Huskyluv wrote:

He's so cute, he really looks like a black/white version of Ginger as far as markings!

LOL! Didn't even notice that until you said that! Too funny! But he kinda does!

aww what a handsome man

I found this thread to update and Sully's pic here made me sad.

But for the update, upon further looking into fostering (an adorable little 4 yr old, 7 lb tan chihuahua that needed a foster home in my area while undergoing heartworm treatment jump started my interest again) it looks like I might not be able to foster after all. Why? Because I follow a holistic vaccination schedule and don't get the standard "core" vaccines annually including DHPP and Bordetella. I really wish vaccination protocols would get updated already, now I can't help out that poor chihuahua undergoing HW treatment.

The shelters and rescues here are overwhelmed with dogs and cats in need of homes, they are having to euthanize at higher than ever rates and advertising in the paper and radios for foster homes. I called a local kill shelter and also a local rescue group offering our help as a possible foster home...fingers crossed in this time of desperation they will allow us to foster and help save at least one precious life from euthanasia.

Please keep your fingers crossed for us!

I hope you do get to help make a difference in an animal's life, even if it's just 1 for now...fingers and paws crossed for you!

i have everything crossed! are you looking at taking in any breed? have you hear why the numbers have gotten so high?

Thanks, I really hope that we can help. I will be so upset if they turn us down over not getting DHPP or bordetella vaccines for our dogs, if they would rather put an animal down than come to us as a foster home there is something terribly wrong with the system.

Yes, we are willing to consider any breed with the exception of very large dogs, hubby doesn't want anything bigger than lab size. Something in the small to medium size range would be preferred, but of course we are definitely open to all possibilities and will just have to see what they have to work with.

The reasons they've said for the overflowing shelter population is due to a combination of the natural increase of spring and summer births, owner surrenders and strays due to the economy (people can't afford their pets so they bring them in or let them loose), and the natural disasters taking place around the country (homeless pets are being shipped in from the tornado and flood disaster areas). They said that they are taking in many more pets than are being adopted out and there is no more space so they have to euthanize for health and safety reasons. I wish I could adopt but I really am at my limit which is why I am hoping against all hope that we can at least foster for a while to free up some space at the shelter or rescue to lower the number of animals that have to be put down. I know we can't make a big difference but if we could just save one life it would mean the world to me and that one special life we helped save.

Both the shelter and rescue are crazy busy, understandably, so I am waiting for a call back from both to see if we can in fact foster for at least one of them.

I do hope you get to help. That one pet you get to help will be very lucky to have you as a foster parent!

Thanks Claudia, that's very sweet. I will update as soon I hear a decision on whether or not we can foster. I'm sure my doggies will love to have another friend come stay with them for a while.

Val, going through a shelter you won't face the vaccination issues like you do with private rescues (from my experiences anyway) all they tend to care about is the rabies vaccination. I'm facing issues too since we've stopped vaccinating... Mickeys agility class won't accept him without DHP and Bord. but I simply cannot bring myself to continue to vaccinate them anymore or at least as frequently as these people would like.

Good luck! It's an amazing feeling!

Thanks for that info Kristina. Our two local SPCA's do require DHPP and bordetella which had me discouraged. I was reluctant to go with the kill shelter since it's further away, but I think the circumstances warrant offering to help them out. Now if they could just call me back...

Minor update before I forget, I got a call back from the small rescue group. They have two dogs that they are looking for a foster home for sometime next week.

One is a 1 yr old, female GSD mix. She's between 40-50 lbs, housebroken and has an unknown allergy under her arm. She's from a bad living situation but I didn't get many details.

The other is 1 yr old, female JRT mix. She's about 25 lbs, housebroken, extremely high energy (typical of a JRT), may jump a 6 ft fence. She was owned by a person that kept her outside 24/7 tied up in the yard in a not so great neighborhood. She was attacked by roaming pit bulls and because she was tied up she could not escape. My understanding is that the pit bulls tore up her legs pretty bad but it sounds like she's recovered okay and is waiting for a foster and a good, forever home.

Still have not heard back from the kill shelter yet.

Are you allowed to foster with the rescue group?

So far it seems like the rescue will allow us to foster, however they've got 20+ dogs and have only given us the option to foster either of the two I mentioned in my previous post.

It could be that those are the two dogs that they think will do best in your household. I would think that having small dogs (or any dogs really) and guinea pigs might make it more "difficult" to match dogs with you. But that's just a guess!

I could definitely understand that, only she decided on those two dogs before she even knew what dogs I had. She did say that the shelter would have more to choose from...now if the shelter would at least call me back. I hate waiting.

Good news, I got to talk to the foster coordinator at the overcrowded kill shelter. She sent me the foster application and said they have a lot of dogs in need of foster care. She said tomorrow she'd email me a list of current dogs who are available to foster. Sounds like we have a real shot at this!