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.
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
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