Proud to be a Crazy Dog Lady

How many dogs do I have now? How many dogs do I want? How many is too many? How many is just right? These are all questions I'm often asked by others, but also very real things I have to regularly ask myself. I've been struggling with limits the past couple of weeks. Frankly, I've always had a hard time saying no when it comes to dogs. Rescue is hard. It's not all warm and fuzzy like a lot of people want to believe. While fostering is incredibly rewarding, it has its difficulties like anything else. It's a personal commitment and with that come a lot of tough choices and less than perfect moments. At first I thought the only hard part would be saying goodbye when fosters go on transport or get adopted. I forgot about the whole self-control issue. Where do I draw the line?

I have three dogs of my own and a wonderful husband who is there to help every step of the way. We agreed to foster one at a time on top of our own, making a total of four dogs in our house. I grew up with three dogs, so four didn't seem like that many to me. Drew told me four is approaching his "crazy limit". I thought to myself, I don't think I have a crazy limit...I could never have too many dogs! Wrong. Not wrong in a bad way, just wrong in a naive way. I'm always wanting more, whether it's the next one I see on Facebook or one I work with in charm school. My heart breaks for them all, but I know I can't save them all. Yet I'm always pushing, angling, and negotiating with Drew in hopes that he'll let me bring in another. So a couple weeks ago I finally did it: I found my crazy limit.

While Drew was out of town, I brought home a fifth dog. I wanted to try it out and see if I could handle five. After all, I can never have too many dogs, right? I got my answer two days into my five dog extravaganza: five is indeed too many for me. I often feel guilty because I have the space and desire to take more animals in, but those are not the only deciding factors in the equation. Maybe if I had five super mega chill Olivers it would be just fine. Maybe if I had more than one incredibly high maintenance Flea I'd be on overload. The crazy limit number is highly subjective and it tends to fluctuate with lifestyle, personalities, finances, etc. I realized how helpful it is to have a partner to share the responsibilities and how important it is to appreciate what you already have. Everyone has personal limits and ours are all likely different from each others'. When you find them, honor and respect them.

Do I still dream about a dog farm? Of course. Does the crazy dog lady part of me still want to take in every dog I see? Most of the time, yes. But I now know I can be happy with four and that I have to respect that for my own sanity, my husband's sanity, and for the well-being of the dogs I already have. When I have too many, nobody feels good. Everyone is stressed, irritated, and confused. This defeats the purpose of what fostering is about: bettering the lives of dogs in need and helping them adapt smoothly into normal household life.

Does this mean five dogs is too many across the board? No! I know plenty of people who have many many more than just five and somehow manage it perfectly. I also know others who prefer one or two at a time, and that's just fine too. These are personal limits; one size doesn't fit all, but everyone has them. Discovering and accepting mine is another growth step in this journey. This is a hard lesson for me. I'll probably always have to work hard to remember why it's important to abide by my limits, but at least now my head has the experience to put my heart in its place when I'm tempted to get carried away. Fostering is such an amazing experience; every day presents new challenges and victories. Thanks for letting me share my struggles in addition to the happy tails!

2 Week Update: Cowboy

Today marks two weeks into Cowboy's heartworm treatment. He's been with us for four weeks total now. Cowboy is doing really well so far. He had one fairly rough day last week and chose to spend most of the day in his crate voluntarily. He had slight coughing and gagging going on, but nothing bad. Oliver's "bad days" during his treatment were much worse and greater in number, but he had a much heavier heartworm infestation than Cowboy. While Cowboy's a pretty chill guy anyway, he does like to play so it's been a challenge keeping him calm. His heart rate has to stay low so that the Immiticide can work without harming him.

For those of you who aren't familiar with the heartworm treatment process (as I wasn't before Oliver), Immiticide is an arsenic-based drug that is injected intramuscularly into the dog's lower back. The Immiticide will kill the adult heartworms that clog the dog's heart. Obviously, arsenic is toxic, very hard on the dog's system, and causes adverse side effects. On top of this, the dog must stay calm for the 4-6 week recovery period in order to diminish the risk of pulmonary embolism caused by the dead worms getting stuck in the lungs. At the 30 day mark, Cowboy will get an oral administration of Ivermectin to get rid of any eggs left behind. While the process is arduous, it is well worth it for most dogs. Heartworms look like full-length spaghetti noodles jamming up the heart, lungs, and surrounding blood vessels. Google image it. It's not a pretty way to go: left untreated, heartworms may cause all kinds of awful problems and will ultimately lead to congestive heart failure. In the final stages of untreated infestation, a dog's chest will be visibly bulging with heartworms.

