August 29, 2017 – Another vanload of dogs arrives from Wolf Point, and again there is not room for all of them at the shelter. I see a couple adult dogs whom I would love to foster, but I end up with a little mom and her two wee pups. She’s a black chihuahua/terrier cross, twelve pounds, and her pups, though eight weeks old, weigh only two or three pounds. All of them are irresistibly cute. However, mom was a true stray and gave birth outside a building on the reservation, and she has fear and trust issues. She clearly does not want to be here. The pups are still nursing, sometimes quite vigorously, and that seems to add to the stress of her life.
Once I get home, mom immediately goes to hide under the deck at any voice or sound she doesn’t trust. But after some fresh raw food they relax a little and finally crash after their stressful day.
My dogs are calmly accepting of the new crew, and especially so with the little ones; often they have little tolerance for the enthusiasm of puppies, and will pretend to be angry and shake them off. But for the most part Bella and Jappy don’t mind these pups at all. I am pleased.
August 30, 2017 – Mama dog had a nice rest on the bed last night, sleeping soundly between my two dogs. The pups were on a nice sheepskin by the open door so they could come and go as they needed. Unfortunately, they had an urge to feed at about 4:30 a.m. and cried for mom, so I put them next to her and after a vigorous meal they went back to sleep and we were all able to rest until sunup. After breakfast (mine) all the dogs play in the yard and mom seems less afraid, an improvement from yesterday. Until Daniel comes over for coffee, then with a quick bark she’s back under the deck until he leaves. Her fearfulness makes me sad, and I wish she would realize how safe this place actually is for her. The puppies, meanwhile, are having a great time exploring the yard, playing with each other and my dogs. They’re such little things, even though they are nearly eight weeks old. The short-haired one is willing to leap off anything, engage my dogs in a wrestling match, drag the heaviest thing around the yard. She’s got a lot of moxie, so that becomes her name. The other one is more of an observer, calculating her moves before she springs into action, or just taking in her new world. For her, it just seems like everything is good. She becomes Frances.
August 31, 2017 – It’s my third day with this little family and they are rapidly growing on me. The puppies play in the yard while mama dog watches, still a little shy. Then Jappy, one of my dogs, picks up one of the plush toys, brings it to the mama, and within seconds she is chasing him around the yard. It’s the first time she engages with either of my dogs, and it’s nice to see. Jappy seems to account for her shyness in his play, never being too rough and always giving her the opportunity to grab the toy. As I watch his attitude toward her, I know the name I will choose for her. When she is done playing I say, “Hey Grace.” She turns at the sound of her name, as if she knows it too.
September 1, 2017 – I’m sitting on the sofa, reading, while the dogs play outside. Then Grace comes in with the toy that she and Jappy were playing with yesterday. She approaches cautiously, slowly gets up on the sofa and very gently lays the toy across my knee, sits, and looks at me. I think, no, don’t do this, otherwise it will make it very difficult to give you up next week. She is so sweet and open, this thought suddenly runs through my head…what if I adopt her? It wouldn’t be so bad to have three dogs…but I have had this thought with every batch of puppies. No, she’ll be just as sweet with her new family, so I put it out of my mind, as much as I can.
September 3, 2017 – it’s a beautiful morning, there are many birds at the feeders and drinking at the little waterfall. The dogs are playing out in the yard, all of them, Grace and Jappy having bonded well. She’s come out of her shell nicely over the last few days. I’m in the rocker on the deck, enjoying my coffee and all the activity in the yard, when Grace walks past and goes in the house. A minute later she comes out with my left slipper in her mouth (she has never touched my slippers before), sets it next to my bare left foot and looks up at me. Then she seals the deal: she raises her paw up next to her head and does this gentle wave. I am so touched that my resistance crumbles completely. I put her on my lap and say, “OK, you can stay. Welcome to our family.”
A few days later I have to run some errands and I leave the dogs at home. When I return, I discover that the pups have also found security in my slippers
Next week they are all going in to get spayed, then Grace comes home and the pups will be up for adoption. In the mean time, they grow, play, and tear many things to shreds around the house, mainly paper and cardboard. And when they are not doing that, they are just being adorable.
Bozeman Foster Dogs 