my foster dillema

[Sudilar]

Thinking about you and the all the pups! Hope it is going well!

[lizbud]

Leslie,

Just checking in to see how things are going for you with the
foster dogs. (Like you would have time to post )

Really, I cannot imagine a circumstance where I would have
to leave pets behind, except maybe death. I would rather
sleep in a tent than leave any of them. I know it happens
but, I just can't imagine it. I would be a complete mess.

I'm wishing you the best on this effort of yours & praying for
success also. Many, many hugs to you from Liz & Moki.

p.s. Please let me know if I could help in some way.

[AdoreMyDogs]

Originally posted by lizbud
Leslie,

Just checking in to see how things are going for you with the
foster dogs. (Like you would have time to post )

Really, I cannot imagine a circumstance where I would have
to leave pets behind, except maybe death. I would rather
sleep in a tent than leave any of them. I know it happens
but, I just can't imagine it. I would be a complete mess.

I'm wishing you the best on this effort of yours & praying for
success also. Many, many hugs to you from Liz & Moki.

p.s. Please let me know if I could help in some way.

Thanks everyone. I also can't imagine any circumstance where I could not take my pets along. It is absolutely out of the question, but not everyone has the same relationship with their pets as we Pet Talkers have with ours.

I am worried about the dogs. They are both acting slightly agressive towards Graham and Kersey, and Cady was growling at Minion when she saw him. Min was on the stairway going upstairs into our bedroom, and there was a baby gate keeping the new dogs out of there, so Min could get some peace. When the dogs saw Min on the stairway, Cady growled loudly and let out a few barks, and Bogie looked WAY too interested, and pawed at the gate. I now have them locked in my guest bedroom and I am not only frightened for my guest room, but also for my precious Min. My dream come true kitty.

Anyway, I am exhausted but keeping myself awake because I expect Dan home in two or so hours. The owner warned me that Bogie might act aggressivily towards Dan as he's walking into the house. She has a bit of fear agression towards people, and she is protective, so I am afraid that she'll attack Dan, since she really has only met him once, and it was only for 1/2 hour.

Agggggh! What did I get myself into???? Saving two lives is great, but I am worried about my kitty, and I am really stressing about the possibility of this dog having agression problems. She seemes really nice to me, but she warms up to women quicker then men.

Anyway, on the bright side, they both have an adoption event tomorrow, and I have a baby shower to attend, so everyone gets a break from the newcomers tomorrow for a few hours.

[Sudilar]

Oh, Leslie, you are an angel.

All I can say is that I hope things get better quickly.

Good luck to you!

[mugsy]

Good luck with the adoption event tomorrow. Let us know what happens.

[Sudilar]

Good luck at the adoption event today!!! Hope those cuties get adopted.

How's it going? Did you survive the night? I know how hard it is to control more than two large dogs with big personalities. When we fostered, it seemed like the foster would just be able to come in and join the family. Not so. Large dogs with big teeth have to be constantly supervised and just when you think all is going well, then.... who knows! It is so stressful because you can't let your guard down for a minute! You have my sympathy and my great admiration for saving the lives of these two!!

Hang in there, Leslie. You are a hero.

[Cincy'sMom]

Hope things wentokay overnight. Goodluck at the adoption event today!

[shais_mom]

I found this after your other posting. I am sorry to hear things aren't working out. But I do think you are an absolute ANGEL for taking them. Whattawoman!!
I agree I could not imagine NOT taking my pets with me, but you are right not everyone thinks like we do, unfortunately.

[Sudilar]

Leslie, are you ok?

[AdoreMyDogs]

Thanks everyone for the kind words. The dogs need prayers. Every single shelter, both high-kill and no-kill, are completely filled and even have a waiting list. I have called and/or emailed every single place here in Michigan, as well as several places in Ohio and IN, and no luck. I had to call the former owner on Sunday and tell her that things were not going well with the fosters, and that I didn't trust them at all with my cat. She agreed to pay the boarding fee if I drove them to the boarding kennel that they go to when the former owner is on vacation.

I feel really bad and I am completely out of ideas on what to do with the dogs. I actually really like Bogie, the GSD/chow mix a LOT. She is a very sweet dog who is extremely loyal, and her heart is crushed. She had not eaten since she was with me. She kept waiting for her former owner to come back through the door that she walked out of. She is absolutely devistated. I even spruced her food up with yougert and she a bit of the yougert but left the food. Cady is a chow-hound so she gobbles her food pretty good.

