Friday, January 16, 2009

Foster dogs before and after

Over the holidays we received several emails and Christmas cards from the families of some of our former foster dogs. Thank you, thank you, thank you for thinking of us! Now, this is the BEST part of this whole business! When they come here the dogs are homeless discards that nobody wants. When they leave they have a new life and home. Here are three puppies that lived with us for awhile:























Franklin was born in animal control in Isanti county. He arrived at our house with his mother, Salem, and 7 brothers and sisters when he was just an hour old. He was still wet from birthing. We called these puppies "Salem's lot" . Franklin and his littermates were all black puppies and it was relatively easy to place them in new homes. But, Franklin was a challenge. He was dominant, aggressive, loud and "ENERGETIC" but very lovable! The name Marley comes to mind, if you've read the book "Marley and Me". Franklin was with us long after his littermates were adopted and we wondered if he would grow to adulthood before he was adopted. But then a young couple, looking for their first dog, came along and fell in love with Franklin. Now, they inform me, Franklin has been to obedience school and "more or less" passed his tests. He is still a bundle of energy with lots of entertaining antics: below, chasing a ball through the snow.
In late summer we took in Tara (the Coon Hound that is still with us) and her 6 puppies. One of those puppies was Prissy, whose personality did not fit her name. She was a spitfire with big personality! This is the dog that I considered keeping for myself (only for a minute, though). In the description that I provided for Petfinder.com I wrote that she was fearless with our Great Dane, and it turned out that her new home would also have a Dane. Fortunately, the young couple that adopted her would also change her name from Prissy to Izzy. They inform me that the two dogs are best friends and at play constantly.























We also received photos from a former foster puppy named Jordi, who was only with us for a couple weeks. This puppy was a German Shepherd, Rottweiller mix and he created some problems because there were too many people that wanted to adopt him at once! We had to go through the somewhat painful process of choosing the right home and we're glad to find out that we made the right decision. He is well loved and thriving!

3 comments:

Sarah said...

Really cool! How fun to know they are doing well.

CurtisMSP said...

Hello Jara Family! My wife, Alba, met you at the dental clinic yesterday. We think your dogs look great! Can you give us more information about your foster care program? Thanks!

Ahna said...

Hi Curtis and Alba! I would love to chat with you about our foster care program (rpaw.org) or about our dogs. The group that we volunteer for is a local Blaine rescue group. We have fostered both dogs and cats in our home. We take them in our home to live with our family until they are adopted. Ideally we become the dog's advocate as we try to find the best home for them. Also, since we live with the dogs for an extended amount of time, we know those dogs very well and can give our adoptive parents a good "picture" of what they are like. It is a very satisfying experience for us MOST of the time! If you are interested in becoming a foster home for a rescue dog or cat let me know! On the other hand, if you are looking to adopt a dog or cat I can assist you in finding the right one for your family! That would be a great pleasure, especially knowing what sweetheart Alba is!
Best regards, Ahna, Selena and Xavier