Doggie updates!

I'm always curious to see how the Fosteroni Alumni are doing and am not above the occasional solicitation for updates and pictures (or asking previous adopters to pimp my new foster dogs to homes as awesome as theirs)!!!

From Jean concerning Charlie (formerly Sphinx)-

Charley is doing FABULOUSLY well. We are still totally smitten, even after all this time. And all his bad behavior! Well, he's not bad, he just counter-surfs like crazy. And is a total jump-up snuggle attention hound. This summer in Maine, he learned how to jump off a dock or a riverbank in pursuit of a big stick...picture attached. He's in it for the drama, legs splayed, getting as much air as possible. So great! I will send this call for help for Duncan to my friend who just lost her dog of 15 years...maybe she would be interested in meeting him.Nice to hear from you , and nice to know you're still doing this amazing work with the dogs. 

xo,

Jean, Joel, and Charley 

he looks so mature and handsome!

And from Meagan, Mom to Bronx (Dingo during her foster days).  I see Bronx photos on a regular basis on facebook, clearly this dog is adored!

Hi!

I will spread the word! We love Bronx so much, she has become such a big sweetheart. She gets along with Rush really well, they play ALL day. They have developed a deep bond, which is what we were hoping for. Last week Rush was getting bullied by a German Shepard at the dog park and Bronx came running over and barked the other dog away! This is just one of the many times she has protected Rush. Bronx has caught a squirrel and a seagull so now is only off leash in small critter free areas like dog parks but . She was also featured on the front page of the West End News (our local mock newspaper)! She has also finally found an interest in dog toys! Primarily bouncy squeaky balls and nyla bones. 

Thanks for helping us get such a great dog!

Meagan

Catching up with my Fosteroni's!!!

 "I'm soooo, sooo happy to report that I do hear fairly regularly from the new owners of the 3 dogs I've fostered so far!  it's super kind of them and really a treat for me and the rest of us who knew and loved the dogs before they were adopted (seriously everyone involved is so grateful that you take the time to let us know how well our pups are doing, it makes letting them go and taking in a new one a positive feedback loop instead of a series of bummers and murkiness)!

The afternoon Minnie was adopted I was super sad and missing her but right after she left (literally RIGHT AFTER) I got a crazily well timed text with pics from Jean on Spinx (now Charley) that made my day.  (as well as up to the minute reports from Minnie/Savannah's new dad as to how she was making out!)

"He's amazing!!! I sent you an email--we are calling him Charley now. One Spinx in the house is enough!  He's so great--we adore him."

with his big sister Kowie!

general cuteness

is that Wan the cranky dog hating cat?? is it a truce?  ;)

Yup, any plastic will do (I remember him stealing "toys" from the recyclables)

Hey April--just some news about Spinx--we gave him a new name: Charley. We think it's very fitting, and one Spinx in the household is enough!! He's so great...we're totally in love with him, and he just gets better and better! I'm sending you some photos from my phone; we love taking him to Prospect Park because he just plays with everybody!! 

Hope you're enjoying your new foster pet...!

Jean & Joel 

awesome, glad Charley's being a good boy! and it looks like the cats like him a little better now??  I'm dogless at the moment, another was adopted on saturday, we'll see who's next!  send as many updates as you like, they always make me smile!!!!  I got your texts a few minutes after my last pup was adopted saturday and it totally cheered me up:)

-April

yay!! yes, Charley's the best--he's getting better and better every day--calm when necessary, playful, sweet, so funny and hapless and lovey. He's such a big fun goofball!! And the cats are fine with him--they're learning how to fend off his unwanted advances--and Kowie is learning how to assert her dominance and remain on top. She's funny with him--she won't play, as hard as he tries to get her to do it, but she puts him in his place regularly. They're getting along just fine, and it's so interesting to see a different side of her. Now she's the grown-up calm and mature one!

Jean & Joel 

And how about miss Edwina/Dingo/Bronx my original dog crush up in Maine??  Her owners Meagan and Ben both "Facebook friended" me so I get to check out all sorts of great doggie pics which they frequently post, and Meagan even months later has been sending along updates and adorable anecdotes (thanks lady!).

