My Novels

Monday, May 05, 2008

New dog on the block

After some soul-searching, I decided to put my heart into what I love: helping critters. (As if I haven't been doing this all my adult life!)

I decided to become a foster home for shelter animals. Starting with this dog:

Meet Marla, a mixed breed


She is a very sweet, docile dog, small enough for me to handle/manage. She'd been at the shelter a long time, and was about to be history. The local animal welfare group asked me to take her as a foster, and I agreed.

After a busy morning, picking her up at the shelter, getting her rabies shot, bringing her home, she is enjoying the large backyard -- and something she hasn't had in a long time, treats and chew bones.

Loving a good chew!


All the neighborhood dogs are up in arms, like this neighbor dog on one side of my chain link fence:

Say what? A mug-ugly mongrel next door, yuck!


And these purebreds on the other side of my yard:

Gawd, that's a scrawny dog!


Lots of barking at first, but it calmed down.

My plan is this: I have Marla in the larger backyard with the large doghouse for her today. My dogs are separate, allowed to come in and out of the house, and use the smaller area off the carport -- being able to see and smell Marla through the chain link fence. Later, I'll have them on their leashes and hook them to a tie-down in the ground in the larger backyard, where they will be restrained, but able to meet Marla easier. Sort of learning to get along, I call it. A gradual process, which I hope will work (and I have researched this).

I have to take Marla to Pet Depot or Tractor Supply each Saturday, and leave her for prospective adopters to look at. Or I can stay and help with the management of the cats/kittens, dogs/puppies. We'll see.

Renter is moving out Wednesday, so lots of hard work ahead in getting that ready to rent again. I will probably take Marla with me when I work there, since there's a fenced yard too.

As I stated in my last entry: I can't save them all, but I can make a few domestic pets' lives just a little better.

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