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!