Still A Foster Mom

When I agreed to foster Kino, I didn't imagine that six months later, he would still be with me.  If you've been reading my blog in the last six months, you know that it has been quite an adventure for us - with highs and lows and a whole lot of learning for both of us.

I know he came into my life for a reason - to help me learn and grow - and for me to help him do the same.  I thought we had reached the end of our journey a few days ago when a couple was interested in adopting him.  (and yes, my heart briefly sunk into my stomach as I faced the possibility that our time was up).  They came and met him - he showed them how sweet and playful he can be and it looked promising - but yesterday they let me know they had decided Kino wasn't the right dog for them.  I can only conclude that his purpose in my life must not be complete yet.

We continue going to Reactive Dog class each Sunday.  Here is a picture that Marthina took in class a month or so ago.  If you saw how Kino reacted to seeing other dogs when he is on leash, you'd realize what a major accomplishment this is for him to be sitting so calmly in the presence of so many dogs. (Ok, the hotdogs in my pocket DO help a lot).  He continues to make progress, week after week - with occasional set backs here and there - but I am committed to working on this with him.  It is one of the keys to him being more adoptable.

Yesterday, we were finally able to connect with Lacy and her foster mom for a little play time for Lacy and Kino.  I'm hoping that Lacy will be able to continue to mentor Kino and teach him the things he needs to be learn so other dogs will feel more comfortable around him.  I think it is the other key to him being more adoptable.  I took a picture of them - not the greatest picture but it was so nice to see them together again.  We've missed our play dates with Lacy.

As 2013 comes to a close, I have been thinking about what I am grateful for . . . I am grateful that Kino came into my life.  I am sure it has far greater meaning and purpose than I have even seen yet but for now, I know he has helped me see myself more clearly, understand more about who I am, what I needed to learn and what I have to offer.  I am grateful to Lacy's foster mom for stepping forward and saving Lacy's life and I am grateful to Lacy for helping me open my heart to pit bulls and let go of whatever residual sadness I felt over what had happened to Lucky all those years ago.

For some reasons, I am glad to see 2013 come to an end and I look forward to seeing what 2014 brings.    I hope it is a year filled with much peace and prosperity, joy and love, not just for me, but for everyone.

Happy New Year!

Update on Lacy

***Latest news:  After a roller coaster ride of potential adoptions falling through this weekend and many people begging the shelter to give us more time, this story has a happy ending!!  Miss Lacy was placed in foster care today!!!  Thank you to every one of you - who got the word out about Lacy, who sent her energy, who held positive intentions on her behalf, etc.  It all created some wonderful energy that manifested in a loving foster home for Kino's only friend.****


First of all, I just have to say how stunned I was at the outpouring of support for Lacy.  I never expected to get the kind of response I got and it touched me deeply.  From people forwarding the information on line and talking up Lacy at dog parks to people offering to send energy to her, to help her stay calm.  My inbox and my phone were filled with loving support, from people I knew and from people I never met, all wanting to do what they could to help Lacy.  I feel tremendous gratitude to each and every person who reached out to me this week - bless you all!

Now onto Lacy:  The potential adopter we thought we had for Lacy unfortunately fell through today.  :-(  But there are two more people who are interested in meeting her and potentially adopting her, so San Jose Animal Advocates has asked the shelter to extend Lacy's time by another day or two.  We're waiting on confirmation that they WILL extend her time, but everyone is feeling pretty confident that she has another couple days.  (Big exhale)  :-)

As soon as I have more information, I will post an update.  Again, thank you all for the amazing support for Kino's mentor.  He appreciates it as much as I do, in part because Lacy is about the only dog we've met so far that will put up with his "social skills" and he doesn't want to lose the only dog friend he has right now.

Lacy Needs Help by Friday, Dec. 13, 2013

***Update***

Good news: Lacy's time was extended until Saturday, because at least one person is going to meet her. There have been several people who have expressed an interest in possibly fostering her and at least one other person who might want to adopt her, so there are quite a few "irons in the fire" as they say.  If they can show the shelter they have other folks interested in her, there's a good chance her time can be extended a few more days.

I'll post another update tomorrow (Saturday) as soon as I get word on her status.  In the meantime, keep Lacy in your thoughts and prayers.

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Last week I wrote about Kino's new coach/mentor, a wonderful Pitbull named Lacy. She's been assisting him in improving his doggie-skills and has had an incredibly positive effect on Kino.  As I mentioned in that post, I have been feeling so much gratitude towards her . . . so it came as quite a blow when I got an email last night saying that Lacy is scheduled to be put to sleep this Friday, December 13th.

Lacy's "home" right now is the shelter, where she has been waiting to be adopted, but it has been several months and she is starting to show signs of kennel stress, and with the constant influx of new dogs coming into the shelter, they have decided her time is up on Friday . . . unless they can find someone who can foster or adopt her in time.

One of the wonderful people at the shelter is advocating for Lacy and he put together a video of her, to show just what a precious girl she is. (Kino is fortunate to have a large cameo appearance in the video).

Please watch the video so you can see how sweet she is and then forward the video on to anyone you know who may have it in their heart to help save Lacy's life.

Lacy's Video

The Fourth Time was the Charm

As I wrote about in my last post, the process of trying to figure out how to help Kino lately has been painful at best.  Three evaluations, three different opinions - none of which felt good to me.  I was starting to lose hope but fortunately, Melissa (from the rescue group) wasn't ready to give up.  She set us up with yet another evaluation (our fourth) and it was by far the best experience we've had.

Marthina, who runs Our Pack (www.ourpack.org) was able to read him quickly and she knew that his frustration stemmed from his intense desire to play with other dogs and the fact that he couldn't.  Mr. Puppy, as I call him, has some issues that have prevented him from interacting with other dogs;  a) he is reactive on leash and b) he never developed doggie social skills so he's got some pretty bad manners when it comes to other dogs.

With Marthina's guidance, we are now attending her Reactive Dog training course.  Kino is learning how to be in close proximity to other dogs without going berserk (His favorite thing about class are the hundreds of treats he gets for being good).  The wonderful thing about this class for me is that every dog there has the same issue, so no one looks at you like you are the problem when your dog has an outburst.

Marthina also found a dog for Kino to play with, which was no small feat.  The right playmate for Kino has to be a dog that is extremely balanced, strong enough to put him in his place and correct his bad manners and yet also easy going enough that his social awkwardness won't cause a big tiff.  Lacy, who is a pit bull, is that perfect playmate for Kino.

His greetings are so bad, I can't help but cringe just a bit each time he enters the yard, but Lacy lets him know how inappropriate some of his behaviors are and then she encourages him to play.  Eventually, they do a little bit of playing and then Kino usually needs to be corrected some more but he doesn't seem to mind.  Since Lacy keeps going back over to him to encourage him to play, his social ineptitude doesn't seem to be a problem for her.  Marthina says dogs can be the best teachers for other dogs, so right now, Lacy is Kino's mentor and coach.

We've had three play-dates a week with Lacy for the last two weeks and have attended two reactive dog classes so far, and the change in Kino has been amazing.  His frustration level is WAY down from where it was.  He is a calmer, happier dog in so many ways.  The escalations of late are becoming a distant memory, as he is no longer growling at me or redirecting on me when we are out for a walk.  All of his sweet, lovable traits are coming out more often.

I am so grateful that we finally found someone who could "see" Kino and understand what he needed. He still has a ways to go to learn appropriate dog behavior, but with Lacy's guidance, he is sure to continue making progress.  And each time I express my gratitude to Lacy for how she is helping Kino, I am reminded that it was very likely divinely orchestrated that the dog who is helping Kino is a pit bull.