A Sad Decision

Due to my health, I had to make the hard decision not to foster anymore. This latest flare up has brought all sorts of issues with it and the energy is not there. I do plan to try to foster in the future when a long remission hits me. But until then, I will volunteer and help out where I can. I was trying to push it, when my husband stepped in because he saw it was too much on me. It's not a decision that was made lightly, but one that needed to be made. I will find a way to convert the blog, hopefully in a way that can continue to help those huskies that need a home.

Sid playing with his new toy

For now, I will focus my energy on getting better, and of course, Sid. I hope to get to the point I can continue to foster soon, but I know I'm going to give myself at least through the holidays to get better.

Fostering is one of the most rewarding things I have done, and I encourage anyone who is debating on giving it a try to take the leap. I want to thank Husky Haven of Florida for both the opportunity to foster as well as the understanding in the change of situation with my health.

Full of Energy

As Bolt gets settled into the household routine, his energy is starting to make more of an appearance. He wants to play non stop, and Sid is going to be three in Oct. and tires a little quicker. Bolt would do great with a playmate or an active human. When not playing, he likes to cuddle. He thinks that he is a lap dog.

Sitting in his spot on the front porch

He can still be a little skittish and does not like to be startled. Certain movements or sounds will send him hiding. He will peek out and look for reassurance. Once he has it, he will come out and be himself. He has mouthed a few times, but he is eager to please, so with some work, that can most likely be broken. With patience and his eagerness to please, he has been easy to work with to train. Once he knows what we want from him, he does it.

Watching Simon

He has also adjusted to the cats being in charge. Occasionally, he's chased them in play, but hasn't been aggressive with them. He has run from them and has backed down from them on more then one occasion. He does like trying to get into cat food and the litter box, which is the biggest problem we are having with him and the cats. 

If you are interested in Bolt, all you have to do is fill out an application on Husky Haven of Florida's website.

Welcome Bolt!

This weekend, Bolt came to stay with us. He is a very sweet boy and somewhere between the age of 1 to 2. He has all the energy of a husky at that age and has kept Sid pretty pooped out. He was found as a stray, so not much is known. He can be a bit skittish at times and does not like to be surprised, but that does not detract from his sweetness. Last night, the family came over for dinner, and he did great with five extra people in the house. He made sure to hit everyone up for attention.

Bolt positioning for attention

He is still coming out of his shell, but he's showing enough of his personality to show that he is nothing but a big cuddle lover. Whenever my friend gets on the couch, Bolt immediately hops up and sprawls out on him. He regularly comes over for attention when I am sitting on the computer. He even likes to be brushed because it is a form of attention. Unlike Sid, he sits still and allows me to brush him.

He does love running through doors though. Even the child gate set up. He's pretty fast, but is slowly starting to listen when told to stay. Bolt is pretty smart and catching onto commands quickly. I will start working with him on some basic ones this week after he gets settled in more. He already knows a few commands, so hopefully, he will pick up on the others quickly.

Bolt emptying the toy box

As mentioned before, he does have a lot of energy. So much so, that he actually wore out Sid. After pooping Sid out, he found the toy box and one by one, took each toy out and played with it. He really seems to like toys. He was even playing with Sid and the toys at the same time. Some friendly games of tug. A few toys didn't survive and need to be repaired. He likes to pick a toy out of the box, run around in circles while squeaking it, then move onto the next.

There is still a lot to learn about Bolt, as he's only been here for the weekend. So far, he seems like a great dog, one that would benefit from a playful and loving home. He has been doing real good with the cats, ignoring or just watching them. He's not big on the crate, but behaves when left unattended out of the crate, so it's not a big deal.

Hello Bolt!

If you are interested in Bolt, you can get more information on him or fill out an application for adoption on Husky Haven of Florida's website. Right now they have a contest going on to raise money. If you would like to participate you can vote for Sidney or any other dog, or preorder the calendar that will come out of this contest.

Nova Gets a Home

When Nova first came to us, she had a lot of anxiety issues. She would almost seize up from them, yelping as if she were in pain. At one time, before a clean health check, it was even suspected she could be having seizures. It took time, help from a person more experienced in this and a lot of patience, but she came a long way. She became a confident dog, one who was excited about exploring on walks. She became playful. She still had a long way to go, but in the right environment, it isn't going to take long.

Chilling with Simon

Nova found the right environment. A couple, who have a husky with separation anxiety, was looking for a sister for their boy. They looked at Nova. After hearing all of the good and bad, they decided she was the right dog for them. The bad really is she needs a little extra love. She could not have found a better home.

