These pups are chill and happy
The puppies are loving being outside. They are such a subdued group, very chill and happy. They love cuddling and are getting used to many different people as we’ve had a lot of visitors with their children. This is great help to me, so thank you everyone who has visited so far and if you’d like to visit drop me a line! Also, we’re taking applications now for the puppies so if you’re interested contact H.E.L.P. (Homes for Endangered and Lost Pets) at HelpingAnimals.org or by calling at 877-364-2286.
It is amazing how relaxed I am this time around. I think it is a combination of this group being quieter than the past groups, the mama, Chloe being healthy (no parasites, no illness, not overly skinny) and me hitting my stride. I will hit harder times shortly, as the pups turn 6 weeks they will get busier, but for now I keep thinking, “this is a breeze!” Yeah.
Puppies are coming! Puppies are coming!
The phone rang early this morning. H.E.L.P. has a mama dog and her seven 4-week old pups in need. As is often the case, we know very little about this group, but we will soon enough – they will be here in a few hours!
Here is what we do know. The mama is believed to be a 40lb Golden Retreiver mix. She had her litter of pups four weeks ago and is coing to us via the same shelter in Fulton County Illinois that brought Sweetie and Annie into our lives. If you haven’t, you should read up on their stories here on CanineFostering.com.
So put CanineFostering.com back on your daily reading list – we will be writing, posting photos & videos of this new fostering experience!
Happy Christmas to all
Particularly in these cold winter months, making foster homes available to shelter pets while they are placed in permanent homes is so very important. If you are unable to provide this service to the animal world and still want to help, we encourage you to make a donation to you local animal rescue. We volunteer through H.E.L.P. which serves the Chicago suburbs. To donate to H.E.L.P., go directly to their donation page where they will gladly accept your generosite.
Happy Christmas to all from Annie and CanineFostering.com.
Annie
Puppies everywhere
Puppies puppies everywhere! They all walk around the room now, exploring, playing and peeing. Every time I enter the room I have to laugh as they all stop and look, just like little kids you burst in on and startle. They look like they’ve been caught doing something wrong.
They are well into the solid food now and are taking more and more from me, and less from Annie. This is good as she wants less and less to do with them. Tonight, for an hour during feeding time, they had a babysitter! My friend, Maria, came by and played, fussed, and held them all. When I came down to clean up the meal mess they were all zonked out. They continue to enjoy human contact, wagging and crawling over one another to get to the people who visit them. There are going to be a lot of visitors soon. We plan to post their pictures on Petfinder next week. Look for them either by going directly to Petfinder or through the HELP website . They will be named after Santa’s eight reindeer – Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comit, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. The brown one is Blitzen.
Good Books and What They Don’t Say
I love my books. I have used two to help me understand what things to expect as I work with my foster mamas. Neither of these books are the definitive, must-have reads that some of my books are to me. But they are sound books with good advice and they are books I happened to have around or were able to find on a quick run to the bookstore. They are:
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However, there are some things that they don’t tell you in books:
• Mama dogs have loose stools, like soft serve ice cream (sorry, sort of gross) especially if you’re feeding them a rich diet. Expect this and don’t assume there is anything wrong unless it is clear that the mama is lethargic or unwell, or if the poop stinks to the high heavens of if there is blood in the stool. All of these are signs of illness (likely parasites) and need to be addressed by the vet. A good rule of thumb is to get a stool sample tested by the vet right when the mama arrives and another a few weeks later. Don’t assume a clear sample is really clear. Some of these parasites take awhile to show up. And don’t assume that you can’t catch what the mama has. Many parasites are transmittable to humans. Something I learned all too well over the summer when I caught giardia from Sweetie. The treatment was effective and I’m fine now but the medication was so strong it literally took me months to feel normal in my gut again.
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Mommy instincts kick in
sleeping puppies
Annie is finally looking like a normal dog. Her ribs are receding and her hip bones don’t stick out any more. And her pups are getting FAT! Good for her! When they were born you could see all of their ribs. But now, three days later they look fat and happy – just like pups born to healthy moms. It is amazing how little it takes to help these doggie families along. She’s been with us just two weeks and already her health troubles are becoming a thing of the past. For anyone who wonders if they can help these sorts of dogs, don’t question it – the question is absolutely, yes you can. It takes so very little – just clean water, nutritious food, a warm bed, a clean place to live and medical care if necessary. Just stuff you’d provide for your own dogs. Please, if your heart moves you, help out in any way you can. Ok, public service announcement over.
Annie is also becoming more trusting. She greets me with wags and allows me to pet her. This morning, for the first time since I met her, she put her head into me and just relaxed as I scratched her neck and head. It was good to see her opening up. She also seems happy to see my son. But she is wary of people she hasn’t met before.
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