2 Months of Short Legged Steps Forward

Well lucky bloggers, when last I left you it was exactly 1 month and 1 day ago. The month of March was a crazy one with my day job, so my Lucky Dog storytelling took a short sabbatical, except for one liner updates on my Facebook page. Speaking of, the Lucky Blog now has its own page so that maybe I can increase my follow base to people beyond my circle of Facebook friends, and the same people maybe don't have to hear me go on about the cute/funny/weird/challenging things my foster dog has been up to (okay, maybe the second piece of that is a pipe dream, sorry Facebook friends). In any case, to find the Lucky Blog on Facebook, simply visit us at http://www.facebook.com/ALuckyDogsLuckyBlog. This is a space where you'll not only find links to the blog, but other snippets of "additional content", fun links, and random updates from life at the Homestead.

So. One month later in my once-upon-a-time foster world meant I may have been through 2-3 fosters by now. Suga is a stubborn little lady though, and doesn't seem to want to leave us quite yet. She has had a slight bit of interest from prospective adopters, but since I took over official screening duties I have yet to receive a single official application on the little lady. A couple of "what a nice dog" responses at events and some follow-up questions, but I have't gotten to a screening interview yet. When I come home and Nick finds me on the phone talking to someone about our adoption policies and asking/answering questions (Suga curled up next to me on the floor, couch, or bed) my husband gives me an excited questioning look and points to her. I give my "not this time" look we don't really know if it's disappointment or perhaps a little relief that we feel.

Yup, that's the face...

Suga had one family that initially seemed a good match about 3 weeks back - they had a second dog and had been pre-screened and approved by another adoption coordinator, and as her bio is pretty straightforward about both her awesome qualities and her shyness (in general and specifically at adoption events) I sort of thought they knew exactly what to expect. I even offered the additional disclaimer, "hey, she's not always awesome at adoption events so we can do a meet and greet at home if you'd like." They seemed eager to meet her and no visit at home seemed necessary. Nick and I had fully prepared ourselves to give her up that week, and as she and I headed up to Kensington, MD I braced myself to come back with an empty car. The adopters came and went while I was working on a contract with another adopter, and before I got a chance to talk with them, they had decided that Suga wasn't the dog for them. But as I came back to her, she had this sort of triumphant look on her face like "HEY MAMA LYNN! I'm sticking with YOUUU!". And i couldn't help but laugh to myself.


So since then, we've been waiting for that first application and making great progress in the mean time. Last week, she gave the dog walker kisses. And remember that first trip to the dog park? Where she attempted to escape under the fence and then hid under a bench? Well, we're moving forward from that. Check out our most recent trip to the puppy playground (and notice the tail position!). Pretty much she is a giant goofball love bug at home, and gets braver and braver (and by default, sillier and sillier) every day. 

In our down time, she spends her time doing typical dog things like sniffing around in the yard....

Hanging out with her foster brother...

And hogging all the pillow. 

To help this sweet gal get adopted, see and share her bio at http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/22053055. There have been quite a few folks asking when Suga's going to be here to stay, and we are looking to prove them wrong and find her an even better forever home than the one she's got now. We know it's out there, we just need to find it. 


Hugs and LOTS of puppy kisses (have I mentioned how much she LOVES to give them??),
Lynn & Suga

The Art (and Heart) In Fostering A Shy Dog

Suga now proudly holds the title of our longest reigning foster, having stayed put at the Heun Homestead for exactly 4 weeks and 1 day. Previously our longest fosters had hung around for no longer than two weeks (I think Loopy was 2 weeks and 3 days, still within the 2 week realm from a technicality standpoint). While thrilled when a foster gets adopted and heads on down the road to their new forever, I do have to say that it's been nice spending a little more time with our most recent house guest. Mostly because when a dog gets adopted that quickly, there is little a foster can say about the progress made in such a short window.

Sure, you see little things as they get comfortable in a home. Like Nina came to us too frightened to walk on a leash, but with the help of a harness and a friend in Ollie, she quickly came around. Loopy didn't want to walk up steps when we first got her home, but thanks to some time and some treats she got over that minor speed bump. 

