View Full Version : I might get a new foster tomorrow!!!!!!!
Many of you know the story of how I came to quit my old job :( Well I've just recently (last week) started going back to volunteer there - on top of my volunteering and working at my current shelter!!! They are training me to be the highest level volunteer at my old job. I am pretty flattered because it is a pretty elite thing. There are only 6 of them right now and they are training me and someone else. The volunteer program is REALLY elaborate there and there are hundreds of volunteers, most at the basic level.
Anyway, its hard being back there after spending so much time at my new shelter. The dogs are sooooo much more stressed and sad at my old place. I feel so sad and depressed tonight after being there today :( But they need me so I'm going to keep on going as much as possible.
Anyway, the people know me so well there. They told me there is an 'Alyson dog' that needs fostering. I went back to see her and melted. A little elderly apricot toy poodle!!! And she has a heart murmur and collapsed trachea and who knows what else. She needs medical evaluation to determine what kind of quality of life she has :( But I talked to them today about fostering and am going back tomorrow for the final word. I hope they want me to take her. She is in the Pre-Adopt area which is LOUD and STRESSFUL. AND SEH's BEEN SITTING BACK THERE FOR FOUR WEEKS!!!!!! There is absolutely no reason for that. I am disgusted. She also didn't have any blankets, just a dirty towel shoved into the corner of her cage, or shall I say 'cell' ?? :mad: :mad:
I'm determined to nag and annoy these people until they stop doing these kinds of things there!!!!!! Thats what they did to my Nookie boy :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad: :mad:
Sorry if I confued anyone, I'm so mad, I don't think I explained anything right.. But my whole point is, a little angel Poodle may be coming to stay with us for a little while tomorrow!
jenluckenbach
10-20-2002, 07:02 AM
1st what is an 'Alyson dog'?
But mostly, Boy I hope you get to foster her! If she has any chance of finding a forever home, she'll need to be out of that stess. AWill be waiting to hear moe
anna_66
10-20-2002, 08:23 AM
Aly, that would be great if you could get that poor girl out of that situation, good luck!
I just don't know how you could go back after everything thats happend there. My hats off to you for helping all those poor pups!
Ohh sorry, I didn't explain that part. My name is Alyson and an Alyson dog is .. well anything with 4 legs, hehee. But i do have a soft spot for Poodles, scruffy terrier mixes, and dogs with major health or behavioral issues. Oh but also Shar-Peis, GSDS, and gentle giants, and .... yeah anything with 4 legs :D
No foster for me :( Not yet anyway..
mugsy
10-20-2002, 06:12 PM
Bummer...keep us updated.
jenluckenbach
10-20-2002, 07:58 PM
Originally posted by aly
No foster for me :( Not yet anyway..
Does that mean they haven't decided whether to let you foster the poodle? Or does that mean that they said "no" and you will be looking for another dog to foster? Sorry, but I have the uncanny ability to take any sentence and read it two ways!!!
sammi
10-20-2002, 09:52 PM
An Alyson dog could also be a 4 legged one that goes "meow - meow" Its great of you to go back and help Aly even though how they treated you.
I was told that she didn't need fostering. I personally think its a just a power trip one person is going on. I don't know. That place disgusts me. I WILL stay on top of them though. And everyone else thinks she should be fostered with me so a lot of them are going to complain.
If they don't want my help with fostering though, I'll just foster for the other shelter. I think they will have me come get the poodle sometime this week though. I just have a feeling. I've fostered more than 20 animals for them, a vast majority of them being bottle babies, so I know they trust me more than most of the foster families.
ramanth
10-21-2002, 09:19 AM
Fingers and paws crossed that you get to foster the old girl. :)
hehe, I was right. They do want me to foster her afterall :rolleyes:
I'm picking her up Saturday :D
Sudilar
10-21-2002, 10:47 PM
Woohoo! Lucky little poodle girl. Lucky aly!!
jenluckenbach
10-22-2002, 05:39 AM
Originally posted by aly
hehe, I was right. They do want me to foster her afterall :rolleyes:
I'm picking her up Saturday :D
Hip Hip Hooray!!
sammi
10-22-2002, 01:27 PM
Yiiiiiiipe for the new foster that coming to your house!!!
shais_mom
10-23-2002, 12:21 PM
Congratulations Alyson!
