Journal

I got another newsletter from the humane society and they are still looking for foster homes. They are really pushing this "Initiative 2005" for Pittsburgh to become the first eastern no-kill city by 2005. They don't want to ever turn away an animal (which the existing no-kill shelter does when they are full) but they don't want to kill them anymore just because they don't have space, so they want to recruit tons of foster homes. They have plans to majorly expand their facility, and one of the other shelters is already adding on to their building.

There is an orientation on Monday night at 6:00 so I think maybe we'll go to that. I'm supposed to call and tell them we're coming, so I guess I'll do that tomorrow. They also want people to train dogs but of course you have to go to the shelter to do it, and that's kinda inconvenient. So I think we'll find out more about fostering, and who knows, we might end up really doing it. Kinda scary! I like the dog aspect of it but it's scary for me to deal with the people.

So depending on how things go on Monday, we might end up with a new foster dog sometime in the next couple of weeks. In the newsletter they said they need people to foster very young puppies (which we couldn't do since we're gone all day), hyper adolescents (just what we need!), and older dogs that are too stressed by being kenneled all the time. We'll see what we find out on Monday and I guess we'll go from there.

Today was the volunteer orientation at the humane society. I figured we were gonna be a little late because Warren doesn't get home until after five when he has an afternoon patient, and it started at six, and we had to go through rush hour traffic. We left here at 5:18 and he accidentally went the wrong way and all of a sudden we were there. It only took 20 minutes. We were way early, so we walked around and looked at the animals. We found out where the meeting was going to be held, and we went in and nobody else was there. Eventually the person in charge showed up and she had a big (huge) adolescent male dog named Buddy with her. Dobe/shepherd, she said. Apparently he was found as a stray but he had an AVID chip. They scanned the chip and contacted his owners... who said they didn't want him back. He was very friendly and playful and he ran around greeting everyone as they came in and trying to get them to throw his squeaky toy. We filled out a form and then we watched a video. Then she talked for a while. It was just a general volunteer meeting so she only talked a little bit about fostering. She said that they want you to take them for at least 2 weeks to evaluate them, make sure they're housetrained, etc. and then you can take them back, or you can keep them until they are placed. At one point she said something like, "I know at least one of you is interested in fostering," and she looked right at me, and then she said, "and Buddy here is looking for a foster home." I would have probably volunteered to take him right then and there, but Warren was concerned that he's just too big and unruly, and he's probably right.

People kept filtering in late, and we were about halfway through the meeting when some lady came in and got greeted by Buddy and was totally PETRIFIED. The only other guy there (besides Warren) sounded kinda embarrassed when he said, "That's my wife." She was plastered against the wall and Buddy was just trying to say hi and she was terrified. The person in charge put Buddy on a leash and passed him off to somebody to hold. Everybody was laughing hysterically at the scared lady. The dog was big but he was the goofiest, silliest, happiest dog you could ever hope to meet, and he never jumped or barked or anything. If you could have seen how scared this lady was... it was hilarious.

Anyhow, I don't know exactly what happens next. I guess I have to call them back again and tell them yes, I am interested, and then I guess we go and get our first foster.

We were supposed to pick up a small male spaniel mix but he was adopted.

G. called and she said she was on vacation last week and she was worried because she heard we were supposed to foster that spaniel mix, but he was adopted. So now she wants us to take Shadow. I didn't talk to her, but Warren said she was calling it "him." Before, I swear she said it was a girl. Anyhow, they had the dog at Misty Pines for a while and everybody loved him. But obviously nobody adopted him. He was tied out back for his whole life (don't know how old he is) so it's unlikely that he's housetrained or even remotely trained in any way. So it will be a challenge.

So we're picking him up tonight. And I just realized we'll have him when we go to Park in the Bark. (I mean, reverse that.) I guess he'll have to stay home. We'll see.

"whoa, here you go again! tonite, huh? wow! you're like a professional now. ;)"

I'm a little worried about this one. He's probably never even been in a house. He's scared of storms and it's supposed to rain tonight. Great. But he's really pretty and sweet. So we'll see. Hopefully he won't be able to get out of the crate like King did.

G. called back and said Shadow was adopted today! So, no new dog for me. Now I don't know what to do with my evening.

The dogs are acting like they need something to do so i think i'll do some training later. Tomorrow we're going to the park to runrunrun. I guess i should call Ranger's mom and ask her if she wants to meet then. I left a message for her a couple days ago but she never called back.

