Foster dogs & rescue bits and bobs

I have had a few foster dogs in the past.  My first was Smudge, who is now called Marni, a collie x spaniel (sprollie).  She was roughly 9 months old when her then owners posted an advert on the Gloucestershire Freecycle that they didn't want her anymore and she was free to the first person who wanted her.  Yes people do this.

Luckily a lady who worked for Teckels (an animal charity in Gloucestershire) and I spotted this advert, managed to get in contact with each other, and arrange that she would get Smudge out and I would then foster her, anything to make sure that she wasn't in a home with people who didn't want her or that some horrible person would take her and use her as a bait dog or something horrific.

Smudge came home with me and stayed for almost 2 months, I fell utterly in love with this wiggly, utterly adorable ball of fluff, she was twice the size of Jack (legs wise in any case, width wise she was tiny!) and a mad bundle of energy who could not corner! Jack and her had mad playing times and lots of cuddles, Teckles managed to find a fantastic home with a lovely lady called Anne who still stays in contact with me after all these years (5 years now!) and after a few tears (ok bucket loads of tears!) off she went with her new mum and collie siblings.

Since then an adorable black lab x called Sunny had a few weeks bed and breakfast with me via the Irish Retriever Rescue (IRR) before being homed to friends of mine (he is now called Guinness and is their much loved, rather large and clumsy baby!  Then two adorable little Lhasa Apso ex puppy farm bitches came to stay for a couple of months, they were little cuddle monsters who jumped onto my lap as soon as I sat down and spent the rest of the time peeing everywhere (poor girls didn't know any better having been confined to cages and used as breeding machines for their first years) or trying to chase Sparks! Sadly I didn't have them until they found their new home, I couldn't cure their desire to chase Sparks and didn't feel it was fair to her to not be able to relax in her own home so they went to another fosterer and soon found a new home with a lovely couple who adore them.

On top of the fosters there have been long drives after a day in work (after taking Jack for a run, don't panic!) the first to Abergavenny to rescue a 9 week old black lab x husky bitch (so sweet, all black but with one blue and one brown eye!) whose owners had decided they didn't actually want another dog ... when I got there the owner asked me if I'd take their 6 month old golden retriever too ... obviously I couldn't leave him there so in the car he jumped ... cue some mad phone calls on route back to Cheltenham trying to find a rescue who would take him, IRR stepped up (which is how I met Pauline and how Sunny came to stay for a few weeks) and I met Pauline outside of Oxfordshire, dropped the gorgeous boy off with her and headed home with the pup who then went up to Wiccaweys with Jack and I the next day and was homed very quickly.  An apparently aggressive german shepherd was my next rescue, I had to plead with the owners to let me help instead of having her PTS, thankfully they agreed and again Teckles stepped up and took her on, I picked her up and set off down the M5 with her in the boot, halfway there the dog guard fell down on her, quick stop on the hard shoulder and I dismantled it from the back seat around her head, she didn't flinch or move a muscle, just gave me a kiss once I'd move it all away.  She now lives on a boat in Bristol harbour and goes swimming most days!

Basically I love animals, particularly dogs and sometimes, well if I'm honest most of the time, I love them more than people, other than my family and friends obviously!  They never do anything out of hate, malice etc and despite some of the horrific things people do to them they always want to forgive, reconnect and love.  I think we're all better off when we have animals in our lives.

Once we're properly settled up here (realistically this probably means after the husband is back from building sandcastles) I would love to have another foster dog/s.  It absolutely breaks your heart when they go off to their new home, but if they don't go you don't have the space for another foster which in turn frees up a space within the rescue for them to save the life of another dog.  I couldn't run a rescue, I don't have the patience to deal with some of the cruelty they come across or some of the excuses people come up with to dump their previously loved pet, the most horrific one was (honestly someone said this whilst giving up their dog) that the dog no longer matched the carpet ... but by doing the odd bit of fostering or a home check now and again I can do my (very) small bit to help dogs out.

I was thinking ...

I was thinking this evening whilst walking Jack - a fact I am rather surprised about seeing as my last but one day in work was insanely busy and I have been dreaming about a glass of cold vino since about 15:00!!  In any case, as we ambled around our local park/woods, stopping now and again to have a quick natter with the other walkers, I thought how lovely it is when you own a dog, we all know each other - although to be fair most of us only know each other by our dog's names! - and say hello, ask how each other are, say hello to each other's dogs and have a quick natter about our day.  It's just so lovely to be a part of this community, we don't know anything about each other really, but we know we love our dog's and that is enough to be nice to each other and pass the time of day.

Tina and I walk Jack and Ralph (her gorgeous staffy boy, will try and take a picture of him on Monday) together most mornings and have become very good friends as a result, she came to my hen do and I've bandaged Ralph's paw, friends for life!  When you know you've met someone as nuts about their dog as you are about yours you know you've found a decent person!

It is the same in the dog rescue community, as I've said previously, I have known Sarah & Paul who run Wiccaweys (http://www.wiccaweys.com/) for about 7/8 years now, and as a result I have met various people (through transport runs, at their home from which they run Wiccaweys, at dog shows, meeting up for rescue dog walks and on-line organising homechecks etc) who I have so much in common with, and there is nothing more inspiring than a bunch of relative strangers coming together to help to organise saving a dog's life.  It really does put 'normal' life into perspective when people are willing to drop everything to help an urgent transport run to get a dog from a pound to a rescue place and change their lives to fit a foster dog in.

All in all, anyone who truly loves their dog (by that I mean someone who has put the training and socialisation work in and who walks them come rain, shine, ice, snow etc etc) is okay by me .. and by Jack!

The family

Thought I should give you all a quick introduction to our furry ones.  First is Sparks, as benefits the oldest!  She is 6 and a talker, especially when hungry, the drive from Kent to 'up North' with her will be entertaining ... to say the least!

Doing her best "You lookin' at me?" expression!

Then there is Jack, our collie cross and my baby.  He is 5 and a superstar (bar being scared of hot air balloons - from when we lived in Bishops Cleeve, Cheltenham, they are everywhere there! - and fireworks, oh and BBQ's which makes the summer ... well ... interesting?!).  He came to me when he was 9 weeks old having arrived from Ireland at 6 weeks with his mum and siblings to a collie rescue called Wiccaweys (http://www.wiccaweys.co.uk/) who I have been involved with for about 7/8 years now doing homechecks and the odd bit of fostering.  In any case here he is!

He loves the beach so much his paws don't touch the ground!

Last up is the newest addition to our little family, an absolutely adorable border terrier pup who has yet to be named! He is coming from the utterly lovely Geraldine and Steve of Colourboxdogs (http://www.colourboxdogs.co.uk/) and I met him for the first time last Saturday, literally had to drag myself away from cuddling him as he is so gorgeous.  He will probably be called Marne, although we are going to wait to bring him home until we finally decide.  He is four weeks old here ...

Just look at that belly! Crying out for raspberries!