Why We Foster

Marcus Hill

Marcus Hill is one of the coolest guys I've never met, except online through Facebook. Some six years ago, Marcus and his wife Criss got into fostering dogs and the odd cat for the Humane Society of Wichita County shelter. Here is his story about......

                                      WHY WE FOSTER

People ask us how can we foster a dog (or cat), give them all that love and attention and then hand them over to a stranger. My answer is that saving a life is more important than breaking my heart over giving up that foster critter. Here is Romeo's story, from a near death experience to a happy loving home.

Romeo the day he came into the Shelter.

Romeo had been found hiding under a piece of tin roofing out in a pasture. Note the discolored areas around his face (photo right), on his nose and jowls. There were more under his jaw. We figure he had been attacked by a hawk and dropped in that pature.

We didn't know it, but there was an almighty abcess under that dark spot in front of his ear. I took him home to foster not long after this photo was taken.

The day after we got Romeo home that abcess burst, so we bandaged it up and applied a lot of love. He was a happy camper, romping and playing with our big dogs. He thrived and grew and wormed his way into our hearts.

A big boo-boo gets a bandage!

We had Romeo in foster for quite a long time. Hard to believe no one wanted such a sweet pup.

A little one-on-one love.

For a while he played with another foster pup we had named Sarah. Sarah got adopted before Romeo did, and we were happy for Sarah, but very sad for Romeo.

One day we got a call from the shelter. "Bring Romeo out, someone wants to met him." That someone was Sam Dillon.

Here he is (bottom photo) two years later racked out on the couch in his forever home. I don't thing Romeo could have found a better home. He is loved, he has two doggie buddies and a pair of fine people that give him all the love we could have and more.

And us? We have fostered another ninteen dogs since Romeo. The latest one, Speckles, is headed to Helping Hounds Dog Rescue in New York on Monday afternoon. Then we'll get us another foster pup and do it all over again.

Heart broken? Yes, but happy as a clam that another dog is saved from possibly being put down. We can't do this alone, it takes a team. From the person that found him to the person that adopted him in the end. We all had a hand in Romeo's success story. And you can do the same, all you have to do is step up and risk a broken heart.

And look who was waitng for us at the shelter. Sam and his buddy MacKenzie, come to take Romeo to his new home. The meet and greet went well and the clouds parted and the sun shown through. It was a great day all around. — with Sam Dillon.

Going to meet his new family....

Be it ever so humble....

Introducing the 'New' Dog

[Note: We're a little behind on our publishing schedule. Please bear with us as we play catch-up!]

Rowdy checking out the back patch.

Rowdy, a Chihuahua-Italian greyhound mix (Annie suspects), checked in at Lazlo & the Bean's Bed & Barkfest. Strangest-looking little dog you'd ever hope to meet.

I see clearly now what Kimber down at the shelter meant when she described him to me as a "deer-legged Chihuahua"!

Like nine (is it, now?) guests before him, Rowdy is a rescue on the Rescue Road to Forever. He had to leave the foster he was with rather abruptly -- for reasons beyond his control -- so Rowdy will be with us until Dog Runner’s next trip, Monday, to Helping Hounds Dog Rescue in Dewitt, NY.

Annie: We decided that Rowdy looks a lot like a little meerkat and is so unlike his name. He's sweet, mellow and very affectionate. He has a habit of snuggling in and laying his head on your arm or chest. He is absolutely endearing. Beano and Lazlo took to him right away, as did Jim and I. Some family will be very lucky to have him.

[Actually, Rowdy left last Monday and arrived in Dewitt Friday. At last report yesterday, he is winning hearts and minds among the good folks at HHDR.]

Our regular reader knows we have two home dogs, Beano and Lazlo. Laz was a foster fail who came to stay a couple of months ago. Beano, the unchallenged alpha, has been with us some five years now.  Each time we bring home a new foster, like Rowdy, there are those initial moments of apprehension, watching to see whether or not Beano will approve.

Introductions are made in our backyard with the new dog on lead. Beano, of course, establishes up front that this is his turf. When new guy shows proper submission, Beano immediately turns curious, and the round robin sniffing begins!

Annie: I have to say, that Beano has relaxed considerably since we adopted Lazlo. He has relinquished most of his toys - even his favorite night-night buddy - to his little brother. He accepted Rowdy and CJ with very little ado. Maybe he's just adjusting to the fact that every few weeks a new dog appears for a while and then, with little fanfare, is gone again. I so wish I knew what went on in their minds!