Re: Dog owners frustrated with conditions at Frick Park

"very interesting. i think it's odd that they complained about mud and no water supply but nobody said anything about it not being fenced in."

Yes, i agree. We did get a chance to experience the muddy conditions today though and it was quite bad. I understand now why they complained. I have pictures...

And about the fence, nobody stayed on the correct side of it today. Some people came by with their dogs off leash and they ran INTO the "fenced" area. Then they ran back out, and all the other dogs followed them. Nobody went too far, and actually Brindle came when called almost every time today. I think he wasn't too excited about the mud, so he mostly stayed with us instead of running around.

"and did i read correctly that they chose the dog areas based on the fact that they're next to the stream, so the dogs can drink the polluted acid water?"

Yes, precisely. I always said it smelled like sewage.

There was a lady there today with a young male pit bull that was totally out of control. I felt bad for her cos she was trying, but it just wasn't working. The dog was aggressive towards the other dogs. She had a shock collar on it that either wasn't working, or the dog didn't mind it. Every time it started harassing another dog, you could hear the collar beep, but the dog didn't stop. She also had a flexi leash and wasn't very skilled with it. Those things can be dangerous. I don't think she knew how to use the brake on it. She had it attached to the dog's regular collar but he slipped his collar and the flexi zipped back. She had a gentle leader but she dropped it. We found it. But she never did put it on him. I think that pair is an accident waiting to happen.

Anyhow, we met Bingo's new mom. She is nice. She has four kids. We met the three older ones, a girl and two younger boys. I'm almost certain they want him. She is planning to fill out the paperwork tomorrow but she asked if she could wait until the end of the week to pick up the dog. She wants to get everything ready. She asked a lot of questions. She's not really used to being around dogs. They were all scared when the dogs started running around and wrestling and making noise. The daughter walked Bingo on the leash and he behaved really well for her. Actually he was better for her than he was for me. He walked right beside her. It was really neat. I think this will be a good placement. Hope she doesn't change her mind!

I called Bingo's new mom yesterday, and I had to laugh because it was just like you wrote:

"There were times when they'd say everything was okay, but you could hear in their voice that it wasn't, so we encouraged them to open up by asking things like "is he eating okay", "is he pottying okay", "any trouble with the cats", "any trouble with the kids", etc."

At first she said everything was fine, but I kept asking questions. Finally I found out that he has had some housetraining problems, and he pulls pretty badly on the leash. So I gave her some tips on the housetraining (I think they were waiting for him to tell them he had to go out, which he doesn't do) and I told her where to get a Gentle Leader to help with the pulling problem.

Other than that, it sounds like he's doing great. They decided to keep his name, although she said she should
probably call him Shadow, since he follows her everywhere. He gets along fine with the kids. So i'm happy.

"We had an annual reunion/fundraiser"

This is something I want to get started for the families who foster and the people who adopt the foster dogs. A side benefit might be to get more people interested in fostering.

"I don't know if other breed adopters are like this, but a lot of people seemed to want to help out and give back
something when they have a successful adoption."

I do think you are more likely to get continued involvement with purebreds, because it's almost like joining a club. With our adopters, there is no real sense of unity or "joining the club" cos the dogs are all so different. You can go to a fundraiser and immediately pick out the group from Going Home Greyhounds, but the rest of the dogs don't stand out as much. That's something I want to try to change with the foster reunion idea, to make a more cohesive group.

I also think our foster families should have more of a "group unity" thing. I try to keep up on which dogs are in foster care so if someone calls about a dog but I don't have what they are looking for, I can refer them to one of the other fosters. I don't think other folks are doing this, simply because we don't know anything about each other's dogs. Our foster program is still a work in progress.

Found this while going through old email messages, and thought it was worth posting here as a little memento:

Your Web Address, fosterdogs.com, has been verified as registered (or transferred) as of today. Your Web Address should be functional with the services you ordered in a few hours.

"I should be sleeping right now, but I've been reading this page turner about foster dogs. I just finished with Sassy and will be back for more.

"We've met at the shelter. I'm one of the volunteers. I had just fostered a dog and we chatted the evening you came for orientation. I still come regularly on Sundays but no longer do fostering except in emergencies.

