What About Bob ? The Happy Ending

Well of course Margot the Foster Mom couldn't leave Bob at the shelter - she picked him up that afternoon and took him back home.  A full scale marketing blitz took place the likes of which we hadn't seen then or since. Bob was all over Facebook, craigslist, one of the volunteers even created a OCR code that could be read by smart phones to tell Bob's story. There were flyers up all over town about him. There was no doubt about it, he needed his new forever home and he needed it FAST. 


Well, all the marketing did the trick and it wasn't long before the perfect adopter stepped forward.  Margot, with the sting of his first adoption gone awry still biting, left no stone unturned during the adoption interview. She consulted with other volunteers and shelter staff to make sure this would be a better match. Bob had been through so much, would going to yet another unsuccessful home be more than he could bear? 


We all waited anxiously for word after he got adopted and finally, we got the following letter:

All,

I'm still trying to get our little Bobby to sit still and smile long enough to get a picture of the whole family but here are some updated pictures of him from last night after a long walk where he did very well pottying and I actually got some tail wagging in addition to what I have termed his "smiley face" :). He is slowly becoming more adventurous on the leash and likes to sniff around in the grassy areas of our complex. We take him for walks about 3 times a day including one walk that is mostly for exercise right after work.  He is getting more comfortable in our home and I think he knows that this is his house now, because he feels comfortable enough to hop up on the couch with me while I'm watching TV, lay by our feet (Instead of underneath the coffee table, which is where most of these pics are taken) if Phillip and I are both on the couch. We did have some hiding behaviors with Bobby hiding underneath our bed and not coming out when called, but we remedied the situation by starting to 'store' things underneath our bed and we haven't had any trouble again. He slept very well all through the night last night in bed with us at the foot of the bed. When Phillip got up this morning at the god-awful hour of 4:30/5ish Bobby promptly took his spot on the bed and proceeded to cuddle against me for the rest of the morning. He seemed very calm when I left this morning and we have started to move his food out from underneath the coffee table to teach him that the whole apartment is safe for him to be in so we shall see how he did on coming out from underneath the dining room table and eating. I also turned the radio on for him today to 93.3 and am listening to the station myself today to make sure all of the music is as calm as I think it is (and because I'm a crazy doggie momma and want to make sure that our little pooch is doing well!). He has started to sniff at toys and was very close to playing with some other dogs over the weekend. Overall, the adjustment has been going very well and we are SO happy to have him in our home! Both Phillip and I love him so much already! 

Bobby has his first vet appointment tomorrow at 8:30a at Research Pet Hospital on Duval and 183 for his overall wellness check-up. I am trying to find a good groomer to take him to to get his undercoat brushed out nicely (in spite of my brushing, his undercoat is shedding a lot so a little trip to the groomer will be good), as well as his teeth brushed, ears cleaned, and nails clipped. In a couple of weeks when Bobby feels secure in his attachment to us we are going to start training classes with him to strengthen our bond as well as teach him some of the basics. Our plan during training classes is to start researching some doggie-day care places where, idealy, we would like to take him every other week for a day to continue increasing his socialization skills. He was receptive to our friends' dogs on Sunday and was relatively content to watch them play with several movements to play himself. I don't think it will be long before he is out and playing with the other dogs!

Just wanted to give all of you an update on how our favorite boy is doing. Once we get a good family picture I will send it your way!

Hope y'all have a great day and enjoy the pics!

Rachel 

What About BOB? - Part 2

It didn't take too long for Bob to find a foster home. One of amazing dog volunteers stepped up saying she would give him a try. She picked him up after he got neutered and he settled right in with just a few little bumps in the road. He really enjoyed her two dogs and started to really relax away from the shelter. 

In fact, he was doing so well, his Foster Mom brought him to the shelter one Saturday morning to talk him up and try to find him a new home. As if by magic, a boy and his dad fell in love with him on the spot! They wanted to adopt him right away! Of course, we took pictures!