I think Lazlo is a Chiweenie (Chihuahua/Dachshund) mix and, very active (Beano is actually losing weight trying to keep up with this little firecracker!) and single-minded. However, he does think of himself as top dog and doesn't like sharing - and that goes for his humans, as well. For instance, if Beano is curled up in my lap, Lazlo will come and place himself higher so that, eventually, Beano will relocate. Laz gets away with it because everyone, including the other animals, loves him. What can I say? Rowdy and CJ learned quickly that 10pm, when Beano and Laz are sent to bed, was their time for individual cuddling with us.

[Whew! We now return you to those thrilling days of What's Happenin' Now!]

"Can we go?"

This picture remains the same, day in and day out. I see it every time I pull into our drive when the dogs are out. Only the dogs change as fosters come and go along the Rescue Road. That's our current foster, C.J. (right above) who's been with us about a week now. Of all the chihuahua-mixes to come through here, C.J. is the most chihuahua-ish -- hyper, skittish, animated, and more than a little demanding at times.

Annie: I am constantly amazed at how easy it is to fall in love with each of the fosters we've had. Regardless of personality, there is something about each and every one that captivates me EVERY time! CJ is no exception. He is quieter that most, but he seems to have had more training. He's very agreeable, not demanding - although I think he'd like it a lot if Lazlo would allow him more alone cuddle time with the humans!

C.J.'s first couple of days were Beano and Lazlo laying down their rules for the patch. Not that Lazlo's that disciplined. It's just that as the Little Brother, he feels compelled to back up Beano's dictates. By day three C.J. was easing into the mix, a new trio testing and toying with one another.

Fostering truly is a family affair!