"This diary is a terrific idea. It's especially fun for me since I'm familiar with some of the dogs. Keep up the good work."

 

I was just flipping through the October issue of Dog Fancy. There is an article on p.36 called "Dog-Friendly Cities: We love it here." There is a short blurb on Pittsburgh and the HS submitted by... yours truly!

Zoey is doing great. She's mostly housetrained now. She has had a stuffy nose for several days but it doesn't seem to be bothering her too much. She's eating well, so I'll let you know when she's gained enough weight to be spayed.

Can you tell me how many dogs you have had and how many have been "problems" as far as food aggression, disagreements between dogs etc.

I fostered 11 dogs, and only one was aggressive in any way. Ranger, one of the German shepherds, was food aggressive around other dogs (not with people, though). He was unneutered and had prostatitis at the time, which probably contributed to the problem. The altercation happened when I fed him outside of his crate because he would no longer eat in the crate. My dogs got near his food and he made a lot of noise and snapped at them, but he didn't do any actual damage.

Other than that, everybody has gotten along okay. My male will guard his bed and his toys from some of the fosters (especially the intact males), but all of the fosters have been submissive to him, even the ones that are two or three times his size. They start totally ignoring each other within the first few days.

"Hope you are well. G suggested I contact you about the foster dog we have -- Alley -- in hopes that you may have had some of the same experiences.

"She's wonderful when it's just her and me. Add our dog, Lucy, to the mix, and she becomes violently aggressive toward Lucy, and generally growls at anyone around. We've had a few instances where she's growled (threateningly) at my husband, as well as the neighborhood boy who lets Lucy out while we're at work. All signs seem to point toward a dog that needs to be the only dog. We worked with Sheri, and she gave us some ideas on how to solve some of the problems, but I'd like to know if this resembles anything you've encountered. Give me a call when you get time. Thanks a lot. Gail says the foster manual looks good and will be out soon."

I'm glad to hear that the foster manual is well underway. I can't wait to see the finished product!

Did you go to the foster class last night? I didn't even know about it until yesterday but I think it's a really good idea.

Anyway, the only real experience I've had with aggression was with Ranger, a German shepherd I fostered last year. The only time he became aggressive was when there was something for him to guard -- especially food, and sometimes toys. I managed the problem by crating him when I wasn't here and when I fed all the dogs. He is now in a home where he is the only dog.

I don't know much about Alley but my first suggestion would be to get them to do a physical on her. I'm not sure how much of that they do automatically when a dog comes in, but I know I've had a bunch of dogs with various medical problems that could certainly make a dog feel grumpy. Actually Ranger had prostatitis and I wouldn't be surprised if that was a large part of his aggression problem. He was probably extremely uncomfortable.

Other than that, it might be a good idea to let your husband take care of her for a while -- feeding, walks, training, etc. She might actually be afraid of him. A lot -- I mean A LOT! -- of the dogs we've fostered have initially been a little scared around men. Most dogs will just cower and try to get away when they're scared like that, but some dogs (including our own dog Echo) believe that "the best defense is a good offense." They bark and growl and try to get the scary thing to go away. I don't know Alley's history; she could have been abused by a man, or more likely, she just wasn't ever socialized correctly and isn't used to being around them.

I saw your Lucy in the last newsletter. Cutie! How is she handling the whole fostering thing? Have you fostered other dogs? I hope you don't have trouble finding a home for Alley. It might be tough, given her age and her slight aggressive tendencies. I actually decided to take Ranger back to the shelter after he nipped Echo on the neck. No damage was done, but I couldn't rationalize putting my own dogs in danger. Luckily he did get adopted anyway.

Well, that's all I can come up with for now. I hope it helps. Feel free to write back or call if you want to talk some more.

"Thanks for your email. It's interesting that you mention health problems...she has some trouble getting up and down, which S noticed as well. I think I'll take her in to the clinic for a look.

"I am a little concerned about finding a family for her. If we didn't have Lu, I'd keep Alley, because she really is the perfect dog when she's all alone. Well mannered, quiet, and I can walk her without a leash, as she immediately comes when called, regardless of any distractions. Maybe it might be good to get a solid profile written up on her and then letting her spend an occasional weekend in the kennels so she's more visible. Have you ever tried that, or does it upset the dog too much?

