More Foster Puppy Pics

I am absolutely foolish over these puppies I'm fostering for the Lakeland SPCA. They couldn't get any cuter!

SPCA Foster Parenting- Three Puppies!

On Friday, I picked up three more puppies from the Lakeland SPCA to foster. This little cutie above is the male. He's sleeping on an elephant squeaky toy that my dog Callaghan feels should be his to play with. Don't you just want to squeeze him when you see this picture?!

This is one of the females. She has beautiful, blue eyes. Since these puppies are just four weeks old, I'm wondering if her eyes will stay that color.

This little female is the tubby one of the bunch. She's the biggest and she has the most adorable, perfectly round brown spots on her. You can see one in this picture.

Fostering three puppies is a bit of a handful. The hairiest times are when I'm trying to get them outside to potty. It's always easy grabbing a puppy in each hand and whisking them out the door before they pee on my floor. Scooping up three puppies is difficult, even though these are small. As they get bigger, it will be impossible.

But on the good side, it's easier to spend one-on-one time with one puppy, because the two puppies in the crate can keep each other company. Before, pulling one out of the crate to play with it meant leaving the other alone to cry. Good grief...I sound so ridiculous! But these things weigh heavily on my mind.

Since I haven't had any foster puppies in a few weeks, I haven't mentioned this on my blog, but I want to reiterate how fun and rewarding foster parenting is. If you love pets, but can't afford the full-time commitment of owning one, this is the way to go. The foster parenting hyperlink takes you to the SPCA's application. For me, this experience is perfect. I get all the enjoyment of having a puppy. But caring for them is just enough work that by the time they are old enough to be adopted, I'm actually ready to let them go.

If you simply can't handle the responsibility of foster parenting, but you firmly believe in the SPCA's cause, I hope you'll consider supporting them. The SPCA always is in need of supplies such as dry puppy and kitten food, towels and blankets, bleach, paper towels, unscented liquid laundry detergent, medium and large latex gloves, liquid soap, distilled water, gallon size Ziploc freezer bags, kitty litter and new or lightly used pet crates/carriers. Can't decide what to buy? You never go wrong with gift cards to PetSmart, PetCo or Pet Supermarket.

SPCA Foster Parenting Ups and Downs

It was just a matter of time before it happened, and Saturday was the day. My two foster puppies, Bindi and Moe, had been with us since Wednesday. In the four days they were here, Bindi continually acted less animated than Moe. She was smaller, so I thought maybe she was just a bit weaker and it would take a little longer for her to come around.

Saturday morning I woke up shortly before 6 a.m. to feed them and Bindi wouldn't eat. That's never a good sign in a three-week-old puppy. She wasn't interested in anything but finding a towel on the floor and going to sleep. I was worried, because she'd had diarrea for a couple of days. I had chalked that up to having worms, which I treated her for on Friday. I pinched her skin and when it didn't snap back into place, I knew she was dehydrated. Not good.

Immediately I feared the worst- parvo. I raised a parvo puppy when I was a teenager and I knew what a miracle it was that he survived.

I took Bindi to the Lakeland SPCA Saturday morning after calling and sharing my concerns. Her parvo test came back positive. I asked if she would be put on IV fluids and treated, and then came the worst news- the SPCA doesn't have the resources to treat parvo because the treatment can cost as much as $1,500 and requires round the clock care for the puppy.

My heart sank.

Then, as if the situation needed to get any worse, I was instructed to bring Moe in, because he likely would test positive also. Did I mention that Bindi and Moe were part of a litter of seven puppies? All of them must be tested and the odds of them not having parvo are not in their favor.

I'm sharing this story because although my SPCA foster parenting experiences have been good up to this point, it's important to understand that if you foster enough animals, you're bound to have sadness come your way eventually. It's life. Not all puppies and kittens are strong enough to survive. And sometimes, even though there are treatment options available, they aren't financially feasible for a non-profit organization to offer.

So, being a foster parent requires some thick skin. With that said, I still highly recommend it to pet lovers. It's such an amazing feeling to give an animal a good shot at a forever home. And even though Bindi and Moe didn't make it, I know that they were loved and well cared for while I had them.

