Daisy, Foster 12/2/09-2/20/10

While Sandy was recovering and her official adoption was being arranged, we received word that we would be getting another foster dog on December 2nd. Daisy is a 3 year old Jack Russell terrier mix who was found as a stray and then gave birth to a litter of puppies on October 17th. Because she was not an owner surrender there is no background information on her, but I can certainly say that she is in good health, is happy as a clam, and has never met a person that she doesn't like!



When I went to pick her up at the director's house that day, she came running right out to the car with me! She rode nicely in the backseat during the 45 minute ride home, occasionally popping up on the center console to check that everything was alright up front. When we got home that evening, it was dark out and we introduced her to Gabe and Sam outside in the back yard. She got along just fine with them and we went inside. She seemed shy and quiet that evening, following us around the kitchen while we prepared dinner, and eagerly sat for pats and affection. When it was time for bed, she went right into her crate with a treat and we didn't hear a peep all night!



Over the past few weeks I have been busy preparing for the holiday season, and so Daisy's first blog is being posted very late. On the bright side this has allowed us to get to know her much better! She is a sweetheart! She adores Sam and loves to play with him. She loves toys and will happily chomp on one for several minutes at a time. We knew she loved her food and treats, but we discovered this evening that she also likes cauliflower. For Christmas, she came back to my parents' house with us and got to hang out with their dogs, Spike and Pumpkin. Pumpkin is not a big player, but she loved Spike and they played most of the weekend. Daisy has a fair amount of energy and certainly cannot be labeled a couch potato, but being in the company of 4 other dogs, boy was she pooped each night and when we got back home! She also loved her foster grandfather and spent many hours napping on his lap or simply being loved. She sits well, and has learned to give her paw and we're working on staying while we wait at the door. She eats her meals from a food ball and she picked it up quicker than any other dog we've seen use it. She is one smart cookie!



Last weekend a winter storm blew through and we got over a foot of snow, and because Daisy was transported from Tennessee, I think this may have been her first snowfall. She was so cute, romping around in the snow with our dogs. She has a very thin coat and you can see all her brown skin spots through her white fur and she gets cold easily, so I put a little doggy sweatshirt on her before we went out. Later that same day we had company for a Christmas party and she greeted everyone excitedly as they walked in the door. It was as if her long lost friends had returned from a journey! Everyone was excited to meet the new dog and she lapped up all the attention.



Every now and then Daisy will give us a peek at her wild streak and get the other dogs all riled up and a little discipline becomes necessary. I look at that goofy little face and it is so hard to scold her. Sometimes, when she's snoozing, I think about what her past has been like. The first few days she was extremely timid and cowered whenever we reached for her. It is painful to see, and awful to think about what may have happened to her over the past several years. Hopefully, she had a good previous life and her behavior was simply because she's shy in a new home. She has certainly come out of her shell, and quickly! She seems to be well adjusted and not at all afraid of people, strutting right up to them as if she has known them forever. And don't forget how much she loves all of her canine friends!



I noticed on the Great Dog website that only four of Daisy's eight puppies remain. My favorite, the 3 lb. runt of the litter is still available, but she's so cute I know she'll be adopted soon. Daisy is good company, a loyal friend, and I don't mind having her around longer, but I hope she finds her forever home quickly as well. She would love an active family, a home that is always full of hustle and bustle, and lots of people to be friends with. As we ring in the New Year, I hope for a bright new beginning for my little foster buddy.

Sandy, Adopted 11/21/09

On November 12th, at our first meet and greet with Sandy, we dropped her off at the beginning and did a little shopping since this event was in the kennels. We came back just over an hour later and a volunteer said "someone adopted your dog! It took me completely by surprise since there was not a good turnout that day, but what great news! Apparently an application for her had been submitted a few days previous and the woman wanted to come and meet her and see if Sandy was compatible with her dog, Molly. The visit had gone quite well, and while I was disappointed I had missed the applicant, I left happy that another placement was in the works.

As the application process was going on, we arranged to have Sandy spayed the following Friday at the Sterling Shelter. Sandy talked to me the entire ride there, and was so happy when a staff member came out to meet us, she went running right up to her! Poor thing had no idea what was coming! The shelter staff took great care of her, and I picked her up after work that evening. The ride home was quiet and Sandy was so groggy and sleepy when we got home that she just laid in her bed and dozed. She was very slow going up and down the stairs for a few days, but her happy-go-lucky personality returned after about 36 hours. It was good to see her back to her old self again. Then we got the wonderful news that her adoption had been finalized!

