Lack of communication

I apologize for not posting recently. This post is to let you all know that I don't foresee this blog having many/any more posts unless I decide to redirect the focus of the entire blog.

I am no longer fostering dogs. Through a weird series of mis communication, lack of communication and stupid events, it has come to light that NH is not a state in which BFDR is licensed to foster dogs at this time. Due to how this came to light, I am not seeking another rescue to assist at this time. I feel a bit burnt by the situation and am not prepared to try again at this time.

Ooops...we did it again!

To those of you that thought we wouldn't wait long between fosters....

I give..you were right! Welcome Styx!
Thank you SO much to Judy and her husband, who adopted from Big Fluffy Dog in January, for volunteering when we needed help getting him from Mass to me, in NH on the last leg of his journey.SO appreciated~!!!

Nathan the Wonder Dog Update!

Bonus S'mores photo!

I received an email from Nathan's mom yesterday morning letting me know the little bugger is doing well. He has been well mannered with everyone he has encountered, furry and otherwise. He got a good nights sleep on a new doggy bed and he has been doing pretty well on his leash and walks. I am so happy that he is adjusting well - but had very little doubt he wouldn't. He is just a very laid back guy - and if you are offering food, toys, a bed and a regular schedule of scratches behind the ears he sees no reason to complain. I hear his new kitty siblings are keeping him in line, and that was my biggest concern. He did well with our bunny, but we were diligent when they were together, so he didn't have much of a chance to do otherwise. Kitties are going to be less supervised, and not caged. My thought is if he didn't chase, mangle or eat a bunny then some kitties are probably going to be alright. Besides, kitty has much better defense and retreat mechanisms than our cute little S'mores.

Nathan was trustworthy in this sense, too...so someday Jenn and Keith can reproduce without fear! lol

 

 

Jenn and Keith also sent along some photos to update us on Nathan's new life, and said that sharing with you all would be great =) 

Introducing BRUSCHI ! 

As you can see, he was well mannered in the car

And relaxed...

VERY Relaxed

He appreciates a nice treat =)

And takes a walk with his Dad.

Yes, Keith is a huge Pats fan and Nathan has a new name...and I love it SOOO much better than Nathan.

Did I ever mention that it took us a month before we all remembered his name was Nathan? 

Well, It did. 

We called out about 20 different things every time someone wanted his attention.

Or stared at each other blankly and whispered "What's the new dog's name again?" 

I was most often guilty of yelling "Larry!" 

Why? Why do I do anything, really.

I think Bruschi suits him.

Jenn and Keith suit him just fine, too =)

Our First Success !

Nathan the Wonder Dog did indeed go to his new forever home today. Jenn and Keith ( who are wicked nice, incidentally ) came to meet him and loved him. Which is good, because he loved them, too. I think Nathan is going to have an amazing home with them, and I am SO happy that we could be a part of getting him there. In the beginning, we were worried that it would be an incredibly difficult and emotional thing to let our foster go - but as it turns out while we will miss his big brown eyes and the thumping of his tail- and everything else that goes along with Nathan, we are just SO glad he is going to go make someone the perfect pet. This process is amazing. From the rescue getting ahold of the dog at the pound and making sure they are ready to be placed in a foster, to the people that tirelessly truck the dogs up to us from down south, to the foster families that keep them in their homes and hearts only until the rescue finds just the right family to be theirs - it's SO rewarding to save a happy, furry little soul that would have been put to sleep if no one made the effort of rescuing them. The process itself is amazing. The dogs are amazing. The people that are invlved with every step are amazing.

Jenn and Keith were SO clearly the right humans for our Nathan, that it was impossible to feel bad that he was leaving with them. I'm getting teary now like an idiot - but I feel nothing but happiness. We started this fostering thing for two reasons. We weren't sure we were ready for more than one dog to be added to our family, and we wanted to help save some lives. We adopted Phoenix and it seemed selfish of us to only help one more dog. Given the finances, Id take them all. Fostering allows us to help as many dogs as the rescue will fix us up with. I like knowing we are able to save as many as possible.

And after seeing Jenn, Keith and Nathan getting to know eachother, I have come to the conclusion that when we find the RIGHT next dog for us, we will know it. Nathan wasn't it - he was waiting for HIS new family. Until  we find that right match, we have plenty of time  to help some more furbabies while they wait for their new families.

Jenn, Keith and Nathan  - Family <3

Last trip

Today appears to have been Nathan's final trip with us. In a couple of days, on Sunday, a very nice couple will be driving 2 hours to meet, and hopefully adopt him into his forever home. Today we took him along on our hike and the dogs got to play in the water and walk the trails with the kids and I. Here's hoping Nathan's new family is as good to him as he has been to us. Dopey, goofy and doesn't listen for sh*t...but he's a good dog - a good boy. He will be a wonderful addition to anyone's home. Here he will be missed, but we are all very excited he will be in a new, loving, permanent home.