"Miss Lucy is doing alright...we have a lot of puppy issues with her, although they are abating somewhat. She does become more excitable when Alley is present (which is most of the time), which I know is not helping. The one thing that we cannot seem to curb in her is the biting. Not aggressive biting, just playful biting and general mouthiness. We have tried everything... yelping like a puppy would, putting her in time out, walking away, biting her ears (this one is difficult and a little gross, but I read that this is what the mom and other puppies would do), holding her mouth shut, popping her underneath the mouth (the monks from New York swore by this one), and yelling "no biting!" Amy -- NOTHING works. We ordered an elastic muzzle called The Husher that is supposed to be extremely gentle and humane, allows them to eat, drink and pant, but somehow curtails biting. But she can't wear it all the time, obviously. I'm hoping she grows out of it to some extent. Any advice?

"Sorry...this email was supposed to be about Alley...

"I did get a call the night before the foster class, but it was too late for me to reschedule what I had for that night. Apparently it will be every Monday...do you plan to go to the next one?

"Thanks again. Do you have any foster dogs right now?"

I think letting Alley spend some time at the shelter would be a good idea. Like you said, write up a fairly detailed sheet for her and leave her there for a weekend or so. (Hint -- let somebody else put her in the kennel for you. I felt soooo guilty when I put Zee in the kennel and closed the door and left!) If you need ideas for what to write, you can check out the ones on my website. Make sure you mention any problems (in as positive a way as possible) so there are no surprises.

When I first started fostering, some people seemed to think that the dogs would be too stressed out if I took them back occasionally. But I got really frustrated because I knew it would be nearly impossible to find homes for them if nobody ever saw them. I had some of them for two or three months. So with my last three fosters, I kept them for several weeks, tried to get them healthy, and did a little training. Then I dropped each of them off for the weekend. Every one was adopted within a few days. The only thing I don't like about it is that I don't get to meet the adopters. But I have talked with them on the phone.

About Lucy's mouthiness... how old is she? My last foster was like that. I have found that any kind of physical correction just gets the dog more wound up! I can think of two things you might try. If you are playing with her and she gets mouthy, you can totally withdrawl your attention. Either crate her or just leave the room. She will eventually learn that biting ends the fun. You could also try a product called Bitter Apple. It was designed to keep dogs from chewing on themselves or other objects and it works pretty well for mouthiness too. Some dogs don't mind it if they only get a little taste, so you might have to condition her to hate it first. You can saturate a cotton ball with the stuff and then pop it in her mouth. She'll go Yuck! and spit it out. After that, she will most likely be deterred just by smelling it. You can just spray a little on your hands and she will learn that people taste bad!

I don't have a foster right now so I'm not planning to go to the class. But maybe I should go just to get to know people and see who's fostering what. I don't know if you know L, but she's a neat person and she knows a lot about training. So I'm sure the class would be worthwhile.

Write back anytime, and good luck with Alley and Lucy!

"Thanks again for all of your help and advice.

"I did talk to G, and she thought it might be better to keep Alley with us until they have fewer dogs in the kennels. In the meantime, we're going to rerun the classified ad.

"I am going to try and make the foster class on Monday, so I'll let you know how it goes."

I should be able to make it to the meeting on the 7th. My supervisor said no problem. Now I just have to figure out the bus! [I was told that I should really try to make it to this meeting if at all possible, even though it was during work, and I was glad I did because they ended up giving me a Volunteer of the Year award. It made me feel really good, and I still have it years later.]

"Hey Amy! It's L from the humane society. I was looking at various sites of homeless dogs and ended up on the basset hound rescue page. I came across this and thought of you immediately. Hope you like it, I know I do."

Yep, I do like it! Did you see the poem on my site called "Little Pieces?" Similar theme.

The woman who adopted Diamond has called me several times, which is really nice because most people don't bother to keep in touch. Things are going well there, now that they have the bladder infection cured and the housetraining sorted out!

I never did get to talk to the people who adopted Zoey. Did I tell you that the phone number they gave is incorrect?

Anyway, thanks for the poem!

"Hey, glad to hear that Diamond is doing well, I think it is nice of them to keep in touch with you. Sorry about the false number for Zoey. I'll see what I can do about getting the right number. And the poem is beautiful!

