If I knew how much love Elsie’s pups had in store for them with their forever families, I could have saved a million tears.
I became interested in Nate’s Animal Rescue through the Giving Challenge, and Devin had long been confronted with his coworker’s wall of profiles of dogs available for adoption.
Devin and I have been working from home since the COVID-19 pandemic started. We are suckers for an adventure. Now that we were homebound, I posed the question, “Would you be open to fostering a dog?” He was interested but hesitant. Weeks went by..
[Sometimes Stacy’s enthusiasm for an adventure fades as quickly as it emerges, so I usually wait it out for a while to see what sticks. I had a good idea of how much work this one would be, so I wanted her to be really sure, and I also needed some time to talk myself into it. --Devin]
I asked again. [...and again and again. --D] He finally said yes! As I was filling out the application, I presented the options:
Infant kittens or puppies that must be bottle-fed — Don’t think so. Seems like too much to take on for first-timers with jobs.
Adult animals who do not take well to, or have spent too much time in, a shelter environment but still have the potential to be highly adoptable pets — 100% YES. Aww…poor babies.
Animals in need of lengthy treatment and/or recovery time — Really sorry; I can’t do medical.
A nursing mother and litter who, by being in a shelter situation, cannot receive the attention they need to thrive. — I had my fingers crossed for this one, but I waited to see which way Devin would lean. “Yeah. Why not?” I couldn’t believe it! I submitted the form before he could change his mind.
More weeks passed before we heard anything. This was something we really wanted, and I felt like we were being put to the test. Finally, we were contacted and given one option. You guessed it; a nursing mother with nine pups.
I was filled with excitement. I walked out of the room with a bright smile and shared the news with Devin. We were both in a little bit of shock. I was over the moon happy. Devin was cautiously optimistic.
We were in agreement. We liked our freedom. Keeping one of these dogs was not off the table, but we really didn’t want a pet right now. We’ll look after this litter for a while, and then we’ll go back to normal, just like our usual dog-sitting routine. [Nobody pushed this position harder than me because nobody believed it less. --D]
The day before we picked up the pups, I was incredibly excited and a bit nervous. I had a dog when I was a kid, but I’ve never owned one. (Fun Fact: My dog’s name growing up was Devin :-D) To prepare, Devin (my boyfriend, not my childhood dog) and I watched a few Dog Whisperer episodes from his library.
I came up with a strategy. To avoid accidents, we would let them out every three hours. It was going to be our mission to keep their area as clean as possible for the next four weeks. We felt ready. [I think I had a more realistic image of the chaos that would ensue, but I’ll admit it was even more than I had let myself imagine. --D]
When we arrived at Honor Animal Rescue, a staff member greeted us right away. We followed her through the door, up the stairs, and into the litter’s private room. Elsie was in a large pen, getting a break from her pups in a separate pen. The cuteness was unparalleled! Nine five-week-old pupperoos!
One by one, we brought them downstairs and loaded them into crates. We brought two cars to make sure we had enough space for all the equipment, the mama, and the puppies. [I drove a sweet but meek Elsie home, while Stacy took the car full of squealing pups. Elsie was emaciated from nursing the ravenous little monsters, and she seemed apprehensive about going with another new person and being taken to another new place. --D]
When we arrived at the house, we put them in their area. In less than three minutes, there were about four accidents. Surprised, I giggled and said, “Well, I guess taking them out every three hours isn’t going to work.”
Nate’s Animal Rescue knew what we were getting into and provided us with all of the materials we’d need for success.
Once we arrived home, the first thing we did was make their area a home, complete with clean training pads, blankets, and loads of fun toys (all provided). Next, we gave each puppy a bath to clean them up for this new beginning.
A week in, we stopped keeping them in the pens and gave them free reign of their sectioned off area. We learned that if we put the pads on one side of the room, they would sleep and play on the other side. [...generally. --Devin] We also learned to put fewer pads down. That way, they would have more space to play. It worked because we let them out constantly in an attempt to housetrain and made sure to change the pads right away if there was an accident.
They were all being treated for worms, which they got twice. The first couple of weeks were pretty rough due to gut issues. Even when they were well and starting to get house trained, or at least pad trained, you had to constantly be cleaning, or the house would stink, and they would need baths again.