We are grateful to have made it through this first foster experience intact. It's been very rewarding knowing we could help by having him here with us, while just the right family looked for and chose him to come be a member of their family. I hope to someday receive pictures in my email of a plump, happy, graying well loved version of our pal, Nathan. That's a long long way from his beginnings down South that nearly ended in euthanasia. THAT'S what fostering for a rescue is all about.  <3

Nathan, Phoenix and the kids at Gonic Walking Trails

Adios, Nathan the Wonder Dog !

A face EVERYONE'S mother could love...

Someone needs to save us. I don't have the cash flow to adopt a new pup, and I volunteered to foster as a way to help more than one. We adopted Phoenix and that was our "good adoption deed". Now we want to impact as many pups lives as we can. Holding them here in our home and in our heart only until their forever family finds them online and realizes through a simple picture and a few offhanded comments describing the dog that they simply cannot live without him. He is the member of the family they have been waiting for. Well people, this isn't going to happen for Nathan if it doesn't hurry up and get it over with. He is feeling too much like a member of OUR family- and that wasn't the plan. I am determined to NOT be a foster failure. We are NOT going to adopt Nathan. His family is out there somewhere - and the sooner he finds it the better for him. He needs the stability of one home and one family. HIS family. Help me find it so that we can take in another pup and help again. Help me find it so our heart breaks into fewer pieces when Nathan goes....

He needs his HOME, folks - 

do you know anyone who might be it?

If it's you, please contact

Big Fuffy Dog Rescue

BFDR is in SERIOUS need of a new cargo van!

The rescue that we are fostering Nathan for is in serious need of a new cargo van. SO many people put SO much work and time -all volunteer - into this rescue, and a cargo van would go a LONG way to helping the effort they make every single day.
If you are an animal - especially dog- lover and have EVER considered helping out a rescue PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE consider making ANY size donation toward the purchase of their cargo van. They are currently at 11% of their goal. I know that if you are here reading, you have SOME interest in dogs, rescues, fostering etc. This is a wonderful opportunity for you to help save lives that requires MINIMAL inconvenience to you. I will ALWAYS support fostering, IF that is how you are able and willing to help - but if you want to be able to help and not make a huge commitment, this is where you can start.

DONATE HERE TO BIG FLUFFY DOG RESCUE'S CARGO VAN PURCHASE!

If you have a business, consider posting this SIGN and putting out a donation jar - and you can donate the proceeds to the BFDR cargo van via the link, above!

Big Fluffies everywhere appreciate your support!

Contemplating..

So, I am contemplating taking another foster in. I'd love to be one of those families with 5 rescues in their home, waiting for their forever home at any given time - but I can't do that obviously. I do think we could manage another rather nicely, though. The problem is financial, in all honesty. That sort of makes me mad, because we are in a living situation where we can do so much more than we are. Big house, lots of hands to help and love. Good natured dogs in the home, willing to accept others into the pack. People always home, big fenced in back yard. The question is literally figuring out how much dog food, treats and flea control we can afford to buy per month. I cannot tell you how frustrated I am that how much help I can provide is determined by how much I can afford to spend. Our financial ends never meet- and not for a lack of trying. Money tying our hands is not a new concept - and neither is the frustration associated with it.

Is there such a thing as a sponsor for foster families? I wish my wallet wasn't able to limit what my heart and willingness to help are capable of.

Where to begin...?

How about back at the beginning? 

A month ago today, my family entered the thrilling, roller coaster ride of fostering rescue dogs while they await their "furever families". I decided we should probably keep a record or journal of how this is all going to work out. Chronicling the effort not only for my family, but as a way for BFDR to keep an eye on the rather lovely animals they entrust to us. A place for us to provide pictures, stories and progress reports on the pups, and maybe a place for BFDR to refer people who just may be a perfect fit for the dogs we foster. I am a softie. When it comes to babies and furbabies. I want to save every single child or dog that lacks a home. By save, I mean grace a creature who is lacking a "home" with a taste of what it is like to belong to one.  I've wanted to do this for quite some time - but always figured I probably had my hands full enough. Ten kids in the house will do that to you, I hear. Fostering is a big decision. It requires your entire family to not only consent - but to embrace the idea. 'Cause let's be honest here, everyone will need to chip in and help at one time or another. About a year and a half ago, we began discussing getting a dog. Looking in our area ( We live in Somersworth, NH ), your options, in my humble opinion are as follows:

