PLEASE CONSIDER BECOMING A DOODLE FOSTER HOME

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

     California in general is in dire need for volunteers to foster doodles. Southern CA has urgent need for two new fosters right now - please fill out an application with the DRC if you might be interested. You can use this link: http://doodlerescue.org/forum/topics/so-ca-urgent-need-for-2-new-fo...

     Don't say you couldn't give up the foster - trust me, you will be sad but feel so GREAT for helping SAVE  that dog's life. Most of the dogs we rescue are not in safe places and their time is limited. We are so thankful to reputable rescues and their volunteers or we would not have Clancy or Junior in our lives. 

     Skip and I call shelters to inquire about dogs or physically visit shelters to see a dog that might come into the DRC program.  Just think how heartbroken we get after actually seeing a doodle and having to leave it to its fate  because there isn't anyone to foster the dog, if we did pull it from the shelter. You thinking you couldn't relinquish a foster is nothing compared to how we feel when we  leave a perfectly good dog in a depressing, scary place to most likely die.  Some shelters try really hard to give the dogs some attention and minimal care, and cooperate with rescues and private adopters, but we find that often no one cares what happens to the dogs. Some of these workers actually seem to thwart any actions to retrieve a dog from them as long as they get their paycheck.

     And I realize that fostering isn't for everyone for lots of reasons, but please consider whether you can foster and save a dog's life. If you have questions about fostering, ask.  Thanks so much.

Look at these guys and tell me your heart doesn't break thinking what might have happened to them if it wasn't for rescue.

Clancy on adoption day:

     Clancy later:

Sunny at the shelter:

Sunny later:

Puppy Junior at the shelter

and three months later:

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

I've had a chance to do some reading, look over the application and also the threads about fostering on the DRC website, and more talking over with DH and some friends - and we're in! I'm gonna sit down tomorrow morning and fill out the application. Earliest we could take a dog would be Aug 8 bc of planned travel.

Last time DH changed jobs and we had to move we only had three weeks to pack up and get there, and it was no small feat - ohio to california. And the flip side of that is I'm tired of putting things on hold bc we want to move back east.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Thank you, Jen! 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thanks so much, Jen. I

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

Thursday did not go at all how I planned and I still have not had a chance to sit down and do the application. The boys and I left around 7:15am like normal to do our walk at the reservoir and about halfway through the loop Buddy was attacked by a dog. Let's just say that people really have no business having a dog..... He's got a nasty puncture wound on his left hip and we spent the morning dealing with police officers, park staff, and a much needed trip to the vet.

I didn't get home until noon and had altoids for breakfast, then a shower and CGC class with Kevin. Being in a room full of somewhat strange dogs was the last place I wanted to be, but class was great and Kevin was so on point that it helped relieve some of stress and bad feelings I had in the morning.

Buddy has a follow up appt tomorrow and for now we do antibiotics, pain pills (he needs them), warm compresses to facilitate draining, and t-shirts to keep him covered. We pulled the mattresses off of our guest room day bed and trundle and set "camp" on the floor in our bedroom so Buddy can just walk onto a bed instead of climbing up and down.

We still plan on joining the foster families with DRC, but will have to hold off for a little bit. Also, had to cancel both trips we planned in the next few weeks to make sure Buddy gets healed while doing what we can to minimize the risk of infection. No hanging out in vineyards, hiking, or swimming in mountain lakes until we're sure it safe for our Buddy. Hope you understand even though the timing is crummy.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Oh no! Poor Buddy! I sure hope he heals quickly and has no lasting issues from the attack. 

Of course he must come first! Bringing in a strange dog before he is 100% back to normal would be out of the question! 

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

Thanks Karen! Buddy's mind is more sound than I can comprehend, so I'm not worried about him in that respect. I am worried, though, about his physical healing and hope that his left hip is just really sore right now (we noticed tonight that he also has a lot of little round bruises that look like only a tooth could've made) and it's not a life changing injury.

The biggest hurdle with Buddy is getting him to eat when he's feeling punky. He had a life saving surgery a few years ago and when the ER staff and I were trying to figure out if he was recovering. They were concerned bc he wouldn't eat their dog food and when I said that's normal, so they gave him deli turkey to tempt him and he was pleased. So then I asked if they were able to get him into a crate after he got out of recovery and they said no. And I was pleased, I knew Buddy was normal. :-)

This did give me a new perspective about new dogs coming into our home and I'm not taking it lightly at all. It's important to keep my dogs safe, it's important to help another dog get to a great place in life, and it's important to hand off a dog in better shape than it came to me. The dummy with the dog that attacked Buddy got it from rescue from a year ago. And he's rested on "my dog is a rescue that's not friendly and can be viscious", and instead of helping it get better, he helped it get worse while taking it out in a very public place every day. No dog has to be perfect, but we have to make sure that we keep everyone safe.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Here is why fosters are so badly needed.

This adorable 1 yr old male goldendoodle who was relinquished to a So. Cal. kill shelter is scheduled to be euthanized tomorrow unless an approved rescue group can pull him; he bit a vet who tried to examine him and supposedly is so terrified he will not let the shelter staff handle him. So they cannot adopt him out to the public. 

And in order for a rescue to save him, they must have a place to put him. :( 

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

Karen, is there any update for this guy? I wish I could help him but we had an injury yesterday morning that requires our attention.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

Yes, he is safe with a first time DRC foster who stepped up, took a leap of faith and saved his life. And he is just one of several who came into the program this week alone. If there were more fosters (and more $, lol) there would have been even more. Lately, we are getting several rehome requests per week, many with health issues. :(

But that's a whole other rant. 

[Jen, Buddy, & Kevin]

Oh I'm so so glad! I've been thinking about him the last two days and thought he could've been here, with us, getting the stability it sounds like he needs. And I can't do anything bc of our situation. Poor guy must have terrified in that shelter. There are some things that don't make sense to me....

Could you give me a general idea of the dogs/issues/reasons for surrender that have come through lately? Health issues too and what that would entail for foster families. I asked the vet clinic we go to if they give discounts to fosters and they said only if it's a specific rescue that they work with, like NorCal golden retriever rescue, but I did not have a chance to talk with our Dr about it.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

With owner relinquishments, it runs the gamut. It is typically "not enough time", (for training, grooming, exercise, etc), we are moving into an apt and can't take the dog, dog sheds and they have allergies, dog doesn;t shed but they have allergies anyway, issues with the kids (which never turn out to be the dogs' fault). Health issues run the gamut, they are usually orthopedic, with a few that are seizure related, allergy related, and a few with Addison's disease. We got one rehome request this week from a young couple with a 10-mo-old GD puppy from a pet store who has HD in both hips. They can't afford to help her.  And then you have the ones that make you crazy.  Yesterday morning I had two people contact me about giving up their doodles. One was a woman who has a farm and the doodle chases the goats and sheep, so she has to keep him in a pen, which she says is no life for a doodle. (Um, no it's not. How about keeping him in the house?) The other was a puppy miller who had a litter of goldendoodles last August and couldn't sell two of them. When asked to fill out a rehome form, she told us she couldn't because it asks for the vet info/records and she does all her own shots and worming so there aren't any vet records for these dogs. They are 11 months old.

I could go on and on but you get the idea. DRC and all reputable rescues do try not to overwhelm new fosters with the tough cases, both behaviorally and health wise. And there is always a lot of support. Most fosters report that the dog is no trouble at all. The owner was the one with the problems.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

And every once in a while you get that sweet perfect dog who is being rehomed simply because his owner died or became incapacitated, which is the only legitimate reason to rehome a pet, IMO. :)