Tag Archives: Foster

Foster Blog: Kassy

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Kassy1 As you know, dear readers, Jason and I took in our first foster dog on St. Patrick’s Day this year (and we even named him Patrick)! He was with us for three months, and when he left Jason and I felt like the house was a little quieter. It had been four years since we had worked with a puppy and our dogs are now at that blissful stage in life where sleeping is the main goal for about sixty five percent of the day (unless there is a yard man near by!)

Another Tbar member, Casie Cooper, brought to my attention a group of dogs that needed to be saved or they faced certain doom. Rescued from a hoarding situation, these dogs were moved into the Sealy pound. Casie shared pictures of the dogs in need and my heart strings were tugged on by the image of a dog cowering in the corner with a hand holding up her little face. I was nervous about taking on another dog as I remembered how bringing Patrick home caused a stir (to say the least) with my corgi mix, Jack. It took about a month until all was well and my dogs became a happy pack. Did I want to do that again? And so soon? I confess when Patrick left I had a good cry but that feeling of helping a dog and a family find each other was such a good feeling it overpowered the sadness. In the end Jason and I knew we wanted to do that again, so I decided to take Kassy.

Kassy was only 30 lbs, smaller than Jack, but by height only, and being female I knew Jack would have less of an issue with her since she was not any competition. Casie and her wonderful husband Cody went to give Kassy her freedom ride. The dog smelled terrible and was so scared she was messing herself and the crate she was in. I have never seen a dog so full of fear. I would liken her fear state to that of a spooked horse. To be safe we carried her in the crate from the truck into our back yard. I could see this new dog bolting and since she didn’t know us the chances of us catching her if she got loose were slim. That alone made me a tad nervous, but  we got her into the yard and gave her a bath. It was hard for her to be bathed, and believe me it was for Jason and myself as well, but it had to be done. Not to be too graphic, but she was covered in her own messes. Once inside the house our dogs smelled the cage (now cleaned) that Kassy was in, but they were pretty bored about her arrival into the house. Lucia, our oldest, really could have cared less. Chloe, our middle dog, once again behaved the way she did when Patrick came into the house (Kassy could be a table for all she noticed). Jack, after his experience with Patrick, did so well; no growling, no sizing up, he just smelled her and moved on. I was impressed and so proud of him (I may have sprouted off a few tears). Kassy3 Kassy’s first days with us were surprising calm. At first the new dog made no sounds at all and always wanted to be in her crate. Making her go outside to potty was hard and often resulted in accidents when we would touch her. No eye contact was ever made and she even refused to point her nose in our direction. If we walked near her kennel she would shake uncontrollably and ram herself into the corner as far away from us as possible. All the while Kassy was too afraid to point her body or head at us. I started to sing around the house to get her used to my voice and Jason would talk to her non stop once he got home. Kassy2 Still things were tense, and basic things that many take for granted were hard. Feeding time was a nightmare because she would pee as soon as I went to put her food into the crate. Not wanting her to get used to the smell I would have to get her out of the crate and get her a new towel and wash the crate floor out. Then the struggle of putting her back in the crate started. All the while my other dogs are starting to unravel while waiting for their food. Getting her outside was a chore and I am sure each time I went to let her out I was grinding my teeth. She started to pee the moment I opened her kennel and peed all the way to the door. We had to move all the furniture around in the kitchen to get her cage right by the back door. Success! The new system worked for her and made her feel more in control of her movements but most of all she seemed to feel safe. I started to get a little tense when it was potty time for the pack. Once outside she ran around non stop. I mean she was always moving. Only when she was exhausted would she finally go potty and then she would lay down far away. My dog seemed to sense she was scared and gave her space but I wanted her to have more of a life. I fretted as I watched her on the third day. She held herself differently something had changed. Jason and I were in for a surprise…. To Be Continued!

Foster Feature: Family Circle Chis

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Chifamily_4wks

 

A few weeks ago we introduced you to our Charlie Brown family of Chihuahua pups – now meet our Family Circle bunch!

*UPDATE*  We now have folks wanting three of these puppies — PJ, Dolly, and Jeffrey are pending adoption but Billy and mom Tina are still available!