Anyway, all of that to say PLEASE be sure to give your dogs their monthly heartworm preventative in addition to flea and tick control. It's a small price to pay to ensure your dog's ticker stays healthy. Heartworms are rampant in the south because they are spread by infected mosquitoes. I can't even tell you how many dogs come into our shelter HW+. It's horrible. As an added precaution, I give my dogs a flea preventative that also repels mosquitoes (ticks, mites, and lice as well, but they don't have anything to do with heartworms) in addition to their monthly heartworm preventative. Because heartworms or not, nobody likes itchy mosquito bites!

Long story (PSA, rather) short, Cowboy is hanging in there just fine. I couldn't resist including some pathetically adorable photos of him doing his best to rest. He's just so darn lovable! Also, if you'd like to take a look back at Oliver's journey through heartworm treatment, here's a link to a previous blog post about it: http://ohfortheloveofdogs.blogspot.com/2011/12/oliver-our-very-first-foster-dog.html
In the meantime, keep your paws crossed for Cowboy! He's a trooper. AND if you'd like to help more HW+ dogs at the DeKalb County shelter get treated, here's a link to the group that funds their treatment: http://friendsofdekalbanimals.com/

Happy Tail: Mr. McRuff

Look at all those smiles!

Tug of War Buddies!

I'm super excited to announce that Mr. McRuff went home with his forever family! The day after he arrived at Pets Alive in Middletown, NY, McRuff's new people took him home. Thanks so much to everyone who played a part in McRuff's journey and to his wonderful new family for allowing me to share their pictures. From the looks of the photos and video, McRuff is going to have a fantastic life. His family is so thrilled to have him and I am grateful that McRuff will be comfortable, loved, and appreciated for years to come. McRuff is a very energetic and cheerful little guy; I know he will bring his new family tons of joy!

McRuff's McTransport Day!

Mr. McRuff leaves us  today to board the FODA van and head to Pets Alive in NY. We wish the best for this scrufftastic little dude! Pets Alive will do an awesome job finding the perfect people for him...hope they love to play tug of war all day long! If you'd like to learn about or donate to Pets Alive or FODA so they can continue rescuing animals from DeKalb County Animal Services, please click the links below.

Good luck, McRuff!

 

Pets Alive: http://petsalive.com/

FODA: http://friendsofdekalbanimals.com/

Meet Mr. McRuff!

Before and After

Kiss Attack!

I'm scruff-tacular!

This adorable little scruff-butt is Mr. McRuff. He is a small male Yorky x something mix (maybe Cairn Terrier or Schnauzer?). He came into DeKalb County Animal Services as a stray. I think he's pretty young; he's very playful, has healthy white teeth, and loves to spend hours chewing on his toys. McRuff is too darn cute for his own good. He follows me around wherever I go and looks up at me with his little mustached face like, "Lady, how can you resist playing with me?" When I sit down to eat dinner, McRuff lays down at my feet by my chair and sleeps. He's super friendly with other dogs and he loves to play tug of war with anyone who's willing to participate. His little paws are so soft and silky, too.

McRuff is getting the hang of house training pretty well, but it's been raining here for four days straight so it's tough to perfect. When the sun comes out, I think he'll have no problems knowing when and where to go potty. He sleeps in his crate quietly and happily all night. He is heartworm negative, neutered, and knows how to sit. He picked up on his name really fast. McRuff is scheduled for transport with FODA this Saturday. He's heading to Pets Alive in NY, the same group that took Cindy Lou Who in December. While he's a super temporary resident of our household, McRuff has already won me over and made himself right at home. I have no doubt he'll make somebody up north a really great little buddy! I hope his forever family is ready for tons and tons of super sweet scruffy kisses!