But Suga is different. We've actually been able to see the strides she is making in her time with us. Too scared to take treats or even move on that first night, she found a safe place on the stairs and hung out there quite a bit the first day, then a little less the third and fourth days, then almost not at all. She has gone from nervous curiosity to enthusiastically seeking attention and cuddles. From not going to the bathroom at all, to a daily accident, to going to the door when it's time for a potty break. Running and hiding from Ollie's attempts at play, to chasing, wrestling, and playing with toys with, and in the quiet hours, snuggling with him. They actually oftentimes opt to sleep in the same crate at night, and it's pretty freaking adorable. All of us have had to work to earn her trust to get where we are now, but it's been heartwarming to see her get there, and has made us feel pretty good.

Of course, there is still progress to be made. Yesterday we took Ollie and Suga to the dog park and she made an attempt to escape under the gate (she obviously failed under my watchful eye) and after some time hiding under a bench at my feet, ended up acclimating well enough. But it was a reminder that there are certain things still very much beyond her comfort level, and they may always be, and that's okay. But it doesn't mean we shouldn't work to increase that comfort level.  Adoption events are one of those things beyond her comfort level. But we are working to support her with being as comfortable as she can be when outside her comfort zone, all the while making sure she doesn't think we are putting her in danger. Losing that would only set us back, so we must make sure we work to maintain it as we did to earn it.  But she does trust Nick and me to keep her safe at this point, so our goal is to do what we can to increase that confidence that she exudes at home outside the home. 

Nick was gracious enough to give up his Sunday and handle her today at our adoption event, and while she wasn't exactly having the time of her life, she looked much more calm than she had at previous events when being handled by a stranger. 

Nick was also able to advocate for her, and while nothing's ever certain until that adoption questionnaire comes in (and still not even truly certain until the screening and home visits are complete and the contract is signed), there was a woman who seemed like a good match who was interested in her after chatting with us, and promised me an email. So paws crossed!

There's a balance, and an art to working with a shy dog, and we tell our adopters this. We know we're supposed to teach a dog not to jump up on you. But when that jump on you is a sign of comfort and confidence, it becomes a little more difficult to say "off" at first. A normal impulse is perhaps to expect love at first sight with a new dog, but shy dogs make you work a little harder for their love. And they have every right to. It's reasonable to want your dog to not run and hide from, or bark at the neighborhood children. But if your dog is scared of the neighborhood children, it's unfair to put them in a situation that makes them uncomfortable (and although a cute 6 year old little girl has her feelings hurt when you politely tell her not to pet an adorable pup you're caring for, she will have forgotten about it by tomorrow).  

So while we patiently wait for a forever family willing to toe that line of knowing that Suga's fears are normal, while also allowing her the opportunity to overcome them, we will continue to do that for her. Whether it's one more day, one more week, one more month, or...well....you get the idea. :)

2012 Updates and A Spoonful of Suga

Well goodness, it's been awhile since we've had an update, hasn't it? I guess time flies when you're back in school, switching jobs, helping get a dog park built, and of course, getting some Lucky Dogs Adopted! Shortly following my return to VA after Christmas, Loopy got herself a forever home. I was a little nervous about the family at first, simply because it contained two resident Pomeranian siblings. Those of you who had the pleasure of meeting Loopy knew that she was a big love, but also a dog who didn't know her own size and strength. This worked out fine for Ollie, who was a quintessential Jack Russell, happily chasing, wrestling with , and oftentimes pinning her. Our playful Rottie mix pooch would carefully seek out one square foot of space on the couch and then prance herself up on it, usually sitting on whoever or whatever else was just outside its borders. I was a wee bit concerned as to how her social graces (or lack thereof) would impress upon two small fluffy dogs who had never had to interact, much less live, with a 55 lb lap dog.


