Fosters From the Past!

The Lady told us a story today.......Here is how it goes.....

My first foster was Bella, what a wonderful dog. I signed up to be a foster with Fluffy Dog Rescue and three days later I received an email asking if I could meet a Doodle in Barrington. The dog was coming in from Ohio. Sure, I responded, that will be fine. So I followed the directions that led me to a home nestled in a grove of trees.

There were so many dogs I was overwhelmed, two vans filling up with crates to transport dogs to Wisconsin and Minnesota. These dogs had been saved from high kill shelters in the south and southeast. It was all so organized and the mission was to save dogs.

I met a great guy and told him I was with Fluffy Dog and was to pick-up a Doodle named Babbit. He opened up a crate and this beautiful creature gracefully walk out. She was so calm in all the barking and chaos I just could not believe it.

Off we went, she was great in the car. When we got home she was gentle with the cats and very good with Jake and Mollie, who were at the time each about a year old. Within the first week I found out more of Bella's story.....

She had been trained to be a companion to a blind man. This made sense, she was so gentle and calm about everything. I figured out she was very well trained just from hanging out with her. She made Jake and Mollie look like dumb and dumber. After her owner passed away a neighbor of his took her in, but this woman had too many dogs, she was a hoarder and poor Bella was standing in a corner due to lack of simulation. This woman's daughter convinced her to give Bella up to Fluffy Dog to find her a new home. I couldn't call her Babbit she was just too lovely...that is how I came to call her Bella meaning love.

Bella was with me all of three weeks. She found her forever home very quickly and what a great place. She now lives on a farm with a Doctor, his wife and three children. They have horses, goats, cats and now they have Bella too!

Bella will always have a very special place in my heart. She showed me I could do this, foster dogs and help them on their way to their FOREVER HOMES. Thank you Bella for showing me the way!

Bella the Beauty

What a great Face

When I picked-up Easton, my second foster, it was a cold and raining night. I met one of the other foster Mom's at a gas station, she had picked him up from HAWS in Waukesha where he had just be fixed and transported him to Kenosha. All I knew was that he as was a stray found in Ohio living on the streets and he was a poodle.

This is Easton the day after I met him

His poor feet where bare.

The dog I met was soooo sick, no fur on his feet, sores on his face from scratching himself, thin... all and all just a pathetic mess. I carried him into his crate and he went to sleep. The next day I called Fluffy Dog and said "How are we going to help this dog?" What I was thinking was "I am in way over my head." Fluffy Dog Wellness snapped into action. It was parasites with an internal yeast infection combined with malnutrition. He went on a Raw combined with Grain-free kibble diet along with tons of supplements. When I say tons, I mean tons, it would take me about 10 minutes each feeding just to crush supplements. I mixed them into Raw Venison, Chicken and/or Beef with yogurt and grain-free kibble.

I must have sent Fluffy Dog thousands of emails, "What next" "Are you sure this is going to work?" "Are you certain this is humane?"

I had never been involved in treating such a sick animal, I worried and wondered if he would ever gain weight, if he would ever stop scratching, if he would ever get well. It took about 6 weeks of good food, lots of love, supplements and hope and he began to turn a corner. Slowly the number of supplements he needed each feeding declined, his fur started to grow back and he gained weight. He actually began to look like a rag a muffin dog!

Through it all he was a character right out of Dickens. I laughed at that pour little creature all of the time. I bought him a coat to help keep him warm as the fur grew back. Whenever he was loose at the dog park, Mollie, Jake and I spent are whole time chasing him. He wanted to meet everyone! He has the craziest personality, just a clown all of the time. After 4 months we had this great dog ready for his forever home.

If you ever think that a dog is too far gone to save think about Easton.

This is Easton the day before he went to his forever home.

His new family named him Rudy which fits him.

He really came a very long way.