Friday, August 29, 2014

Puppy Tails: The Final Chapter

My foster puppies have gone, off to the rescue group to find their forever homes. And I miss their little furry faces so much! NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE KEPT THEM, but enough to have me in tears, going from nearly 24/7 with them to seeing them off, never knowing where they're going or how they are faring. 

To try to keep myself from crying myself into a monstrous headache, my Ten Things of Thankful is going to list ten reasons I am thankful they are gone.

1. No more getting up first thing in the morning to take them outside to potty. This was their favorite time of the day to go out, and I had to stand there for-FREAKING-ever when I needed to be inside, getting ready, while they rolled around and played and fought over sticks.

2. No more scratches on my arms or nipped fingers while trying to snap on the leashes, especially in the morning when they needed to GO.

3. Puppy stank. You can bathe them, but they will always smell like puppies. CLEAN puppies, but puppies, nonetheless.

4. It took much finesse to keep them from plowing through old piles of poo in the yard (the girl who SWORE she'd clean up after them outside did it once, the second day we had them, and never again, leaving it entirely up to me). 

5. We'll no longer be taking walks around the block and avoiding the house down the street with the ginormous acorns on the sidewalk that the puppies couldn't resist picking up and crunching, meaning we either had to hold their heads up with the leashes or pick them up and carry them past the acorn mine field.

6. No more puppy pee and poo on the floor! We could come inside from doing both, and one or the other, or BOTH, puppies would squat and unload on the floor. No warning. We've gone through a dozen rolls of paper towels and gallons of floor cleaner.

7. No more sick puppies! The poor things had more than their fair share of puppy squirts, plus kennel cough, and there was a time when I thought we were going to lose Olivia - twice. I don't want to brag, but I am REALLY good at curing puppy squirts, in case you ever need to know. The secret is to feed them canned pumpkin. I don't know why it works, but it does, and they love to eat it. 

8. I can take my flip flops off and not have a puppy immediately carry them off and chew them. Both puppers just love a good flip flop; they're easy to carry, easy to chew.

9. Speaking of chewing, no more gnawing on my coffee table legs, fireplace hearth, toes, shoelaces, or any other of a number of items that do not improve with the addition of tooth marks.

10. No more incessant barking when they are inside their crate and want out! They were tireless barkers, especially Olivia.




See? So many reasons to be thankful they are gone. No more puppies running through the house, chasing each other, rolling and playing, fighting over the same toy or stick. No more puppy faces looking up at me expectantly, waiting for a treat for going potty outside. No more "puppy speak," where they talked to each other. No more warm puppy curled up in my lap asleep while I write. No more wagging tails and cheerful yips to tell me hello when I return to the room. No more watching them play tug of war with the Bone of Contention. 

If I'm so glad to see them go, why is there a lump in my throat and tears stinging my eyes?

Goodbye and good luck, my little pupper girls! I hope we gave you a good foundation to be loving pets for two new families. I know you'll miss each other when you are adopted, but you'll be okay. You're tough, both of you, having started life as puppies that some asshole dumped, living at the humane society, so timid that you and your siblings, all six of you, hid under your bed much of the time. Ahhh, my sweet pups, I'm going to miss you so....



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36 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. They were put in a big wire kennel in an office to wait until it was time to go on the transport, so they were pretty excited about checking it out and didn't care that much that we disappeared. But I'd like to think they looked for us and missed us after they finished exploring.

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  2. LOVE THE VIDS!!! SO when are you getting the next litter of fosters????? You did a fabulous job! and yup... pumpkin cures many a doggie ill.

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    1. Thank you! I don't like the slideshow music, but I'd never made one before and had to take what youtube offered. And I love the one of them talking to each other. They did it a lot and it was so cute! And pumpkin is an awesome medicine!

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    2. I noticed you didn't answer her question...

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    3. IF we do it again, it won't be until summer. And it would have to be at the beginning of summer, not so close to the end. It would have been really hard if Emma's school had started on schedule and she wasn't home to take care of the puppies when I went back to work.

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  3. Thanks. It's probably a good thing they pooped and peed everywhere, because it made them less cute at those times.

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  4. Life will be easier, but oh....
    For you it is puppies, for me bunnies. Either way they are a lot of work--- and worth it. What a good foster mom you make. ~May

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    1. Thanks, May! It was so hard to let them go, but I was able to sleep in this morning a little bit without having to take puppies outside to pee!

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  5. I'd miss the puppies, too, even though I agree, puppies (or dogs in general) smell, that's why we'Re going to get a cat :-) Are you going to foster more puppies in the future?

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    1. Cats just smell warm and furry. Dogs smell like dogs, even after a bath. The jury is still out on the fostering thing. Right now, because it was so sad to see them go, I'd do it in a minute. When I remember all the endless poop and pee on my floors, then not so much.

