Connor, Foster 3/5/10-4/15/10

As Daisy's adoption was being finalized, the foster coordinator emailed me and asked if we would be willing to take Connor next. I replied that we would and then proceeded to his description on Petfinder. He was so beautiful, a smooth, chocolate brown coat and greenish/white eyes, I figured that this guy wouldn't last long! I was a bit surprised though, because we had always been given small dogs up to this point, and Connor was 55 pounds. In the days before we picked him up I wondered how Gabe would react to such a large dog as his brother.

The day came to pick Connor up, and since Alan was driving near the kennels on his way home from a meeting for work, he offered to get him on his way home. He called me once they were both in the car and said that he was very sweet and giving him kisses...and that he was really tall! I couldn't wait to get home, so I rushed out of work as soon as the clock hit 4:30 and as I drove down our street I saw them waiting outside for me. He didn't look quite so tall with our house behind him but once we got inside he certainly did! We watched him extremely carefully all night, to try to prevent any accidents in the house as many dogs usually have when they've been plopped into a new environment, but he was a good boy and always did his business outside. Gabe growled at him nonstop (for days) but was truly petrified of him, and Connor would just tip his head at Gabe quizzically and move on. I browsed through his vet records on the first evening, as I always do for any new foster dog, and I noticed that his updated weight after coming off transport was 71.6 pounds! I then made a mental note that we needed to update his petfinder listing.

I learned from another volunteer that when Connor was found as a stray, he was extremely emaciated and was eating 8 cups of food each day to catch up. We're decreasing his food a bit as he's leveling out, and he is quite happy and in good health. It makes me sad to think of him as a stray, and the fact that he was starving makes me feel even worse, but he was lucky enough to stumble across an animal rescuer in Tennessee and his new life is just beginning.

Connor appeared to have bonded very closely with Alan in the few hours that they had alone before I came home from work, and he would whine softly whenever Alan left the room. He seemed to like me, but he definitely had eyes for his new daddy. The following day after we picked him up, there was a meet and greet at the Harvard Kennels, and so we brought Connor to see if he might generate any attention. There were a few families that appeared to be interested, but no one seemed particularly committed. Connor didn't seem to mind and slept like a log, sprawled across the backseat, on the way home.

Over the next few days, we got to know Connor quite a bit better. Every so often he would do something new or goofy, and after a few days he was starting to become a bit more snuggly and showing much more excitement when we would come home from work. During the time that we've had him, we've discovered that he loves rawhides and any sort of chewies, likes to trot like a pony around the backyard, and enjoys initiating play with Sam and being chased by Gabe. Our master bedroom is quite large and because Connor hasn't had a single accident, he hangs out with us while we are cleaning or putting clothes away. I think he enjoys the extra space, and he rolls around on the floor a lot, showing us the white patch on his chest, which practically begs for a belly rub. Sometimes he gets excited and gnaws on the carpet, but when he is told not to do so he immediately stops and looks at us with eyes just like a human's, or a child's as if to say "but it's so fun!". When we come home from work or let him out of his crate in the morning his whole body wags with pleasure. The past few weeks have taught us that big dogs' tails can be dangerous and we quickly learned that we should be ready to catch anything being knocked over from a medium height surface!

I cannot say enough good things about Connor. His manners are amazing, and he is loving and sweet. His goofiness is great, as he seems to just have that silly big dog look on his face sometimes. His personality is amazing, he loves everyone he meets and is quite the charmer. He hardly ever barks, plays hard with his brothers and sleeps hard, too. As I am writing this he is dreaming, hopefully a pleasant dream, on the love seat in the living room. He just made one of those whimpery-sleepy noises that dogs make when they are dreaming and I am trying to stifle my laughter so as not to wake him up. It's funny to witness such a small sound from such a large dog! He is all sweetness and love, a big baby and a gentle giant.

While I know that Connor will not last long with us due to his amazing disposition and striking good looks, I feel a bit conflicted, as I often do when thinking of my foster dogs. On the one hand a short stay in our home is great because the sooner he finds his forever home the better it is for him, and once a foster is adopted another life will be saved as GDRNE sends another one our way. But on the other hand, the sadder hand, I think of how I am unlikely to ever see him again once he is gone. We have been so fortunate in that all of our previous fosters have kept in touch and sent us pictures and I cannot express enough just how much we appreciate it! But it still is sad to imagine never physically being with this buddy again. Nevertheless, I know that we will miss him more than he misses us and he will be happy in his new home, wherever that may be and whoever it may be with. I keep this blog for others to read but also mostly for myself. I like to look back and see the lives that I have saved and remember that even though parting with a foster is sad we are doing it to give other dogs a second chance at a great life. Hopefully Connor's forever family will come along soon and whoever they are will be so lucky to have adopted such an amazing dog!

