Shelter Kitties

Here's yet another post about cats on my dog blog. It's sort of a product plug, too. I had a bunch of cat shampoo leftover from Annie, so yesterday I used the rest of it to wash some of the shelter kitties. This stuff is really great: Vet's Best Waterless Cat Shampoo. It's just a foaming leave-on cleanser that you massage into the cats' fur. Surprise: they actually enjoy it!

I mentioned in my posts about Annie how difficult it is for cats, particularly kittens, to stay healthy in a shelter environment. I learned something kind of gross through fostering Annie, but it helped me begin to understand a little bit of what shelter cats go through. Cats are obsessive self-groomers. Most of us have seen a cat lick its leg a few times, swipe it over its face, and then repeat the process multiple times. Here's the thing, when cats are sick with an upper respiratory virus like Annie's, they don't stop grooming themselves just because they've got runny noses and goopy eyes. As the yucky stuff gets smeared on their legs and faces, they continue to lick and groom, which results in them ingesting and spreading the junk continually. Gross, I know, but I wouldn't have thought of it if the shelter staff hadn't explained it to me. I'm really glad they did. By the time Annie came home with us, her front legs were super covered in crusty old dried up glue. So the first thing we did was give her a bath with this shampoo. It loosened up the gunk enough to rub it away with a towel. Then once she dried, her fur was silky soft and good as new.
 
While I'm not claiming this shampoo is all a cat needs to kick a cold, it certainly helps give a better chance of recovery if the cat isn't re-contaminating itself 24/7. Of course getting out of the shelter is still the best thing for a cat, but in the meantime I figured I'd do this small little thing to maybe help some of them have a fighting chance. If nothing else, a few cats and kittens got some extra love, a great massage, and shiny fur to show off because of it. These are a few of the kitties I washed yesterday. They're all at DeKalb County Animal Services, just like Annie was, and they're all hoping to find furever homes where they can lead healthy and happy lives. More information on adoptable pets can be found on the shelter's Petfinder page: http://www.petfinder.com/pet-search?animal=&breed=&age=&size=&specialNeeds=&declawedPets=&children=&status=&id=&internal=&contact=&name=&shelterid=GA423&sort=&preview=

Also, here's an Amazon link if anyone is interested in the cat shampoo: http://www.amazon.com/Veterinarians-Best-Clean-Waterless-Bath/dp/B0002AQN2M

Annie's Adoption

I normally like to write regular updates, but my behind-the-ball posting just means this entry is one big pile of great news: Annie is fully recovered and adopted!

After leaving the shelter, it only took about 2-3 days before Annie showed improvement. This little kitty really is a fighter. You can see her yucky runny nose in this first picture, taken just a couple of days after she moved in with us. Annie's strong playful spirit shines through in this picture, despite her condition. Once we washed all the snotty gunk off her fur with an awesome waterless cat shampoo, she turned into a silky soft cuddle buddy. She still looks little bitty here, but she quickly doubled in size as her health improved.

Annie loves toys so much. Her yellow spring made a huge splash, but her all-time favorites are little furry mice. Seeing her run and play like a healthy kitten made us feel awesome. She is so sweet and well-behaved. We hardly even knew she was here the first week we had her.

So many people ask how we could "give up" Annie. It's not a matter of giving her up, it's handing her over to the home she deserves. If you look back to my very first blog post, I voiced a similar concern about saying goodbye to a foster animal upon adoption. The emotional attachment is inevitable, but the reward of knowing you made a difference is so great. There are so many homeless pets out there who need foster homes, so we have to say goodbye to Annie in order to keep our door open to others who need her place.

Also, Annie deserved a much better home than we could have ever given her. Our three dogs thought she would make a tasty Scooby Snack and just could not control themselves around her. Poor Annie lived in an extra large dog crate in our guest closet while she was sick. Once she got better, we moved her to the laundry room where she could roam freely. Still, she was so lonely and bored. She only got about an hour of human interaction each day, which is far from what a cat craves. Although safe, healthy, and much better off than she had been at the shelter, Annie deserved more.