 Nope not a bad life huh?

I was doing errands downtown with Rush and Bronx today. We stopped for tea and the coffee shop had a painting of Roosevelt hanging high on the wall and Bronx started staring at it. Everyone noticed how interested she was in it and then she started barking and growling! We couldn't stop laughing, about her argument with a fellow New Yorker.

Hey,

Just wanted to update you, Bronx is getting fixed tomorrow! The Vet said dogs can be out of heat but still show internal signs so waiting 1-2 months after going out of heat is safest for the dog. 

She has been getting along with everyone perfectly. She loves running on the beach is great at meeting new people/dogs. We brought her to my Grandmother's 82nd birthday and she was a big hit with all of my extended family. Bronx has mastered 'sit', 'come', 'down', 'back up' and sometimes 'leave it' and we are still working on more tricks! She has gotten some dry winter skin, (maybe from rolling in the snow/sand so much? so funny how she loves to roll around!) so we have been putting salmon oil on her dry food. This is slowly starting to help her skin and making her fur is softer than ever!! Did you feed her anything special like a treat that maybe helped her skin? Our only complaint is she loves to chase our neighbors cat, which is to be expected between dogs and strange mean cats who are in places they don't belong! 

Hope all is well!

Meagan

Best friends:)  so sweet.

I'm really hoping update posts like this will encourage folks who are considering fostering to give it a shot and to know that when a dog leaves your house they are not necessarily vanishing into thin air!  It means so much to know that you chose the right home and that these pups are LOVED, cared for, and enjoying their second chance, and all the cute stories and observations are a bonus:)

-April

if you or anyone you know is interested in fostering a dog or cat (or other critters) please email me and I'll point you in the right direction, you can never have too many good foster parents!
aprilkelly4377@gmail.com

Meagan and Ben are the BEST!

I have been getting frequent updates since yesterday afternoon from Edwina/Dingo/now Bronx's adoptive parents Meagan and Ben!  Thanks for making the adoption so painless you guys!

A few reports and pictures of everyone's favorite pup and her new fam (keep 'em coming, we love this stuff!)!

Hey,
The dogs are getting along great. We tied a long rope to edwina's collar and let her run on the beach with Rush and a few other neighborhood dogs. They had a great time getting muddy and chasing sticks. The cat is friendly to Edwina,  purring and chasing her tail. Sometimes Edwina gets too excited from the attention and the cat swats her. We are more worried about the cat hurting Edwina now! Ben is taking both pups to the pet store to pick up a few things (Edwina prefers chewie toys and Rush prefers squeaky toys!) and then bringing them to the big Portland dog park.
We will send more pictures! I'm a bad photographer so Ben is taking over!

as promised, morning walks on the beach!

Hey,

The first day has been great! Rush and Edwina have been cuddly all day, they have had a few quarrels but that is to be expected. We have nicknamed Edwina, Bronx, because she is a city-dog. She is getting along much better with the cat, but sometimes she does corner her.  The cat can't be too upset because she will buzz Edwina's legs while Edwina is eating! I attached a picture of the pups eating and the cat stealing Edwina's food.

Edwina met a bunch of neighborhood dogs, including the dreaded Popcorn! We also introduced her to everyone at our local pet store, dog park and video store. She has been a great hit and everyone loves her!

My friend lives in NYC and has a husky he rescued a few years ago and has been looking for a cattle dog mix. He is teasing us about stealing the only cattle dog mix in NYC so if you foster another one, he would be a great candidate!

looking like they've known each other all their lives;)

How many spots do you think they have between them??  

and kitty makes 3!  I'm thinking she'll be the boss of the house...

That went well! (thank goodness...)

Today was the day I had been dreading for a week!  THEY CAME FOR HER.  Thankfully the anticipation of it was so much worse the the reality.