Sleepy.

 I am so handsome.

Hi.

Toys!

 Streeeeeetched out.

Connor and Sam snuggling.

All the boys getting peanut butter.

Daisy, Adopted 2/20/10

Because we got Daisy right before the holidays, we ended up having her for quite some time because there were no adoption events in the month of December. On January 9th there was a meet and greet at the Harvard Kennels and I was worried that Daisy and I wouldn't be able to make it since she was being spayed the day before, but when I woke up that Saturday morning, she surprised me. Superdog! Daisy was as happy as a clam and raring to go.

So we went. There were 6 dogs at the meet and greet and while there was a good turnout, it was as if everyone who walked in the door was looking for a big dog that day. Daisy was her usual cute self and even though she did not appear uncomfortable, she was a bit more clingy than usual. I brought her home knowing that no applications would be submitted for her based on this event, and I was so disappointed for her. She has such a great personality and is so cute, I couldn't imagine that she would spend long in foster care, but that was exactly what was happening and I was surprised. In the past month though, she had become my buddy and I certainly didn't mind having her with us longer.

Another month went by with no interest at all in Daisy, and another meet and greet was announced for February 7th. I thought "This is it! She'll find her new forever family at this one, I can just feel it!". We went bouncing into the meet and greet, confident that fate would intervene. It was another great turnout but again, people would just pat Daisy on the head and walk right up to another dog. I couldn't believe it! I was in a bit of a grumpy mood for the rest of the day after that because I couldn't believe that no one paid much attention to her. She was such a great dog, so why was she still with us? But then I repeated to myself that she really is a great dog and I shouldn't be sad because she's good company to be around.

On Sunday night of the long weekend, I received an email from the application coordinator at GDRNE, saying that she received an application for Daisy and did I want to work it. I said "Yes, please!" and I waited anxiously for her to send it to me. The following day I got it and I was ecstatic to see that it was a family with 2 young kids, ages 6 and 8. Daisy loved our dog Sam and she adores kids, so I really wanted her new home to either have another dog or a couple of kids to run around with. I was so excited, and promptly called the family the next day. Shortly after I hung up the phone, another application came in for Daisy! It was another great application, a family that also had two kids, and I had to laugh at how these situations tend to be feast or famine. Daisy had no interest for months and all of a sudden two great families wanted her. Luckily, I did not have to choose between them, as I had already begun working with the first family. And, as I write this, I am currently finalizing an adoption for another great little dog for the family that just missed out on her.

The phone interview went well and they wanted to come visit Daisy the next day. I crated Gabe and Sam so that they could spend some time with just Daisy, and she was so excited. I truly think that the foster dogs know their people when they see them. She knew they were there to see her, she made her rounds to everyone in the family, ears plastered back to her head, tail wagging constantly, and it was love at first sight. Her now potential family stayed for about an hour, and after they left Daisy stood on my lap looking out the window after them.

I arranged a home visit to be done on Saturday, and immediately afterward, Daisy went home with her family. It happened so quickly because they were anxious to have her over the weekend before the kids went back to school, and I was somewhat unprepared! We still had to take our pictures with her while we were in our Great Dog shirts and say goodbye. I was sad when the time came, but our house was a flurry of activity and Daisy walked right out the door into her new minivan without so much as a glance back at us. It made me a little sad, but it also gave me confidence that she would be happy and be comfortable in her new situation.

The house was extremely quiet after Daisy left. She and Sam were always playing, and the barks and growls could get really noisy sometimes. Gabe and Sam were tired from all the action, and settled in for naps. We had friends coming over about an hour later, and it turned out to be great timing since we all could have used sometime to take our minds off of Daisy's departure.

As Daisy's adoption coordinator I was planning to follow up with her family and see how she settled in on Monday, but when I dragged myself out of bed on Sunday morning there was already an email from her new family awaiting me! It was such a nice email and said how great Daisy was settling in and they thanked us for taking such good care of her, and how they feel it has made her the great dog she is today. This email was so nice and made me feel so good about fostering dogs! It can be so sad when they go to their forever homes, but an email with thanks like this is a great reminder of the important work we're doing, and how our goodbye with a foster dog actually is a brand new beginning for them.

I requested a week break from the foster coordinator before we get our next dog. Daisy was a bit of an attention hog and with only two of us and three dogs in the house it was sometimes hard to distribute the attention as evenly as we would have liked, so we are using the break to lavish our much appreciated attention on our two permanent little men, Gabe and Sam. I think they are enjoying their quiet break, but I am sure that they (well, I'll be honest. Sam) is looking forward to the arrival of our next foster dog, Connor!

Daisy snuggling with Sam.

Cutie-pie.

Daisy with her playmate, Bancu.

Our last day together.

Daisy and her new family.

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.