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.

 

 

It’s been almost two weeks since Solo entered my home and our hearts. This weekend Solo was introduced to new people and places and handled it like a champ.

Saturday afternoon the dogs and I were out for a walk with my good friend and neighbour, Janet, and her dog (Flipflop’s best friend), Miss Ellie.  There is a lovely couple on the ground floor of our building who love dogs and the dogs love them!  It’s a rare occasion to walk by their suite without one of the dogs wanting to go in and say hello.

I had not allowed my dogs to visit them since Solo arrived, as I didn’t want to overwhelm Solo with too much too soon.  But yesterday, there was no avoiding a visit, the dogs had seen Fabian in the window watching them, so we let them go.  Flipflop, Miss Ellie and Dahlia ran up to the sliding doors to be let in, Flipflop ran back to get Solo (who wasn’t sure what was going on and didn’t want to follow).  When Flipflop came back for him, Solo followed.

Having been around my fosters in the past, and also having dogs of his own, Fabian knew to just ignore Solo and let him be.  Solo didn’t show any signs of fear or uncertainty once inside.  While Flipflop, Dahlia and Miss Ellie danced around Fabian for treats, Solo explored the apartment and went up to Cleo (Fabian and Monisha’s kitten) to say hello.  Cleo gave Solo a swat but it didn’t even phase him.

Eventually Solo joined the other dogs to get treats, Fabian was careful to not get close to Solo and risk scaring him, instead he would toss treats to Solo for him to enjoy.  It was a successful visit.

That evening, I was on point to host a small gathering with some of my neighbours.  Fabian and Monisha were invited, along with a couple other neighbours.  In preparation, I had made arrangements for Flipflop to go upstairs to Janet’s and hang out with Miss Ellie, as Flipflop can be a bit protective of his pack (which includes people) and I wanted to set Solo up for success.  I was going to send Dahlia up too, but Janet requested Dahlia be allowed to stay with the people, because Dahlia loves to dance (no joke).

As I prepared for people to arrive  l laid out the food, worried about Solo eating it all so I kept a close eye.  Solo is such a good boy, he made no attempt to sneak any of the food, he didn’t even go near it.  As people arrived, Solo would walk to the door with me to greet our guests.  Everyone knew to ignore Solo and let him come to them.

Needless to say by the end of the night Solo was enjoying pets from everyone and was very calm.   Flipflop and  Miss Ellie joined the party later in the evening as well, and Flipflop shared his people with his foster brother with no issues.

As the night went on, Solo got restless, he didn’t want to leave the party but he was tired and wanted a place to lay down. I had removed the dog beds from the living room to make more space.  I asked if anyone minded if I got one of the beds to put back out and of course no one did. As soon as I put the bed down, Solo grabbed is favourite today and laid down and slept.

While a sleeping dog may not seem like a big deal,  a dog with Solo’s past, in a room full of people he just met hours ago, sleeping peacefully is amazing!!!

Later today, Solo is going to his first Super Bowl party, but after his amazing progress the past two weeks, I have no doubt, he’ll blend right in with the other dogs and people at the party this evening and have a wonderful time!!  GO RAMS!

Solo is available for adoption at:

https://www.adoptapet.com/pet/24415259-mount-hope-ontario-hound-unknown-type-mix?fbclid=IwAR11k5kn-Bky8lU0IWSjKxYOXuT5TTT1llRVNv2VNNVuvSYz5Sd2IeubbJ8

 

 

 

It’s been 5 days since Solo came to stay with us, a scared, unsure dog, knowing only kindness from his saviors at Eddy’s Dogs.  Life before that was not so kind for this young dog, who carries a lot of distrust from his past.

Solo is not aggressive, he is scared, he doesn’t growl or bark, he shakes and freezes.  I knew of Solo’s rescue and what he had endured and his long recovery to get him to a place where he was ready to get into foster care and find his forever home.

I prepared for his arrival by setting up a dog pen for him, I put a sheet over it, to make it feel safer and set up a bed with some toys.  A safe place for Solo to retreat and be left alone, if he choose to.

When Solo arrived I met him outside with Dahlia and Flipflop to make the introductions.  Solo was uninterested in them, and me!  He only had eyes for Sherri (who helped nurse him back to healthy), it was hard for Sherri to leave him as well, remembering the time and care she took, cleaning his wounds and bonding with him.  I have fostered for Sherri and Eddy in the past, however; so she knew I knew exactly what Solo needed.