I wanted to say how exciting it can be to foster a litter of puppies!   Watching their eyes begin to open and when they begin to focus on the world around them.    One key is preparation.   We used an inexpensive child’s swimming pool for our whelping box.   This is easy to find this time of year and allows the mother to get away from her puppies while leaving them safe and confined.   Combined with puppy pads for the floor, the surface is easy to keep clean.  These pups were big enough to climb out at about 4 weeks when they started trying to eat soft, moist kibble.   We put two doggie exercise  pens together to make  a 6 x 3  pen for them to learn to run and play in.   It will be still be several weeks before these pups are completely weaned.   During that time,  it is important to socialize and handle all the puppies.    Get them used to different types of surfaces beneath their feet, different noises, different types of toys.  Also, rub their toes, rub their ears, turn them over — establish a human-dog trust.     This will help your puppies to develop into well socialized,  outgoing puppies at an early age and keep them from being shy or fearsome.   Thanks TBAR for the opportunity to raise this cute litter!   Linda and James

TBAR depends on foster homes to help us save animals, as we do not have a shelter location. We hope this story has inspired you to consider becoming a TBAR foster home. If so, please email us at [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349 and help us save more lives!

Foster Feature: Sage

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Sage1

Late in May True Blue Animal Rescue received a call that a dog was living at a rest area in Washington County. Melanie, the founder and president of T-bar, went to pick the dog up. What she found was upsetting. The Staffordshire Terrier mix was a senior dog in poor health and in need of food. More upsetting was the lack of concern people nearby seemed to have to an animal in need.

Melanie had to load the dog by herself and it wasn’t hard because the dog, later named Sage, was eager to leave her harsh surroundings. Once at True Blue Animal Rescue the dog was given shots and a dewormer pill to set her on the path to being sound. However, on closer inspection, poor Sage was missing hair, had skin growths, had many small cuts and had a serious eye infection that needs antibiotics.

Sage’s case is one that is sad because she is a senior pet, close to ten years old, that must have had a family at one point, but they decided to let her go. Melanie stated the dog had a lot of health issues but the answer is never throwing an animal away. Aside from the eye infection it is obvious that somehow Sage had injured her hip or her leg and it healed incorrectly. When standing in front of her looking her head on her right leg sticks out farther than her left. Surprisingly, Sage tested negative for heartworms.

Sage is a very shy dog and in dire need of a lot of TLC. Her recovery will be long and costly. If you would like to help Sage out with a donation, no matter what size please visit the T-bar web site at www.T-bar.org and hit the “Donate Now” button. No matter how big or small your donation will mean everything to this older dog’s recovery.

(Warning, images below may be too graphic for some viewers)

 

Infographic: TBAR Animal Adoption Process

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At TBAR our mission is to save animals and educate the public to increase compassion and empathy towards animals (and decrease abuse and neglect and general mistreatment).

Our volunteers often donate their services to us, and today we are pleased to share an infographic that our friends at YOURinfoGRAPHIC made for us! This road map takes you right through the animal adoption process, from intake to happily-ever-after!

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If you are a service professional and would like to donate your services to True Blue Animal Rescue you can contact us at [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349

TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization. If you would like to help animals such as this one, please consider donating to TBAR, volunteering, fostering, or adopting. Donations go directly toward care, feed, and veterinary care of the rescued animals and every little bit helps us to help another animal in need of safety and rehabilitation. Rescue a pet: adopt instead of shop and spay or neuter your pets!

 

Foster Feature: Lucy and Pups!

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Lucy Co

On May 12 TBAR officers mobilized to save a mother Chihuahua and her 6 puppies (that were only days old) from a high-kill-rate shelter. We were alerted to their situation thanks to a Facebook group called Houston, Save Lives is our Mission. It was important to move fast because the shelter was giving them only three days, the babies were too young to be separated from their mothers (so they were unadoptable), and they were so young (un-vaccinated) and susceptible to illness. TBAR volunteers, Linda and James Taylor, were able to pick them up and temporarily foster them, and quickly we had a foster volunteer, Michelle Marburger, that offered to take in the family until they could be adopted.

When the family was removed from the shelter the babies were covered in fleas so they all got dawn baths, but they thankfully they weren’t terribly anemic, probably because they were so young. The family of Mom, 3 boys and 3 girls, were named after Charlie Brown characters: Lucy (Mom), Patty, Sally, Marcie, Charlie, Shermy and Linus. Lucy settled in with her babies quickly, knowing she was safe now.


From her temporary foster home (Linda and James):
Wanted to say that Lucy checked the box and counted her little family every time we took them away from her. She is a great mom and very trusting. She is a loving little girl and we fell in love with her from the start.


