Video of Sheba

Our first foster, Sheba, in a video with other Humane Society dogs. I am so happy to see that she's doing well. I think about her every day.

Success Story #1: Jimmy has a home.

The people who came to see him on Sunday officially adopted Jimmy today. Ray and I took him to the Shelter at noon, as the husband showed up before they even opened to get him. Obviously, Jimmy wasn't there, so they called to see if we could bring him at 4:30. Less than 5 minutes later they called back, said the man had returned and wanted to know if we could bring him right then. So we gathered all his things and took him.

We didn't hand him over to the man, which is good, because I think that would have been too difficult for me. They took him to the med room to give him his last shots. We gave the man Jimmy's toys and that was it. Jimmy is off to what I pray will be his forever home.

My emotions are all over the map right now. I'm proud of what Ray and I did--that we were able to help a homeless animals get into a hopefully loving home. And I'm nervous, hoping that we didn't mis-train him in a way that would piss off an adoptive family. And of course, I am sad. I will miss the little shit. But I also know that he was not "our" dog, and if we had felt he was, we would have adopted him ourselves. And that's the thing that surprised me the most. I thought I would just want to keep every dog that walked in the door, but I'm finding so far I'm not feeling that way. Maybe part of thinking that way stems from the fact I kept reminding myself that keeping the dog defeats the purpose of the job which is to get them out of the shelter and into homes, not keeping them all in mine. It's a mindset I never knew I'd have.

So now, we're on a break. My brother is getting married this weekend and my aunt from San Diego will be here all next week. I'm taking that time to recharge and let my mind adjust to the idea of another "guest" coming into the house.

Good luck Jimmy. Have a great life.

The end may be near

This afternoon, someone from the shelter called. She said that someone had submitted an application for Jimmy and they wanted to come by and see him. For a few seconds, I think Ray and I both panicked--he told me if I wanted to keep Jimmy he would have no problem with that. And for a second, I thought about it, but then I realized that's not the reason we started doing this, to just end up keeping them ourselves. We started this to help dogs into good homes. And that's what we have to stick to, for now.

The woman, her daughter, and her granddaughter arrived in less than 30 minutes after I called her, so they were certainly interested in meeting him. And they seemed very nice, fully understanding that he is a puppy, he's going to act like a puppy, and that they're prepared to to deal with that. So I guess as long as they still want him after meeting him, and the app is approved, he may be going to a new home Monday or Tuesday.

I told Ray, this is going to be the hardest one, the first one to go to another home. And I've been preparing for this all along, but you know as well as I do that there will be a lot of tears shed after he drives away with someone else. For now, we're going to enjoy having him with us as long as he's here.

Chip-In

Jimmy is home

Jimmy came home yesterday after spending the weekend in vet care. What a difference some IV fluids and antibiotics can make! He's back to the dog he was when we got him--spunky, funny, silly pup. He slept on Ray's arm or up against his back all last night. He has a huge heart and he just wants to be loved. And so now, the hard part begins--preparing myself to let him go. It's part of this, and I know that. And I want him to find a forever home soon because the longer he's here, the harder it will be to let him go. But I'll do it. I have to, otherwise this thing won't work. We signed up to give dogs a way-station, and that's what I keep reminding myself. And now that his health is better, I can see that the end of his time here will come. I will miss him, but I want him to find the place he's supposed to be.

A final note, I am going to start a Chip-in to offset the cost of Jimmy's Parvo care. I know there is some interest in contributing. Any amount will help. I'll post the info when I get the account set up.

Jimmy Update

Here is an update. I've been exhausted physically and emotionally and just didn't have the energy to post an update.

Wednesday night Jimmy started throwing up again. Called the vet's emergency number, left a message. No call back. Jimmy threw up every hour on the hour from 2:00 AM until 5:30 AM. I gave him some sub-q fluids because I was worried about dehydration. Finally, at 8:00 am Thursday morning, I talked to the vet. They told me he needed to be on IV fluid and meds and I needed to get him in there ASAP. So after getting the approval I needed, I took him for hospitalization.

