The Lows and Highs of Dog Rescue

It’s pretty obvious what the biggest highs and lows are in dog rescue: life and death.

Now that all the major time-consuming projects of my year are behind me, I’m slowly looking into fostering again (I know what you’re thinking.. “Finally! We’re bored!”). I’ve had my eye on this one dog in our shelter for months now. She came in as a stray with her sister, and immediately became a staff and volunteer favorite. She was the little grey one featured on our FOX5 Morning News segment.

Yesterday, Mark and I headed into the shelter to meet with her. She won us over, but her very low weight was a red flag for Mark. After talking it over with our medical staff, I learned that they were concerned as well and had already planned to send her out for blood tests.  Mark and I decided to wait for the results of the tests to make any decisions.  We never got that chance though, because the results immediately concluded she was in renal failure. The vet said there was nothing we could do.  They ended her suffering only a few hours after we played with her in the yard. It broke everyone’s hearts, especially those who spent so many hours loving her over the last few months.

There was nothing we could have done to help her, but that news ruined my whole day.  I needed a pick-me-up, and stat.  I knew just who to turn to:

After getting the news about the pretty pittie girl, I almost immediately called up Otie’s owner.  I needed to see the big slobbery smile that was Otis.  We’d been sort of trying to set up a visit in the last couple weeks anyway, but it had never worked out. R, being the awesome adopter that he is, said to come right over.

Last time I went to visit Otis, only three weeks after he was adopted, I was pleasantly surprised at how excited he was to see me. But just like last time, my expectations of the same type of happy reunion were not too high this time around. It’s been about three months since I’d seen him last, and three months is a plenty long time for him to forget who I am.  I was just excited to see his happy face, recognition or not.

Otis was waiting for me in the garage and as soon as I got out of my car I had a whirlwind of fur, tongue, and tail flying around me like tornado.  Otis acted like every other time he’s seen me after five minutes a long time: like it was the best day ever.  For a solid ten minutes, we had an exuberant reunion.  I felt like a little kid bouncing around getting kisses and avoiding his over-eager advances to give me a big bear-hug style Otis greeting.

It was exactly what I needed. Any happy dog would have helped cheer me up, but knowing that I’m still someone special to Otie really felt good.  R and I caught up, and I heard all about how spoiled Otis is.  It was so, so nice.

The key to dog rescue is to make sure the victories and happy times outweigh the tough times. You owe it to yourself to seek out moments that make you smile, especially after moments that make you cry.

Thank you, Otis (and R!) for reminding me of all the things I have to smile about.

Happy Birthday, FosterDad!

Today is FosterDad’s birthday! Unfortunately we can’t spend it together because I am here at AFF and he is out of the country for work, so I wanted to do a little celebration on the blog. Happy Birthday to the man who is supportive of my fostering endeavors, often stuck behind the camera, usually picking up after me and my dog, understanding of (and joins me on) my crazy dog schedule, and happy to help me in whatever way he can. I couldn’t do this without you – so happy to be on this journey with my best friend!

A Visit With Otis!

I have been missing Otis a lot the past three weeks. His new dad stays in touch with happy updates, questions, silly pictures, etc. – which I absolutely love. One day in between pictures of Otis stealing pillows and stories of his other silly antics, R brought up that I should come visit.

Of course I wanted to visit Otis. I’ve been wanting to see him since ten minutes after he got adopted. But I know he’s in a sensitive transition time, and I don’t want to confuse him or mess up his progress. R continually assured me that he thought Otis would be fine because he had adjusted so well and seemed pretty settled in. I agreed to stop by exactly three weeks after Otis went to this new home.

I was still torn on how I wanted the visit to go. Selfishly, I wanted Otis to be as excited to see me as he always has been – but a more sensible side of me wanted the opposite. You see, when Otis was with me last summer I watched him interact with his previous owner after I’d had him for about two weeks. He acted like he had never met that person in his life; he was totally indifferent towards him. I took this to mean that Otis could only be attached to one person at a time. Therefore, if he was very happy to see me when I visited him, I was worried it would mean he wasn’t attached to R yet. So I was ready for anything.

When I stopped by, R and Otie were in the garage working on cars. As I walked up, Otis started to act like he would if I was a stranger: backing up, some barking – I’d seen it all before. I crouched down and said, “Hi you big scary guard dog,” and that is when he recognized me – and totally lost it. He went ballistic and was so excited to see me, just like before. In that moment, I was the happiest foster mom of all time. Here was my foster dog, who I have been missing so much, acting like he’s missed me just the same. It was amazing. Then, my fears about Otie’s adjustment were extinguished as Otis ran up to R as if he were saying, “Look who came to visit!” It was the cutest thing of all time.

