Reuniting Two Years Later

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Many of you weren’t around for Little Zee’s story. It was two years ago, far before this blog reached any sort of popularity. I was totally new to fostering, and decided to participate in her rescue from the shelter only because I had the help of one of the most knowledgeable, kind families I know: Love and a Six-Foot Leash. I remember driving Zabora home from her spay surgery, a drugged up, wide eyed dog in the back of my car, thinking, “What the heck have I gotten myself into?”

The first picture I took of a foster dog ever!

The first picture I took of a foster dog ever!

What I had gotten myself into was a remarkable story of how a community came together to save a dog who otherwise probably wouldn’t have had a chance. She was older (we guessed anywhere between eight or nine at the time, though now we know that estimate might have been a bit old), she wasn’t in great health and she had what we guessed was a neurological problem that gave her poor balance. The odds were against us, but our friends at Love and a Six-Foot Leash stepped forward to save her life and never looked back.

Zee helping Mark celebrate his 21st birthday!

Zee helping Mark celebrate his 21st birthday two years ago!

After just a few weeks bouncing between my home and L&ASFL’s home, Zabora found herself an amazing family. The couple she landed with are perfect for her, and she for them.

They named her Medivka and brought her in as their new family member. She has since gone on to become a big sister, too!  Medivka’s family has been so great to keep us updated on how she is doing, every once in a while sending us an email with an adorable photo or quick update (seriously love my adopters). One email recently, though, had a different kind of update.

When she was with us, Medivka’s balance issues had us all stumped. We were unsure if it was vestibular disease, a really bad ear infection with permanent damage or a traumatic one time injury that had long lasting effects. The vet believed it was perhaps the last one on that list, but no one could know for sure. After her parents recently realized she was getting a bit worse, they took her back to the vet. She was diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia, which is a deterioration of nerves in the cerebellum. It explains her loss of balance, and why it has gotten worse (unfortunately, it’s a progressive condition).

Interestingly enough, the disease is a recessive genetic disease in American Staffordshire Terriers. Medivka is a purebred (determined by a DNA test) Am Staff, which explains why she is prone to the disease.  Luckily, though, because it showed up later in her life and hasn’t been progressing at a rapid rate, everyone has hopes and expectations that she has a long and healthy life ahead of her.

Like I mentioned in my post last week, I’m feeling especially nostalgic these days. After going back and forth on email about little M’s newly diagnosed condition, I realized how badly I wanted to see her again. Mark and I talk about her all the time. Before Johnnie, she was the one Mark secretly wished we had kept. We often reminisce about how cuddly, friendly, outgoing and silly she is.

Medivka’s family was so nice and let us come by and visit on Saturday afternoon. We spent our visit on the floor with Medivka, petting and loving on her just like we had the chance to do two years ago. Her family told us how her daily routine is to observe the household happenings and hang out with her little sis, with some walks in the neighborhood and sunbathing in the yard sprinkled throughout her day. She is a very lucky dog – and, this past Saturday, we were lucky former foster parents.

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Thank you, Medivka and family, for letting us visit and remember why we loved this little monkey so much! It’s crazy to think that it’s been two full years since we first met. . . and yet, not much has changed :-).

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Happy Tail Update: Rojo!

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Nothing makes me happier than posting positive updates about dogs who were recently rescued and are now doing awesome in their new home. A few weeks ago I did update posts on shelter dogs Patrice, Peanut and Kobe with emails I received from their new families or fosters. This time, I’m here to report on an adorable dog who was adopted from my shelter by my next door neighbors: Rojo!

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Because I live next door, I get to see first hand how Rojo (pronounced Ro-ho) is settling into his new life.  We’ve had a few fence line chats with him and my various temporary fosters, but the other night I headed over there to babysit his human siblings and I got to see just how great his digs really are.  His family has toys and kongs and beds and LOTS of love for him, and he seems like one seriously happy pup!

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In my post introducing Rojo I asked for advice about his excitable wetting. I am happy to report that his family says he is doing much better with that since they have been keeping arrivals very low key. He didn’t do it when I – an exciting new person – showed up, so that was a great sign (he did it last time I met him).

He’s also been attending classes at Your Dog’s Friend. YDF is my favorite training group in Montgomery County whose mission is to help keep dogs out of the shelter by offering affordable positive training classes ranging from basic obedience to agility to nose work, as well as free seminars and workshops about all things dog related. Rojo excelled in his first level of classes, and now does a fabulous “sit” and “touch” – both of which he likes to practice with his two sibs.