I hope you get some pics! What is the little sweetie's name?
HoneyBunny
10-23-2002, 12:49 PM
I'm curious. We're picking up our dog from her foster mom's on Saturday... the same day that the little poodle will go stay with you. I just wondered if the day the new parents pick up their dog is a happy or sad day for the foster parent. My dog has been in her foster home for 6 months.
Don't be surprised if the foster parents cry their eyes out. The day is really bittersweet. As a foster parent, you will really miss the baby that has spent so much time with you and you've grown to love so much. But seeing them go to a wonderful, loving home is great. To know that they are in good hands and will have the best life eases the pain of missing them. I still go through pictures of all my old fosters and bawl my eyes out, but I also smile as I think of their new parents and how much love and attention they get in their new homes. Also, as a foster goes home, it opens up a spot to maybe bring in a new foster and save another life.
Very bittersweet..... definately a lot more sweet though :) :D
Cincy'sMom
10-23-2002, 04:11 PM
Originally posted by aly
hehe, I was right. They do want me to foster her afterall :rolleyes:
I'm picking her up Saturday :D
Congrats!!! Hope it goes well!
Sudilar
10-23-2002, 04:18 PM
Originally posted by HoneyBunny
I just wondered if the day the new parents pick up their dog is a happy or sad day for the foster parent. My dog has been in her foster home for 6 months.
I was at an adoption event for GSD rescue where we met a foster Mom who just had her GSD adopted. She could not stop crying. She said she felt so bad. She swore she would never foster again. I'll bet she did foster again, though. That's what's holding me back from volunteering for GSD fostering.
HoneyBunny
10-23-2002, 04:55 PM
Aw, we'll definitely have sympathy for her foster mom... I might even cry with her 'cause I already love Susie so much. I know it must be hard, but after 6 months of hard work she must feel like she's accomplishing a lot to give our girl a good home. There are several foster dogs at this foster home, so I'm sure she'll be taking in another as soon as Susie is gone. Maybe that will ease the pain. Just wanted to let you know how much new Mommy's and Daddy's appreciate their pets' foster parents. Foster mom was helping Susie long before I met her, and I will always be grateful for that. I can't wait to give Susie all the love, stability, and attention that she deserves! Thank you again for helping that little poodle... she'll make someone very happy someday.
Here's a couple pics of Peka:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid37/p49a7511fb76a9e75562148eedf4498b2/fd1dcc30.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid37/p515b61b6003e38812dc65decadc1b97e/fd1dcc2f.jpg
Sudilar
10-27-2002, 04:29 PM
Awwww, how precious!!!!
She was deemed unadoptable by the shelter :( So I basically have her in my care now as my own dog. I am going to take her to the vet this week but its not looking good. She is not totally dying yet, but they told me she will need to be put to sleep within the year as her quality of life goes down. There is a husband and wife team of volunteers who are considering letting her live out her life with them. I am going to tell them the results of the vet visit and they will decide :( Wish us luck. She's the sweetest thing.
shais_mom
10-27-2002, 07:54 PM
I am so sorry to hear what they said about Peka. I know you must be devastated. She looks like a little sweetie. I would love to pet and kiss the sweet little area b/n her eyes. That is my favorite spot. Keegan falls asleep if she lets me do it long enough.
My heart goes out to you Aly, Let us know what happens.
DoggiesAreTheBest
10-28-2002, 07:02 AM
Peka looks like a sweetie. I am so sorry to hear the bad news. Please let us know what the vet says. How wonderful of you to take care of her for the remainder of her life.
Sudilar
10-28-2002, 09:14 AM
How wonderful of you to volunteer to make her end time happy!!
We had a bit of a rough night last night :( But Peka is starting to settle in more. She hates the crate so much, and won't settle down or be quiet in it. It kills me because of her collapsed trachea, and she just makes it worse. When I left for work this morning, I decided to leave her loose in my room. She seems to have done wonderfully. She didn't make a peep before I left and when I got home, she was sleeping so soundly I almost couldn't wake her up :eek:
She wakes up about every 15 minutes and does this wheezing and panting thing. I feel so bad for her :(
Cincy'sMom
10-28-2002, 04:17 PM
Poor Peka. At least she will been comforable and happy in however much time she has left. Let us know what the vet says
I took Peka into the vet today. It went a lot better than I thought it would!! I'll paste the email I just wrote to some other volunteers at the shelter.