I had to take them to the kennel for two reasons:
1) obviously I can't trust them in my house with Minion
2) they are not crate trained and the crates were stressing them out too much.

Now they are at the kennel, but in a week they are booked up and they can no longer be there, so I have to get them out of there before then.

The adoption event went well for every single dog and puppy, except for Bogie and Cady. All were adopted except for them, and to make matters worse, a couple of people commented about how unfriendly Bogie was (she was moaping at the back of her crate, too broken hearted to greet people) and how "ugly" Cady was. It did not go well. It was all-in-all a crappy weekend. I have two other last options to try. Thanks for the suggestions, Molly! HUA and Best Friends' Animal Sanctuary. I have called both places and hopefully I'll get a call back from one of the two. If either place will take the dogs, or even one of the dogs, the next step will be trying to figure how to get them there. I will figure that out later, though.

If neither of those places can take Bogie and Cady, then I am going to suggest their former owner, who was a dead-beat dog owner, to do what's best for the well being of the poor dogs and get them humanely put to sleep, and be with them until they breathe their last breath. It's certainlly the least she can do for them. I have been working my butt off and racking up huge phone bills trying every single place I could think of who could take in these poor dogs. I have been looking for shelters or foster homes in three different states, posting their flyers all over the place locally, and, after HUA and Best Friends, I will be 100% out of ideas and options. I have given it such huge effort, I just hope that the former owner takes my advice if these last two efforts fail. I am so upset. It is just so unfair to those poor dogs. The dogs have had absolutely no obedience training, pull out of their collars, run off, don't listen, their nails are really, really long, they stunk to high heaven, they had not a single toy, blankie, bed, chewie, and they were on the cheapest, crappiest food that came in the biggest bag at Costco. They were not loved and nurtured. When I asked the former owner to give me a very detailed bio on each dog, including likes, dislikes, where they sleep, what toys they like, what their feeding schedule is like, are they weird about having their feet/ears touched, any health problems they have experienced, etc., and since she had the dogs for many years, I was expecting a really good bio on each dog and I simply got a short paragraph consisting of two long sentences for each dog! My gosh, when I have someone babysit Graham and Kersey, I write a BOOK about EACH DOG! It just pissed me off so much, and made me SO aware of the huge problem we have here in the US with pet ownership.

Anyway, I am exhausted from trying. I am not going to get my hopes up about HUA and/or Best Friends, but I am trying to imagine them accepting Cady and Bogie with open arms. I am sure if one of the shelters do accept them, then everything else will fall into place, and finding a way out there will be easier then everything else I have been doing.

Please wish me luck, and perhaps if there are any prayers left, please pray for either an opening at a HUA or Best Friends, or ultimately, a very quick, painless death in the arms of the only "mom" they have ever known if nothing else.

Thanks so much for the kindness everyone. I trust that if I have to suggest the dogs get PTS, you all will not blame me for having to suggest such a fate for these dogs. I know that I will be grieving and if it comes down to that, I would like to know that I can come here to grieve with the support of my good friends here at PT. It won't be an easy thing to do, especially for Bogie. She's a special soul stuck in a disobedient body.

[K9karen]

Leslie..I for one, would never, ever doubt or question anything you do. I hope you put your hands on your hips, looked that sucker in the eye and said "Who YOU callin "ugly"?

[Sudilar]

My heart aches for these victims of man's neglect and carelessness.

[Logan]

There is no doubt here, either, Leslie, that you have done the only thing possible in the situation. What a heroine you are for these dogs and so many others. That's what makes fostering so difficult because sometimes it simply doesn't work out.

My heart and prayers go out to those pups for what they have been through, but also for the love they experienced with you.

Logan

[Cincy'sMom]

Thank you for trying so hard Leslie! I hope something works out for these dogs, but if not we know you have tried your best.

[lizbud]

Leslie,

I wish that I could give you the biggest hug.

You and Dan have gone above & beyond what should be expected of any foster parents.Because you love animals
with all your heart and wanted to help these two, you spoke
up when no one else did. You have done everything a human
being can do. I believe these poor dogs fate was sealed a long
time ago, when they were unlucky enough to be "owned" by
an uncareing human. Please don't blame yourself & I don't
even think that you should be the one to make a pts decision.
It should be made by the "responsible" person, the former
owner. You offered to help & you did( and are doing) everything
humanly possible. Love & much respect from Liz & Moki.