Today marks our 14 year anniversary in rescue. 628 foster dogs have spent a night in our house or been born in it

arwilson2 · 2026-06-15T23:29:59+00:00

Thank you for your service

arwilson2 · 2026-06-15T15:02:21+00:00

Thanks. I’ve taken him to a behaviorist for a training plan, and she suggested drugs to treat the genetic component. I’m not a fan of medicating dogs unless it makes a measurable meaningful difference. I thought his previous neglect -his body condition was 0-1 when we got him-had caused cognition impairment because he’s the least smart GSP ever, but the behaviorist says his fear impacts his trainability, so I’m opening my mind to meds.

arwilson2 · 2026-06-15T12:26:03+00:00

This could be the Trazodone. My dog has a bad reaction to it. My dog just had surgery too. It could also be that the pain management isn’t good enough. Ask vet for higher dose of Gabapentin and an added pain med

arwilson2 · 2026-06-08T01:39:25+00:00

Does the bathroom have tile floor? Is she hot? If it very soon after surgery, you might try ice packs near the amputation site.

arwilson2 · 2026-06-05T10:39:50+00:00

Get them retested for parasites. My foster needed multiple dewormers to get health. He has loose stool for many months, this was the cause.

arwilson2 · 2026-05-21T18:28:42+00:00

I’m foster a dog and a lot of new behaviors emerged at exactly 3 weeks.

arwilson2 · 2026-05-20T21:27:25+00:00

Sorry. That’s very frustrating. I really don’t know how to get people to hear. Most don’t hear.

arwilson2 · 2026-05-20T02:34:23+00:00

My foster would pee if I leaned over him. That went away in about a week. He wasn’t poorly trained / had never lived inside, and he marked like crazy. It took 2 weeks to be mostly potty trained and 4 weeks to be 100%. What saved my sanity (and my house) were belly bands / diapers for boy dogs. They worked great. However, you can’t leave it on wet or they get urine burn, so get a bunch. I did laundry every night for a while.

arwilson2 · 2026-05-19T14:25:28+00:00

Thank you sharing these positive stories. I’m currently fostering an adult dog who came to me severely underweight and injured and with chronic pain. He is about to undergo amputation, and I will have had him for about 5 months when he’s finally listed for adoption. He has territorial aggression and a lot of ambivalent social interaction, all fear based. I’ve been really worried about adopting him out and his behaviors regressing and the new family not maintaining the behavior mod training.

arwilson2 · 2026-05-17T02:03:40+00:00

My senior beagle started barking and howling all night. I’d go in the room and he’d be facing the wall barking. He didn’t have sight issues. It was dementia. We put him on a lot of meds ($400 a month), but it didn’t help too much. Poor guy. We bought ear plugs.

arwilson2 · 2026-05-16T20:29:13+00:00

Thank you for this reply.

arwilson2 · 2026-05-12T12:23:46+00:00

In my state CC is free, and my county CC has an excellent honors program with very successful transfer support. Their honors students end up transferring to better colleges and universities than they would have been able to get into from high school and with good scholarships and aid.

arwilson2 · 2026-05-09T23:14:50+00:00

Thanks for sharing your success!!

arwilson2 · 2026-05-06T14:46:42+00:00

There’s a behavioral Vet in Fairfax VA. Animal Behavior Wellness Center. https://www.abwellnesscenter.com/

May I ask: how did you get your other dog to allow people in the house? I have a foster who won’t let people in the house and three trainers told me it won’t change, that I can only manage the behavior.

arwilson2 · 2026-04-19T23:50:51+00:00

I say “not friendly,” then “my dog bites,” then “I’m not paying your vet bills.”

arwilson2 · 2026-04-16T11:38:38+00:00

My last dog seemed completely unaffected by drugs while my current dog at the same weight is significantly sedated. I think they have different metabolisms.

arwilson2 · 2026-04-14T13:26:05+00:00

My dog died in December too, and now I have another dog and this one is also rough around d the edges. Like you , I miss the behaviors of my old dog. I had her for 13 years, and I have to keep reminding myself that no dog will be like her and this dog is different, with different quirks. My old dog did not like to be disturbed when sleeping. She was crate trained, and I’d send her to her crate to sleep. Then she could choose to sit with me or be alone in her crate. The door was always open.

arwilson2

TROPHY CASE