How to Foster a Dog

Did you always think you wanted to do something to help homeless animals, but weren’t sure what? If adoption is out of the question, you might consider fostering. Although being a foster family for a homeless dog can be very rewarding, you might have some concerns. Stay calm. It’s easier than you think.

The foster family opens their heart and home to a dog from a shelter and agrees to work with the pup on basic house manners. The dog you foster might come with a history of abuse or neglect and will need a lot of patience to assimilate to a home again.  Other dogs might be very easy and quickly become acclimated to your family.  Each dog is different, but don’t worry. Here are a few tips that will improve your fostering experience.

1. Find a good dog rescue organization to team up with. Every area of the country has animal rescue groups. Look online or in your local paper and call a few in your area. This is your chance to interview them to see if they are a responsible group. Ask questions such as: “Will the group pay to have the dog spayed or neutered? What if the dog doesn’t get along with my dog? What if he has a medical problem? Who will take the dog if I go on vacation?” Getting answers to these kinds of questions will give you a good insight into the type of people you will be working with and how much support you will get if a problem arises.

2. Be prepared for a variety of behaviors. Most dogs are good and want to please, but shelter dogs need a little time to come out of their shell. The dog may cower and hide when he first arrives in your home. This usually isn’t a problem. Give him space and let him come to you. The little fellow has probably had a rough few days of arriving at the shelter, being transported to the rescue organization, and finally to your house. He doesn’t understand why he lost his home or why he keeps being moved around. Show him where the acceptable bathroom place is, give him food and water and soon you’ll see a wonderful personality emerge.

3. Know a few accidents are normal any time a dog moves to a new home. If your foster dog has an accident gently correct him with a firm, “no”, and show him the proper place to potty. When he does potty outside praise him so he knows he did it right.

4. One of the best tools to get a dog adopted is photos. All good rescue groups have accounts at places like Petfinder.com and Adopt-a-pet.com. When the dog is in your house take some cute pictures of your foster. Send them your rescue group as soon as possible so they can put the photos up on the website. You could even take a short video of your little guy so everyone searching for a new pet can see how precious he is. You should also let your rescue know if there are any behavioral quirks such as chasing cats, resource guarding or marking.

5. The hardest part is saying goodbye. You’ve given him love and affection and watched him go from a frightened little pup to a wonderful family dog and now it’s time to give him up. You’ve read the adoptive family’s application, checked references and decided they would be a good forever home for your foster dog. When you hand the dog over to the new family your heart may break. You’ve fallen in love with the little guy and now he’s leaving. It can be a very emotional time for the whole family, but remember there’s another dog out there that needs a loving foster family so he can find his way to a good life.
   

With so many animals being dumped in shelters every day, fostering one dog might not seem like much, but remember you’ve saved a life. Now that your first foster is adopted into a good family, you’re ready to save another homeless dog. You are the bridge between a scary shelter and a loving home. Be the bridge that gives these dogs a happily ever after and discover the magic of unconditional love.  

How to Give a Cranky Dog a Pill

Dogs are so smart. They can take a piece of cheese or meat and gobble it up while spitting out the pill. It's almost like magic. No matter how well you wrap, squish, or sandwich that pill inside the treat, the dog deftly spits it back out. So, what's the best way to give a dog a pill?

Double time them! Aim for their predatory instinct.

This is Cupcake. She had a huge blood blister on her ear. Read that about that miss-adventure here. Now she takes meds every morning and night. She's an older pup and very savvy on how to get her own way so I had to outsmart her. Here's how I did it.

First, wrap the pill in something irresistible. I use roast beef. It's a special treat she only got when we were first training her and if she needs a pill.

Prepare the roast beef wrapped pill and then take another piece of meat that's a bit longer so you can dangle it.

Hold pill roast beef between your fingers, but palm the second piece.

Offer the first and once its taken from your fingers quickly slip the second piece out and dangle it in front of the dog's nose. Watch their eyes pop as they get the scent. Every dog I'd ever had would gobble the first quickly in order to get that second piece. Meat gone, pill gone! Works every time.

I've found the meat works better than those pill popper things. I believe it's because meat is a more natural choice and not as stickly/chewy as the poppers.

Good luck with your pill popping pups! Let me know how this method works for you.

Fun at the Veterinarian

Cupcake (nee Corona) went to the vet today.
It wasn't pretty....

Saturday afternoon I noticed one of Cupcake's ears was flopping over. Normally her ears are straight up so this was a surprise.  On the top of her pointy ears was a big soft bump. Did she get bitten by a bug? Stung by a bee? I put some Neosporin on it and figured I'd wait and see.

Sunday
Still swollen. Doesn't seem to bother her.

Monday
Still there. Call the vet. She's not in any pain. Make appointment for Tuesday afternoon.

Tuesday

Take the trembling little Chihuahua to the vet. She starts shaking as soon as she realizes Gracie's isn't coming with us. Cupcake never goes for a walk without Gracie. She tried to get back into the house. I tug her along and put her in the car.

We arrive at vet and she's starting to run in circles. I pick her up before she trips me.

To truly understand how upset Cupcake is you have to know her history. For the first 9 years of her life Cupcake lived in a hoarding situation where she had no medical care, was repeated bred, and was rarely handled. There was no love and affection in this little dog's life before rescue. She came into my house full of fear. After two years she's found her place on our couch and in our hearts. However, that doesn't mean she trusts anyone else.

Cupcake is muzzled because she will bite anyone who tries to touch her. (except me, of course) The vet wants to drain the ear bubble so I hold her body and the assistant holds her legs. Just as the vet moves to drain the ear, Cupcake freaks and starts fighting. POP! The blister on her ear erupts and BloOd goes everywhere. It flew all over me and the table.

