Another Good Dog
Page 26
Love. The unconditional, undeserved, and unending love that a dog offers. I’m getting that in spades again and again from foster dogs who have rarely experienced it themselves.
I used to think that “dog people,” much like “horse people,” were slightly askew.* I can’t say that by getting to know so many of them, that observation has changed, but then again, as I’ve gotten older I’ve realized that most of the really interesting people in this world are a little askew.
For years, I was involved in local politics and issues. I wrote a little column for the paper whenever I was fired up and had an opinion to push—charter schools, local elections, irresponsible growth, etc. I was a PTO president and served on our local political committee, working the polls, knocking on doors, carting voter registration cards around with me.
I found myself sad and frustrated by my efforts again and again. Disappointed in people, politics, and what I saw as hateful attitudes, outright stupidity, and unfair policies, I finally realized that all I was doing was expending my own emotional effort and precious time on issues and people and problems that I had no hope of changing.
So, I pulled back. I escaped into my fiction writing—a much more controllable world. And I fostered dogs. Fifty of them.
I’ve gotten to know the nutso dog people, the fosters, volunteers, shelter workers, and adopter after adopter who made their way up my driveway. I’m quite certain that many of them hold very different political viewpoints than I do. We most likely don’t agree about gun control, funding education, abortion rights, the environment, or international business. We may have very different religious views, shop in different stores, eat at different restaurants, and enjoy completely different forms of entertainment.
And yet we have one thing in common—we love dogs. Through this joint passion we connect. We offer our respect, our stories, our mutual admiration for the canine in question. It makes me wonder if we all focused on something we have in common—like our commitment to rescue dogs—if we couldn’t build a foundation for friendship that might be strong enough to allow us to hear each other on other issues.
I hope someday there will be no need for dog rescue. I hope we will all have to find a breeder to buy our next dog because there are no shelters and no homeless dogs.
As I worked to end this book, I couldn’t figure out where I should stop. There is still too much work to be done. So maybe the place to end is with an invitation.
Join me.
Rescue. Foster. Adopt.
*That’s my polite way of saying, nuts.
Cara with her first puppy litter.
Bambi.
Carla.
Carla watching for her adopter, Carol, to arrive.
Whoopi.
Berneen (Bernie).
Lafayette, the almost foster-fail.
Chuggy Alabaster and Pigweed.
Hamilton pups (seven weeks).
Cara with her injured knee and the culprits, Bambi and Lucy.
Gingersnap and her mile-long tongue.
Tennessee, Frank, and Texas.
John Coffey.
Oberyn.
Rooney and Lucy during the pee wars.
Wheat Penny, always on top of something.
Cara with Edith Wharton’s puppies.
Hadley.
Itz Luv (Luvie).
Oak tries to cheer up Bernie.
Lucy, the quintessential hound.
Catalina, aka Cat.
Gorgeous Lily.
Symphony, aka Stitch.
Galina and Gracie.
Luvie and Lily wrestled endlessly.
Momma Bear outside.
Edith Wharton with one day old pups.
Fannie.
Schuyler has had enough of being the mom.
Gingersnap and Whoopi watching me outside.
Shiny clean Stitch after her bath.
Cara and Frank.
YOU Can Foster Too!
I know the problem of unwanted dogs in this country is complicated, but it is a fixable problem. It is a matter of changing perceptions and educating people about spay/neuter and proper immunizations. We can do this, and I believe we will, but meanwhile, what we need beyond finances, awareness, adopters, and education, is foster homes—people who are willing to open their doors and their hearts to shelter a pet, to give that animal a safe place, just long enough for its forever family to find it. Fostering is a magical opportunity to offer grace in a world with so little of it.
Approximately 3.9 million dogs enter shelters each year. Of those dogs, about 1.4 million are adopted, and somewhere around 542,000 are lost dogs returned to their owners. You can do the math and figure out how many dogs that leaves to be euthanized each year. Shelters can only house a set number of dogs. They are not the bad guys. I’m willing to bet that there isn’t a shelter worker anywhere who enjoys making the hard decisions about which dogs will live and which will die. They simply don’t have the resources to care for every single dog that comes through their doors until it is adopted. This is where foster homes can make the difference.