Annie's new mom is lucky to have such a wonderful kitty, but Annie is just as lucky to have a loving home where she can play and grow. Not only does Annie get a great mom, but she also has two feline siblings: Charlie and Kara. Kara is older, but Charlie is feisty and is very glad to have a new playmate to keep him entertained. Annie will never be bored or lonely again. (By the way, Annie had a brother who came into the shelter with her. He has since been adopted also!)

Annie's adoption is also a big deal for the shelter. She was DeKalb County Animal Services' very first foster animal and the very first to be adopted! We are so excited about the shelter's foster program and we hope to see it grow into a strong network. If you want to get involved, please let me know. This is an awesome way to help homeless animals get a fresh start and find the homes they deserve.

We couldn't have hoped for a better new beginning for little orphan Annie. Best wishes, kitty! 

So, we learned that we are definitely dog fosters. We managed, but it certainly was not an ideal situation for Annie or our own motley crew. Our dogs were really stressed and although Annie didn't seem to mind them one bit, it was not fair to keep her cooped up all the time. Nonetheless, she is safe, healthy, and happy now.

And hey, we did it! We fostered successfully! We are super excited to continue our foster journey. For now, we'll take a short break while I finish this semester. Maybe soon I'll get a chance to post an update on the dogs, since it's been so long. I think some new fun pictures are in order.

Annie the Kitten

I know this blog's title suggests that it will be all about dogs, but it turns out that's not the case. It's actually all about fostering. Yes, I created it thinking that I'd only be a foster dog mom, but alas, there is an unexpected twist around every corner in this life. I went to DeKalb County Animal Services yesterday for our weekly CHARM school dog socialization session. I came home +1 very sick little kitty. Her name is Annie and she is a 4 month old gray and white domestic shorthair. Those of you who know me know that I am a die hard dog person. It's not that I dislike cats, but rather that I know nothing of them and tend to prefer the warmth and companionship of the canine sort.

Regardless, it didn't take much to talk me into loading Annie up into the car last night. She came in as a stray and is suffering from a bad upper respiratory infection. It's very common for kittens to come down with URIs, but it's extremely difficult for them to recover in a stressful shelter environment. Annie was not improving. She went from snotty and wheezy to sneezing blood, even after being on antibiotics for two weeks. Infection is always rough on a small kitten's system. Annie was to be euthanized the next morning before the infection had a chance to ravage her poor little body.

Maybe I'm a sucker. Maybe I'm a madwoman. Maybe I should have talked to my husband before bringing home a cat. In case you haven't caught on, all of these "maybes" are certainties. In spite of my impulsiveness, Annie has a quiet place to sleep tonight. She is still sneezing blood, but she maintains a great energy level. She's a fighter and that's why the folks at DeKalb so desperately wanted to see her have a second chance. I'm not sure yet if she'll make it through, but we're doing our best to help her recover. Please share Annie's story. Once she regains her health, she will be available for adoption through DeKalb County Animal Services. Her information is listed here: http://www.adoptapet.com/pet/7734645-decatur-georgia-kitten

Total FURmination

Shedding sucks. It drives me crazy. Until Oliver came along, I'd had only short-haired dogs for the past ten years or so. When I was a kid we had a Husky and a Rottie/Lab/Shepherd mix, both of which shed tremendously, but I guess the tumbleweeds of fur rolling around never made an impression on me back then since I wasn't the one who had to clean them up. Oliver reminded me just how annoying shedding can be.

We try to keep a very clean house. Drew really stays on top of everything and specifically makes certain to vacuum every 3-4 days. Doing so with short-haired dogs isn't a problem at all. Anybody out there reading this who has ever had a Lab knows that we're talking about an entirely different level of shedding. Ollie's fur was killing our poor vacuum. All three dogs get baths each Sunday in the spare tub; we were going through a large jug of Drano every other week. Dog hair was taking over our lives.

