The Dog House

Let me start out by saying, I love The Dog House! The Dog House has a retail store and offer grooming & doggie daycare. What they continue to do to help homeless pets in need is, simply put, unbelievable. The Dog House helps out both K&R Small Animal Sanctuary & Wish Upon A Paw in so many ways. They provide foster care for bunnies, guinea pigs, hamsters, cats & dogs until they are adopted into loving families. They have an entire room set up for Wish Upon A Paw kittens. The dogs they provide foster care for get to play in daycare where they get to learn social skills with both dogs & people. When daycare is closed the dogs get to rest in a nice kennel.

Wish Upon A Paw had their first dog adoption (Toby) a few days ago. Toby was given so much love & care when he was at The Dog House. He loved daycare & loved the staff there. It was a wonderful experience for him. Toby was provided with a clean kennel, blankets to snuggle up & rest on, bones to chew on, toys & (as if that wasn't more than enough) The Dog House provided him with high quality food as well!

The Dog House also lets K&R and WISH hold adoptathons at their store. They put up a Christmas tree for the rescues to make a giving tree, for people to drop off some much needed donations for homeless pets. To say they go above & beyond is putting it lightly. I am just amazed at their generosity & willingness to help out.

Here is a picture of the giving tree The Dog House set up for us to decorate.

Here is a picture of the first dog adoption for Wish Upon A Paw, a day that would not have been possible without The Dog House.

                  Thank you to everyone at The Dog House for all of the lives you are helping save!
           
                                                        The Dog House & Pet Center
                                                        2230 Nordale Drive
                                                        Appleton, WI 54914
                                                        920-832-1001
                                                        www.doghousepetcenter.net/

Wish Upon A Paw's First Adoptable Dog

Wish Upon A Paw (WISH) was started in May 2011 & has found wonderful homes for over 50 cats already! WISH took in their first adoptable dog on 11/11/11. His name is Toby & he is approximately 7 years old. He is a 60 lb Lab/Border Collie mix.

Toby is a super mellow dog! He gets along with other dogs, cats & is great with kids of all ages. He is staying at The Dog House in Appleton (LOVE THE DOG HOUSE). We brought him home with us for the weekend & he is doing great with us. All he wants to do is snuggle & dish out love. He is an easy going foster dog & an absolute joy to be around. We took him to an Adoptathon at The Dog House & then to Community Days at the Fox River Mall yesterday & he was so well behaved. He charmed everyone he met.

Toby came from a humane society up north where he was surrendered because his family had to move & could not take him with. It's such a sad reason for a dog to end up homeless, but even more heartbreaking when the dog is as sweet & gentle as Toby. He is truly the perfect dog & whoever adopts him into their family will have a pal for life!

On a side note, having Toby here at our house has been great for my dogs. Miles has gained a ton of confidence as he shows Toby the ropes. Miles & Riley seem to be closer than ever. Toby has brought a certain calmness to our house. He's an amazing boy!

Miles Is Getting Huge!

Miles is doing so much better! He is getting thick. Muscles are building. He is up to 43.2 pounds now. We haven't seen any weakness, diarrhea or vomiting in a while now. He is a bundle of energy, as any 8 month old puppy should be. We continue to work on his fear of people, and he has come a long way. We had friends over with their 3 little girls (ages 2-6) yesterday & he did very well. Miles likes to warm up to people on his terms. If you give him attention or approach him he wants nothing to do with you & "shys" away, but if he is ignored he will come up to you & sniff you. Honestly, I think this is a self esteem issue. He doesn't seem to have the confidence he needs. I took him for temperament testing at doggie daycare & he passed.  I am hoping to start bringing him to doggie daycare soon so he can build this confidence.

Two Weeks Later

Friday we gave Miles his last dose of Metronidazole, so we thought. He was doing well until Sunday. He started getting a little sick, so we ended up giving him a half of a pill. He did have some diarrhea & threw up once, but it was the first time in 2 weeks. Miles has gained 4 pounds in the last 2 weeks. That is fantastic! His litter mate is up to 43 pounds & Miles is up to 38 now. He's catching up! I'm hoping if we have to keep him on the pills, he may only need half of a pill every other day, which is not bad at all. He does seem to still be doing paw chewing every now & then. I do remember our Vet saying the allergy symptoms can take about a month to subside though. 

