No Amputation for Zoe

Enjoying our warm, sunny weather

She is the cutest puppy!

We have a second opinion on Zoes' leg and he feels that it is just fine the way it is.  Both joints work and she uses it without any trouble.  This is what the first vet told us too.  So Zoe gets to keep her leg.  Will she get adopted with a crooked leg? Who knows? I have really bonded with this puppy even though she is a challenge.  She is very smart and learns quickly.  She likes other dogs and is finally settling down some.  She is only 7 months old - I can't expect too much.  We have been having some great weather here in upstate NY.  Zoe is enjoying it!

Zoe Foster

Zoe - showing off her bad leg

Zoe is still here and probably will be as she has had no interest.  The rescue owner wants to have her leg amputated because she thinks she will get adopted that way.  I hate to have it done unless it is truly needed.  She walks and runs and jumps just fine with it.  I am thinking of taking her to my vet for a 2nd opinion, but will have to pay for it myself.  Zoe also is very jumpy and very mouthy.  I normally train my dogs with positive reinforcement, but that did not work for Zoe's biting so I am ashamed to say that I resorted to a nose tap and that is working much better. I know her behavior comes from being in the shelter her whole life until she came here. It is hard to get the pups that have been in the shelter for so long because they are so crazy. She is a smart little pup and has learned sit, down and touch quickly.  She has not mastered loose leash walking yet, but she is not a strong puller so walking her is not an issue.  I am trying to get her trained well in case she is not adopted and ends up staying here.  I actually have thought of keeping her,  but that would put an end to fostering as there is just not enough room in my house or money in my pocket for another dog.  It might be nice to have the same dogs in the house for a while and just be able to work with them.  Lexi and Lacey both need some training time too.  I will have to think on this.

Everyone Misses Whitley

It is very subdued at my house this morning.  I think all the other dogs are missing Whitley.  I know I am.  He went to a good home with a guy that will love him.  Way out in the country in an old farmhouse that needs a lot of work.  It is such a good place for Whitley.  He went crazy when we got there and was dragging me all over the place because there were so many good smells.  Then he went over to Will (his adopter) and sat down and they seemed to just bond.  It really was good. Will has been living alone for two years since his last dog died and really needed another dog.  I think they will make a great pair.

Fingers Crossed for Whitley

Whitley is one of my foster dogs.  He has been here almost eleven months now.  I have pretty much given up hope of finding him a home.  The poor guy has some issues - leash reactivity, fence fighting, pacing if he feels anxious, scared of loud noises.  It took me about eight of the eleven months to learn how to handle all his issues so everyone can live peacefully here.  All except the fence fighting - once he's engaged there is not much I can do until the dog on the other side of the fence is taken in.  Not a lot of adoptability here.  But ----- there is someone interested in him and I have explained all his issues and he is still interested.  Single guy - lives way out in the country in an old farmhouse - no other dogs.  This would be a good place for Whit and he so needs his own person.  I am keeping my fingers crossed and praying alot that this is his day!
I know I will cry if he gets adopted, but I know in my heart that he would be better off somewhere that has more space and isn't so noisy. That's another pitfall of fostering - getting attached.

Whitley

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pitfall of Fostering

Lucky Dog Rescue posted a blog about fosters backing out and sending dogs back to her.  I posted a comment and I thought I would write about it here. 

Fostering dogs is not always an easy thing to do.  I have had 17 dogs come through my house in the last 15 months.  Most of them have had intestinal infections. This is a lot of yucky cleanup for several days and a trip to the vet to see what is going on.  I have had all kinds of worms and coccidia. I have had to put my dogs on Interceptor year round because the worms are now in the soil in my yard and apparently can live for a long time.My carpet bit the dust late last fall and my kitchen floor is not far behind.  There are puppy teeth marks on most of my furniture.  I have had dogs with broken legs that required amputation and I have had puppies with severe mange that required long term treatment.  Last summer I had two pups that I agreed to take temporarily because they were becoming kennel crazy - they were not a lot of fun when they got here.  Add to that the underlying stress of always worrying about how this is affecting my own dogs and I can understand why some fosters send their dogs back to the rescues.  We have had it happen to our rescue.  Sometimes a dog is not safe around other dogs or children and they have to go back.  You never know what a dog is going to be like until you have it for several days. No one told me any of this when I started fostering, probably because no one would foster if they knew what was coming.  Some days I think I am insane for doing this.  And then I adopt out another dog to a great family and immediately e-mail the shelter that we pull from in the south and tell them I have an empty crate - send me a dog.  Not everyone is cut out for fostering - I am glad that I am.

