Nine hundred and three kilometres to go!  We had quite the long day today, but as usual Flipflop and Dahlia were troopers!!

After a morning walk, I packed up the car around 6:30 am, I left Flipflop and Dahlia on leash and took them in and out of the hotel room with me as I packed up.  I think Dahlia thought I was going to leave her, as she had no interest in packing the car with me, she wanted in the car and happily waited in the back seat while Flipflop and I packed up.

We drove through the rest of North Dakota and through Saskatchewan and it was exhausting! There were very few places to stop, so I ended up stopping along the sides of roads and/or in business parking lots to let the dog have a stretch.  As we got closer to the Canadian border the snow was gone and both dogs delighted in rolling in the grass.

As we entered Saskatchewan, tumbleweed flew across the highway and I texted some friends that I was definitely no longer in Ontario! 🙂

The dogs are getting restless on the long drive, I stopped for gas and Dahlia climbed into the driver seat!  And later on while I was driving she tried to climb up front with me.  But my car is fully packed and there was no room for her so I couldn’t allow her to come up. Flipflop finally laid down and slept a bit today, but as he woke up between naps, he was panting a lot, a sign of distress.  And unlike the past two days, neither of them wanted to get back in the car after each stop.

But we are now stopped in Medicine Hat, Alberta and I took them for a nice walk, bought them some chicken nuggets (they get spoiled on road trips) and they are both sleeping peacefully now.  And while it’s 8:00 pm local time, this Torontonian girl is exhausted and will likely call it a night soon as well.

I am hoping we will get an early start to our day tomorrow and get to Kamloops in time for a nice hike with the dogs as an award for them being such amazing babies.

I would be lying if I said the past week hasn’t been the hardest week of my life, emotionally.  So many goodbye’s, so much cleaning and packing, and preparing to leave my very comfortable, very familiar life in Ontario.  Even now, 950 KM’s into the drive, it still hasn’t really hit me that I am actually going to be living in B.C…..the place I’ve always wanted to live in, since I first visited over 20 years ago.

But this blog isn’t about me, it’s about the dogs in my life, and of course they are on this adventure with me!!  For the past few weeks, Flipflop knew something was up.  He constantly needed assurance from me, hugs and cuddles (more than usual).  Dahlia, true to her nature, was oblivious for the most part.

Last weekend they moved into Auntie Janet’s apartment, while I continued to stay in mine, making sure I visited them and walked them a few times a day, so they knew I was still there.  I moved in with them on Tuesday evening, as the movers came for all my belongings Wednesday.

This morning when I woke up, I started getting myself organized, Janet offered to walk the dogs, to give me time to pack up my final things and to help get me on the road quicker.  I left my home at 9:45 am.

The dogs were troopers, Dahlia pretty much slept the whole time we drove today.  Flipflop likes to look out the window when we drive, so he refused to sleep.  At times he literally passed out sitting up!  But he’s now stretched at the end of my motel room bed sleeping peacefully.

We drove to Sarnia and crossed the border, after an hour wait, into Michigan.  Shortly after we crossed, I pulled into a McDonald’s parking lot with lots of greenery around it.  Flipflop drank almost a whole bottle of water, poor guy, and Dahlia had a few sips.  After a brief stretch of our legs, we got back in the car and kept going.  We stopped again in Michigan a few hours later, I thought we’d never get out of that state!  But there were plenty of rest areas, which was nice.

Finally, we crossed over to Indianapolis, it was a short drive through that state and we entered Illinois.  I thought I was so prepared, printing my list of rest area along the way……I didn’t realize Chicago and I90W pretty much has NO rest areas!!!!!

Chicago traffic was horrible, we crawled through it for an hour and the finally the roads opened up again. I could tell Flipflop was getting hungry and I planned to pull over at first rest area I saw, but as an hour flew by there were none.

As I continued my drive I spotted an exit with tons of hotels off of it.  My eye got the Motel 6 sign……I was sure on my “bring Fido” app, it said all Motel 6’s were pet friendly and don’t even charge an additional fee.