1. Buy a pup from a pet store. You know, a dog that was most likely the product of a puppy mill - something no animal lover in their right mind wants to do. Maybe buy a nifty "designer breed". You know, a puggle - a morkie or maybe a schnoodle, that will cost you, no doubt, a tidy sum. Far more than anyone buying a mutt should be paying.
2. Search Craigslist ( or something like it) . Find a wonderful companion that most likely came from no.1, above - was backyard bred for a quick, irresponsible ( to the dog in mention, but to the process of furthering the quality of a particular breed in general) buck, an accidental litter,or is from a "reseller"- someone who either steals or gets a pup for free, with the intention of making money - and not caring about the life the dog is going to have. This dog will most likely NOT be vetted , vaccinated  or trained. Your big bucks spent here on the "small rehoming fee" is entirely to line the pockets of a jerk who doesn't want his dog anymore.I'll be honest, I have an entire Craigslist rant - that I will save for another time.
3. Word of mouth - Basically just hope one of your friends has a friend, who knows a lady whos uncle has an "X" that he needs to get rid of, like yesterday. Then start to hope that "X" was raised to be socialized with both people and animals, and has never had any "issues". Like ohhhhh, biting little Tommy's face - or killing nice old Mrs. Chasse's prized kitty, "Mr.Bojangles"
4. Reputable breeder . The kind of people that want nothing more than to promote responsible breeding and ownership of a particular breed. These people, if they do it right, and aren't making bank on the dog some other way (doggie modeling, perhaps? Doggie stunt doubles?), never really MAKE any money in the process. Because let's face it- genetic testing, vetting, feeding housing and caring for a particular breed is damned expensive. This is quite clearly the most responsible, loving way to honor the dog in general, but also to assure you are adding a healthy, disease and defect free, temperment and breed specific trait based bred and raised furbaby to your family. And most expensive way, as well. Oh- and while you can find equally expensive pets on Craigslist- they are NOT- dont even think they MAY be - the quality, healthy, well cared for, responsibly raised animals that a REPUTABLE, KNOWLEDGABLE, RESPONSIBLE  breeder is going to provide you with. 

Looks like my decision is pretty easy to make, no? No. I am broke. I am far too convinced my beliefs regarding the proper, reputable, respectable manner in which to bring more dogs into the world is RIGHT, and the others are wrong.

SO, how did I happen to fall into becoming a foster momma?

It goes a little something like this:

Phoenix.

No, not the alarmingly hot and dry city in Arizona. Our adopted pup from a shelter in Greenville, SC. We were ready to add a pup to our family and I not only cannot afford a breeders prices at this time, but wanted to give a home to a dog that would otherwise be put to sleep. Someone referred us to Greenville and we spent a few weeks browsing the email sent to us weekly listing their dogs to be euthanized. Eventually we came across one pup that I don't even rememeber the name of at the moment and we emailed the shelter. Greenville is responsible and run by very caring people - they suggested that our choice may not be right for our family and introduced us to the idea of Phoenix. Something about her super sad puppy face in the kennel spoke to me and I felt she was it. The family agreed ( not an easy thing to come by with 13 people lol ). So, we paid her pull fee to save her life. $60.00. Sad that it takes so little to save a life. Sadder still that so few get saved.We then arranged transport through an amazing non profit who hauls vanloads of adopted and rescued dogs up north, every week. Two weeks later Kaylee and I drove an hour away and met the transport van in Nashua, NH. We were presented with a happy, shy, friendly...grateful...freshly fixed, microchipped, fully vaccinated dog. So we took her home -

She eventually learned what toys were and while she still wont fetch, she does sit, stay, get down, comes when called, sleeps in bed with whoever will allow it and can chase a ball with the best of them. Just don't expect her to bring it back lol






Now, a year later we were beginning to feel like Weenie (aka Phoenix) would really benefit from a pal. About the same time I was trying to figure out how we were going to add another pup to our family, the tornados hit Tennessee, displacing many many dogs and puppies from homes as well as foster situations. Big Fluffy Dog Rescue is a group I follow and repost info for on Facebook, in hopes of being able to help from a distance, and they were in dire need to place foster pups in New England. On a whim I offered, filled out the application - and waited. Two weeks later Kaylee, Rylie and I were on our way to Salem to meet BFDR transport and pick up Nathan =)

   

As you  can probably see, we were right, Weenie needed a pal. It will be a sad day when Nathan goes to his new forever home.

But this is what it's all about...doing the best you can to help where it's needed. Fostering is important. It's necessary. It's rewarding. If you can do it, please do - it's so worth it!