EVACUATING EIGHT DOGS IN A FLOOD

We had a flood here on September 7 & 8.  It was a pretty scary time.  On Wednesday I decided to stay home for the day since my son was with my mom. It rained and rained - actually it had been raining since Sunday.  I was watching tv and they started issuing flood warnings for flash flooding.  Pretty soon they were saying the river was going to flood, but it would be minor.  Within a couple of hours the neighborhood across the creek from us had flooded and the river flooding was major.  I tend to be paranoid so I started packing up dog food and water and by dark I had my car loaded and ready to go.  We didn't get much sleep and I left with four dogs at 8 am on Thursday - about an hour before they came and told my hubby he had to leave.  So he put the other four dogs in his truck and we all stayed at my moms.  It was very crowded and we had to keep five dogs on the enclosed porch as they tend to be jumpy so I can't have them near my mom.  Luckily, we did not flood, but many people who have never been flooded before lost everything.  This was our 2nd 100 year flood in five years.  The doggies did pretty well considering they never all go bye-bye in the car at the same time.  Hubby took four of them home the next day, but I had to stay at my moms for FIVE days because she lost power and with her dementia she was totally out of it.  Zoe and Zena both had terrible cases of the runs and I spent most of my time cleaning up after them.  It was not a fun time.  Thank God we used to camp alot so once I got fuel for the coleman stove I was set.  It was a little hard with no tv and no computer.   I always wondered how it would go if we ever had to evacuate with all the dogs and aside from me screeching orders at my hubby, it went pretty well.  We are all happy to be home again, but 1000's of people lost everything they had.

This is the floodwall that saved our neighborhood. Normally you would not be able to see the creek in this picture.

Whitley and Lexi having a wrestling session after we all made it to my moms.

Maddison waiting for it to stop raining so someone will throw the ball for her.

Dutchess hiding - she was the only one really upset by the whole thing.

Zena and Zoe checking things out

Missy was in the house with my mom - she is her favorite.

Zoe and Zena and a Broken Leg

 

 

 

 

Zoe and Zena

Zoe and Zena arrived yesterday.  We got an e-mail on Friday night late telling us that Zoe had been limping and they had an x-ray done showing that her right leg had been broken at some point at the growth plate and this is how it healed.  Our choice was to have them send her or leave her behind where she would be headed for the back door.  So now she's here and we will be getting the leg checked to see if anything can be done about it at this point.  These pups were from a litter of seven and five came to our rescue and into foster homes.  I think the other two went to Maryland.  They are five months old and have spent the last three months in the shelter in a 10x6 foot kennel.  It is amazing how good they get along with people.  Unfortunately my dogs are not as welcoming as they usually are and have been kind of standoffish and aloof.   The pups keep trying to make friends with them, but they pretty much just get ignored.  The only one who will play with them is Whitley who is the last dog I would expect too. They are not potty trained at all so we are going thru a lot of paper towels and Nature's Miracle.  And it has been raining non stop since they got here.  They have no manners at all and get into everything!  We are working on that.

Update on Lucy & New Pups coming

New foster pup coming this weekend

We have heard from Lucy's adopters and all is going well. As I suspected they are a bit overwhelmed with two puppies, but they seem to be managing fine.  Our rescue is now waiting for nine new pups to come in this weekend.  They were delayed a week by Hurricane Irene so I have had a nice break in the action.  We were only suppose to be getting in five pups, but there was a litter that was bound for the back door so we agreed to take them.I will be getting two pups - the one pictured above and one of her siblings. They are about 5 months old and cute as can be.

Lucy Adopted

Lucy was adopted on Friday.  She and one of the rescue owners pups were adopted together.  I am hoping they are not to much for the couple that adopted them.  Hopefully we will hear how they are doing today.  I was not real happy with the couple that adopted her - I really think they are biting off more than they can chew, but we will see.

