. They're just happy, loving, forgiving dogs. They were the victims of cruelty, but they've been rescued and are living good lives now. The BAD RAP blog shares some great stories about pit bulls, so if the idea of walking up to that couch and sitting down with those dogs scares you, please take some time and read about them.

(Photo credit: Tim Archibald - Photo downloaded from BAD RAP website.)



The 400+ fighting dogs that were rescued recently are going to be released to rescue groups soon. Sadly, there are not enough rescues or adopters to save all of the dogs from this bust that are adoptable. I would love to foster one of these dogs, but right now it doesn't look like that will happen. So I'm doing the best I can for them, by helping the groups who are helping them. I hope you'll join me and send a donation to BAD RAP, who already has taken 10 of these bust dogs and will soon be getting many more. They're building a barn in order to have a space to take in dog fighting bust cases and emergency situations. Just to give you an idea of what the 10 dogs are like that they've received so far, here is an excerpt from their blog....


What are they like? Like the Vick dogs, their personalities are a mixed bag. We have the timid/cowering dog, the pushy/optimistic dog, the easily aroused dog and the low key love bunny. We have every range of dog tolerance level from been-there-done-that dog aggressive to the please-be-my-pal dog social. We have highly adoptable, needs some work, and sadly damaged compassion hold status. As always - individuals, individuals.

These dogs deserve to be part of a family and know love and affection. So I'm issuing a challenge - whatever my readers donate to BAD RAP in the next month, I will personally match, up to $1,000.00. I'm doing this for all of the bust dogs who have endured such cruelty, in honor of my own pit bull Noelle who taught me how wonderful pit bulls can be. If you'd like to donate, visit BAD RAP Barnraising to find out how, and make sure to note that you're a dogfostermom blog reader to make your gift eligible for the matching amount.

Cabbie was adopted; Introducing Princess

I took the weekend off from fostering, and went on a camping trip with some friends. We had a great time, and enjoyed the awesome weather. I came back to find out that my foster kitten Cabbie was adopted this weekend. I'm happy for him to be in a real home now. My other foster cats were staying at PetSmart while I was gone, and my foster puppies Calvin and Hobbes were dog-sat by a Heartland volunteer. We took Remi and Noelle to our favorite dog sitter. I'd like to take Remi and Noelle camping with us, but since we also did a float trip at the same time it wasn't the ideal situation. For one thing, Remi can't fit in a canoe.

My newest foster cat was taken care of by my parents while I was gone, with some help from my niece. She has named the cat Princess. So far Princess is turning out to be a wonderful cat. She's super-affectionate and friendly and did great with my nieces and nephews while I was gone.

Coming soon...

This sweet cat was turned into a vet's office by someone who found her hiding under their truck. She's very sweet, and if we can't find her owner she will become my foster cat very soon. I'm letting my 8-year-old niece name her, to make up for the fact that I said my niece was only seven years old. She turned eight recently, and I will not forget her age again! Until she turns nine... then I make no promises.

The story of the Pesky Fly

I stopped at my local PetSmart store last night to visit my foster cats who are staying up there and hoping to find homes. So of course I had to take some pictures. I'm sorry you're being subjected to so many bad photos, but I can't seem to stop posting, even when the background is terrible and the pictures are blurry. They still tell a story, and here it is.

The Pesky Fly

It all started so innocently. I was just minding my own business, relaxing on the nice cool concrete. I'm the gray and white kitten in the picture to the right. My name is Caboose, but my foster mom insists on calling me Cabbie - she thinks its cute. So there I was, not causing any trouble, when suddenly, I heard a buzzing noise. I looked up, and there was a FLY, harrassing my neighbor cats. Well I wasn't about to let the fly get away with that! So here's what I did.
First, I brought the fly to the attention of my roommate Cinderella. She was shocked and appalled to hear there was a fly tormenting our neighbors, and she immediately sprang into action. I was right behind her, ensuring the fly would NOT escape from the two of us.












Unfortunately, the fly soon landed on my sister Cilla's head, and, well, you can see what happened next. But the fly got away, and Cilla joined in the chase.





Cilla was concerned about our neighbor cats, so we each took a moment to check on them and make sure they were doing okay.






Scribbles said "Excuse me, but what is all this fuss about? You're disturbing my nap!"

Just then, the fly made the mistake of flying too close to Artemis (he prefers to go by Artie), and in one gulp, Artie eliminated the problem for good. Way to go, Artie!