Side note: bring Fido is a super cool app (and website:  https://www.bringfido.com/)  that tells you all dog friendly parks, restaurants, hotels, activities, etc. world wide!  It’s awesome for travelling with your furry companions.  It also tells you any pet restrictions (size/breeds, etc.) and if the hotel charges an additional fee.

I arrived at the Motel 6 and asked if there were any rooms, the girl asked if I wanted one or two bedroom, I said I only need one bed, as it was just me and my dogs.  As she was processing my room, she questioned if I would take a two bedroom, it cost a bit more but was on the ground floor for the dogs.  I told her I was fine with the extra charge as it will be nice for the dogs and easier for me. 🙂  I used a blanket off the second bed to make a bed for Dahlia, as she doesn’t enjoy human beds, only couches!

So to sum it up, day 1 of our B.C. bound adventure went pretty smoothly, and I’m excited to see where we end up tomorrow evening on our drive.

 

 

 

Well almost 2000 km under our belt and we’re still going strong!! Dahlia and Flipflop are troopers!!!  It hit me along my drive today, that I really am moving to B.C.!  The numbness I felt yesterday has left and I’m so excited today!

Last night after we settled in for the evening, Flipflop was unsettled, he kept growling and I think it was because we were just off the highway and he could see the lights or hear the cars.  I took him out for a short walk so he could see there was nothing to fear and that seemed to work.  Dahlia, of course, didn’t mind a thing!  I think she is enjoying the fact that I’m not restricting her food and she keeps getting up through the night to eat!  At home they have designated feeding times but being on the road, I’m being a little loose with their schedules.

I always have a hard time sleeping in strange beds, so I was up at 5, and relaxed in bed until the sun came up and got the troops ready for a new day.  We left our motel around 6:30 am.

My sister surprised me with a phone call, and it was great to pass some time chatting with her, it’s definitely going to be strange not seeing her for our weekly lunch.  But as I stated yesterday, leaving those I love in Ontario was the only hard part of this journey.

We spent our night just outside of Wisconsin and we crossed into the state early on.  Our drive was pretty uneventful, short of two warning lights coming on while I was driving. Both my error, thankfully!  When I filled up with gas first thing this morning, I forgot to put the cap back on, so I had to pull over on the side of the road and screw my cap on!  And then leaving one of our rest areas, I didn’t have Flipflop’s door closed properly. Thankfully that light came on immediately and I was able to secure his door prior to pulling back on I94!

We made our way through Minnesota and into North Dakota.  North Dakota was not what I expected at all.  Past Fargo there’s very little off I94!  Fortunately, using my bring Fido app, I found a pet friendly hotel 7 hours outside our border crossing back into Canada!

Since we had such an early start, I pulled over early so we can all relax for a few hours (and Flipflop can play) before we go to bed for the evening.  It’s been super cool, driving through the US, but i’m looking forward to getting back into Canada tomorrow and making our way from Saskatchewan to Alberta (hopefully) tomorrow!

 

Like most rescues, Dahlia’s birth date and exact age are unknown but she was about 8 years old when she came to be fostered by me, two years ago today (April 4). So, when she became a foster fail (when the foster parent adopts the dog), I made the day we first met her birthday.

Dahlia seemed old and frail when I met her, she wanted to enjoy life but was fearful. When I would go to pet her she would freeze, unsure if my hand would be a gentle touch or one that caused her pain. She was such a nervous wreck she would pee constantly, in fear I was going to hurt her.  It was both heartbreaking and, after weeks of cleaning up urine, frustrating.

I was an inexperienced foster mom at that time, and as with all the fosters, Dahlia taught me a lot.  She learned to trust me by observing my many interactions with Flipflop and also, by me giving her proper structure.

A couple months after meeting her, I adopted sweet Dahlia, and made her part of the forever pack.  She has been by my side ever since, along with Flipflop, helping other dogs in need.  She no longer fears a human hand, in fact, she kind of demands everyone she walks by use their hands to pet her!

I remember when I adopted her, and called to get her license, I debated over getting a one or two year licensed, as I was sure this fragile dog wouldn’t be alive in a year.  Boy did she prove me wrong.  She is no longer frail, she is strong, playful and a DIVA!  I have taken to calling her Lady Dahlia as she holds her head high and feels so entitled to her life, it’s beautiful to see.