To give Sandy time to recover in a familiar environment, we arranged for her new family to come and pick her up on the following Saturday. Sandy continued to heal over the remainder of the week, and even managed to break Gabe down into several long play sessions with her. My boys were really going to miss this little sweetheart!

Saturday arrived and we had to say goodbye to Sandy. It was a short 4 weeks and it really seemed to fly by. Sweet, goofy personalities like her never last long! Either fostering and saying goodbye to my friends was getting easier for me with each dog, or I felt good about this goodbye because I knew that Sandy would be in good hands and fit in well at her new home. Most likely it was a combination of the two. After having the opportunity to speak with her adopter at length about what she likes (everything) and dislikes (nothing) and getting a sense of her new family, I looked forward to this adoption rather than dreading our final moments together. Sandy's new family arrived and she hopped into the car, excited for her new adventure. Her new mom promised to send pictures, and sure enough I received a few of her and her new sister, Molly. They look sort of similar and Sandy looks like she fits right in.

Our new foster dog arrived 2 weeks after Sandy's departure, and we have discovered that she is very similar in her happy personality, often causing me to suddenly miss her very much. Sandy is going to enjoy the holidays with her new family this year, and it is such a happy ending. It's hard to believe that just a few months ago she was abandoned on a porch with her pups, with a slim chance of survival. While we miss Sandy and would have enjoyed having her longer, her adoption freed up a space for Daisy, who we took into foster right after Thanksgiving!

Sandy, Foster 10/25/09-11/21/09

As Cherry's adoption was being finalized, the foster coordinator informed me that there was a basset hound mix named Sandy, who was weaning her pups and needed to be placed into another foster home before another mom and her pups came along. The day after Cherry's new family took her home, I met the director at the kennel and I took Sandy home.

Sandy showed me immediately what a good-natured goofball she is! Since I was alone and could not introduce all 3 dogs on neutral territory, I let her into our fenced-in backyard and went inside to get Gabe and Sam. I let them outside and Sam made a beeline for Sandy, who was probably shocked that this crazy black dog came barreling around the corner at her. Gabe followed suit and they all sniffed one another intently. Once they had finished with their introductions, they just kind of trotted around the yard as Sandy got familiar with it.

Once everyone had done their business I brought them all inside. Poor Sandy was so skinny after nursing her pups. It took a lot out of her and I could see all her ribs and spine. Her head seemed huge in comparison! Alan came home shortly after we had been inside for awhile and she was so excited to see him, giving him a greeting as if he had been gone for ages. We tried to snuggle on the couch that evening but she was too bony to be cuddly. She was also very restless and later in the evening we put her into her crate with a treat and she didn't make a peep for the rest of the night. What an exciting, but also stressful and tiring day for these dogs!

The next day, Sandy's "udders" seemed even more swollen and when she tried to sit or lay she seemed quite uncomfortable. Since it was a Monday, we had to go back to work, and so after running around the yard and having breakfast, she settled into her crate with a treat. When I got home that evening, Alan was outside with the dogs and Sandy was shivering in the chilly air. I found a little dog sweatshirt that my mom had given me after her dog Pumpkin grew out of it, and she let me put it on without any fuss. She was so cute as I was helping her put her short little legs through the leg holes. She seemed more comfortable after that, and on the chilly days she's been sporting it proudly.

We've had Sandy for just over a week now and she's doing great! Her "udders" have shrunken considerably and she has been able to lay more comfortably as a result. She's still pretty skinny but we're working on plumping her up a bit. She's been trying so hard to play with Gabe and Sam, and while Gabe wants none of it and has no qualms about letting her know, Sam enjoys a good romp and wrestle for a minute or so before deciding he wants us to protect him. When we're hanging out in the kitchen we often hear the steady "thump thump thump" of her tail against the cabinets. She's just happy to be.

Sandy came to Great Dog because her owners had moved and left her behind. She was found in an abandoned truck, along with a little of newborn puppies but otherwise alone, with nothing but a few unopened cans of dog food on the porch. This must have been an incredibly difficult time for Sandy and her pups, but thankfully help arrived. You would never in a million years guess that Sandy had such a tough time not so long ago. Her page on Petfinder describes her as a happy-go-lucky dog and we have discovered that this fits her perfectly!