To ease the transition for Bob, his Foster Mom Margot met them at a local Petco. Here is the report of how things went: 

I really liked how confident Bob walked around in the store with his new dad and I felt good about the adoption, it even made me stop crying. Bob did not even pull the leash to go with me when I left. About an hour or two later, I received the horrible call that Bob had jumped off the 2nd story balcony and ran into the woods next to his complex. I drove over there and we started walking in the woods, calling Bob's name constantly. The dad's son needed to get out of the heat after an hour but I stayed and walked around all afternoon and tried to go in all kinds of directions, until it got dark.

It was at that point that the incredible team of dog volunteers went into ACTION. Using Yahoo groups and Google docs to stay in touch with each other, posters were hung all over the area, a craigslist ad was posted, the local home owners group was contacted and at least 4 times a day a volunteer would track around where he had been seen last. It seemed he was traveling far distances across the green belt, he was spotted all over the place. The volunteers even checked the homeless camps in the greenbelt, begging anyone to keep an eye out for Bob. 

Over a week went by and the sightings continued. Volunteers were leaving food and water out where they thought he would be. After all this time, drastic measures had to be taken. They decided they would set a humane trap for Bob. He was getting hungry - someone had seen him eating birdseed! So they felt sure with a stinky enough morsel of food, they could lure him into the trap. 

Again, four times a day, volunteers were checking the trap. In the hot Texas heat, if he DID get trapped, he could overheat very easily, even though the trap was covered and in the shade and had water waiting for him, it could still be very dangerous. Volunteers were still fielding calls and e-mails about "Bob sightings" - what an amazing group of folks!

And all their work paid off - exactly TWO weeks after he escaped - Bob was trapped!

He was transported back to the shelter - hungry, filthy and exhausted, Bob had been found and was safe at the shelter.

But of course, that was not the end of the story . . .  

The Adventures of Mazzy and Ernie

I have spent the better part of the past ten years traveling all over the world, and when I came back to Austin last summer, I was determined to settle down a little bit,make a home, and get a dog. After a few months back in Austin I started my search for a medium, low shedding older dog. I searched for a couple of months, and finally one spring day in March I found a Wheaten Terrier mix named Chiquita that been dumped by her owners. She was about three years old , super mellow, and low shedding (everything I was looking for). I filled out the paperwork and was told to come pick her up the next day after she had been evaluated by a vet. The next day came and when I showed up at the shelter I was told the devastating news that she had advanced heart worms. Living in a busy active household, I just couldn't take on the financial hardship, or the ability to keep her kenneled and calm after heart worm treatment.

Heart broken I walked around the shelter one more time, and that's when I met my future dog Mazzy. She was a German Shepherd /Schnauzer mix about 8 months old, shed liked crazy, and hyper. She was nothing like the dog I was looking for, but somehow she wormed her way into my heart and came home with me. She has chewed up a number of things , has given everyone in my household Poison Ivy, and has a penchant for rolling in cat poop, but otherwise is one of the smartest easily trained dogs I have ever owned, and gives me lots of entertaining things to tweet about.

Mazzy at the Shelter

At this point I thought I was done in the dog department, then I made the mistake of surfing on the internet this July and came across a plea to adopt dogs at Town Lake during the 100+ degree weather. Someone had dropped off 15 Miniature Schnauzers, and they were over crowded. I went to go check it out, and managed to come home with one of them named Ernie. A three year old, super mellow little guy that we had to teach how to eat of a dog bowl.

Ernie at the Shelter



Mazzy and Ernie in their FURRever home!



Recently my boyfriend proposed and I have settled down even more. My crazy single life has blossomed into long walk's at night and trips to the dog park. I can't convey how rich and rewarding rescuing two dogs from TLAC has been, they filled a void I didn't even know I had. And on top of that both my dogs were practically free and came to me already neutered/spayed and most importantly both were housebroken! I don't know why anyone would look anywhere else for a pet.