Playtime

I took some more pictures the other night of the dogs playing together. Here's a picture of Noelle and Remi playing with a different sort of Jolly Ball (not the kind that Hobbes got his head stuck in recently). I ordered this toy from PetEdge after someone recommended it to me, and the dogs love it - its Remi and Noelle's favorite toy.




While looking through some pictures of the dogs playing, I realized that the majority of the time, Remi is running away from Noelle. So I thought I should share a picture where Remi finally looks like he is winning. And for those of you who are interested in photography, it turns out that when you use certain settings on a DSLR, you have to remove the lens hood or you get that funny shadow in all of your pictures. Oops.





One last picture - here are Noelle and the puppies playing. I love her one-ear-up, one-ear-down look.

Calvin and Hobbes should be available for adoption in about a week - I am going to miss these cuties. They're so sweet, and hilarious to watch with their short legs and long bodies.

New Camera

I have become more interested in photography recently, and just bought my first digital SLR camera. Basically this is a fancier version of a point-n-shoot camera like the one I used to use, and it will let me use more manual settings to get more interesting photos. Unfortunately until I figure out how to work it, the majority of my pictures are going to turn out blurry. This camera really makes me appreciate the awesome photography of my other blogging friends. I can safely say their awesome pictures are due to the photographer's skill, not the camera. I hope with some practice my picture-taking abilities will get better. And in the meantime, you'll see a lot more pictures on my blog as I practice using the new camera.

Remi, my 3-year-old Great Dane

This is Hobbes, one of my foster puppies. He looks sad to me in this picture. It's those Basset eyes. They just look pathetic. It's hard to foster a puppy with Basset eyes without constantly taking them into your arms and giving them attention.

Yesterday Hobbes finally caught up with his brother Calvin and learned how to go down the stairs! Now they can both run up and down stairs with the big dogs to go outside, and with their little short legs, its pretty funny to watch!

This is my husband Dave with Noelle. She looooooves him so much. And he feels the same about her. They're so much alike. He likes to sleep late, and so does she. He likes to watch movies, and so does she. She can't wait to greet him every time he comes home, and he smiles every time he sees her. When she wakes up and he's not there, she runs from room to room until she finds him. I think she might be his best friend. I'm only a little bit jealous.

Wet Cat Contest - Winners Announced

Wow, you guys made judging easy - with only two entries, I don't even have to wait on my niece to pick the funniest one. They're both hilarious...

from http://www.crazywebsite.com/Website-Clipart-Pictures-Videos/Funny-Pets-Animals

and
from http://washingcats.com/


so I'm declaring both entries the winner! JulieB and T Fortuna+, please post your winning charity in the comments, or e-mail me at dogfostermom@aol.com. A donation will be sent to the charity of your choice - thank you for humoring me and playing along. For those of you who've told me you are not computer literate and couldn't figure out how to play along, I will do my best to come up with a contest that you can participate in next time! After all, my niece was looking forward to playing judge, so I have to give her something to judge with more entries so I can keep being her favorite aunt. At least that's what she tells me... although come to think of it, she only tells me that when her other aunts are not around. Hmmm... do you think a seven-year-old has mastered the art of telling people what they want to hear already? Do you think I'm going to be in trouble with my sister or my mom if they read this and it turns out my niece is really 8 years old? I am awful with remembering ages and birthdays. I'm sorry, niece. All of my memory space in my brain is apparently being used up remembering the lyrics to songs, which is obviously much more important than remembering little things like birthdays and ages.

New Format; Cabbie is not hypo-allergenic

You probably noticed the new format of my blog - unless you're really unobservant, like me. I decided it was time for a change. I've been reading other blogs lately and they've inspired me to improve this blog. So I'm going to try to post more often, and make my posts more entertaining or inspiring or educational. Or at least longer.

I am a dog person, and I've heard that dog people are all about pleasing others. I want you to be happy, and I want you to like me, so I'm going to put more effort into making this a blog you look forward to visiting. This is no longer just a place for me to keep a record of my fosters - now it is becoming a blog about my life. And if I ever have more than four readers, I'll be amazed that anyone else could find my life interesting. After all, cleaning up after dogs and scooping litter boxes is not all that entertaining. But for you four readers out there, thanks for sticking by me, and hopefully you'll find the changes that I'll be making an improvement. Unless you're unobservant like me and you don't notice any changes - then nevermind.

Cabbie, my foster kitten that was adopted on Saturday was returned yesterday. Turns out he is not hypoallergenic. I am sad for the family who adopted him because they really wanted a cat. Being allergic to something you love must be awful. Cabbie and Cilla seem very happy to be together again. They are going to stay up at PetSmart for a week to see if they can get adopted.

