Foster Pooch

For those in the Cold Wet Noses organization they know Maddie as part of the M&M duo. Maddie and her sister, Millie (The more submissive and shy one) were a classic abandonment story. They were left for months outside of an abandoned house with little outside contact, except for an occasional neighbor feeding them. At least this is the version I received.

The M&M sisters were pulled from PACC before they were even processed by a former Cold Wet Noses foster parent. How and why this was done is unknown to me. What I do know is that she kept the sisters with her pack of over 12 personal and other foster dogs for over seven

months. Millie, being the mellower one got along fine in this environment. Maddie however is the opposite of her sister. She is feisty, insecure and a bit rough. She often fought with other dogs. Due to circumstances outside this foster parent’s control she had to move out of Tucson and she also had to relinquish all foster dogs to new homes. I was approached with an offer to take the sisters. Mind you they’re two very energetic lab/pit mixes around 1 ½ years old and I have a small place and yard, plus I’m working 40 hours on top of whatever dog I take in. Eventually Millie found a forever home and Maddie was sent to boarding at a local vet because she didn’t get along with other dogs. She was there for about a month before I got her.

By the time I got Maddie she had gone through abandonment in a crucial stage of life, a life with just her sister to a life with a big pack, separation from her sister and finally wound up in the kennels. This is basically Maddie’s entire life. When I finally took her in she was insecure, growling and wanted nothing really to do with me. It didn’t take her long to warm up though. Most foster dogs are unsure of new environments and they need time to just smell and check things out before they get to know you. She’s actually pushing her cold nose into my arm right now wanting more love! She can’t get enough pets and love : )

I’ve have Maddie now for about 3 – 4 months. She has since then become a better adjusted dog to not only to indoor living but to people as well. When I first had Maddie she growled at new people until they left. Now she growls for a few minutes but quickly warms up and relaxes. She is still learning the walk but is slowly getting use to all the new sounds and smells around here. I wish I could set her free to run and run somewhere but her insecurities around other dogs have resulted in dog fights. She is 40 pounds of pure muscle, love and soul. I believe I’ve had her for as long as I have because she can’t be with other dogs or little kids. She’s a special girl who needs a special family. Until that day comes she will be loved and taken care of.

It has obviously been awhile since my last post. Since then Egypt has come and gone. She was a very hyper little (and young) girl who was built to run. She had her issues of course. The most annoying was her inability to listen to me. When she wanted to jump on the furniture that’s what she did. When I went to bed, she HAD to sleep in the middle of the bed. I tried to change that but eventually gave up. She was dog aggressive as well and needed a lot of work with that, barking and walking.

I had sweet Egypt for about two months before a married couple came to me looking for an energetic dog. The problem was they have a small older pug named Sarah. The husband wanted a running partner and she was happy with her lap dog. I was worried that they wouldn’t fallow through with all the work and training needed to make her a good dog. I was worried ANYONE would put in that much work! I told them everything about her but they didn’t care because they knew they could put in the work. I had to keep her for two weeks before they could take her. In those two weeks they called me all the time asking what kind of crate, food, leash.. etc they should get her. I knew she’d found a wonderful home. The last I heard her owners were calmly socializing her with other dogs at a dog park.

She had so much energy that when she finally did go I needed time to relax and breathe before I took on another foster dog.

Honestly, I was seriously considering giving up the whole foster business all together. I don’t think people realize how much time, effort, and energy it really requires. Almost all dogs come with some form of baggage that a normal, properly raised dog doesn’t have. I don’t know why I took another dog but I did. I think I was talked into.

My newest foster is Maddie (Mad Maddie as I like to call her). She is so full of issues I don’t know where to begin with her. I’ve had her for about 2 ½ months now and I love her but she has been a source of tension in my relationship and may have had a part to play in the eventual end of it. I want to hate her for it but she’s a dog and doesn’t know the troubles of a human. To blame her for anything beyond chewing up my shoes is silly but I’d like to see her get into a new home so once again, I can take a breather!

When I finally got home from my week long vacation I was eager to see Acadia. I had questions like, “Did she fight?” “Was she good?” I didn’t go so far as convincing myself that she was awful and treated poorly. I knew she was well loved and taken care of.

When I finally got the house Acadia greeted me by jumping up on me and licking me all over. She was happier then I’d seen since I fist got her. She wiggled her butt at me! Not only was she super happy and energetic (In my house she was very lethargic) but they had taught her to sit AND get in the car while I was gone. I told them they worked miracles on her. I can’t tell you how happy it made me to not have to haul her into the car every time we went somewhere.

The next couple of days were beautiful with her. She was happy and engaged with her surroundings. Then everything just went south really fast. Acadia developed severe separation anxiety. When ever I left she would cry and cry and cry. My new roommate works at night and sleeps all day, so me being gone during the day wasn’t really an option. I tried crating her, which just made it worse. I tried giving her bones and toys when I left but she didn’t care for that either.

My final straw with her happened one night when I went out with my friends (Whom I hadn’t seen in a very long time) and my neighbor texted me that she had been crying very loudly for the past two hours. She said I didn’t need to come home but I felt awful knowing she was making so much noise. So I left my friends and came home to torn – beyond repair – curtains and a very unhappy dog.

