This is Fudge. Fudge is one of my foster dogs. He’s pretty awesome. It’s hard to let go of foster dogs when they go, because I can’t imagine anyone else taking as good care of them as I do, but I know that’s just my ego talking. Fudge is lying on the sofa with me right now. He’s about 65lbs and some kind of lab or retriever mix. He’s brindled so he looks like a tiger. I’ve got him pretty much potty trained, it’s been a while since his last mistake inside, so that’s good. He shakes hands, likes cats and children, enjoys walks and jogging and trips to the dog park.
Fudge however, doesn’t like men. Which is a problem since, even if I find a nice female couple or single gal to take him, odds are they are going to have male friends or family members over, and Fudge is going to run scared. I’m not worried about the people as much as I am Fudge, himself. It must be horrible to be scared of half the human population, espeically when you’re a creature that depends on humans for your very survival. At adoption events girls/women will come up to Fudge to pet him and he’s great, they love him, then they call their boyfriend over and Fudge pulls away and cowers, which is NOT going to get him adopted.
I called my go-to gal Gretchen with http://www.primetimek9.com/ who helps me out when one of my dogs is having a behavioral issue. She’s a lifesaver and so far has been able to handle every issue I’ve brought to her. I highly recommend that you seek her out if you’re having any sort of doggie behavioral issues, she’s well worth every penny. Anyhoo, I called Gretchen who has given me some exercises I can do to help Fudge be more comfortable with the more masculine half of the human race. Simple things like having my boyfriend walk Fudge, feed him and give him treats. It seems to be working. Fudge is getting more comfortable with my boyfriend.
I don’t know if you’ve ever considered fostering a dog, and I know it’s hard to let go of them, but I highly recommend it. Nothing hurts so good as rescuing a red-listed dog, a dog that would be dead today if you didn’t step up volunteer to take them home. Then training that dog to the point where you can meet someone in a park on adoption day and say, “This is a great dog.” And knowing it’s true. A lot of dogs lose their social skills at the shelter. They also poop in their cement cell where they sleep, so they get confused about where to go to the bathroom, they are often scared of basic household things, like a vacuum or a blender because they’ve been locked in a cell for weeks if not months.
My dog Tacos lived at the East Valley Shelter for 3 months and was red-listed. No one wanted her because she was shy. My boyfriend and I were walking past the MPA at Moorpark one Sunday and I asked if we could stop and pet the dogs. He rolled his eyes and said, yes. The minute we hit the grass a lady pretty much threw a leash at my boyfriend and said, “Save this dog, she’s red-listed she’s going to be killed on Thursday.” It was smart of her to toss the leash to my boyfriend and not me. He looked down at the dog at the other end and fell in love. She was scared of men, we had to potty-train her, and she is now the best dog ever.
It’s amazing how quickly they turn around when they’ve been taken into a home and treated like a part of the family. Dogs and cats completely turn around when they are brought into a home. They become different “people.” When you foster you really put the dog in the ideal situation, and give these dogs a real chance to find a good loving home.
So if you’re at all interested in fostering a dog, I highly recommend you contact Lee and Phillip with the Animal Advocates. Try it out, see if it’s for you. You just may find that you get more satisfaction and love fostering dogs than you do adopting one. I always get an enthusiastic “thank you” phone call from person who has adopted my fostee, and nothing feels better than knowing you’ve made a love match with a person and a dog AND saved a life. You are literally saving the life of a dog or cat when you foster, and that feels amazing.
Oh, and if you’re interested in meeting Fudge, email me! cjarabia@lemondrop.com
