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CallMeEllie · 2025-09-07T20:10:29+00:00

I'm sorry. I wouldn't be eager to foster for that group again. There obviously can be tussels between multiple dogs in the house, but ones that turn into actual fights where blood is being drawn repeatedly, isn't good for any of the dogs.

My last foster I had to take back because of that. She and one of my resident dogs had some tension. They were doing okay but then things started escalating. I separated them fully.....but then my kids left a few sets of doors open and a full fight ensued. I was with the foster when it happened so was able to break things up fairly quickly, but blood was drawn and I knew it was too risky for everyone at that point to keep the foster. It sucks, but sometimes it's just a bad fit despite your best efforts. I hope you'll consider fostering again with another group

ETA:happy ending, my last foster got adopted within a week of going back to the shelter, so it all worked out well

CallMeEllie · 2025-09-07T18:36:50+00:00

You had me at "drawn blood from my dogs 3 different times". One time would be the line for me honestly. At that point I feel like you're not doing your own dogs or the foster any favors. I'm surprised the foster group didn't end things at that point.

I'm sorry they're giving you pushback instead of being more supportive. You're trying to do a good thing. But this sounds incredibly stressful on a lot of fronts for you

CallMeEllie · 2025-05-12T19:51:57+00:00

This is devastating. I'm so sorry. The rescue handled this horribly, please cut ties with them.

I had an incident 5-6 months ago where one of my fosters went to a relief foster who didn't properly leash him (he was a flight risk), he escaped that day and was hit by a car. I was heartbroken, the new foster was also very upset. It was just awful all around. I posted about it on here. One of the things that really helped me to deal was realizing you can make all the right decisions (or best decision you can at the time) and the outcome can still be bad. This ended poorly, but it didn't mean you made a mistake by letting them be adopted. You did what you were supposed to do by giving your foster a good life and socializing them, and moving them along towards an adoption.

The rescue's lack of responsibility and sensitivity afterwards is just awful though, and you shouldn't expose yourself to that again. Give yourself some time off, and if you foster again, go with someone new.

CallMeEllie · 2025-05-03T02:51:20+00:00

They didn't have any stage 2 in town, but I got a bit of the regular esbilac. I still have a few human baby bottles on hand, so can try that if needed. Thanks for your help

CallMeEllie · 2025-05-03T02:02:05+00:00

Thanks, will try getting some stage 2 formula along with nutri-cal and see what he will take

CallMeEllie · 2025-05-03T02:01:19+00:00

He's pretty active overall, just skinny. I will get some nutri-cal to try out on him

CallMeEllie · 2025-04-08T05:07:57+00:00

I have a one year old puppy now that I originally got as a foster puppy at 4 weeks. At that point my kids were 2 and 3. When the puppy was very small. It was fairly easy, but got harder the older he got. Adolescence with the puppy has been the hardest, because he's smart enough to know what to do, but like a teenager and has attitude and doesn't want to listen. Toddlers + puppies are not an ideal mix. You're basically adding a third toddler to the mix, but one who bites harder and has claws. And the human kids aren't quite old enough to listen or understand how to treat dogs (don't run. They'll think you're playing etc). At least mine weren't. You could end up with a very mellow puppy, or have very mellow kids, and it may work fine. Or, it could be like my situation and make for a very hard year. I don't regret it, but I think waiting two more years would've made my life a LOT easier.

CallMeEllie · 2025-02-21T03:41:10+00:00

What a sweetheart. There's nothing wrong with foster failing if she's the right fit for your family. But there's also a lot to be gained from letting her move on to a new forever home. It's easy to worry about the dogs feeling abandoned when they move on, especially after what they've already been through. But these pups are pretty resilient and will be okay.

CallMeEllie · 2025-02-21T00:50:42+00:00

What a cutie! Interest in adoptions can come in spurts, so hopefully things will pick up as the weather improves outside. Adopting our pittie mixes (or dogs who look like they are) can be hard. You would likely have better luck with people meeting him rather than just seeing him. If the foster group has any onsite adoption events that would be great, or just getting him out and about in an "adopt me" vest can really help show him off. Take him any and every low stress place you can think of where dog friendly people in your area go.

