The first rule of fostering, if you have other dogs, is isolation.
This is isolation: 1. walk downstairs 2. get undressed 3. put on all new clothes 4. feed dog 5. medicate dog 6. take dog for walk 7. give dog lots of love 8. put dog back into crate 9. get undressed 10. re-dress in regular clothes 11. CLOROX WIPE EVERYTHING
13. repeat steps with other two resident dogs It is a LOT of work. So when we had a vet appointment for the new foster dog just two days after his arrival, we were hopeful that the vet would give us the green light to introduce him to our pack very soon. Then the dreaded cough began. The cough that meant we were in for several weeks of, not only, isolation, but additional medication, breathing treatments, and the constant fear that our dogs would catch the respiratory infection. Vet's orders: lots of rest, antibiotics, nebulizer, and fluids for infection, and every-other-day baths for a bacterial skin infection. How do you bathe a dog in the second floor bathroom, when he is banished to the downstairs in an effort to avoid exposure? You don't. You focus on healing and hope for the best. It has been two weeks now. The other dogs are already sick, despite our very best efforts (see steps above), and this little guy was crusty and scabby and smelly. Today, Atlas had his first bath. Preparing for this is another blog post entirely, but it is a milestone that I am really happy to have made it to. He stood trustingly in the bathtub as I sloughed scabs from his pink, inflamed skin. He licked my hands while I carefully rinsed his bald legs. He rested his head on my knee while I put cotton balls into his cropped ears, hoping not to let water in. I laughed at his pouty little bottom lip, exposing his drastic under-bite each time he opened his mouth. Moments like this, the milestones, the every day firsts that prove to me over and over again that the spirit of a dog is hard to break, they make all the extra steps worth it. We take a chance on an animal that we know nothing about, invite him into our house, take him from his worst (sometimes health-wise, sometimes behavior-wise), and teach him what it is like to be part of a family. Then, when he is ready, and we know it is time, we wish him a happy life, and we cry, and we let him go. Fostering saves lives.
7 Comments
Kelly Dennis
3/6/2017 08:35:35 pm
This is perfection Melody. Absolutely beautiful. I got goosebumps reading and imagining how you are saving sweet Atlas.
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Melanie Andrew
3/6/2017 09:20:30 pm
Bless you Melody! The last bit is exactly how I feel watching my children build adult lives and speaks so beautifully to your passion.
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3/6/2017 09:47:30 pm
This is a post to share with your local newspaper, beautifully and poignantly done. I'm glad Atlas is moving along, and you will be sad to see him go, but happy you helped!
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3/7/2017 03:59:38 am
I'm so glad there are people like you in this world! You are a lifesaver to these dogs! :)
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4/12/2017 12:59:53 am
Having a pet at home is one of the wonderful things a person can have. A dog is known to be a man's best friend. They can easily adapt themselves to the human surroundings and get more comfy with their masters easily.
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Author5th grade teacher, wife, mama to my 3 magical babies, ally, advocate, doggy foster mom... just stumbling on. Archives
March 2022
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