Yesterday we sold our crafts at a fundraiser for a local non profit animal hospital.  It was a long day in the hot sun with very little profit.  Need to think of new ways to raise $$ for the rescue.  

Deliiah Adopted - Lucy Here

Delilah was adopted August 7. I cried all the way home.  I get so attached to puppies.  Anyway she went to a great home in the country.

Lucy

Lucy snuggling with two of my grandnieces

Lucy came in this past Sunday - she looks so much like Delilah that I thought they were siblings, but the sending shelter said they were found 15 miles apart.  After being here a couple of days I can see Lucy is much more outgoing and is not afraid of a lot of the things that Delilah was.  She is also loves to be snuggled where Delilah liked to lay by you and be petted.  I am hoping she isn't here too long so I won't get too attached to her.  We have been busy with rescue events, but is is helping to move our pups so we can bring more in.  It does take up a lot of weekend time!

Delilah has a meet and greet

We take Delilah for a meet and greet tomorrow.  I hope this family likes her as we are all getting very attached to her.  There is another family that wants to see her if this doesn't work out.  This is shaping up to be a crazy busy month with a lot of dog events.  We sell dog themed crafts at some of these so I have to get busy sewing and working on that.  I need to stay off  FB as it is just so depressing.  There are so many bad dog related things going on in the south - sometimes I just can't wrap my mind around what I am reading.  Among others, I follow Yes Biscuit and Where Hope Lives.  Those people in Chesterfield just can't catch a break and they seem to be trying so hard.

Delilah Not Feeling Well

Lexi still need some work

Had to take Delilah to the vet on Saturday.  She had a tummyache and we still don't know why.She was totally quiet and would not play and cried if we picked her up or moved her.  Her abdomen was very painful, but she was eating and pottying ok.  She got some antibiotics to take for a few days and seems to be feeling better.My sister has been in town for a couple of weeks so I have not had a lot of extra time for my dogs.  I took Lexi to clicker training last night and she was crazy. You could tell that she had not been working on her training. She is my hardest dog to take care of as she is very impulsive and high energy.  She jumps and barks and is a royal pain in the butt sometimes.  She still needs a lot of training.

Adoptions Way Down.

Delilah still waiting for forever home

Well we have only had one application on Delilah and it was from a family with three very young children.  Our rescue will not adopt out puppies to families with young children because we usually get them back.  We have many pups in our rescue now and the shelter we pull from has so many they need to find rescue for.  It just breaks my heart when I see them.  There is a little black pup that we are pretty sure is Delilahs sister.  I am working on Black Dog Dad to let me bring her up.  But so far it's a big no.  I don't think he would be so against it if dogs were moving, but with adoptions so slow he is afraid we will not be able to find a home for her.  Delilah came in with a litter of six shep mixes and one boxer mix and so far only two pups have been adopted and it's been almost three weeks.  Last year at this time most of them would be adopted.  Most of the pups I brought up were around six months old and they were usually gone within two or three weeks. Unfortunately the economy is really affecting the people that would adopt, but now can't afford it.  It just sucks!

Adoption Event

Am I not the cutest puppy?

Delilah went to her first adoption event today at Petco.  She did have one lady who seemed very interested in her.  Hopefully we will get some applications on her.  It seemed crazy there today.  Alot of dogs came for puppy playtime and it can get crowded .  Delilah got a little aggressive with some of the puppies.  I think she was a little overwhelmed.  My last foster Lilly was adopted by one of the trainers at Petco and she is there all the time so I got to spend lots of time with her.  I miss her little three legged butt. 

New Puppy Craziness

It's hard to find time to get on the computer with a puppy in the house.  I had forgotten how much time they take up.  Plus the dynamics are different this time around with Lexi and Lacey being maniac teens and outweighing Delilah by 50 pounds.  They play very roughly with each other and Delilah jumps right into the middle of it.  We have to watch very carefully so she doesn't get hurt playing.  The other dogs tolerate her ok, but really don't want anything to do with her.  I am taking her for a meet and greet this morning.  I don't think she is the dog this woman is looking for, she seems to be going through the dogs in our rescue looking for the right fit.  We are going to a Karen Pryor Academy class this afternoon so the new trainers can work with puppies.  It should be fun and I always learn something new. 