"So I hear you'll be fostering yet another dog, "Lucky". She's a nice dog, just a little crazy....she's a terrier mix! Once again Amy thank you so much for all you do. I personally thank you and so do all the dogs that you've got homes for. Take care and I'll see you soon."

You'll never guess who called. Warren answered the phone. He made a face, handed me the phone, and said, "I know it can't be, but it sounds like Mrs D!" There's no mistaking her voice. At first I was trying to convince myself that she was just calling to check in. No such luck. She said her husband was in the hospital this whole time and he just came home last night, so of course now is the right time to get a new dog! She asked if i had any more dogs!!!! I told her it is a very bad idea to get another dog, and no I do not have any dogs. She said, "You think I should never have another animal, don't you" I said, "I think it is a very bad idea." She said, "Well, I'm getting another dog one way or another." She was really being obstreperous. She said she will get one from the Pennysaver. I told her to take care, and I hung up. I can only do so much. =)

Then I ran up and posted DO NOT ADOPT info about her on my list. Since it is potentially libelous to put people's personal info in a DNA post on a public email list, the policy is that we give general info about where they are located and what sort of dog they might try to adopt, and if anybody wants specific info, they can contact me privately. So I told them do not adopt to a senior citizen in her area who wants a cheap small dog. I should grab the Pennysaver tomorrow and warn people not to adopt to her. Would that be bad?

So, how long before she calls me to come and get her new dog? No, i don't think even Mrs. D has the audacity to do that. I don't think I'll be hearing from her again. She was really mad at me. Oh well, I went way out of my way to help her several times. I did my best.

I went to the Sue Sternberg dog aggression seminar this weekend. It went from 9-5 both days but i left early today cos i didn't want to spend my entire weekend there. It was really good. She showed videos and did demos with real dogs with aggression problems (mainly toward other dogs, not people). All in all, it made me feel like Echo's problem really isn't very bad, and that I'm handling her correctly, so that made me feel good.

Warren brought Brin when he picked me up today and it was really funny to see how people reacted to him. We had been instructed not to touch any of the demo dogs, and we spent hours studying tiny little possible signs of aggression. So the people started filing out and saw Brin and were acting really wary of him. Then I told everyone he wasn't there for the seminar and he isn't aggressive at all. Then they all started oohing and ahhing and petting him, and he did his little pit bull wiggle.

We went to the park this afternoon. There were no other dogs in the fenced area, but they still ran around a little. Luckily I didn't have to bathe them this time. Now i have a bunch of email to get through, and laundry that I didn't get a chance to do before. I kinda feel like I missed my weekend. Oh well. The seminar was good and I'm glad I went.

Remember the lady that called about Murray and said she'd get back to me? Well, she actually called back today. She wants to come and meet him sometime this week. So if all goes well, you guys won't get to meet him. It's too bad cos he's really fluffy and sweet and I think you would've liked petting him.

All the dogs are sleeping now.

I wanted to ask your permission to use some of the information on your web site. I will be trying to start the forming of a foster care network in my home town. After the first of the year our town will be looking at the shelter in a whole new light. This not being for the positive for our dogs I believe. I will be working with our group to come up with a strong network that will benefit the animals and realize you have a lot of information written in a nice form that have been running around in my head also. So with your permission I will use some of the information on your web site to come up with a training packet and a powerpoint presentation for people who are interested in becoming a foster home.

--

Certainly, I am happy to share the info! I hope it is helpful. Please just include a link to my site and say that the info came from there. Thanks a lot, and good luck!

Hi Amy! I took Lucky to the vet today for a checkup. She had been chewing her hindquarters lately til she looked like a baseball glove. It turns out she had fleas. YECCHHHH!!!!!!!! as they would say in Mad Magazine. She sleeps in bed with us! She got her rabies shot and a cortisone shot and some Frontline for the fleas. Now she's moping around like she's sick, but I think the shot made her sleepy and her hip has to be sore from the shots. I bet she can taste the Frontline, too. She weighs 46 lbs, the fatass. The vet said she was part Scottie with no pitbull in her. Remember to dry your dogs' feet when they come inside so that they don't get frostbite. It's NASTY out there.

D

Hi Amy!
Well, should we say that we are on for Saturday? My husband and I have an appointment in the morning (9:30 a.m.), so we can meet at the house around 12 Noon. Please let me know if this is okay for you.