I emailed Terri that night and told her that I could no long be Acadia’s foster mom. I knew that above all it was best that Acadia find a new home or foster parent who would be there for/with her more then I could. I also knew that it would be better for my own stress level and my roommates sleep if she found a new place. I felt like such a failure. I felt like I was letting her down and didn’t fulfill my duties as a foster mom. Unfortunately a dog not working out in their foster homes happens a lot. There are so many reasons for a dog to not work out with their foster homes. It doesn’t mean they’re bad dogs, it just means the environment is not right. Thus began my desperate search for a new foster home.

The first home I tried with her had about 14(?) dogs. Some of them were fosters and some were her own. I told her about Acadia’s dog aggression and she seemed unconcerned about it. However, when she brought Acadia inside the house (I waited outside with a foster dog she needed to move) she growled at the dominate female. I warned her that would happen but not much would come out of it. She wasn’t interested in trying, so I brought Acadia home again.

I had one last option. Another lady had a foster dog that kept attacking her very mellow Husky for no reason and with no warning. It had gotten to the point where they had to play musical rooms with the dogs so they would avoid one another. I told her all about Acadia and how she growls but was just insecure. I told her she has separation anxiety but was a total sweetie. The house that Acadia went to has 4 Chihuahua, a mellow Husky, a Great Dane, and I believe one or two other mutts. I was concerned that the potential foster mom would get scared of Acadia’s growling. I didn’t think it was going to work but she was willing and desperate like me.

We agreed to meet half way and switch the dogs. It broke my heart seeing her son cry over losing their foster (Egypt). He was very attached to the girl. She is very hyper and playful (unlike Acadia) and I felt bad for giving them a non-playful dog. With great hope I watched Acadia go and prayed. I waited nervously for her phone call, telling me to come get Acadia.

I got a phone call the next morning. I held my breath and waited for her to tell me those fatal words. What she told me shocked me. She told me that not only had Acadia integrated into her pack but did it with NO growling. She told me how they were all running around in the back together and Acadia was playing with them. Acadia also slept by the boy who missed Egypt so much. I think she knew he was sad.

Since the swap I have seen Acadia once. She was so thrilled to see me that I nearly started crying. It was a brief but happy reunion. Her foster mom told me stories about how she loves to play with the other dogs and run around. Then at night she curls up at the foot of her son’s bed and sleeps there all night. I couldn’t have asked or dreamed of a better outcome for Acadia.

I had taken her as far as I could and I knew she needed a pack of dogs to take her the rest of the way. I feel that she’ll be more adoptable now because she is learning to play with other dogs and be less dependent on humans.

I now have my 4th foster dog due to the swap. Her name is Egypt but I started calling her my little Anubis because that is what she looks like.

As I’ve mention before I have become aware of the E-List and follow the PACC dogs closely. There was this poor dog (Nicknamed Wiggle Butt) who somehow managed to get 3 extensions on her life. The first time she miraculously slipped through her appointment and Terri fought to give her two more chance. I can honestly say I didn’t want her. She just looked like too much work for me but it tugged at my heart that no one was stepping up to take her in. I told Terri that as a LAST resort I would take her in. It’s very rare a dog gets three chances at a second life. Acadia is a 3 year old shepherd/Shar Pei mix who was picked up as a stray.

Despite the name Wiggle Butt she barely moved a limb for me. I re-named her Acadia and took her home. This is my 3^rd foster dog’s story.

At the time I still had Milo when I brought this sick girl home. She was a MESS. When I went to pick her up from the PACC she just stood there terrified of the leash and me. It literally took me 20 minutes to get her to walk 10 feet. I had to stop and coax her every step. When I got her home it was just as hard getting her into the house. Milo was a good boy and just sat in his crate watching us. My roommate was gone (Moved out) and so I kept her in an empty room all by herself. She was so thin and sad. Acadia had URI in the form of a snotty nose. She also had worms and was severely lactating. PACC told me she had puppies before they found her but never found the puppies. She was very dirty and in desperate need of a bath. On top of all her health issues she was beyond scared of me. When I went to see her she’d crawl on her stomach a few feet to see me but then turn around to pant and shake in the corner.

That was how the next four days went with her. She wanted so badly to be petted but was too scared of me. I believe she had some abuse in her past. When I let her into the backyard it was more tedious coaxing to get her away from her corner. Despite leaving her alone in a room she only once went to the bathroom in the house. Once Milo was gone I could bring her out of quarantine (I didn’t want Milo to get sick too) but that was too much for her. She just wanted to hide in her corner.

That is how Acadia’s first week went with me. She hid from me, slept a lot and barely walked or wagged her tail. I didn’t know what I was going to do with her. I thought she was beyond help or full mental recovery. It took a lot of patience and love to get her to open up to me. It also took 3 baths to get her clean!

Her first walk outside the house was disastrous. She would race ahead and then stop dead refusing to move and continued to walk like that for the first couple walks. Loud noises sent her belly to the ground and her body into a full shake. Once she was scared it took a good chunk of time to get her up and walking again. Our fist couple walks only lasted about five minutes.