C.J. is good on inside skills save taking to his crate, the focus of this week's training. He will get on just fine in New York.

~~~~~~~

Jim & Sage

 In closing, let's give a Texas-sized THANK YOU and SHOUT OUT to Joan Nickum. She knows who she is, and some of you regular readers may, too. Joan made it possible for Annie and I to participate in our first rescue relay yesterday, driving Sage, a beautiful young Schnauzer. Our leg was from Wichita Falls to Childress, Texas (Sage will eventually land in Phoenix, Arizona). Truth be told, Annie and I have lusted after Dog Runner's gig ever since we first heard about Dave and Elaine. What could be better than road tripping with dogs!

Sage, crated and ready to start the journey to Childress, Texas

And Buddy makes three!

Just introduced a new dog into a house with two dogs and four cats. Why do I feel like I'm sitting on a powder keg?

Buddy the Bashful

That was me Saturday afternoon. After taking a week off from fostering, followed by another week with our first foster failure of the most fortuitous kind, we picked up a little brown and tan guy named Buddy.

I'd heard the name a time or two around the shelter, but we had not met. I'd also heard that Buddy had a past from which he brought baggage. Nothing vicious, of course. Apparently he had come into this world through the home of an hoarder.

Animal hoarding is keeping "more than the typical number of companion animals" resulting in "inability to provide even minimal standards of nutrition, sanitation, shelter and veterinary care," according to the Humane Society of the United States.

Which begs questions like what is the "typical number of companion animals" and "minimal standards" for care. I don't have a concrete answer for either, but I think most rational folks have a fair understanding of both. Hoarders, I'm sure, never start out with an intention to become a hoarder; it just happens that way.

And the irony is that most -- if not all -- hoarders started out with and yet maintain a genuine love for their companion animals.

Cheryl Miller is Director down at the shelter, a job not unlike herding cats. While Buddy was an inmate there, Cheryl took extra time daily to get to know this little guy. Here's her story.

"He came from a hoarding situation," Cheryl said. "He is a Rottweiler-Chihuahua mix," she added, her brows curling into question marks. "Not sure how that happened, but (hoarder) has over 20 of them. She handed over five to us, all very fearful and pretty aggressive toward people.

"Buddy was the only one that even tried to come up to me," Cheryl recalled. "I could tell he wanted me to pet him, but he was scared. So we gave him about a week of us trying every day to get to know him better and for him to even trust us. He never once offered to bite.

"Then, one day, he came up to me, jumped up on me and started licking my hand! So I'm very greatful that Buddy is in foster care now and training for our Rescue Road to Forever."

To be sure, Buddy has a hurdle or two yet to clear before leaving for New York later this month. We have no doubt he will make it. This little guy has come too far to wash out now.

Hmmmm? THREE dogs. FOUR cats? And just exactly, again; WHAT is "typical"? 

The Dog at the End of His Journey

Lazlo, the dog who came to foster and stayed!

Our sometimes annual anniversary road trip all but died on the drawing board Last week. Clearly, Gracie's Curse did not follow her to the whateverafter, for Mom always said, "The surest way to kill a trip is to plan on taking it."

So rather than dining on Gulf Coast seafood in the wake of the latest oil carnage in Galveston Bay, we grabbed a bag of Arbuckle Mountain Original Fried Pies while doing Glen Rose, Texas. Two of the pies actually made it all the way home with us!

Annie, Beano and I were planning a drive down to Freeport, Texas, my birth home, then along the coast to Galveston before winding our way back North. Consequently, we had placed a temporary hold on fostering another transport dog after seeing Sassy, our seventh, off with the Dog Runner Sunday, a week ago.

No one was more thrilled by not having a foster in the house than the resident homeboy Beano. He reveled in his week of being an only dog once again! HE got more treats! HE had ALL the attention!! HE got to take more walks!!!

Truth be told, we all needed a bit of spring break after seven dogs.

Lazlo and the Bean playing TAG!

Back to business as usual, we treked over to the Humane Society of Wichita County to pick out foster #8. That's when things began to go a lot like a Rod Serling short story.

Cheryl down at the shelter had a particular dog, Hazel, in mind for us. Upon arrival, however, a young mother was agonizing over whether or not to adopt Hazel. While we waited for the woman to decide, Beano had a great time running along the fence outside the kennels and getting all the dogs in a tizzy!

The woman opted to take Hazel on trial. 

"Great!" I told Cheryl. "Now show us Lazlo."

We had seen the name in a listing of dogs up for foster for the late April transport. Annie and I both were more than a little curious about this dog with a slavic name. Cheryl was elated that we showed interest in this dog. Seems he had been at the shelter for an exceedingly long time with little interest shown in adopting him.

Part chihuahua and part brindle whoknowswhat, Lazlo is a quiet little guy. He rode most of the way home sitting in my lap (Annie was driving, for a change) and calmly watching the world flash by his window.