As far as a fence, we do not have one at the present time. Although, that is our "1st" priority as soon as the weather permits! We need one for our "little one"...his nose gets him in trouble! So, a fence has been on our list of "1st" things to do before Spring!

I do have one question for you, since you are experienced with animals. We have had Baley since Christmas. He will be...actually, he is 4 months old today!!! Well, he is very spoiled...do you think bringing another around will make him jealous or different? The only reason I ask, which I should have thought about this earlier...he is doing so well, I don't want to alter his personality. (I just know that he would love a playmate because he plays with all the neighbor dogs, (BIGGER) ones, too!

Let me know what you think...
Have a good day!
J

---

Noon sounds fine. Please send directions. I definitely recommend the fencing when you are able, and until then, Murray would need to be taken out on leash. He doesn't seem likely to bolt, but I'm almost certain he would play keep away.

I think Baley would be fine w/another dog in the house, and actually it is smart to introduce a new dog while Baley is still so young. If you waited until he was older, he might have more trouble adjusting. But also keep in mind that it is tough having two young ones at once! Murray is full grown but still has some puppyish behaviors (mainly, he's very active and curious). I recommend obedience classes for both dogs (maybe you and your husband could each take one dog?) because two dogs can get on your nerves a lot faster than one! Be prepared for lots of rowdy, noisy play -- but it's great if you can tolerate it, because the two dogs will wear each other out and sleep great at night! I think our visit on Saturday will give you a pretty good idea of what to expect.

Murray is a real sweetheart and I think you'll love him. He loves other dogs so I think he and Baley will get along fine. My dogs keep up with him for most of the evening, but he wants to keep playing when they are ready to nap. (They are about 5 yrs old.) So a young pup like Baley might be just what Murray needs!

Did we talk about crates? Murray definitely needs one for when no one is home, and he is much happier in the plastic type.

Hi S & D,
How is Diamond doing? I hope everything is going well. I know this is a long shot but... Have you ever thought about getting a second dog? I am fostering a wonderful collie mix right now. I want him to go to an experienced person -- preferably somebody who has another dog, because he loves to play with other dogs. So, of course, I thought of you. =) He's a year old, about 35lbs, active, trainable, and very loving.

Like I said, I know it's a long shot, but I had to write to you just in case! If you know of any other responsible people looking for a great dog, please tell them about Murray. He has already been placed and returned once for barking at a visitor. Someone met him last weekend and thought he played with their dog TOO MUCH. It's frustrating because he's such a wonderful dog, and I know the perfect home is out there somewhere.

Thanks! Let me know if you would like to get the dogs together to play sometime this spring. Diamond was one of Brin's favorite playmates!

---

Hi Amy. What a coincidence! We've been talking about getting a friend for Diamond, and we were just talking about contacting you to see if you knew of another great dog. S was walking her yesterday and a little sheltie (our neighbor's) accompanied her the entire way. Diamond seemed so happy that it got us to thinking.S..... Anyway,  is out until later this afternoon. I will have her call you to discuss. Our only concern is that Diamond has adjusted so well and has the run of the house. We just hope she won't get jealous of a new friend. While she is doing fabulous, I have to admit we have spoiled her terribly -- every morning when the alarm rings she crawls up in bed with S to snuggle while I get ready for work. She's the best. We'll touch base later today.

Thanks for thinking of us.

---

Hi,
I hope everything is going well. I think Murray fits in with your family really well, and hopefully Diamond will agree. If you decide to adopt him, it would probably be best if I met you at the shelter because I'm not sure if he's even in their computer correctly. We didn't do additional paperwork when I took him back after he was returned, so he might not be listed in their system correctly.

The shelter is open tomorrow until five. If you want some additional time to evaluate Murray, that's fine -- I could meet you at the shelter any evening (they are open until seven during the week). Hopefully Diamond will start to warm up to him within a few days. I think they will have similar play styles because both of them really loved to play
with Brin.

Thanks for giving Murray a chance! And of course, thank you so much for giving Diamond such a wonderful home.

Talk to you soon.

I'm a volunteer with Southern California Labrador Retriever Rescue. Common Behavior Problems in Dogs is great information! Could I have permission to include this with our new foster packet for SCLRRescue volunteers?