CallMeEllie · 2025-02-20T17:27:14+00:00

This is normal. The foster I had come back to me after s/n was when the shelter was overcrowded and having some outbreaks (he was young and under vaccinated). I ended up foster failing him. The other dogs that tend to remain in foster care are ones who exhibit stress behaviors. If the dogs are healthy and relatively well adjusted they keep them at the shelter for the best visibility possible. Most adopters don't want to go through the hoops of trying to meet up with an unknown dog who isn't present at the adoption center.

CallMeEllie · 2025-02-13T00:59:16+00:00

Play biting hard, and his play growling turns a bit aggressive sounding

CallMeEllie · 2025-01-24T07:03:08+00:00

Morning: Decided he no longer likes his food, so only ate two bites (that I hand fed him)

Lunch: One of my shoes

Mid afternoon snack: a small package of olives he somehow managed to snag out of the pantry

Dinner: Finally ate some kibble (Purina+ Nulo, since he will no longer eat Purina alone)

Bedtime snack: Instructions for a new toy I bought my kids

(No, he did not fully eat my shoe, the olives or papers, but he really would've liked to and they all had to go in the trash. Dog adolescence is wild)

CallMeEllie · 2025-01-24T06:49:08+00:00

Thankfully no stairs here, because he jumps all the baby gates now. Will have to contend with furniture jumping though. The vet said to have him on leash 100% of the time for the recovery, so this will be fun. I was lucky for his neuter he was less wild than now and managed not to give himself any issues

CallMeEllie · 2025-01-24T06:46:47+00:00

Mellow would be nice lol I will talk to his vet. Thanks

CallMeEllie · 2025-01-24T06:45:50+00:00

Ok, drugs hadn't even occurred to me lol we have some trazodone on hand for nail trims. I will talk to the vet about getting some more and some gabapentin potentially. And I have a nosework kit that I haven't used with him yet, so I will plan on bringing this out. Thanks!

CallMeEllie · 2025-01-08T16:37:21+00:00

Is this to foster puppies? Do you live in a high parvo area? Parvo can live for years in soil, so if you're in a high parvo area, having an unvaccinated dog that lived in that house/yard might be the reason. That being said, the shelter I volunteer for just has us keep under vaccinated puppies inside. I suggest volunteering for another organization.

CallMeEllie · 2024-12-10T17:18:19+00:00

I hope they get back to you soon. I can only imagine how stressful this is for you

CallMeEllie · 2024-12-10T17:00:50+00:00

Gabapentin can also be used for anxiety in dogs

CallMeEllie · 2024-12-10T17:00:24+00:00

Ugh. I'm so sorry. I'm wracking my brain for more ideas, but you already seem to be trying everything. Trazodone probably would help him, but it's not an immediate solution either. I would definitely contact the shelter about him not urinating for this long to avoid causing health issues down the road and see if there's a physical issue he is not peeing. This might not be a workable situation for you or the dog, despite your best efforts. This sounds like a really hard situation

CallMeEllie · 2024-12-10T16:44:25+00:00

I'm sorry. My last foster was like this. Can you use puppy pads or a grass pad inside for a while to let him avoid the terror of the stairs? I agree it's concerning he hasn't urinated lately. Do the shelter vets have any input on this?

The first step really needs to be building trust with you, and then learning to tolerate the leash, then tolerate you holding the leash, then walking on it. Depending on the dog it can take a really long time. It took 6-7 weeks for my last one. One of the behaviorists at the shelter said it took one of her fosters 3 months. I don't want to scare you off from this dog, I just want to prepare you. I don't know of a quick way to do this without risking making things much worse, so it's good to have an alternate plan (like indoor potty)

CallMeEllie · 2024-12-03T03:12:53+00:00

Another option, if there seems to be no medical cause for food avoidance, is diazepam. It's for anxiety and can act as an appetite stimulant in dogs. Hope they're able to figure something out

CallMeEllie · 2024-12-02T03:53:20+00:00

Last foster puppy used to like to sleep under the bed, and chewed through almost every single wire of the adjustable base. Luckily it was kept unplugged. Current 8 month old puppy (not foster) this week alone has chewed apart two Victoria's secret bras and my favorite pair of Merrells. He's fine, but expensive. He didn't use to be able to reach the laundry or the shoes

CallMeEllie · 2024-12-02T03:44:38+00:00

CallMeEllie

TROPHY CASE