She is getting younger all the time, and I’m so excited to be celebrating her 10th year with her today and bringing her to beautiful British Columbia in a week to live out the rest of her long life!

 

Fostering has been such an adventure, from my early days of questioning everything I did when a new dog arrived, to my later fosters where it became part of our norm.  But no matter the foster, one thing always remained consistent in my home, Dahlia and Flipflop were my forever dogs and they never felt left out.

My most resent foster, Solo, gained a lot of social attention. His recovery, like so many others, was amazing and he continues to excel with his beautiful family.  And when he got adopted, much like when the others did, the ask came in on if I was ready to take another one in.

Except this time, unlike all the others I didn’t say yes, I said maybe……….But Sherri (Royal Canadian Pooch) was not surprised, as when she dropped off Solo I told her he may be my last foster for a while.  And as it turned out, I was right.

I was offered a job in British Columbia (B.C.) and accepted it.  So what does this mean for my pack and I?  Well first of all, YES, I am bringing them with me.  I would never leave behind a family member and YES, I do plan to foster again, in the future, but as always my first priority is ensuring my own pack is safe and secure and settled.

Moving to B.C. has been a dream of mine since the first time I visited the province over 20 years ago.  Last fall I decided, in 2019,  I was going to make my dream come true and made myself a plan on how to achieve it.

Fast forward to now, less than 4 weeks before I start my new job, 2 weeks and two days before I leave Ontario, and 1 week before I leave my current organization.  Life is a whirlwind right now. My place is being cleaned out, I have boxes everywhere and through it all I am trying to keep life as normal as possible for Dahlia and Flipflop.

Fortunately for me, Dahlia is yet to notice any change.  Dahlia is happy that mommy comes home from work every day and gives her food, walks and pets.  Flipflop on the other hand, has noticed and does not like it.

It’s the first big change Flipflop has undergone with me, as he sees me packing up boxes, taking apart furniture and items in our home slowly declining, he needs extra reassurance.  I was taking apart a table and he came up behind me and got on his  hind legs to circle his two front paws around my neck, his version of a hug, which he gives often.  But lately he’s needed more hugs than normal, more snuggles than normal and more mommy time than normal.

I know he will love it in B.C. and hiking the amazing trials out there with me.  I don’t think he realizes how he rescued me 4 years ago and that I couldn’t do this move without him because he is my best friend.  But he will soon see, when we make our way across the country that when he was told he had a mommy in Canada, it was for life no matter how many changes come our way!

 

 

 

 

Solo’s story may have started in heartbreak, but ends in triumph.

When I think about Solo, I find I am at a loss for words……something that’s very unusual for me!  I have had broken down dogs before, I have nursed broken souls and physical abuse back to health before……….but for some reason with Solo, it’s feels different.

His soul speaks to me, in a way I have not yet experienced with other fosters.  Solo is a very special boy.

Many know his story by now but a recap:

Solo was living on the streets, building himself a little den at the local dump where he would sleep when not forging for food.  Starving and alone, someone found him a nuisance and instead of doing something to help sweet Solo, they decided to light his den on fire and doused him with acid.  Needless to say, he was not in good shape, when a caring lady spotted him and called the rescue. Fortunately, Solo was saved, but not without almost a full year of recovery and getting him physically and mentally healthy enough to go into foster care.

That is where I came in.  And through my previous blogs, you have seen his transformation from a terrified dog to a member of my pack.  And now we are embarking on the next step of his journey – his forever home.

It started as every other adoption process does, application – approved, phone interview – approved, move on to the meet and greet.  This is always is the part where things can go south.  The family is excited, the dog is usually scared and/or unsure, the family gets upset the dog isn’t instantly bonding, they walk away telling me they’ll think about it.  I message the rescue and tell them it didn’t go well and we debrief on what happened and discuss more what the dog needs.

The truth is, I don’t think it is a matter of the families not being what the dog needs, I’ve met perfectly well suited dog owners, sometimes their expectations are too high, other times, it’s just not the right fit and the dog knows it.