Nova making nice with her new Mom

The meet was done in a park. They drove from the east coast with their boy in tow to see how the two would get along. As soon as Nova spotted him, she wanted to run over and greet him. The last few weeks she had been getting along better with Sid. And she loved their boy from the start. Then it was time to make friends with her soon to be humans. She showed off how cute she was and gave plenty of love.

Adoption days are always bitter sweet for me. I love seeing them going to a good home. But I always miss them. The day starts with both apprehension and excitement. I worry if the potential adopter is going to like the dog. I worry when there are introductions to existing pets. Let's face it, I'm a worrier. But when it all comes together, like it did on that day, it's the best feeling. It's nice to be part of the process of helping the dogs get ready for their new lives. A life where they will be cherished and loved.

Nova enjoying her new family

My next foster is ready for me, however, due to my health I need a week or so before I can bring a new foster in. I am also going through some medical issues with one of the cats. Once we are past these few issues, we will be bringing the new foster home, and I will be on here to share pictures. She is suppose to be a lover.

Our little Nova

It's been awhile since there was an update. It's been a rough Spring health wise, so I haven't been much up to writing. However, since the last update, Natasha has found her forever home. An update was recently posted on Husky Haven's Facebook page and she is doing wonderful in her new home. It's not uncommon to see updates of the adoptees posted, so feel free to follow them to see what's going on. They stay active with posts of events, fundraisers and the dogs that they rescue.

Nova playing with her toys

One of these wonderful dogs is Nova. She was adopted but turned back in. There was originally some speculation that she had a physical problem like seizures, but has since received a clean bill of health. As it turns out, Nova has some anxiety problems. This doesn't manifest itself in the destructive ways that people often hear about. She will upset herself and whimper like she's in pain. With comforting words and walking her around the area she is in, she comes out of it just fine. She was having attacks on a regular basis until she adjusted to being here. She has not had one since. Really, the change in the surroundings seemed to have triggered her anxiety. That and high energy. Real high energy.

Sid is a bit too high energy for her. She's usually good with all animals. Sid is the exception. He triggered an anxiety attack or two in her so she wasn't his biggest fan. We've been working with things and they are now getting a long through the gate. Walks alongside of each other really seem to be doing the trick.

Nova hanging out in her crate

She is eager to learn and please. She loves toys and walks. And completely ignores the cats. She would probably do best in a quieter home. And she still has a few pounds to lose, but with good food and her walks, she's shedding the extra weight pretty easily. She also shed a few pounds of fur. She loves being brushed. She loves anything that is attention. While she is happy laying in her bed minding her own business, she's even happier laying in a lap covering someone with kisses. She's been good with everyone she has met.

Loud noises and storms do not bother her. She's not thrilled with the vacuum, but doesn't make a big fuss about it. She just sits in her crate and waits for it to be over. So far, nothing on a walk has bothered her either. She greets people we meet, ignores loud noises coming from cars and walks amazing on a leash. She does love to stop and sniff everything though. But with a gentle tug, she will start walking again and ignore what she was investigating.

Nova, fur and toys... oh my!

She does need some confidence building, but it's pretty easy to do. Just reassure her that she's doing what is wanted of her and she's a happy dog. She doesn't ask for much. Just someone to play with, pet her, take her on walks and above all, love her. We are hoping to start getting her out to some events as they pop up, so be sure to come and say hi. Or arrange a meeting with Husky Haven if you think she would be your perfect companion.

Nova has come a long way since she's been here. She really just needs someone who is willing to work with her on her anxiety issues. She is a near perfect dog, and since the only thing that counts as the perfect dog is the one that owns you, she is just waiting for someone to come along and make her perfect.

Recovering Nicely

Natasha had her specialist appointment shortly before I had to go in for my procedure. It was nothing but great news. She is actually healing nicely on her own. Youth and the love and care she received when pulled from the pound has went a long way. It looks like she won't end up needing the surgery. For now, we are increasing her activity a little at a time and watching. Things will be treated as needed, but hopefully, we are out of the woods with the scariest parts of her injuries.

I'm napping, what do you want?

As she starts feeling better, more of her husky traits are coming out. She's talking a lot. She's obsessed with food, though well behaved at the dinner table. She is super sweet. And she knows that she's cute. If she does something wrong, she throws out those cute little eyes. A lot of what we are going through is just basic training. When she first came to us, I was absolutely sure she was under a year old. Her actions and teeth reminded me of what we just moved through with Sid. Guesses have been anywhere from 10 to 18 months. I'm going closer to the 10, but I'm not an expert. So she still has some puppy traits we are working with. There have been one or two accidents in the house, nothing major. We are training her to use the bells to notify us when she needs to go out. She really is well behaved over all though. She's not destructive. She doesn't get into too many things. Though she's still hoarding all of the toys. 

