What is a foster fail you may ask? Well, this picture sums it up. To be more precise, a foster fail is when the dog you are fostering does not leave the foster home. He is adopted by the foster family. We failed and PeeWee is home!
PeeWee is being a gift with his Christmas morning bow!
On Christmas day my husband picked PeeWee up, put a bow on him, and said, “Here you go, Merry Christmas. This present is for you and Claire.” Best gift ever! Claire is one of our other shelties and the reason the gift was for her and me, is because she loves PeeWee. She seems to think he is her puppy. She plays with him throughout the day, every day. He can take bones from her mouth, and she rarely complains. When PeeWee is not looking, Claire just takes them back. They can do this for quite a while. Also, when we are out for walks or hiking, Claire keeps an eye on where PeeWee is and gazes adoringly at him every few seconds.
We knew it would be hard on Claire if PeeWee left for another home. As for me, I realized that I was attached when he started hiking with us. He did so good for a little dog that had such emotional challenges to overcome from his former life. He just fit. And this past year has been such a rough year for us with losing Baxter, our 14 year old lab-Rott mix, in the spring and then losing our 12 year old cat Morty right after Thanksgiving. We had some other trying issues too. PeeWee has brought such joy and laughter into our home that thinking of it without him is a very sad thing.
Rest time for some of the pack.
I like to think that we have made PeeWee’s life happier too. He was a timid dog, who spent a great deal of time hiding under the bed in his last home, and when he arrived here, would only eat at night when no one was around. He has been here four months and now smiles, plays with us and the other dogs, and is so happy to see us in the mornings that he gets the zoomies. And he gets so excited to go on hikes now that he whines and yips with anticipation when the leashes come out if we aren’t fast enough to get out the door.
Happy New Year to all of you, my faithful readers! Things are looking up for 2024 to be a much happier year around here as we welcome PeeWee as a permanent member of our family. It’s hard not to be happy when there is such an adorable, eager face looking you in the eye.
PeeWee the foster dog did make it into the house after spending his first night here in the workshop to ensure that he was flea-free. (Read about his arrival here. First Foster Dog This Year!) I waited until late afternoon to move him inside, when I had time to scrub his crate again, and wash his bedding to prevent transfer of any flea dirt to the house. Although the adult fleas appeared to all be dead, I didn’t want to take a chance on any flea eggs making their way into the house. Nothing strikes fear into my heart like the sight of a flea. I think most people with multi-pet households feel the same way. Especially when you are old enough to remember the days before there were all the flea killing options available today.
That first evening was uneventful. PeeWee was afraid and withdrawn. I let him spend the first night in his crate to decompress and see what our home was all about. Every time I took him outside in the fenced yard to do his business, he was on leash. He examined the fence slats to see if he could fit through them and looked for other routes of escape from his leash. I found the only way to get him to do his business was to stand still and let him walk around me and not make eye contact with him. We continued to do this little dance every time he needed to go outside for the next couple of days.
PeeWee also ate most of his food at night when the rest of the household was in bed. He ate a few bites during the day, but that was it. This is typical of dogs that come from puppy mill type situations. His symptoms of the puppy mill variety are mild though. He soon readily took food and treats from our hands. He does continue to eat most of his kibble during the night. This drives Zekie crazy because he knows that food is in the crate, and he cannot reach it as hard as he tries.
PeeWee spent the majority of the next day in his crate too. I brought him out to join us during the day for a few hours at a time but kept him attached to me by a leash. Otherwise, he would run off to hide. The first time I let him in the living room without a leash, he decided to hide behind the couch, and I had to move it to get him out. After that, he stayed attached to me or the coffee table by his leash for the better part of three days.
PeeWee has been with us for two weeks today. He goes outside for potty duty in the fenced yard with the other dogs and does his business quickly. I stand outside with him every time, so I can keep an eye on him. I do still consider him a flight risk should he find a way to get loose. He is still a timid dog although he is gaining in confidence every day. He follows us around the house and sits beside us on the couch. He follows me to the bathroom but does not come in just in case I decide to give him another bath. I did bathe him again at the end of the first week when I found residual flea dirt on him. He sat beside me on the couch as soon as the bath was over, so apparently, I am no longer The Evil One.
Banana time!