We are also moving to Denver soon, so they will have lots of new trails to explore, and I look forward to watching them experience snow for the first time!

It was meant to be!

I just wanted to share a quick story of the awesome pup my husband and I were able to adopt from TLAC. Her name was 'this dog'. She was black, a pitbull and they thought around 8 months old. We came to the shelter to look at a different dog but my husband fell in love!

A shelter volunteer talked to us about her chances of being adopted because pits were not in high demand, nor black dogs. We came back for 3 days and decided that if on the 4th day no one came for her she would be coming home with us.

Day 4 came and we went with the anticipation of wether she would be there or not. Thankfully she was and my husband was so happy. She came home with us that day.

We named her Daisy despite her all black coat.
She now calls 10 acres of farm and a large house to roam her home sweet home.
She has a nice fluffy bed and a cat named Riley to play with.
Our 9th month old son loves her and even though my husband and I always said we would never adopt a pitbull, we are so happy we found this little girl to lighten our heart on this breed.
What a sweetheart!!

Thank you TLAC for giving her a chance and giving us a chance to find a perfect fit for our family!!
The Meyer's

Zoe's Story!

In March of 2004 this girl was called "Camilla" and we adopted her at six weeks after she'd been spayed.  We named her Zoe, Greek for "life" because she was the happiest animal I'd ever seen after working with thousands of dogs, cats and feral cats as a volunteer.

A few months later her motor capabilities diminished and she was diagnosed with the worst hip dysplasia her surgeon had ever seen.  I did a lot of research and we had her hips excised at 6 and 9 months of age so there would be a maximum of recovery.  Since she's a smaller dog (32-38 lbs) there were no hip replacements so she grew her own from cartilage.  We walked her and my husband had her swim daily.  She looks a little funny, cow-hocked, but can run like the wind and corner to beat any Lab to a ball.

It's seven years after the surgeries and this photo is important, because it's taken the day after we moved into a strange home with other peoples' furniture even comforter cover after driving halfway across the country.  Does she look stressed?  I think not.  I've had one dog and two cats of my own, they're gone now.  We've had Zoe going on eight years and while she's a herder and doesn't do anything fun once ("it's routine!") she still is the happiest dog I've ever known and it's been a joy to be with her all these years.

When we arrived at the shelter we saw her litter.  I'd always adopted older rescues but wanted to try to train a pup once.  There was a hold on her so we also looked at a Bernese mix, a male pup.  The next morning we got a call that the hold was off and we could have her.  We were so excited!  To this day when she is too smart for her britches or drives us nuts squeaking a ball, my husband says "We should have got the dumb one."  Not that Bernese are dumb, only more docile.

We love our Zoe and thank you for being there when it was the right time to adopt a dog.  Best of luck in your new home.  You've provided homes for so many, now you'll have a better facility to serve the needs of the community.

Cheers!  Dee Carpenter

A Happy Ending for Rafael

Rafael, a gorgeous young Rottweiler, came into the shelter one very, very scared dog.  He would sit at the back of his kennel when a person approached and he didn't want to interact with anyone. He would retreat to the very back of his kennel and stay there all day long. No one was able to touch him; he flinched and ran away from attempts to pet him. Some of the regular volunteers noticed how scared he was. But they also noticed that he would make good eye contact with people and that when you looked into his eyes, you could see the glimmer in his eye of him wanting to interact but just being too frightened. Every day volunteers would go into his kennel and just sit with him, sometimes singing, sprinkling treats around the floor & offering them to Rafael to let him know that it was okay; that people were there to help & befriend him. He began to relax a little and was becoming more comfortable with us spending time with him in his kennel.

