Wrigley

Not suprisingly... Danny became Wrigley.  I think that Akala & Enzo let him in on the secret that staying at our house is like living on scholarship - so he joined our pack for forever.  I continue to believe that he's perfect, even though he could make some better choices.

When I started this journey I thought that it would be great to journal about the stories of all of the wonderful foster dogs that we take in.  Since we've reached the county limit on the number of dogs allowed, the fostering path is out.  I guess I'll just have to see where this goes now...



Danny

Here’s Danny’s story…  He was a resident in a really bad place – a puppy mill that was shut down.  Lucky for him, he only had to endure 4 months there, so I’m thinking that the bad memories won’t stay with him for long.  This sweet fluff-ball came to stay with us last night and I can already tell that it’s going to be hard to let this one go.

Maybe it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy but I think Akala and Enzo actually like him.  He has even taken a liking for Evan – which is nice as Toby didn’t much care for Evan.

So – I’m wondering.  What if Danny decided to just stay with us?  (Ok this dog really needs a new name – I mean, I’m a big Grease fan - I’d guess that I’ve seen it over 50 times – could easily recite back most of the lines.  But really, why would you name a puppy Danny?)  I could find a different way to help the rescue, right?  And really, what’s one more mouth to feed?  Yes, he still has to learn that the carpet isn’t the best place to go potty.  Yes, he thinks that everything would be better in his mouth.  Yes, three dogs is a LOT of dog.  But look at that face!!

Max

Meet Max.  He’s a 16 month old golden retriever mix.  We’re not sure what he’s mixed with exactly – they say lab, but I think his tail looks like a coyote’s tail.  He’s probably not a coyote.

Max came to our house last night as a part of a swap with an animal sanctuary.  His coat is in serious need of some grooming, but besides that he’s just about perfect.  Enzo thinks that he’s annoying, but Akala is willing to give him a chance. 

This morning I found him with his mouth on the bottom stair, trying to figure out how to enhance the chew-job that Enzo did earlier – looks like we need to spray the house down with bitter apple!

I’m thinking that Max won’t be at our house for too long – he will make a great family dog!

Toby 2.0 - New and improved

I guess that I should have knocked on wood when I said that it had been easy.  Two days after Toby arrived so did Kennel Cough.  Poor guy just felt terrible.  To add insult to injury he developed an upper respiratory infection & more goo – this time green & out his nose.  And just when I didn’t know if it could get any worse, our girl Akala started coughing.  I had no idea how hard it could be.  There I was, sitting in the death room at our vet (no, that’s not what they call it, but once you’ve been there before to send a beloved pet to the Rainbow Bridge it stays with you), at the end of my rope, trying unsuccessfully to not break down into tears.  As I do sometimes, I was talking to my Jack, the one that got us into the mess J asking for help.

And so he has helped.  Well, it might have been the new dosage of antibiotics for Toby, but either way I’ll take it.  Toby is a whole new dog!

He’s goofy and playful and just wants to be loved.  His manners are a little rough around the edges but when he puts that giant paw up on me I just want to hug him.

Now comes the next hard part.  Tonight Toby is going to his Forever Home.  Assuming that he gets along with their current dog, he’ll take up shop in this nice home.  They have a 12 year-old that will give him lots of love, and a soft bed to sleep on.  He’ll have a yard to chase tennis balls in and a beautiful state park to walk in just a few blocks away.  Most of all, he’ll have a family that will love him forever.

Not sure if/when we’ll go through this experience again, but I’m sure that I’ll never forget Toby.  I just hope that Jack is looking down on us with his big golden grin.

Toby

Toby is here!  Straight from a 10 hour drive from Kansas City, this sweet boy has joined our pack - at least for a while.  Poor Toby already had a trip to the vet on his first day at our house - infection from his neuter surgery.  What a trooper!  He maintained his calm, gentle temperament.  Akala & Enzo have no idea why this stranger has invaded our home.  But we're still loving him and focused on finding him a forever home.

Since Toby is our first, bringing him home was frankly, scary.  We had no idea what to expect.  He has been so easy - even with the weird goo coming out of his incisions.  Hopefully finding him the right home will be just as easy.

The first lesson...

So, our first lesson in fostering dogs is that their travel schedules sometimes don't match our expectations.  Toby's arrival has been postponned until Saturday night.  Our family is ready!  Or at least we think we are.

And so it begins...

As the T-Rex in Meet the Robinson's says "I'm just not sure how well this plan was thought through..." But we're jumping in with both feet, so here we go.  We being our journey into fostering dogs on Wednesday night when I pick up our first foster, Toby.  He's making the trek from Kansas and will be ready to come home with us.  He will join our pack, which consists of Akala, a six-year old golden girl and Enzo, a one-year old golden goof ball of a boy. 

Not sure what to expect or how everyone will get along.  Fingers crossed that the Dog Whisperer marathon that I watched a few weeks ago will help me out.