Don't forget the Wet Cat contest ends tomorrow. Want to play? Here's a tip - go to www.google.com/images and type in "wet cat", then click the Search Images button. When you find one you like, copy the link below the picture, then paste that link (or re-type it) into a comment that you leave on the Wet Cat post here. In order to be fair and impartial, I'll be letting my seven-year-old niece judge the entries and pick the one she finds the funniest. We have a similar sense of humor (we can go back and forth with the whole "knock-knock - who's there - banana" joke for half an hour - or until my sister threatens us with bodily harm if we don't stop already). So I'm sure she'll do a good job with judging the entries. Check back tomorrow afternoon for the winner.

Marco & Polo, Chessie and Cabbie were adopted!

Marco and Polo were adopted first - so if you voted for them in the recent poll, you were right! Once again it was a good day for my foster cats, since four of them found wonderful new homes today. I had all seven of my foster cats there for adoptions. My two foster puppies aren't ready to go yet - they have to wait and get neutered and another vaccination before they'll be ready. So today I was a cat volunteer instead of a dog volunteer, and I must admit it was very nice to spend the day in the air conditioning with easy-to-care-for cats. Scribbles and Artemis are staying at PetSmart in the Adoption Center full-time, and I brought Marco & Polo and the three Sea Litter kittens with me for the day. Marco and Polo caught the eye of a very nice lady who was looking for one cat - not two. I convinced her they were more like just one giant cat. I also apparently neglected to put on their cage sign that Marco was deaf. I realized this after I asked "and you know Marco is deaf, right?" and when she said no, I looked at their sign and realized she couldn't have known because I didn't include that in the info I typed up about them. Oops - I am relieved that she didn't seem to mind ending up with two cats - one hearing and one deaf. Her husband and son also liked the cats, so Marco and Polo now are two very lucky cats!

Next, someone fell in love with Chessie, and she was quickly adopted. And then after we packed up to leave, I got out Cabbie to show a lady who was looking for a cat, and while she wasn't ready to adopt, another couple who was there decided that he was the cat for them. So he also found a home tonight. The husband has allergies to cats so I'm hoping it works out and Cabbie turns out to be hypo-allergenic. Or at least that the Zyrtec works. We shall see! In the meantime, its very strange to have only one kitten here at home. Artie and Scribbles will be coming back from their stay at PetSmart soon if they aren't adopted, so this lack of cats won't last long, but for right now I'm not quite sure what to do with only one little kitten to care for. It'll take some getting used to.

Check krazykatlady's blog for news of other adoptions this weekend. I know several dogs were adopted including my favorite - Hope! And several other kittens and cats also found homes. Now I'm off to clean up puppy paper - the never-ending supply of soiled newspaper that the puppies leave me whenever I leave them home alone. I miss fostering adult dogs.

Wet Cat Contest

I like contests - have you noticed? So I've decided to bribe you to play along. Did I say bribe? I meant entice. But I couldn't think of anything that I could offer that you would really want. Some bloggers have contests and give away gift cards worth hundreds of dollars. I don't have hundreds of dollars. And I didn't figure a little $10 gift card would be much of an enticement. Plus I'd feel guilty giving away money solely to find people to play silly little games with me. Still, I wanted to come up with something (I really like contests). So here's what I came up with - whomever wins the contest will get a $10 donation made in their name to the charity of their choice. Now $10 may not be a lot of money to you, but I think all charities, even the huge national charities, appreciate any small donation, because it all adds up to help their cause. The only rule is the charity must be a 501(c)3 charity. It can be an animal rescue group like Heartland Humane Society, or a children's charity like Compassion Int'l, or a group like the American Cancer Society or JDRF. It's totally your choice, if you win. So here's how to play!


This first ever official Dog Foster Mom contest will be about cats - wet cats, to be exact. Here is a picture I took of a cat named Athena right after she had a bath. She looks happy, don't you think?

So your job, should you choose to accept it, is to find a funny picture of a wet cat. I'm not suggesting you go give your cat a bath - surprisingly there are not many catz like Athena who really like to get wet. But I'm sure there are many pictures of wet cats out there on the great big world-wide web, and if you want to play this game, you just need to go find them. Then leave a comment on this post with a link to the picture you like best. One entry per person please. The contest will end on Tuesday the 18th at 1:00pm CST. At that time, I will pick one entry that makes me laugh, and that person will be declared the winner. I hope you enjoy the idea, and have fun!