Then we bought the Furminator. Everything changed. No more tumbleweeds, no more drain clogging, no more fur-coated dryer lint screen. I was skeptical that this simple little tool would be worth its $50 sticker price and reduce Ollie's shedding, but I am here to attest that the Furminator is worth its weight in gold. The first time we used it, we'd filled a grocery bag with Oliver hair in less than 30 minutes. A week later, I spent 45 minutes and filled another grocery bag. Not joking.

After using the Furminator just twice, Oliver's coat is smoother, shinier, softer, and comparatively shed-free. Hardly any fur came off of him at all the last time I gave him a bath. I don't think there's been such an awesome dog product since KONG toys first came out forever ago. The Furminator is simply unbelievable. It saved us from a tidal wave of dog hair and gives Oliver some relief from his uber shedding double coat. If your dog is a serious shedder, give this thing a try. Just be sure to use a regular brush to gently comb out any knots before using the Furminator. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Oliver's Home Forever

Well, Oliver's adoption story has come to an end. I started to type, "an unexpected end", but then I remembered that this is the sort of outcome we were concerned about all along. So I suppose it isn't entirely surprising to sit here and type a post on how we came to adopt Oliver.

About a week ago, I decided to part ways with the rescue group I'd been involved with for the last two years. We had two options: either leave Oliver with the group or break our foster agreement and adopt him ourselves. While the situation didn't play out exactly the way I'd hoped it would, it wasn't a difficult decision to sign Oliver's adoption contract.

 

Ollie has been with us for six months and he has settled in so well. During all of this time, the few adoption prospects he had didn't pan out. Since we brought him home from the county shelter on December 7th, Oliver has been nothing short of a natural fit into our household. He has since overcome so many health obstacles, has bonded with Bunkin and Flea to form a happy little pack, and has gotten comfortable enough to allow himself to fully relax. After so much time and all of this, Drew and I both felt that it wouldn't be fair to Ollie to uproot him yet again. This sweethearted guy belongs with us. 

It's bittersweet, because I will always associate the addition of Oliver into our little family with the ugly end of my time with our rescue group. That hurts my heart, but it's neither here nor there. We will remain deeply involved in dog rescue and we will foster again for another group once I've settled into school. As far as I'm concerned, Oliver's adoption isn't a story of foster failure, but rather a huge success both for us and for him. Ollie is happy, healthy, and finally has a family who will truly love him forever. It just happened to be us.

Ollie's last day included many special treats

UPDATE 10/17/19: We let Oliver follow his best friend, Bunkin, over the bridge today. After spending eight wonderful years as part of our brown dog family, Ollie let us know he was tired and ready to go. We never knew - since day one - how long we'd have with Oliver, as he was kinda like that car you got with 100,000 miles on it that still ran perfectly well considering its history. We'd seen Oliver through heartworm treatment, knew he'd been hit by a car at some point and healed on his own, seen the effects of early arthritis, and addressed dental disease and other hard knocks. It's not like he ever acted a spring chicken, yet he always had that sparkle in his mischievous houndy eyes: hey guys, where's the food?