Yesterday evening, the report was that he hadn't had any vomiting or diarrhea, which made me hopeful, but from my experience this week, I knew that when he gets worse, it's always at night. Sure enough, when I called this morning they told me the diarrhea was back and there was no way he was getting out today. Tonight, the word was that he hadn't had any more vomiting or diarrhea but wasn't eating. Still on IV fluids and meds. So he probably going to be there the weekend.

While I know it is the best thing for him to be in medical care, part of me feel guilty, that I'm blowing the Humane Society's money on one dog. So I'm determined to raise the money needed to cover this expense. My family is contributing, and I may start a Chip-In, depending on how much the bill ends up being. And the other thing that bothers me is that I'm like 500 miles away this weekend. I feel like maybe I should be visiting him or something. I don't know. I've got too much guilt over this whole thing, I know. I can't help it. I wont be happy until I see Jimmy recovered and with a loving family. Then all the tears and stress will have been worth it. When there is a happy ending to this story, my work will be done.

Jimmy update

Jimmy is still with us here at home. The shelter had no room to quarantine him at this time, so we're going to medicate him here. He's not doing bad for a dog with Parvo. He had I think two rounds of vaccinations already, so he was at least partially protected. He's not vomited for almost 48 hours, though still some diarrhea. We're going to a wedding this weekend, so we've got someone to take him while we're gone. I do feel better knowing that being here with me, he'll have 24 hour care. The meds are for three days, and he;s already had a one dose today. The other treatment is sub-q fluids, which I have to administer. I've never done it, and I'm freaking nervous about it. But I have to do it to help Jimmy get better, so I will. The good thing is he is still drinking water, so he's not dehydrated right now.

What an emotionally-draining week this has been, with all this and a stupid thing with my job that has me wondering what to do. I need a vacation, but this trip wont be much of one since I'll be worried about Jimmy the whole time. I don't know if the people who applied for him will still want him once they know he's got Parvo, but I know if I applied to adopt a dog and found out he was sick, I'd want to bring him home immediately to care for him myself. But not everyone is like that I've discovered. Sad. Please keep your prayers with Jimmy. He's not out of the woods yet, but I'm doing all I can for him.

Falling apart

Jimmy has Parvo. He's been sick since yesterday, took him to the vet the shelter uses (not someone I use. Pet people are mostly fiercely loyal to their vets. And biases, of course.). The vet there said he didn't think it was Parvo (but didn't test him for it), gave him a shot, sent him home. He was better this morning, though still not eating. And no nausea but the diarrhea came back about 5 AM. He didn't have another bout until this afternoon. Then I called the vet again. The woman who answered the phone told me she'd have the vet call. Two hours later, he returns the call, is rather dismissive, telling me to wait 24 hours, then check back. Jimmy had another bout of diarrhea around 7, and I told myself that if it happened again before midnight, I was calling the emergency vet. Sure enough, at 9 O'clock it happened again. Ray and I took him to the emergency clinic, which happens to be run by our family vet. They tested him and it was positive.

So because the guy is not legally mine, I had to let someone from the shelter know and ask about treatment. I was told that I had no authorization to take him there. Okay, fine. I know they use one vet, and I did follow up with him, but he told me to just wait 24 hours. I was doing what was in the best interests of the dog. Ray and I paid for some initial treatment ourselves, which I was more than willing to do. But I'm not happy that I feel like I'm at fault for trying to help the dog. I wanted to give him the best care I could. I never planned to ask the shelter to pay for it.So now, we have to take Jimmy back to the shelter in the morning for them to treat. IDK what is going to happen to him. I guess the girl who was in the cage next to him is running a high fever now, so it appears he had the virus before I got him, which sadly makes me feel better considering the guilt I have that I'm somehow at fault for this. After the whole Sheba thing, my confidence in being about to take care of a dog again was already shaky. This has destroyed it.

I had Jack for 12 years, and I think I took such good care of him. That dog was my world. Now, all I've been trying to do is help needy dogs in his memory. I can never replace him, but I wanted to give other dogs a chance to find a home where they could be loved like Jack was. Now it's all gone to shit.