The Dangers of Jolly Balls

Jolly Balls...




It all started so innocently... about a year ago, I purchased a popular dog toy known as a Jolly Ball Teaser Ball. These toys are made to be almost indestructible (always a good thing with Remi and Noelle around) and they've received rave reviews from dog owners across the world. The Teaser Ball is a ball within a ball. The inner ball causes it to wobble and makes pushing the toy around great fun. Last night it caught the attention of my foster puppy Hobbes. I never thought something named a Jolly Ball could be anything but, well, jolly. However Hobbes quickly demonstrated the inherent danger in being a small puppy with too much curiousity and not enough common sense, and this was the result:



Oh sure, you think its funny.... I did at first too! Until I tried to get it off. I pulled. I tugged. I squeezed his head into funny shapes, with no luck. He was stuck.



I took a brief break to snap a picture and call a friend for advice. What should I do? Try some soap for lubrication? He was calm and didn't appear to be in pain, but if I started rubbing soap all over his head, he'd probably freak out. The plastic outer ball really is indestructible - it also doesn't bend or flex at all. My friend didn't answer her phone, so I was on my own. Back to pulling... and tugging... and pulling some more. I tried holding the ball still and letting him pull himself out, with no luck. I tried wiggling it around in a circle, with no luck. I tried pulling his ears through first, with no luck. The whole time he just stood there quietly, like this:


I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Finally, after some more pulling and tugging and wondering how in the heck he ever got his head in there in the first place, I got him out. And he went right over to another dog toy and started playing. I am glad to report he was fine and has no physical or emotional trauma from this event. Too bad his foster mom can't say the same!

Pictures of Calvin & Hobbes (and Remi & Noelle)

I took the day off from PetSmart today, and had the chance to take a few pictures of my dogs.

Here's Noelle sleeping. And possibly practicing yoga in her sleep.


This is Remi in our backyard. He looks happy. I think he just spotted a school bus to bark at. School buses are his favorite - they're big, noisy, and don't go very fast, so he has lots of time to bark at them!


Here's Noelle again - isn't she pretty? It's okay if you don't agree - just pretend you do and I'll be happy. She's not going to bark at the bus, but if it happens to let a kid or two out, she'll be ready to greet them and let them know how much she loves them.

Here are my foster puppies, Calvin (black and white) and Hobbes (all black).

They are typical boys who enjoy wrestling and beating up on each other.

But when trouble comes, they know where to run to. Here they are by Remi, who is happy to protect them from that evil school bus. He's big and tough and he can take on any ol' school bus.

Hobbes ran so fast, his tongue couldn't keep up with the rest of him.

And finally, the school bus is gone and the puppies can relax. All is right with their world again.

Introducing Calvin and Hobbes

- I just got these two cuties last night. I haven't had a chance to take pictures yet, but here is a picture the rescuer sent me before I got them.

They're Basset Hound/Lab mixes, only seven weeks old. It's hard to tell how cute they are just from the picture, but it gives you an idea. They both have Lab faces, with long bodies and short legs, and somehow in spite of the Lab faces they still have those oh-so-sad Basset Hound eyes that just suck you in and make you want to cuddle them and make them happy.

Calvin, the black and white one, has thick Basset legs and feet, and a Basset tail. Hobbes, the all black one, has more Lab features, and is a bit smaller than his brother. They're both pretty big for being only seven weeks though. They met Remi and Noelle and were a bit intimidated by their large size, but I think within a few days they'll be playing and wrestling with Noelle. Remi is too mature for all of that wrestling stuff, but he might be willing to play a game of tug with them.

They also met the cats and kittens, and were slightly intimidated by them. I'm sure the cats are relieved that they aren't like my previous foster puppy Chip who liked to chase them and then tackle them when he caught them! Calvin and Hobbes prefer to watch the strange creatures called cats from a safe distance.

Due to a change in plans, my foster cats probably won't be at PetSmart for adoptions this weekend, so I may have to extend the contest to see who is adopted next another week. And for whomever keeps voting for Scribbles - you're killing me. Maybe you just like long odds, but I keep hoping it means someone out there wants to adopt her! :-)

And the winner is....

