New Foster Pup Today

Meet Carl. Just arrived in our home and so far so good. 

He came from a yard in Georgia with his mate and puppies. Kind of snarky with other dogs at the rescue hotel, but that place can be a bit chaotic with a bunch of dogs all barky and excited.  

Carl seems to listen well enough so far but he's only been here about a half hour. :) He's 3 years old and about 35 lbs. Vetted and ready for his new home. 

I'm heading out to work in a bit and thinking I'll bring him with me. It's a quiet day with no classes so he can just hang out. 

More on Carl's adventure into a new home coming soon.... 

To adopt Carl go to Fluff Animal Rescue & fill out an application. 

Must be near Pinellas County in Florida. 

Training a Dog at 5 a.m.

This is Gracie. She's my 5 a.m. alarm clock. This is the time my husband gets up for work. Gracie hears that alarm and she's on her feet pacing around the bed.
We have maybe 10-15 minutes till the barking starts.

If the power ever goes out, we're set. Our furry little alarm clock always goes off at 5 a.m no matter what. Even if the regular alarm is quiet, you know, Saturday, Sunday, holidays, this little fuzz-ball still goes off right on time.

I've tried to explain the difference between weekdays and workdays, but she's not getting it. She refuses to relent until we're out of bed. Gracie would make a good Drill Sargent.

What happens once we're up and moving? Gracie goes back to sleep....

The Throw Away Dog

Got a call today from a friend who works in a shelter. A family was dumping their 7 month old dog off because it bit the father. He said the dog was aggressive toward his daughter and he got in the middle and it bit his hand. As he turns the dog in he says he's had problems with the dog from the beginning. They said they adopted the dog from our rescue. We looked it up and will be picking up the dog tomorrow. He'll be evaluated and we go from there. We'll pay for training and socialize him. The shelter says so far they've seen no aggression and he seems to be a normal exuberant puppy. Hopefully, he'll be adopted. We've done it before, we'll do it again. And probably again and again and again...

Okay, listen up...if you're going to get a dog you have to train it. Training takes time and patience. If you're having problems figuring out how to train a dog, hire a trainer. A good trainer. One who will train all the family members, too. Dogs need to know how to behave, but people need to know (and practice) how to train a dog. Some stranger taking over your dog for a few weeks is not training anyone. Everyone in the family has to be trained right along with the dog. That's how you create a successful relationship with your dog.

Next issue; A dog is a family member. You are his pack so treat him with the same love and affection that you treat the rest of your family/pack members. Learn to work with them, learn from a good "positive" trainer to make a successful relationship with the family and the dog.

You don't give up on family members. You don't dump them in a shelter where they'll be stuck in a cage, confused and scared and away from the only people they ever loved. You wouldn't do it to your children, don't do it to your dog. If you can't promise the dog forever, then you aren't ready for a dog.

Okay, sorry. Vent over.

Fostering Dogs and Volunteering

Over all I've probably fostered about 100 dogs. I never realized there were so many of these lost souls through my home until I started to look through the files on my computer and saw all those furry faces. All went to good homes.
My last foster was Corona, the Chihuahua rescued from an abusive hoarder. Nine years old, fearful, barker...as she was at that point; unadoptable.
Good news! She's adopted. Right here, by me. It took so long to gain her trust I just decided to keep her. Now she joins my other fur-baby, Gracie the puppy mill Shih Tzu. Two quirky dogs. Corona doesn't know how to play, Gracie loves squeaky toys. They've come up with their own weird kind of play where Corona runs circles around Gracie with a bone in her mouth and Gracie barks at her.

My cat is 20 years old and having trouble walking. She's tiny and now frail, has to be lifted onto furniture and roams the house at night screaming.

So I'm taking a break from fostering for now. I don't want to risk this 20 year old frail cat to harassment by the puppies or danger an older, bigger dog can bring.  Sometimes when a dog first arrives it can be unpredictable. Even if cat-tested at the shelter, once in the home it could be different. Food or bed aggression could cause a problem.

Instead I'm at the adoption days, helping with fundraising, public relations and any other opportunity that comes up.

