As I mentioned yesterday, my husband and I fostered two pups a few months ago. They were only about 3 days old when we got them, so it meant a lot of feeding (every two hours), a lot of cleaning (they grow up fast and learn to chew everything), and a lot of training (because you have to teach them how to live in a pack).
While it was a lot of work, I wouldn’t change a thing and I’ll do it again in a second. I christened the pups, Jake and Jasper, and I only named them after they were 6-weeks old. Why? Because I was not completely confident in my ability to successfully raise an animal (it’s been awhile) and both pups had a lot of problems.
First off, their mom had stopped caring for them. Someone had dropped the mom and her litter off at the rabies/animal control facility’s door only a few hours after they were born. Momma didn’t stand much of a chance. When we saw her, she had already given up on life and her stress and depression had cost three of the pups in this litter their lives. Not from abuse, mind you – simply from neglect. So when we picked Jake and Jasper, they were only 3 days old, had already lost 3 siblings and were hungry, dirty and hypothermic. Luckily, all three problems were remedied immediately and you can read about our saga.
I want to talk about what happened after their successful recovery.
Jasper, as I mentioned before, is now living in a beautiful home with a very loving family. Jake, has not yet been that fortunate.
Jake, the Chow / Shar Pei mix, still resides at the rescue, but it’s not a hard life. He’s living with lots of friends on a large ranch in cool weather and is given a great deal of attention as he waits for his forever home. Although he has yet to find a home, I know that he will soon. He’s too great of a dog not to be adopted by a loving family.
Jake had a lot of things to overcome in his first few weeks of life, including pneumonia and entropy. The important thing is that he overcame them. He’s a beautiful dog and if you’re looking for a puppy with lots of love to give, Jake may just be the one for you.
I hope you’ll visit Circle L Ranch at PetFinders and see for yourself. He’s a calm pup with lots of patience; he’s built like a linebacker, is smart as a whip, and loves kids and other animals. He won’t even shed much! What else could you ask for in a dog?
And if you’re not ready for a new addition to a family, why not try fostering? It’s a short-term fix for the puppy withdrawal we all go through and you get the satisfaction of saving a life.
Besides, they need you...
Find an adoptable pet in your area at petfinder.com!
Stacy Mantle