Foster homes offer the only chance for dogs (and cats!) who have otherwise run out of time. And beyond that, a dog adopted out of a foster home has a better chance of a successful adoption. A foster parent can give a more accurate description of their foster dog’s habits, quirks, and needs than an overwhelmed shelter can, which will lead to a better match for adopter and dog.
I know you’ve got a really good reason why you could never foster. Or maybe you’ve thought about fostering but aren’t sure you’re ready. Let me tell you something—you’re never ready. None of us are.
Luckily, the dogs are pretty understanding and more than patient with us. We offer them stability, food, safe shelter, medical treatment, and most of all—love. That’s five things they may have never experienced in their lives.
And here’s what they offer in return:
1.Unconditional and many times overly enthusiastic love. This can’t be overstated. Time and again, I’ve been overwhelmed by the affection and devotion my foster dogs shower on me, often within hours of their arrival. It does seem they are grateful even if the experts might dispute that dogs understand the concept of gratitude.
2.A chance to make a difference not only in a dog’s life, but in the lives of its adopters. Helping people is healing. I’ve discovered that when I am most down, the quickest way to get happy is to focus on others. Fostering dogs offers plenty of opportunity to touch the lives of others—both canine and human. We’ve placed over one hundred dogs and puppies now, which means I have at least one hundred new friends. I always thank them for choosing to rescue, and I can’t count the number of times I get a message a few days later from the adopter explaining that he or she is the one who’s been rescued.
3.Exercise and inspiration! There have been more than a few mornings, when I didn’t want to go for a walk or run, but many of those days I had a foster dog in residence who needed a walk or run. Fostering could be an excellent fitness plan for anyone.
4.Entertainment! Welcoming new dogs into your home on a regular basis means you’ll have a steady stream of entertainment. The antics, quirks, silliness, and fun vary with every dog. It’s also been one of the few things our family can do together. While some members are more enthusiastic than others, I’m pretty sure they’re all glad we do it—even my daughter, who doesn’t always appreciate their messy affections.
5.A whole new network of friends who quickly become like family. The rescue world is special. We are all on the same mission. Others who foster or volunteer are quick to reach out with help and support, whether it’s showing up to help you give your first vaccine, drop off additional supplies, offer suggestions for how to handle housetraining issues, or simply cheer you on. Being welcomed into the OPH family was a huge benefit I never considered when I was making my decision to foster, but it’s probably one of the reasons I can’t ever imagine quitting.
I can hear you now, coming up with all your excuses,
so let me address a few of the most common:
I don’t know what I’m doing. True, you don’t. As you’ve just read, I’ve made (and continue to make!) plenty of mistakes. OPH and rescues like it have plenty of resources—both on paper, online, and in person, plus conference calls and near-constant online support. No, you may not know what you’re doing, but a good rescue does and you will too, soon enough.
What if I get a difficult dog? I’m lucky because OPH does a good job of screening dogs and doesn’t knowingly bring in aggressive dogs. That said, if you foster enough dogs you’re going to run into an issue eventually. We’ve fostered over one hundred dogs,* and with no exceptions I could have kept every one of them. The toughest to deal with were Hadley, because she was the most traumatized, and Foo Foo, who about drove me crazy with her inability to understand the concept of peeing outside. Carla couldn’t stay off the beds, John Coffey escaped a time or two, Whoopi’s drool was disgusting, and Lucy’s constant baying about broke me. But other than the damage to the living room carpet, our home is more or less unscathed. I can’t say the same for many pairs of shoes and personal items that were not put away where they belong, and there is not a stuffed animal left stuffed anywhere in the house.
I know that more challenging dogs are on our horizon, but I also know that this organization will not abandon me, or any dog, so I’m ready.
I might get stuck with a dog long-term. We’ve been more than amazed that all of our dogs have been adopted pretty quickly (longest was Carla at four months and shortest was Tweety at twenty-four hours). The only way you get stuck with a dog is if you choose to foster fail.
It will cost money. I will tell you that it won’t, but then it might. We’ve spent plenty of our own money, but we’ve done so willingly. Nearly everything we need is supplied through the rescue and donations, but sometimes it’s just easier to go grab a few items ourselves. Mostly I remember to save receipts for the tax write-off, but in the end, sure, we spend some money. But who doesn’t spend money on something they love?