On Saturday, November 7th, we will be bringing Sandy to a meet and greet at the Harvard Kennels. I can't wait to see how people react to her when she wags her tail so hard she wiggles her whole body and rests her head against you when she wants love. Sandy is a sweetheart, loves people, other dogs and children, and would be so happy in a forever home of her own. Are you that loving home?

Close up

Watching TV

What's she pointing at me?

Sleepy

Cherry, Adopted 10/24/09

Our first meet and greet with Cherry was on a miserable rainy day, and not surprisingly, there was not a good turnout. Our second meet and greet with her was on a gorgeous day and of course she showed everyone she met what a sweetheart she was! A bunch of people appeared interested, but there was one particular couple who asked a lot of questions, both about her and about the process. Cherry slept soundly the entire way home, confident that she had found her new family.

2 days later we received an email that she had two applications, one of which was the couple who had met her at the meet and greet. We remembered them, and told the adoption coordinator that they seemed perfect for her! References were checked and a home visit was arranged, and later that week we received word that Cherry was officially adopted!

That Saturday morning her new family came to pick her up. She had a spring in her step all morning and she was so excited to see them, it was as if she knew these were her new people! Her new family brought her a leash and a brand new toy, which she immediately romped around the room with. It was another rainy day but the weather couldn't dampen all of our moods. Cherry was looking forward to a long walk and a trip to the pet store. Our dog Gabe was really going to miss her, but her adoption made space for Great Dog to save a new dog!

Cherry trotted down the driveway and hopped right in the backseat of their car, but not before we got a picture of the new happy family. We will miss Cherry but we know she is in good hands. We can now move on to our next foster dog, a basset hound mix named Sandy who we are expecting in just over 24 hours!

Cherry with her new family

Cherry, Foster 8/28/09-10/24/09

Right before Honey went to her forever home, the foster coordinator emailed me asking if we would be willing to take Cherry the following Friday. I said absolutely! So, on August 28th I went to pick her up. I had seen her pictures on Petfinder but when she came trotting out to see me in the kennel, I was surprised by how small she was! In her pictures I thought she'd be so much bigger but she's actually got stumpy little legs and she's low to the ground. She is adorable! She could stand to lose a few pounds but with all of her peppy walking, I'm sure we're making progress.

Cherry is a 2 year old beagle who was surrendered in October of 2008 when her family decided they no longer wanted her or her puppies and dropped them off at a high-kill shelter in TN. Once again, Sam and Honey's foster mom came to the rescue and took them all. Cherry is a very social girl so when a foster space freed up, GDRNE decided they would transport her up north to find her new home.

When Cherry and I walked out of the kennel that day, we walked around the grounds together while she sniffed everything. When the time came to get in the car and go home, she didn't seem very interested in hopping into it, so I lifted her into the backseat. Once she was in she found a nice sweet spot on the seat and promptly curled up for a nice snooze. She dozed in a little ball for the entire ride back and seemed perfectly at ease in the car.

When we got home, I took her and Gabe for a walk and she showed me that she is a peppy little walker! She has the cutest little trot and sometimes does a little skipping thing with her back legs when she's excited or wants to go faster. It is so funny to watch her stout little legs moving so fast. In the words of a friend, go beagle, go! We took a 45 minute walk and she did great, stopping to sniff many things but eager to continue the walk. When we finally arrived back home she explored the house a bit and cried a little. I laid a blanket in the crate and put it in the entrance to the kitchen and living room and after checking it out, she laid in it for awhile. When Alan came home she got really excited, prancing around the door all silly and goofy, so excited for this new person! She wouldn't eat her dinner but instead laid back down in her crate and took a little nap, waking frequently to see what was going on in this new place.

Cherry has adjusted to us really well. She gets to run around in our newly fenced in yard, and loves to wriggle in the grass or lay in the sun. She's been great about walking with us at least twice a day, has gotten pretty frisky with one of the many tennis balls in the yard, and has been pretty content to just nap on the couch or loveseat during the times when we're not doing anything special. Whenever she's napping or just laying and she hears us walk by, she rolls over on her back and moves her legs for a belly rub. She loves treats and has been eating much better and she doesn't mind relaxing in her crate while we're at work or have to run errands, as long as she gets a treat on her way in. She is such a laid back dog, with a really sweet personality. She has that distinctive beagle bark but she doesn't do it often, though she makes me laugh when she's turning in circles looking for the perfect spot to do her business in the yard, because she barks a bit while she's determining where to go. It is the funniest thing!