At the end of last week Miles did have some leg pain/weakness. He was playing hard with Riley & their pal, Vena when I noticed he started limping. He slammed into the patio table & wouldn't put any weight on his back left leg. I carried him in the house & rubbed his leg for a minute (which he liked & seemed to help). He limped around the rest of the night but has seemed fine since then. 

We have been working with him on his fear of people non stop. It's going well, just slowly. I take him everywhere I go. When I picked up my son & his friend from the movie theater I brought Miles with & he sat in between the boys with no issues. Glen & I took him over to our friend's house where there were other adults & kids. Miles was shy but seemed to warm up to everyone. He explored their house & ended up falling asleep on their couch. My parents came over with their 4 young kids & Miles did hide in the corner most of their visit. He seemed to get comfortable with my youngest sister, who is 4, and my step mom. He has a long way to go but is making improvements every time he is around new people. We are very proud of his progress.

One Week Later

I am happy to report that only one week after starting Miles on Royal Canin Hypoallergenic HP dog food Miles is feeling much better! No more vomiting, no more diarrhea. I haven't seen him limp or seem weak in several days. We suspect he wasn't holding his food in long enough to absorb any of the nutrients to help him grow & develop. Over the last week he has gained 2.6 pounds & his back legs look like they've doubled in size! Miles seems healthy, strong & happy! The only issue I've noticed (and it just started back up the other day) is paw chewing. I hope he's not having a delayed reaction to this new food.
In one week we will be taking him off the Metronidazole. He is currently taking 1/2 a pill once a day. Hopefully nothing will change when we do this. If Miles starts to have issues again, he will remain on a low dose of this medicine for a while, maybe permanently.
I am so thankful that Miles is able to take daily walks again, play with his brother Riley & is no longer having rough days. This weekend Miles even had a doggie friend over to play. It had been about a month since the Vet quaranteened him from other dogs since we didn't know if he had something bacterial (contagious). I'm so happy to be able to have him around other dogs again!

Miles' Diagnosis

We have a diagnosis! This IS food allergies. Blood work & urinalysis came back pretty good, except for the white blood cells were elevated. Usually this is a sign of parasites or food allergies. Since we've tested for every possible parasite, this has to be allergies. Miles still has the issues with his back legs where he seems weak, he limps & sometimes they just buckle & he can't walk for a minute or two. The Vet is hopeful that he will grow out of this since he is only 7 months old. The Vet is also very hopeful that he will grow out of the food allergy. In 2 weeks when he is used to his new food we will try to take him off the medication (antibiotic that curbs the diarrhea & inflammation). If his symptoms go away he will stay on his new prescription food (Royal Canin Hypoallergenic HP). If he is still having issues he may need to stay on a low dose of the antibiotic for a bit longer. This new food is $82 for 25 pounds!

The Vet did have a talk with me about Miles' behavior they observed. They are concerned that being quaranteened from other dogs set him back on the socialization that puppies need so badly. He was very fearful & nippy with them. The nipping is not a behavior I've seen before. He does seem to cling to us & be shy or fearful with others. So, the Vet gave the all clear today & Miles can be around everybody! We took Miles to the Dog Park today without his doggie brother, Riley. We wanted to see how he would handle the situation on his own. Miles did wonderfully. He ran & played. He did not stay close to us. He roamed & visited people as well as dogs. So, we will be taking him everywhere to get him used to people, as well as dogs. He has displayed no issues with other dogs at all. So, I will be asking my family & friends for lots of help on this one. We may need to stop over to different houses & get him used to all sorts of people.

Miles Update

I received the test results today on the first round of bacterial testing...NEGATIVE! Although this is good news, we were kind of hoping for a positive result so we could treat & move on. For now, Miles is doing great. We have begun the process of weening him off the medication. For the next 5 days he will get 1 pill once a day, then for 5 days he will get 1 pill every other day. If he gets diarrhea again, we will have more testing done. The next test is for 8 bacteria. If this is negative as well, Miles may just have an underlying condition & need to be on medication for the rest of his life. On a positive note, if he tests negative during the next round of testing, he can start playing with other doggie friends again. On the other hand if he tests negative & has to be on meds the rest of his life, it's a big bummer because the medication is an antibiotic. This is no where near ideal for a puppy to have to be on indefinitely.
I have complete faith & trust in my Vet that they will do everything they can to find the cause of the issues & help him be the healthiest puppy he can be. Miles has good days without issues & has bad days when he vomits & seems ill. All we can do is give him tons of love & keep searching for answers. Miles is such a wonderful pup! And we want to do everything in our power to get him healthy.