Just as Rafael was getting used to having a person in his kennel, he got an upper respiratory infection and had to spend more than a week in isolation. Volunteers were unable to interact with him. Everyone was worried about how this setback would effect the progress we'd been making.  Once Rafael was healthy and back into the general population, the volunteers started working with him again.  It was slow progress but there was always progress.  He still didn't want to be touched, but finally someone got him leashed up and out of his kennel.  Next thing you know he wouldn't let a person touch him but if he touched the person it was okay.  He started giving kisses. After weeks at the shelter, a customer became interested in Rafael.  The pink Interest Pending tag was there on Rafael's kennel gate for a long time as the customer contemplated what it would take to give Rafael the home he really needed. The customer ended up adopting a young female Rottweiler so this opened up Rafael to other potential adopters. But no other adopters emerged for Rafael; despite his great strides he was still timid about interacting with people and this meant most customers didn't notice him. More time went by.

When one of our wonderful staff members noticed that Rafael was "at risk" and brought it to the attention of another staff member, they contacted the customer who had previously shown interest to let him know about Rafael's status.  In the meantime the customer had adopted a young female Rottweiler but he didn't want to see Rafael be in harm's way.  He came down to the shelter and spent two and a half hours with Rafael.  He made Rafael feel confident--sometimes laying next to him in his kennel.  They scheduled a meet and greet with Darlene, the new rottie girl that the customer had adopted from the shelter.  The meet and greet went okay but not great.  Both dogs had to let the other know where their limits were.  Another meet and greet was scheduled for the next day.  This time Rafael was in excellent form - walking with a prance in his step.  People were petting on him and he and the female rottie were getting along!  Rafael was a new dog.  The frightened dog who had come in weeks ago had disappeared and left a confident boy in it's place.  That customer adopted Rafael after the second meet and greet.  Rafael's new owner knows that he had issues and was patient, thoughtful and loving; and he's prepared to provide Rafael with the special attention he needs to continue working through any timidity or fears that he may have. Thankfully, now that Rafael is a long way from the shelter, those fears are now more a matter of who gets the best seat on the couch!

Without our wonderful staff and volunteers, and without this customer willing to step up and save a dog that needed saving, this couldn't have happened.

Kitty Underground Railroad

Politics and policies made the early years for the now-famous TLAC volunteer cat team very grim.  The renovated cat building with its multi-cat group rooms was put into service in early 2004.  A volunteer "cat behavior" team was founded, and this small group has blossomed into a team of workers and advocates so dedicated and powerful it has city- and nationwide acclaim and recognition.

The early days were grim because so many animals were euthanized every single day.  Volunteers were told they had to accept this necessary killing and live with it.  A few volunteers with giant rescue hearts didn't listen. 

You might call it an underground railroad of sorts -- cat team volunteers would find a wonderful cat who was on the daily euthanasia list and then scramble to secure an approved rescue partner to put a hold on the cat and then find a "safe house" for this cat to stay until a forever home could be found. They put up posters around town, used craigslist, and begged friends and family to be saviors.
The kitty underground railroad saved dozens of lives … nothing compared to the thousands that have been saved by Austin Pets Alive and other rescue groups and the now burgeoning foster program … but it was a small, unstoppable effort and these volunteers are still at TLAC or elsewhere in Austin making a difference every day working with ringworm cats, unsocial cats, and very ill cats who need special feeding and encouragement.

Here's to the cats who made it out via the kitty underground railroad, and to all the ones who didn't make it -- the shelter is now a place where lives are saved, not sacrificed, and it is a very, very good time for the cats and dogs of Austin and TLAC.

Earliest underground cats:  BOB KITTY, PRECIOUS, SIENNA & UMBER, JACKSON, FURBALL

All Thriving thanks to The Underground Kitty Railroad!

Happens to the Best of Us . . .

I've been volunteering with my kids for five years, and my husband joined us
four years ago. We started volunteering because the kids loved the animals
but we had too many already in our house. Over the years we fell in love
with many dogs at TLAC.