This was going to be Solo’s first meet and greet, on paper and in the phone interview I really liked this family.  But I knew Solo would be unsure and perhaps growl and not want to be near them.  I knew Solo would not “show” well, in a meet and greet as he knew more cruelty than kindness in his short life.

I  met the family outside, as they brought their dog, Rome, who would be making the “final” decision on the addition to the family.  You see, Rome is 3 and had just lost his 12 year old brother and was grieving horribly in the weeks that have passed since Merle’s death.  The family felt Rome needed a new sibling and decided to rescue this time around.

Solo and Rome are both shy, but said hello and remained calm.  The family knew, from my instruction, not to approach Solo.  After a short walk, the family, Rome, Solo and I came up to my place.

We sat around and chatted and had a nice visit.  During which Solo growled on a couple of occasions, and the family knew it was because one of them moved to quickly and startled him.  “Promising, ” I thought.

By the end of their visit, they were in love, Solo’s insecurities didn’t scare them, it made them want to love him more, and so this time when a family left, I contacted the rescue to tell them how great it went. Always a wonderful feeling.

One week later, Solo left my home.  I proudly kept it together (for the most part) but did have a few (ok many) tears early in the day while I spoke to Solo about his future and how very proud I am of him.

When his family came for him, they stayed for a nice visit, they didn’t want to Solo to feel they are ripping him away from me, so took their time.  They asked if I would mind helping him into their car, not wanting their first moments alone with him to be dramatic for him.

When we went to the car, Solo started climbing in on his own!!!  He knew he was going home.  Once in the car, he crawled up on his mom’s lap.  She messaged me later saying he was trembling but calm and just wanted to snuggle into her.  He knew she would keep him safe – HUGE moment!!!  He later got off his mom’s lap and relaxed on the dog bed they had for him in the van, but still wanted his mom to touch him.

It’s been just over 12 hours since Solo left and he spent his first night in his forever home, not hiding in a corner or in a safe den, but on the couch!  Sprawled out on the couch, to boot!  Today he is exploring his surroundings and still timid and unsure of things, and his brother, Rome, is keeping an eye on him and all ready has continued Flipflop’s work of teaching Solo to play.

From the update I received from Solo’s mom, I truly believe Solo knows he home and is just working through his insecurities.

As a foster mom, I could not be more proud of this boy.  He has been beaten, tortured and almost starved to death and yet his resilience shone through.  His longing to give love and be loved remained through his first couple years of life.  And because of a random act of kindness, a phone call made to Eddy’s Dogs, Solo’s life changed and he healed and started to feel love for the first time.

And then he became strong, strong enough and healthy enough to find his way to being adopted.  I feel so blessed to have been part of this amazing dog’s journey.  And I’m so grateful to his family, who saw through his pain and into his heart and have fallen in love with him in days since meeting him.

So long Solo, I know you have just experienced the tip of the iceberg of your incredible life.

 

Flipflop and Miss Ellie are in love, as in love as two dogs can be.  They first met on a cold wintery day in February, 4 years ago.  Flipflop was just 6 months old and Miss Ellie was 3.  She hated this young puppy who followed her everywhere and Flipflop wanted to be Miss Ellie’s friend, so badly.

As Flipflop matured Miss Ellie developed more patience for him and fortunately for these two dogs, their mom’s got along as well.   So Janet and I made time to ensure the two dogs got to play and go for walks together as much as possible.

Miss Ellie LOVES the water and would spend all summer wadding in the near by creeks and lakes.  The very first time Miss Ellie went in the water with Flipflop nearby, he panicked, he was so worried something bad was going to happen to her.  Needless to say, nothing bad happened, and when she came out of the creek Flipflop was so happy to see she survived her swim!  As Flipflop got older he found a love for the water himself, and now the two of them love to play together in the creeks and lake on hot summer days.

It became clear that Miss Ellie considered herself Flipflop’s girl,  when she started getting mad at him anytime he played with female dogs.   She is quite fine if he’s playing with other male dogs but for some reason does not like any other female dogs around her man, with the exception of his sister.