Tummy Troubles

Warning...don't read this if you don't want to hear about dog poop!

Ever since our puppy Miles arrived in June he has had on & off diarrhea. We assumed with the travel to WI, transition to new food & a new life that this was all normal. There were a few times we thought we saw blood in his stool, but weren't sure. 2 weekends ago Miles had very bad diarrhea that turned into pooping only blood. Those who know me will believe me when I say I was FREAKING OUT! I had no idea what could be wrong with my puppy. I felt so badly for him. He wasn't acting like anything was wrong, but he has been such a chill puppy since we adopted him that we really wouldn't know any better. We took him to the Vet on a Monday morning. They ran a few tests to check for parasites - there were none. They listened to his belly - sounded good. My poor pup had to have a rectal exam - although he was VERY MAD about this, everything seemed okay. After talking with the Vet about everything going with Miles, the Vet said he has food allergies. Miles ears were both infected because of this too.

Our Vet prescribed 3 meds: a general dewormer (taken for 3 days), ear meds (drops for 14 days), and a wonder pill that is an antibiotic/antidiarrheal/antiinflammatory (taken for 10 days). The Vet recommended we slowly transition him over to a limited ingredient diet. It just so happens that Riley, our other dog, eats a limited ingredient diet. It's an adult food, so we thought Miles couldn't have that since he is still a puppy. The Vet informed us that since he is neutered he doesn't "need" to be on puppy food. Since he is having severe food issues, something needed to be done to help him. So we switched Miles to this food too (Nutro Whole Brown Rice & Venison).

Within a few days the bleeding was gone & so was the diarrhea. His personality is really starting to come out now. He is so happy & playful. You can really tell he is feeling better. He is still a very chill puppy, the easiest puppy I have ever met, but he seems so full of life now that he's feeling better! We are praying that when Miles is done with his tummy meds (tomorrow is his last day on them) that he will continue to tolerate his new food.

I am so thankful for our amazing Vet! I don't think Miles is too eager to go back, but I'm sure he is grateful that he feels better now! Thank you Kaukauna Vet - we love you!

Update on Tootie

Words cannot express how truly heart broken & angry I was when I stumbled across a posting on Pet Finder for Tootie, the Boxer, as a permanent resident at the animal rescue we tried to adopt her from 3 months ago. We did not adopt her mainly because her foster parents said they could not let her go & wanted to adopt her themselves. They assured me they were going to give her a forever home with them. Now, 3 months later, she is homeless. It tears me up to think that Tootie was abandoned AGAIN, especially after all my family went through after she stayed with us & we made the decision to adopt her. Followed immediately by the foster parents making the same decision!

It was a long, heart wrenching road my family traveled down before our dream of adopting another dog became reality but I do believe everything happens for a reason. Our puppy, Miles is the perfect addition to our family & we love him more than words can express.

I pray that someone will help Tootie. She is such a beautiful Boxer. She deserves more than the hand that has been dealt to her. I don't know how the people involved in her outcome can sleep at night.

I don't mean to sound selfish...at all. The part that kills me is that Tootie doesn't have a forever home. 3 months ago 2 families were trying to decide what was best for her...and now she's all alone. I just don't understand why anyone would do this.

Verdict On The Thunder Shirt

After a week of using the Thunder Shirt daily on Riley I have decided this is not for us...

I will admit, the anxiety levels do go way down when wearing the Thunder Shirt. For any dog owner who is thinking about getting one for their dog that is afraid during storms, fireworks, etc...this should help tremendously. We were hoping this would cut Riley's anxiety enough that he would "allow" us to clip his nails. Not the case though. Although the anxiety was almost gone, the fear was still very much there. He wasn't shaking like he normally does. The Thunder Shirt did help a lot. We just need more help than that! 

So, it looks like I will be calling the Vet to make an appointment for sedation nail cutting :( I am very sad about this, but what else can we do? Poor Riley.

1 Year Anniversary

On 7/10/10 my good friends, Allison & Kevin, transported some wonderful rescue dogs to Wisconsin from the Osceola Shelter in Arkansas. My baby, Riley, and his sister, Lucy, were part of that transport of precious cargo. Today is a special day not only because it is the one year anniversary of the day Riley came into my life, but because we are dog sitting Lucy & they get to be together on this anniversary.