PeeWee has learned to join the others in begging at their favorite time of day. Banana time! He takes his portion so gently! Our dogs love few foods more than bananas. Each dogs gets two bites. Everybody gets one bite and then there is round two where each dog gets a second bite. Cassius the greyhound can count to two and lays down once he has had his second bite. The others are eternal optimists and never give up. Daddy only ever gets to eat half of a banana due to the popularity of this routine. Woe be unto me if I let the banana supply run out!
Sleeping with the big dogs!
We are learning more about PeeWee every day as his personality emerges. We didn’t hear him bark until two days ago. I told my husband, be careful what you wish for. The range of things he barks at is increasing rapidly, from the coffee bean grinder to someone leaving to me sneezing. He learned that last one from Claire. I am not allowed to sneeze or Claire barks at me. I guess I do it wrong. He is my buddy in the evening when I sit down to read. He lays beside my legs on the couch and relaxes until bedtime.
I wonder what changes will be next? Time will tell.
This is the first foster pup we have had at our house since last year. We did do short-term fostering of three dogs last year. We had Bodhi who was turned in at 6 months of age. He was cute and had such a great personality that he went to one of our previous adoptive families within a week of his arrival. (Foster Puppy! Bodhi, Part I) And we fostered Max and Pitusa for less than a week. They already had a home lined up as soon as they came into rescue, just needing a place to stay until their transport was set up to a neighboring state. (Fostering is Rewarding) That’s all we fostered last year because, well, I discovered that since I am retired and home with the dogs all day, I become attached, and it is just too hard to let the fosters go. That’s how we added Claire to our pack. To be fair, Claire came here shortly before the Covid lockdown hit and we ended up having her for six or seven months before a serious adopter inquired about her. We didn’t feel safe having any contact with people in the early Covid months.
The number of dogs coming into our rescue slowed down for a while after Covid. Those days are over and turn-ins are picking up again. And, we are seeing dogs with more behavioral issues than we used to see. All those “Covid adoptions” never had an opportunity for socialization and they are paying the price for it now by losing their homes. Rescues all over the country are experiencing the same thing. That’s how we ended up with our new foster. All rescues have a limited number of foster homes available that are willing to take on dogs with behavioral issues. Particularly dogs that have nipping problems. Our rescue already had two other dogs with these types of issues come in within the past month. And then we heard about this one who was being rehomed because of growling and snapping at the children in the home.
That’s what lead to me receiving a phone call asking if we could foster. After putting in place a plan for this little guy to have a timeline for when he would leave so I didn’t get too attached, we said yes. I think I can probably foster for a couple months and still let the dog go. Six months is just too long. Don’t worry, he won’t get kicked to the street when his time here is up. If need be, he will transfer to another foster home within our rescue until his final adoption.
And so arrived PeeWee FurMan. That was not his name before. It is one that evolved after his arrival because he is so small compared to our other dogs. Another member of our group discovered PeeWee for sale on Craigslist and made contact with the owner. The fate of dogs for sale on Craigslist is not always good. The owner realized this and gave him to us for the cost of a shelter pull fee, rather than what she had been asking. She wasn’t a bad person; she was just in over her head with a dog that needed a more experienced handler. PeeWee had snapped at the groomer and would growl and eventually snap at the owner’s granddaughters who lived in the home. He came from an Amish family and exhibited behavior of a puppy mill dog, preferring to hide under the bed rather than play with the girls. He also would not take food from anyone’s hand. These are all behaviors we have seen before in dogs that came from puppy mills.
The other issue that had to be dealt with was that PeeWee was coming from a home with a severe flea infestation. This was the most concerning part to me because we have four dogs and three cats of our own. I made plans to meet the owner at a Pet Supplies Plus that had an in-store self-dog wash that was halfway between our homes. I flea treated all our own animals before picking PeeWee up. The owner was to wash him before the transfer. I am unclear whether she did or not. He was clean but flea covered. The other reason for meeting at the pet store was so I could buy a Capstar which begins killing fleas within 30 minutes and lasts for 24 hours. I had the Capstar purchased and ready to go when they arrived. I asked the owner to administer it so he wouldn’t bite me since he had a nipping history. She held the pill in her hand and expected PeeWee to pick it up and eat it. I knew that wasn’t going to happen, so I finally just pilled him myself to get that medicine working. The woman filled out her paperwork and quickly drove away with only a quick pat. In her defense, she was on her way to the hospital to see a family member who was having surgery.
