Foster Dogs

As I'm sure is the case for most people, fish aren't the only pets I keep. My wife and I have an 8 year old bagle hound (beagle/basset hound) who was rescued as a puppy. A few months ago, we bought a house with a fenced yard, and I wanted to get another dog. My wife wasn't ready for another permanent dog, so we compromised and agreed to foster a local dog.

I found a local rescue that works with shelters to help find dogs permanent homes. The group specializes in Pit Bulls and Rottweilers, and is located close to my house.

We are currently fostering a 6 year old pit bull named Clyde. He is a very sweet dog, and is submissive to our female bagle hound. He is house trained, crate trained, knows basic commands, and walks well on a leash. He can be left alone for long periods of time, he spends 11 hours at home while we're at work, and has never had an accident in the house during the day. For anyone that thinks all pit bulls are aggressive dog, this dog will show you that's not the case. He is truly happy on the couch with his head in your lap, but can be content with a thick blanket on the floor. He goes outside a few times in the evening, but other than that he sleeps for most of the evening.

He is good with other dogs (previously lived with 6 others) and good with small children (he'll be playing with my 6 year old niece and 4 year old nephew this weekend). Not sure about cats, but wouldn't be surprised if was fine with them. He is neutered, up to date on all shots, and in good health.

If anyone is interested in learning more, or would like to visit him, please PM me and I'll be happy to set something up, or answer any questions you have. A few pictures are below, pardon the low quality, I'll try and take come better pictures this weekend to post later.

Welcome to the world of dog fostering!

Good looking little guy, Mikey. Can't wait to meet him.

Thanks for doing that Michael. As you know, dogs hold a special place in my heart as well. There are so many good ones out there that just need a little TLC. They don't ask for a lot and are quick to give everything.

Cheers to you, my friend.

He is a cutie for sure. I'd be half tempted to come visit if we had room for more dogs at my house, but no more for the time being. We actually picked up our last dog from K-9 Lifesavers, the organization that Tony and Maria volunteer with helping finding homes for rescue dogs.

Well done. Hopefully he finds a permanent home soon.

Tony said:

Good looking little guy, Mikey. Can't wait to meet him.

Thanks for doing that Michael. As you know, dogs hold a special place in my heart as well. There are so many good ones out there that just need a little TLC. They don't ask for a lot and are quick to give everything.

Cheers to you, my friend.

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Thanks Tony, you'll have to bring Margaret over to meet him soon. He is a very low maintenance dog that deserves a good home.

jonclark96 said:

He is a cutie for sure. I'd be half tempted to come visit if we had room for more dogs at my house, but no more for the time being. We actually picked up our last dog from K-9 Lifesavers, the organization that Tony and Maria volunteer with helping finding homes for rescue dogs.

Well done. Hopefully he finds a permanent home soon.

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You'll have to stop by sometime to check out the fishroom regardless. He's slowly working on my wife's heart, if he doesn't get adopted after a while we may adopt him ourselves, but we want to try and help other dogs find forever homes if possible.

You know, Holly fosters dogs, too. Looks like we've got a club within a club.

We've failed fostering... we have a big, hairy, dopey failure in our house, and for once I'm not talking about my husband.

Yes, I'm part of an active group that specializes in sighthounds, so greyhounds, afghans, bozoi, whippets, Irish wolfhounds, saluki, etc. We rescue from Spain, the Middle East and Korea as well as domestically. This is my "foster fail" Calista. Wynn (my first greyhound) who is happy to see fosters go, decided she was to stay.

I was recently thinking about all of our discussions on provenance and purity of fish, and it made me think of the same issue when it comes to dogs. I was wrong to call Clyde a pit bull because there is no true way of knowing that he is pure pit bull. A lot of dogs are labeled pit bulls without knowledge of their true breed unfortunately. Its very likely Clyde is most or all pit bull, but I have no way of knowing for sure. He could be part one of many dog types, but he was neutered, so he won't produce any future mutts.

As for dogs as it is for fish, pedigree doesn't matter if they're not going to breed, temperament is the most important characteristic. If it weren't for the classic pit bull features, you'd have a hard time convincing people he wasn't a black lab. He will bark at strangers, but has no interest in them. He is quiet in the house, just happy to have a comfortable place to lay. He played with my nice and nephew over the weekend, without showing the slightest hint of aggression.

I have no plans for him to be a 'foster failure' but he is a great dog, and we're enjoying his company in the meantime. Our dog has gotten used to him and they interact well, but she wouldn't mind if he left too.

Looks almost like a puppy Elvis...

Matt

Good looking dog! I wish my apartment complex allowed pets...it's easier to hid a fish tank than a dog though.

Thank you for taking the initiative to Foster!