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

Over the hump!

Getting a new foster dog is doubly stressful for me now that I have a dog of my own!  But I think there is a three day hump for most dogs, seems like it takes about that long for them to relax and their real personality to show itself, takes about that long for me to relax as well and feel like I don't have to be monitering them at all times... around day three you can usually tell if they are house trained, how friendly they are, if they are truly anxious and all that stuff, and having Pasha (and of course my cat) adds the extra element of watching the two dogs reeeeallly closely to make sure no one gets hurt or bullied.  So here we are on day 5 and I couldn't be happier with how things are going:) Duncan is much mellower than I originally thought, he and Pasha are getting friendlier and she is acting less territorial and actually wanting to play with him, he's doing well at the dog run with the people and the dogs and has really calmed down about the cat AND the birds!  He's seems to be a really well adjusted dog with really nice manners and should adjust fairly quickly to his new forever family when they come along.

Up here in Washington Heights we are super lucky to have what I believe is the largest dog run in Manhattan, and even luckier to have really friendly dogs and neighbors who are almost uniformly dog savvy and pro rescue pups!  As you can imagine this really helps the foster dogs up here (and there are a few) with the regulars being more than happy to love up the new guys and give advice.

video of this morning at the dog run.  

It seems that about an hour of off leash time and running around keeps him pretty content for the day.  He also may make a decent jogging buddy, I ran down the block with them the other day on a walk and he seemed into it, Pasha on the other hand tries to play tug with the leash so that doesn't really work out;)

When I see him starting to get a little restless/anxious (usually dragging the bed around and chewing on it) I take out the tug toy and they can go at it for a few minutes to let off some steam!

you're getting sleepy....

sleeeeepy...

sleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeepy....

After all that dog run fun everyone was pooped and we had a group nap on the couch, he's a serious cuddle-bunny and he and Pasha look so comfy all squished up together!

I love the happy circles:) and he walks right into his halter when you put it on!

for more info on Duncan you can email me at aprilkelly4377@gmail.com

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

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;)