In our initial introductions to her adoptive home, Loopy tried to play with her new prospective adoptive siblings a la her standard play initiation move: by taking her big ol' paw and bringing it down upon the bodies of her new tiny and fluffy siblings. Suffice it to say the Poms were less than thrilled. I explained that an adjustment period was to be expected, and training and exercise would help ease the transition. But to be sure, I asked if her new parents were sure about bringing her into the mix, as I acknowledged the importance of respecting the needs of the resident pets. Mom and Dad were ready for whatever lie ahead, and we took her to Petco to get a collar and a new bed. Loopy, now Leela, made herself cozy in the middle of the store upon her new bed, but old habits die hard and she is thankfully still a welcome addition to the couch, where miss Loops/Leela happily snoozes in her spare time.


Loopy on the couch in her foster home...

...Loopy on the couch in her adoptive home.

I actually just got an update from Loopy's foster tonight, here's how she's holding up: "Just wanted to give you an update and some photos. Leela is very loved and spoiled and gets along with Holly very well now. Teddy is just a grouchy old man but she knows to leave him alone :) I recommended your rescue to some clients at my work (vet hospital) so hopefully they can have the great experience I did! Thanks :)"

Loopy and Holly, her Pom Sister, co-existing peacefully.

We stayed foster-less for pretty much the entire month of January, and brought our first Lucky Dog of 2012 in on January 28th. Mitzie was a super cute, mis-categorized pup who was labelled as a stocky, rugged muscular dog called a Mountain Cur. When I picked her up from transport, this teeny, 18 lb terrier is the dog that greeted me:

Suffice it to say that while I'm not quite sure what she was, she was definitely not a Mountain Cur. Mitzie was an incredibly easy foster...no accidents in the house, no chewing, got along great with Ollie, snuggled right into her crate at bed time. She was also incredibly affectionate, lovey, and playful. So it's probably no big surprise that she was adopted a mere 24 hours after her arrival. Two families were taken by her charms at an adoption event after she got to town, and one was lucky enough to keep her at home after we stopped by for the home visit. But she didn't need more than a night to get comfy and snuggle into our hearts. 

So, fast forward a week, and a transport from our friends at the Florence Area Humane Society. Many a foster is needed on transport weeks, and so I took a look at Kate's weekly foster needed list to see who I could help out. I saw there were a couple dogs who needed to go to a foster with a second dog (typical for dogs who are noticably shy in the shelter), and offered to take one of them. I ended up getting assigned to take a Dachsund mix named Suga. She arrived last Saturday and came off transport shaking. Likely because it was cold, but also likely because she was terrified. We got her a doggie jacket to keep warm and patiently waited to get a collar and leash while it started to rain. I brought some high value treats with me, but she was just so scared that she wouldn't take any. Leashed and collared up, we finally got her photo snapped and headed down to the parking garage. We got to the car and she attempted to hide under it.  I lifted her into the car and she curled up in the back seat. We got home and she ran up onto the steps, where she seemed to feel as safe as she could, given her scary and stressful day...and all of a sudden being in a place that was completely unfamiliar, wondering what was next.

It probably didn't do much to get in her good graces by giving her a bath next.

Then Nick brought home Ollie, who immediately wanted to play and sent her running for her life. Suffice it to say we weren't off to a good start. But we got all the uncomfortable transitional stuff out of the way, and I was forgiven after a warm meal and a comfy snuggle spot on the couch. She was exhausted, and I didn't blame her. But she slept like an angel in her crate and awoke the next morning with her tail half mast and half wagging (a marked improvement from the night before). The adoption event that next day frightened her (not surprisingly), but Suga was a good sport and got through it. For the following week she's been able to work on building confidence, her housetraining, and seeing the world through new eyes.

I don't know what Suga's life was before she came to Lucky Dog, but whatever it was, it left her faith in humanity somewhat shaken, and left her not entirely sure how to socialize or play with other pups. But like most dogs, she is resilient and eager to find reason to have that faith restored. While she may be afraid of loud noises, she is curious about the world around her. While she was too afraid to go to the bathroom for our first two days with her, she is following the example of her foster brother to learn what to do. There are mistakes and missteps along the way, but above all else she loves to be loved. I came home from work only two days after welcoming her into our life, and she greeted me with such excitement that her entire body was wagging. We have immediately learned that she is a cuddle bug and loves human affection once she gets comfortable around you. 