Not an hour out from the shelter, Jan Herzog called to tell us Lazlo wasn't medically cleared for the transport program. A trifling matter of a benign skin lesion Doc B. was still treating. We would need to return Lazlo and select another dog.

That did not happen. Since Laz was not cleared for transport, he could be adopted right here in River City. Lazlo, as it turns out, had remained at the shelter for such a long time because Lazlo is Beano's dog! He had been waiting all that time for Beano to show up and claim him.

So Lazlo will not be relocating to New York. Sorry! Helping Hounds! We have initiated adoption proceedings. Lazlo and the Bean will be buddies for the rest of their days.

Annie: That got me a little weepy, right there!

We will be taking the rest of this week off from fostering to give Lazlo a few days to settle in.

Luckily, our next transport date was pushed back a week, so we will be back to the Rescue Road to Forever this coming Saturday in time for the April 29 run.

Speaking of Saturday...

Come out and visit with some dedicated folks and a bunch of worthy animals! Lazlo and Beano will be lookin' for ya!

Polar Vortex Fails To Freeze Out Foster Rescues

Fenway (left) in his new New York home.

Fenway finds his home

Three times, now, since joining the Road to Forever we have sent dogs north with Dog Runner transport, and on each trip David and Elaine--the people who are Dog Runner--have faced bone-chilling cold, icy roads and near white-out conditions. All three trips were completed safely and on schedule.

If David and Elaine seem exceptional, they would be the first to counter that they are typical of the scores of folks--from Wichita Falls, TX, to Flower Mound, TX, to DeWitt , NY and points in between--who give their time and funding for their local shelter, Love on Wheels and the Road to Forever.

And why do we do it? Check out Fenway, the black-and-white border collie above. That's the face of a rescue dog who has found a secure, loving permanent home. What other motivation could anyone possible need?

Helping Hounds featured in national magazine

Regular readers here know that our Texas rescue dogs are transported to Helping Hounds Dog Rescue in DeWitt where eager families typically wait out of doors in frigid, icy weather conditions to greet each Dog Runner arrival. Helping Hounds and the Love on Wheels partnership with the Humane Society of Flower Mound are the focus of a featured article to be published in the March issue of Animal Sheltering Magazine. However, you can get a sneak peak at the excellent, informative piece here!

Scrappy foster #4 set for departure next week!

Opie ready for his shot at a home down the Road.

The little guy at right is Opie, a something under one year old cairn terrier mix and 20 pounds of chewing, licking, jumping, cat chasing energy who can steal a heart in a New York minute.

Annie:  That's the truth! I know I say this about every foster, but it's true. These dogs are so ready to give and get love - their aim is to please, and Opie is no different! He's a tiny package of affection and will make someone a wonderful forever dog!

While the next scheduled transport to Helping Hounds isn't until the end of the month, Opie needed a foster home NOW to boost his physical health and emotional well being. So we agreed to take him. 

Since bringing him home, an unscheduled transport through Texas Pit Crew became available, and Opie will have been in foster care the required two weeks to qualify. Pending a successful health certification Thursday, Opie will be on his way to a permanent home Monday, Jan. 13.

Mrs. Miller, bless her heart, falls in love with every dog we bring home for fostering, and little Opie certainly is no exception. Program rules, of course, stipulate that fosters may not adopt their charges, but Opie has had Mrs. Miller plotting abduction and relocation to a secluded, remote cabin in the Pacific Northwest!

Annie:  Piffle ... well, maybe ...

Third Foster a Charming Handful

He's 42 pounds of unbridled, uncollared, seemingly limitless energy, and he wants nothing more than to share all that hyper-kinetic activity with anyone and everyone who comes within sight. Other dogs, cats, people, mourning doves. Doesn't matter. This nine-month-old border collie has room in his heart and games for all!   

Fenway enjoys a moment in the sun.

We can't help but speculate that this combination of size and energy led to Fenway's being abandoned. 

I want to stress we only can speculate Fenway was abandoned. No one actually witnessed this beautiful dog being dumped. Yet Fenway's profile fits with why some four million dogs are abandoned in the U.S. each year. He is a royal handful with an appetite!

Fenway's known story only goes back a few months when he was picked up and held by animal control. After no one came to claim him, Fen was tagged for shelter placement by the Humane Society of Wichita County. As weeks passed with no one showing interest in adopting, Fen was selected for transport to Helping Hounds Dog Rescue in New York.

Within days of his scheduled departure date, Fenway came down with an upper respiratory infection. He had to be bumped from the Road to Forever.

Meds cleared his infection, and before he could be rescheduled for New York, Fen was adopted! Within two weeks, however, he was returned to the shelter as "not a good fit" with the adopting family.

Always alert for the next game!

Fenway certainly is true to breed:

The Border Collie is very intelligent and aware of its surroundings... able to be trained to a high degree. This is one of the hardest working dogs thriving on praise.... The Border Collie is highly energetic with great stamina. Provided they get sufficient activity to keep them occupied and ample exercise.... This breed can be sensitive and should be very well socialized as a puppy to prevent shyness.... These dogs are too intelligent to lie around the house all day with nothing to do. [dogbreedinfo.com]