Near the end of the second week I had agreed to baby sit Benton (A hyper shepherd pup) way before I had Acadia. He was another foster mom’s dog but she had to leave town for a few days. It wasn’t until he was in my house and Acadia was roaming lose that I learned another bad behavior of hers.

Acadia was dog aggressive.

When a foster parent(s) find out their dog is aggressive towards other dogs it’s a long road of re-training which a dog may or may not make it out of. I was not prepared to deal with dog aggression. I’ve had one traumatizing experience with a dog fight and couldn’t fathom going through another one. I immediately put Acadia back into her own room and called Terri. They didn’t fight but she growled at him and bared her teeth. Granted he was being overly friendly towards her, I didn’t want it to escalate.

I had the two for about 4 days together. Another foster mom, and leader of Cold Wet Noses taught me about the pinch collar (Scarier looking then it really is) and how to re-train her with it. A Pinch Collar is a collar with smooth medal spikes going inward. It doesn’t hurt the dog but it helps them remember who’s in charge and snaps them out of their behavior. When I used it with her it just required keeping it on her at all times with a leash and when she growled or anything negative to just jerk it swiftly up to snap her out of it. Once she was calm I would reward her with praise. I had to train Benton at the same time to not be so friendly too. I did this with a squirt bottle. Which I think should be every dog owner and foster parent’s bestfriend. I was thrown into being a strong pack leader for these two dogs. I thought, “This is nuts, what am I doing?!”

Somehow the three of us survived our little experience together. Benton learned to back away when she growled, Acadia learned to not be so afraid of Benton and I learned that just because a dog is aggressive it doesn’t mean they can’t learn to be friendly. The key is identifying what type of aggression your dog has. Her’s was an insecure aggression.

One other miracle came out of Benton’s visit. He loves his walks. He’ll pull your arm off with his eagerness to explore. Acadia was the opposite. She walked behind me very slowly and less eager. I knew when they were not getting along getting them to walk and exercise with me would make us more of a pack. Our first walk together was interesting. I had one arm pulled forward and the other one pulled backwards. By the second walk though both dogs were not only walking together but sniffing and relaxing next to each other. This is why walks are so very important. It teaches a dog the rules of a pack and how to be a dog.

I had Acadia for a few more days before I left for a week and had to put her in another foster home. We enjoyed long walks for those few days and I spent a lot of time getting her use to loud noises and people. She stayed with Benton’s foster parents when I left. They had Benton, Lainey (Another girl’s very shy foster dog), and their two older dogs. I couldn’t help being a worried foster mom because I knew how she did with one dog but four??

After Sandy (Sammy) found her forever home in less then two weeks I thought, “That’s it – I’m done!” I only wanted to foster to see if having a dog was a good or bad option for me. I never EVER thought that once I joined the world of fostering, it would (will) be very hard to leave.

It wasn’t more then 24 hours that Terri (foundering of C.W.N’s) called me and asked me to take one of two dogs needing a new foster parent. That’s the great thing with fostering; if a dog doesn’t work with its current home, a new foster can be found. Unfortunately, I had discovered the E-Dogs (Dogs about to be euthanized at the pound) on craigslist and fell in love with a shepherd pup named Milo. I had my heart on saving him and after some arguing and discussing – Terri rescued Milo for me.

Milo was one of those dogs that didn’t care what had happened. He lived in the moment and the more love and attention I poured into him, the more he returned. I did have one major moment of panic with him and that was when I first picked him up at the pound. Sammy got in the car just fine; she was use to human’s and their ways. Milo didn’t know what a car was; let alone how to get into one! He was thankfully light enough for me to literally haul into my car.

He was quick to learn and even faster to trust but somehow still got the nick-name, “MiloNo,” because I was always trying to correct him. He didn’t know what a bath was,

how to walk on a leash, or that certain things like food were off limits. He was very willing and learned fast but still had this goofiness to him. Everyone fell in love with him instantly. Even non-dog lovers loved him. Other dogs loved him as well. He even loved cats.

I was a very proud foster mom and excited to see him live a long and healthy life. If only life was that nice. It has other plans for Milo though that broke my heart. I took him in for a regular checkup, as all foster dogs require. The doctor came in checked his teeth, weight and then listen to his heart. I’ll never forget how casually she said, “Oh, this dog has a sever heart murmur.” She said it like, “Oh today is sunny.” Maybe that’s just vets for you but it was a heavy blow to my heart hearing those words. This is my baby and he gets a death sentence? That’s not easy for anyone to hear. So, after much crying and believing he’d be put down Terri reassured me that this was the end for him. She told me we’d just have to find a long-term foster for him until he’s too sick to go on. A long-term foster takes on sever health issues or dying dogs.

I did eventually find Milo a home with two other dogs, kids and acres to run. I haven’t heard anything from his foster parents but I hope he’s doing well. He taught me so much. He taught me to not feel sorry for whatever mental or physical state these dogs are in because it’s about who they’re with and the soft bed they now have. These foster dogs have all been through their own tough stories but now that they’re loves, fed and taken care of, they don’t care. Their main care is giving love, and that’s what they do, love.