our fosters - hope fostered 04.10.05 - 05.05.05

04.07.05 - I received the following description Simran at Help4Pets: Shep. Pup Mix, F, 3 mo: Very cute pup. Shelter vet said he thinks she has a hole in her heart otherwise known as PDA. If true this is a congenital heart defect that stunts the growth and eventually the dog dies because the heart can not supply enough blood to support its body. He said the only reason they have not euthanized her is because she is so darn cute and sweet. Our vet Dr. Hampel does know how to do a procedure that fixes this and likes these challenging types of cases, so we are trying to see if the pup is a good candidate and if she will do it for a very reduced rate. An ultrasound would be required to confirm this diagnosis. BTW, she looks more like a Shiba Inu mix to me than shepherd. 04.08.05 - I got a note that the puppy was operable and would go in for heart surgery that night and a request to foster. "We heard back and she IS operable and has a pretty good prognosis. She said 90% of these cases have the surgery and do just fine and they live a healthy, normal life. (Apparently there is a particular valve in the heart that is supposed to automatically close when a puppy is born. In this case it didn’t so they go in and tie it off.) The 10% that don’t are when there are other defects in the heart or if some thing goes wrong during surgery. So they will do the surgery tonight and assuming all goes well she will be ready to come to your house on either Sunday or Monday depending on how she was doing. Yipppeee!"

04.09.05 - The surgery went fine and they said that the puppy was up and wagging her tail first thing.

04.10.05 - I went to the hospital to pick up the puppy (who we've decided to call Hope because there were so many things that we hoped for her when we found out about her). She is very active and it will be difficult to keep her activity level down for the next two weeks so that her heart can heal. She met Borrego and they seemed to like one another but both were frustrated that I wouldn't let them really play. Hope just doesn't get it that she just had major surgery 2 days ago. We're starting work on house breaking and crate training. She's quite the little cuddle bunny and loves to play with toys, cats, dogs, fingers...

04.21.05 - She is recovering well from her heart surgery. What she did have were some issues with was the Rimadyl that they gave her afterwards. It's taken longer to recover from the side effects of that drug. If it is prescribed to any of your fuzzies, take the time to read up on all the pros and cons of it. Today is the first day after a week that Hope has seemed completely her normal and active self (and that's saying a lot considering I met her for the first time 2 weeks ago which was 2 days after heart surgery - so normal and active is relative to 2 days after heart surgery as opposed to 4 days after being on Rimadyl). Anyhow, as I turn to look at her here at work she's just happily chewing on my shoe... WAIT! She's chewing on my shoe! Hope stop it! Yep! She's feeling better...

04.22.05 - Hope got her stitches out today and was a real trooper. The scarring is very minimal and once her hair grows in, I'd bet you won't even know it's there. Less enjoyable to her was her bath after the stitches removal. I haven't been able to give her a bath since I got her so she still smelled like a combo of the shelter and the hospital. She was terrified and shook and tried to get out. As do all dogs, she loved the cuddle time with the towel afterwards. I have to say that's my favorite part with the puppies as well.

04.23.05 - Hope met two sets of potential adoptees. Unfortunately the first set brought their other dog who absolutely despised Hope - tried to take her head off. The second family was wonderful - got right down on the ground and played with her. Hope stole the dad's glasses right off his head and ran away and they all just laughed. They eagerly encouraged her to play and took tons of pictures. I am going to give my recommendation to Help4Pets that these become her new parents.

04.30.05 - Everything is in motion for Hope's adoption next week. Borrego and Hope have formed such a strong bond that I pray we're making the right decision. The two of them just play non stop until they both crash all tangled up in one another. I'm praying that it's the puppy part that appeals to Borrego and not just this specific puppy. I will definitely foster another puppy. This has been a blast and Borrego caring for her has made it even that much more easy.

05.05.05 - Hope got picked up by her new mommy today. I handled the hand off itself very well but the door was hardly closed before I broke down in tears. I was so worried that they would need to come back for something. This is the one thing I'm not enjoying about fostering - the pain of the loss. However I know that I can't keep them all and that I can help so many more fuzzies if I resign myself to the day of pain. I had almost a month of joy so I can't really complain too much. The new family is so excited to have her with them and I'm excited that she will have such a great life.

05.09.05 - Update from Hope's new family: "Hope is doing very well. She is always around one of us – she’s playful, she’s going outside to go potty/poop, and she really likes to go on walks. She has had a few accidents in the house but I look at that as something that I own – maybe I didn’t keep her outside long enough when she had to go, maybe I’m not reading the signals or maybe she was just a bit nervous about everything. I think that adjusting is hard on everybody. Puppies are a full-time job and this experience reminds me of when my kids were small. I didn’t mention this before but I slept on the floor next her kennel the first night that she was at our house and the next night, Brian slept next to her. But she does pretty good at night. You have to be patient, consistent and devoted for best results and we’re trying hard. She loves to be held which works out real well because we all love holding her. Kim, I have to tell you that she is just surrounded by love – that’s just how it is. She is spoiled terribly and adored by all!"

05.23.05 - Update from Hope's new family: "She is getting so big and what a little character!! When she went in for her boosters, she weighed 18 lbs. but I think she gets bigger everyday. She still loves to be held and cuddled (lucky us!). She went to Dog Beach with Jim and me yesterday. We kept her on leash until we decided to give it a try off leash – it seemed torturous to keep her on leash but we were a bit nervous about it. She did so well – played with other dogs but stayed close to Mom and Dad! She didn’t think much of the water but I think the more she goes she may change her mind. I think that I mentioned to you that when I walk her and she starts to get heated, she sprawls belly first with front and back legs straight out on a shady piece of grass and won’t move until she’s ready. It is so funny. She is still making her puppy sleeping sounds and since she sleeps right next to my side of the bed, I get to hear every one of them. They seem like sounds of contentment. We are calling her Gracie now – I want to get a kitty and call him George so we can have George and Gracie.