Happy Ruby Tuesday!
Ruby had a house-guest last week: her friend Cosmo, a five-year-old Pug-Chihuahua (apparently these are known as "Chugs"). These two have not historically gotten along for extended periods of time, because Cosmo is somewhat of a resource guarder and his premature grumpy-old-man personality doesn't mesh well with Ruby's relentless hyperactive playfulness. I can't entirely blame him - I've yet to meet a dog who can match Ruby's energy level. I wanted to give it a try though, because I thought Cosmo would be less possessive in a new territory, my house is well set up for multiple dogs now with dog gates and cat sanctuaries, and with my intent to foster I wanted to give life with two dogs a little trial run.
I'm happy to report that it went splendidly! I picked up all toys and chews, and for the first day I only let them together for short periods of time. I fed them separately and made sure that they didn't get into valuable or tight spaces together. Cosmo learned some patience and Ruby learned some self-control. I tried
not to intervene unless Cosmo was being particularly grouchy or Ruby
was being particularly obnoxious. By the end of the week Cosmo had resigned himself to Ruby's near-constant pestering (she especially liked to grab his curly tail), they were having chase and wrestling sessions, eating in the same room and sharing the bed along with me and my little kitty, Nina. They gnawed on bully sticks in proximity to one another, I had them doing tricks side-by-side and I was able to leave them alone together in the kitchen area while I was at work the last few afternoons. Ruby was over-the-moon to have another dog around. Her front-window-vigilance was even decreased - oddly enough she was happy to leave that job to Cosmo - and she was uncharacteristically tired out earlier in the evenings (which admittedly was a nice break for me!)
After Cosmo went home, Ruby and I enjoyed a fairly lazy weekend together. Colorado got another blast of wintry weather and it was perfect for leisurely brunches with friends followed by quality time with Ruby on the sofa during a Six Feet Under marathon. Ruby was content to cuddle, glad to have access to all her toys again and comfortably readjusted to her only-dog status. The whole experience made me even more excited to welcome a foster dog into our home, and we are likely going to be meeting Sampson soon! As an older gentleman, there is the possibility that he could become a long-term foster, and that is just fine with me. I really enjoyed having two dogs around again, and I think Ruby benefits immensely from interaction with her own kind. I'm very much looking forward to meeting this fluffy guy! (As an interesting coincidence, my mother's maiden name was Sampson).
In light of this upcoming new adventure, this week my blog's theme will be dedicated to fostering. What about you? Have you ever fostered a dog? Would you consider it? I'd love to hear your stories!
I've had two fosters previously, which made three dogs total at the time and no risk of "foster failure," especially when I was on my own. I find it so very rewarding and it's an opportunity to meet and get to know more wonderful dogs in our lifetimes.
ReplyDeleteI have fostered a few dogs. It's hard work! I always felt like it was my job to ready them for their new home - which often means lots of training. I was especially micromanaged by one of the rescues I fostered for so that added even more pressure to the responsibility. I think if you find a great rescue group to work with then it is well worth the effort. By great I mean a group that will be there if you have questions or concerns, that won't make you feel like dirt if the dog isn't a good fit for your home, that encourages positive reinforcement training and won't hem and haw about giving you permission to take the dog to a vet if there is a health issue that needs to be addressed. Some rescues only like to vet their dogs if there is surgery required because then they can use that as a fund raiser on their page. For something like diarrhea, ear infection, other "small", easily treatable symptoms - some rescues like to play vet and address the issues with left over antibiotics, etc.
ReplyDeleteI don't want to deter anyone from fostering - but it is good to go into it with eyes wide open. Some will even say they will provide food and then act like you are really putting them out if you ask for more food or else give you expired dog food. I guess the way I view foster dogs is they are not second class citizens and should receive the same level of care/food/training/love that I would give my own dog.