Yes, I'm cute and scruffy

Um hello, I'm down here!

48 Hours: Cowboy's Heartworm Treatment

Sleepy Cow & Pity Hound

I dropped Cowboy off at DeKalb County Animal Services yesterday morning to begin his heartworm treatment. This first stage consists of two injections spaced apart by 24 hours (one yesterday and one today). For a refresher course on heartworm treatment, check out my older posts on Oliver's treatment to find out why it's so crucial that Cowboy remains calm through his recovery. Cowboy stayed at the shelter overnight in the vet trailer. I picked him up this afternoon and he's definitely sad and sore, but doing ok so far. He will be on strict cage rest and not allowed to go off-leash in the yard for the next four weeks. Cowboy's a pretty playful guy, so it's going to be a fairly tall order to keep him calm for the next several weeks. At the 30 day mark, he'll get an oral dose and then require two more weeks of rest before he can gradually return to normal. This was no problem at all with Oliver because he's so chill. While Cowboy's also a very mild-mannered guy, he is much younger than Oliver and I'm a little more nervous about keeping him still. Regardless of my nerves, I know it will all be ok. He's a really good boy and loves to snuggle, so if I have to sit on the floor and rub his belly for the next six weeks straight in order to keep him calm, that's just what I'll do.

We took Cowboy out a few times over the past week to get him some good exercise before his treatment. All of these pictures show Cowboy getting some fresh air and having big adventures. Oliver missed Cowboy a bunch while he was at the shelter getting his shots. He was a very mopey old hound and he's super glad that Cowboy's back home now, even though he can't be rowdy with him. I explained to Oliver that Cowboy is going through what he went through this time last year. Ollie seems to understand. I hope he can make Cowboy feel better by somehow telling him that it's worth all the cage rest in the world to have a healthy heart. Houndy is such a sweet empathetic old guy; I know he'll be by Cowboy's side the whole way through his recovery keeping him company in his own quiet soulful way. They are best buds and lucky for Cows, Mr. Hound excels at commiserating and moping. Hang in there, Mr. Pokey Nose! We'll make it through together one step at a time.

Cowboy at Piedmont Park

Cowboy at Grant Park

Out and about with Oliver

Checking out the ducks

Let's go!

HUGE thanks to Dr. Cochran and everyone at DeKalb Animal Services for their work, Friends of DeKalb Animals, and See Spot Rescued for making Cowboy's heartworm treatment possible. If you'd like to donate to either of these groups so that they can continue to rescue and fund heartworm positive dogs like Cowboy, links to their websites are below.

FODA: http://friendsofdekalbanimals.com/

SSR: https://www.facebook.com/seespotrescued/app_190322544333196

Home on the Range

Just another update on Cowboy Cody: he's doing great! We've seen a lot more of his personality come out this past week. He's still very laid back and docile, but much more lovey dovey than he initially let us think. He's a big handsome mushmellow! We adore him. He still loves belly rubs more than anything, but he also loves big old full body cuddles. If you sit on the floor, he'll start by rolling over on his belly for a rub, then he'll upside down crawl/roll his way up onto your lap and just nuzzle you with his head as long as you'll let him. I'm a face squisher and he's not too keen on that yet, but he's learning to love it. I just can't resist with that big old nose of his! If you're sitting in a chair or on the couch, he'll come up and put his big old head on your lap like, "Pleeeeeez let me up...why can't I come uppppp". It's so sad and adorable. It's super tough to stand up to his charm, but we're still not letting him up on the furniture. He's a big dog; there's a good chance his forever family might not appreciate him being up on the furniture. Not to mention there's just not enough furniture in our house to hold all our dogs and us during evening TV time. Goodness. Although I do secretly hope his future family spoils him rotten and lets him hog the couch. He deserves that. He's still sleeping perfectly in his dog bed. We got him an extra large crate so that he has plenty of space to spread out while we're gone. He doesn't mind it one bit. He's fully house trained now and doing well in every other aspect of household life. Cowboy's scheduled to begin his heartworm treatment on Monday. I'll keep you all posted about that as we go through it. In the meantime, here are some more pictures!