Yes, you may certainly use this information for your handouts. My only request is that you include my name and the web address. I'm glad the site has been useful!

Murray is going to be in the paper for the Pet of the Week. I believe C is also going to highlight him on the radio. Again, please feel free to bring him to as many off-site functions as possible. The exposure may definitely help get him adopted. Thanks for hanging in there :)

Murray was adopted this evening! They saw him on the web and then saw his poster at the shelter. He seemed very comfortable with them. So hopefully this time it will be a permanent placement. The best part is that they live about 10 minutes from me!

I'm taking a break from fostering for a couple weeks, but I'll be ready to foster again soon. So keep me in mind! Submissive males generally fit best with our dogs.

I am sending out another plea for foster homes. Can ANYONE foster kittens. We are in desperate, desperate need of foster homes for immature kittens. I know I sent an email earlier this week but have had little or no response and we are still getting more in daily. Please consider helping out by offering a temporary home for some of these babies. If needed, I will supply a crate, food and litter in an effort to get these guys in foster homes.

For anyone who can or fosters dogs:

Nash is a 5 yr. old neutered Rott, very friendly and playful, scored an "A" on his behav. eval, knows commands but now has kennel cough. He needs a foster home so he can get healthy to be placed up for adoption. Can you help him???

Diamond is a 3 yr. old female Collie Mix, friendly and quite social who came in extremely emaciated. She needs a foster home so she gain weight and some general "TLC". Is anyone able to foster her???

Please contact me at your earliest convenience.

I guess I've taken a long enough break after Murray. =) (He's doing great in his new home, by the way!) I can help out with a dog or possibly with kittens (though I've never fostered cats before). I could foster either of the dogs as long as they get along w/my crew. We'll bring our dogs in this morning to meet the potential fosters. I love the "needs TLC" cases so I'm leaning towards Diamond, but I'll have to see what my "alpha bitch" thinks about that!

Thank you so much for offering. Diamond has gone out to foster, however, Nash is still needing a foster home. Did you come in this weekend to meet him? Please advise at your earliest convenience.

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I did come to see Nash. He was apparently not feeling well (from the looks of his kennel). I asked around and a couple people mentioned that he was dominant w/other dogs, which rules him out as a good fit for our canine family.

If you have any more submissive dogs needing to go into foster in the next couple of weeks, let me know. We will be going away for a few days at the end of June (27-30) so it would be best to either do a short term thing soon, or just wait until the beginning of July.

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Amy,
I spoke with G about behavior issues and she said that she noted that that there was something saying he was dog aggressive however, her dog and Nash both shared an office together and there was no problem whatsoever. Either way we would want to have them meet in a neutral setting to make sure there are no aggression issues from either dog. But even at that, he would need to be kept isolated from your own animals as kennel cough is contagious. Are you able to isolate? Whatever you decide is ok :)....

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My dogs don't do well with other dogs sharing their space unless the other dog totally submits to them. I don't want to take the chance with Nash, especially because he's a big, strong dog.

My dogs are vaccinated for kennel cough, so that wouldn't necessarily be an issue with future fosters. I have had a couple fosters with it in the past (not very bad cases, though) and mine didn't develop any symptoms. I do not have the facilities to isolate.

I haven't had any fosters since Murray, but I'm supposed to be picking one up this weekend. I don't have the full story on her yet, but they said she's incredibly shy and scared of everyone. She's currently in foster w/another volunteer (a trainer) and they want me to continue working on her socialization. She sounds like she could be a fear biter. (Yay.) Plus Echo is notoriously bitchy with other females. So this could be exciting. On the plus side, they said she likes other dogs. Oh, and they also think she's pregnant, most likely from her brother. Geez, these promiscuous, incestuous little dogs, I swear... =) But they are gonna spay her regardless. But yeah, she sounds like a good project for me. I love working with shy dogs that are just learning to trust people for the first time. Very rewarding.

Since he's been getting home kinda late from school (like 6), we decided it would be better to wait until Thursday morning to leave. I figure we would be there before noon easily without rushing. His family is eating at 4:30. What are you guys doing? I'll have a gazillion animals (4 dogs & one cat). I'm bringing a crate for the big dog. Everybody's housetrained and nice, so it shouldn't be a problem besides just the sheer number of animals.