In the middle of the night, usually between 3a–5a, we would wake up and let them out and clean the whole area. We alternated who was on clean-up duty and who would be on watch. At first, I was in shock at the mess. Then we just got used to it. We kept the mop, bucket, bleach, towels, and trash bags close by. [Open the windows, breathe through your mouth, and work fast. --D]
They learned, too. They would stand by the door and whine to go out. Generally, when we opened the door, they would all run out. There was one little devil that would pee, then run out, most times. She was so cute, I couldn’t get upset.
[While some parts got easier, the pups got bigger and faster and stronger, creating new challenges. It was an arms race, as we had to keep innovating to keep them contained. --D]
For four weeks, our lives consisted of everything puppy, including smelling puppy breath, getting puppy trampled, snuggles galore, playtime, and counting to nine dozens of times each day. It also consisted of worry when they got sick, worry they wouldn’t get adopted, worry when we counted only eight and finally found nine curled up sleeping under a plant, and worry when Elsie would get rough with them, either when she was playing, feeding, or grooming them. The staff gave us a heads-up that this behavior is normal, but it still freaked us out.
[One particular rascal was consistently too aggressive. One day, Elsie demonstrated what that pup would get out in the real world with that attitude. We never got involved, but this was the one time I checked for injuries when it was over. There were none, of course, and that pup had an instant and permanent change of demeanor, becoming one of the sweetest and most polite. --D]
We often found ourselves driving back to Nate’s Animal Rescue to pick up more supplies, bring in stool samples when we noticed one wasn’t feeling well, or pick up medicine that we had to administer. We also had to bring them all in for shots and to get fixed. Elsie did not like this one bit! She HATED going in the car. Nothing we could do aside from physically lifting her could coax her.
Just one day, we got a break when our friends came over to dog sit so that we could go out to dinner. We probably should have arranged more of these. It’s not hard to find volunteers to hang out with puppies!
Finally, it was time for them to go back to the shelter for adoption. I cried very hard the entire day before. We considered keeping one. Giving them back was the hardest thing, and keeping one (based on emotion) was a leap we were about to take. Nate’s does an amazing job placing dogs with appropriate homes, as we were about to see. As we talked with staff, they shared that these pups were working dogs and needed jobs and land, which we couldn’t provide. Elsie still needed to be spayed, so they allowed us to continue fostering her for a while longer.
The bond we created with our fosters was something I’ve never experienced. Devin came up with a brilliant idea to keep a connection. He created a private Facebook group dedicated to Elsie and her pups, where new forever families could share images of the puppies as they grow. The staff at Nate’s liked the idea and agreed to share the information with the families.
Around 5pm, the day we returned the puppies, I received an email with a note that all had been adopted and pics of most of them with their new families. I was overcome with joy and curious about the ones without pics. We had been counting to nine every day, a billion times a day, that I still wanted them to be all accounted for. In the end, they sent the other pictures, and I was grateful. Also, thanks to help from the staff, before we knew it, 8 of 9 families joined our Facebook page!
Fostering a mom and nine pups was a bit overwhelming at times but incredibly rewarding, and it worked because Devin and I made a great team and were supportive of each other. It also worked because we had a lot of love to give.
The epilogue is that Devin and I have officially adopted Elsie. It didn’t take long to decide. She is so sweet and such a good dog. We couldn’t send her back to even a beautiful shelter like Honor Animal Rescue. She is the ray of sunshine we didn’t know we were missing. Since she’s been with us, we’ve befriended more neighbors and simply lead richer lives.
She’s now two pounds overweight and on a diet, thanks to too many treats. Most importantly, she’s really happy and well adjusted. All she needed was stability and love, and almost all of her misbehavior has stopped. She came to us with a well-earned reputation as an escape artist, counter surfer, and trash picker. It’s rare now for her to try to get something off the counter or from the trash, even when we forget to take precautions. It takes very little, gentle conditioning to steer her in the right direction. We like to think she really wants to be good because she’s so grateful to be here. She did manage to dig under the fence before we made it impossible, but she just came and knocked on the front door to be let back in. [And, going for a ride in the car is now her favorite thing, next to Stacy’s homemade, frozen yogurt/pumpkin treats. --D]