Where are they Now? WHS Alumni Update...

By: Eleanor Blackford, WHS Volunteer Program Manager

Not too long ago a litter of pit-bull puppies was surrendered to the Washington Humane Society (WHS).  They were only about 7 weeks old and some of the cutest little things I’d ever seen.  Up until that point I had only fostered adult cats and dogs…but these little guys got my mind spinning.  Could I do it?  Would I be able to manage a little puppy like that?  Was I crazy?! 

Puppies aren’t for everyone – just like children, they need lots of supervision, socialization, bathroom breaks, and just all around time and effort!  Here at WHS we consider dogs to be "puppies" until they are almost 2 years old – just like you weren’t done growing when you were 16, neither are they when they’re 14 months old (the equivalent of a human adolescent).  Lots of young dogs are surrendered to our WHS shelters because their owners got them when they were really young and didn’t realize how much effort it would take to raise them.  Once they get bigger but are still acting like a puppy, lots of people just give up and bring them to us. 

So, knowing all of this made it very important that I take the time to figure out if I could foster a 7 week old puppy.  After talking to our Foster Program Coordinator, Kate Zapf, about what a little one would need I decided I could do it and took the leap into the world of puppy fostering.  I haven’t looked back since! 

I picked out one of the puppies from this litter and named her "Matilda Rose," or "Rosie" for short.  She was so little that a dollar bill was longer than her (I measured, as you can see in this photo I took of little Rosie and the dollar bill!).  

When I first brought her home, she stumbled around my apartment with a very confused look on her face and promptly peed in the middle of my living room rug.  

I learned a lot about myself that first night with Rosie – like how nurturing of a tiny little helpless being I could be.  In order for Rosie to learn how to be housetrained, she had to be taken outside every 2 hours for that first week.  A general rule of thumb is that however old the puppy is in months is how many hours they can go without a potty break – so for Rosie, that meant she needed 12 breaks a day in order for her to learn to go outside.  Needless to say, I was tired.  The good news is that because of all the work I did right away, Rosie learned her potty training very quickly – just like she was supposed to.  After a week we only had to go outside once during the night. 

Rosie went everywhere with me while I had her.  It was very important to me that she get the socialization she needed to be a good canine citizen; she met people and animals of all ages, had puppy play dates, went to WHS adoption events that are held all over the city, and was an all-around Ambassador for her breed.  A pretty darn adorable Ambassador at that! When the Chandler’s e-mailed me to find out about adopting Rosie, I thought they sounded perfect. They had the kind of environment Rosie would thrive in; lots of activity (3 young girls and a young Boston Terrier named Gizmo) but also the structure a young puppy needs.  When I brought Rosie to meet them for the first time, I could tell immediately that she was never leaving! 

My favorite part of fostering doesn’t actually happen when the animal is with me; it’s the updates.  I love getting the photos and anecdotes about how well one of my fosters is fitting into a new family, and with Rosie it was no different. The Chandlers just sent me some more photos and I can’t believe how big she’s gotten.  That tiny little girl who was no bigger than a dollar bill now outweighs her canine brother, Gizmo, by probably 10 or 15 lbs. (Photo below of Rosie, now named Coco, with her little brother Gizmo)  She’s spoiled rotten and is happy as can be. 

So when people ask me how I can let my fosters go, how I don’t just end up keeping them all, I just explain that its worth it to see how happy they make their new families.  After fostering over a dozen animals, that’s a lot of updates and photos I get to read – and its so worth it!

Comments

[lucy]

WOW - they sure do grow fast, don't they?? What a great story!

[Eve]

I can't freakin' believe how huge she is! She was an 8 week old wimp at my [all for not] volunteer orientation. Such a pretty girl. Hooray, Coco!