Meagan, Ben and Rush (their pup, a cattle dog mix!) from Orchard Beach Maine contacted us about a week ago with a really sweet email of interest.  Later a lengthy phone call, lots of questions from us both and then the formalities of adoption forms, reference checks etc... and they were accepted!  In the meantime Edwina and I had really been bonding making the handoff loom pretty large, I'll admit to some serious second thoughts, it's scary and unnatural to give your dog away and at some point I had started to consider her MY dog!   But the new situation was tooooo good and the final decision was made and stuck to.

This morning Ben and Meagan drove down from Maine with Edwina's new "sister" Rush and introductions were made, doggie romper room in the lobby, toy snatching in my apartment and the 4 of them becoming acquainted.  By the time we made it up to the dog run they looked like a family and the dogs were playing/tormenting each other like real sisters!

meet her new family:)

speckled twosome.

the sounds that are coming out of these 2...

Ben and Meagan have generously promised many updates, pics and perhaps a video or 2 which I will be happy to post (her NY/NJ friends will miss her and be glad to know what she's getting up too!).  I am sooo glad they were my first adoption experience, can't imagine feeling more confident that a dog was in good hands.  Thanks you guys! 

the little family, plus a cat at home, Edwina will have a new kitty to love.

happily ever after!  sigh....

ALREADY an update from the road!  perhaps it was my tears and trembly chin? 

 anyway you guys are the nicest!

 "they are sharing a rawhide munchie and cuddling.  Thanks for letting us adopt such a sweet dog!"-Meagan and Ben

Snow day!

Today was my last full day with Edwina (aka Dingo) so we made it count, hiking in the snowy mountains with my friend Tracey and her friend Max!  I apologize in advance for the baaad/shaky video quality, but those 2 are so cute I thought I'd post it anyway! 

The last 2 times we went hiking I felt I could trust her enough to drop the leash! she loves to run and play but she most certainly keeps an eye on her people (don't try this till you're totally in with her!).  She loves poking around and even spotted and chased a squirrel, her dream come true! of course she was obsessed with the tree it went up for about 5 minutes after ;)

what excellent listening Dingo!  of course having a pocket full of treats doesn't hurt;)

 

What dog doesn't love to roll in smelly stuff?  sigh...

Pooped pups on the ride home!

Welcoming committee;)

Oh boy,we're in the home stretch, references are being checked by Dan and miss fuzzypants could be moving on shortly!  Soooooooo someday soon somebody out there will be coming home to this crazy maniac!  She can be a little shy with some people at first, but when she decides she likes you she reeeealllly likes you;)

check out the "mouth hugs" :)))

For the record jumping on people is frowned upon and very naughty so she is usually asked to sit, buuuut just this once...

The big picture.

After two weeks on petfinder.com we have several REALLY promising adoption applicants(!!!), ideal non-urban situations for Miss Edwina complete with doggie brothers/sisters and the great outdoors, exactly what I was hoping for (and secretly dreading)!  

My friends first foster pup Ruby was adopted last week by a great family with great kids and a yard and still Jess was crushed, you want to find them the perfect home but when you do...well that means they leave your home, and for the unseasoned foster mom that means mini-heartbreak.  The thought of it makes me misty, and it will probably take a few dogs to adjust to my new role of halfway house.  Hopefully the people who adopt our dogs will fortify us with some heartwarming "after" pictures/updates of the pooches living the good life in their forever home, that would make letting go so much easier!

If you are neutral or indifferent to dogs you probably wouldn't sign up to foster, and if you love dogs and want to help them out it can be tricky to modulate your affection and act solely as caregiver, dogs are easy to love and connect with and that will probably mean attachment every time... Darn you Edwina, couldn't you have been less lovable and awesome?!  But when Edwina is adopted that means a space opens in my apartment for a new foster pup, another dog is off death row and a space is free in a shelter, so more furry lives are saved.  That's the big picture, the little picture is the sweet doggie face I've been waking up next to for the last 2 weeks...

