100 Dogs

Besides just being cute and sweet, there's something else that is special about Rothko. He is our family's 100th foster dog!

Rothko - Foster dog #100

We bought our first Rat Terrier, Frodo, from a breeder in December of 2005 and over the next year we fell so in love with the little guy that we considered getting a second Rat Terrier. We weren't sure though so I had the idea of fostering for a Rat Terrier Rescue. I figured then we could have that "2nd dog" but would be saving more than just the one we would save if we adopted a dog. And now here we are, with three Rat Terriers of our own, two foster Rat Terriers and 98 others we have fostered over the last seven years.

My heart dog, Frodo

Initially in 2007 we were fostering for another Rat Terrier organization and our first ten foster dogs were through that group. When New Rattitude formed in August 2008 we changed groups and have been with New Rattitude ever since.

Our first foster dog, Smudge

Weirdly, our first foster dog wasn't even a Rat Terrier. He was a tiny black Chihuahua puppy with a broken leg who we named Smudge. I cried for a whole weekend after he was adopted but decided I could live with the pain of goodbyes if it meant more dogs could be saved. So often people say to me "well, I just wouldn't have the heart to let go of them!" The reality is if you really have a heart, you let them go, knowing that there are hundreds of others waiting for that life saving foster spot. Happily it got much easier to say goodbye the longer we fostered. It wasn't that I loved the foster dogs any less, I just learned how to think of them as someone elses's dog and over time I saw that the families they went to gave them wonderful lives.

Catty, one of our more challenging foster dogs whose adopter has become a close friend

In the past seven years the dogs have taught me so much. I've dealt with just about every physical malady in dogs that I had heard of and some that I had never heard of. I've also dealt with some very gross stuff that only a dog could share with you - dogs eating poop and then puking it up on the carpet an hour later, a dog who left tapeworms in my bed, and every weird wiggly worm that could come out of a dog has graced our doggy septic tank.  

Mama Star and our first (and hopefully last) litter of foster puppies

My understanding of dogs has deepened as well. Whereas I started out thinking of them simply as cute pets, I now appreciate how nuanced their personalities can be and how amazingly complex their language of movement, gestures, and body language is. It fascinates me so much that I now attend many seminars a year to learn how animals learn, how they relate to people and to other dogs, how to help them manage and overcome fear, what makes them tick....

Our 10th foster Tilly was the first highly fearful dog that we fostered. We adopted Tilly and she has made amazing progress over the six years we've had her. She's now 13 years old

They have pushed me to the edge emotionally a few times as well. I've fostered and done behavioral rehabilitation on a few very difficult dogs and of course those are the dogs who taught me the most about both dogs and about myself.

Callista came to us from a shelter in Texas and had been infected with distemper. It was the first time we had to deal with a major disease. Sadly Callista had to be euthanized when the disease moved into her brain. It was one of my most difficult times in fostering. We also had two puppies at the time who caught the disease from her and one pup died and one lived.

It has become a huge part of who I am and is an amazingly fulfilling job and I thank my family for all of their support and help with caring for the dogs. I also thank the volunteers that I work closely with both as fellow foster parents and as a regional rescue coordinator for the Pacific Northwest. Now, onto the next 100!

Our current pack: Tilly, Salinas, Chima and Frodo

If you've ever thought of fostering, New Rattitude is a great organization to work with. They give tons of support, offer stipends for food, pay veterinary medical expenses, cover flea and heartworm preventative and more. To learn more about fostering with New Rattitude go to www.newrattitude.org/foster.htm

Sad times for New Rattitude's WA team

Last post was written after reassurances from the E-vet that Kewpie was experiencing symptoms of poisoning and would make a full recovery. We returned the next evening, ready to take her home only to find out that the tremors had gotten worse and they were now thinking that this was a viral infection. Swabs were taken to test for distemper and sent off to a lab in California and then Kewpie was released for us to take home for supportive care.

Sadly she progressively worsened, and just a week later things had gotten to the point where we had to put her to sleep. The test for distemper came back positive.