From the foster family:

Mama is adjusting great. She is very smart and well potty trained. She loves to play in the yard a few minutes when she goes out to potty but then she ready to come back in and count her babies.

This first picture is funny… She was yawning showing how hard of work it is to feed all of these babies. The second one I finally got her to sit still and look.

I have had her out in the living room quite a bit with us today because she seems to want to be a social butterfly when she hears us.

Another update:

Ms. Lucy is REALLY doing great (as are her pups). She is very smart! Potty trained, knows sit, and lay. She warmed up to me and my older son really well initially and she has slowly warmed up to my husband and our 6 year old. She even left her room this afternoon when my husband stopped by the house to let her out to potty… yesterday she just sat there and growled at him when he tried to let her out… lol. So today he gave her a treat when she finished.

When we get home from work we let her out of her room and bring the puppies into the living room where we are. She is still counts them and she doesn’t leave their side much then. However, I have found if we go put her puppies back in the her room and we leave the doors open then she runs and plays and wags her tail and jumps on the couch beside us. She loves attention and she is so sweet! She is much different when it’s just her in the room.

Most recent update (yesterday, May 24):
Here is a basket full of love! Lucy and her 6 chi puppies… The basket was originally to transport the puppies from their room to the living room with us at night but this morning when I put them in there little Ms Lucy decided to crawl in and take a cat nap

One of the puppies has it’s eyes open but the others are still closed for now. Lucy is SO sweet!!!

Lucy Co

These puppies will be available for adoption once they turn 8 weeks and they will be listed for adoption once they are 4 weeks.

This family owes their second chance to the group, Houston, Save Lives is our Mission (this situation being social networking at it’s finest!), the TBAR volunteers, and most importantly, to the Marburgers who quickly stepped up and offered their home, love, and care to these animals in need. TBAR depends on foster homes to help us save animals, as we do not have a shelter location. We hope this story has inspired you to consider becoming a TBAR foster home. If so, please email us at [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349

Foster Feature: Clint

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This week we have another Foster feature from Linda and James!

Clint

 

“We are a TBAR foster home.”

Achilles was renamed Clint when he came to our home.   He only stayed a few weeks.   During that time, James taught him not to jump up on people during meet and greet.   Spending just a little time to teach Clint to calmly meet people made a difference in getting him adopted.   Clint loved to go for rides and he was a great foster dog.

Linda and James Taylor—June 2010

Thank you, Linda and James, for opening your homes and hearts to an animal in need! If this story has inspired you or anyone you know to become a foster family to a TBAR animal, please read the information on our foster page and then email [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349

Success Stories: Annie

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AnnieSuccess

Who would have thought this beautiful girl could ever live a life unloved and alone? Sadly, that is the life Annie was living before coming to True Blue Animal Rescue. We are so grateful, each and every day, for the fosters who open their homes up to an animal when TBAR receives a report of abuse or neglect. TBAR’s “True Fosters” don’t just provide food, love and shelter for these animals; we are lucky enough to have wonderful foster families who see animals in need and step up without being asked. This is the case for this lucky little Red Tick Coon Hound. Julee, a TBAR True Foster, saw a plea that was sent out by a Smith County volunteer desperately searching for a foster home for this emaciated little girl.

Annie

Annie was hours away from being destroyed at the Smith County shelter due to her poor health and a lack of space in the shelter. Julee contacted TBAR because the shelter would only release her if a 501c3 animal rescue was willing to “tag” and “pull” her from the shelter. TBAR officers worked with the shelter employees to receive approval to pull Annie. Once pulled from the shelter, Annie would need to hitch a ride to her new foster home.

Annie 2

TBAR arranged Annie’s overnight transport back to Brenham so that she could get to a vet for medical care. One of True Blue’s loyal volunteers, Ellen, stepped up to transport Annie from Rusk, TX to a temporary foster home for an overnight stay so that she could make it to her TBAR foster home the next day. Once Annie made it to Brenham, she received the needed medical attention so that she could begin her recovery and journey to find her forever home. What our sweet Annie didn’t know was that she had already captured the heart of one of the several people involved in her rescue!

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Annie’s road to recovery was extended when she was diagnosed with heartworms and had to receive treatment before being spayed and available for adoption. Thankfully, she lucked out and had a very dedicated and loving foster home for her recovery period with Julee. Dogs in Texas who are not receiving monthly heartworm preventative are extremely susceptible to becoming infested with heartworms, which is fatal if left untreated. It’s not a matter of “IF” – it’s a matter of “WHEN”.

