Fostering dogs

I get asked from time to time how I can stand it when one of our foster babies is leaving or if I wouldn't want to keep them. Although I fall in love with every single one, there is no happier day for me as when a dog goes to his or her new forever home. There are a lot of things I love about fostering and every dog is different, so it never gets boring.

As I mentioned I fall in love with every single one of our foster babies, but there was one, where we both said, that if we wouldn't already have two dogs, we would consider keeping her. It is just not fair to our "family" as well as it is way to much to ask from our dogsitter who comes in three times a week. Samantha was a mixed breed female that came to us from the Gaston County Shelter. A rescuer in Illinois, found her on the Internet and was convinced that she could find her a good home. The only problem was, that she was said to be too timid and the pound would not adopt her out and she was already set to be euthanized. In cases like these only local recognized rescue organization can pull an animal. The rescuer from Illinois got in touch with Deborah from Carolina PAWS, as she would have no way of getting the dog out and time was of the essence. The dog stayed with us for about ten days, until her transport was arranged. She only was shy for the first day and then she turned out to be just and absolute sweetheart. Everyone who met her, fell in love with her.

One time we had a Jack Russell Terrier with us for a few weeks. When he first came to our house, he stank so badly that I couldn't even walk him outside on a leash without getting nauseated. Don't even think about knowing any manners! After giving him three baths right away, I couldn't afford to let him out of my sight even for a split second. He would seriously attack our cat (the only one ever), bite and chew everything in grabbing distance or mark every possible object in the house. Settling down, was even more foreign to him. After employing every bit of patience and determination I had, he started to transform and became a great dog. He is still a handful, but he is happy as he could be at his forever home (that also has a cat :-) and his "mom" just loves him. What would have happened with him if Deborah wouldn't have convinced me to be a part of his journey? If he would have been at the pound, he probably would have been deemed dangerous and would have never had a chance.

Emily, our current foster, was skin and bones when she came to us. She shivered when we only looked at her. Going for a walk was a scary thing for her. A couple of weeks later, her coat is shiny and she behaves like a puppy her age should do - full of confidence and mischief.

Well, there would be more examples, but there is only so much time :-)

With all the foster dogs we had so far, we were able to witness something like a metamorphosis. We see the dogs change, not just physically, but much more so emotionally and mentally. So, if we would have kept any one of those dogs, we couldn't have taken in the next one after that, or the one after that, etc. That actually would be much harder on me. Now, I get updates on what great lifes our former fosters have and how much they have integrated in the families and that is the best gift in the world. I also think that in some cases it is better for the forever home not to see the "before." It is much harder for us to forget the past than it is for a dog, and if you always feel sorry for the poor little thing that came to you, it is actually more a disservice than a service. Once a dog is happy and knows where it belongs, it doesn't worry about the past anymore!

Maybe something we should try once in a while!

What is the motto of the boy scouts?

The other day I was out on my usual early morning walk. I had Honey and Luca with me on a Flexi-leash (Yeah, yeah I know. They are very bad for obedience). A friend of mine was nice enough to take Emily, our little foster girl, so that I wasn't walking three dogs. It was around 6.15 am and started to dawn. We were walking along, chatting up a storm and suddenly Honey starts barking and takes off in full speed, running towards the street we just had crossed. Did I mention that it was really cold? Like in the low 30's? With her amazing speed and the added leeway of the Flexi-leash she gained so much momentum, that she pulled me around 180 degrees and ripped the leash out of my gloved hand. Feeling like my arm just got torn out of my shoulder and being afraid that she would run into the street, I couldn't help myself and I started yelling. This of course got everyone else excited. Little Miss Emily ran between my legs and I tried not to trip over her. Of course, it had also stirred up Luca and in his excitement he circled around me, wrapping his leash around my legs like butcher twine around the Sunday roast. At that moment I realized that I had lost all my composure and wasn't sure anymore if I should laugh about myself or start to cry. Both options didn't seem too inviting, hence I resorted to get mad. Fortunately, Honey had stopped in her tracks when I yelled at her, but still hadn't stopped barking. I hadn't seen them, but two joggers had come running around the corner with a dog and I guess Honey thought that it was of utmost importance to protect us. At this point I am not only mad but also embarrassed and I am apologizing profusely. I can't help myself but to think that they must hate me. Can you imagine, you are jogging along minding your own business and suddenly a dog comes charging at you????? I finally untangle myself get Honey's leash and everyone involved seems to calm down. However, I am so upset about the whole thing that I have to take a few deep, deep breaths and remind myself that it is actually my own fault. I always advice everybody else to make sure to watch your dog and look out for any signs and BE ALWAYS PREPARED. Apparently, I didn't take my own advice. I guess I had become too comfortable or some may say too cocky!

Hierarchy - it's a dog's way of living

Last Sunday we had a visit from Molly's two brothers Milo & Madden. Their new forever family didn't own a dog in a while and wanted to make sure that the puppies would have the best start possible and become revered family members. As I am watching Milo & Madden romp around, interact with each other, with my dogs and with the family, I am wracking my brain on how I could explain that dogs understand and actually prefer living in a hierarchy. My goal was to come up with an easily comprehensible explanation. I didn't want it to sound like dictatorship is the only way to go, but I also wanted to clearly convey that a dog gets nervous and anxious, if it doesn't know his ranking. I used the expression "dominance" and I realized that it could make a lot of people feel uneasy. Once the family had left, I discussed my dilemma with my husband and he came up with an analogy I really like.

Think about your home like it would be a business with you being the owner and your dog being your employee.

• An employee has to work in order to be compensated -> no freebies. Your dog has to 'earn' his rewards (treats & affection) by either obeying a command or with a behavior you appreciate (i.e. cuddling with you or being quiet when YOU ask him for it).
• An employee can't come in whenever he wants, sits down wherever he wants and do whatever he wants. Usually, employees have designated desks or offices, as well as designated tasks. -> The same is true for your dog. I.e. you decide when the dog needs to lay down, where and for how long. (designated spots are very helpful)
  
• It is expected that an employee has manners, especially when dealing with management. -> That means for your dog no 'talking back' or ignoring you (includes all of your family and friends that come to visit).
• An employee will receive a raise according to his performance. -> Your dog can earn 'privileges' like getting more freedom around the house, free access to his toys or extra cuddling. However, don't forget that 'privileges' can also be taken away again.
  

Although there would be more examples, I believe that these bring the point across I was trying to make. I truly believe that it is easier for a dog to behave as expected, if he has clear guidelines. This way he knows what you want from him and will hopefully strive to make you happy in order to earn treats and privileges.

PS: The dog in the picture is our newest foster dog Emily. She clearly is a supermodel - long legs and skinny as a rail. She is a very sweet puppy and is 14 weeks old. Emily loves nothing more than to cuddle. The moment she is on Juergen's lap she falls asleep and couldn't be any happier. She was supposed to go Chicago, but Carolina PAWS will now try to find her a home in the Charlotte area. Her foster mom in Chicago takes in a lot of puppies and finds them terrific homes. Unfortunately, the last puppy she took in had Parvo and therefore she now can't bring puppies into her house for a while.