Help yourself

The one thing that surprised me is just how well she is with cats. Simon did his normal nice to meet you left hook upside the head he does to all new dogs and she didn't mind. She tries to chase them sometimes to play, but is not trying to hurt them. In fact, one night after I had given her dinner, the cat decided to finish off what she left behind. She laid next to Lolita and watched. Never made a move or a sound. She was so quiet, that Lolita didn't even realize she was there. When the cat noticed, the cat bolted down the hall. Natasha just curled back up. The cats are slowly getting use to her not being aggressive.

Even with the toy hoarding, there is no real resource aggression coming from her. If Sid goes into her crate to reclaim a toy, she lets him. They are doing very well together. As part of getting her more activity, we have been letting them spend time together supervised. They play. They cuddle. It's almost as if Sid found himself a girlfriend. Every now and again they want to wrestle the way huskies do and we have to step in and stop it until she's healed more, but for the most part, leaving them together seems to be doing wonders for both. They are both happiest when they can spend time together.

Sid captivated by Natasha's eyes

After we got the clearance, my husband and our friend took her to the dog wash and got all of the dead fleas and pound crud off of her. Now she is showing just how beautiful she really is. She has been extremely gentle during my recovery as well. She senses something is wrong and tries to rub up against where the incision was made, which causes accidental head butts, but I can't get mad. She's only trying to help. I love that both of them are doing their best to help me recover. It seems me and Natasha may have needed each other right now. 

Thank you to everyone who has helped in donating towards Natasha's visits and treatments. I will keep updates coming on her recovery. 

Natasha Thanks You And Has A Lot To Say

Natasha would like me to start this post by thanking everyone who participated in or got the word out about the fundraiser. It was a success! Over $1000 was raised to go towards her treatment. While her treatment will cost more then what was raised, in her opinion, it's a great start. And knowing that there are people who care gives her a little extra wag in that tail. If you missed the fundraiser and would still like to help Natasha, or any of the dogs that are in need of treatment, you can donate right off of Husky Haven's website.

Working on getting better

Natasha has a vet appointment early next week with a specialist so she can begin her treatment. This is great news. Each day she is getting stronger and more energetic. The sooner she can get back to being a pup, the better. Her and Sid are really getting anxious to play together. They spend time through the bars of a child gate or crate, but until she is better, she doesn't need a 55 pound crazy fur mass jumping on her.

My toys. MINE!

She is a very sweet and fun loving girl. She gets excited anytime someone looks in her direction. She eagerly runs to the side of anyone who she thinks she can get attention from. And with those eyes, it's pretty much anyone who sees her. She has also discovered she loves toys. She keeps them close to her in her crate.

Natasha is also very, very vocal. She will speak up if she's bored, tired, wants to play, uncomfortable, not happy, happy, you name it. It can take some getting use to, knowing if she's talking because she needs something or not. Dief could be vocal at times, but not like this. It's just another way her vibrant personality shows.

Sid is adjusting to the separation for the most part. But he still likes to make sure that I know he is very

That's not where the tissues go?

demanding of attention. The other night, when left alone for a few minutes while we were in the den with Natasha, he decided to decorate my living room for me. I think I'm becoming numb to husky antics. I laughed when I saw it. I laughed as I cleaned it up.

I hope that they get along well when they can finally play together. They get excited when they see each other at the gate. Sid has been lonely since Andrea got her forever home and he seems to like having Natasha in the home. There have been a few rough patches, such as Sid howling all night in his crate, that we haven't went through before with a foster. But he's never been kept from one before. Things are slowly falling into a routine. Hopefully, next week will bring good news. This girl could sure use a break.

I will get an update about her visit up asap. I too, have my long awaited appointment next week. Hopefully, I'll be up to making an update shortly after.

Welcome Home, Natasha

This morning, we got up, set up some crates and headed to Sarasota to meet Natasha's first guardian angel. Outside of a baseball complex set up for the Orioles, we met Natasha. I wasn't sure what to

Natasha enjoying a little attention

expect, since I knew she had a spine injury that requires surgery. She is happy, friendly, lovable and surprisingly active. However, she has not been hard to keep calm. We have a rather large crate from when Kony was with us, before we realized he didn't need one. About 5 of her can fit in it. We also set up a quiet area in the den with pillow and stuff for her.

She seems a little sore tonight, probably because of the car ride. As someone with a pain disorder, I'm pretty sore myself, so I can only imagine how she feels. She does have painkillers to help her stay comfortable. She does shift around a bit and every now and again, a shift comes with a whimper. But for the most part, it seems more discomfort then pain. It was obvious the care she received with her first angel has done wonders for her.