They are having the time of their lives together! The bond between them is very easy to see. They are so alike in so many ways, from looks to behavior to personality! When I took them for a walk today (on my own) they just trotted next to each other, side by side. Now usually when I walk Riley there is a lot of pulling, chasing rabbits, and this jumping/spinning thing he does when he sees another dog. They were completely calm together. I am so amazed that I was able to walk 2 big dogs (on my own) & didn't get pulled once! We walked past the Labradoodle that Riley loves & there was very little reaction. 

Here are a few pictures of Riley & Lucy when they first came to WI. Pay no attention to the date stamp on the picture...it was broken. 

 Lucy & Riley 7/10/10. They both spent the first night at my house together. The next day Lucy went into another foster home.

 Riley is on the left & Lucy on the right. 7/10/10.

Me with Riley the day after he came to WI. Allison took this picture...This is my favorite picture of us! I had no idea my family would be adopting Riley. He joined our family officially on 7/26/11. Lucy was adopted by her wonderful family about a week later. Lucy's foster mom was so nice. She dropped Lucy off at my house so they could play for a few hours before she went off to begin her new life

Here are a few pictures from last month when we met at the Dog Park.

 This was the first time they had seen each other since Lucy's adoption day.

Here are a few pictures of them from yesterday...so happy together!

Miles: Day 4

Today is my last day of "puppy vacation." Although I love being home to play with the dogs all day, I am eager to get back to work. I'm so thankful I have a job that I love & look forward to being there. Glen had to go back to work (3rd shift) tonight, so today was my first day with 2 dogs alone. I was nervous, but my dogs were so good! It was an easy, relaxing day.

Miles found his bark today. He has the quietest bark & grumble. He uses it when he sees people walking outside past the house. I have been making a sharp "uh-uh" noise & it seems to be stopping him. Of course lots of praise when he ignores passers by as well. I've been working on bone, treat & toy guarding with him as well. He doesn't like this training but is doing great with it. I just can't believe how fast this puppy catches on to the rules! He is one smart boy!

Miles went back to the Vet to get his distemper booster shot. He has gained almost a whole pound since he's been here! While at the Vet, I picked up Miles' heart worm prevention pills & flea/tick prevention so we can keep him healthy!

Miles met our cat, Sarah, today. He took one look at her, then ran & jumped on the couch by me!

My Step Mom & little brothers & sisters stopped over to visit Miles this afternoon. They also brought their new puppy, Ruby. They brought Ruby home yesterday. She is a 4.5 pound, 6 week old Labradoodle. She is teeny tiny & cute as a button! I see play dates in the future.

Miles: Day 3

I think Miles realizes he is home. He is adjusting well & seems happy here. He loves to romp & play with Riley. Riley is so much bigger than Miles, but Miles sure can hold his own! They really do get along great. Potty training is going incredibly well. Miles is getting the hang of things better than most puppies I've been around. He didn't have an accident today. We are so proud of him!

We had a cook out today to celebrate Allison & Kevin being here. They are an amazing couple. They save doggie lives every day, are selfless & caring and I just adore them! 11 months ago Allison & Kevin brought Riley here & a few days ago they brought Miles here (both from Osceola Animal Shelter in Arkansas). A BIG thank you to them for everything they have done for my family & for everything they continue to do for so many. This world is a better place because of you! I love you guys!

Here are a few pictures from the cook out.

              Miles says "Thank you Allison & Kevin for bringing me home."

Miles: Day 2

Awake at 3am to a BAD smell...that was the only time Miles pooped in the house. There have been a few potty accidents, but none on the carpet...YET. It's something you expect as a new puppy parent.

Miles is such a calm puppy. We are wondering if we are really lucky 2 times in a row or if Miles' personality will change once he's more settled in. So far as he seems to be getting more comfortable in his new home, he is just a calm, sweet boy. We are so happy & feel so blessed to have, not just 1, but 2 wonderful dogs!

                                          Riley & Miles happily chewing.

                           

Miles: Day 1

My dear friends Kevin & Allison left the Osceola Animal Shelter in Arkansas at 6pm on 6/09/11 with a dozen pups on board heading for Wisconsin. They arrived in Neenah at OARS Adoption Center safely at 9am on 6/10/11. Glen & I, as well as a few others all met there to pick up our pups. Here are a few pictures of Miles with his litter mate, Sammy & a few of the other pups that made the trip to Wisconsin.

 This is Monkey Mama. Her litter of puppies came to Wisconsin last summer & were all adopted into wonderful homes!

                                                   Proud Daddy!

             Time to say goodbye brothers...hopefully it's a see you later!