Delilah has some issues

Delilah meeting Whitley

Having a nap with Maddison

Playing with her new toy

Delilah made it in Sunday and is settling in.  I took her to the vet last night and she has two displaced ribs and probably a broken pelvis which is healing and she gets around fine - just a little stiffness in her back left leg.  Unfortunately, her right eye issue is probably a birth defect and she does not see much out of it.  The strangest thing is she is a resource guarder.  Eight weeks old and she guards her food and toys from people and dogs.  She has bit me twice when I have tried to take a nylabone away from her.  So I am hand feeding her and I control all treats and toys.   Hopefully she will start feeling more comfortable and realize she will get lots of food and treats.  All the big dogs have accepted her and Lexi and Lacey play with her, but I have to watch them so they don't get too rough.  She barked and growled at all the dogs we saw at the vet last night so I am going to take her to puppy playtime at Petco for some socialization.  Hopefully someone will fall in love with her even though she isn't perfect.

Delilah is Here!

It's so much fun having a baby in the house

Delilah meeting Whitley

Delilah healing up well. Just need to grow back some fur.

Delilah made it in from South Carolina this afternoon.  Her wounds are pretty well healed up and she doesn't seem scared of the bigger dogs at all.  She is so cute and so little, I doubt she will be here more than a week or two.  I am going to put her in her crate tonight, but she will probably end up in bed the me and Black Dog dad. We had eight other puppies come in with her that went to different fosters so we will keep our fingers crossed that they all find their forever homes soon.

Jetts New Life

                                                    Jett at the Shelter in SC  May 2010

                                                           Jett when he arrived in NY  August 2010
                  Jett at Petco Family Fun Day May 2011- now a whopping 82 pounds
Jett is a big black lab that I finally got to foster last August.  He was brought into the shelter we pull from in South Carolina in May and I asked to have him sent to our rescue then.  I was told another rescue was taking him so I pulled several more dogs over the next three months and then I saw his picture on the Urgent list.  I sent a not to happy e-mail to find out what happened and was told his rescue fell thru.  So finally after almost four months I got Jett to New York.He was just shy of one year old and  was the happiest dog. I took him to an adoption event at Petco the first week I had him.  An older retired couple had seen him on petfinder and came from about an hour away to see him and they immediately wanted him.  Their application was good and everything checked out, but I knew I was going to have a problem getting it ok'd by the head of the rescue because of their age.  I was a little concerned too, but I just had this feeling that they would give him a great home.  So I got it ok'd and my husband and I took Jett down to do the home visit.  The first thing he did was potty all over their livingroom carpet.  I figured they would toss us out on our ears, but no, they still wanted him. Jett now lives like a king.  He goes to their summer camp, rides around in a golf cart and goes to lots of doggie birthday parties.  They keep in touch and send pics all the time.  I could not have asked for a better home for Jett.  He came to an event at Petco we did at the end of May and he was the best behaved dog there.  He is truly loved.

Waiting for Delilah

Delilah playing in her foster home in South Carolina

Finally got confirmation that Stephie whom we are going to call Delilah is coming on Sunday.  Can't wait to get her as I have not had a young pup since last August.  I am hoping my big dogs do not scare her as they can be overwhelming. She is still healing from all her injuries and they said there might be a problem with her eye.I hope it is not serious.

Lexi and Whitley have been driving me crazy the past few days with their craziness.  They play so rough and I always have to intervene so things don't get out of hand.  I bought Whitley a front hook harness yesterday and took him for a walk - he didn't do as good as he does on the halti and I was not as comfortable either as I have no way to control his head if we run into trouble.  I try to be calm and relaxed when I am walking him, but I am always on Alert for other dogs or kids running around or on bikes.  He really needs a lot more work before he is adoptable.

Whitely goes to Nanny's House

I spend a good part of every day with my mother.  She has dementia and I quit my job last November to take care of her as she was not liking her caregiver too much (part of the dementia).  So the one good thing about it is I get to spend more time with the dogs and I usually take one with me as my mom likes dogs.  Lexi and Lacey are still to jumpy to take and Maddison will whine the whole time we are there to go out and play ball.  So right now I alternate Missy, Dutchess and Whitley.  My mom has a huge yard with woods in the back so we have alot of wildlife wandering around.  Today was Whitley's turn and he got to hang out with me all day while I cleaned the enclosed porch.  We did some clicker training and took several walks.  Unfortunately, he can't be off-leash as his recall is not so good.  We did flush out several squirrels, a couple bunnies and the same deer twice.  I think it was a good day for Whitley.