For those of you who entered the contest to see which of my cat fosters would be adopted next, we have a three-way tie! Since they were all three adopted on the same day, and I wasn't there so I'm not sure who actually filled out the paperwork first, I'm declaring that if you voted for Mercury, Solara or Capri, you get bragging rights! So go ahead, leave a comment and brag about how you KNEW who would go next, and why! And if you actually adopted Mercury, Capri or Solara, you get extra bragging rights! :-)

So now my Disney litter is adopted, and my Solar System litter is adopted, and I only have three kittens from my Sea Litter and a few adults left. If you liked the last game and want to play again, just vote again for whomever you think will be adopted next! Here's a hint about the cats/kittens that I am still fostering:

Scribbles - Unless you're planning to adopt her or know someone who is, you should consider this the long shot. She's not good at PetSmart (she gets stressed out and hisses at people) so unless someone sees her online and applies for her, she doesn't have such a good chance of being adopted.

Artemis - Another adult, and a black cat at that - his odds would normally be lower as well. (Is it wrong to talk about adopting cats in terms of odds? Lighten up, its all in fun) :-) Artemis might have a secret advantage though, like Solara did. He might get to go stay at PetSmart someday soon and then people would be able to see him all during the week instead of just on Saturdays. Also, he gives hugs, and how many cats do you know who give really good hugs? Seriously, his hugs are better than most cats who give hugs, so if you don't believe me come visit him at PetSmart on Saturday and hug him for yourself!

Marco & Polo - I thought these guys would be adopted quick - they're gorgeous, all white, long-haired, front declawed cats. They're also affectionate and sweet. But they're a little older (seven years) and for whatever reason, they're taking awhile to find a home. They're ready to start coming to PetSmart again too though and should be there on Saturday, so maybe they'll be the ones to go next.

Chessie - She's the comical relief around my house - well, her and Noelle. She's always doing something to entertain people, and she loves to play. She's also pretty cute!

Cabbie - Adorable kitten with a racing stripe down his back (really! Julie saw it). He loves everyone and is very easy-going and friendly.

Cilla - Easiest kitten ever - she's the most laid-back, lazy, easy-going, affectionate kitten I've ever had - she's a bit shy around big dogs or scary situations but she's super sweet.

Chip, Capri, Mercury and Solara were adopted!

I am still smiling - four of my foster pets found their very own homes on Saturday! I'm very happy for them. Chip, my foster puppy, was pre-arranged and his new mom had anxiously been waiting for him to be old enough to be neutered and get vaccinated in order to take him home with her. His new name is Elvis and now he has his very own family and a new dog to play with and love.

The three cats were not pre-arranged, and since I had a wedding to go to, I dropped off six cat fosters at PetSmart with the hopes that at least one would be adopted. I was shocked to come back and find out that three of them found homes! I'd like to say thank you to all the cat volunteers who handled all the adoptions for me while I was gone. Capri of course was snatched up quickly - my sweet adorable Siamese mix has a new home now. Also Mercury was a surprise adoption - I have to admit that my husband won't miss him, but I do. He is a very social cat. If we couldn't watch him and needed to put him in the foster cat room (extra bedroom) while we were gone, he'd cry and throw himself against the door! It was so sad! But now he has a home with a family and two dogs (he likes dogs) so hopefully he'll get the attention he needs to stay happy. Solara surprised me most of all - in spite of the many adorable kittens up there, a family who had adopted from Heartland before picked Solara to adopt. She's a beautiful dilute calico cat and she's got a great personality besides, so I think they made an excellent choice, but so many times people pick the cute kitten and the older cats who sometimes have much more to offer still get overlooked. So hooray for Solara who also has her own home! And thank you to the family who picked her for giving her such a great home!

Kai was adopted; I adopted Noelle!

Kai was adopted at PetSmart yesterday by a very nice lady who met her and fell in love. She will be in a great home with a fenced yard and another dog friend to play with. I am missing her but I'm so happy she found a good home!

Also, I finally gave in and adopted my long-term foster dog Noelle. I've had a rough couple of weeks and through it all she's been there for me to make me feel better. We rescued her from the pound when she was only a puppy, and we've had her for nine months now. We're the only life she's ever known and she's bonded so closely to myself and my husband that I can't bear to send her away. I always thought if I adopted another dog it would be one that I'm typically drawn to (sweet and shy) and one that's great with other dogs and cats. Instead I have fallen in love with a dog who's the complete opposite! She is the most outgoing dog - never intimidated by anything - never meets a person she doesn't love - never lets anything deter her from her goals. She's also leash-reactive and iffy around some dogs, and enjoys chasing cats. Not the ideal for a foster mom, but perfect for a wanna-be dog trainer to practice with, I guess. :-) But most of all she's got those typical pit bull qualities - she is loyal, loving, affectionate, funny, and wants nothing more than to be with her family and show how much she loves us. I adore her and I'm so happy that she's now officially mine. :-)