In other words, all Fenway needs is his own flock of sheep and a five-acre patch!

A Bit of Hair of the Dog

 Sending Opal on her way

The toughest thing we did today, saying So long! to Opal.

 Someone in New York state may not know it yet, but a beautiful black and tan princess is headed their way. Whoever you are, rest assured this gal will steal your heart in a heartbeat.

Nothing about fostering rescue dogs is tougher than that final day. When it came down to it, all I could do was lead Opal into Dog Runner's capable hands, turn and walk away. 

Even as I type, I can't look at the picture here on the right. Somehow, these lines are blurry on the screen.

This, I suppose, is the selfish side of fostering. Damn dog!

We would have liked more time to visit with Dog Runner and to learn a bit more about the road trip our Texas hounds are taking to DeWitt, NY. DR's transport can handle up to 60 dogs, each with their own private travel crate. The logistics of potty stops, exercise breaks, meals and the unloading-loading required with each must be a wonder to behold! However, Departure Day is not exactly the ideal time to go for an interview.

One of these days, though, we intend to make the trip down to visit the good folks in Flower Mound who ramrod this canine wagon train. Stay tuned!

 Charlie Beagle on board!

Co-pilot Charlie Beagle on my shoulder.

We put Opal on Dog Runner's transport at 4:30 this afternoon, then headed the Blazer over to the HSWC shelter. Seems the best cure for foster separation anguish is hair of the dog, i.e., the next fostering challenge!

Shelter director Cheryl Miller had tagged this 4-year-old male beagle mix named Charlie for us last week. In fact, we met Charlie briefly while at the shelter for Opal's final medical exam.

Charlie remained calm at my approach, sniffing politely at my proffered hand. He was shivering, shifting weight from one foreleg to the other as he sat on the cold concrete floor. With the softest of whimpers, his eyes begged, "Take me out of here, please, sir!"

We know next to nothing about Charlie. He came to the shelter after being "arrested" as a homeless stray. Apparently, he carried no identification.

Charlie demonstrated immediately that he had not been homeless all his life. He patiently allowed me into his enclosure, nor did he make a fuss as I placed a collar on him. On leash he showed no signs of leash training, but neither did he fight the lead. Charlie simply put his nose to the ground and set at at a determined pace, his tail signalling Let's GO!

Our bed feels a lot like home!

In the shelter office he remained curious, sniffing at everything and everyone calmly and methodically. When Annie opened the door to leave, Charlie was the first one out.

Charlie showed not the slightest anxiety riding in the Blazer. This obviously was not a new experience. In fact, he showed a marked and determined preference for riding in the front seat! We struck a compromise, and Charlie rode most of the way home on my left shoulder.

Arriving at the house, Charlie eagerly walked with me to the back yard while Annie went inside. We thought it best to let Charlie meet his Lead Trainer, Beano, outside.

Both dogs took to one another from the get-go. Cautiously at first, to be sure, but with much mutual circling and sniffing of respective nether regions, as dogs are want to do. And while Charlie was cordial, shall we say? It was clear to see that he was more interested in sniffing out and marking his new patch.

Annie: I was curious how Beano would take to another male in the house, so was very pleased to see them getting on so well. I wonder if this may have something to do with the fact that they are a similar breed and size.  It was almost as if they were taking turns to see who was the dominant dog with some amusing dance moves displayed. In any case, the next couple of weeks will be most interesting.

Inside the house, Charlie was curious about the cats, but only mildly so. He showed no aggression whatsoever. As with the yard, his first priority was thoroughly sniffing out all nooks, crannies and corners of all rooms open to him. He showed no interest at all in jumping on furniture other than our bed, the exploration of which brilliantly he saved for last and immediately curled up and made himself quite comfortable.

So after some initial playing, a couple of trips back to the yard, more inside play, a little begging for a taste or two of people food, another exploratory sniff around the house, and a quick bath, both beagle boys claimed respective spots near one another on our bed and quietly passed out.

They are softly snoring still.

A Few Lessons Learned

My "adopted" brother, Dean Porter, and I were chilling in the back yard the other day. While we watched Beano and Opal Hound tussle over an old tennis ball, our talk roamed back to our black-and-white days of distant youth, when both boys and dogs pretty much had free run of their neighborhoods. 

From left: Allen Dean Porter, James Brian Miller,
author and (front) grillminder Beano Boglen Miller

As boys we had freedoms that kids today cannot imagine. Not that it was all that easy to get away with anything. We had such freedom because everyone else in the neighborhood knew who we were and to whom we belonged and would not hesitate to drop a dime on us if they suspected we might be up to no good. 

The same, pretty much, was true for our dogs.