The first dog who touched my heart was Misty, a five-month-old spaniel mix
puppy who looked at us with big pleading brown eyes and melted when we
gently scratched behind her ears. But when my son drew back his hand to
throw a ball for her to fetch, she cowered in a corner of the pen in
anticipation of a blow. That was the first time I realized that, austere and
noisy and crowded as it was, the shelter could be the best home some of the
dogs had ever known. Over the weeks we watched Misty blossom into a
confident and happy pup, hopping up into our laps and chasing balls with a
carefree heart. By the end of the month, she had been adopted and we knew
the volunteer's curious combination of happiness and heartbreak when we
learn that an animal we had looked forward to seeing has finally found a
forever home.

Over the years we¹ve had a series of favorites, including Jack, Jellybean,
Princess, Roxy, Sam, and many more. Some of them have been at the shelter
for a week or two, many for much longer. But one thing I've learned there is
that I can always find a special connection with some dog, even when I¹m not
looking for one.

That was the case three springs ago when we were grieving at the sudden loss
of our dog, Shadow. She had "trained" me to go for long walks every morning,
no matter the weather. And as regular dog-walkers know, once you're used to
walking with a leash, trying to walk without one feels wrong. There's
nothing to do with your hands, not to mention no one to talk to along the
way.

Fortunately, I was a Trail Dog volunteer. I replaced my regular strolls
through the neighborhood with walks along the hike and bike trail with
friends from TLAC. One particular dog‹a German shepherd mix with a light
step and a permanently cocked right ear‹became my favorite companion. Each
time I left her, I prepared myself for never seeing her again. And every
time I came back, I was surprised to see her there waiting for me to take
her for a walk.

You know what happened next. After a month of long walks, romping with the
family in Pen 3, and friendly flirting, Scamp came home with us. Her bright
eyes and joyful heart have brought us great happiness.  Just like so many
TLAC dogs have brought love to families all over town.

Is it weird to have TWO 3 legged kittens? Heck NO!

So to begin this blog one must rewind the clock back the morning of September 3rd.  I was up early and just happened to be having coffee with my landlady Aundrea, when pet of the week came on KVUE.  

Angus as Pet of the Week

That morning Sarah had brought this cute black and white three legged kitten named Angus, and as soon as she mentioned that he liked other cats and dogs I said to Aundrea I want that kitten. That day was also the first time that they were doing Critter Café down at Whole Foods on 6^th street. Aundrea says you better get yourself down there so you can get him before he’s gone, I said I can’t go right this minute. So I waited until I was taking Aundrea who is blind out to run errands. We were getting ready to leave and says want to stop by and see if he's there, I was like sure we can and by now I'm thinking this little cute kitten is long gone.  Once we arrived at Whole Foods we parked and went over to where the kittens were, and at first I didn't  see little man so we started looking at the kittens that were right where we were standing and than this nice volunteer who was sitting down says hello to us and just than I saw him and said to the nice lady is that the kitten who was on tv this morning and she says yes.  I said i really want to adopt him and she says really and I say yes.  She goes over to ask Sarah to come over so she can take him out of his crate to see if he would even like us.  Aundrea held him first and he seemed to take to her and than I just had this feeling that he would like me and I was right as soon as I held him he started purring.  I said that's it we will take him.  What happened next will make you smile and laugh just a little see Sarah had been fostering him she says oh this will be the last time I will hold him and see him, we have to get a picture, one was taken of Aundrea, Sarah and myself. Sarah mentioned that she was going to post it on the TLAC Facebook page  later today, Aundrea says make sure you tell them that “the blind lady” adopted the three legged cat.

Little man comes home at first he was a little shy for about 5 seconds than he starts running around and talking and playing with his toys and is just as happy as can be.  Aundrea my landlady has an older cat named Honey who just doesn't really play much.  