Speaking of, I think my favorite part of Rojo’s new life is his relationship with his human sister and brother. Not only do they adore him, but he tolerates all their kid antics (which are few and far between; they are fabulous around dogs). On the night I watched them, they prepared his bed for him so we could all watch movies together, as well as a kong treat for when the humans had ice cream.

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His family is still learning the ropes, like making sure his counter surfing skills don’t get too perfected and helping him keep his cool around other dogs (their next class at YDF is actually one that I am helping coach – which I will write about later – but that was a fun coincidence!), and they seem to love him even with all he has to learn.

Seeing Rojo as such a loved family dog was so rewarding. I don’t like to focus on an adopted dog’s past, but it’s crazy to think that just months ago Rojo was living as a stray without a bed or consistent food or anyone to love him. And look at where he is now! He’s a family member – a happy, happy dog.

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Happy Monday: Shelter Dog Updates

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I feel like we all need some good news after the tragic events of last Friday. I’m a firm believer that when things get tough, you have to focus on the positive.  It just so happens that recently the “Happy Tail” (har har) updates have been rolling in from rescue groups who have pulled our shelter dogs, and I thought this would be the perfect time to share them with you.

I’m so lucky to have relationships with some of the rescues who pull dogs from us so that I get the occasional update. There is nothing that compares to seeing your favorite shelter dogs in a home with a family, no matter if it’s a foster family or forever family. The dogs are out of the shelter and finally getting the chance to be a loved family dog. Here are some no-longer-a-shelter-dog updates!

Patrice:

Patrice was at the shelter for about four months. She had so, so much energy and her obsession with tennis balls made it hard for her to make an impression on potential adopters. She literally wanted nothing more than to chase a tennis ball all day, ever day.

Patrice finally made it out through the rescue group Bully Paws. One of their foster homes came forward to pull a dog from us (we LOVE those), and they chose Patrice. They have other dogs and a massive fenced in yard where she will be able to run as much as her little heart desires. I took this photo the day Patrice left. This is her with one of our volunteers, Les, who, along with many others, has worked with her every day for the last four months. The smiles on both of their faces say it all – it was a huge victory for everyone the day she got out of the shelter for good.

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Bully Paws recently sent me this update from Patrice’s foster family. It’s always so hard to predict how dogs will act once they leave the shelter, and hearing that they’re settling right in makes us do all sorts of happy dances.

“Hello, the last couple of days have been a thrill to both Pablo and myself. Patrice is a REALLY sweet little girl. She is still a bit frightened esp of loud noises and her little tail goes between her legs when she hears a dog barking while on our walks. In the yard she will run and play but the moment she sees me walk away or turn to do something else, she will drop her ball and come follow to ensure she is not left behind. She seems to be MOST interested and really enjoys walking along with one of my others (her tail goes up and wags and she holds her head up high while she tries to stay right by their side). She definitely wants to be a part of the pack and seems eager to please each one of mine and their particular personalities (she was part of a particular play group at montgomery and sure she must be missing them a bit).  We are introducing really slowly using baby gates. Patrice has her own room where we set up her crate. The crate door is left open and she goes in herself and curls up to sleep. We did have two accidents the first day she was here (right in front of the door as if she knew where she was supposed to be going). I soon realized that when we take her out into the yard she is so excited to be outside and to run and play that she doesn’t stop to pee (I have another that does the same and who is also ball crazy).  So now we walk her into the yard on a leash before she plays and then before we go in, and she gets lots of praise for going pee outside. Patrice is a very finicky eater and eats just a teeny bit at a time (its shocking to me bc of the amount my other three eat). Tonight is probably the first good amount of food she’s had since being here. But she also got lots of exercise today so she had a good appetite. Most of all, she LOVES to run of her leash and play ball!”

This is a photo of Patrice, the dog who couldn’t settle down in the shelter, in her foster home. Doesn’t she look content? Hooray Patrice!

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Peanut (now Wilbur):

Peanut was at the shelter this summer. I fell in love with him because he was this adorable little compact pittie with a crooked tail and the cutest little face.