Hi everyone.
Peka and I went to the vet today and it turned out better than I thought it would. She definately has some medical issues, but she still has quality of life. The vet said her mammory tumors are probably the least of the worries. Most of the time they are not malignant. Her teeth are really bad which could cause her a lot of trouble and potentially become fatal if not taken care of. I have some antibiotics that should help her for the time being. She needs a dental but the vet needs to find out exactly what's wrong before we risk putting her through that. The tumors can easily be removed during the dental.
Her coughing and wheezing could be due to a collapsed trachea but the vet suspects it is kennel cough. Even though she had her bordatella, its still not 100% effective from preventing kennel cough. She said her stress level and age would easily allow her to catch kennel cough. I have some other medicine that will hopefully help her with her cough.
Her heart is extremely enlarged, which is normal for dogs with heart murmurs. She would like to do an ultrasound on Peka to find out exactly which valves aren't functioning correctly, then she could prescribe medicine to help her with that. We got some xrays and she said her lungs are filled with air, which is really good and means she's not congested. Her liver is enlarged a bit which may be a sign of congestive heart failure. The vet said even if she does have congestive heart failure, she's not dying from it at this point.
She also possibly has a bladder infection. She's been going potty a lot. She goes a lot outside, then when we get it, 15 minutes later she'll have a couple puddles on the carpet. This should be easy to take care of though. We just aren't positive if its a bladder infection or incontinence.
The vet would like to do the ultrasound and run some blood tests to pinpoint exactly what else could be wrong with her and to make sure it would be safe to do a dental. I went ahead and did the xrays today but we decided to wait on the other tests for another week or two. She thought it would be best if Peka got over her stress of being abandoned at a shelter first.
The vet said it really depends how much emotionally and financially I was invested in her. She said its very possible to prolong her life and she can live comfortably, but she is an old girl so there's a chance of her dying even with the treatment just because of her age. She is definately a fighter though! She was pushing the vet techs away the whole time.
She's settling into my house really well. She was showing some signs of seperation anxiety but we've been working on that and she's already much better. She wakes up from deep sleeps though and starts coughing and wheezing. It sounds awful and she looks miserable. Hopefully the meds will help though. I hope its just kennel cough. Oh, she's also blind in one eye and can't really see well out of the other. That is why she is so slow moving. I am thinking she has a hard time hearing too. She's not deaf but she doesn't seem to hear everything all the time.
She reallly is a sweet girl and is doing wonderfully with my dogs and cat. She's sleeping on my feet right now!
Can someone forward this to the Strawns? I can take Peka next week to get those tests done if they want something more definitive or if they want her sooner they can let me know. Or if they don't want her, let me know and maybe we can find rescue groups.
Thanks everyone and thanks Anne for the contribution to her vet bill! It helped a lot!
DoggiesAreTheBest
10-29-2002, 06:15 AM
Oh Aly, I hope the vet can find a way to make Peka more comfortable. Poor lil girl. She is in good hands though. Thanks for the update and thank you for taking care her!
Sudilar
10-29-2002, 08:49 AM
aly, thank you so much for taking on poor Peka. It does sound as though she can live comfortably for a while. That is great. I hope it is just kennel cough, that would help a lot, if that was all it is. Saying some prayers for Peka and you, too, aly.
Oh my gosh, I'm going out of my mind with stress. I found 2 three week old kittens in a box today with RICE and CURRY for them to eat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! They are here and comfortable in a crate with stuffed animals and I just fed them each a bottle of KITTEN formula. I just don't think I can foster them and Peka at the same time. I've been calling rescue groups for the past two hours and even though I'll take them to the vet and make a donation, no one can or will help me. This is so frusterating :(
Cincy'sMom
10-29-2002, 03:56 PM
Glad the news was alittle better then expected on Peka. Kennel Cough is no fun, but better then the alternative. We ran a vaporizer for Cincy when she had it and it seemed to help.
Those poor kitties!! Rice and Curry?!? Not good food, but maybe cute names :) goodluck finding help for them!
