Sept, Oct, Nov Foster Pup Photos

September, October, and November brought many special pups into my life. I had Trixie, Valerie, Vanna, Violet, Braddock, Bethany, and Bella. Aren't they gorgeous?

Vanna, Valerie, and Violet

Trixie

Bethany and Braddock Bella is adopted, and I'm taking care of her while her "foster-to-adopt" family is out of town. Sidenote: I signed up today for MilitaryPets Foster Project; I'll let you all know if a military pet gets placed with me for foster in case of a servicemember's deployment.

Bumper, My Little Trooper

I am happy to announce that our family has taken on a special foster puppy, "Bumper." It is reasonable to assume that he is named "Bumper" due to our assumption that he was hit by a car, which caused an injury to his leg. What a sweet little guy he is, precious in every way. He has a very nice bright green cast, which doesn't seem to bother him in the slightest. Bumper is available for adoption at Franklin County Humane Society. Bumper's leg is going to heal nicely, thanks to the lovely folks at Franklin County Humane Society. If you are interested in adopting this baby, go to www.plannedpethoodrockymount.com to submit an inquiry. See Bumper with his cast on our YouTube video

Marley, All Smiles

What a beauty! Marley is a sweet female lab mix that's available for adoption right now at Franklin County Humane Society. She loves to play, make new friends, and hang out with her people. I hear she's great with kids. Please share this post on your Facebook page, and together we may find this girl a comfortable new home. Click here for More Photos of Marley

I haven't posted in awhile, but I've been busy. My husband and I separated on May 6, 2012. Needless to say, it has been devastating to me and to the children. I've kept fostering, though, and I need to remember that this blog is a fun distraction. I'll try not to ignore it. Check out the folks I've fostered lately... notice that there's one species in there that doesn't quite belong...

"Spyro" and "Sonic Boom" are nice names for puppies

I question my own judgment when I allow the children to name the foster puppies. "Spyro" and "Sonic Boom" are our current foster pups, named by our very own video-game-obsessed 6-year-old, Alex. Do you know anyone who is interested in adopting a puppy soon? These guys are available in about two weeks, and they are angelic! Don't worry, you can change their names!

Gem, Gabe, Georgia, Gabrielle, Gail

These pups, from my most recent litter of foster puppies, are available for adoption at Angels of Assisi. Go to http://www.angelsofassisi.org/ for more information.

Gabe, the only little boy. Sweet and gentle. At about three lbs, he is the largest of the litter (and still so small!) A lucky family will adopt this little guy.

Gabrielle, playful and all puppy. Loves naps, great with kids. Skips around your feet, loves attention.

Quiet, sweet puppy Gail. So precious. Lap dog, or should I say "lap puppy?" Those are few and far between. Most puppies don't stop for a lap until naptime.

Gem, shy at first but warms up easily. Soft, furry kisses are her specialty.

Tiny little runt of the litter, Georgia is also timid at first but the most lovey of all when getting attention. She is so teeny!

Sleep.

We all enjoy sleep.

Some folks enjoy it more than others though. It is fair to say that most people require more sleep than I do. Sleep is okay, I guess. I mean, I need my rest. I lay my head on a pillow (or six) every night. Having said that, I will say that some of y'all sleep WAY too much.

Just this week, I have been turned down for pre-work coffee at a coffee shop by two co-workers because they wanted to sleep in. I have been ditched for a late-night-out because the people I was with were "too tired." I feel like every time I turn around, I hear "NO". And when I question it, the answer is always, "Because I'm too tired."

What is so tiring? Why is everyone around me exhausted?

I want to scream, "There is LIFE out here! Come on out, join me!"

There are an elite few people, an estimated 1-3% of the population, that are known as "short sleepers." I have to find these folks and hang out with them.

From http://www.simplehealthguide.com/short-sleepers-saga/:

Famous personalities cited to be short sleeping are T. Jefferson, Da Vinci, B. Franklin. Presently, several of those short sleeping are usually gravitating towards being bloggers, videogames designers, software developers & into social media wherein their sleep behaviours are ideally suited.

Isn't that interesting?