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Bully Paws pulled Peanut from us as well. He is actually now in his FOREVER family, and that is the amazing email update we got:

“Wilbur (formerly Peanut) is awesome. Our obedience instructor loves him. He is so smart that it is hard not to teach him more than what is scheduled for the class each day. We have decided to keep Wilbur in school until he can earn his good citizens certification. The wife and I truly feel lucky to have him. Wilbur gets along great with our elderly basenji (15 years old) and sleeps at night on the foot of the bed with his feline friend (who thinks he is a dog as well). In the morning, when its time to give Tybalt the basenji his daily medicine, all three line up, sitting in a row next to each other. All get something. Wilbur sleeps whenever he is in the car and typically doesn’t get up until the car has stopped. He will jump in the tub for a bath even when it’s not his turn. He loves him some soccer ball. People who know this breed readily come up to us to meet him and talk about their pits. Always a funny story to share. Wilbur has been great to say the least.”

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These are two dogs you haven’t met (though hopefully you still loved their stories). Tomorrow I’m going to update you on the story of a dog I introduced a few weeks ago that Jasmine’s House pulled: Kobe. He has come a long way in the few short weeks he’s been out of the shelter, and it’s all thanks to his foster family and Jasmine’s House. Check back tomorrow for another happy tail!

Patrice and her tennis ball-loving smile are available through Bully Paws!

Otis is… ADOPTED!!!

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It seems that four months is the magic number at the PLF House, as Otis has officially found his way out of my life and into someone else’s… forever!

To be honest, I’ve had a lot of wonderful inquiries about Otis over the last four months, but none of them were the right fit. For many, there were obvious reasons why it wouldn’t work out, but for others it just wasn’t a good match. I knew Otis wouldn’t attach to anyone new  right away, especially during a brief adoption visit, but the way he was so closed down around potential adopters started getting me worried. Until we met R.

R emailed me one day after seeing Otis on the MCHS website, and even though he was a bit different from the exact mold I had dreamed up for Otis initially, I had a good feeling about him and his situation so I put him through the tests. You fosters know what I’m talking about – the rigorous discussions where you try to talk potential adopters out of your dog, and if they’re still interested then you know you’ve got a good one! R wasn’t put off by any of Otie’s “quirks” so we set up a met and greet.

That meeting is what sold me on this pair. Otis loved R. It was the most affection I’ve seen Otis display towards any new stranger, ever.  I was relieved that I wasn’t the only one who felt good vibes from the visit when I later found an excited email from R in my inbox about moving forward with the adoption process. The following days consisted of a long, serious talk between R and one of our adoption counselors about how to make Otie the happiest dog he can be for the rest of his life, another visit between Otis and R that went beautifully, and a few dozen more emails answering questions and brainstorming ideas on how to ease the transition. We wanted to make sure we had as many bases covered as possible.

Finally, all the paperwork was signed and Otie was officially R’s. R came to pick Otis up from work and that’s when all the goodbye butterflies set in. I couldn’t believe he was actually leaving – after so many failed adoptions and failed applications, Otis had finally found the perfect home? That was a tough one to swallow. But R is going to already seems to love him just as much as I do, plus it helps that he works from home (jackpot!!) and has a huge yard for Otis to run around in. It was tough to watch Otie walk out to R’s car that day, but I knew there was nothing but a happy life waiting for him.

R has been very kind in sending me frequent updates which have put my worries at ease.  It seems that while the transition was understandably a little difficult for Otis, he is finally settling into his new life (insert BIG sigh of relief here). I am sure he will be attached to R’s hip in no time, if he isn’t already!

It’s been a long road for this one, but Honey Bunches of Otis is finally home.

Video: A Journey’s End

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You all didn’t think I’d let you get away without a final video from Big Bruno, did you?

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, here is the video from the first half of Baxter’s journey, courtesy of Big Bruno. Many of you saw it in this post about where Baxter came from. It’s tough to watch because Baxter was really different from the way he is now.

Don’t worry, next is the happy ending! Big Bruno just completed this video about Baxter’s recovery at Jasmine’s House, his time with me, and finally – the best part! – him in his new home. You HAVE to check out the end of this where he is running around with his new sister : -)

I can’t think of a better way to wrap up Baxter’s story, and to highlight what is really now quite the beginning for him. Thanks Bruno!

And thank you to everyone else who has shared in this roller coaster ride with us, showering us with insanely nice and positive comments the whole time and especially at the announcement of his adoption. You all are the best followers a crazy newbie blogger could ask for!