Stories about some of our dogs and their foster homes
ARF has a friend in Bobby Daniels, a teacher from Spray that has come out to the shelter and helped walk dogs, groom,
and even helped me with dog fencing. She has been a good friend to ARF and when her old lab died last year she became
available as a foster home. Fosters are temporary situations for shelter overflows or dogs that need to get out of the group
environment for personality or medical reasons. These people are a special treat for us as they allow us to see how a dog
behaves in a ‘normal’ environment, which we definitely cannot provide out here. Our pack of 16+ dogs is not a choice many
dogs would make and some have difficulties fitting in that causes tension in the group and sometimes leads to dog fights.
Pepper was one of those dogs that couldn’t fit in. Australian shepherds tend to be what we call “bossy Aussies” for good
reason. They tend to feel it’s their job to keep the other dogs in line. Some are more like cops, zeroing in on the unbalanced
behavior types. Others are like Pepper, heading or heeling the other dogs like cows. Granted some of our dogs probably
deserve some discipline but they don’t like to be headed in particular, and that was Pepper’s forte. After getting into a fight we
asked Bobby if she would be willing to keep him for his recovery period. We knew it would be difficult trying to keep the peace
with him here as a wounded dog is vulnerable to the pack, plus his confidence and attitude were not really good while in his
condition. Fortunately Bobby agreed to help out.
Pepper came to her with a lot of baggage that created problems she never had with her lab. Pep is high strung, territorial,
apprehensive of strangers, and gets very car sick. He is a handsome blue merle, with a long soft coat and one blue eye, which
can help attract people to him and help them get over his neurotic behaviors. He also is a character and can provide great
interaction with his chosen human. Bobby is very easy going so taking charge was a major step for her, but to help Pepper fit
into the world she took the leash and learned how to be his pack leader. If she didn’t, his aggressions would increase and he
would not be a very adoptable dog. The bonding part was easy as he took to her right away and slowly gave space to her cats.
She learned how to correct him for heeling her company, and not avoid it by just putting him in the other room. All of her efforts
helped calm him. The more secure a dog feels that you are in charge the more calm he can be and not worry about taking
charge, thus losing unnecessary aggressions. That’s the theory anyway and it seems to be working!
The hardest part was his car sickness, as Bobby travels to Port Angeles, Washington often – a very long trip. After several
different experiments, meclazine seems to be the best solution, plus making sure he can’t see out the window. In Washington
she stays with her daughter who has 4 dogs of her own. This was a challenge for a dog like Pepper but after following the
correct introduction rules all went well. It was important to not just barge in with him while the resident dogs were going
bonkers. I suggested a walk with the group before invading the home, that way they became pack members instead of
competitors. He will be spending the summer there so I hope it continues to work out.
Bobby took Pepper for us last August and recently decided we could take him off the adoptables list as she wants to keep
him!! What a dream come true for us and Pepper. We really like him but this was not the place for him and at five years old
people really weren’t applying for him. That is considered old for adoptees. All dogs need to bond to feel fulfilled in the human
world, but Pepper, being such a loner, needs it more than others. To pass a dog like him around is very hard for him. He
already had two disasterous homes before coming here so it was a great relief to know he was in good hands and definitely
not going to be passed around again. He could easily become a biter and be put down. Congratulations Bobby on saving a life
and making Pepper’s dream come true! And Thanks from all of us here at ARF.
Another foster home fell in love with a fostered dog. Though he did not come from ARF, we were integral in placing him there.
“Slim Shady”, a little poodle taken in by another rescue group in Redmond, had been a personal pet and stud dog when they
took him in at 6 years old. He was having a hard time fitting in with the dogs at the rescue home and they needed a foster
home to help him adjust. They had only had him a few days, and the day he was neutered Jerry brought him to Fossil, to our
ARF angel Nornie Johnson. She had been without a little dog a bit too long and was eager to help out, though not a great fan
of poodles. But Slim was no foofoo dog and slowly won her heart over with his manly, take charge behavior she so missed
from her last Yorkie. After spending time with him she came up with the more appropriate name of “MacGregor”. He is a
working dog, keeping the wild cats out of her yard, alerting her to intruders, but always willing to suck up to those same
intruders after introductions are made. He is also a great lap warmer and spreads himself evenly between Nornie and her sister
Rosie, and actually with any other available lap. This type of personality is a welcome change from the neurotic behaviors of
most small dog rescues that she has previously undertaken, and fallen in love with all anyway. MacGregor comes to the ARF
sales and spreads his calm, friendly energy to all.