We have immediately learned that in spite of her shyness, she is a cuddle bug and loves human affection once she gets comfortable. That said, her fear of loud noises leaves her best suited to a family with older kids (12 and up). Small kids just don't really know how not to be loud I'm afraid. Also, because she is still learning how to trust people and work on her socialization, sweet Suga needs to go to a home with a second dog. She also does not like being left alone when her people need to leave, so a buddy to hang with when the humans are out is a big help to her. Outside of that, she's pretty much a perfect companion who loves to play but doesn't need a ton of exercise to keep her from going crazy. We are still perfecting her housetraining, but hey, it's only been a week and she's come a long way in that time. As you can also see, she's very comfortable in her crate and sleeps like an angel through the night, as long as she can be by your side.

If you'd like for Suga to be by your side, feel free to check back on the blog for more updates, and check out her bio at  http://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/22053055 to learn how to adopt her! In the mean time, she'll be crashing at my house, and I'm pretty okay with that :)


Puppy kisses,
Lynn & Suga

A Shining Star and a Bowl of Froot Loops

Last week I took on my final foster of 2011. Loopy, a Rottweiler mix with the disposition of a baby fawn, will help round out the new year (and maybe get adopted before then?). Loopy came up from a shelter in Florence County, South Carolina last Saturday, and her overnight foster fell in love with her pretty much immediately. I had another dog at the time, who I expected to have longer than two days...but she went and got herself adopted. Her name was Star, and she was a shy little Rat Terrier/Chihuahua mix, who needed the company of another dog to help her gain some confidence. We picked her up on Friday, and within a day she had gone from trying to bury herself behind a pillow in a corner of the couch, to running around with Ollie, jumping off and on furniture, batting around tennis balls, squeaking squeaky toys, and tail a-wagging. She tired herself out and was pretty happy and content by the the end of her second night, as you can see below. She was a fast little bugger so the only decent shot I could get of her was when she was sleeping.

Star, renamed Starlet by her new mom, now lives in Alexandria with two Chihuahua sisters, who hopefully will continue to help her blossom and grow into a well-adjusted dog. Her Adoption Coordinator said she was doing well when she checked in with her. Our time together was brief, but it was enjoyable. She was also to date our smallest foster dog. Ollie looked gigantic by comparison. :)

So, Sunday's adoption event came around and I was foster-less by the time I got there. But the day before a new transport of shelter dogs had arrived, which means of course that there were some dogs who had an overnight foster the night before, but needed a place to go come Sunday. Some of those dogs went to doggie daycare, but there was one dog who they really wanted to send to a home: Loopy.

As you may have noticed, this beautiful young lady only has one eye. She had gone blind in her left eye due to trauma, and her eye was enlarged and causing discomfort to the point that veterinarians determined removing it would give Miss Loopy a better quality of life in the long run. This photo was taken right after she arrived to DC, and relatively recently post-op. Because there are so many dogs in doggie daycare, LDAR wanted to be sure Loopy's healing continued to progress and that too much playtime wouldn't cause her stitches to come undone. She's healing up beautifully now, and the eye area that was shaved is starting to grow in so unless you're really paying attention, you hardly notice she's only got half her vision. Loopy doesn't seem to notice at all, although she can be clumsy sometimes and bump into things, due in part to her limited peripheral vision. 