The reunion explosion continued for about five minutes and ended with Otis running back and forth between me and R in excitement. We took the party into R’s place and posted up on the couch. Otis immediately plopped himself in between us, doing his usual overbearing face-kissing routine alternatively to me and R. R and I caught up and talked about all things Otis, while Otie finally settled down and snuggled up between us.

If I could have written up the best outcome for a post-adoption visit with Otis, this would have been it. I got to see for myself just how happy he is with R. They are such a great pair, going everywhere and doing everything together. R seems to have become just as attached as I was (yay! yay! yay!).

They’ve got their routine down, and Otis is right at home. So much of Otie’s quirks and personality that I came to know also show up in the things him and R do together.

In fact, there were a few things that stood out, showing just how secure Otis now feels around R. He’s doing zoomies and he’s being brave enough to meet (and play with!) the shy little dog next door.

One of the best indications of progress is how much obedience training he and R have been working on together – and they haven’t even gone to a class yet. R has gotten Otis very good at focusing on him, and they’re mastering many of the basics. R has even taught Otis how to catch treats in his mouth. This may seem like a no brainer for a dog, but let me tell you – Otis really struggled with this when he was with me. It just didn’t occur to him to catch the treat, and would let it hit him in the head every single time. Look at how well he and R work together (disclaimer: the usual squealing occurs in this video):

I’m beyond glad that I listened to R and went to visit Otis. I got to experience the best of both worlds: Otis recognized me, and yet he very clearly loves his new life.

Reason #7038334 to foster!

Things Remembered

In case you hadn’t noticed: I’m a sucker for memories. When I part ways with something I love – whether it’s a human, a dog, a place – I like to have items around that remind me of the happiness that person, dog, or place once brought me.

For example, I got this charm for my Pandora bracelet when Baxter got adopted. To me, it signifies all of the hearts that went into his rehabilitation. So many people were a part of his rescue, and that is what made his case so special – so that’s what I like to remember.  I wear this bracelet every day and I’m constantly reminded of my little Bax.

Next up is something a little larger than a charm bracelet. A few weeks ago I made over my childhood bedroom. Now that I am living here as an adult some things really needed to go. The room hadn’t been painted in 30+ years and it was time for a new look. After a weekend of painting and remodeling, I had fresh blank walls with nothing to put on them. Remember how I mentioned my occasional issue with following through on projects for myself, and how my boyfriend is often the remedy? Well this one DIY wall decoration task was no different.  I wanted a way to show off my fosters in my new room, but couldn’t figure out the best way to do that.

Mark ended up constructing a diagram of picture frames to put on one wall in a sort of collage design. It would take about a dozen picture frames of assorted sizes, mixed in with three canvases he got me online. I picked out the photos I wanted and spent hours measuring, leveling, and applying adhesive to get it all up. The end result? A gorgeous wall that highlights each foster through some of my favorite photos. (I also took this as an opportunity to try out my brother’s fish eye lens!)

I am in love! Now I get to wake up to their shining faces every morning. I cannot think of a more perfect way to remember these guys. The idea is to slowly swap out pictures as I get more fosters, but I don’t know which one of these I’ll be able to part with – each photo was chosen for a specific reason. It’s so fitting I got this up just around my One Year Blog-a-versary.

Last but not least, I received a package in the mail from Mark’s mom a few days after Otis got adopted. Inside was this wooden plaque:

I often find it hard to put into words just how and why I foster (especially while my heart is broken after saying goodbye to another). This seems to sum it up better than I’ve ever been able to. Sure, it’s tough letting one go, but the next one fills that hole in your heart and then some. This was the last bit of art to go up in my room – a very fitting piece to complete the collection.

Is it just me, or does everyone do special things like this to remember their dogs? What do you all do?

One Year in Photos

To continue the celebration of our One Year Blog-a-versary, here are lots (and I mean lots) of photos that I feel portray some of our most outstanding moments (or that I think are just really cute). They have all been featured on this blog, and, to the best of my ability, they tell the story of the last twelve months. Enjoy :)

August 2011

September 2011

October 2011

November 2011

December 2011

January 2012

February 2012

March 2012

April 2012

May 2012

June 2011

July 2012

August 2012

It sure makes ya miss the little stinkers, doesn’t it!? I love going back and remembering all the silly things about each dog – the things that get lost as time goes on and as new ones come into your life. I still can’t express in words what this blog means to me and what I’ve gotten out of the last year, which is why I am so grateful to have the journey documented in photos.  I hope you enjoyed that recap as much as I did. Thank you all so much for your congratulations at this milestone – it means the world to me!