So Callista likely brought the distemper with her from the Texas shelter and then spread it to Kewpie, who as a puppy dealing with coccidia, had a suppressed immune system. Happily, Poppy has seemed to avoid the disease. We are guessing that she didn't catch it from Callista, but are still worried that because of her closeness to Kewpie she might have somehow been infected. She's had two distemper boosters at this point so we are crossing our fingers that it will be enough.

On Friday we thought the sad times might finally be at an end, but learned that Bugsy, another puppy who had spent time with us while his foster parents were in Eastern Washington, was coughing, had a fever and goopy eyes, and had started tremoring. We were sick - when will it stop! After three bad days, he seems to be getting a little better and the tremors have subsided so we are cautiously optimistic that he may beat this yet. Although he's immunosuppresed from the demodex, he did have one vaccination back in late May and we are hopeful that will give him the little something extra to fight this that Kewpie didn't have.

The medical bills have piled up from all the emergency vet visits and between the dogs is now nearing $2,000 for their care. It has been a summer full of emergencies for New Rattitude and the online clinic is full of recovering rescued dogs.

Thanks to all of you for your kind words, and please keep little Bugsy and Poppy in your thoughts and prayers.

If you aren't currently up to date with your dogs distemper vaccinations or titers, make an appointment with your vet now. Trust me - you do not want to have to watch a dog die this way.

More Emergency room drama

Boy, I have had my fill of veterinary emergency room visits. Once again we have had a terrifying evening wondering if one of our fosters would make it - thankfully this visit has a happy ending.

During our hot weather here in Western Washington, one of our foster pups, Kewpie, stopped eating and drinking. We treated her for dehydration, tried to keep her hydrated, but by Friday morning we had a weak and trembling puppy who was fully hydrated but still not getting better. She was taken to the vet who kept her overnight on an IV. By this morning there were no changes so we brought her home and regrouped. It was determined that she likely had the same problem of neurotoxicity that Callista, who had to be put to sleep, had dealt with.

Terrified, we scoured the yard again, and spent lots of time researching neurotoxicity in dogs. Combined with our previous experience with Callista we finally found the culprit: water. Yep, in a hidden away corner of the back yard next to our composting area is a bucket full of dead leaves and mucky water. The leaves were added as the brown, carbon matter for our compost bin. Well, it ends up that rotting leaves can develop a mold that produces mycotoxins. Typically a dog wouldn't try to eat leaves, however these leaves had standing water over the top of them and it was hot. Being dogs, the fact that the water was dark brown and smelled like poo wasn't an issue. It all started to make sense: short dogs didn't get sick, Frodo who eats all manner of putrid things hates to drink anything but clear water in his water bowl - no puddles or even from streams when we hike.

For awhile today we thought we would have to stop fostering as we couldn't determine where the poison was coming from. It was horrible. Watching sweet Kewpie twitch with tremors and not being able to stand was horrible.

After calls to the ASPCA Animal Poison Control and a visit to the Emergency Vet Clinic the mystery is over and it has been determined that little Kewpie will make a full recovery. She will need to have charcoal treatment and an enema to flush her out and will also have to spend the night and receive Valium injections to manage her tremors. Her vet bills will not be pretty, but she will be alive and back playing with her sister soon. And best of all, no more dogs will have to deal with this nightmare at our house.

Thanks to everyone who has sent their prayers and good wishes. Kewpie will be fine and our family will be able to continue fostering rescue dogs.

The latest from the crazy dog house

We are at an all time high for foster dogs right now with 4 foster dogs and our 2 personal dogs. Luckily a few will be going home this week and the new guy, Bugsy, will be headed to his foster home as soon as they are back from vacation on Tuesday.

As you see in the photo, dinner and breakfast time for the dogs is a big to-do. Each of the 6 dogs have their own personal combo of meds and supplements that they are taking along with some needing puppy kibble and some needing adult. It takes a good 15 minutes to get all the bowls mixed and all the meds taken before they are served their doggy mixes - 15 minutes of whimpering and howling because they are sure that I'll NEVER be finished with all my mixing.