Loopy, like any foster, has not been without her own set of challenges. The first night she was with me, we spent teaching her not to be afraid of stairs with lots of treats and coaxing. She now goes up and down them like a champ. Loopy is also an energetic pup who needs plenty of exercise and playtime, but some long walks through the neighborhood and having Ollie as a wrestling/chase/tug buddy has helped tend to that....she's calmed down lots since last week, and in spite of a few accidents is making strides in housetraining (having a schedule and a little consistency really goes a long way). In the last week she has learned "sit" and "down", and is very motivated by treats and praise. She adores trips to the dog park and has been complimented for her sweet demeanor, and I truly think she has no concept that she is a 54 lb dog. She prefers to think she is a lap dog, and loves to nuzzle up for snuggles and cuddles. I think she'd be brokenhearted to learn otherwise if you won't tell her, I won't. In the mean time, I'm just going to go ahead and keep letting her lay on top of Ollie when she's tired. He also apparently doesn't have the heart to tell her she's 40 lbs heavier than he is. 

She is a little bit like a toddler, and has managed to find random things on the ground she isn't supposed to have/chew, so I've needed to keep an especially close eye, and sadly have had to repair a vacuum and replace a laptop cord from failing to do that (she was just outside peripheral view when the vacuum became a casualty, and it was foolish for me to shower without crating her while leaving her unattended with the laptop plug). Ah well, lesson learned. In spite of my vacuum, she has wormed her way into my affections and those of my dad (she'll be spending Christmas with us in NJ, and is settling in just fine at foster Babchi and foster Poppy's). He's rallying hard for me to adopt her and has affectionately given her the nickname of "Love Pony" because she sort of walks like a pony and has nothing but love to give. I am rallying that there is a much better home for her than the one I can provide, and I owe it to my future fosters not to adopt her.  :) In her time with us, she's also donned the nicknames of Loopy Loo, (Hang on) Sloopy, Froot Loop, and Loony Toon, just to name a few.

This most recent fostering experience has also taught me the importance of making sure I clear fosters with my husband before bringing them home. It makes it a lot easier to take in a foster when you know that the other person you live with can live with the decision. Loopy was one foster that I didn't exactly clear through Nick to ensure he was cool with it, and took home because (a) I wrongly assumed he would be, (b) there was a need, and (c)my heart is soft and I have a tough time saying no, as long as I feel I can responsibly care for a dog that needs a place to go. But this past week has taught me it's not 100% responsible when not everyone in the home wants to be part of the fostering experience Lucky Dog only adopts to families where all members are on board for the adoption, and while the fostering period is much shorter than placing a dog in a forever home, the same principle sort of applies. Though it tugs at my heartstrings every single time I get a "Foster Needed" e-mail, I get why I can't take it upon myself to try and save them all, so to speak. One piece of advice I got at foster training was "know your limits". So I think once Loopy gets into her forever home, I'll be taking a short fostering hiatus until at least 90% of the boxes of our new home are unpacked, 60% of the pictures hung on the walls, and my husband is 100% behind me. In the mean time, I'm still committed to event coordinating  and application screening for Lucky Dog, and helping with PWC Dog Park Development for the betterment of saving and enriching the lives of local pups, at least for a little while. 

On that note, I think my next issue will be a foster lessons learned. There sure have been a few take-aways from this past year with 1 adopted Lucky Dog, 5 full time fosters, 2 overnight fosters, and 7 dogs that I had AC'd having my support in getting adopted (possibly 8 by the end of next week!). So, stay tuned. Without fail though, my biggest take-away is this has been one of the most fulfilling volunteer experiences I've ever had. And playing a small part in getting the 1,319 dogs of 2011 rescued somehow makes me feel a pretty big sense of purpose.

Happy Tails Tale (aka post-Thanksgiving Update from Sabrina's new home)

Below is a note from Sabrina's new mom, including some pictures of the cutie with her canine sibling, Skittles. Rescue can sometimes have it's stressful moments, or your moments of wondering if you have failed somehow along the way. These are the notes that make fostering and rescue so totally worth it.

We had family in town for the long weekend. Everyone loved Sabrina, and Sabrina loved everyone right back!