Now one must fast forward to about the 6th of September I was sitting talking with Aundrea after work and said I think Angus needs a playmate as he's so active and Honey just doesn't want to play with him.  I was going to contact Sarah to see if she might know of a kitten that might get along with Angus. Aundrea gets in contact with Sarah and she let’s us know that there’s this cute little girl kitten about the same age, thing is  she too has lost one of her legs. Sarah says would it be too weird to have two three legged kittens.  I was like let’s go see her and see if she even likes us. As soon as we meet her I was like she has to come home to meet Angus, I  was almost certain they will get along and she was just so dang cute. Little miss comes home with us as a foster kitten to make sure that little man Angus even likes her of she likes him. As the days go by little miss kitten is named Gracie and she starts coming out of her shell. She needed to return to TLAC about ten days after we brought her home to have her staples removed, that same day I let them know that I wanted to adopt her.

It’s a match made in heaven Angus and Gracie have become best friends they run around like little wild kittens, playing on there condo’s and with all there toys. Odin my dog who was adopted from TLAC in 2004  tolerates the kittens as they lick on him or play with his tail. Aundrea’s cat Honey was adopted from TLAC in 2003 seems to enjoy watching the kittens just so they don’t try to jump on her and they  keep there distance from her.

Even though Aundrea did go with me to Critter Café she’ll tell you Angus and Gracie are Diana’s kittens and I just visit them. I’m so blessed to have found them both and to have meet some really awesome people one who has become a new friend. Thank You for all that you do down at TLAC.  I'm happy that i was watching the news that day and saw pet of the week!

Sadie's Story

I'm Jane A. I've been volunteering at TLAC since July 2011. 

My TLAC dog is Sadie. 

I have another dog, Nigel, from another rescue. 

I'd like to tell the story of bringing Sadie home four years ago. I looked all over TLAC for a small dog. They all had wait lists. So I looked at the red stop sign dogs and there she was on the front side, between buildings A and B. Her name was Winnie, and she was sooo skinny. I got permission and opened the kennel.

She was timid and didn't walk up to the gate, but when I went into the kennel she was happy to have company and happy to walk out with me. She was very attentive, looking at me, wagging her tail and body, waiting to see where we would go. I took her to one of the front pens (#8 I think). She raced up and down the little pen. When I crouched down, she came up to me for pets and calmed down and rolled over. I stood up to through a ball she whipped herself up and ran after it. 

Love at first leash walk. 

She hadn't been spayed so I had to wait a couple days to pick her up. I couldn't get back to TLAC on the days in between. I wonder if she remembered me when I returned. I went to her kennel and she was happy to see me again, happy to walk on the leash. I walked through the breezeway out to the parking lot, Sadie by my side. We reached the opening and the leash was suddenly seemed attached to a rock. She had put on the breaks and could not be lured from the spot. I don't really know what was going through her head, and at the time I didn't have any idea! I cajoled for a moment and then picked her up.  She was shaking like a leaf. She was even more worried about the car. I put her in the front seat where she made herself as small as possible and drooled profusely. Poor thing. I talked to her in a sweet voice all the way home. 

At my home she was afraid. She glued herself to me. I went about my work. We went for a walk that night. After a couple days she was very comfortable. 

Today she is overjoyed to get into the car, but still drools sometimes and doesn't like rides over two hours. She knows sit, down, stay, come, leave it, get it. She'll jump through my arms walk around and jump through my arms on the other side. She can leap a four foot chain link fence in a single bound. And she pops herself three feet in the air at the back door when guests arrive and she is not inside to greet them. When she's inside, she's all wiggles, but doesn't jump on guests - mostly. Amazingly she will not jump the baby gate, but I don't know why not. 

She's a Jack Russell Terrier mix so she sheds something fierce. We call the dog hair tumble weeds our other dogs. She loves to snuggle in a pile of blankets and has been found in half-full laundry hampers. I'm so happy I found her. She ties Nigel for best dog ever. 

Honey for Thanksgiving!

Honey at the Shelter

We adopted "Honey" 7 years ago from TLAC on Thanksgiving day.  She's a pitbull/lab mix and has been the light of our lives ever since! She was in need of socializing and is still sometimes shy around men (who knows what happened to her before we got to her) but she has been the best dog we've ever owned.  She is sweet, affectionate, loves her daily walks and rawhide chews.  She's gentle around children and lets our kids climb all over her.  We moved up north to snow country for a few years and she even let them hook her to their sled to pull them! 

