Abner For PPR

Ok, well, he's now adopted so his name is different. But we watched Abner for a weekend and he was adorable. Aren't his ears just so stinkin' cute???

New Foster - Decker

 Look at those ears!

 He's gorgeous - a little underweight (nothing that a few eggs and extra cups of food per day can't fix)

 And Rusty, totally happy with his new friend. (Check out the new water softener... WOOT!!)

 Just a little camera shy...

But totally awesome! He's available for adoption with Pet Project Rescue, based in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

So You Want To Foster? Here's A Checklist -

Of items that you'll need to keep your sanity.

We've fostered LOTS of dogs. And we've learned. A LOT. No, really, we have. We've learned things like:

1. Do not leave a dog that likes to chew unattended. A PS3 cord may be the item being chewed on.
2. Don't get attached to your carpet. It will be peed and pooped on.
3. Don't be afraid of diarrhea or puke. It happens. Think of it as practice for when you have kids.
4. Do have lots of chew toys.
5. Figure out the best place to buy bully sticks
6. Patience. Have a lot of it.

Ok, now here's a checklist of what you need:

1. Nature's Miracle Advanced Stain and Odor Formula 128oz (Gallon)
2. Dog dish
3. Another crate. Or maybe two more.
4. Extra leash
5. Another Halti or Gentle Leader or Gentle Harness
6. Double the dog food
7. Big bin for the foster's dog food, especially if they eat something different, and label it
8. Double the poop bags
9. Vinegar/water mix for cleaning
10. Paper towels
11. Vacuum or Swiffer for dog fur
12. Chew toys
13. Bully sticks
14. Contact information for the rescue, especially the emergency contact information AND their vet's info
15. The nearest pet store's address
16. Rescue Remedy - Rescue Remedy Pet, 10 ml ( Multi-Pack)
17. Patience
18. More patience
19. Lots of tears for when your foster gets adopted

Sometimes I forget that I'm actually organized when it counts. Well, for some things anyway. Mostly I'm disorganized. But when we have a foster, I know where everything is and I try and stay as organized as possible. You don't want anything chewed up or peed on. At all. Trust me. Pee does not smell good, especially when you put on a shirt that you know was clean the day before.

Have a great night!

Tuesday To-Do List

1. Finish painting the upstairs. And I mean, really, finish the painting.

2. Finish doing laundry

3. Haul the massive crate out of storage

4. Set up foster dog dishes

5. Get out the huge dog food bin

6. Dig out the fence and put up the chicken wire

7. PATIENTLY WAIT UNTIL NEW FOSTER DOG ARRIVES BY 9:00 TONIGHT. WOO HOO!!!

Major Puppy Cuteness

Meet Penelope (Penny) from Pet Project Rescue! OMG. She's super cute, pretty cuddly and is so adorable! I'm pretty sure that Bimmer Man and I are in love! She's with us for a minimum of two weeks before she can be adopted.

We've Got A Visitor!

River is pretty cute, isn't he?

Oh, dogs...

It's the face of a goon!

Yep, it's a Golden for sure!

We're just temp fostering until Tuesday. Pretty cute though, right? River is three and an absolute peach of a dog. Doesn't jump, loves to be with people. He's fantastic.

P.S. If you're interested in River's story with RAGOM, please click here for more info. 

Black Dog Syndrome

We have a new foster, Mario, who is a black lab (Click here to see his petfinder page). He's absolutely adorable! He's fairly well behaved too for being in Animal Control for so long (generally the dogs we've had from animal control are a bit nervous, scared and all out nuts because of pent up energy, being in a strange place, etc... but that's for another post!) and he knows how to sit and shake and he's fantastic with Rusty.

However, there's this thing called Black Dog Syndrome where black dogs take longer to get adopted because of stereotypes. You can read more about it from the link above, but I was pondering this issue yesterday and thought about the people that I know with black dogs.

I can count the number of people that I know who own black dogs on two hands. And I'm probably forgetting some people! And the dogs are so dang cute and smart and great.

So my question is, how do his photos look? What sorts of ideas do you have for me to advertise Mario to get him adopted faster? If you're in rescue, what do you do to stop the stereotyping of black dogs?

Do you have a black dog? Was it love at first sight? Did you adopt it?

Odie for Pet Project Rescue

So my house is sort of a pit after the goon, Odie. He was our temp foster for the weekend and a typical Golden. He didn't care that he was all muddy, nor did he realize that I had just steam cleaned all the carpets. Odie is about 2, 3 or 4 (well, we're not exactly sure yet) and is from Pet Project Rescue. He knows sits and just wants pets and attention! Odie came from a home with 9 other animals.

Yes, 9 other animals. Because of his previous home, he does need to be fed in a crate and have toys in a crate because he thinks that other dogs will steal his toys.

Generally though, he loves to have something in his mouth, he'll bring you shoes, socks and whatever is laying around. He'll also play fetch and adores laying on the couch. And yes, we let him on the couch to snuggle!

Here's a few good reads to get ready for Odie or any dog in general:

Want to foster?

Aren't they adorable?

Bimmer Man and I have had a wonderful experience with these two (and Diego, but I can't find a picture of him that quickly) and fostering for Pet Project Rescue. With set adoption events and providing for food, the major aspects of fostering are taken care of for you. All you need to provide is an open home, loving hands and maybe a bit of training (each dog that leaves my house knows sit, down, stay, come, wait and leave it). Please, please consider fostering for PPR. They are a fabulous organization dedicated to getting animals into loving homes.

After fostering these two, we just can't go back - Pet Project Rescue is in need of foster homes in the Twin Cities area. Why?

A family is surrendering 7 dogs, all NOT FIXED:

1 adult male Terrier/Poodle
1 adult female Poodle (her 3rd litter!)
4 BABY Terrier/Poodles
1 adult Golden Retriever

AND 3 cats, all adult females. 1 Tabby, 2 Siamese

So, if you're in the Twin Cities area, please contact PPR, or click on the link to the fan page on Facebook to get even more information. All animals will be spayed/neutered and vetted. 

THE MONSTER & Diego

They play like crazy, chasing each other around the yard, stealing each other's bones. You know, the usual dog stuff.
Aren't they goons? The MONSTER with his tongue hanging out... he rarely takes a nice picture around other dogs these days. He just lurves them too much!
But Diego is also for adoption. He has so much energy, loves to chew on bully sticks and when he's finally done playing, he'll crash in your lap or next to the MONSTER for a long time! So, if you're interested in Diego, please click here for more information.
So, here's Diego! Diego says, "Adopt me! I want a lap to sit on every morning! And I like watching Flash Forward and Grey's Anatomy! Or ESPN or Sportscenter!"

Happy Friday!