We have been working with her while on walks not to "walk" us, and she is improving. She does seem to try to take over new walkers, as family members wanted the opportunity to hold the leash, but she quickly got the hang of each new person. It was quite a pain at first trying to get her to go into her kennel for the day, but since she has realized that she will get a treat if she does it on her own, we haven't had too many issues. She actually likes going into Skittles' kennel with her, even though she has her own! They are very affectionate towards each other, very cuddly and playful. We've also been working on sit and stay while we prepare her meals, and she has started to get the hang of waiting until we say she can eat. She now waits patiently like a little angel.

Overall our first week and a half has been wonderful. She remains very loving and always wants to be on one of our laps. Luckily, she has been very gentle and patient with the baby, so that is a blessing.

I've attached some pictures of Sabrina and Skittles cuddling. They are very cute together. I'm pretty bad at remembering to take pictures, but I will try my hardest to periodically update you with any I have taken!

I hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving and thank you for the continued support!

Caitlin

Sabrina Goes Home

This update comes a few days after the fact (mostly because I was a little sad about it) but this Sunday Sabrina found her forever family. She and I headed out to Sunday's adoption event at White Flint Petsmart, admittedly a drive I wasn't amped about making because it's on the other side of the DC Metro map. But Beana and I decided to make it worth our while by picking up some of her fellow Lucky Dog pals along the way: Captain, Trina, and Bo Bo. Driving 4 dogs is adventurous but we had a good time. The dogs ate Milkbones and co-existed peacefully, which means it was a good drive for me. My hope was at least 25% of my car load would be adopted (50% of it did), my expectation was not that I would be arriving with Sabrina and leaving without her.

While screening a potential adopter for Bo Bo (an adorable, tiny terrier mix still looking for a home), someone came up to me saying a family was interested in Sabrina. I got super excited, then almost immediately wanted to cry. But when I headed over to meet the family, I knew almost right away that if I could have hand picked them, I would. Nice young couple with a second dog named Skittles, who could have easily been confused as Sabrina's biological sister, and a baby girl about 4.5 months old. Who will soon enough grow into a great playmate. It didn't take long for this family to earn my stamp of approval, and they had passed all the other tests to adopt. And Sabrina had immediately won them over.

After checking in the first night, Sabrina was getting along great playing with her canine sibling, and being very gentle with the baby two-legged sister. Her new mom commented on what an incredible cuddler she is (but I knew that already) and are so happy to have her. And I couldn't be happier that she has a family that is going to love her and look forward to a long life ahead with Sweet Sabrina, starting with this Thanksgiving. I'm thankful for the mark she left on my heart, and that she has a wonderful new family to make a mark on theirs.

November News: Adoption Announcements and My New Fall Foster Follies

Well friends, November is in full force for Lucky Dog Animal Rescue. Between the last two weekends over 60 dogs were adopted out to new homes, and among them were two that I was AC-ing: Jethro and Rugby! Admittedly I felt less a part of Jethro's adoption because he found his furever family via our Lucky Dog Matchmaking Team, who works with adopters who don't quite have one particular dog in mind to place them with a pup they (and the adopter) deem a perfect match. I did, however, get to meet Jethro's adopters the day of his adoption amid my event coordinating responsibilities, and they were really nice and had two teenage boys perfect for helping him get his much needed border collie exercise!

The other happy bit of Jethro's adoption at this event: it introduced me to another pre-approved couple, looking for a smart, active, medium sized dog they could take running 2-6 miles daily. They had stated interest in meeting Jethro just before the event, however they could not attend the adoption event where Jethro went home for good with his adoptive family and missed out on him. Feeling sad that they had missed out on Jethro, I got in touch with their Matchmaking Coordinator and asked if I could help in any way. She happily asked for some recommendations, and I threw some her way. #1 being my boy Rugby, who inexplicably didn't have any serious applications in on him, and #2 being Pongo, the golden/lab mix that I have secretly admired for his good looks since starting with Lucky Dog (even though he was a little bigger than the 30-50 lb weight range they were looking for).

