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| Bindi (Adopt me today!!) |
Being a foster mom is awesome. Helping the voiceless is even more awesome. But what rocks the most … is the people
within the rescue. They are the glue
that holds the whole thing together. There’s so much camaraderie within a group in
which there is a common goal. Most of
us have never met, but yet we all know each other’s stories. The support system is immense and if you’ve
never known the love of a stranger, try joining a rescue. You fall in love with people every day. Sure, there are spats and disagreements and every
now and again, someone takes us all to Drama Town, but it’s an irresistible feeling
to have someone that you have never once seen in person help you, support you,
empower you or inspire you.
This support from CCBers comes through the form of a forum for foster parents and volunteers. Any question, comment or ranting post is immediately responded to by people who love rescue and want to see me and my dogs succeed. They help in all the ways they know how and then offer more when you think they have nothing left to give. I guess that’s the nature of this contagion that takes on a life of its own incredibly quickly. Everyone wants to feel needed, everyone wants to feel supported, and more than anything, everyone wants to feel normal. CCB not only has gathered together people that believe in the same things I believe in, but they make me feel like a stronger, more competent individual that has a new and more meaningful purpose in life. Carolina Care Bullies has changed hundreds and thousands of lives – canine and human. This point was made loud and clear today, allowing me that awesome perspective, by one simple, every day, doggie behavior…
When Kris came to me, she was a sweet, tender and sensitive soul that was afraid of her own shadow, yet loved to the fullest. However, she would turn into a different dog when left alone or in a crate by herself. Separation anxiety is one thing that I will gladly bow out on because it not only frustrates me, but it is a very labor intensive process to desensitize a dog to every single activity that you do before you go somewhere. The awkwardness you feel as your neighbors watch you lock your door, get in your car, start it, back halfway out of the driveway and then promptly pull back in, turn the car off and go back inside a hundred times, all because your dog is now frothing at the mouth because you left for less than a minute. She had her issues, but she was an adorable dog that trained well, wanted to please and loved love. When she was adopted, everyone was so excited for me and for her that it fueled my fire to do more, be more.
Cagney came to me from another foster home and needed a LOT of direction. He growled at my cats, couldn’t walk on a leash, wouldn’t do anything for you without having a treat in your hand and jumped on everything. As frustrating as he may have been the first week or two because he hadn’t quite gotten that he was not allowed to chase the kitties, or that he couldn’t pull me around town to smell everything and needed to be let out every hour or else he’d have an accident in the house, he was also a quick learner that made me feel like we were actually making progress each day.
Enter Bindi. Today marks the 7th day that she has been at our house. It has been a hard 7 days. Please don’t believe that being a foster is all about happiness and love, because it can be filled with a lot of frustration and anger at the baggage that comes along with a dog. The first day with Bindi consisted of constant whining, trying to weight pull my entire body towards any direction, overstimulated to the point that we couldn’t even pet her, and was totally uninterested in food or toys. Each day of this past week, I have struggled with giving her a true 2 week shutdown. I felt like I was letting her walk all over me and the house rules. I would then start to try to train but would ultimately get angry because of the constant spinning, moving, wiggling, jumping, straining, whining, inattention and choking at the end of the leash.
Bindi doesn’t sit still ever. She doesn’t even lay down unless she’s chewing a bone. No matter how much you ignore her, she is a constant moving ball of energy that demands your time and effort. The effort this week was there; the results were not. With my patience wearing thin, I reached out to the CCB forum and was met with not only an amazing outpouring of love and support but tips, suggestions and at it’s simplest, just good thoughts sent my way.
This dog has spent a full 7 days in and out of her crate, outside for short play periods and eating or chewing on bones. No visitors, no car rides, no walks, no anything. I hoped that she was just being a psycho lunatic because of the transfer from the shelter to temp fosters then to me. The last couple days have been a slim, slim improvement, but not enough for me to be happy about it.
The dog I came home to today was a different dog than 7 days ago. This dog was giving me eye contact. Like serious, unwavering eye contact. She sat when I said “sit”. She waited when I said “wait”. She left it when I said “leave it”. She took it when I said “take it”. She came when I said “come”. She waited at open doors for me to go through first. She recognized when she had reached the end of her leash and would trot back to me before our walk through the living room continued. Next up in our routine, I began to feed Bindi her dinner by hand. The minute I was done, Bindi did the most incredible thing. She laid down on me and began snoring. Snoring. A simple behavior that most dogs do, but the implications of that snore were undeniable; she was calm, comfortable and at ease. I’d never been so happy to hear snoring. She began rolling over for belly rubs. She was calmly accepting affection instead of being a 100% wiggly, whippy mess. She became a different dog before my eyes. The dog of 7 days ago is gone, and in 7 more days - where will she be then? All the hesitation and doubt in my abilities from the last week flew out the window. The turnaround of this dog was unreal. It’s not easy being a foster parent, but I knew that when I signed up. It takes time, effort, and self discipline, but the reward is massive and so worth it.
