Dogs we have fostered
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Here are some of the dogs we foster or have fostered, not that we have fostered that many. Our first foster, Angel, is on another page, though. We ended up keeping her! And Amos is also still with us.
Lucy was a handsome, very athletic, and extremely intense border collie. She had not been raised properly and lacked in inhibition. She had a lot of talent and potential, though, and was loving and attentive. We found her an active and knowledgeable owner in Washington that does competitive flyball. Unfortunately, she got worse rather than better at social interaction and stress control and had to be put down when she became unsafe around kids and other dogs. The important thing is that she had a second chance.
This little border collie mix puppy never got a name ? he responded to ?puppy? while we had him. We had him for 2 weeks, from he was 6 to 8 weeks old. The shelter doesn?t adopt out dogs younger than 8 weeks and he had no litter mates so I got to take him home. That meant house training, getting up at night, teaching him not to bite my shoes and all the other fun things that go with raising a puppy. He was a cutie, though and smart, too, and he was worth all the time and effort! He recognized 4-5 commands before he left. I took him to the shelter when he was old enough and he got adopted that weekend. He still has a special place in my heart.
Red was my last foster in Idaho. He was a 2½ year old dark red border collie with a bit of Australian shepherd. The depth of his color doesn't show up well in photos but he was a beautiful and very athletic dog. He had a great temperament, neither timid nor tough but soft, responsive and yet self-assured. He showed no aggression and got along with just about any dog. His only true fault was that he was an avid cat chaser. He was adopted by a wonderful retired lady who has lots of space in the woods for him to play in and she is active in agility. Last I heard from him he was also being trained by a friend of hers to herd cattle, and he was apparently naturally talented and loved the work. The friend completely fell in love with Red and he may now be living with her permanently.
Jack was my foster part of the same time I also had Red. He was a very active border collie/greyhound mix puppy (about a year old) that had never learned manners or self control. He was also very athletic and could jump higher than any other dog I have met. He loved to jump after water drops, snow flakes, leaves... anything he could find. And he loved the tennis ball, but he wouldn't fetch it and you had to wait till he finally let it drop. When I first took him in he improved greatly, but as time went by and he grew more confident with us and himself he became again overactive, out of control, and so stressed that it made him physically sick. I finally reached the conclusion that if I couldn't put up with him, it wasn't likely I would find him a home that could. So with heavy steps and tears in my eyes I took him back to the shelter and had him put to sleep.
Rex was yet another dog Mark found in the road while at work south of Atlanta, Georgia. He was unusually interested in people for a Jack Russell on the go. Mark brought him home though I wasn't sure how a terrier would work out with our pack. He surprised and impressed me with his social skills and did well inside. He kept chasing the cats, especially when outside but otherwise listened well. He didn't try to dig under the fence (I kept a good eye on him, though) but did manage to dart out the door and down the road twice. I'm sure it looked funny with Mark in hot pusuit after this little dog but it was a serious and potentially deadly situation. Luckily, Mark managed to catch him again both times.
We were fortunate and shortly found him a great new owner who happened to be looking for a companion for himself and his other Jack Russell.
This is our current foster puppy. We call her Chani. This time it was me who found her on the side of the road. She was next to an old roadkilled deer carcass and I had to bathe her when I got home and I am now trying to rid her of worms...
She has a wonderful disposition and is very social and playful. She is smart, too, and learning to sit and come and do her business outside. She is also figuring out what she can chew and play with and what she needs to leave alone. Even her crate training is going well.
She loves Toby the Kitten and plays for hours with Pepper Not so-much-a-pup-anymore. She has even charmed Amos and gets to sleep close to him at times.
I am working with Pound Puppies and Kittens, Inc. to find her a wonderful new family.
Home Idah Humane Society Pound Puppies and Kittens, Inc. Petfinder.com