It makes me so sad to think that this sweet, sweet dog, this adorable soft and squishy animal who asks for nothing more than food, water and to be loved, would have been put to sleep simply because her owners decided they did not want her anymore. When I look at that little brown face I can't even imagine why someone gave her up in the first place. Cherry deserves a second chance and luckily, she has been given it. We have a meet and greet next Saturday and I am confident that she will put her best paw forward and someone will fall in love with her. I am counting down the days until Cherry finds her forever home...are you that home?

Exploring the yard

Napping on a pile of sticks

Cutie pie.

Stretch!

Hi.

Napping in the yard.

Honey, Adopted 8/20/09

After we had Honey for 2 weeks, I was contacted by the adoption coordinator, letting me know there was a potential adopter interested in Honey. Just an hour later, I got an email from them, with several questions about Honey. We answered them as best we could and their response was that she sounded perfect. We agreed that they would come and meet her that Thursday evening.




I was nervous for Thursday evening. Honey is such a great dog, and I wanted her to have the perfect family. They arrived Thursday and Honey warmed up to them immediately, as if she knew they were here to see her. They got to visit with Honey alone and also got to see her play with Gabe and Sam. They left an hour later, wishing they could take her home that evening.



I was in frequent contact with them after that, as they went through the home visit and the adoption contract. On the following Tuesday morning I got notification that they were officially approved to adopt her, and I could release Honey to them at any time. We arranged that they would pick her up in two days, after her crate arrived and everything was perfect.



The evening before Honey was to be adopted, I cried. She was my first foster dog, and I really grew to love her. She was such a sweet dog and if we didn't already have two dogs, we may have considered adopting her. Three dogs is a lot, though. And more importantly, if we had adopted a third dog, we would no longer be able to foster. I had never let go of a dog before; the only time I had to say good-bye and face the fact that I would never see her again was when Lady died. This was similar is some respects but I had to remind myself constantly that Honey would be in good hands in her new home, and her adoption would free up a space to save another dog's life. I had recently spoken with Honey and Sam's foster mom in Tennessee and she told me that she cried until it hurt when adopting out her first foster, but then made herself a rule that she would only cry for those she couldn't save. I liked that rule and have promised myself that I will remember it again in the future.



I did well the day of her adoption. That morning we went for our last walk together, just her and I, and when I came home after work she wriggled in the grass more than usual and I rubbed her belly for a long time. We took a bunch of pictures of all of us for our new foster dog album, and we got to spend some quality time together. Her new family arrived shortly after and she was so happy to see them. She was a little bouncy, as if she knew they were back to visit her, and then she just sat calmly and let them shower her with rubs and love.



When it came time for the ride home, one of the adopters sat in back with Honey, and right then I knew that it was a perfect match. How exciting to have her own person in the backseat with her! We said our goodbyes and wished them well and off they went. Just before they were out of sight I caught a glimpse of Honey's ears out the back window and I burst into tears again, knowing that this would probably be the last time I would ever see her. Gabey came to my rescue, licking up the tears, and the four of us went for a walk, just like how it used to be.



Maybe someday I will be lucky enough to run into Honey somewhere, or maybe we'll meet at a dog event. Better yet, maybe they'll come to a meet and greet today in hopes of adopting a buddy for her! Either way, she is their dog now and she is in good hands. I will miss her always and she will have a special place in my heart as my first foster. I have been lucky enough that the adopters have provided me with a few pictures and updates, and I hope she lives a long and happy life with them. Honey almost died twice, and deserves every bit of this happiness.

Honey with her new family

Honey Update 8/11/09

This past weekend was a trip to upstate New York because I had a bridal shower to go to. Since Honey hasn't been adopted yet, we took her with us. She was so excited to have a fenced in yard to run around in and two other dogs to chase. She was so good! She proceeded to charm my parents and their friends, who brought over their 3 year old German Shepherd. Honey got along so well with everyone, the weekend went so much better than I ever could imagine.

On Friday night after we arrived, Honey paced a little, so we set up her crate. She promptly laid down in it, she was pooped after the long car ride! It made us laugh and we tried to get pictures because we haven't even seen her sleep in her crate at our house! She's awake when we go upstairs to bed and she is always excitedly waiting for us in the morning. Saturday was a gorgeous day and the dogs were able to spend the majority of the day outside.

On the ride home on Sunday, we hit some traffic on the Pike. Honey was so cute in the back, and Sam was so patient with everyone. We put him in the middle because he's the nicest. As you can see from the pictures, he got a little smooshed but he was certainly feeling the love!!