Loki the terror

Appropriately named, this was our next foster this previous fall/winter. Loki, the 10 month old male Husky/Labrador mix. This dog was seriously full of himself!

 

Loki came from a university student who just didn't have the time for him. He was a wild child, had never gotten any real training or exercise. He was a MAJOR humper, and was more mouthy that a German Shepherd puppy! He got a nice course of "doggie boot camp" and changed his act real quick. After about a week of being tethered in the house on a prong collar and trained at every given moment, he was 10x less likely to mouth you (and would instead seek out a tug instead), jump on  you, or hump you, and he was not counter surfing anymore. 

We had him for about 2 months and worked on loose leash walking, calmly jogging next to us (which we was GREAT at!) and calm behavior in the house. It was just an overwhelming experience for him not to be crated, have interaction with other dogs, and space to run around in. He was adopted out to a young couple who lived on a lake, and seemed like he was going to be very happy in their active home.

 

Benny boy

Bennet is the mange puppy that I fostered last fall after Sophie/Lola got adopted. He was on the euth list at a high kill shelter so I stepped up to take him, since I had experience dealing with mange. The day that I picked him up and all of his medication from the vet, he was a mess. Carrying him out to my car (because the leash around his neck made him bleed) I ruined a nice shirt from his skin bleeding all over me. Every step he took, his feet would bleed. He was contained to the kitchen most of the time on the hard floor to make it easier to clean up. 2 medicated baths a week plus immune system and skin supplements, and oral antibiotics and meds for the mange cleared him up in no time. 

This is the picture of him I received from the shelter, the day I got him.

In this picture, you can really see how much hair he didn't have. This was after his infection was cleared up and his skin wasn't bleeding from walking/rubbing into things. Unless he itched or I picked at his scabs, he wasn't bleeding and irritated. This was 3-4 weeks into his treatment.

This picture was after having him for about 2 months... he was doing 10x better in this picture and he started getting peach fuzz all over, though it's hard to tell.

And this is a before and after photo from the rescue's site, of Bennet with his new family, and much of his hair back! He is a very loved member of the family, and we get updates all the time. He has a new little brother rescued from the same place, as well. :) I love happy endings.

The wee one

Kurt did indeed stay with Heather & her family after their trial weekend in Grand Rapids. He has been having the best time & is very spoiled there. I couldn't be happier for him.

This little lady is Sophie, formerly known as Lola to me.

Bowl is for comparison, this is a SMALL bowl & Lola was 4 weeks old in this picture

I got a call from the director needing help for two 3 week old Bull Mastiff mixes that were abandoned at a kill shelter in Michigan. I took the female and weaned/reared her like a momma would and she was the most fun and most work I've seen yet fostering.

Her favorite activity- She spent 85% of her time sleeping!

I kept her until she was 8 weeks old and she was adopted by a friend's cousin, so I get to see her frequently and watch her grow. She's very happy and just got spayed this week so she's growing up into a big girl! She's probably close to 30-40 lbs now at 15 weeks old.

Sophie at 8 weeks with her new daddy, Matt.

I'm getting another puppy from Lebanon this July, cannot wait to post pictures of him or her!

Kurtie Bear

Just two weeks after Annie left us this March, I got an email from our director about a 5 month old puppy who had been hit by a car and left starved in Beirut, Lebanon needing a place to stay. Last wednesday they flew him and two other dogs from a rescue in Lebanon to Michigan to be adopted out through our rescue. I picked him up Friday and we went to the vet to assess his injuries and weight loss.



 He has no lasting injury to his back or legs from the car accident, and is starting to gain weight now. He submissive pees when people approach him, but he is warming up quickly and LOVES other dogs. He is the sweetest, quirkiest little thing ever. We are doing a home visit this week for him and assuming all goes well, he will be staying with Heather and her family. :) I really couldn't ask for a better, more caring home for him.

Who knows what Janelle will throw at me next? All I know is I am ready for it.

Annie Sperlanicles

Don't you love the nicknames we come up with around here? Lol. I started working with another rescue this winter to help them out with some puppies more locally. Annie and her littermates were dumped at a high-kill shelter, where the rescue stepped in to pull them, knowing that pit bulls did not last long. They sought out new foster homes for the puppies, so I applied to foster one.

The cute little pit puppy that she placed in my arms was nothing like I expected, and I definitely fell in love with her. She was the smartest, most adorable little thing ever- but what Pit Bull isn't?? ;) She stayed with me for 4 weeks before finding her forever home with Amber. A single young lady that loved the breed and is spoiling her rotten now. :D

The next in line...

Shortly after Duke's passing, we took in Toby, a Boston Terrier mix with a love for life and licking faces.

Four year old guy with a lot of life left in him, unfortunately did not get along well with our German Shepherd so he moved to another foster home near me. He had been in rescue for almost 6 months and is a great little guy, but has not found his forever home yet. :(

RIP Duke

Unfortunately, Duke's conditions did not get any better, and the rescue made the tough decision to have him humanely euthanized in the late fall/early winter of 2011. For reasons unknown, he continued losing weight until he was a bag of bones, his skin started getting worse, and he was just miserable. All normal blood work checked out fine, and the rescue decided with his lack of adoptability already (dog & cat aggressive) on top of his medical issues after being in rescue for over 8 months, that it was time to let him go. I know he is in a better place now and I'm sure he is much happier. I will never forget the impact Duke had on our lives and he is buried beneath a gorgeous tree in our yard.