More Potter

I'm Ron

And I'm Harry

So these are our newest fosters:  Ron and Harry.  They come to us from a family who had a female dachshund who was impregnated by a beagle.  The boys immediately went to the vet when they came into the rescue.  Both were infested with fleas so they received their first set of immunizations and were treated for fleas.  For those who have read Harry Potter you'll recall Harry had the mark of The Dark Lord on his forehead.  Well, our Harry carries the mark of flea infestation on his ear instead.  He has a few patches of skin that we're caring for but other than that, he's in fine shape.  Just as in the book, Harry is a bit smaller than Ron and a bit quieter too.  Ron is a big, lovable guy who loves to hang with Harry.  Instead of Quidditch (a thrilling game in Harry Potter), they play Who Can Get Mr. Tigerpants.  It's a thrilling game too, although not at the same level of personal risk as Quidditch. 

Harry Potter

Well it's been a while since I've written.  Lot's of things going on in life and of course, new pups.  We've fostered three pups since Lulu's:  Magic, Fred and George.  All three have gone to their forever homes but I need to share their pictures just so you can see what beautiful pups they are.  All have become family members of the most wonderful homes.  Magic (black dachshund mix) has gone to a woman here in Nashville who has just relocated from Texas.  Fred and George (the long hair reds; Fred with a red collar) live a bit further away (George in Memphis and Fred in Raleigh, North Carolina).  I'm going to post their pics before I go pick up the kids from school then I'll tell you about our newest guys:  Harry and Ron.  Anybody read Harry Potter lately?  My daughter is obsessed and has read the books over the summer and continues to read them every day.  I'm sure we'll have a Hermione, Dumbledore and Snape in the next batch.   I'll tell you about Ron and Harry in the next blog post.

Coming Home Part Two

In my previous post I mentioned how we usually send the mom to another foster home once she get's spayed.  It enables her to transition to the next stage of her life (post puppies) and to heal peacefully from the surgery.  Well, as I've already said, this family is different.

The morning after the pups came home was just another example of how this little family has bonded in the light of their story.  I had woken to feed the pups and clean up the messes that had occurred overnight.  I took the puppies outside to do their 'business' and eat breakfast.  I fed Lulu and my canine boys and let them out too.  They all spent about an hour outside while I cleaned up from the canine breakfast, made lunch for my daughter and did some things around the house.

I finished my tasks and planned to go upstairs to exercise so I brought the pups in from outside.  I put the puppies in their area in the laundry room and put Lulu and my boys in the gated area in the kitchen.  I closed the back door so the adult dogs couldn't use the doggy door to go outside.  I went  upstairs to exercise.

So I'm upstairs changing and there is a good bit of whining coming from the kitchen.  I went downstairs to discover Lulu at the gate and she was whining and pacing.  I opened the door to the backyard to see if she wanted to go to the bathroom.  Nope; she didn't even go toward the door.  I opened the gate to the kitchen she darted right out and went straight to the laundry room.

It's a unique set up in the laundry room but it works for me/us.  I have an x-pen set up with the door open so the dogs can get to the potty mat and then I have a crate they can crawl into which prevents them from accessing (and messing in) the rest of the laundry room.  I'll have to post a picture of this little setup because after ten litters and lots and lots of cleaning, I think we've found a great set up to managing the messes. 

So it becomes obvious to me Lulu wants to be with her pups, but she was just out of surgery and I didn't want the pups to try and nurse.  So instead of  putting her in the pen with the pups, I put a soft blanket outside the x-pen so they could be close but not intrusive.  The puppies squealed with delight at the sight of their mom and were frustrated they couldn't access her.  Lulu looked happy and settled right down in the bed so I went upstairs to exercise.

I came downstairs an hour or so later and walked into the laundry room and stood in amazement at the sight on the floor.  There was Lulu cuddled up on her blanket and what is that next to here I thought? I walked closer to discover that little Sammy, the runt of the litter who weighed all of maybe two pounds, had somehow pushed through the barricade of crates and pens so he could sleep cradled in the belly of his mom.  I teared up.  His brothers and sister hadn't made it through the barriers  but little Sammy, quiet, smart and thoughtful Sammy had made it through the barricades so he could sleep with his mom.   Lulu looked so peaceful, she was in a deep sleep and didn't stir at all when I entered and either did Sammy for that matter.  So I got my camera to take a picture and when I returned Lulu was up and looking at me as if to say "Please don't wake him, he's resting so peacefully". I just love this little family.

6/13/2011: The pups are back home

This weekend we traveled west to enjoy the wedding of a couple who adopted a puppy from us last year.  This work we do (fostering dogs/puppies) has opened our lives to a world of friends that we never would have known if we didn’t foster.  We took Lulu and her pups to the vet who cares for all of our foster dogs so they could board their while we were gone. 

