Monday, January 11, 2010

We're Having a Howling Good Time or Why I've Been So Busy Lately

We've always been animal lovers here on The Avenue, although our first two acquisitions were back when we were still on The Lane.

Dusty '94, Derby '93 and Daily '92

November marked 2 years since we'd lost Dusty and I swore up and down I would never have another dog. No more, uh uh, I was done! Then this past October, GlitterGurl got a Boston Terrier pup she named Parker.


Of course she works and goes to school so Parker spends a good deal of time at Mema's Doggy Daycare. It got me to thinking, a puppy wouldn't be so bad. They're cute and cuddly and they pee in the house and chew on your shoes and underwear. What's not to love? Just look at that face! He was all of 2 lbs when I met him and I just melted, or maybe that was just another puddle of pee.

I've always wanted a sissy dog, one that could sit on my lap and that I could dress up in silly clothes but Whynot would have none of that. I started looking on Craigslist just to see the widdle puppies and I'd forward them to Whynot and he just kept saying no. No more dogs!

Around this time I learned from Ink Man that he and his roommate were fostering a dog. Hmmm fostering. A temporary home for a dog in need. A few days, or weeks of keeping a dog in an environment more social than a cage in an overcrowded shelter. Saving one canine at a time from Puppy Auschwitz. The rescue provides a crate, food and all vet care, we provide the love. I needed to learn more of this Rent a Puppy business, and a quick Google search came up with a few animal rescues in my area. I chose two that appeared to be nearest to The Avenue and quickly submitted a foster application.

The first to reply was Jill from Hart of IL. Jill informed me of a 2 year old mixed female that was already in foster care although it was not an ideal situation. I chose to pass on this pup, as I couldn't be sure of an adult dog's temperament and with the little ones here every day it was a chance I didn't want to take. Jill understood and said she'd be in touch when she had a puppy available. It didn't take long at all, December 16th to be exact, for Jill to bring us this sweetie.



Sara, a 10-12 week old Black Lab mix.


Sara was only with us until Dec 26th, when she was adopted by her furever family. Our first fostering experience was a good one and we enjoyed having Sara with us.



The following week was quiet, too quiet. I missed that pretty little girl and the pitter patter of her paws, so I began searching again. Back to looking at sissy dogs on Craigslist. I came across this adorable puppy and my mind was made up, I wasn't taking no for an answer. On January 2nd, the 3 pound puppy formerly known as Little Miss Muffet would now permanently reside on The Avenue and be forever known as Bella Cannoli or just Bella.



But our story doesn't end yet, by Tuesday, Jill was at our door with another rescue pup. A black lab mix again, about 4 months old, 26 pounds so far. We're calling her Sami. She's very calm, great with kids, and plays well with Bella. Her adoption fee of $250 covers her spay, microchip, vaccinations, fecal test and deworming.


We'll love her here until her furever family is found and then we'll lather rinse and repeat... saving one tail at a time.

If you're thinking of adding a pet to your home, please consider a rescue animal. If you're not ready to adopt, try fostering a pet temporarily. If neither of those situations appeal to you, please give some thought to making a donation to a shelter. Click on the widget on the right, no donation is too small and the Saras and Samis will be furever grateful.

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

GASP! Fostering? GASP Pant! Oh Lordy. I would have ended up keeping
Sarah, adding Bella (Bella was what I wanted to name my new "FEMALE", but "HE" likes BEAU" And they'd all have to move over to make room for Sami!!

I was going downhill fast after losing Lucky. So fast that I made it all the way DOWN to the depths.

Suddenly there is joy and robust laughter in the house and it's coming from ME!! Beau!! And Joe!!

Lola said...

We adopted 2 kittens from TLC in Homer Glen in mid December.

Cynthia said...

My monster of a cat is a rescue cat. How do you ever let those cute puppies go? So cute!

Michelle said...

Yay to you for fostering. That's wonderful (speaking as a former VERY long time shelter volunteer and adoption counselor). FYI many rescue groups do temperament testing whereby they are able to better understand a dog's temperament (puppy OR adult) so that they can be sure they place it in the right place - some do great with cats and some don't, some love kids and some don't, some want a buddy and some don't, etc. Those shelters are my favorites, as you know what you're getting even more! Love the cuties!

Anonymous said...

Oh wow.
Puppies make me do a happy frown.
Bless people who help animals in need!!!

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