My Darling Red Boyz

[iris lily]

I've posted an update to this thread in the last message.

Here are the two most recent rescue dogs we've had. They are not related and came to us separately. One had a very very attentive home in which he was adored and the other had a little more checkered past, but he was still well treated along the way before ending up in rescue. Both were wonderful dogs to have here, and they've moved on to permanent homes.

This is Easton on the left and Tibbs on the right.

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...lphotos012.jpg

Here is Tibbs with She WHo Must Be Obeyed (our alpha dog)

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...lphotos004.jpg

Here are part of my family enjoying a fire on a recent cool night.

http://i205.photobucket.com/albums/b...lphotos042.jpg

[Miss Cellane]

So the little tiny dog ruled the two larger dogs? And got the good spot right in front of the fireplace? I just love watching pet dynamics. My good friend has a pit bull mix who walks in fear of the family's cat (who was declawed by a previous owner).

And it's good that everyone ends up in a forever home. Happy endings are the best.

[JaneV2.0]

They could be twins! My Christmas wish is for all homeless animals to find good homes. Bless you for fostering!

[fidgiegirl]

So Iris, I giggled really hard!! Love them!!

How did you get into fostering? I really would like to do it but it would be quite a trick to convince DH. He is afraid he would get too attached and that each departure would be very difficult. Plus there is the whole pee and poop thing. But I have a friend who is really into it and LOVES it (though she does not in any way minimize the work involved - she's just an uber dog person). I'd love to hear your fostering story.

[Wildflower]

Awwww, love those doggies, Iris, they are beautiful. So good to hear they found permanent homes. Bless you for rescuing!!

[CathyA]

IL.......you mentioned that one of them had a good home and was adored. Why did they have to let him go?
Thank you for taking care of these little guys!

[iris lily]

How did you get into fostering? ... I'd love to hear your fostering story.

We've been fostering for two years. We've had 12 bulldog plus the 6-pack of Frenchies last spring. I started fostering when my last bulldog died. She was the best dog I ever had, and I couldn't face getting another bulldog for keeps. I had the emotional distance necessary to foster. You (the general you) have to have the right mindset going into it--that the dogs you have in your home won't become your own.

We usually place bulldogs within a month, so it's not like they are here a long time. For a variety of reasons Tibbs was here for 2+ months and I got more attached to him than I normally would and I thought it would be hard to give him up, but it was actually fine. He is going to a home in a nearby neighborhood and I will see him occasionally.

Each dog is different and I love some of them and like others. Easton was here for only two weeks but he was one of my all time favorites. I tend to like old, calm dogs best. Easton and Tibbs followed one of our most challenging fosters: Rocky, who was a year old and high energy. ugh. I don't do high energy dogs!

There certainly is pee and poo! You can't get away from it. But I will say that the rescue dogs that come here tend to have better bathroom habits than my own dogs. When we get mill dogs who have lived in a kennel, they have bad bathroom habits. But all other dogs are well behaved in the pee/poo area. We've had to euthanize two of my fosters for aggression and that's never easy.

Before we started officially fostering, we adopted, as our own pets, older bulldogs. Bulldogs don't live a long time. So, we had 10 dogs of our own over a 16 year period and we were accustomed to losing dogs.

[iris lily]

So the little tiny dog ruled the two larger dogs? And got the good spot right in front of the fireplace? I just love watching pet dynamics. My good friend has a pit bull mix who walks in fear of the family's cat (who was declawed by a previous owner).

And it's good that everyone ends up in a forever home. Happy endings are the best.

Yes, alpha bitch rules the house, size has nothing to do with power! Tibbs usually ignored her when she was in bossy mode. But when she got right into his face and snarled and yapped, he calmly rolled her under him and stood over her and she was imprisoned between his legs. He never got into battle with her (other than an initial snarl and snap) he just rendered her immobile. It was very cute, how smooth he was at controlling the females. The other Frenchies here never challenged him.

So far we've not had problems with foster dogs failing to get along with our own dogs. Our own dogs, Frenchies, are so little that we have to be careful that none are going to go after them. So far the fosters have been either 1) too old and slow to care 2) young and playful where everyone is their freind 2) mature males who take bossy women in stride and ether play with them, or ignore them.

At some point we will have an alpha female foster dog who will clash with our own dog, and that will not be pretty. But due to our houseful of Frenchies, our Rescue coordinator tends to put a dog with a history of dog aggression out to other homes.

[AnneM]

Such adorable dogs! I would never be able to foster as I think I would wind up with a houseful of dogs. I get attached way too easily.

[iris lily]

Another plus is that I invite my favorite foster dogs to come here and stay when their owners go on vacation. Mabeline is a regular here, and I invited Tibbs to come back, too. But, I always tell the owners that it is dependent on how many dogs I've got at the moment. With our 3, and if I happen to have 2 fosters, that is a full house.