If you want to help homeless dogs and can't foster check out local rescue groups and find out what else is available.
Foster
Adopt
Donate
Volunteer
Everything is part of the process that brings these wonderful dogs into their furever home.

Gracie looked at me...

Gracie looked at me today. I know that doesn't seem like much but it is. She came out of a puppy mill in Missouri and was then thrown in a shelter to be destroyed. Her breeding days were over at 3 years old. Maybe she wasn't producing enough puppies in each litter or maybe the pups she did produce just weren't up to par for the miller. Whatever their reason for dumping her she was pulled from the shelter by rescue and flown to New Jersey by Pilots for Paws. (Yay! Pilots for Paws!) Then she came to my house. I was supposed to foster her so she could find a good home. And I've fostered over a dozen dogs so she was just another one of the little loves that came into my home.
When she arrived Gracie had an infection in her spay, was shaved down to her skinny little bones (due to matting) and mostly just hung her head. She was the saddest sight you've ever seen. And she avoided eye contact at all times. This is something I see a lot in rescue dogs. They are afraid to meet your eyes. When held up they look anywhere but into your eyes. When you do get a glimpse there is only fear reflected back.
Something in Gracie touched me. As tough as I thought myself to be, this little girl reached me in a way I couldn't deny. So she stayed and I became a foster failure. :)
She slowly came out of her shell. It was two weeks before I knew she could bark. Another few before she'd move toward the food bowl on her own. Each day she did a little more and slowly made our home her own. Then the day came when Gracie looked me in the eye. She didn't turn away or avert her gaze. She looked up at me and wagged her tail. I'm sure she didn't understand the tears in my eyes or the joy in my heart.
But today Gracie looked at me.

Free Spay/Neuter for Large Dogs

From People For Animals:
PFA is Offering FREE of charge spay/neuter for Dogs larger than 45 lbs! (Hillside, NJ)
(PFA) People for Animals is now giving completely FREE spay/neuter for dogs that are over 45 lbs. (before surgery). Please check our prices online on our web site at Low Cost Dog Spay/Neuter | http://www.njspay.com/services. You will realize that our already low cost is cheap to you. If not, just tell the receptionist that you would like to take advantage of the Large Dog Voucher Program once you schedule your pet's surgical procedure. Your dog MUST be greater or equal to 45 lbs. (at the time of surgery) to meet the requirements. The voucher program can cover the whole cost of surgery meant for you if essential. However, if you'll be able to afford to make a donation of any quantity toward the cost of surgery, that can facilitate our funds go further and permits us to reach a lot of animals in need.

*This voucher program is designed to help low income households afford spay/neuter services. If applicable, please use our normal low cost fees.

Call us at 973-282-0890 to schedule a FREE neuter or spay designed for your dog that is 45+ pounds or visit http://www.njspay.com/schedule-surgery/ to get additional info.

Rusty

A puppy? Me with a puppy?
When I was first approached to foster a lab mix puppy I felt a ripple of fear run down my spine. It had been 13 years since I last had a puppy in this house. Years since I had to house break a dog or deal with the perpetual energy that comes with a puppy.
Me? Foster a puppy?
...okay....
Rusty was a rescue from a high-kill shelter in North Carolina. He and his brother were pulled the day before he was to be euthanized. Whew!
When he arrived, Rusty moved slowly around the house, cautiously sniffing each person, animal and piece of furniture before settling down on our golden retriever's (Halston) bed. He'd watch us from across the room, then get up and run over, only to skitter back to the dog bed if we reached for him. He must have decided Halston was safe because he began to follow her everywhere. After a few days Rusty would wait till Halston was sleeping and then climb on her back and go to sleep. Halston's nice and fluffy.
We showed Rusty where the food and water was and the bathroom. Every twenty minutes we showed him where the bathroom was...and he caught on fast.
One thing about puppies...the adopt out fast. We had three applications for him the first week he was up here. We read each one, checked the references and called their vet. When everything checked out okay we asked them if they would like to come up and meet Rusty. They did and it was love at first sight. Rusty had a new home.
And then along came Sally...