Sid and Natasha sniffing each other out

We have let her and Sid meet, with her in the crate. They seem ok. There is barking and growling, but tail wagging is accompanying it. It seems to be more a play thing. Sid is a bit jealous of the attention she is getting, but this is normal for the first day or two of a new foster. And the fact that he can't play with her, is probably only making it worse. Though he does seem to enjoy another dog being in the house. He actually ate tonight, which hasn't happened on a regular basis since Andrea was adopted.

Fundraiser for Natasha

She has also had the first encounter with the cats. She either ignores them or wants to sniff them. She does not appear to be aggressive towards them though, which will be helpful in keeping her calm.

I am sure as she gets settled we will learn more about her. She has vet appointments and a surgery to be scheduled. The treatment will not be cheap. Husky Haven is doing their best to raise money for her treatment as well as the treatment of a few other dogs who are having health issues, from heart worms to seizures. They don't turn away the hard cases. If you would like to help with Natasha's surgery, there is a fundraiser set up. There are other ways to donate too. Natasha is a very sweet dog. She deserves a shot at a life of being a normal dog. To be able to run and play. I am already seeing a lot of Diefenbaker personality traits in her. This dog is so full of life, love and intelligence. She's happiest when near a person. I'm sure her road to recovery isn't going to be super short, but it will be worth it. And she has a lot of people pulling for her, ready to step up and help in whatever way they can.

Incoming!

On my last post, I mentioned that I was going to take time off of fostering to take care of some medical issues unless if something came up. Something came up. Natasha was recently pulled from the Miami area. She has some injuries and is in need of treatment. She also needs a quiet place to stay during that treatment. We have a set up to provide that, so we agreed.

Natasha getting sprung from the pound

It seems she will be spending most of her time in a crate for a bit. We have four, including one rather sizable one. I figured with strategic placements around the house, we can give her a place to rest as well as not feel exiled from everyone in the home. This includes making use of the one in the living room.

Sid was pretty good with Andrea during her recovery, though we did keep them apart as a precaution, so I'm not too worried about if they cross paths. This weekend, my parents got a 4 month old pup, and Sid was also very gentle with him. He is also more gentle with me on bad days. I think he can help provide the environment that she will need.

As far as her injuries, it appears she has an issue with her spine and road rash. I am not aware of the extent of the spinal injury at the moment, however, I am told that she is staying in the crate because of her injuries. She is being well behaved about it and alerting when she needs to be taken out.

Right now, they are trying to raise funds for her treatment, as well as the treatment of another dog who is heart worm positive. If you would like to help, they have a fundraiser set up. If you would like to follow her progress, you can visit their Facebook page, as well as follow updates that will be posted here.

I really hope that when she comes to the area, we can help her get back to a vibrant young dog. I am sure it will take time. But she deserves the chance. I am just glad there have been the handful of angels that have pulled her, fostered her, got her medical care and generally been there for her. I'm sure there will be many more along her journey to recovery.

Happy New Home, Andrea!

Here we are, coming up on the one year mark of entering the fostering experience. It's been a very rewarding experience, for both myself and Sid. Andrea, was by far the most rewarding of all of the fosters though. When she came to us this summer, she looked like she had a pretty rough go of it. When she went to her new home on Dec. 30th, she looked like a happy dog should. Her new home comes complete with a little boy to play with. Andrea loves kids, so I'm expecting this to be a great match.

Grats Andrea and family. Sid will miss you!

It will be another month or so before I take in my next foster. I have a small procedure coming up, and it may be best to wait until I heal to bring a second dog into the home. However, if the need arises or Sid gets too lonely, the hiatus will end early. 

Sid on foster vacation

Sid is both loving and hating the only dog syndrome. He cries at the tv when other dogs are on tv because he wants to play. But he likes the extra attention and treats/toys that I could not bring out with a second dog due to fights. Sid isn't great at sharing all of his toys. Most he is fine with, but there are the select few he doesn't want another dog to play with. So those get put away when the fosters come in. 

When I started out last year, I really was not sure if I could do this. I was not sure if I could handle giving up a dog I cared for. The first few were pretty short stays, so there wasn't a lot of time to get super attached. By the time Andrea, came to us, I thought I was prepared for the long term foster to come my way. The day she got adopted, I was both happy and sad. I had both tears and a smile when I walked away from handing over her leash.

Even with the touch of sadness that comes with saying goodbye, I have no regrets. I would not change any of the experiences. And I am looking forward to my recovery so I can bring the next dog in. If someone who is reading this is debating on fostering, all I can say is give it a try. Fostering has given me so much. A playmate for Sid. Introduced me to some of the nicest people I could hope to meet. A bonding experience with my husband and family. And most importantly, the opportunity to help a breed I love.