I understand from several articles that I am more than likely classifying myself as a short sleeper when I am not one indeed. However, it is much more fun to think that I have a hDEC2 gene variation, which makes me require less sleep than my peers.

((((Yawn...))) Well, it is time for me to go to sleep. It is 10:27 p.m., so it is way past my bedtime. I'll finish this blog post, including how my ramblings about sleep relate to fostering dogs, on the next go-round...

Make Me a Margarita

I Make It Look So Easy

I received the best compliment today. I was at a PTA event, a fundraiser for my kids' school at McDonald's. My friend Teresa and I were talking about my dog fostering adventures, and she said that I "make it look so easy."

I almost choked on my McDonald's Sweet Tea. I definitely laughed out loud.

I am a MESS! A disorganized, frantic, out-of-control weirdo. Seriously. I figured out when Teresa said that I "make it look so easy" that I may be misrepresenting myself on Facebook, to my friends, and on my blog. I thought it may be appropriate to admit to y'all that I am STRUGGLIN'.

I should give you a few examples.

I have laundry in my basement floor. It is piled. Piled high.

My daughter had an intervention with me recently about her bookbag. She said that her bookbag is starting to look like a paper volcano erupted in it.

We are excited in the morning if the children actually make it to the bus stop on time. Bus-stop-days are good days. Non-bus-stop-days result in an angry pajama-clad Mommy dropping kids off at school.

On that note, it is embarrassing to drop the kids off at school because at drop-off, all of the trash in my car falls out the car door when the teacher opens it to get the kids out. There is nothing more humbling than a teacher picking up an old sweaty sock and a shin guard to throw back into the floorboard of your car.

And work...it is okay to have ONE cup of coffee on your desk. But with me, ONE cup turns into three or four, and the remains of the cream-topped coffee may be growing my daughter's next Science Fair project.

Speaking of my desk, it is pretty bad when you go on vacation and come back to a cleaned desk. They weren't firing me; they were feeling sorry for me because I have to work in a self-created hazardous desk environment.

Back at home, you should see our "shoe closet." DON'T OPEN THE SHOE CLOSET. It is so full of shoes (that we don't even wear), we literally have to take a running start when we are closing the closet door.

I have a printer that my parents gave me for Christmas. Printers are good for creating letters, copying and printing useful information, etc. Our unopened printer box currently serves as a stand to hold our cable box next to our TV. I could open it. Seems like an easy enough task. But nah, I think it looks good sitting right there under the cable box. I will continue to go to my parents' house whenever we need to print something. (You might be a redneck if...)

I have a beautiful antique piano in our living room. It has a layer or six of dust on it. When I do get around to dusting it, it is a quick "around the picture frames" job to make it look moderately presentable.

Sometimes my mom pities me and does our dishes.

Bottom line is...I might make it "look" easy, but life isn't easy. I am a normal human being, with normal problems. Sometimes my problems may be more excessive than other people's problems, but I pick my priorities. Fostering dogs may look easy when I do it because it is one of the most rewarding aspects of my life.

If you have ever considered turning in a few of your duties (dusting, doing the dishes, cleaning out the shoe closet) in exchange for a fun volunteer job, contact one of the following organizations for dog fostering opportunities:

Franklin County Humane Society www.plannedpethoodrockymount.com

Roanoke Valley SPCA www.rvspca.org

Sometimes, You Just Need to Hold a Puppy

When you're all alone
and there is nothing to do,
When you're feeling tired,
When you're feeling blue...
You Just Need to Hold a Puppy.

When your husband is mad
Because you haven't mopped the floor
And your feelings are hurt,
And you can't take any more
You Just Need to Hold a Puppy.

When your friends have ditched you
And your life is a mess
And you're not getting it right
And you're feeling stressed
You Just Need to Hold a Puppy.

I foster puppies to help them out of rough situations, but I foster to help myself as well. Puppies... they love unconditionally, which is more than I can say for human beings. Sometimes, You Just Need to Hold a Puppy.

Meet the O'Doggies

Meet my newest foster puppies, the O'Doggies. I'm calling them the O'Doggies because I do not yet know their names, though they are in the litter of "O"-named dogs. My kids and I have played around with "O" names, thinking that we may be informed that the girl is Oprah, Olga, Olivia, Olive, or Oma. The little boy pup may be Orville, Oliver, or Ollie.