Still no luck :( I am going to try to pull some strings tomorrow with some contacts I have.
Rice and Curry as names would be pretty cute :)
Ack, Peka's throwing up again, gotta go
Here's what the kitties look like
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid37/p1752c9aedab846255345d586bf00e754/fd1b3afc.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid37/p1d2ef6c3996a28fe383eff4018d9778c/fd1b3afe.jpg
Nomilynn
10-29-2002, 06:29 PM
omg Aly.. if only I lived closer! I would take the kittens in a heartbeat!!!!
I reaaaaalllllllllly wished you lived close :( :(
I'm so stressed, I've been in tears a good portion of the day.
I hope I'll have better luck tomorrow.
Cincy'sMom
10-30-2002, 04:54 AM
They are sooo cute!! Hope today is better for you.
AdoreMyDogs
10-30-2002, 05:59 AM
Oh those kittens are SOOOOO adorable. I sure wish I lived closer, too...I'd take them in a heartbeat! Good luck, Aly. Please take care of yourself and please give Pika a snuggle for me. She's really cute. I hope she's feeling better, too :(
ramanth
10-30-2002, 10:21 AM
I hope Peka is feeling a little better today. Poor girl.
Those kittens are SOO cute! Poor things. I can't understand people sometimes. :mad:
No luck today. We were turned down all over the place. All that was accomplished was me falling more in love with the babies.
I have 2 more numbers to try before I start freaking out.
Its amazing how hard it is for me to find rescue groups that will help me. And I'm always willing to give donations and everything .. its baffling.
anna_66
10-30-2002, 04:56 PM
Aly, those kittens are just adorable!
Btw, how's Peka doing today?
Lolly can tell I'm stressed and she's trying to help me out soooooo much with the kittens. Whenever they cry, she runs to check on them.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid37/pe4cdd7d316e8bef7e9764988abc9e974/fd1b3afa.jpg
Peka seems to be doing better today than yesterday. She threw up 5 huge yellow puddles yesterday after drinking. I was going to bring her into the vet today but she seems a tad perkier and she hasn't throw up today. When I got home this morning, she actually got up and walked (slowly but surely) to me to say hi!!! Before when she wanted me, she'd just stare at me and whimper. So there is an improvement, although slight. Her eyes are soooooooooooo sad :( I'll take more pictures tonight after work. I'm taking her to work with me cause she hasn't eaten today or yesterday. I'm gonna stop by and get some canned food. I know she'll gobble that up.
Karen
10-30-2002, 05:23 PM
Okay, is it possible to overnight the kittens to one of our far-flung-from-you folks? :) We need a Pet Talk foster-travel-plan. Let's see - does Greyhound accept packages to courier?
That would be sooooooooo nice to have someone on Pet Talk be able to foster or keep them! I wish more of you lived closer!!!!!!!
ramanth
10-31-2002, 11:42 AM
I would foster them if I wasn't busy trying to catch my own three bundles of fluff. (See General Board)
Give the babies and Peka a hug for me. :)
Sooooooomebody stop me!!!!!!!
I got an email in my poodle rescue group from someone in my area in desperate need to get rid of their dog or they will have their vet euthanize her. So of course, I am going to pick up the dog this weekend. I am almost positive my work can take her in though cause she's only 11 pounds. I am going to call right now to be sure. The last thing I need right now is another foster in the apartment, :eek:
OHHHHHHH, Peka is doing SO GOOD today!!! When I got home from work this morning, she started JUMPING excited to see me. She jumped up and down!!! Its a miracle because she's barely been able to walk. She's a happy girl with energy today. She's awake right now walking around my room doing stuff. Before all she'd do was sleep and only wake up to throw up :(
The people who wanted her are having some medical problems with their cat and will probably have to put him to sleep soon so they have to hold off on her. I feel bad for them :( I'm working with the Foster Care Coordinater at the shelter and we'll probably cycle her through some foster homes. I am way attached to her but I just can't keep her permanently while I live here. I keep looking for new places though.
Sorry I keep yacking :o But Peka had 4 major breakthroughs tonight. I mentioned today was a really good day for her energy wise, well when I got to work with her, we went in the gate and I had her off leash once we got into the yard and I locked the gate behind me. She was walking around and did her business, then she all of a sudden took off RUNNING, yes my little granny dog was actually running. She ran right to me and started running circles around me. She got tired pretty quickly but I was SO HAPPY and shocked and amazed. I really didn't think she had that in her.
