First of all, I must stress that I am incredibly thankful for animal transporters. These truck and trailer teams work long, exhausting hours, driving around the clock. Besides picking up and dropping off, they stop only for the dogs to be walked and watered, which can take hours in itself. They work very hard for very little, only for the love of the dogs. Unfortunately, they often go unrecognized because of their behind the scene role in the process.
That being said, last night was one of the hardest moments that I have ever experienced in fostering.
I got a call from the rescue team that they would be in Little Rock at 9:15 p.m. Jonathon and I took Rheagan over to the meeting place, which was a Cracker Barrel parking lot. There were a few other cars with at least 10 dogs already there when we arrived. The generator keeping the trailer air conditioned was so loud. The scene was pretty chaotic. Rheagan was nervous right away. As we sat on the curb, watching the other dogs get loaded one by one, she could tell that something was happening. She was shaking. When the man came to take her from us, she cowered. Right in front of me, all of her newly found confidence drained from her body and a look of fear and sadness took over. She was heart broken. In her eyes, the only people that she had ever trusted were abandoning her. Her new home, that she was so happy in, was being taken away.
I could barely stand to watch as she flailed and struggled as they tried to get her loaded. It killed me to see her go through that. I know that she will be fine. She will arrive at her new home (a suburb of Washington DC) at 2:30 am tonight. After some adjustment time, she will bounce back. I understand that. Dogs, however, live in the moment. It's one of the many reasons that they are so wonderful and how they can overcome so much. But, it's also why she has no idea that things will ever be okay again. I wish I could tell her that they would be. I wish I could tell her that I was sorry.
Giving up a foster dog is never easy. In the past, however, our adopters have been close enough that we have met them. They usually come to our house to pick up their dog. The dogs are always a bit nervous, but they can feel the excitement in their new family and have always gone happily with little hesitation. Seeing the joy in the new owners face is so rewarding. It balances out the sadness. There was no reward here. It was just plain painful.
I guess I am being selfish, worrying that after all she experienced in our home, this is how she will remember me, but I can't help it. It breaks my heart.
Friday, October 7, 2011
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Not So Wordless Wednesday!
On this particular Wednesday, I just have too much to share to go "wordless."
My sister, brother in law, and 8 and a half month old niece (Emily, Patrick, and Olivia) came to stay with us for a week. Although super excited about them coming, I was also very nervous about how the dogs would do around Olivia. None of them had ever been around a baby, to my knowledge. I had conjured up all these possible scenarios in my head, trying to come up with potential solutions to the potential problems. Knowing my dogs like I do, it never even crossed my mind that they wouldn't "like" the baby, or that they would be in any way malicious toward her. I was more concerned about the energy level in the house. I thought they would be too rambunctious, too loud, and too careless. I was also concerned that Rheagan could be very nervous around her.
My worries were put at ease very shortly after their arrival. The dogs were all wonderful with Olivia from the start. They were enamored, especially Dixie, who rarely left her side. Olivia is an animal lover just like the rest of us, so she really enjoyed all of the doggy attention that she received, slobbery kisses included!
On Friday morning, we all piled in the car (4 adults, a baby, and 3 dogs!) and headed up to Petit Jean Mountain State Park for a hike. It was a beautiful day. This was both Olivia and Rheagan's first hike and they handled it like troopers! At one of our longer breaks, Rheagan literally fell asleep standing up! We were in no hurry, taking our time to stop several times for water, snacks, and geocaching (nerdy, yes, but surprisingly entertaining!). A good time was definitely had by all!
Our house guests have gone home to Minnesota. The house is feeling empty and the dogs are a little down. They sure love having visitors. We all do. Thanks again for coming guys!
My sister, brother in law, and 8 and a half month old niece (Emily, Patrick, and Olivia) came to stay with us for a week. Although super excited about them coming, I was also very nervous about how the dogs would do around Olivia. None of them had ever been around a baby, to my knowledge. I had conjured up all these possible scenarios in my head, trying to come up with potential solutions to the potential problems. Knowing my dogs like I do, it never even crossed my mind that they wouldn't "like" the baby, or that they would be in any way malicious toward her. I was more concerned about the energy level in the house. I thought they would be too rambunctious, too loud, and too careless. I was also concerned that Rheagan could be very nervous around her.