Honey in the SNOW!

She has shown us that pitbulls are such an awesome and misunderstood breed and that shelter animals really are the best.  We're so grateful she came into our lives and we can't imagine being without her!

Beautiful Honey!

Aaron & Kelly

Inspirational Gabriel!

One of the greatest things about fostering is the constant exposure to positive energy. Other fosters, vets, volunteers at Town Lake, adopters - all the people you encounter when involved in fostering make the job tremendously rewarding. To be inspired directly by an animal, however, was unusual for me – but here is the story:

A little black kitten, only about a pound and a half, was found under a Dumpster by a TNR (Trap/Neuter/Release) volunteer friend of mine. He had something wrong with his back legs so he couldn’t run away like his Mama and siblings. When he opened his mouth to meow – no sound came out! Such a vulnerable little guy – my friend just couldn’t leave him behind. She scooped him up and took him home. After watching him eat like a horse and purr like a tiger, she knew that despite his injury, he had a tremendous spirit – she just had to get him off the street.

I happened to be fostering a singleton kitten (“Margarita”) from Town Lake. She’d had a cold but her sniffles had finally cleared up – and she was becoming the little ball of energy that every healthy young kitten becomes. My adult cats couldn’t keep up with her wishes to play 24/7 so she was glued to my side every minute of the day. She needed a kitten friend!  But what was wrong with the Dumpster kitten? Did he have something contagious? I made a call to Town Lake’s awesome Foster Coordinator to explain the situation. Knowing that I’d foster him as long as it took to find him an indoor-only home, she arranged for him to be examined by the wonderful Town Lake vets. Instead of an injury, they discovered that he had a rare neurological disorder called Cerebeller Hyperplaysia. He’d never walk normally, but he was otherwise perfectly healthy - and Town Lake was happy to accept him into their foster program. He needed a name though – and I’m not good with names. Without knowing much about him, I called him “Wobbles”.

Introducing Wobbles to his fellow foster kitten was so fun. They sniffed each other for about 10 seconds and then immediately started wrestling. Even though Wobbles often stumbled and couldn’t run as fast as Margarita, he’d patiently wait for her to come close enough and then he’d pounce on her. She loved it! She’d follow him around, taunting him – neither one of them had any idea that he was any different than any other kitten. And he was also such a snuggly guy – he just loved cuddling. Watching him overcome obstacles on a daily basis, and with such joy, I just knew he’d find a home if someone special would take the time to meet him.

In order to help explain his condition, I found a news story on YouTube about a kitten named Noodle who had a similar condition: 

I posted the video and pictures of Wobbles on Craigslist, and a few days later I got an email from a woman who’d recently lost a beloved cat to a coyote, so she was very committed to keeping her family’s cats indoors forever more. And since it was an animal-loving family of four school-aged children who had other friendly pets, I knew Wobbles would get a lot of attention – what a match! The family was so excited that they drove to Town Lake immediately and got their application approved. Then they visited Wobbles and it was instant love!

The son in the family thought the name “Gabriel” suited Wobbles as it means “God’s able-bodied one”.  Joyful little Gabriel went to a home that sees him just as he sees himself!

Soul Puppy

A soul puppy is what I call a dog that touches my heart and soul and will never be forgotten. After over a decade of fostering hundreds of puppies, dogs, cats and kittens, I have had four soul puppies and one soul kitty. I cherish these bonds as I heartbreakingly wish them well in their new homes. That is not to say that I don’t care for each and every animal that enters my home, whether it is for the night or for seven months in some cases, because I do, it’s just there is something more unique about a select few. 

When I offered to foster three 4-week old black lab puppies I was not expecting a soul puppy. I had already fostered several puppies this year and was trying my best to help out as much as I could with the overwhelmingly high number of puppies needing foster homes. These puppies had been dropped off in the TLAC night box at ten days old. There were five total, four black and one yellow. 