Bugsy is an adorable little 5 month old pup who has two litter mates who are also in Washington. He was one of three pups who had mange and skin infections so bad they lost all of their hair. I called them the naked mole rats and who would have guessed that they'd turn out so dog-gone cute! Bugsy is a sweet little boy who loves to play and hang out with his people.

We also have the two puppies, Kewpie and Poppy, who were originally from Kentucky. They are both sweet little girls who are pretty laid back, considering they are only 5 months old. We've never had siblings before that are so totally bonded and are very excited that a home has been found who wants to adopt both of them.

Leda will be spending a week with a potential adopter to see if the home will be a good fit for her. So by this Thursday we should have an empty house! From 6 dogs to 2 dogs in just 4 days! As much as we love this little boogers, it will be nice to have a short break.

Rest in peace, sweet Callista

Sadly, things quickly worsened for Callista. She developed neurological tics and an inability to use her legs. The poor girl was so uncomfortable and she had to spend the night at the emergency vet hospital. In the end they do not think that it was distemper but was possibly a neurotoxin that caused permanent damage.

Yesterday afternoon, after 18 hours of struggling in emergency care, Callista was put to sleep. They gave her a drug to relax her so she was comfortable, but she still knew who I was and wagged her little nubbie tail at me and licked my hand. For 30 minutes I rocked her and pet her and for the first time since I met her she didn't seem scared to be touched by a human. When it was time, I was holding her in a blanket, warm and loved, petting her and telling her she was a good girl.

When I returned home from the ordeal with Callista, Tilly was coughing horribly and there were piles of vomit all over the kitchen. Troy and I rushed back to the emergency vet hospital with Tilly, terrified that maybe she too was succumbing to something similar to Callista. Her sypmptoms were different though. The vets gave her fluids, antibiotics and anti-vomitting meds and sent us back home. If she was throwing up in the morning it was likely intestinal blockage and they wanted her brought back in.

I mentioned to the receptionist that Leda, who was at home, had seemed shaky in the morning, kind of like Calli when it first started in her. Then someone came out to give us Tilly's meds and we were on our way home. About 2 minutes down the road the receptionist called to tell us that the doctor wanted Leda to be brought in because they were worried she might have what Callista had. So it was back to Federal Way. Switch dogs. Then back to South Tacoma.

Thankfully, the vet took a look at Leda and said "wow, she doesn't look that bad." He attributed the trembles more to being a tiny dog with typical trembles, than to anything neurological. Her hydration looked good and when he opened a can of wet dog food she snarfed it down (because it was that Science Diet prescription crap - that's like McDonalds for dogs.) He sent us home with some antibiotics for her upper respiratory infection and said to just keep her hydrated and eating.

Tilly was up at 2:30 am and at 5:30 am with coughing fits and gagging. Both times I was ready to jump back in the car and head to the vets, but both times she calmed down and the coughing subsided. This morning I am happy to say that she was able to keep a little chicken down along with her antibiotics and some Pepcid AC. She also pooped which means that if stuff is going in and coming out, then we don't have to worry about the blockage.

So it is a happy-sad day. We mourn the loss of sweet Callista but are happy for the turn around in Tilly and Leda's health. Frodo is as healthy and yappy as ever, quarantined upstairs and yapping to the rooftops about how inhumanely we are treating him. Even a bully stick didn't quiet him down.

Thanks to all of you for your thoughts and prayers.

Callista is not well

Please everyone, keep Callista in your thoughts. She has developed some type of neurological problem and the vet thinks there is a chance it might be distemper. Since Leda came from the same shelter she is at risk as well, if indeed it is something that came from there.

Both dogs have been quarantined and Callista is on diazapem to relax her. They are eating and drinking still, which is a good sign, and her tail still wags on occasion. I will be spending the evening with her to keep her company. Hopefully by tomorrow this will all be an overreaction and she'll be back to normal. I'll keep you posted.