Sadly, often tragically, those days of innocence are no more and may well never return. I'd like to think I'm wrong, but I doubt it. I'd like to think we can rebuild communities where residents of all ages enjoy the freedoms we once experienced and took for granted. Until such time as we do rebuild the true American Dream of equitable, sustainable security for all creatures, two-legged and four-legged alike, we will continue to have a need for rescue and foster programs.

Time Out, dude! Somethin' bit me!!

Why foster 

Five to seven million pets enter animal shelters every year in this country.

Three to four million companion animals are executed each year because of a lack of shelter space and not enough people to adopt these homeless ones.

For every homeless person in America there are five homeless animals.

Only one in ten puppies born today will find a permanent, lasting home. 

Deciding to foster

Two NEVERs in which I believe whole-heartedly: NEVER give a puppy or kitten as a special-occasion or holiday gift, and NEVER rush to foster--or adopt--because you saw a cute photo on Facebook!

The decision to foster an animal is loaded with consequences, many of which arrive unforeseen unless you've done extensive homework. Taking in a strange dog, even if it is "only two weeks", is a life-altering event on so-o-o-o many levels! Horror stories abound about that cute little puppy that chewed its way through sheetrock, fiberboard and electrical wiring to get from the garage into the house in ONE afternoon!!

First and foremost, everyone in the household--animals as well people--must be given full consideration in the decision. All humans concerned certainly should be in agreement on fostering. Certainly consider any other animals already established in the home. Discuss division of labor and responsibilities for the "guest" animal, and do NOT overlook the considerable amount of time needed for play and social interaction with your sleep-over dog.

Second most, be dead on sure about your commitment. Rescue and shelter dogs already have been kicked to the curb at least once in their lives. DO NOT BE THE REASON THEY GET KICKED AGAIN!

Please, sir, may I stay?

If I haven't scared you off by this point, the third thing to do is get thee to your nearest animal shelter. Visit with as many staff members and volunteers as you can (without getting in the way!), ask questions, observe and thoroughly discuss the pros and cons of fostering with the folks working the program day in and day out.

IF--Big IF--for whatever reason you do not have good feelings about the shelter or the folks working there, politely tell them "Thank You" and WALK AWAY! No doubt you can find two or three other shelters to visit within an hours' drive of your residence.

I say this for one crucial reason. A successful fostering program depends on absolute trust and full cooperation between your family and the shelter family. Say, for example, you do not feel comfortable calling up your shelter contact person at 2:37 a.m. because your foster dog woke you "wheezing funny", then you need to be working with a different shelter.

In the Wichita County, Texas, area I cannot recommend highly enough Cheryl Miller's crew at the Humane Society of Wichita County and their Foster Babies program.

There are any number of good websites you can check out while considering fostering. One good place to start is 20 Questions to Ask Before You Foster a Dog at Petfinder.com.

One chapter ends, another begins

Waiting out the weather...

Just in from letting the dogs have a romp on the ice-crusted back yard. They had a time of it -- Chase!, Tug-O-Tennis Ball, Top Dawg Championship Wrasslin' -- in spite of the 30F degrees.

Opal Hound seems much less mindful of the cold than does Beano. His mamma's folk, Boston terriers, are not for not liking temperature extremes, and in that regard the Bean favors his mamma.

Beano Miller

This is a transition weekend. A winter weather advisory in effect through Monday is icing on the cake--not to mention roads, bridges and overpasses. Two to four inches of snow and/or sleet is forecast for our neck of the Rolling Plains in the next two days. Opal's scheduled departure Sunday afternoon has been pushed back to Monday afternoon. All fosters are on "stand-by" for further delays as this storm system moves east, covering at least the first few hundred miles of the Road to Forever and Helping Hounds.

Make room for Charlie!

Our next guest was scheduled to check in Sunday, and that has been reset for Monday, as well. Yes, Anniepie and I decided to stay in the HSWC Foster Babies program for another go 'round. Besides the overwhelming need for folks to foster shelter pets, I think a huge factor in our decision is Beano!

Annie and I both will miss Opal. She had us from that first anxious moment at the shelter. Knowing that she is bound for Helping Hounds and an excellent shot at adoption is why our hearts are aching but not breaking.

But what about Beano? This little spoiled terrier had to overcome some tough jealousy and possessiveness issues in those first several days. So much so, in fact, that allowing Opal to remain with us was in jeopardy. By this final week, though, Beano and Opal Hound had bonded like true siblings, in spirit if not in blood. How, we wondered, would Beano take Opal's absence?

John Brandshaw clued me in to a little of what I've come to call Dog Zen, seeing the world and events through the heart and mind of a dog.

    The new canine science reveals that dogs are both smarter and
    dumber than we think they are. For example, they have an almost
    uncanny ability to guess what humans are about to do, because of