Annie1

Annie’s recovery went as smoothly as we could hope and she was finally ready to find her forever home, but it seems her forever home had already found her! Ellen, the volunteer who picked Annie up from the shelter, decided that Annie had already made a home in her heart and that it was time to finally give Annie her forever home that she has long deserved.

annie7Annie will never again know a life without a home, food or love thanks to the networking efforts of Smith County shelter volunteers and compassionate True Blue Animal Rescue volunteers who stepped up for a skinny, sick little dog in need. A rescue organization could not ask for better supporters and we are so thankful to all of our volunteers for their hard work. So much of the work volunteers do everyday goes unseen or unrecognized, but Annie’s story is proof of the dedication shown by TBAR volunteers and she shows her appreciation everyday with the love she shares with her forever family!

TBAR is a 501(c)(3) non-profit no-kill animal rescue organization. If you would like to help animals such as this one, please consider donating to TBAR, volunteering, fostering, or adopting. Donations go directly toward care, feed, and veterinary care of the rescued animals and every little bit helps us to help another animal in need of safety and rehabilitation. Rescue a pet: adopt instead of shop and spay or neuter your pets!

Foster Feature: Grayheart

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Greyheart

This week we have another post from Linda and James Taylor!

Last weekend we transported another mare, Grayheart, to her new adopted home.  We had Grayheart for two years as she grew from a young foal into a beautiful, confident mare.

Yes, fostering is an emotional job.  The hardest part about fostering is letting go…letting them move on to the next leg of that animals journey in life.

As you say goodbye , there are always tears.   Each tear contains an equal mixture of joy and sorrow.  But in the end,  there is this deep feeling of satisfaction that you have done something good… something that matters  .

And then,  you turn toward the next animal, the next story, the next special one in need of a resting place ….in need of a foster.

We are proud to say:

“We are a tbar foster home.  “

James & Linda Taylor

Thank you, Linda and James, for opening your homes and hearts to an animal in need! If this story has inspired you or anyone you know to become a foster family to a TBAR animal, please read the information on our foster page and then email [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349

Foster Feature: Image

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Image Collage1

 

This post is courtesy of Linda and James Taylor!

“We are a TBAR foster home.”

Litters of kittens, cats, dogs, a litter of puppies, a string of miniature donkeys, and all sizes and shapes of horses have all crossed between the gate to our  five acres…   Each animal has a very special story to tell of how they arrived at the door step of a TBAR foster home.

The one that touched not only my heart, but literally my soul, was Image.  

A walking pile of bones who literally pushed her way into our trailer that day, Image somehow knew we had come to help her.

An older mare with a will to live like no other animal I had met before. She taught us how    precious life is and how we should cherish it.

 She fought to live and she won.  

And we had the honor to be on that journey with her.

Thank you, Linda and James, for opening your homes and hearts to an animal in need! If this story has inspired you or anyone you know to become a foster family to a TBAR animal, please read the information on our foster page and then email [email protected] or call (936) 878-2349

 

 

Tax Info

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blogdog1Today is Tax Day!

What does Tax Day have to do with Animal Rescue? More than you’d think!

We’d like to take today to remind everyone that donating to TBAR, fostering a TBAR animal, or volunteering makes you eligible for tax deductions!

There are certain things to consider, and you’re best choice would be consulting your tax professional for advice, but in general if you itemize your taxes you can use your donations and fostering or volunteering expenses to decrease taxable income and lower your tax bill. Be sure that you are keeping records of giving, in-kind donation forms, and receipts.

In addition, some counties may allow for an agriculture exemption for equine foster animals (this includes Washington County and Grimes County).

If you are an animal foster parent for TBAR you should keep records of any expenses you incur such as food, crates, or cleaning products. TBAR pays all medical and veterinary bills, but if you choose to pay them you can deduct them. You can also deduct a portion of utilities if the foster animal has a portion of your home dedicated to it. You will need to obtain a note that confirms you are a TBAR foster home if your expenses go over $250.

If you are interested in fostering, an animal, or donating goods or services you can contact us as [email protected] and please remember that PayPal donations are always needed!

True Blue Animal Rescue has been determined a 501(c)(3) non profit organization by the Internal Revenue Service. All donations are tax deductible. You can view us on Guidestar and search our EIN (75-3144975) on the IRS website.