One Year Blog-a-versary!

It snuck up so fast that I nearly missed it! Yesterday, August 20, marked one year for Peace, Love, & Fostering! It’s unbelievable to me, really – and yet I feel like I’ve been doing this for a lifetime. It has been, hands down, the most rewarding experience in my 22 years of existence. Who else gets to say they talk to hundreds of people they’ve never met every single morning? I’ve made friends from all over the globe. It’s remarkable.

One year ago I set out to fiddle around with a keyboard and take some really, really amateur photos with my brother’s not-so-amateur camera – all to tell the stories of some dogs. I wasn’t quite sure what dogs, because at that time I wasn’t fostering yet, but I’d seen it done before by some pretty amazing people and thought, “Why not?”  My boyfriend is really the one who pushed me to do it. I have this problem of coming up with ideas and then not following through on them. He makes sure I follow through. So one night I just sat down, clicked away for a few hours, and boom: Peace, Love, & Fostering was born. It had a long way to go, but it was in existence on the interwebs.

Instead of typing out the long story that followed, in the footsteps of some of my blog heroes I’m going to celebrate this blog-a-versary with some stats:

Date started: August 20, 2011

Date started updating 5x per week: November 2, 2011

Total posts: 225

Total comments: 1,880+

Total views: 66,400+

Search that brought the most views (besides PL&F): beagle sheltie mix

Number of fosters total: 3

Longest time a foster stayed: 4 months (tie between Otis and Baxter)

Shortest time a foster stayed: 6 weeks on and off (Lady Zee)

Number of fosters I wanted to keep: 3

Number of fosters it would have been logical to keep: 0

Number of fosters now happily in forever homes: 3

Longest time spent between fosters: 6 weeks between Zabora and Baxter

Favorite foster: Zaborabaxterotis

FosterDad’s favorite foster: Zabora

Goofiest foster: Zee and her off-balance bumblings!

Shyest foster: Otis

Happiest foster: Baxter when he saw human friends, Zabora when she was sleeping, and Otis when I returned home

Cutest couple: Baxter & Bella (below)

Biggest celebrity cameo: Tie between Chikerdoodle & Lily Fireworks

Post with the most views: Baxter is… ADOPTED!

Post with the 2nd most views: On Being 22 and a Foster Mom

Favorite props post: Will U Be Mine? (Baxter’s Valentine’s Day post)

Hardest post to write: Dear Baxter

Easiest post to write: The Power of Being Positive

Number of positive changes in my life from this blog: Too many to count!

Number of friends made: Too many to count!

Number of blog friends met online before meeting in person: 5+

Blog friends visited in other states: 2 (and hoping to add more!)

Weirdest place a random blog follower has said hi to me: While I was walking Otis in my neighborhood

Number of hours of sleep lost writing posts every night: Doesn’t matter

Favorite thing learned while blogging: Photography

Most helpful real life skills learned: How to be disciplined, plan ahead, and be creative

Favorite part overall: Tie between the lives saved, the bond made with each foster, and all my readers

I can’t say it enough: you all are one of the best parts of blogging. PL&F wouldn’t have gone anywhere in the last year if you weren’t here to read it. The friends I’ve met, the emails I’ve exchanged with strangers, the advice I’ve both given and received. . . the impact of it all is beyond measure. So thank you!

Tune in tomorrow to see the year reviewed in photos!

Otis in His New Home!

Lucky for us, Otis’ new dad is a photographer! Double lucky for us, he doesn’t mind if I share these pictures with you all. All of the updates I’ve been getting from R have been positive, and it sounds like Otis is settling in just fine! The pictures sure make it seem that way (some are camera, some are phone – all are from his new dad!):

Have a great weekend!

Dear Otis

Hey Stinker.

So, you’ve gone and found yourself yet another home. Third time is a charm, right? I am crossing all of my fingers and toes that this one will stick and that your new dad will appreciate you like I do (which he seems to!).  After spending four wonderful months with you, I still cannot believe it took you so long to find your forever home. Luckily, though, it seems I am learning time and time again that good things come to those who wait. You’ve finally got yourself a really good thing, Oats.

Your story is different than the others I’ve helped because this time it was all up to me. While I have many online supporters, parents who love you just like I do, and friends who cheered for me and you the whole way – I started this journey to find you happiness in July 2011 and, a year later, it was my job to finish it.