Please consider fostering. Whether it’s a Kris, Cagney or Bindi, someone needs you in the world. You have what it takes; everyone does. Just summon up your courage and and take a leap of faith. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at where life takes you.
This support from CCBers comes through the form of a forum for foster parents and volunteers. Any question, comment or ranting post is immediately responded to by people who love rescue and want to see me and my dogs succeed. They help in all the ways they know how and then offer more when you think they have nothing left to give. I guess that’s the nature of this contagion that takes on a life of its own incredibly quickly. Everyone wants to feel needed, everyone wants to feel supported, and more than anything, everyone wants to feel normal. CCB not only has gathered together people that believe in the same things I believe in, but they make me feel like a stronger, more competent individual that has a new and more meaningful purpose in life. Carolina Care Bullies has changed hundreds and thousands of lives – canine and human. This point was made loud and clear today, allowing me that awesome perspective, by one simple, every day, doggie behavior…
When Kris came to me, she was a sweet, tender and sensitive soul that was afraid of her own shadow, yet loved to the fullest. However, she would turn into a different dog when left alone or in a crate by herself. Separation anxiety is one thing that I will gladly bow out on because it not only frustrates me, but it is a very labor intensive process to desensitize a dog to every single activity that you do before you go somewhere. The awkwardness you feel as your neighbors watch you lock your door, get in your car, start it, back halfway out of the driveway and then promptly pull back in, turn the car off and go back inside a hundred times, all because your dog is now frothing at the mouth because you left for less than a minute. She had her issues, but she was an adorable dog that trained well, wanted to please and loved love. When she was adopted, everyone was so excited for me and for her that it fueled my fire to do more, be more.
Cagney came to me from another foster home and needed a LOT of direction. He growled at my cats, couldn’t walk on a leash, wouldn’t do anything for you without having a treat in your hand and jumped on everything. As frustrating as he may have been the first week or two because he hadn’t quite gotten that he was not allowed to chase the kitties, or that he couldn’t pull me around town to smell everything and needed to be let out every hour or else he’d have an accident in the house, he was also a quick learner that made me feel like we were actually making progress each day.
Enter Bindi. Today marks the 7th day that she has been at our house. It has been a hard 7 days. Please don’t believe that being a foster is all about happiness and love, because it can be filled with a lot of frustration and anger at the baggage that comes along with a dog. The first day with Bindi consisted of constant whining, trying to weight pull my entire body towards any direction, overstimulated to the point that we couldn’t even pet her, and was totally uninterested in food or toys. Each day of this past week, I have struggled with giving her a true 2 week shutdown. I felt like I was letting her walk all over me and the house rules. I would then start to try to train but would ultimately get angry because of the constant spinning, moving, wiggling, jumping, straining, whining, inattention and choking at the end of the leash.
Bindi doesn’t sit still ever. She doesn’t even lay down unless she’s chewing a bone. No matter how much you ignore her, she is a constant moving ball of energy that demands your time and effort. The effort this week was there; the results were not. With my patience wearing thin, I reached out to the CCB forum and was met with not only an amazing outpouring of love and support but tips, suggestions and at it’s simplest, just good thoughts sent my way.
This dog has spent a full 7 days in and out of her crate, outside for short play periods and eating or chewing on bones. No visitors, no car rides, no walks, no anything. I hoped that she was just being a psycho lunatic because of the transfer from the shelter to temp fosters then to me. The last couple days have been a slim, slim improvement, but not enough for me to be happy about it.
The dog I came home to today was a different dog than 7 days ago. This dog was giving me eye contact. Like serious, unwavering eye contact. She sat when I said “sit”. She waited when I said “wait”. She left it when I said “leave it”. She took it when I said “take it”. She came when I said “come”. She waited at open doors for me to go through first. She recognized when she had reached the end of her leash and would trot back to me before our walk through the living room continued. Next up in our routine, I began to feed Bindi her dinner by hand. The minute I was done, Bindi did the most incredible thing. She laid down on me and began snoring. Snoring. A simple behavior that most dogs do, but the implications of that snore were undeniable; she was calm, comfortable and at ease. I’d never been so happy to hear snoring. She began rolling over for belly rubs. She was calmly accepting affection instead of being a 100% wiggly, whippy mess. She became a different dog before my eyes. The dog of 7 days ago is gone, and in 7 more days - where will she be then? All the hesitation and doubt in my abilities from the last week flew out the window. The turnaround of this dog was unreal. It’s not easy being a foster parent, but I knew that when I signed up. It takes time, effort, and self discipline, but the reward is massive and so worth it.
Please consider fostering. Whether it’s a Kris, Cagney or Bindi, someone needs you in the world. You have what it takes; everyone does. Just summon up your courage and and take a leap of faith. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at where life takes you.
**We have two CCB babies that are now in need of foster homes: Sponge Bob (deaf, white pitbull) and Winnie (blue pittie). If you or someone you know is considering fostering, please send them our way. We need your help.
www.carebullies.org
www.facebook.com/carebullies