Tomorrow, when we get back from taking poor Jimmy back there to an unsure outcome, I am climbing into bed and I'm not getting out. I'm shattered.

My mother with Jimmy taking a nap today. He slept on her neck. Please, pray that Jimmy makes it through this.

New guest

Friday, we picked up our new guest--Jimmy H. He's a 10 week old Beagle/Chihuahua mix puppy, already neutered, micro chipped, and one round of shots to go. He's good on a least for his age, nearly housebroken, getting crate trained, likes cats, dogs, people. He's a great dog for someone with kids for sure. High energy.

It was hard for me to take another dog in after what happened with Sheba, but I knew that if I didn't take another one in short order that I would probably quit. And I thought of all those dogs at the shelter, the depressed looks on their faces, and I knew that I had to continue to try to help as much as possible. And this should be an easy case. Someone will snap this guy up. People love puppies, and I think he'd be perfect with kids. He's not going to be very big, and he's so well-socialized, people will be reassured that he has been handled by people since birth, not abused. There's not surprises behaviorally. Which is a good selling-point for him, but it's what makes the older dogs tough to find homes for. I've heard people say they don't want adult dogs because they don't want to deal with "someone else's mistakes." How freaking sad. It may be true that you'll have to deal with underlying fears from abuse or neglect, but for me, I think someone owes those dog most of all a second chance at a loving home.

After this one goes to a home, we may take a break until the first of August, since we have a bunch of events the rest of the month. And I think I'll need the time to catch up on sleep. Puppies are work! It's been 13 years since I had one in the house. I've forgotten. Next time, we're thinking an old dog. They sleep through the night. :-)

Animal Details

Animal Details

Failure #1

I never knew it was going to be hard. Hard, yes to give them up to another family after having them in your house for weeks or months, but I never imagined I would have to give them up to got back to the shelter. In fact, I told myself that would not happen and that was the only way I could do this was knowing they were going to a home. I was wrong. Sheba and the babies had to go back to the shelter last night. She wanted nothing to do with the puppies unless I forced her to take care of them. I got scared that she was rejecting them. All she wanted was to be with me; she followed me everywhere, which is what is killing me. I feel like I dumped her just like probably every other human in her life. I literally cried all day yesterday. Taking them back was the second most difficult things I've done that's animal-related, next to putting a cat to sleep. I'm surprised I didn't have nightmares last night, but I was so exhausted I think I just passed out into a black fog all night. But the coordinator said this happens a lot, that dogs have to come back. That some foster homes don't work out. But I didn't want to be a failure. I feel like I failed Sheba and the babies, even though everyone, including Susan tells me otherwise. The only bright spot is that I think once the puppies are gone, she will be a better dog. She will be okay with men once there are no puppies to protect. And I can go visit her and work with her, which I will do, and Ray said he will come with me. I feel like I owe it to her to get her to a place where she can be adopted and not have anyone take her back to that place.

So, we have the option of trying again. One of two puppies who need TLC and medical care, one more so than the other. One puppy. I think I can do it. So, we try again. And this time, we pray for a happier outcome.

Day One

We got our first guests at around 2:00 today and let's just say it's been a rough day. Sheba is a chow/cattle dog mix or something like that, and she has six puppies around three weeks old. The problem is she's a little afraid of men, and so her adjustment to Ray has been rocky. She bonded to me almost immediately. So that's not a problem. But when Ray first walked by the room where we're keeping her and the puppies, she barked and did not want him near. After a few hours and some pieces of cheese, she was fine. She's let him walk her, and she has no aggression in the yard or the rest of the house. So a big part of it is protecting her puppies, I'm sure. But just now I was in here with her, we had the door closed while Ray was out of the room, and I told him to open it and just leave the gate up, and she got defensive when he was in the hall. I'm not sure if he did anything that she interpreted as a threat, or maybe she's just tired and overly stressed now that it's night. I don't know, but this first day has NOT been what I expected or hoped for. I am a mess right now. I just hope we didn't make a mistake by signing up to do this. I guess we'll see what the next twelve hours bring.