    their extreme sensitivity to our body language, but they are also
    trapped in the moment, incapable of projecting the consequences of
    their actions backward or forward in time.

Dog Sense, p. xxii

Dogs may indeed be creatures locked in "the Now." Yet hundreds of years, and even more hundreds of generations of dogs and humans, of codependent relations provide abundant anecdotal evidence that dogs "miss" close friends who have passed on.

I, for one, have no doubt Beano is going to feel the loss of his sister. Better, I believe, to bring in the next foster dog sooner rather than later. Beano will have little time to pine as Charlie, a beauty of a beagle Beano's age (4), is set to check in even as Opal departs.

Putting 'The Dread' to Bed

Doesn't have to hurt to say 'Good bye!'

Don't ask me to explain it. I can't. All I know is I woke up this morning feeling 100% okay with Opal Hound leaving Sunday.

That is mine, right?

Yes, both Annie and I seriously considered adopting our first foster rather than packing her off to New York. That's one way to get around the heart aches of separation, I suppose, but one old--excuse me, mature--couple can only adopt so many critters. We're at our limit with Beano, four cats and a noisy bird!

We could have, would have made room for Opal somehow, and therein lies the rub. Room. Space. Our little quarter-acre lot simply is not big enough for a hound who needs room--lots of room--to bound and romp. Opal Hound at the very least needs a small farm, a country home with space and distances to unlimber those glorious, long legs of hers!

Preparing a dog for this journey halfway across the continent is almost as bad as getting a kid ready for sleep-away camp! Five days' worth of food in daily meals baggies, blanket, collar and leash, KONG, treats, favorite toy(s) and all packed in a travel bag appropriately labelled with the dog's name.

Again, there is the health certification exam tomorrow that Opal must pass before she get's her ticket stamped for Sunday. She's ready. So are we. Well, we will be...after the packing!

Sick as a Dog X 2

Well, hell, we've got two sick dogs.

Of the two, Beano Boglen, our resident terrier, is down the hardest with symptoms of an upper respiratory infection, but Opal Hound has been wheezing and sneezing as well. Having multiple dogs is a lot like having multiple human offspring; if one picks up something, they all share it around sooner or later.

One of the conditions of fostering is that signs of illness must be reported immediately to the Humane Society (HS). Technically, the foster dog remains the responsibility of HS, including any necessary medical care. Additionally, any dog scheduled for transport to New York must pass a final health certification exam.

Opal--aka "Olive", aka "Elvira", aka "Li'l Sister"--is scheduled to board the transport a week from tomorrow, and final medical exams must be done by no later than Thursday. Five days.

Can't say enough about the quick response from Jan Herzog and Cheryl Miller. We had antibiotics for both dogs in under two hours early on a Saturday morning. Only time will tell now if Opal makes her departure date.

Oh, it's Saturday! It's Saturday!!

Dear Readers & Followers,

Almost bright and not that early this morning, the cry of the beloved spouse was heard echoing from our bed chamber....

AREN'T YOU GOING TO WORK!!!???

Right time, wrong day. Today is Saturday and my presence is not required down at the dealership. Today is a day for puttering and for tinkering, for playing outside with the dogs and for generally breaking out of the weekday seven-to-one routine. Saturday is, in short, a day for some things completely different.

Let's kick it off with a great big THANK YOU! to each and every one of you out there who have been reading, sharing and following Fostering Opal. This morning we topped 1,000 page views in the five days since this blog began. YOU did that!! And I can't help but believe that the more folks touched by Opal Hound's story, the more this rescue & fostering thing is gonna grow and grow.

We also want to give a big round of applause to JAN HERZOG, one of the top hands working without pay for the Humane Society of Wichita County (HSWC). Good Lord, with all the you-know-whos in Austin and Washington these days, HSWC and other not-for-profit-but-for-love outfits would be up the proverbial creek without dedicated folks like Jan. She primarily was responsible for saving Opal Hound from being put down and for hooking us up with fostering this sweet dog.

And we can't pass on the accolades without a shout out to P.E.T.S. Low-Cost Spay & Neuter Clinic. P.E.T.S. is "The Vet" for Beano and Annie's four--count 'em,  four!--cats as well as taking care of Opal's spaying.

Like it or not, the holiday gifting season is here. If you've got a list of impossible-to-buy-fors, don't settle for one more useless piece of crap they don't need. Rather, donate in their names to outfits like HSWC and the P.E.T.S. clinic. Believe me, your generous gifts could not be better appreciated nor put to better use.

I'll be over here grazin' while you're monkeying with that contraption...

Such a fantabulous day outside, we've gone "live remote" from the back yard, a.k.a. Miller's Cave, via our recently-acquired acer Chromebook. This is the first opportunity we've had to spend significant time outside the house, so we are trying out some new (to us) stuff for future postings here. As you can see above, we're still working out how to use ChromeCam! Excuse our progress, and stay tuned for future updates. 


Life's better outside. Get out and enjoy it!!