Glen & I left OARS & went to The Dog House & Pet Center to give Miles a bath. One of the wonderful groomers there mixed us up some flea shampoo (just in case) & gave us some brushing advice for our fuzzy boy! Miles had a few knots in his gorgeous hair, but thankfully they all came out after a good brushing. Glen spent over an hour brushing Miles. We have been brushing him daily since & his fur is absolutely perfect since! 

                     Here is Miles at The Dog House & Pet Center BEFORE his bath.

                                      Here is Miles AFTER his bath.

Now that Miles was all cleaned up, we took him home to meet his fur brother, Riley, and my kids. Miles was a little unsure of everything, but after a few days he was completely comfortable. He definitely loves his new home where he gets tons of love & attention!

After a few hours of being home, we notice Miles was coughing & had big goopie eye boogies. We thought he had a little case of conjunctivitis, so we took him to our Vet. The Vet that saw him said everything looked & sounded good. He had a temp of 102.5 (on the high end of normal). The Vet thought we should keep him separate from Riley for a day or so just to make sure this was just a cold or him adjusting to the Wisconsin air. We took him potty in a separate yard from Riley & kept them separated until the next afternoon. By then we knew Miles was perfectly healthy & was just adjusting to the new environment.

New Addition

Those who know me, knows my family has been through a lot trying to add another dog to our crew. People kept telling me "everything happens for a reason" & "when it's meant to be it will happen." Now those words were hard to hear at the time, but I look back now & realize the truth behind them.

Before we adopted Riley last year, we had a major heartbreak when one of our foster dogs was adopted. A few months after that we were able to adopt Riley & he healed our hearts in a way no one could ever imagine. In May of this year we took in a dog that we were told we were fostering to adopt. Her foster parents decided they wanted to keep her. This was sad news, but we were happy she had a forever home in the end. Next week had planned on adopting another puppy, but sadly God had other plans for her.

I am very proud of my family's strength & ability to keep going. We have been sad & cried many times over those we lost & could not have. Many people would simply give up, but we did not. We pulled together & thought about all of those puppies in need of a home & knew we had to keep trying to adopt until we are successful.

We are happy to announce that on 6/10 we will be welcoming a 4 month old puppy (an English Shepherd mix) named Miles into our family! We are so thankful for our friends Kevin & Allison for helping make this dream come true for our family! We love you guys!

My Dog

My dog, Riley, is seriously the best dog in the world...and here are just a few reasons why:

 When I have a bad day, he gives me kisses.
 When I'm sad, he snuggles with me.
 When there is a bug in the house, he eats it.
 When I need a walking partner to keep me going on my weight loss, he's there.
 When there are people outside our house, he lets me know.
 When it's time for the kids to get home from school, he waits at the window for them.

Riley gives us so much & asks only for the occasional treat in return. Riley is such a good boy! I just love my big, silly dog!

Apology From Tootie's Rescue

I received an email reply from the rescue that has Tootie. They apologized & hope we don't think badly of their rescue for this. They also asked if we would be interested in fostering for them or if we were interested in any of their other dogs. I'm shocked at this! I think it's best that I don't respond to those questions at this time.

My family has decided that we are going to slowly begin to look for a puppy. We would like to adopt a puppy from the South (where Riley came from). We aren't set on breed, gender or anything. We are going to start fresh with this search and take it slow. Sometime in the next year would be great.

Adopting a dog should not be this exhausting. Nor should a family have to go through everything we went through in the last 3 weeks. So, for now we will focus on Riley. I am going to get him into Good Citizen Canine Classes so he can get certified & then we can start working on training for Therapy Certification. My dream is to be able to take him to visit the elderly, sick & disabled. He is such a gentle, good dog. I believe he can enrich people's lives, as he does ours.

Hard Decision

My family had a big talk tonight & came to a decision regarding Tootie's adoption. Here is the email I sent to the rescue that has Tootie;

"We discussed at length tonight about everyone's feelings about our situation. We have a few concerns. The biggest one is regarding the decision making with Tootie's adoption. I do not think it would be fair to my kids to have Tootie stay another weekend with us if they have not made a decision about keeping her or not. If she stayed with us again, my kids would bond even more with her, leaving them heart broken if they decided to keep her. I can not do that to my kids. Although we can understand where Tootie's foster parents are coming from, we don't feel it's fair to our family to have this go on any longer. My hope is that our interest in adopting Tootie has made them come to the realization that they do not want to let her go & will agree to give her a forever home. 