The girls have arrived!

I'm happy to announce that our two newest foster girls, Leda and Callista, arrived yesterday morning in Washington. They spent yesterday exploring the house and yard and finding their favorite spots on the couches. Both seem to have the beginnings of kennel cough and are a bit thin, but that's nothing we haven't seen before.

The girls are extremely skittish and avoid human contact. Callista, 2 years old and 12 pounds, desperately wants love and attention and will scooch as close to you as she dares but as soon as I reach out my hand to pet her she runs away. Leda, 3 years old and 7 pounds, is even more wary of humans. I can tell she'll turn around though, because the one time I was holding her she did relax and lay down after being rocked and pet for awhile. Their temporary foster mom in Texas said that it took awhile but they came out of their shell after a couple days and were fine with petting and loves.

Leda and Callista were originally in a Texas shelter and had been listed for euthanization in a gassing shelter when they were pulled. Since Washington had the only open foster homes (the South is swamped with tons of urgents, as usual) the girls were sent to us.

This evening 2 more foster dogs will be arriving at Sea-Tac for us to pick up, these ones to be fostered up in Kirkland. These two girls are five month old rat terrier-beagle mixes who were listed to be gassed in a Kentucky shelter due to overcrowding. A volunteer pulled them from the shelter and transported them to a New Rattitude volunteer in Indiana. She then put them on the plane this morning, Seattle bound. We'll have them for the night, tomorrow they'll attend an adoption event at Petsmart and then tomorrow night they'll finally make it to their foster home in Kirkland, WA. Thanks to Lesley in Kentucky and Julie in Indiana for your help in getting these little dogs to safety!

The latest on the girls

Well, flight plans fell through for Sunday when Alaska Airlines decided that no dogs would be allowed on the first flight of the day. Since it is hot in Dallas that is the only flight of the day when it is safe to transport animals so we had to postpone the transport. Now everything is arranged for the girls to fly here Friday morning.

They have been named Callista and Leda after two of the moons of Jupiter. Callista, or Callie for short, is 2-3 years old, about 12 pounds and looks to be a pure-bred black and white rat terrier from her photos. Leda is 2 years old, about 7 pounds and is a rat terrier-Chihuahua mix.

They have been pulled by a New Rattitude volunteer who will take them to the vet for their flight health certificate and get them on the plane Friday. She says that both girls were very shy when they first arrived but that they are starting to come out of their shells and even have done a few rattie runs around the house.

I'll post again once the girls are here and I have some photos of them.

A wild week of rescue

Wow! Talk about emotional rollercoaster. There were rat terriers being listed for euthanization everywhere it seemed and we had no place to put them all. The group would scramble to save a bunch of dogs that were scheduled for gassing and then at the last minute another group would pull them. Each time we were SO happy that they were safe but the stress really gets to you after the 3rd or 4th urgent E-mail begging you to save yet another dog that had been dumped.

The flight was all set for the 2 puppies that were supposed to come to Washington (pictured a few posts back) and then we discovered that another group pulled them. Okay, so then we worked to try to save some in Louisiana that were in a gassing shelter. The state coordinator was all excited, called the shelter and they too were gone. Then we were possibly going to get a pregnant dog from California but 2 dogs came up in a Texas shelter that were going to be gassed. Team California pulled together and found a spot for the momma and FINALLY, we knew who our foster dogs would be - two adult girls from the Dallas area.

So no puppies will be heading to Washington but instead well get two adult females. They each came to the shelter with a litter of pups and now that the pups are adopted and no one was interested in the moms, they were going to be euthanized.

We've named them Callista (Callie for short) and Leda after two of the moons of Jupiter. Some good samaritans are going to help us fly them here so on Sunday morning at 9:30 am there will be two new rat terrier girls arriving at Sea-Tac airport.

Above you see Callie and some of her pups. Doesn't she look sad and scared?