As soon as we find out the names, we will let you know. Until then, here are the photos of the O'Doggies with their happy foster mom.

Joanna with male "O" pup

Joanna with female "O" pup

"Hello, my name is Joanna. I am a foster failure."

fail·ure
n.
1. The condition or fact of not achieving the desired end or ends
2. One that fails
3. The condition or fact of being insufficient or falling short
4. A cessation of proper functioning or performance
5. Nonperformance of what is requested or expected; omission
6. The act or fact of failing to pass a course, test, or assignment
7. A decline in strength or effectiveness
8. The act or fact of becoming bankrupt or insolvent

It is official. I have adopted a foster dog. The dog I adopted is number 36...Isabelle. That's right...my 36th foster dog. I knew it was going to happen when I refused to send photos to my Foster Coordinator, Michelle, at Franklin County Humane Society. I didn't want anyone else to look at her photos and fall in love. It was confirmed in my mind when my husband called her "Belly," and said that he loved her.

"Belly" is a mini-doxie that fits right in with our family. She is approximately two years old, black and tan, and was recently mommy to a litter of pups. I didn't get to meet her puppies, and it is a damn good thing. I would probably have to apply for a kennel license and adopt them all.

Adopting a dog is always an exciting thing, but the job of the Foster Coordinator is to make sure you keep on fostering, so of course Michelle said "Does this mean I'm going to lose you as a foster?" when I broke the news to her that I want to keep Belly.

I am a foster "failure," as defined above, but keep in mind that while I didn't finish this fostering experience the way I had originally planned, I did make a mini-doxie a very happy member of a doxie family. Sam (my dachshund) and Grace (my first mini-dachshund) love her.

The question remains to those who are reading this...

Am I going to continue to foster dogs?

Why, of course I am. I'm addicted to the "feel-good" that comes from it.

Left to right, Isabelle "Belly"...then Gracie...then Sam Sam

There are local shelters that need your help. Can you open your home to a dog or cat for two weeks?

Franklin County Humane Society: www.plannedpethoodrockymount.com

Roanoke Valley SPCA: www.rvspca.org

Heart-Earned Cash

Aspen needs some of your "heart-earned" cash in order to survive.

My foster dog, Aspen, aka Lillian, aka Layla, needs help to be able to continue to live, as she has a heart condition that requires surgery. She has a loving adoptive family now, but her surgery will be... less than affordable. Can you help out?

Help us save her life...

Have a Heart for Aspen (aka Lillian, aka Layla)

I am devastated. One of our foster pups, Aspen (aka Lillian), is in need of heart surgery to save her life. If you have ever been touched by any of my foster dog stories, please check your wallet to see if you have one dollar or more to chip in to save this baby's life.

Click here to chip in to Aspen's heart surgery: http://onetail.chipin.com/aspens-heart-surgery

Information posted from One Tail at a Time Rescue:

Baby Aspen needs everyones help. She came to rescue however somehow a major medical was missed. In the meantime a loving couple adopted Aspen while we tried to figure out all that was wrong with Aspens heart. To know Aspen is to love her and so we didn't stop with the first diagnosis but went forward to a cardiologist who then he himself said to go to the specialist at Tufts. Along the way we realized this was becoming far out of the realm of our little rescues ability. While at Tufts the specialist gave everyone hope that surgery could help and give Aspen a chance at life. So will you help us to give Aspen and her family that chance? Every penny counts and our rescue is hoping to reach this goal as the procedure is expected to be twice that.

Sweet "Nilah" Needs a Foster Mom (or Dad)

This is a photo of the sweet girl, "Nilah," who is a 7 month old Shepherd mix currently being treated for non-contagious mange. Poor little thing...She is very stressed out in the shelter environment so it is taking her longer to recover. She desperately needs a loving and patient foster home while she is undergoing her treatment for the next couple of months.

Nilah would do better in a foster home without small children or other dogs.

Do you room in your home (and in your heart) for Nilah?