That left me and PeeWee alone in the parking lot. Our relationship got off to a rocky start. My next move was to take PeeWee inside the pet store for a bath. He was afraid. Luckily, I had him on a choker which is standard protocol for all our incoming shelties because they are notorious for backing out of regular collars with their small heads and pointy noses. I also had a small muzzle with me because I wasn’t going to be the next groomer that he tried to bite. The bath did not go well. I had my leash and choker on him as well as the two snap-in collars attached to the dog wash bathtub. PeeWee fought and struggled, certain that I was trying to drown him. Especially when I had to wash and rinse his ears and head because they were covered with flea dirt and that was where all the fleas were crawling to get away from the water and shampoo. At one point, he slipped the muzzle because it was a little on the large size for him. He bit onto one of the collars from the dog wash and I couldn’t get it out of his mouth for a while because he had clamped on so hard. I finally got the muzzle back on, and after letting the shampoo do its work for a while, I rinsed PeeWee and then used the dryer on him. This was also a traumatic experience for him. I’m glad he only weighs around 17 pounds or things could have gone much worse.
Then it was back to the car. We drove part-way home and then I stopped to read my book for a short while, giving the Capstar more time to work. We got home an hour and a half later. I got PeeWee out of the car and began a flea check. There were still fleas actively crawling on him! I started picking them off and squishing them. I quickly realized the futility of this and called my friend and our rescue intake coordinator who has dealt with the arrival of many dogs. She said she had never had Capstar fail to work and suggested I call my vet to see if they could do anything for me. It was good to hear her calming voice at that point to ground me a little bit. I was told my vet was with another client and she would call me back. I was nearing that freak out point that only those who have dealt with fleas in a multi-pet household can relate to. I called my veterinary office again and learned that they do not board dogs, particularly ones harboring fleas. The advice from my vet was that the fleas should be becoming at least sluggish because of the Capstar. Capstar is what they use on fleas infested animals that come in for surgery to keep the clinic pest-free. I was also advised to give a Simparica Trio (it kills heartworms, fleas, ticks, and other pests) to PeeWee in addition to the Capstar. I was not concerned about giving him this medicine because the previous owner did have him heartworm tested, and it was negative. The label says Simparica Trio begins killing adult fleas in three hours and kills them all within eight hours. This lasts for 35 days. I must commend the woman who answers the phone at my vet’s office. She stayed calm and managed to talk me down from my flea paranoia. Thank you, Marie!
PeeWee did get yet another bath out in the yard with the hose. Sorry it was cold Little Guy, but I was not carrying those fleas to our bathtub. Oh, and he also got sprayed with Wondercide herbal flea and tick spray. He spent his first night here in the workshop, which I feel bad about, but better safe than sorry. All this did result in his viewing me as The Evil One, but rest assured, it didn’t last.
More about PeeWee’s integration into the household soon!
My first post about never getting too old for dogs generated enough feedback and comments that it got me thinking and I have more thoughts to share on the matter. They will come later in the post.
I was using old profile pictures in my posts that I have taken over the past few years because it was easier. I didn’t want to mislead though, so this one is of me at 60 years old, as is the one in the last post. (Never Too Old for Dogs) If you’re wondering how I got my hair so much less poufy in this one, here is my trick. I put my hair in a ponytail when it is still wet and leave it that way until it dries. I have thick hair, so that is sometimes the next day. Once my hair is down, it does get “bigger” as time passes. Especially, if it is rainy or humid out.
I got to watch my nieces over the weekend. I was so excited to see them! It was supposed to happen last week but didn’t work out. I had a flat tire on one car and transmission trouble in the other car. Both discovered in the same afternoon! It was not my day and let me tell you, I was none too happy that something came between me and seeing my girls. Both vehicles are repaired and roadworthy again. While watching the girls, I got more of those flexibility experiences that I was talking about last time to help keep me young. We again played hide and seek. The game is a favorite of theirs’. I took Zekie with me this time. He seems to understand the concept of Hide and Go Seek. Or he at least sits with me and quietly waits until we are found. This does not work with Shelby. She stands in front of where I hide and stares a hole into the spot, so that I am found almost immediately. All the girls have to do is look for Shelby. When I hid under the computer desk, Zekie crawled in with me while I crouched in the knee hole waiting to be found. All I had to do was point at the spot beside me and make a down motion and we were hidden. Zekie was the perfect guest on our visit. He really is a good dog if I am with him.