Tennis Balls and Dogs Teeth

Last night at training class for Lexi I was told that chewing on tennis balls will wear a dogs teeth down to nothing.   I had never heard of this, but my 10 year old Maddison has the worst teeth - many worn down to nubs- and guess what? She was always a tennis ball maniac. She will chase a ball until she drops. When she brings it back she always chomps on it several times before she drops it for me to throw again.  She loves the air kong squeaker toys.  I did some research on the internet and only found a few articles about this.  I feel bad that I let my Maddison ruin her teeth.  Has anyone had any similar problems like this with their dogs?

New Puppy Coming

I am lucky in that the rescue I foster for allows us to pick what dogs we want to bring into our homes.  Occasionally we are sent e-mails asking us to take a dog for a couple weeks, but most of the time we check the shelters we pull from and choose which dog we want.  I saw this sweet puppy that had been attacked by some bigger dogs and just could not resist.  I am told she is doing better now and just needs some time to heal.  I hope her ordeal has not made her afraid of other dogs.

A Year with Lexi

                                                           Lexi with her sister Allie June 2010

Lexi came to us a year ago as a foster puppy.  There were 5 pups that came up from Darlington SC, and we took Lexi who was the only black puppy in the litter and her sister Allie who was chocolate. Allie was adopted out within a week.  Lexi is now ours.  She is suppose to be my daughters dog, but since she is away at college most of the time, most of the work of raising her went to me.  This dog has been a challenge since the day I took her out of the crate at the transport pick up.  She is not a bad dog - just very, very busy.  She wants to play all the time.  She jumps, counter surfs and barks her coonhound bark when she wants your attention.  We tended to overlook all these things because she is a love and she gets along with every dog she meets.  Every dog is her friend and she will stand still and let them sniff her and then turn around and play bow to them.  She has gotten along with all the other fosters that have come and gone.  However, I did get to the point of being annoyed with her all the time so I started taking her to clicker training.  This was one of the best things I ever did, for her and for myself.  I have learned so much and after the initial 6 weeks of classes I signed up for 20 more classes just because I had so much fun and I still learn something new every week.   She is learning, but at just a little over a year old we have a ways to go.

                                                                Lexi  May 2011

Whitley the Foster Dog

Whitley is my 14th foster dog since I started fostering in May 2010.  He has been here since Thanksgiving and he has only had a couple of people interested in him.  I feel bad for him because Lilly #15 foster dog came and had her leg amputated and was adopted pretty quick.  Whitley is a big boy and 5 years old.  I normally get in pups that are between 5 -8 months and they all go fast.  For some reason I stepped out of my box and took Whit and it looks like he might be here forever.  He is fine with all five of my girls, but if you put him on leash or he sees a dog on the other side of our fence he turns into dogzilla.  We have been going to clicker training and working on his issues.  I don't think he will ever be reliable, but I have learned ways to manage him.  He is very good in the house, rides well in the car and walks good on the leash as long as another dog does not get too close.  He minds me and is a very loving dog.  Good thing since it looks like no one wants him.

About my girls

 

Maddison and Missy

 Dutchess

Lacey Jane

Lexi

Here is a little info on the girls.  Missy -12, Maddison - 10, Dutchess -5, Lacey Jane - 2 and Lexi -1. Missy and Maddison came from a tiny little pet store that took in unwanted litters. Dutchess and Lacey Jane were adopted thru rescues and Lexi came to us as a foster puppy.  Lexi was very aloof as a puppy. Friendly, but she just wanted to do her own thing. So she was not adopted and by the time we had her for four months, my daughter wanted to keep her and her daddy said yes.  So she goes back to college and guess who gets to take care of Lexi - yep, that would be me.

Figuring this out

New to blogging.  I wanted to have a place to write about my dogs - five female black lab mixes and also about my fostering adventures - a male shep mix at the moment.  Also interested in sharing info on all kinds of dog issues.  Will post some pics as soon as I get this blog thing figured out.