She snores a little;)

Day 5

So this has been the first day she has had full run of the apartment with the cat and I am happy to report there was no mischief!  While I'm sure she managed to annoy Josie at many points during the day when they are always around each other the urgency wears off for Edwina, but as soon as we come back from a walk the first order of business is find and herd the cat (the cat doesn't seem too put out by it and perhaps could use the excitement/exercise)!  if it's not alive she's not interested, there is a pile of rejected toys on her blanket, also a reject beef bone... She has only the one interest, herding, and playing with other dogs.  Last night she herded a little poodle at the dog run (he was inoculated for kennel cough and liked to play rough so didn't mind being shoved around) and tonight at the empty dog run she was trying to herd me : /  I cannot wait for the course of kennel cough meds to be done so she can chase/play with other dogs and get some satisfaction!  At home she is still an unbelievable couch potato.

I think it would work better if she didn't have a stuffy nose from the kennel cough, not sure she can smell the "high value treat" very well...

So far she knows sit and down and is learning come, if I don't have a treat she won't usually come when I call her, but if I go somewhere in the apartment she will usually follow.  During our walk tonight I tied her to the bench outside of Starbucks and watched her through the window while I was on line, no whining but she was keeping her eye on me and sitting nicely.  She was also sitting quietly at Barnes and Nobles last night (socialization mission), she pays some attention to me when we are home but is much less attentive when we are out, she pretty much ignores strangers, if someone is petting her it is not unusual for her to be watching something across the room with her back to the person, she seems slightly more friendly towards men.



Important:  something to be aware of if you adopt her is the MDR1 gene, I'm not totally sure what it's all about but ask your vet about it when they prescribe medications/heartworm prevention pills since some will have a bad effects on dogs with this gene including early death!

"Many herding dog breeds are afflicted with a mutation of the multi-drug resistance (mdr1) gene. This gene encodes a protein (P-glycoprotein) that is responsible for removing certain drugs and toxins from the brain. Dogs that carry the mdr1 genetic defect cannot rid their brains of the problem drugs. The result is a neurotoxic buildup that can cause abnormal neurological symptoms and/or death."

Read more: http://www.city-data.com/forum/dogs/1005760-all-those-have-herding-dogs-herding.html#ixzz18tZBPAf2

http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/depts-VCPL/drugs.aspx

Notes on Edwina.

NOTES

1. Shows no aggression whatsoever, to man nor beast (although I wouldn't leave her alone with a squirrel)!

2. Her greatest wish is to play with Josie the cat! Her first waking thought is where is Josie? what is she doing and what does her butt smell like today?  Josie is a pretty good sport but Edwina's earsplitting conversation and indelicate manhandling are still a little off putting, I'm giving it a week before they can be safely left alone together and I come home to find them cuddling.

3. If she could tell Santa what she wanted for Christmas it would be a squirrel of her own.

4. Walks really well on the leash, if she's pulling you can be sure there is a squirrel somewhere that she has spotted, or a dog she wants to meet.

5. Plays well with others, at the moment she's in quarantine with kennel cough but before we found out about that she was happily meeting and greeting every dog and person we met.  And if a male dog tries to get fresh (she is in heat) she primly sits down and eliminates the opportunity.

6.  Takes food from your hand like she was handling baby mice, she is soooo gentle, you feel no teeth at all and she has no food aggression.

7.  Comfortable and well behaved on car rides, just goes to sleep in the back seat.

8.  She's not obvious about her affection but she is always nearby, sitting by your feet, laying down outside the bathroom door if you're inside, she is usually close by or watching.  And the last 2 days I have found her head suspiciously within petting/scrunching distance and I've gotten a few unsolicited kisses ;)

STRATEGY

My dog training skills are pretty paltry, I've read some, seen the dog whisperer, listened to people with well trained dogs.  Lulu was decently trained, she would sit and come and stay (for a little while anyway), she knew a few gimmicky tricks, dancing, rubbing her face with her front paws like a mouse, she liked to ham it up!  The difference between Lulu and Edwina is that she was equally motivated by approval and food, clapping or treats either was a good enough reason to do what was requested!  I haven't figured out what Edwina wants yet... she likes food but I haven't found anything that she's crazy about, she likes me but doesn't worship me...? So at the moment I'm a little stumped on how to motivate her.