My worries were put at ease very shortly after their arrival. The dogs were all wonderful with Olivia from the start. They were enamored, especially Dixie, who rarely left her side. Olivia is an animal lover just like the rest of us, so she really enjoyed all of the doggy attention that she received, slobbery kisses included!
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| Since Dixie hates the pool so much, she was very concerned while Livi was in the water. |
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| Kiss from Rheagan! |
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| Giddy up Jaxy! |
On Friday morning, we all piled in the car (4 adults, a baby, and 3 dogs!) and headed up to Petit Jean Mountain State Park for a hike. It was a beautiful day. This was both Olivia and Rheagan's first hike and they handled it like troopers! At one of our longer breaks, Rheagan literally fell asleep standing up! We were in no hurry, taking our time to stop several times for water, snacks, and geocaching (nerdy, yes, but surprisingly entertaining!). A good time was definitely had by all!
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| Pre-hike. Anxiously awaiting. |
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| Hanging out in the Grotto (big cave type thing) |
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| Pat enjoying the view. |
Our house guests have gone home to Minnesota. The house is feeling empty and the dogs are a little down. They sure love having visitors. We all do. Thanks again for coming guys!
Off to Virginia!
Great news!!! Rheagan has found her forever home!
We will miss her so much. She has come out of her shell so quickly and is a really fun dog. Her issues were easy to work out. She is totally comfortable with the crate training, and hasn't had an "accident" in over a week now. She certainly isn't fearful of people anymore, quite the opposite actually. Leaving the house is no longer a battle. She now runs toward the leash instead of running away from it, and hops eagerly into the car. If only they were all as easy to rehabilitate as Rheagan was.
She will be moving out to Virginia. Her future "mom" and I have been emailing regularly since Rheagan first peaked her interest. Over the past week, she has purchased a crate, a bed, blankets, food, and a collection of treats and toys. She has apologized to me for "asking so many questions" and for being "too excited." I explained to her that nothing means more to me, as a foster mom, than to know that my dogs are going to be well taken care of. She has followed all of my suggestions and I know she truly wants the best for Rheagan. She has a bright future waiting for her across the country!
There is a transport going out east this Saturday. Hopefully they will have an open spot for us. If not, she will get on the one next weekend.
We will miss her so much. She has come out of her shell so quickly and is a really fun dog. Her issues were easy to work out. She is totally comfortable with the crate training, and hasn't had an "accident" in over a week now. She certainly isn't fearful of people anymore, quite the opposite actually. Leaving the house is no longer a battle. She now runs toward the leash instead of running away from it, and hops eagerly into the car. If only they were all as easy to rehabilitate as Rheagan was.
She will be moving out to Virginia. Her future "mom" and I have been emailing regularly since Rheagan first peaked her interest. Over the past week, she has purchased a crate, a bed, blankets, food, and a collection of treats and toys. She has apologized to me for "asking so many questions" and for being "too excited." I explained to her that nothing means more to me, as a foster mom, than to know that my dogs are going to be well taken care of. She has followed all of my suggestions and I know she truly wants the best for Rheagan. She has a bright future waiting for her across the country!
There is a transport going out east this Saturday. Hopefully they will have an open spot for us. If not, she will get on the one next weekend.
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Here in this house...
This poem was recently posted on the site of an area rescue. It wonderfully expresses what I hope that each and every dog experiences when they come into my house.
Here in this house......
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Introducing Rheagan!
Since Ezra has become a part-time foster, and we have a long list of "urgent" status dogs waiting in shelters, we have taken another foster dog.
My only request was that he or she be physically healthy. My reason for this, believe it or not, is not that I am totally exhausted from the extreme cases we've had recently, but because hiking season is right around the corner! We are planning several over-nights this fall and we can't afford to be boarding a dog every weekend. Ideally we'll have an adoption by then, but as we all know, it doesn't always pan out that way.
Last weekend, Bonni and Chris visited us (Thanks again for coming Bons!) so Bonni was actually with me when I picked Rheagan up from the vet where she was being held. Paralyzed in fear, she had to be pried off the parking lot and placed into the car.
Her background is that she had belonged to a back yard "breeder" and was never inside. She is only a year and a half old and has had three litters already, her last being in May. Clearly, this means that she was only a pup herself when her first litter was born. She definitely grew up too fast.