Call Angie at 540-339-9505 or download and send a foster application, available online at www.rvspca.org.

The Gift of the Vine

Wine Gourmet hosted a wine tasting on Saturday to benefit the Roanoke Valley SPCA. This event combined two of my favorite things: partaking in wine and saving animals. It was the first time I have wandered into the store on Electric Road, close to Katie's Ice Cream in Promenade Park. Wine Gourmet's support of Roanoke Valley SPCA has earned them a new wine-drinking customer. I am typically a red wine drinker, but I really enjoyed a white wine that they offered in the tasting, the Superstition Riesling Pinot Blanc.

From the Superstition wines website:

Superstition wine combines the crisp, fruity minerality of one of the world’s finest Rieslings with the creamy, nutty nuances of Pinot Blanc. The taste is spellbinding, as the Riesling’s food-friendliness harmonizes with the Pinot Blanc’s approachable softness.

I thought it was really clever of Wine Gourmet owner and staff to select a beautiful bottle with a cat pictured on the label, in honor of the RVSPCA.

I ended up buying a few bottles, as did my mother and my friend who accompanied me to the tasting. A delightful time was had by all. When you get a chance, stop by the store and thank them for hosting the event and giving the "gift of the vine" to support RVSPCA.

www.rvspca.org

2011 Pups In Review

2011 was a crazy puppy year for the Merritt family. We fostered 35 puppies in our home. (And folks say that having ONE puppy is tough! I love each one of the puppies, with their unique personalities and funny moments.

I wish the best to Max, Jackson, Rosalina, Kate, Omega, Rikki, Rita, Rose, Oreo, Muffin, Carrie, Caine, Cassie, Charity, Precious, Punkin, Dudley, Lillian, Jace, Alek, Rain, Jaken, William, Augie, Axel, Aubrey, Aaron, Austin, Arnie, Abe, Archer, Forrest, Jenny, Hannah, and Henry.

I remember the first foster pup like it was yesterday. Max is a beautiful yellow lab. He was "into" everything...or maybe it seemed that way because he was our first puppy experience in a long time. I put him in the cage at the shelter and wished him luck, and then I boo-hoo-cried all the way home. I snapped a quick photo of him before I left the SPCA.

Max was adopted very quickly. I know this because I checked the RVSPCA website every day until his picture disappeared. I bet he is laying on some lucky family's couch right now, watching football or chewing on a rawhide.

Jackson was an easy puppy. No chewing, no whining, rarely a puppy behavior in sight. Kevin was in love with this one. We almost became "foster failures" with this little cutie.

Rosalina gave me a poison ivy rash when I had to drag her scared little butt out of the bushes in my backyard. She was TERRIFIED. She warmed up to us, though, and I have heard that she was adopted by a lovely family who is friends with another adoptive family of another one of my foster pups, Omega. The kids and dogs in our house helped her to overcome some of her fears, and she is the poster child for my blog at the top of this page.

Kate's full name was "Duchess Catherine of Cambridge." We fostered her right after Prince William married Kate Middleton. Our royal foster pup came with us to games during Lindsay's softball season. She got lots of attention from the preteen softball players while they should've been keeping their eye on the ball.

Omega...what a handsome boy. Part Huskie, part lab...this guy looked like a blue-eyed, silver-haired lab puppy, only fluffier. A guy named Josh adopted Omega after seeing him on my blog. Josh came to several of our family outings because he loved Omega before he even adopted him. I'm thankful for adoptive daddies out there, and this guy was great!

The Rikki, Rita, and Rose Trilogy was our first attempt at having multiple foster puppies in the house. These ladies were seriously precious. Rose was much smaller and may have had another baby daddy...a hound perhaps (?). Rita and Rikki looked like American Bulldog mixes. I drew a quick picture of Rikki that still hangs on Lindsay's wall in her room.

I believe Oreo and Muffin might have been sisters, too, as they look like twins. I had them separately, two weeks at a time. Oreo's new name is "Lily" and lives with a wonderful family that I keep up with on Facebook. Muffin had a hot pink cast on one of her back legs.