This is what I'm focusing on now...

1.  Lots of sitting, she knows this one so we're milking it!  she has to sit for food, before we will open a door, and when she's getting the leash put on, and she sits if she is annoying the cat too much.  I'm not a believer in overly dominating a dog but I would like to be her "pack leader", she should understand her food comes from me and that she's not in charge.

2. Trying to keep her calm around the cat, she REALLY REALLY wants to play with the cat, and when I say play I mean play, not kill and eat the cat.  She barks, she whines, she bounces, she gets up in her face and pushes her around with her nose.  Thinking if we can teach her to be gentler the cat will let her get closer and tolerate her better.  Right now the cat is hopping from desktop to table top to couch top, she's not afraid just avoiding the harassment.  Luckily Josie is sticking up for herself and not hiding and Edwina has been swatted/hissed at and is slowly learning some manners.

3. Preventing separation anxiety!  She's becoming fond of me and wants to be close by, and gets upset if she locked in the other room (which I do sometimes to give Josie a break and the birds a chance to fly around, as well as when I'm not home).  She does whine and bark a little if she's excluded but I'm trying to do it regularly so she becomes ok with it.  The last thing anyone wants is a dog who is upset/whining/barking all day.  I had success with Lulu by ignoring her for a few minutes when I came home, and not making a fuss of her before leaving, my comings and goings were not a big deal to her.  Hoping that will work with Edie too.


That's all I've got so far, I've got to say that Edwina is pretty good already, she's really calm in the house, easy to walk and doesn't start any trouble with other dogs, also appears to be housebroken (lots of accidents the first 2 days but nothing since!).  She's a pleasure to have her around and I hope if you're looking to adopt you would consider meeting her!

Inauspicious beginnings...

A few months ago I got it into my head that fostering dogs would be a good idea, a half measure between being dogless and a dog owner again. My dog Lulu died suddenly last spring and I have been missing her in particular and dogs in general.  Dogs can be a burden, you can't go anywhere, you have to run home after work, it's hard to find an apartment with a dog, there are lots of reasons not to have one but despite the inconvenience you cannot deny how much they add to life (you know, if you're a dog person).  Since April I have been dog free and it has not been an improvement, on grumpy days there is no doggy silliness to combat bad moods, I've gotten fat from not walking enough, my floors are unnaturally clean, and when I have to drive to Maryland I am traveling solo, perhaps a foster dog could be the remedy.

Introducing Edwina, my first official foster dog.  This is what I've been told: under one year old, dog and people friendly, might be ok with cats, had a litter of puppies (mommy nipples!) and was brought up from a shelter in Baltimore, don't know how she ended up there.  Really really wanted a small dog to foster, someone easily contained when necessary (house breaking etc...), small poops, wee wee pad for the occasions I may be gone longer than a bladder should last, and if they bite it's stitches not plastic surgery. But I came a little late to the adoption/foster party and the pee-wees were taken, so home we go with a 35lb Australian Shepherd/Cattle Dog (not sure what she is, looks like a cross of those but with a leaner frame?).

where  am I and who are you?

under the weather...

Trial by fire! holy shit, explosive liquid diarrhea the first night, splat all over the floor (in my BRAND NEW apartment!), pee running across the uneven floors... and the dog didn't have much personality, I had lost the foster dog sweepstakes.  So it's oatmeal and chicken/rice to bind her up, please PLEASE work.  Oatmeal is a miracle!  2 days of oatmeal and pedialyte and miss Edwina is bright eyed and diarrhea free.  So it turns out she is not a dull spiritless dog, hard for a girl to put her best foot forward when she has diarrhea and is in heat (getting spayed soon), not to mention being shuffled around from place to place.

almost back to normal!

From what I've read this breed is cautious and really smart, they are working dogs and bred to be capable of independent thought.  She's been watching and assessing and slowly making up her mind, sometimes sitting near me, I'd get a wag here and there but certainly not the shameless doggie affection, silliness and bottomless kisses I'm used to.  But this morning I got a smooch on the face so thats a start!


For information on Edwina please call 917 374-3260