Poodles can be nice dogs after all, and after much deliberation and enjoyable interaction Nornie has adopted Slim aka
MacGregor! No, this is not a failure of a foster home, but a joy to any shelter to know the dog won’t be passed around any
more. When he is in a good match and is loved and properly cared for, it just doesn’t get any better. Thanks, Nornie, and
congratulations on your new family member!
Remember Amor, the Golden Retriever with the liver condition? He is coming back to ARF to live out his life, however long
that may be. After two more ultrasounds, an MRI, and X-rays, the vets in Portland decided not to do surgery on his liver but
they did take stones from his bladder. He will have to be on medications for life and will have the good day/bad day thing until
his quality of life just isn’t there any more. We are a sanctuary and that means we have several dogs that are not adoptable
but have a place with ARF until their time is up. We will not make him suffer pain but until that time he can enjoy his time in
the creek and playing with the dogs. He fit in very well while here and we are looking forward to having him back. The Golden
Bond Rescue that took him in from us needs to have the foster home he is in for adoptable dogs and with his problems he
does not fit that category. Everyone that has met him has fallen in love but we all have our jobs to do and theirs is not
sanctuary. We do not keep adoptable dogs, except for Emily the yellow lab and her much needed calm energy, because we
need the space for the “others”. Thanks to all that helped with Amor’s costs when he was with ARF. We will keep him on
supplements but not the spendy prescription drugs they say would cost $200-300/ month. We had him on natural aids while
here and he did better here than he has in Portland on the other stuff. We will try for him as he has a heart of gold and we plan
on taking him out in the community while he is here to spread his wonderful energy around!
News:
ARF UPDATE – 2006 and our 2007 hopes
ARF SURVIVES 2006!!!
This year was a rough one for ARF. The soaring price of gas really affected adoptions, since we are a good 100-200 miles from our adopters. But that didn’t stop the influx of orphans needing our help. Of course, the adopters that did make the sacrifice and drive out here all proved to be more than excellent homes. Often our remote location gives people time to think hard about taking in a dog, and that extra think time assures us they are serious about helping the dog. It has been a year of tough decisions and lots of hard work in training as we took in several dogs that had problems with other dogs. That is the most difficult for us to change as we don’t know what they are all thinking. At least with their people problems we know one side of the story! But when we discovered the Dog Whisperer, on tv, we finally had a lot more tools to work with as he works with dogs in packs all the time. After 14 years of running the ARF shelter our eyes have really been opened to see the dog’s side of the problem. Wow, are we (people) stuck on ourselves or what?! We learned to never assume that dogs see the world the same as we do and to not personalize their actions and reactions. It has taken a lot of pressure off them and us. The more we feel sorry for them the worse they get, and we do get cases that rip our hearts out. But we are in it for the dogs so will follow the rules to help them feel secure, calm, and trusting in people, not that we have accomplished all that yet but we’re sure trying.
We still have many of the same dogs we’ve had for months, like Pepper, who came in March. He’s an aussie, very pretty, but neurotic in a group too. He has the need to work any dog that is moving. When on a group walk he is constantly trying to keep his herd tight and tidy and drives them all nuts with his fussing around and heading them off. Nobody really has fun so we just take him with dogs that ignore him. Eventually he relaxes and runs around like a normal dog. Amazingly we still have little Bilbo, an Aussie stray ( 6 months old at the time) we took in early spring. He was almost dead from Corona virus and spent a week at the vet. He is so cute, full of personality, smart, and endearing, but no one has shown an interest in him. Tippy, a black lab x aussie mix female, came about the same time as Bilbo and absolutely no one has inquired about her. She is sweet, smart, friendly and playful like a lab and looks like one too. Quinn was found around Mayville early spring too, definitely a border collie mix, and was totally unsocialized at 6 months old. He has come a long way but we still haven’t listed him as he is a bit “slow to get it” and we are in no hurry to send him out into the real world. We took in a neighbor’s two dogs about that time too, neither of which are very adoptable. DeeDee, a lab x, is 10 years old and the 4 year old border collie mix, Shadow, isn’t friendly with new people and has nipped a couple of times.
