Buffy

I want to make a difference in the world. Once day I want to look back on my life and know that I did all I could to make the world a better place. It's easy to go through day-to-day life wrapped up in your own bubble - thinking about how things affect you and only you, crying oh poor me. When you stop and take things into perspective though, you realize how good most of really do have it. Anyway, I digress...

As you know I've been fostering dogs on and off. I got a call that some tiny tots needed a place to stay for the week, until they could be transferred to their rescue group in Minnesota. I thought, how bad could a week be? WELLLLL it was a mess - these poor things all had kennel cough! I don't know if you've ever experienced kennel cough before, but it's non-stop excessive coughing. Did I mention that it's excessive and non-stop?!

On day 1 I took in the 2 small chihuahuas. They were taken from a hoarders house who had something crazy like 15 dogs and 25 cats. The pictures of house were CRAZY! On day 2 I found out, that they had left a little gremlin behind... they wanted to know if I would be able to take him too? Being the mush that I am I said yes. I was told that these little guys didn't have names, so it would be my responsibility to find perfect names for all 3.

I chose the obvious name for the guy on the left... Gremlin. He looks small in this picture, but trust me he's a solid 25 lbs. The 5 lb guy on the right I named Bob. I thought a big name for a small dog was the perfect name.

Then there was the little girl, Bob's sister and BFF. She was a bit fussy. She didn't really like me at first, but we grew on each other. Actually she really wasn't a fan of most people. You could tell she just wanted to do her own thing and not be bothered by others. Before I knew it, she wouldn't leave my arms. It was then that I knew I had to name her after my favorite person in my building... Buffy. Let's just say I saw a lot of similar personality traits between them. Buffy the person, unlike the dog, was a well seasoned woman. She had done so much with her life and was extremely interesting. I wasn't sure if I should tell Buffy that I had named my newest foster after her, she might be offended, but I thought imitation is the sincerest form of flattery so I told her. Guess what, she LOVED it! <3

Introducing Foster #3 : Mr. Al

I got a call the other day about a possible foster, Mr. Al. He was dropped off at the shelter with his eye hanging out of its socket. Yes, you read that correctly. The owners of the dog said they couldn't afford to take him to the vet. Thankfully one of the vets on hand at Animal Care and Control performed emergency surgery and added a skin graft on this little pups eye. Due to the severity of his injury, it was imperative that he was put into a home so as to avoid infection. 

Of course I couldn't say no to this adorable little guy. He was named Mr. Al, based off of Al Pacino's movie Scarface. He's such a little ham! Like Daisy, he's super affectionate and also follows me EVERYWHERE i go. He may look sad (because of his eye), but he's such a happy dog. I've noticed a little separation anxiety, when I leave the house. This seems to be a normal behavior of dogs that come out of the shelter... but can you blame them?! 

After a couple of days I was notified that someone was interested in taking Mr. Al. It was like a dagger to my heart. I was already head over heels for him. How could this all be happening so quickly? After my 2nd foster, I was told that it would start getting easier. Well someone lied to me!

When the car came to pick him up, I stood on the corner sobbing. I didn't want him to go. This definitely wasn't getting any easier.

A couple weeks later, I received these awesome photos. Mr. Al's eye looks so much better!!

Isn't he the sweetest little rescue you've ever seen?!

Foster #2 : Daisy

Say Hello to Foster #2... Daisy. She may just be the cutest little pup ever. Daisy has the best personality and loves other dogs. She's also a total snuggle bug, I can't even go to the bathroom without her following me. 

We're not exactly sure why Daisy was dropped off at the shelter. I can't imagine why someone would want to give up this sweet little pup. After the first week, Daisy finally got a haircut. Doesn't she look like a completely different dog?!

After just 1 week I became 110% attached. The thought of giving her to someone would bring me to tears. I had to sit down and really think about why I was doing all of this. Every time I foster a dog, I pull them out of the shelter and allow another dog an opportunity at freedom. Chicago Animal Care and Control puts down hundreds of dogs and cats a month. It's absolutely heart breaking. It's a constant rat race to save animals. After a heart to heart with myself, I realized that I couldn't keep Daisy. I had to find her a new home. 

After hearing my daily stories about Daisy, a friend and co-worker Karen applied to Rain Dog Rescue, to adopt Daisy. She herself does a lot of volunteer work at Animal Care and Control and was quickly approved. 

Here she is in her new home and with her new sister. She just adores other dogs.  

Karen gave me Daisies as a thank you for her new baby, now named Sophia <3 

I'm told the pain of loosing her will get easier... :(

Operation Save Scruffy - How I Became a Foster Mom

I want to impact people and make positives changes in the world. I try to help out wherever and whenever I can fit it in my schedule. This past year after throwing a fundraiser for Friends of CACC (we raised $15K!) I became a volunteer at Chicago Animal Care and Control. 

The shelter is one of the most depressing places I've ever been. There are so many dogs and cats in need of homes. Ever week various rescue organizations will help to place dogs by either finding them a forever home, a foster home, or replacing them in a no kill shelter. 

During my orientation one of the regular volunteers showed me around and explained the various duties and areas of the shelter. I was back in the On-boarding room (this is where they bring animals in that have either been seized by the state or found on the streets), when I saw him. His poor face and body brought me to tears. I couldn't believe that someone could allow their dog such pain. 

Scruffy's 1st Vet Visit

His name was Rodney and the city took him from his home due to neglect. He had mange, severe flea allergies, and major infections. He was scheduled to be put down on the afternoon of Dec 2nd, 2013.

The Post on CACC's Transfer Team FB

On Dec 1st I got a text from my girlfriend. She was going to save "Scruffy" (previously known as Rodney). I told her I would go to the shelter with her to pick him up.

Freedom Ride!

We got the vet and found that he had a number of issues, one of those being fleas. While he'd already been treated, he could still possibly be infected. The vet was also worried that he could have kennel cough and told us that he needed to be quarantined for the first week. My friend was upset that her dog might catch something so I told her that I would step up and take him.

He was such a good boy when he came home. He seriously is one of the sweetest dogs in the world. After a day or two I noticed that his behavior was off; he wasn't eating and hadn't gone to the bathroom, so I decided to take him back to the vet. They told me had issues with his pancreas and need to stay for a couple days. A week later he still wasn't improving and was transferred to another vet and another rescue Rain Dog Rescue. 

The new vet found that his pancreas was just fine, the issue was in his back and his bladder. He had extreme infections in both, which needed to be treated. Scruffy was transferred to a neurologist to verify the issues and have an MRI done. Finally we had gotten down the core issues. With some meds, the vet assured me that Scruffy would be just fine and that for a senior he's actually in great shape!

So here he is, Scruffy and here I am... a foster mom!

My Boy Scruff

For more information on Rain Dog Rescue, Scruffy, Fostering, or Donating check out their website HERE and their Facebook page HERE.

Doesn't he look fancy in his new sweater?!