Bonni and I did the "pack walk" when we first brought her home. It's nice to finally be able to do that again. It's been so long since we could actually walk on the pavement without scorching their paws! Things were fine and she was thrown in full force to the experience of what a dog's life can be. I say that, because we had great weather, so we all spent the majority of Friday, Sat, and Sunday outside having fun. We played yard games, grilled, swam, and relaxed. All the while, she learned to interact with us and the other dogs. She was overwhelmed at times, but in a good way. She didn't know what to make of all the fun going on around her.
She did have a minor set back with Jonathon her very first night here. She was standing behind him and when he turned around, she accidentally backed up into the pool. He was right there so he quickly pulled her out. She couldn't have been in the water for more than a second, but she totally blamed him. She ran away from him so fast only to turn around and give him the evil eye. She honestly wouldn't go near him all weekend! In fact, she still hesitates to approach him. The only exception is when he is petting one of the other dogs, in which case her jealousy outweighs her fear. I Guess that's one of the down sides of having an in-ground pool. They all fall in at some point, but she is the first one to hold such a grudge!
This little dog is young, healthy and cute. She is also AKC registered. She should be a fairly quick adoption (knocking on wood right now) if I can work out her minor issues. These issues are 1) Potty and crate training. Having never been in a house, she has no experience with either. 2) Walking on a leash. She must have had only bad experiences going places because unlike my other dogs, who go crazy with excitement at the mere sight of a leash, she runs away from it. I have to literally drag her out of the house. 3) Learning to trust people. She is pretty shy, almost fearful. I would bet anything that she has been hit in the past because she cowers pretty badly when you reach out to pet her. Enter Dixie and Jax! Teaching other dogs that life isn't scary is their specialty:-)
My only request was that he or she be physically healthy. My reason for this, believe it or not, is not that I am totally exhausted from the extreme cases we've had recently, but because hiking season is right around the corner! We are planning several over-nights this fall and we can't afford to be boarding a dog every weekend. Ideally we'll have an adoption by then, but as we all know, it doesn't always pan out that way.
Last weekend, Bonni and Chris visited us (Thanks again for coming Bons!) so Bonni was actually with me when I picked Rheagan up from the vet where she was being held. Paralyzed in fear, she had to be pried off the parking lot and placed into the car.
Her background is that she had belonged to a back yard "breeder" and was never inside. She is only a year and a half old and has had three litters already, her last being in May. Clearly, this means that she was only a pup herself when her first litter was born. She definitely grew up too fast.
Bonni and I did the "pack walk" when we first brought her home. It's nice to finally be able to do that again. It's been so long since we could actually walk on the pavement without scorching their paws! Things were fine and she was thrown in full force to the experience of what a dog's life can be. I say that, because we had great weather, so we all spent the majority of Friday, Sat, and Sunday outside having fun. We played yard games, grilled, swam, and relaxed. All the while, she learned to interact with us and the other dogs. She was overwhelmed at times, but in a good way. She didn't know what to make of all the fun going on around her.
She did have a minor set back with Jonathon her very first night here. She was standing behind him and when he turned around, she accidentally backed up into the pool. He was right there so he quickly pulled her out. She couldn't have been in the water for more than a second, but she totally blamed him. She ran away from him so fast only to turn around and give him the evil eye. She honestly wouldn't go near him all weekend! In fact, she still hesitates to approach him. The only exception is when he is petting one of the other dogs, in which case her jealousy outweighs her fear. I Guess that's one of the down sides of having an in-ground pool. They all fall in at some point, but she is the first one to hold such a grudge!
This little dog is young, healthy and cute. She is also AKC registered. She should be a fairly quick adoption (knocking on wood right now) if I can work out her minor issues. These issues are 1) Potty and crate training. Having never been in a house, she has no experience with either. 2) Walking on a leash. She must have had only bad experiences going places because unlike my other dogs, who go crazy with excitement at the mere sight of a leash, she runs away from it. I have to literally drag her out of the house. 3) Learning to trust people. She is pretty shy, almost fearful. I would bet anything that she has been hit in the past because she cowers pretty badly when you reach out to pet her. Enter Dixie and Jax! Teaching other dogs that life isn't scary is their specialty:-)
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| Doesn't she look like Bindi? Apparently I think so, cause I spent the first several days calling her that! |
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