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A Sneak Peak of Seven

Seven is Walkin' the Bark's latest rescue. It's a long story. Not much has been mentioned about him yet because he's a work-in-progress. But here's a sneak peak.

Miko

I'm often asked, Why don't you keep Popeye? Or Iris? Or Sophie or Bandit or the dozens of other dogs I've fostered? Don't you fall in love with them? Isn't it hard to let them go? Obviously yes and yes. It would be the easier thing to do to just give up the hope of finding whoever my foster dog happens to be another home. There wouldn't be that little heartbreak that comes hand-in-hand with giving them over to someone else. And particularly with the fearful and other special needs dogs, there wouldn't be the stress, worry, and anxiety of wondering how they will cope in a new environment, if their new family will be sensitive enough to their needs, if anything bad will happen to them. So much easier to just keep them with me, secure in the knowledge that they will be safe and secure and have no need to be frightened again.

But I don't keep them because there are other Irises and Sophies and Bandits out there who are still waiting for their chance. I have had Popeye for a year now, and I don't know if he will ever be adopted. I try not to dwell on it because beyond caring for him the best I can, whether someone appropriate steps forward to adopt him or not is out of my hands. Keeping him would not be a hardship, in many ways it would be like a sigh of relief. Except for one thing. Knowing that I could not continue to foster new dogs. I think that fact alone breaks my heart more than anything else.

I know not every dog can be saved. I know there is only so much I or anyone else can do. But that fact is harder to accept when you are presented with a particular dog's story, when there is a face and an identity amongst the millions of nameless, faceless homeless dogs out there. This is Miko's story, which I learned about today.



Miko was found back in April. Just another stray dog in Taiwan subjected to the cruelties of humans. She was found with a rubberband tied tightly around her neck. So tight in fact that it not only cut deep into her skin but also caused her head to swell up like a balloon. This was not the first time I had heard of this kind of torture and I know it won't be the last.



This picture is particularly graphic so you have to click on it if you want to enlarge.


Miko has been since nursed to health (and spayed), but she is, understandably, incredibly fearful of people. She's about 9 months old, 22 lbs right now. Her time is running out at the hospital and if somebody doesn't take her soon, they will be forced to return her to the streets, where she will endure who knows what other horrors in her life.

Fearful dogs like Miko are the kind that have the most special place in my heart. I know her chances are slim, but if anyone is interested in taking her in to foster or adopt (and you would have to be somewhat knowledgable about undersocialized dogs), let me know.

Introducing Pa Pi, the Oinking Chihuahua

I received an email from a young woman who had rescued Pa Pi from being surrendered to the animal shelter when his elderly owners passed away. Pa Pi was said to be about 10 years old and the young woman worried that because of his age, he might have been deemed to old to adopt out. But she couldn't keep him herself because her bigger dogs didn't like Pa Pi following them around everywhere trying to sniff their butts, so she asked if I could help find him a home.

Usually when I get requests like that, I'm not in a position to do more than put them up on Petfinder and forward the information to other rescues. With foster dogs of my own, unless the timing is just right, I don't have room for more dogs. The timing just happened to be right though for another fosterer. Robin in Sacramento, who had fostered Jasmine and Arlo and a number of other dogs, was between fosters so she kindly offered to take Pa Pi in.

So I met him at the dog park in Pleasant Hill, brought him back home so I could do a quick diapy change for Popeye, and then headed out to Sacramento. I'm generally not crazy about itty bitty dogs and don't bond to them as immediately as I usually do to bigger dogs, but for a chihuahua, Pa Pi is a pretty likable fellow. He's not a yapper, not a nipper, and not high-strung in the least. He's very rotund and makes oinking sounds, so he might be mixed with piglet. Calmly accepting of almost everything, even the vacuum, Pa Pi is a super duper mellow dog.








(Yes, I do like to dress up dogs, but no, I'm not the one who subjected him to the hat fashion show.)





http://www.petfinder.com/petnote/displaypet.cgi?petid=13370298

BTW, Robin has a Taiwan dog herself. His name is Logan and while he has the long legs, straight upright ears, spotted tongue, and lean lanky body characteristic of many Formosan Mountain Dogs, he is the most feral, pharoah, stunning looking one I've ever seen so far.