Solo needed to be ignored, by ignoring him, I posed no threat.  Of course it’s always hard to ignore the dog, I want to hug him/her and tell it everything will be ok now and they will never be hurt again.  However, dogs don’t speak that language, so I had to ignore Solo to show him I have no interest in him, which in his mind registers that I have no interest in harming him.

Solo ended up not going to his pen, he wanted to be in my kitchen, so I set up a bed and some toys in the kitchen for him, and left his pen in the living room, in case he wanted it.  As I set up his bed and brought in some toys, I was careful not to look at him and I acted as if he was not even there.

I tried to leash him up to take him for a quick walk but he was too afraid to come with me, so I let him be and took out Dahlia and Flipflop and we went to bed, leaving Solo feeling safe in the kitchen.

When I awoke the next morning, Solo was still too scared to allow me to leash him, so I walked Dahlia and Flipflop and let Solo explore the apartment.  On the walk with my dogs, I realized this probably wasn’t a good idea, and sure enough I came home to some doggie “accidents” to clean up.

I am fortunate to be able to work from home and I arranged to do so the first couple days after Solo’s arrival.  On Solo’s first day here, I continued to ignore him and he started to explore.  He would walk up to me and sniff my hand, I would pretend I didn’t notice.

The sniffs eventually turned to licks and then not before too long, Solo was pawing at me to pet him.  I put my hand on him gently, he froze and trembled, I removed my hand and talked to him in a soft voice.  He pawed me again, this time he didn’t tremble, but I could tell he was still unsure from his body language, but he was really trying to trust me and have love.

That was the beginning of Solo’s amazing few days with us so far.  Solo is now sleeping on dog beds in the living room during the day but will go into his pen on occasion.  He only wants to be in the kitchen to eat, he won’t eat around me or the other dogs, I’m assuming because in the past on the streets he had to protect his food.

In five days Solo has shown great progress in learning to trust and be a dog.  A few days ago he growled at me when I tried to dry him off with a towel (after a walk in the rain), and today, after Flipflop peed on Solo’s head during a walk, Solo let me clean him and didn’t growl or show any signs of fear with me.  He’s playing with toys and instead of being fearful of the leash, he gets excited to go for walks.

Solo still has a journey to go as far as letting go of his fears from his past, but he wants to be loved so badly, and is trying so hard to trust me and other humans.  I’m so proud of this little sweetheart!

 

Solo is 2 to 3 years old, he’s a shy dog, who is very unsure of his surroundings, he is also my recent foster.

When I was asked to foster Solo, I didn’t know anything about him, and Sherri-Lee (founder of Royal Canadian Pooch rescue) told me to look on Eddy’s Dogs Facebook page.

I looked him up and what I saw made my heart just break for this sweet dog.

Solo was living in a dump, surviving on his own, he built himself a small den and would scurry around the local neighbourhood looking for food.  He was skin and bones and deemed a nuisance  by someone and this person decided to take measures to remove Solo from their neighbourhood.

When Eddy’s Dogs received a call from a lady stating that she spotted a dog in “really bad shape,” the rescue asked if she could stay near him to track him and they would come and get the dog.  She kindly agreed.

When Eddy got to the area where Solo was, he had seen his den, set on fire and acid had been poured on Solo, burning his fur off and leaving several wounds.

For months Solo’s wounds were cleaned and treated as he was fed regularly.  Before long Solo was starting to recover and his fur was growing back.  A year after that fateful day where Solo was rescued, it was decided he was ready to enter foster care and find his family.

Solo arrived this week and has declared the kitchen his “safe place”.  In the short time he has been here, he is impressing me with his efforts to come out of his shell.  I can tell he really wants to trust me, but is unsure.  He quietly walks up to me and kiss my hand but gets uncomfortable if I approach him.

He follows Dahlia and Flipflop around and wants to be near me when they are, but will freeze if I pet him.  So I just let him enjoy being near his foster siblings and know in time, Solo will welcome the touch of my hand.

I am excited to watch Solo come out of his shell and be part of his journey to his forever home.

From the moment I met her, I knew Vanya was a survivor.  A street pup from Antique, with instincts for survival and definitely her brothers’ protector.

Upon arriving at Toronto Pearson Airport, Vanya and her brother, Willie, were delivered to me for foster care.  My twin gremlins,  I called them affectionately in the weeks they stayed with me, while we waited for room at the humane society for them to open up.  They were a bundle of joy (and exhaustion!).