We calm her down and get the ear wrapped. As I hold her I say, "I think I smell something."

The vet finishes wrapping the ear. I release Cupcake and she tries to leap off the table. I pull her back and she takes a dump all over me and the table. Then she scrambles her little legs around on the slippery mess to make sure her little gift is spread everywhere. Thank you, Cupcake!

I pay the vet, make an appointment to come in for a recheck next Wednesday, and head home to shower. (Cupcake got a bath in the vet's sink.)

Has your dog ever had one of those fun days at the Veterinarian?

Happy Hump Day!

Thinking About Adopting a Puppy Mill Dog?

Thinking of adopting a Puppy Mill dog? 

One piece of advice; Do it! 

But read this first. 

You'll need patience, since this dog has never lived in a home before. It might not understand  the big deal about housebreaking issues and will need some positive reinforcement to learn where to eliminate. It might not understand things a normal dog would seem to know. His life before you was a wire cage. There were no warm beds, rugs, or cuddles. Go slow, have patience.

Your puppy mill dog will probably be older, so give it some time to learn the ropes. For all of it's years there has been a different set of rules. They were probably handled roughly, check for pregnancy, back in cage, take puppies as soon as they were old enough to go (sometimes even before that,) sometimes fed sporadically depending on the mill. They weren't bathed or groomed.

Everything must be learned and old habits need to be realigned. That takes time. Like children, each one is different. Some will learn quickly, some might always have problems. For the tough learners-wee-wee pads will be your friend in the housebreaking process.

I have a Puppy Mill dog and she is an absolute dream. Gracie, a Shih Tzu, adapted slowly. Luckily we had another dog and she kind of followed the lead. Gracie would follow Halston, our Golden, outside and quickly got the "where to go to go" down quickly.  Since she is a small dog, I do leave wee pads down when I leave the house for any length of time. Small dog, small bladder.

And she hates to be groomed. A Shih Tzu needs a groom every 4 to 6 weeks by a professional groomer. Shih Tzus have hair that will continue to grow and needs to be trimmed regularly. (Something to think about BEFORE adopting this type of dog-are you ready to take your new pup to the groomer regularly and can you afford it?) Gracie will twitch and move every time the groomer lines up the scissors which makes for some crooked haircuts.

When Gracie first arrived she was sick. A recent spay and both ears were infected. We had to get her well before anything else. I was her foster mom so she came to me right from the mill. If you're adopting a Puppy Mill, you might get it from a rescue that will take care of any health issues before adopting.

Our Halston has since passed, but she was Gracie's best friend to the end. They would cuddle and go everywhere together. Now Gracie has a new sibling, Cupcake (nee Corona) the damaged dog. She's not as cuddly as Halston, but they've come to an understanding.

Gracie loved to be petted, but not picked up. She'll cuddle by my side, but not so much on the lap. She follows me everywhere and will sit by my side while I'm at my writing desk. I never get a bad critique from her. :)

Adopting a Puppy Mill dog takes patience but the rewards are many. You'll get a best friend who will reward you with unconditional love, warm cuddles, and the knowledge that you gave her a chance at a life she never could have dreamed existed beyond that cold wire cage.

My Damaged Dog; Chihuahua

I have a Chihuahua who pancakes when I reach for her. Usually pancaking (flattening themselves to the floor) is a sign the dog was abused. I already knew that, but when I pick her up she's trembling. Which leads me to believe someone picked her up and hurt her. Threw her? Beat her? I'll never know what happened to this tiny dog before she came into my house as a foster at age nine, but in the almost two years she's been here, this pancaking behavior is still there when I reach for her. She was 9 when rescued from a life of neglect in a Tennessee hoarding situation. Skinny, shaking, scared. :(

She's a gentle little yapper. More cuddly every day. She used to stand stiffly when I'd pet her. Eventually, I'd move her onto my lap and she'd still be stiff and refused to sit down. She'd come to be petted, but didn't have the trust in her to sit. She was ready to bolt at any moment. It took over a year for her to sit and relax in my lap. Now she'll jump in my lap and curl up to be loved.

She hates company, but luckily we have a quiet house. Just me, hubby, a 10 year old puppy mill Shih Tzu and 20 year old cat. If someone does come over she'll bark at them from the time they come in until they leave. We're working on this issue. At first I'd let the people drop food for her and she'd calm down enough to eat, then resume her barking. After she'd been with us a year, had her spot on the family room couch, dog bed in the front room she claimed as her own, we moved onto shaking pennies in a water bottle. She was startled at first, but soon realized it  meant knock-it-off. She'll quiet for a while and restart. We're working on this issue.

She came to me with the name Corona and I wanted to change it to something ...more gentle, sweeter, but so far nothing's sticking.

I can't change what happen to her and try hard not to dwell on the hate I can feel for those who did this to such a tiny and loving dog. I wish them karma. Let the universe take care of them.

Moving forward I'm open to any suggestions for her barking at anyone who comes into our house. Its incredibly annoying! Although I understand she spent the first 9 years of her life living in fear, I feel there must be a way to let her know no one is going to hurt her now. Ideas?

Dog Pound Wish

Dog Found Cliffwood Beach, NJ

 We're calling him Bruce Springsteen since he was found on the Jersey Shore. (Its a Jersey thing~ Springsteen and summer) He's about a year old, very friendly, neutered, and so skinny he was either out on his own for a long time or ...maybe...neglected and dumped.

However Brucie is very friendly and after a couple of weeks he'll be up for adoption if an owner doesn't come forward. (with a good explanation on why he's so skinny!)
His vet check went well and we updated his vaccinations just in case.

If you know of anyone who lost this cutie...go to Castle of Dreams Animal Rescue and drop us a note.