At ten days old these babies still needed to be bottle fed, something the TLAC foster program had not done in the past. When two amazing Animal Control officers stepped up and agreed to bottle raise these pups, a new era of the foster program began. The litter was divided into two groups, two pups went with one foster mom and the other three went with another. These pups thrived in their foster homes, growing big, playing, sleeping, crying and pooping. I think it was the three pooping puppies that finally had the foster mom of the group of three pups scream mercy and ask for help. With two young children and pets of her own she had earned a well deserved break! 

This is where I stepped in. I volunteered to take all three pups into my home until they were old enough to find their permanent homes. Knowing that I was a huge black lab lover and had just recently had to put to sleep my 13 year old black lab everyone at the shelter was convinced that I was going to keep at least one of the pups. I, however, was sure I was never going to have a puppy of my own again. Only grown dogs for me! When I got the three pups home, one female and two males, I realized I had absolutely no way to determine which pup was which. They were all three solid black, and short of lifting them up to check their sex, the pups were indistinguishable. So, I headed to the pet store for different color collars. Too small yet for average dog collars, I had to purchase collars from the “purse-sized” dog collar section. Three colors were chosen…blue, green and pink. 

Once the collars were on the pups they were finally distinguishable! Now came the difficult task of naming the pups. Names may seem insignificant since these pups were only to be in my house for six weeks, but it is a big deal to choose the right name for your foster pet. While the majority of the adopters change the pet’s name, a foster pup’s name can help him or her get adopted. While my family debated the value of each name we thought of, we continued to refer to each of the pups by the color of their collars. Within a couple of days the names stuck…”Blue” and “Green” for the boys and “Pink” for the girl, so much for meaning in a name . It was clear early on that Green LOVED water. 

He would dig in his dish nonstop, leaving himself and his siblings soaking wet all the time. Blue was the most self content puppy I had ever met, so comfortable with entertaining himself that he rarely demanded attention. And Pink was the timid one of the group, needing her brothers to lead the way and protect her, and was always the first to be picked up. 

Two weeks into our adventure together, I took the three pups to my pool for a swim. Green was in love! Blue and Pink were natural born swimmers that thought it was way cooler to be sunbathing than swimming. Overall, the pool was a huge success and we began to make trips to swim (and sunbathe) several times a week. We had play dates with other puppy friendly dogs, had plenty of kids and adults to socialize with, and there always seemed to be a new toy that just needed to be played with. 

As the weeks went on, and the piles of poop picked up multiplied, Green became increasing attached to me and my family, or maybe I to him. Anywhere I went, he followed. He was so willing to take on any adventure without fear. He loved to swim and fetch and had learned how to sit. I debated keeping him for weeks. I didn’t want another puppy, but I sure wanted him! 

There were plenty of inquires for adopting these beautiful fosters! At eight weeks of age the puppies were ready to find their forever homes. Pink was adopted by one of my coworkers and Blue was adopted by an amazing family through TLAC, and of course Green is still with me as he adopted me long before I adopted him. The litter is now four months old and Pink, now Maggie, is doing great in her new home. She loves the rain and trips to the dog park and is spoiled by her new family. Blue, still Blue (they liked the name!), is “so very smart” according to his new mom, loves the grandchildren and other pets in the house and takes daily walks. Green, now Diggs (yes, he still digs in every puddle or bowl of water he can find), is my pride and joy. Though he still isn’t completely housetrained, and wakes me up at least twice a night to go to the bathroom, he is so smart. He knows sit, down, leave it and wait. He goes to all the football practices and has quickly become the team mascot. Our next adventure is training to become a therapy dog and visit people that need a good old puppy kiss! 

So, I finally was able to keep one of my soul puppy fosters, and I am so very thankful to both TLAC for deciding to place them into foster care and for the ACOs that decided to take on the monstrous task of bottle feeding ten day old puppies, without you all I wouldn’t have Diggs!