I work full-time and the dog will be alone all day. I work from home, so many of my fosters can hang out with me as I work. Their company is welcome. But the majority of fosters I know crate their foster dog during the hours they are away. At first I thought, poor dogs, but then it was pointed out to me that dogs sleep anywhere from twelve to twenty hours a day.† More than that, many, if not most dogs will be crated during the day while their owners work. As a foster, I can prepare my dog for this by crating it during the day so that it can learn to enjoy that quiet time.
My personal dog, Gracie, chooses to spend a good portion of time every day in her crate. We never close her in unless someone is visiting,‡ and still she chooses to sleep in her open crate easily twelve to twenty hours a day. Working full-time out of the house doesn’t mean you can’t foster dogs.
The biggest reason people don’t want to foster is that they are afraid they won’t be able to give the dog up or that it will hurt too much when they do. I’m not going to lie and say it doesn’t hurt. It does. Sometimes more than others. But what I tell myself every time is that my pain is a small sacrifice I can make in order to save more dogs. It also helps immensely that most adopters stay in touch and regularly let me know how my dogs are doing with pictures and updates. “It will make me sad,” really doesn’t hold up when you consider the number of dogs our country euthanizes every year. That should make you sad.
Ready to get involved? There are quite literally thousands of dogs in need of foster homes right now. Consider opening your home and your heart to a foster dog. It’s awesome, messy, fun, and occasionally stressful, but the bottom line is you will get so much more than you will ever give.
*As of this writing.
†This must be where the term “lucky dog” comes from!
‡She is still learning how NOT to jump on the people she likes, and NOT to bite the people that frighten her.
Acknowledgments
I have to first thank Nick, Brady, Addie, and Ian for joining me on this adventure. I know you had no idea what we were getting into, but I hope it has been at least half as fun and rewarding for you as it has been for me. Thanks for indulging my mission—walking countless dogs, not grumbling about the baby gates, and tolerating the occasional ruined shoe without too much fuss. Fussing is understandable.
Thanks to my tireless agent, Carly Watters, for believing in this book and for reminding me (again and again), it only takes one “Yes!” Thanks also to Jessica Case and the fabulous people at Pegasus for making this beautiful book and for supporting its mission.
Thanks to early readers who said, “Why yes, this could be a book,” and then gave me encouragement and instruction—Susan Robinson, Nick Achterberg, Lou Aronica, Margot Tillitson, and Pat Hazlebeck.
Special thanks to Kim Kavin, a fabulously talented writer and dog-hearted person whose writing inspires me and who generously offered to read an early draft of this manuscript.
There are so many people (and dogs) to thank for helping me on the journey chronicled in this book. My very first OPH contacts, Mindy Young, Erica Weaver, and Gina Pilsucki—thanks for holding my hand, patiently explaining, and stifling your laughter. Thanks to my PA OPH sisters—Chris DeHaan, Juanita Conroy, Deb Landers, Susan Alban, Nancy Slattery, and Karen Roland for your support, ideas, and ready presence. You make the work easier.
OPH founder, Jen Dodge, and current director, Laurie Landers, your professional and passionate ways set the tone for this outstanding organization. Thanks for your availability, honesty, and unfailing support, but mostly, thanks for always putting the dogs first.
To all the adopters I’ve met through the dogs in this book and the ones who have come after, THANK YOU FOR CHOOSING TO RESCUE. Despite the spotted carpet, chewed chair rungs, and sleepless nights, it has been my greatest privilege to offer your dog a safe place on its journey to you.
And to my entire OPH family—thank you for your work, your stories, your support, and your big dog-loving hearts. We are making a difference and I am so very proud to be a part of this family. Together we rescue.
ANOTHER GOOD DOG
Pegasus Books Ltd.
148 W 37th Street, 13th Floor
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2018 Cara Sue Achterberg
All photographs courtesy of Cara Sue Achterberg
First Pegasus Books cloth edition August 2018
Interior design by Maria Fernandez
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in whole or in part without written permission from the publisher, except by reviewers who may quote brief excerpts in connection with a review in a newspaper, magazine, or electronic publication; nor may any part of this book be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or other, without written permission from the publisher.
ISBN: 978-1-68177-793-1
ISBN: 978-1-68177-839-6 (e-book)
Distributed by W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.