Carrie, Caine, Cassie, and Charity were black lab pups. I remember laughing hysterically during feeding time, when these pups placed their entire bodies in the large feeding bowls in order to fend for themselves in getting every last morsel. I had to buy these babies colored collars to keep track of who-is-who.

Precious was...well, precious. An angel pup, she hung out with my hubs on the couch, and was full of soft kisses and love. I'm not sure if we put her down the whole time she was here. What a little lovey.

Our little Punkin was a larger puppy. She, like Rosalina, was timid at first, but at our house she learned that humans are not always awful. She enjoyed our dog pack (Sammy and Grace), and she had a blast playing with the kids. I am happy that we got to introduce her to a normal life.

Dudley was affectionately called Dumpster Dudley since he was found at a group of dumpsters in Franklin County. Seriously, what is wrong with people? I overcompensated for his sad start with lots of cuddling and lots of food. I'm a huge fan of emotional eating.

Lillian, aka Aspen, was our tiniest puppy (at that time), and we felt the need to hold a ruler up in some of her photos to show how little she was. She is so sweet, with a cute little kissable face.

The Fab Five: Jace, Alek, Rain, Jaken, William...what sweet black and choco-lab puppies! It was our largest foster litter yet, and perhaps one of the easiest. No one knew which of the pups was the cutest, and each one of us had a favorite. These guys were so very special to us. Here's a picture of the Fab Five while they lived in our home.

Then we had the "A" group...Augie, Axel, Aubrey, Aaron, Austin, Arnie, Abe, and Archer. Whew! Some of these guys are still available for adoption at Franklin County Humane Society. Axel had been attacked by larger dogs and left in a cardboard box to die. Arnie also had an abscess, assumably from a dog attack. I can only imagine the life that they had before the angels at Franklin County Humane Society saved their lives.

Axel, before he recovered fully from the dog attack

Finally, we had a group of four puppies: two chiweenies and two hound mix pups. The chiweenies, being a newish designer hybrid breed, got lots of attention from outside our house. I showed them off in my new Dooney & Bourke purse. I carried them to work with me. I had people contact me about them. What sweet babies they are! It is funny, though, how awesome the hound mix puppies were, and how little attention they were getting in comparison. I guess they "ain't nothing but" hound dogs. Hannah and Henry, my hound pups, were just as precious and beautiful. Luckily, all four of these pups have found furever homes.

I am so fortunate to have had the fostering experience in my life. Great memories were made with each of the foster pups. I encourage everyone I know to look within himself to see if he can spare some time for a foster pup in his home.

Foster opportunities are available at:
Roanoke Valley SPCA: 540-339-9505
and Franklin County Humane Society

Lindsay's Writing Assignment

My daughter, Lindsay, is 10 years old. She will be turning 11 in just a few days. Lindsay never ceases to amaze me with the beautiful way she looks at life. Today I was reading the papers that came home in her folder from school, and I happened across a lovely piece of writing about Lindsay's take on dog fostering. I thought it would be nice to share this with you.

Her writing assignment consisted of composing a letter to her teachers detailing her favorite part of the holiday weekend. Keep in mind that on the weekend referenced in the letter, Lindsay enjoyed playtime with friends and a splendid New Year's Eve Party (and she was allowed to stay up to see the ball drop). Yet, she chose to write about her experience with fostering puppies in our home.

It makes me so happy to participate in a volunteer activity that my daughter enjoys so much.

If you are interested in fostering a pet in your home, click here to contact a local shelter:
* Franklin County Humane Society
* Roanoke Valley SPCA

Check out the right side of my blog...look at how many puppies I have had the opportunity to help in just a short time. It is truly a rewarding experience.

Forrest and Jenny: The Chiweenies

Chiweenies....they're all the rage right now. Chiweenies are Chihuahua/Dachshund mix pups. While they are known as chiweenies, I fondly call my two "dachuahuas" because I like the way it rolls off the tongue.

These two babies are spoken for; so don't get your hopes up. 1,001 people have asked me if I can post pictures of these two little lovies.

These two are taken, but do not fear! There are plenty of pups that would love the warmth of your home. For more photos on adoptable pups: www.plannedpethoodrockymount.com