Foster Dogs

From time to time, Fawn Pitcher and I would take a dog from an animal shelter and try to find it a home. All four dogs that we have fostered have been adopted(Well... Sort of). We would get its vacinations, have it spayed or neutered, and work with dog on basic obedience. Below are descriptions of the dogs that we fostered. Clicking on their names will take you to the sites where we posted information and pictures for the rescues.

Freedom

Freedom, a Boxer, was rescued from Huntsville Animal Services in May 2004 when he was 12 weeks old. He was the type of dog that was eager to explore and be mischievous. He was not our typical foster, he was rescued to keep him from being adopted just because he was flashy and not for his breed. Boxers want to be with their people and should be kept indoors - not chained outside.

Even though he was a quick study, very smart and eager to please, he didn't really enjoy being around other dogs and tended to have "what I call a temper". Since he showed these issues as a puppy, I decided to take him through an HOTC puppy class to social him more with other dogs. However, during puppy socialization he was more interested in sitting for treats than actually playing with the other puppies. After months of work in obedience and socialization, plenty of hiking trips, and lots of introductions to new objects, he was finally ready to find a home to call his own. We interviewed several individuals until we found a home we thought was a good fit for his lifestyle. We placed him in a home where he would be the only dog and where he would have two older children to play with. I was very nervous about placing him, I keep asking myself if this was the right thing for him, but in the end it worked out perfectly. We introduced him to his new family on three different occasions, first only to the parents, then the parents and the children at their home, and then again at the vet's office. He didn't suffer from separation anxiety and adjusted quickly to his new routine. He now rides to school with the children in the morning and goes for walks with them. He's like one of the family and always keeps them laughing at his antics (like hiding shoes from his new mom or picking on the little girl in the family when she picks on him). He is a true joy, like all Boxers should be.

Sugar

Sugar, a Hound mix, was rescued from Huntsville Animal Services in November 2003 when she was 8 months old. She was the type of dog you could lay on the ground and she would come over and lay her head on you. She was a natural heeler and always wanted to be around people. Two days after we rescued her, she got really sick and stopped eating or drinking. We took her to a vet near our home and they put her on antibiotics, fluids, and started running all sorts of tests on her. To no avail, after several days she continued to get worse. They approached us with the question of euthanizing her. We declined and took her to our regular vet for a second opinion. Our vet changed antibiotics, continued with fluids, and treated her for a case of whipworms and upper respiratory infection. By Monday, we were able to bring her home and she was on her road to recovery. She truly was a miracle case, at one point weighing under 30 lbs she now weighs about 50 lbs. After a month of recovery, she was now ready to receive a rabies shot and be spayed. Our cost totalling in at over 1200 dollars, we decided to make her a permanent resident. She had been through enough.

Bandit

Bandit, a Spitz mix, was rescued from Huntsville Animal Services after he failed to get adopted at an offsite adoption. Sponsored thru TLC, we took him home, and socialized him with other dogs, treated him for kennel cough, and crate trained him. Bandit was placed thru TLC with a family who had recently lost their other dog.

Katy

Our first foster, Katy, a Shibu Inu mix, was rescued from a lady who was turning her in. Knowing that Katy's chances of being euthanized were high because our shelter was already filled with dogs, we took this sweet dog home with us. Katy was turned in by her owner because she was not housebroken and chewed everything in the house. We worked with Katy on the housebreaking and learned that she just required a little more time to go to the bathroom than other dogs. The chewing was easy, just give her something to chew on. Katy went on to live with a wonderful family with two girls. She sleeps at the top of the steps every night to protect them.