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    2. Don't listen to her, Stephanie! Cats smell like cat puke. And when they are being ass-cats, they smell like poop outside the litter box and sometimes pee in a corner where you don't know they're peeing. Argh.
      But yeah, they do kinda smell warm and furry and they make great foot warmers and they are so unbelievably and annoyingly irresistible. That would be how I, the cat-hater, ended up with THREE that run my life for me. I gave up. Cats rule...

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  6. congrats - you did a great job - they will do awesome in their forever home. lived the video :)

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    1. Thanks, Marisa. They will be great pets for someone. I love the talking video, but the slideshow makes me cry every time.

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  7. Aww I'm gonna miss those puppies even if you did come up with 10 reasons that your're thankful. I know you'll miss them too.

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  8. I totally get all that annoying puppy stuff! My Sonny is just outgrowing some of that at 9 months. BUT I also had a lump in my throat for you when I watched that second video (the first one sounded like a couple of hyenas). You truly are their angel and I hope you are giving yourself a HUGE pat on the back for fostering them.

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    1. Thank you, Jen! That slide show tears me up. Weren't they funny in the video? They did it a lot - so cute!

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  9. Those lucky little puppies will be such great pets for their forever families. Your family did a wonderful thing helping to foster the pups. The video and slideshow are wonderful reminders of the pups and the love you all shared.

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    1. Thanks, Pattie! You have to trust the screening process of the rescue group that they will place them in wonderful homes!

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  10. Yeah, see that whole going out to pee in the wee hours of the morning? In rain or snow or sleet or hail? So not my idea of fun. Cats do their biz in a box. (OH, wait, except mine...they do it on the only ten feet of carpet in my entire house!)
    You did a great thing taking them in. We are forever grateful to our Rotten Boys' kitty foster mom for loving them so well until we found them because their alternative was starving in an alley. Every now and then we send her a card with a photo - maybe yours will send you one!

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    1. The only reason to be grateful for a drought is I only had to take them out twice when it was raining, and it was only a little sprinkle. Rain? Cold? Snow? Forget it! I'm thankful kitties use a litter box (MOST of the time).
      I am so hoping to find out where my puppies go. I'm worried about them now, knowing they are stuck in a kennel until they get adopted.

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  11. They grew so much in the short time you had them!

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    1. They doubled in size! When they grow into those feet, they are going to be huge dogs, especially Audrey!

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  12. I am going to try some of that pumpkin on Cloudy. I know the sad, yet glad feeling, Dyanne!

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    1. The pumpkin is amazing! Works very quickly. I feel badly to be relieved I don't have the mess any more, because I really did love the pups!

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  13. What a sweet post. I know you loved those puppies and saying goodbye was difficult, but you listed so many reasons to help you focus on their departure. I've never done a video either, and I am very curious about it. Time for some research, I guess.

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    1. Thanks, Val! I'd like to say listing all those things made me feel better, but they didn't. Still miss them. I did the slideshow on youtube. They had free music available. The song I picked was the least sucky one.

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  14. great vid

    #8 is totally graduate level cuteness! (if you recall, they did not just steal the flip-flops, surely they would prance out of the room with their tail up, totally proud of demonstrating their hunting/capturing prowess.)

    you did a good job with, what Kristi will surely confirm, is a critical period in a dogs life, the socialization period… a proper socialization makes all the difference in the world to a dogs adult personality and disposition… and, (lol) who better to let them feel like they are in the best pack in the world than a scott?

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    1. This is probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me, Clark! Audrey was a first class flip flop thief. Emma would put hers on the fireplace hearth, behind the couch, and she would stretch to get one, then trot off gleefully with her prize. I spent a lot of time prying things out of her mouth, especially cat toys, which she would snag as we went through the house to go outside.

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  15. Awe! puppies are so cute! I can understand the tears.

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  16. Such a good thing you did for those sweet babies! I know you're sad to see them go but puppies are a ton of work. I'm sure they'll find good homes and you gave them such a good start. I love the pictures and video. I can't help but laugh at Ruby! Did she hold the door for them when they were on their way out?

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  17. Aww, sweet puppies. I'd feel the same, though. I have enough pee and poop to clean up without animals around.

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    1. I used to think a litter box was kind of gross, but it's like a rose garden compared to what a puppy can do.

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  18. I love the puppy smell, but the chewing and rambunctiousness would drive me batty. I am thankful that you prepared them for a Furever home (that's what they call it around here) and the tears are understandable.

    I played the video and Watson-the basset hound- jerked up from a sound sleep. Droopy ears perked up looking for the playmate.

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    1. I love, love, LOVE that Watson heard the puppy video and got excited! It was such a funny, playful thing they did with each other!
      I know they'll find wonderful furever homes. But I'll always miss them.

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