Thank you for fostering - Sampson looks like a sweetheart! I love that you were able to do a trial run with the Chug. It's pretty hilarious that Ruby went after his curly little pig tail! I have no doubt that you are going to be one of those more rare, excellent fosters! Sampson may not want to leave. ;)
I feel very good about the communication I've had with this rescue group, and it's one of the reasons I chose to go with the American Eskimo breed. I had some contact with another rescue whose cause I felt strongly about and was very disappointed with their response time and lack of organization - I could tell early on that fostering through them would be a mess. I feel there will be a great deal of support with Sampson's rescue, and their contract and policies are very well laid out. I've had two fosters previously - one through a small one-woman rescue and one informal that I was able to have "sponsored" through a prior work colleague who was on the board of rescue group. I'm expected to provide the food and so Sampson or any other foster will be eating what Ruby eats. Thank you for sharing your experience! It is a big commitment for sure.
DeleteWell as you already know, we foster and we love it! Yes its a lot of work, but the rewards are well worth it. The group that we foster for are awesome. I actually finally met the organizers on Saturday. They are a young group of woman and they genuinely care for these dogs and appreciate the foster families. I did try to foster for a few local rescues but they never responded (which blows my mind!). Stella does act a little bratty and entitled with some dogs but this last BC mix was a great companion for her. The rescue we work with also knows exactly how Stella plays, so they match us with dogs that have energy like Stella. There are lots of Pros, but the Con is managing both dogs while we are at work. Stella is great loose in the house, but Ive only found one dog that we could leave her loose with. Im too worried about the "what if". Plus I cant have a dog that barks outside. The last foster had severe... I mean severe seperation anxiety. Each dog is different. My one suggestion is to look into DropCams. That has saved me some worry with the fosters! I work a short distance from home, so if there are issues I can see it on the camera and I can run home. We foster to save lives, but also to give Stella a playmate. It does wear her out!
ReplyDeleteBTW Im so glad that Ruby and Cosmo got along!! hopefully it will make life a lot easier in the future :)
DeleteThe home alone thing is my biggest concern, as well. I don't want the foster to be crated all day, but I won't leave it alone on Ruby's side unless I feel very confident about their interactions. The living room side houses Nina's cat box, so I'd need to be sure the foster doesn't chase her in order to leave it un-crated. Sampson sounds very gentle and I'm hoping that they will be fast pals.
DeleteI am so glad Cosmo and Ruby became friends! HUGE BREAKTHROUGH! :D
ReplyDeleteI think fostering is in our future, but perhaps when we don't own three dogs... Fostering older dogs is especially appealing to me.
It went so much better than I'd hoped with those two!
DeleteI had my foster chihuahua along with Freya and Lasya right after getting divorced and it was...a lot. It will go a long way in helping me not to "foster fail" remembering three dogs are too many, so if I want to help a number of dogs I will have to let each one go on to its own forever home!
Older and senior dogs especially deserve a soft place to land when they find themselves displaced.
What great news that Cosmo and Ruby got along so well! Sometimes all it takes is an adjustment period I guess.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad your looking into fostering Sampson, I saw you post his photo on Pinterest and my heart strings got tugged. I love Eskie's and he looks like the sweetest guy.
I'm not sure it will translate so smoothly at Cosmo's house, but it's definitely progress! It helps that Ruby has been learning some self-control.
DeleteI'm excited to start our fostering adventure!
So, Cosmo is SUPER cute! :) We've fostered two dogs so far: Cooper, who we failed and kept, and Molly, who's still looking for a home. As far as the Molly experience goes, it's been great for her to learn how to behave around other dogs in a home, and it's been great for my guys to work on showcasing some "role model" skills. I think if we lived somewhere other than here, we'd be on board with fostering regularly. That is, if Molly ever finds a home...
ReplyDeleteWhen I had my two girls I often said that in the future I thought I would have one dog and a continuous cycle of fosters. I'm pretty determined to stick to that plan, but sometimes love does get in the way :)
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