And then the day came, the humane society had room for them, I was devastated.  It’s always emotional sending a foster off on their next journey but leaving them behind without a family, is a whole new level of emotion torture!!

Vanya and Willie are so cute, it didn’t take long for them both to find forever families, Willie has a wonderful young mom who adores him, and he knows it!!  He’s got her pretty well trained in the few months they’ve been together and he has learned if he shows interest in anything at the pet store, there’s a pretty good chance it’s going home with him.

Vanya has been adopted by a lovely family who have embraced her confident personality and she is thriving.

I was very fortunately over the holidays to have Vanya’s family make the hour long treck on the 401 to bring her to see me for the first time since I left her at the humane society.

I met Vanya’s family outside, knowing Flipflop would not take kindly to Vanya just strolling back into his home.  What I didn’t expect was the excitement from Flipflop and Dahlia upon meeting Vanya’s mom!!!  They took an instant love to Marianne, and greeted her as an old friend, and then they saw Vanya with her human brother and dad.  I took them over to her and as I suspected, Vanya remembered them right away. She jumped up and started kissing Dahlia’s face, as she did constantly while in my care.  She gave Flipflop a quick hello and then came over to me.

She hadn’t changed a bit!  She is bigger, of course, and has filled out into a beautiful athletic Potcake and best of all Vanya still has her confidence. When we made our way up to my place, she got so excited as memories of her time with us came back through her senses.

Her family delighted at how happy she was and how she remembered my place, she remembered the elevators and even which apartment was mine, when we got to my floor.  Once inside, Vanya delighted us with her usual antics of trying to unzip the couch cushions take out the foam, and emptying the doggie toy box and playing delightfully. That is when she wasn’t saying hi to Sixx (my cat who is very social with all the dogs) or taking a time out of play to run over to me to say hello again.

Despite her obvious thrill to be back at her foster home for a visit, Vanya still protested to being picked up for a snuggle.  Just as when I fostered her, she was too busy to want to be cuddled and would only let you hold her for a few seconds. It made me laugh.

It was so wonderful to visit with her and meet her amazing forever family.  And as happy as Vanya was to visit and see me, she was quite happy and content to leave with her family.  When they had to leave, Vanya ran to the door with her family, her dad said that she is probably just excited to be going outside, and not excited that she was leaving me.

I smiled at his kindness and told him it was the best possible scenario, Vanya remembered me and was happy to see us and spend time here, but when it was time to leave, she knew who her forever family is and wanted to go to her home.

Well, it’s the holiday season, in fact Christmas Eve is tomorrow, and the end of 2018 is nearing. This morning I did a short slide show for my Facebook page:  https://www.facebook.com/RESCUEDthebookbyJoanZammit/?ref=bookmarks, that one of my best friends (Jennifer) and I run.  Of course it’s all about rescuing, dogs and cats in need of homes and feel good posts.  The slide show are pictures of some of my dogs and cats and Jennifer’s dogs, not all of the pets are still with us and pulling up the old photos got me recalling the past.

I was thinking of just last weekend where I was enjoying a night out doing Karaoke with some friends, old and new and an Anne Murray song was sang.  I’m not sure why that song ran into my head this morning, but it lead me to think of the time Jennifer and I went to a cottage for week with our then dogs, Chloe and Dupont.

While we were getting ourselves organized we had put the radio on, Anne Murray’s You Needed Me came on.  As we unpacked food and listened the lyrics, we both broke down in tears.  Not because of the strong bond and friendship we share or because of any other person, but because her dog, Chloe, and my dog, Dupont.  They were our rocks and our everything.

As we laughed and cried we talked about how much we needed them and how we would not survive without them.  They were only 2 and 3 years old at the time, but still the thought of the inevitable happening one day pained us so.

Well, Dupont passed away almost 4 years ago, Chloe followed 1-1/2 years ago, both events marked days of our lives that neither Jennifer or myself thought we’d survive, but we did, somehow, although those days still feel like yesterday in our hearts.

Life is unpredictable, you can be happy one minute and have a song bring you to tears the next. But while life does have its up and downs it is nice to know that no matter how horrible and painful it can be, in  time even the painful memories can bring a smile through our tears.

Happy Holidays in memory of Chloe, Dupont, Jasmine, Buddy and Sabre.