If you live in Lakeland and are interested in learning more about the foster parenting program, fill out this form. If you don't live here, please call your local Humane Society, SPCA or other animal rescue organization and ask how you can help. They need your money, but they also could use your time and talents.

This is my favorite pic of Bindi, when she fell asleep in the yard:

This is a pic of Mike holding Moe:

SPCA Foster Parenting 3.0

Today I picked up two more puppies from the Lakeland SPCA. These are three weeks old and part of a litter of seven. I immediately noticed the first puppy (I've named him Moe) smelled bad- not like he'd just gotten dirty, but like old funk. The second puppy (I'm calling her Bindi) was covered- and I do mean covered- in tiny scabs. This is what they looked like seconds before what was probably their first bath:

I tried brushing both of them (it turns out both have scabs, apparently from flea infestation) and got them looking a bit more presentable. But bless their hearts (this is a southern saying, which enables a southerner to say really hateful or mean things without making people angry), these have got to be two of the ugliest little puppies I've ever seen.

I was told they are lab/retriever mix. OK? If ever there were poster-puppies for the term mutt, these two would fit the bill.

Even though they're ugly, they have very sweet personalities and they've already grown on me. They even seem cuter now that I've spent a bit of time with them.

I think I must be losing my mind to take on two such young puppies at a time when a large portion of my kitchen has been consumed by boxes of baby chicks. The two big boxes containing the chicks require liner changes twice a day. Now I have puppies to care for. And did I mention I own a business and work from home? Tonight I got a call from the executive editor of The Ledger, asking me if I was interested in writing a particular article. I rarely turn down a story. When I got off the phone, my husband asked, "How are you going to do that in addition to all your Noah's Ark duties?" I had to laugh because he has a point.

This afternoon I decided to let the youngest chicks roam the yard for a few minutes. A few minutes in the yard is a few minutes' less poop lining the bottom of the box. They seemed to enjoy it. I even let the puppies in on the fun so they could check out the chicks. Everyone got along well and no one lost any feathers.

All that fun really wore out Bindi, who fell asleep in the middle of the yard. At least she doesn't look as scabby in this photo. Don't you think she kind of looks like.....a guinea pig?

SPCA Foster Parenting 2.0

The Lakeland SPCA called me yesterday to see if I could foster two more puppies. They got in a litter of 12 puppies yesterday- yep, that's 12 puppies in one litter- and another foster family brought back two puppies because caring for six puppies was too much to handle. So I agreed to take the two returned puppies. Candy is in the first picture, and Cassie is in the second.

I didn't name them. If I had, I would've given them much cooler names. But anyhow, aren't they the cutest?! They are lab mix, and they both are mostly black with a bit of chocolate coloring mixed in. Cassie really looks the part of a sweet, blockheaded lab, with her wrinkly face and cute expressions.

They are high-energy, and in one day have managed to give my dogs Lucy and Callaghan quite a workout. They also have quickly proven to be masters at trying to escape from their kennel when I open the door to fill up their water bowl. Trying to keep those two inside the kennel is like trying to shove toothpaste back in its tube.

I get to keep them for two weeks, and then they go back to the SPCA, where I'm sure they will be adopted in no time.

Bonnie & Clyde Ride Again

UPDATE: Bonnie and Clyde were adopted by the same family the day I returned them to the SPCA! It looks like these two will have a very merry Christmas.

My sweet little puppies-on-loan will be going back to the Lakeland SPCA on Tuesday. I've fostered them for the past three weeks, and now that they are eight weeks old, they are ready to be adopted.

The past three weeks went really quickly, but they were fun. Bonnie and Clyde pretty much have the hang of walking on a leash, and they are well on their way to being crate trained. I am proud to say that while they were with us, there were onlya handful of pee accidents in the house- no poop accidents.

My prayer is that they will find people to love them as much as I have in the short time I had them.

Puppies are no small responsibility. They require infinite amounts of patience. Bonnie and Clyde have been a great lesson in patience for me. I sure am going to miss them