I started to walk inside to put my stuff down, then I was going to come back out to get her. She came bounding after me though and even leaped up the 7 steps :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :D I was so happy, I just started laughing. I couldn't believe it.
Then later on, she actually play bowed a bunch of times to me and kept pouncing on my hands :eek: She wasn't exactly moving around like a young dog, but for her age she was sooo energetic. I was bursting with proudness and telling everybody what she did.
When we were leaving, I was putting her blanket on the seat and getting ready to put her in the car. I turned around to pick her up, and she wooshed between my legs and JUMPED IN THE CAR BY HERSELF!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, this one was beyond belief. The dog can barely hear or see and she was doing all this. She's so happy now. I'm reallllllly happy. I had no idea she'd be making this kind of progress.
Karen
10-31-2002, 11:50 PM
Yay Peka! There's spunk in that old girl yet! Now that she knows there's hope for her, she had to show you she can still strut her stuff - bouncety bouncety fun old girl!
Sudilar
11-01-2002, 12:04 AM
Wow!! That is fantastic! She is truly happy and you made it happen, aly. Congrats to you and Peka!!
wolf_Q
11-01-2002, 02:27 AM
That's amazing!! :eek: I'm so happy for Peka! :)
Poodles really do keep their spunk in their old age! Smokey is 16...also sleeps most of the time.......but when he's really happy, that dog can RUN! He also really enjoys leaping clear up the steps to our deck no problem, and will leap right into a car also! :) Sometimes I think he can run faster then Reggie, who is half his age!
Cincy'sMom
11-01-2002, 07:19 AM
YEAH PEKA!!! You are doing so much for her Aly! No wonder she is happy!!! It is always great to see the senior dogs enjoying life. My Oreo just turned 13 and it is so great when she gets to go to the dog park and run...have seen that engry our of her since she was just a baby!!!
A sweet, wonderful wonderful wonderful person took my kitties today. She's going to take care of them until they are 8 weeks then she'll keep one and the other will be put up for adoption at my shelter :D :D :D It worked out very nicely. They are in GREAT hands. She is at the vet with them right now and refused to take any money from me. She's a volunteer at my work and she's so great with the animals. They all love her and I love her too!! :)
I just thought I'd post some new pics of the kitties. The girl ended up not being able to keep one but she kept great care of them. They both tested NEGATIVE for feline leukemia.. YAY! They are up for adoption at my work now and having fun playing with 3 other kitty friends. My friend named them Idgee and Jolie.
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid41/p8960e01a6e529962296d5a952b6682ea/fcfb8b1f.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid41/pac59b75c0adfbc106e8672102fb05c31/fcfb8b22.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid41/pb8a6417d2471e28674e8184586931bcc/fcfb8b32.jpg
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid41/p04d0f1848bee271a87d03fe81ddd24da/fcfb8b35.jpg
Uabassoon
12-02-2002, 01:04 AM
The kittens are so cute. I hope they get adopted soon.
shais_mom
12-02-2002, 01:05 AM
HOW CUTE! I am so glad they are doing well!!!
ramanth
12-02-2002, 08:21 AM
Oh goodness!!! How adorable!!! They look just like my Onneka baby! :D
Cincy'sMom
12-02-2002, 07:14 PM
They are too cute!!! Just adorable!!
I'm so upset right now. I just got a call that something is wrong with Jolie :( :( They think she has neurological problems. I don't know what is going to happen :( :( :( :( :(
Just got word from the vet. Turns out is a concussion and she should be okay. She's going to my friend's house tomorrow to recover. PHEW thank God.
AnimalLover5672
12-23-2002, 06:04 PM
that is so mean! u should call animal abuse or sumthin for that! maybe u could even start a petision! well besides that i wish u lots of luck with the little angel poodle and with ur job!
~ Jess ~:) :mad: :( :)
Stenograsaurus
12-24-2002, 08:33 AM
I'm glad Jolie is going to be okay.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.0 Copyright © 2025 vBulletin Solutions, Inc. All rights reserved.