Zekie resting after Hide and Go Seek.
On to why I will never be too old for dogs. The main reason is that I think it would kill me to be without a dog. How could I survive without a constant companion who thinks everything I do is wonderful and is happy to see me at all times? Dogs are mental health aides! So, what are some ways to pull this off for the older individual?
One. Stay healthy and active as much as you can. The better your health and activity level, the longer you will be able to care for a dog. (Or any animal.) The dog comes with built in health benefits. You should exercise and walk your dog. This will help to keep you both moving longer. There are studies that prove that people with pets age better than those without. Not just physically, but mentally as well.
Two. Downsize to a smaller or less active breed or mix of dog. Note that the two things do not go hand in hand. A French Bull Dog and a Jack Russell Terrier are similar in size, but you are not getting the same level of dog. The terrier is highly active, mentally and physically. They are a lot of dog in a small package. Many young people cannot handle this type of dog. Shelters were full of them after the television show starring a well-trained Jack Russell, Wishbone, rose to popularity. The Frenchie on the other hand is a low energy dog that needs only short walks. And then, you have the greyhound (approximately 55-80 lbs.) who is affectionately known as a couch potato. Do your research. There is a dog who is appropriate for nearly everyone.
Three. Who says you have to get a puppy? There are adult dogs who are in need of a home. Many through no fault of their own. Rescues and shelters have staff or volunteers who can help you choose a dog that fits your lifestyle. They know the personalities and habits of the dogs in their care and can guide you in picking a new best friend who is suitable for you. Some rescues even have Seniors for Seniors programs. This is when a senior dog is paired with a senior person. The rescue retains ownership of the dog and covers vet bills. The senior person provides a home for the dog and all daily care including food, walks, general grooming, etc. The person keeps the dog for the lifetime of the dog. Another benefit of this situation is, if something happens to the person, they know the dog will be taken care of. Someone from the rescue will come get the dog in this case and it will be rehomed or remain in foster care. It’s a win-win for all involved. Harder to place senior dogs get loving homes and the older person has a dog for companionship without the worry of expensive vet bills that can plague an older dog. The rescue I am involved with, Northeast Ohio Shetland Sheepdog Rescue (NEOSSR), has such a program. Public donations make such programs possible. Here is a link about our rescue, complete with a donation button! https://www.neossr.org/ Our rescue tries to help in whatever way is best for the individual and the dog. Some of our senior families have needed temporary help in caring for their dogs. We have had a team of rotating volunteers show up to walk a dog for someone recovering from surgery until he was back on his feet. Right now, we have a dog in foster care because the owner was hospitalized from a fall and is in a facility for rehab. The foster mom takes the dog the facility to visit its owner occasionally. We hope the owner and dog can both go home again but if not, we will be here to care for the dog. By the way, the foster mom was on her way to pick up this dog from a neighbor within hours of NEOSSR receiving the call for help. Our members are awesome!
Four. Consider being a foster parent rather than having your own dog. You get the joy and rewards of having a dog around without the full-scale commitment. This option would also have veterinary care of the dog covered by the shelter or rescue. And though it may be painful when the dog gets adopted, you know that you gave the dog love and a home while he was waiting for his forever home. Most groups do give their foster families first rights to adopt if you happen to fall in love with your pup while you have him. And this happens often enough that there is a term for it. You are a foster failure. I have been a foster failure with several dogs. It is a term of endearment in the rescue world, and I am proud to be a member of this group. In fact, Shelby, Zekie, and Claire are foster failures. It can be a good way to try out a dog to see if he is a fit for your family. Many groups have a foster-to-adopt option. If the dog absolutely is not a fit for your home even on a foster basis, the group will take it back. It is helpful if you can keep the dog until it gets adopted or at least until the group can find another foster home. There are usually those of us crazy enough to foster most any dog. I have had to put up some foster limitations since we’ve had Zekie, and he is so much to handle. I would take them all, but sometimes you have to do what is best for the family and this includes the whole family, canines and felines as well!
Thanks for sticking with me to the end. My route can be rather circuitous as I have lots of random thoughts that get recorded along the way. Sometimes those can be the most valuable, and I hope, enjoyable. My goal was to give you options and lots to think about. May peace, and good health, be with you.
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