But we really knew it was true love when Flipflop’s stick floated out in the lake, and he was too scared to go deep in the water  to get it and Miss Ellie went in to the lake to retrieve his stick and gave it to him.  Janet and I looked at each other and our hearts melted, our dogs were so adorable!!!

They spend every day together while their mom’s are at work, and most nights, Miss Ellie doesn’t want to go home to her own place, but she does, because her mom misses her.  When we are all just relaxing, it is not unusual for one of the two love dogs to get up and check on the other and then go back to sleep.

Miss Ellie adapts to all the fosters as they come and go as well, although she doesn’t live with us, she spends a lot of time at my place and it’s not uncommon for Janet to have me and all the dogs up at her place as well.  Miss Ellie always gets along with the fosters and just like Flipflop and Dahlia welcomes them to the pack.  Miss Ellie’s  favourite foster was also Flipflop’s favourite, Lucy, but she does seem to have soft spot for Solo as well.

As our fosters come and go, one thing remains the same, the bond Flipflop has with Miss Ellie is one he shares with no other dog.

So on Valentine’s Day he decided to make it official and as Miss Ellie to marry him.  She accepted, but there are no plans for a wedding in the near future!

 

Going onto week 4 and Solo has had no suitable adopters interested in him.  I’m not sure why, but then again, I am the fortunate one who got to know this sweet boy and what a bundle of love and joy he is.

Solo has done re-markedly well in with us.  In such a short time he’s gained confidence, trust and most of all, he feels safe.  He loves to run and play with other dogs, although in his play he’s not quite sure what to do, but he will get there.  He’s loves to say hello to people now, if they do not feel threatening to him (starring at him or coming toward him with too much energy).

Before and after every walk, he runs around squeaking what has become his favourite toy, a fox with ropes on both ends.  And he loves to snuggle up to a human when he’s tired and wants a nap.

In less than four weeks, this sweet boy has gone from being so broken and scared he retreated to the kitchen and wanted nothing to do with me or my pack, to being part of our family and  loving life.

He gets so many compliments from strangers on our walks on what a handsome boy he is, and he loves the attention.  He’s come so far and I know the right person is out there for him.

If you think you’re the one for Solo he is available for adoption at:

https://www.adoptapet.com/pet/24415259-mount-hope-ontario-boxer

 

Dogs like Solo are so special, well ok, all dogs are special!  But when I have a foster like Solo I’m always amazed at how much they learn and develop their trust and zest for life.

Solo has met so many new people and dogs, and is such a friendly dog.  He loves other dogs, and wants to say hello to every one he sees.  With people, he is less sure, but I simply tell the humans to ignore him, and when they do Solo goes up to them within seconds to say a gentle hello.

This weekend my good friend and neighbour, Janet, was planning to have Solo for a sleep over to see how he does.  Solo has been to Janet’s place with me and my pack and knows Janet well now, but he’s never been with her alone.

Janet has done this with past fosters to help them adapt to different situations while still feeling safe.  Dahlia used to have weekly sleep overs to help her with her separation anxiety from me, and it worked great.

Today, while working  from  home, (thanks to the lovely winter storm in the  GTA!) Janet texted to see if I wanted to take a quick break from work and walk the dogs.  We agreed it would be a short walk, as it’s awful outside and unsafe for everyone. While we were walking Janet asked if she could take Solo up to her place for the afternoon to see how he adjusted.  I agreed.

It turns out, Solo does not like being away from foster momma, he cried at first with Janet and then laid by her door, waiting for me.  Janet brought Solo home after half an hour, and we are going to continue having him go up for short visits and delay the sleep over, for now.

It’s not uncommon for my fosters to form such a bond with me.  Having that bond helps me know when they’ve found their forever parents.  When they aren’t sure of the family, the foster still sticks close to me, but when they find the right family, they want to spend time socializing with the family.

This is all the more reason why I know Solo’s forever home will be one that understands him and gives him his time and space to become the awesome pet he is.  Solo will let me know when he finds his person and it will be another bitter sweet day for me and the dogs of my life.