We did have four pups this summer that were wonderful. They were border collie x jack Russell and we have had several of their ancestors so knew they would be cool dogs. Getting them so young, about six weeks old, was great because they hadn’t been ignored and allowed to form bad habits yet. They quit jumping on us within a couple of days and were sitting and staying for their food! Fortunately they were adopted quickly, except for the last one, and after a couple of months it was all we could do to not keep him. We don’t allow ourselves to keep adoptable dogs as it takes up space and time from others that need help. Two of those pups went clear up to Bellevue, Washington, one went to Prineville, and the last went to Portland.
About May this year we found Ruby at the Cottonwood take out. She had apparently been checking all vehicles and looking desperately for her people for hours, according to a rafter that had been there that day. We were so very sure someone would be looking for her as she is such a good girl, very friendly, easy to have around, always ready for you but not pushy. She is older, maybe 5-7 years old, already spayed, and so calm and gentle, and thrives in the center of a group of kids. There is just no way anyone would throw this dog away!! We recently took her to vet and found she has a bladder infection, after several tests and cultures. So she is on special food and antibiotics. But when she recovers we will list her for adoption and hope she gets some kids to hang out with.
The last two dogs we took in we didn’t really have room for but their owner died and they had no options as they weren’t fit for most shelters. The little male, a Sussex Spaniel was a mess. His ears were so bad they were dragging the ground and must have weighed five pounds each. He was not easy to handle but we managed to shave them down to normal, which was half their initial length. His owner had been sick for quite some time so he had accumulated a lot of “baggage”. The female lab x border collie was in heat for the first couple of weeks, which meant she couldn’t be spayed until two weeks after that. She is a sweety, very small, and well-mannered – except to cats and chickens. We are using some of our recently acquired dog whisperer skills to help her relax around the cats. She is vibrating less and less. We will list her for adoption when she lands. Fortunately both dogs are very good in the house, friendly with people, and are great on group walks.
It is important for our dogs to be dog social as we do not kennel them. When we are both gone we separate them into groups so there is no danger, and a couple are actually put in kennels. Overnight they all sleep in, even the feral dog, Strider, comes in on the dog couch. Several are crated (upstairs in the bedroom), and others are scattered around in their own choice spots. A couple have to sleep in the computer room because they guard the doorways overnight and won’t let anyone pass by! We feel it is important for dogs to be included as a pack whenever possible to help them be balanced and secure. These days the upstairs crates are full but it is quiet all night as all are safe, warm, and with their pack!
We are hoping to help train other people how to properly work with dog
problems and preferred behaviors so that 2007 will include less and
less dogs coming to ARF due to problems their owners have with them.
We know that the problem comes from us and the environment the dog is
in. We have plenty of experience on how to understand dogs and what
they are trying so hard to tell us through their problem behaviors.
We are convinced that by passing our experiences and knowledge to
others, they will tell their friends & family, and the word is spread
(whispered, if you will) so these "problem dogs" are helped instead of
given up. We are encouraging young volunteers to come out and learn
from us and our dogs. To learn a thing when young sticks to you for a
lifetime, thus helping many dogs down the line. Young people tend to
have less to unlearn and readily absorb the lessons, enjoying the
positive results. We are looking forward to the possibilities.
A special note: Blue Boy, the dog I wrote about in the last issue of Wheeler County News, was adopted by a couple in Madras that learned about him by reading that article!! And, of course, it was a perfect match. His new home has only one other dog, a very senior female sheltie, but has to contend with cats. He seems to have gotten over his interest in them and is doing fine, as long as they don’t try to touch him….after all, a guy has to have some self-respect! Blue’s job is to be a companion for the man who has retired and wanted a dog to take every where with him. He may also have the opportunity go help move cows periodically on the 5000 acre ranch across the street. Well, I think maybe Blue’s dream has come true.
Donations are very welcome and appreciated! Just click on the donate link below. We and the pets of ARF thank you!!
IMPORTANT: You must indicate Animal Rescue Foundation Oregon
in the message section during check out process
Who We Are
The Animal Rescue Foundation is a non-profit, no-kill animal shelter that was founded in 1992. It is supported by private donations and operated
by volunteers only. Our focus is on rescuing abused, abandoned, or neglected animals
Adopting a friend
Our adoption application is at the bottom of this page. You can cut & paste then email it to us. Or you can also contact us directly by phone or email for more information
