*Update Sam's Profile is up -- Saved a life yesterday, and now I need to save my carpet!!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Update#2: Sam's profile is up. If you know anyone in the Ottawa area please share: http://www.hopefulhearts.ca/adoptables/2013-139.htm

Update with Pictures.

Yesterday I went to a certain shelter to scoop up a sweet boy that was about to be sentenced to the gas chamber (yes that's right, :-(  the gas chamber). Not sure how anyone could deem this sweet special boy as unworthy of being put up for adoption but they say black dogs take too long to get adopted so they don't try.  Other than having black fur, which is apparently a grave crime, he is amazing. Sweet as pie, trained, obedient, cuddly, playful, friendly with my dogs and cat, ... perfect. And when he got home, he was STARVING.

I was told by the rescue I'm fostering him for that when the dogs are scheduled to be euthanized they don't bother feeding them anymore. (They also don't bother walking them it seems as he had peed and pooped in his cage and wasn't cleaned up. So he got a good bath when we got home.)

He ate up a whole bowl of food, and then took all of winston's and sophie's leftovers. I stopped him eventually but man he was so hungry I felt sorry for him. Even after eating some of the homemade chicken parmasean dog buscuits that Sophie and Winston made for him ;-) he was still famished. I tried to offer him Peanut Butter in a kong as a bedtime snack but he wasn't interested in PB. So I popped more of the homemade treats into the kong and put him in his crate. He was fine at first but started making a fuss halfway through the night. I caved and let him out. I kept him in my room instead. He went out in the yard before bed and again at 1am so I thought he should be good till morning.

I woke up this morning to the sound similar to the the last bits of ketchup being squeezed out of the bottle. 'Torrential' is the only way to describe what occurred in my bedroom this morning (and then subsequently all over my back yard).

After going through constant bouts of diarrhea with sophie for her first year or so I know I should have known better, but this guy needed all the love (and food) he could get and I couldn't say no to a little extra food and leaving him in a crate just seemed so mean after all he's been through.  Anyway, he is resting now and feeling much better, but I have a literal 'sh!t storm' to clean up in my bedroom. I am tempted to just brun my bedroom to the ground and cordon it off permenantly. I'm not really sure how I'm ever going to sleep in there again, and I may end up with PTSD when this is all done, but I will go out today and finally buy myself a steam cleaner. I don't think a simple spot bot is going to do as I have a lot of area to cover. I'm thinking of getting a more powerful upright carpet cleaner like the Hoover Power Scrub Delux Cleaner or something along those lines.

I know from previous discussions that the spotbot is well recommended, but does anyone have good bad experiences with upright carpet cleaners? ...anyone know where I can get a hazmat suit? ...

Otherwise, words of sympathy and encouragement are welcome to help me get through the clean up. This is not going to be a fun day (although, totally worth the experience of saving a life!)

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Thanks for the encouragement Joanne. I think a post fostering stocktaking/lessons learned exercise is definitely in order. I will follow your advice and start taking some notes. Perhaps I can offer to update the foster guide. and yea, you're probably right that it will only be a matter of time that I get another call that I can't say no to... so many dogs need help :(

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

Well the worst seems to be over, and bless you for all that you're doing for Sam.  Praying he finds a great new family.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Thanks Jane. me too!

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

If we were a few years away from now and I didn't have a crazy little baby to attend to... Sam might have a home here.  He's just so darn cute and Luna would love a big snuggle buddy.

Oh well, I can dream, right? :)

You're doing great work, Sherri!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

I'd try to talk you into it but he is quite a handful and I wouldn't wish that on any new mamma. I hope you and baby are doing well!

[BG and Gavin]

So proud of you Sherri (again!). 

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

thanks BG!! :)

[Patti]

God Bless you for saving this dog. I used to volunteer and work at a Human Society and yes BLACK dogs are the hardest to adopt out. Your a Angel !!!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

thanks Patti!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

Sam's profile is up: http://www.hopefulhearts.ca/adoptables/2013-139.htm

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

That was such a lovely page about Sam! I admire what you've done for him

[F, Calla & Luca]

Someone should grab him up.