While there, we planned for the the puppies to get their four week check ups and for Lulu to get fixed.  I arrived at the vet today to bring them home to discover Lulu had quiet a rough time with the surgery.  Apparently, the vet in Alabama  had fixed Lulu (they told us she had not been fixed) when they did the c-section to retrieve the puppies, however, the quality of their work lacked considerably.  It was ‘a mess’ when our vet opened her and he had to do extensive work to repair the damage and inflammation.  Lulu bled considerably and was likely in a great deal of pain both prior to the surgery provided by our vet and after, when he repaired the damage caused by the previous surgery.

Lulu greeted me with kisses and whimpers.  It was so good to see her.  Is it possible the pups grew over the three day stay with the vet?  Yes.  These little pups are the plumpest puppies we’ve ever had. 

Normally when it’s time to wean the pups we’ll get the mom fixed and send her onto another foster home so the pups won’t try to nurse from her.  This little family is different; you can just feel it and I  wanted to keep them together.  So we decided to try keeping the family together.  As if to support this decision,  Lulu whined for her pups almost the whole time while at the vet (they were kept separate so she could recuperate from surgery).  They brought the puppies out in a crate when we got to the vet and then they brought out Lulu.  She immediately wanted to get down and see the pups.  She nuzzled them between the bars of the crate and it was a happy reunion. 

I wasn’t sure what the situation at home would be like because I’ve never had a fixed mom and her pups in the same home.  Again, this family is different.  I let the pups go outside when we got home and I put Lulu in a different part of the yard to keep them from trying to nurse.   Lulu came right over to her pups and began to sniff and groom them.  Of course, they tried to nurse.  Most puppies will torment their mom to get milk but this little family was different.  They seemed to immediately accept that mom would no longer be able to provide milk and went about their way just being together.  It confirms to me that there is so much more that goes on in the world of a dog than we readily acknowledge.  This is a beautiful little group of pups who adore their mom and hold her in very high regard.  She too is a remarkable mom who regardless of her physical limitations, has no boundaries when it comes to her love for them.

The Foster Family

We are a family of four who came about this work as the result of a dog named Alice.  Alice was a dachshund mix who we adopted from Animal Control in Jacksonville, FL.  Alice lived to be 15 and transformed me from being a cat person to being totally in love with dogs.  I do this work to honor her and the many dogs out there like her who have no home, who have often been neglected or abused and who have the faith and grace to give humans another chance.  We began fostering in 2007 and began specializing in fostering moms and their pups in 2009.

This is a family commitment and it takes a lot of time and effort.  My husband is an amazing man who gets up at 4am to clean up any puppy messes that occurred overnight and to help feed and care for all of the pups we’re caring for (which has gotten up to 15 at one time).  My kids are equally phenomenal as they help care for and train the puppies while they are with us.   Our kids are 13 (boy) and 8 (girl) which is a good age for kids living with dachshunds.  We are known as the ‘puppy family’ at school and throughout the neighborhood.  Fostering puppies certainly gives my kids a remarkable experience (most kids love puppies and we have and endless stream of them coming through the house).  A foster family with children also helps the dachshunds by because they get accustom to 'little kid energy'.  For some reason dachshunds have received a reputation of not being kid-compatible.  We want to change that perception and believe respectful handling by children from the time they are born can help them be comfortable with children.  We believe children age 7 and up can be wonderful companions for any animal.

We are always asked how we manage all of this with the schedules of a busy family.  It’s a team effort and we’ve become a well-oiled engine!   We’re also frequently asked how we manage the emotions of saying goodbye to these puppies as they go on to their forever homes.  I’ll be honest and admit it is difficult and there have been many messy crying episodes (mostly on my behalf) but what I have learned through all of this is that love, true love, is unconditional and without attachment.  So I have had to learn to love, to open my heart fully, without attaching and knowing our fosters are going to phenomenal homes.  There is something very spiritual in this work.   I am always in awe at the synergy of bringing together the adopting family and the foster dog.  It's always been a case of 'they were just meant for each other'.  We're honored to be a part of this process.

5/13/2011 Lulu's puppies arrive at our home

Lulu was picked up by Shelby County Animal Control in Alabama in late April of 2011.  Animal Control took her to a local shelter in Hoover Alabama.  It was there they determined Lulu was pregnant.  Lulu was treated for flea infestation but that was only the beginning of what we would later discover was one of many medical challenges she was working with.  Lulu delivered her puppies by c-section on April 25th.   Four of the seven puppies survived.

All American Dachshund Rescue (AADR) is committed to helping neglected and/or abandoned dachshunds.  Our rescue dogs come from many sources including animal control shelters, puppy mills, breeders and families who surrender their pets.  Our purpose is two fold:  provide medical care to restore each rescue dog to perfect health and to find loving forever homes for each and every dog we rescue.

 Members of AADR learned of Lulu’s plight a few days after she gave birth.  We made immediate arrangements to get Lulu and her young family to one of our foster homes.   Lulu joined her foster family since May 13, 2011.  The foster family consists of four humans (two adults and two kids) and two resident canines (Buddy and Hunter).  Lulu has been a joy to foster.    

If you are interested in adopting Lulu or one of her puppies then please go to www.allamericandachshundrescue.org and complete an adoption application.  You’ll find the application on the left side of the home page under Adoption Information.  You can also read more about our application process and things to consider before adopting a pet.