Absolute best buds for life

Looking back now on his younger photos from early on in our time with him, Oliver clearly seemed to have a lot more life to live. Let me tell you, he certainly did just that! This old guy, presumed elderly from the day we brought him into foster care, lived SO much life that it's almost unbelievable. This old Dekalb dog ran the breakers of California shores, hiked deep into Georgia wooded trails, road tripped to Florida many a time, and breathed the snowy air of mountainous Oregon. This hound lived his best life. I feel like I need to make him a whole new post, but the truth is he was the people's dog before he was ours. Y'all already know him so well - this is just a eulogy. I've said it all along: Ollie is the best dog I've ever had and the best dog I'll ever have - he is just so special. I've had a whole lot of dogs since bringing him home, guys, and I stand by this statement til the cows come home. Peaceful, loyal, huggable, lovable, squeezable, cuddly, squishy, lovey - these are just some of the bazillion adjectives you could use to describe our boy. Fat, brown, round, and houndy are our words of choice. Oliver stood as an ambassador to SO many foster dogs over the years we had him - he truly became our "ice breaker" dog in the sense that he drew the line for entry level integration for so many pack members over the years...if a dog couldn't pass Oliver, he/she couldn't be part of our pack. Thank you, Ollie boy, for your service in this way. You showed so many homeless critters the way - how to DOG and how to meld into a pack of existing dogs. This beast lived his best life, and us alongside him. We're still finding Oliver hairs all over the house / our clothes and I'm sure the Roomba will continue to do so for many months to come.

BFFs

Bunkin and Oliver grew so close in the end - Drew and I rest more easily knowing that they're no longer without each other. In the end, his mobility got the best of him - Oliver no longer could take the stairs reliably to potty or eat, going up to bed proved a monumental challenge and accidents became a frequent occurrence. The day came that he could no longer stand without panting relentlessly and we knew he'd reached maximum discomfort despite his pain medications and steroids. Truth is, we were prepared for the end times since Day 1 of Oliver-hood. Every day, every month, every year with him was an incredible windfall. Geriatric from the start due to rough circumstances, this hound dog milked every ounce out of his secondhand life. We are so tremendously grateful we got to be his humans through the happy years. Run pain free, Oliver - catch up with your BFF Bunkin and enjoy the infinite meadows together. We love you so much and are so thankful to have you in our lives' memories.

Run free, our baby Hound! Best boy ever!

Oliver's Moment of Truth

Today is a super important day for Oliver: he had his six month heartworm test. I can't believe it has been six whole months since our buddy went through his treatment! I have to admit, I had a few butterflies in my stomach as Oliver and I sat waiting at the vet this morning. Fortunately, my nerves were quickly put to rest when the vet tech appeared and officially declared Ollie HEARTWORM NEGATIVE! Ollie could immediately tell how excited I suddenly was. With his tail wagging and a smile on his face, he was more than happy to receive a congratulatory head scratch. Our dogs get routine heartworm tests done every year during their annual exams at the vet, but this was different. This test was Oliver's moment of truth, the outcome of his perseverance, the greatest and final hurdle on his journey to conquer his past. He prevailed. Oliver has gotten a fresh start in life and it is so wonderful to see how far he's come since we picked him up from the shelter on December 7th. This dog runs, plays tug of war, lounges on the couch, and knows he is loved every minute of every day. Now he has a clean bill of health to add to this list of great things, a list every dog in the world deserves to have.
 

CONGRATULATIONS, OLIVER!

Oliver Goes on Vacation

A few weeks ago, we went to the mountains for what I'm going to call Oliver's very first vacation. Everyone thinks it's likely that Oliver belonged to someone in his previous life, which might explain why he's so darn well-behaved, but somewhere along the way he wound up leading a rough life full of nothing but neglect. So I'm going to go out on a speculative limb and say that I don't think he's ever had the luxury of going on vacation before. Maybe I'm wrong and Ollie had someone who loved him very much before he ended up at the shelter, but in any case it had at the very least been a long time since he'd had a good old fashioned getaway. So, needless to say, Mr. Olls enjoyed the dickens out of our little trip to the cabin. Sometimes even a good routine can become stressful; we're all too familiar with the "daily grind" concept. It was great to see Oliver and everyone else truly kick back and relax for a while. I think 5 days in the mountains is equivalent to 100 years worth of healing for the soul. Ollie seemed to agree.

The dogs spent most of their time snoozing in different spots and enjoying the mountain air from the safety of the screened porches. They hiked Amicalola Falls with us, barked at a group of white-tailed deer in the driveway, searched for yummy morsels dropped behind the grill, and tried toasted marshmallows straight from the fire. A good time was had by all.