Pongo is one of those dogs who came to Lucky Dog nearly a full year ago, but following the holiday season couldn't seem to get a foster placement. He stayed in doggie daycare for a long time, and I had vowed to take him on as foster once we moved to our new place and get him to be my marathon training buddy. Thankfully for Pongo though, he didn't have to wait that long before he got a full time foster, and found his temporary home with an endurance sports enthusiast who was willing to run many miles with him, and help him grow into a well adjusted young adult. He even posted a video of Pongo's progress, and we Lucky Doggers were just so proud!

So, back to Jethro's would-be adopters. I got an email from their AC on Thursday night stating they wanted to meet Rugby. Which would be awesome news if not for the fact someone had literally contacted me hours before about setting up a meeting on Saturday with him and his foster mom and those wheels were already in motion (turns out Rugby got popular all of a suddden). I told her that if the meeting didn't go well, I'd contact them immediately about Rugby. The meeting went well, and Rugby's new parents emailed me to tell me they wanted to bring him into their family. I felt so happy for Rugby, but so sad that this couple had missed out on another dog (and that the dog they missed out on was another one of mine). Speaking of, Rugby is doing AWESOME in his new home and had a great first night, other than the fact that he is now officially a Redskins fan amid a 5-game losing streak. Below is a picture of Rugby and his dad watching the 5th of said losses yesterday. In any case, he looks pretty comfy. :)

HOWEVER, imagine my surprise and elation when I was leaving Sunday's adoption event and was informed that Pongo had the second half of a couple coming to meet him, interested in adopting him. About an hour later, we volunteers got an email that Pongo got adopted! And, I learned later, by the couple who had come to meet Jethro and then wanted to adopt Rugby!!!! All the dogs they missed out on, I have to believe, was designed for the very perfect and lucky reason that Pongo was fated to be their lucky dog. And I think I speak for many of the Lucky Doggers who have been around for most or all of the length of time Pongo has when we say our fingers are triple crossed for a long happy furever family life for him and his new puppy parents ready to embrace his active lifestyle!

In other news, I am back to full time fostering for the first time since May. And my goodness, I have fallen in puppy love with her. Her name is Sabrina, and she is an absolute doll baby who was abandoned by her owners in South Carolina before coming over to Lucky Dog. Sabrina loves other dogs and kids (loves to give them kisses) and loves to be near her people. She may also enjoy belly rubs more than any other dog I have seen. She sees you coming and flips over to mooch one! She's a total snuggle buddy and love bug, and really enjoys playing with other dogs at the dog park (though sometimes gets a wee bit afraid of the ones who are bigger than her). We're working on the leash, and she does by and large very well. But sometimes, only sometimes, when she doesn't feel like walking in a particular direction, she will flop herself down on the side walk and protest forward locomotion, which always presents a fun challenge in re-motivating her to walk again. She's doing very well with her house training and has already mastered the commands of "sit" and "down". She doesn't really discriminate against any toy, but she does like to take them apart if she can, chew off their tennis ball fuzz, or seek and destroy their squeaker. She and Ollie are getting along well as foster siblings (though there is an occasional disagreement over toy sharing) and I'd be lying if I said moments like this didn't make me want to cave to becoming a failed foster:

Sabrina received some interest at yesterday's adoption event and with any luck, we may be able to get her adopted soon. But for the first time, I find myself faced with the dilemmia of screening applications for a dog I am fostering. And all of a sudden, I can't help but wonder if even a seemingly great adopter is a great adopter for Sabrina. And in my quest to find her a "perfect" home, am I depriving her of a potentially great life in a great home that may not have been what I imagined as perfect? I love the fact that I am able to know so much more about a dog I am working to get adopted by fostering her as well, but I wonder if it keeps me from being pragmatic (and allows me to be perhaps too emotionally invested) in finding her a furever home. I want so badly for her to get adopted, but I also want so badly to not screw it up.  But in the mean time, I guess I'll just have to enjoy the moments I have and believe that like with Pongo and Rugby this weekend, the lucky stars will align to help me lead Sabrina to her perfect permanent puppy family.

Puppy kisses and belly rubs,
Lynn and Sabrina