I've fostered two dogs already- Sophie and Emma, and am currently fostering my third- Sam.
Sadly, Sophie had her moments. She was aggressive when irritated, scared, unsure of her surroundings, and even sometimes when unprovoked! She was fine with me, not fine with my jumpy and active Mango- a chi/terrier mix. I adopted her out to a wonderful woman who had had experience with dogs that had tendencies to 'freak out' and get scared and aggressive. She was definitely willing to work with Sophie, and I was thrilled. Unfortunately, she attacked her fiance and that was when Sophie was returned to Paws and put down. I was heartbroken, but like everyone said- she had her chance, but also had her issues.
Sophie!
Emma is a doll. She's also kind of a tyrant when left by herself. A Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, one would say. The most she did at my house was tear up some blinds. I couldn't crate her because all she would do was cry and slam her head and body against the crate for hours upon hours on end. I didn't really think her separation anxiety was bad since she was good (minus the blinds) with free roam of the house, and with Mango as company. She was adopted out to a friend of a friend who had grown up with dogs her entire life and promised to stay committed to Emma. That lasted 2 weeks. Apparently she could barrel through two kiddie fences, large heavy tupperware containers, and etc. She would also refuse to go poo until she was left alone. I think part of the problem was that Emma was left completely alone at her new mom's house. She was visited every 3 hours at max during the work day, but still things got worse. When her mom called in tears I got a number from Robin and referred her to a dog trainer, who then told her the only options were to: install doors in the kitchen area, put her on medication, or send her to doggie day care- all of which she couldn't afford. She had seriously tried everything, but was at her wit's end. So, unfortunately Emma was returned to Paws a few days ago.
Did she have any other options? What would have been best for Emma? She's a cute girl, so I'm sure she'll be adopted out quickly, but I don't want the same issues to come up when she's at her new home.
Emma!
And now I have Sam. (Tracy came to meet him on Sunday!) He was quite underweight and had very bad kennel cough, and is still slightly huffing every once in a while. Mango is doing the same huffing- but has been doing it every once in a while for a couple months now. I talked to a vet and he said it's common in small dogs, but should it be a cause for concern? Sam is most likely going to be picked up by his new mom on Monday. She sounds awesome, and is driving three and a half hours to see him from S. Delaware! She owns a dog grooming shop, has a little girl, and a Yorkie named Toby. It sounds perfect, but we'll see. Especially with the last two- Emma and Sophie, I'm skeptical about any situation I place my loved pups into.
Here's Sam!
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