You made it very clear you knew that fact from the beginning by attaching to me like you were some orphaned child who finally found their mother (oh wait, I guess you were…). Your hopeless devotion to me was a bit overwhelming at times but overall quite endearing, and it made you stand out to me from my other fosters. Sure, you were extra needy when we were together, but you made up for it ten times over by having zero separation anxiety and behaving beautifully whenever I was away.  You were, in my eyes, the perfect dog.

It quickly became clear to me that others would not be as fortunate to know your true self. You loved me so, so much that you barely had the time of day for anyone else. You warmed up to my mom and dad, but even FosterDad didn’t get much more than a quick acknowledgement when he came around. This made it hard to show everyone else just how perfect you were. But it was okay, because I knew that anyone who was good enough to have you would recognize your shyness around others as just fierce loyalty to your person – a characteristic to be envied.

I wrote a post a few days ago about my realization of just how different you are from the day I brought you home. It was bittersweet because when I was writing that post I already knew you had found a new family, and I knew you would temporarily be set back in your progress.  But you simply couldn’t stay with me forever, even though you (and maybe me, too) wanted it.  Your new owner is the best of the best for you, and I know he will help you through this transition with understanding and gentle guidance.  I wish I could be there with the two of you to help as well, but it’s time for you and your new dad to figure things out on your own because you’re his now, not mine.

When I started this note I really didn’t intend for it to be sad or emotional because you, Otis, are far from that. You are goofy, happy, silly, expressive, sweet, and cuddly – and this journey with you has been all of those positive emotions rolled into one. You were one misunderstood pooch, and I’m happy I got the chance to turn things around for you.

Good luck in your new life, Otie! May you finally find joy and happiness in all you do.

Otis is… ADOPTED!!!

It seems that four months is the magic number at the PLF House, as Otis has officially found his way out of my life and into someone else’s… forever!

To be honest, I’ve had a lot of wonderful inquiries about Otis over the last four months, but none of them were the right fit. For many, there were obvious reasons why it wouldn’t work out, but for others it just wasn’t a good match. I knew Otis wouldn’t attach to anyone new  right away, especially during a brief adoption visit, but the way he was so closed down around potential adopters started getting me worried. Until we met R.

R emailed me one day after seeing Otis on the MCHS website, and even though he was a bit different from the exact mold I had dreamed up for Otis initially, I had a good feeling about him and his situation so I put him through the tests. You fosters know what I’m talking about – the rigorous discussions where you try to talk potential adopters out of your dog, and if they’re still interested then you know you’ve got a good one! R wasn’t put off by any of Otie’s “quirks” so we set up a met and greet.

That meeting is what sold me on this pair. Otis loved R. It was the most affection I’ve seen Otis display towards any new stranger, ever.  I was relieved that I wasn’t the only one who felt good vibes from the visit when I later found an excited email from R in my inbox about moving forward with the adoption process. The following days consisted of a long, serious talk between R and one of our adoption counselors about how to make Otie the happiest dog he can be for the rest of his life, another visit between Otis and R that went beautifully, and a few dozen more emails answering questions and brainstorming ideas on how to ease the transition. We wanted to make sure we had as many bases covered as possible.

Finally, all the paperwork was signed and Otie was officially R’s. R came to pick Otis up from work and that’s when all the goodbye butterflies set in. I couldn’t believe he was actually leaving – after so many failed adoptions and failed applications, Otis had finally found the perfect home? That was a tough one to swallow. But R is going to already seems to love him just as much as I do, plus it helps that he works from home (jackpot!!) and has a huge yard for Otis to run around in. It was tough to watch Otie walk out to R’s car that day, but I knew there was nothing but a happy life waiting for him.

R has been very kind in sending me frequent updates which have put my worries at ease.  It seems that while the transition was understandably a little difficult for Otis, he is finally settling into his new life (insert BIG sigh of relief here). I am sure he will be attached to R’s hip in no time, if he isn’t already!

It’s been a long road for this one, but Honey Bunches of Otis is finally home.

A Little Piece of Heaven

Confession: I’ve blogging remotely for the last few days! I’m in Acadia National Park in Maine, one of my most favorite places in the entire world. I recently got a new lens (more about that later!) so I threw myself into photographing all of the things I love about the Maine coast. Here are a few of my favorite shots – I hope they give you a sense of how amazing this place is. (Then I added some photos of my kitty nephews for good measure.)

You must be wondering… where is Otis while I’m away? Check back tomorrow to find out!