Another concern is her reaction to people walking by the house. Tootie reacts because she is scared (not because she is aggressive). She displayed no signs of aggression, just fear, which can lead to lashing out or possibly someone getting hurt. We agree this can be worked on with training & was not a deal breaker. But for this reason we think she may do best in a home as the only dog & no kids. My family feels Tootie would thrive & do best with her foster parents. They are wonderful people & it's very clear to us how much they love Tootie. We have been foster parents to many dogs & felt that way about a few, which is why we took a step back from our feelings for Tootie & came to the decision that she truly would be better off staying with them. Tootie is happy & they are happy...and we just don't want to interupt that. It's not broken, so why try to fix it? There are so many dogs out there that need to be adopted. It's not that Tootie isn't a good fit for us, we just think she is a better fit for them. We have Tootie's best interest at heart & want what is best for her."

I hope this came across nicer than the thoughts in my head sounded. I just couldn't do the back & forth with them anymore. One day we were fostering to see if we wanted to adopt her, the next the foster parents wanted to possibly keep her. The communication was terrible. When the foster family picked Tootie up on Sunday after we had her all weekend, they made a few comments that lead us to believe they had decided they did not want to keep her. The very next day we were told they were still tossing around the idea of keeping her, but wanted Tootie to stay with us the next weekend again. I just couldn't have her stay with us another weekend & then find out the foster parents do want to keep her. How would that be fair to us, especially my kids? It makes me wonder, did they really just need a dog sitter? Were they planning on keeping her all along?

Dog Sitting Tootie

On Friday I rushed home from work & found Tootie & my family playing. Tootie seemed so comfortable & so "at home." I was very proud of my dog, Riley. He is such a good boy. He was a true gentleman all weekend long. We played, took walks, had lots of treats, went for a car ride & to a few pet stores, played at a friend's house with their dog...it was a great weekend! I thought we were going to have issues at night with the kennel, but we didn't hear one single peep. Riley even gave up sleeping in bed to sleep in his kennel next to Tootie's kennel so she wouldn't get scared. Tootie did not have any adjustments issues at all.

If we do get the opportunity to adopt her, there are truly only a few things that need to be worked on.
1- basic training
2- fence issues...Tootie charges at the fence when people walk by (growling & jumping)
3- she needs some Vet care. I believe she has an ear infection. Her ears are caked & smelly. She may have some allergies as well. She seems very itchy & pink. She has a few bumps/lumps that are probably no big deal, but I would want my Vet to check them out.

All weekend I felt like I was subconsciously putting up a wall. I feel terrible for this but I don't want to end up devastated. We all love her & have formed bonds with her. There is only one person who knows what is best for her. It's out of our hands now. All my family really wants & hopes for is that Tootie has a forever home.

Feeling Crushed

So much has changed in the past few days. We were told by the rescue that has Tootie, that she would be coming to stay with us on Friday. We had an agreement to foster her for a few weeks to see if she is a good fit for our family & then we would discuss adoption. The day before she came we were notified by the rescue that Tootie's foster family was having second thoughts about her leaving their care. It seems (after 3 months of fostering her) they are just not sure if they want to adopt her themselves. This news crushed my family.

You see we have been through a similar situation with one of our very our foster dogs. We had a "friend" who could no longer keep her dog & my family agreed to help her out. After a few weeks we just adored this dog & wanted her to be a permanent part of our family. This "friend" told us we could keep her dog & that she was so happy this worked out. This "friend" turned around & surrendered "her" dog to an animal rescue. The dog was then adopted to a different family after being in our care for over 3 months. This was devastating to each of my family members. We do not want to go through this hurt again.

We were told the foster family hopes to make a decision within a few weeks or so. Although I find this to be very unfair, I feel the ultimate goal is for Tootie to have a forever home. So, whether it be with her foster parents or with my family, I will be happy for Tootie.

Play Date With Tootie

I was so nervous all day for Tootie & her foster parents to come visit tonight. I have never been on this side of things before. I have done home visits, meet and greets & adoptions in the rescue world, but never had a home visit/meet & greet for my family personally. I am happy to report that everything went wonderfully! Tootie & Riley got along amazingly! My kids loved her! Glen & I already loved her but fell even more for her!

Her foster parents told us all about Tootie. She is a wonderful dog! They told us she won't eat when she is nervous & that she doesn't like treats. Each of us offered her different kinds of treats & she ate them all! She explored our house & yard. I think she felt very comfortable with us. I can't wait until Friday when she comes to stay!

Riley is so happy to have a playmate...he RUVS her!