Browse by Manufacturer

Browse by ManufacturersPlease SelectBioKleenBlooming LotusEarth TreasuresEco-MeECOBAGS®Free Range Dog ChewsHalo PetLongview FarmsMa Snax TreatsOrbee-TuffSavitri'sShea Terra OrganicsVermont Soap Organics

A friend of mine who is involved in rescue called to see if we would be interested in fostering a dog. Foster parents give the rescue dog a good home for a few weeks until he gets adjusted to his new life and his “forever home” is found.  Knowing how attached I get to my pets, I was not sure fostering was a good idea. After talking it over with my husband, we decide to give it a go. All we knew about Casey, was his sex and that he had come from a puppy mill. To learn more about puppy mills, go here and get educated.

 
We got Casey, who is a Cavalier, at a CKCS (Cavalier King Charles Spaniel) fun match. He had been traveling on the road most of the last day or so, to get to the point where we were located. Casey was nervous and marked us both several times that day. This is the only time that he did mark us. He did not know what being free from a crate was like, so being on a leash and walking around on soft grass was a new experience for him.

 
Near the end of the day, we had our SUV parked under the shade in the grass, and were sitting in it to rest for a few minutes. We had 2 other Cavaliers who had hopped up into the vehicle with us. I had a hold of Casey’s leash and the door was open with him standing just outside the door. All of a sudden, Casey made a very clumsy attempt at a jump to get up into our vehicle. I had to lean over and grab him to help him the rest of the way up. You have to understand that this was something new for Casey. After Casey got in, he stood up suddenly with his head between my legs with the biggest grin on his face. He was soooooo proud of himself. It was at this point that I lost my heart to Casey.

 
On the way home, Casey rode in a crate. He was not too happy about this because this is all he knew up till then. We stopped and got roast beef sandwiches to take home with us. When Casey got his first bite of roast beef, he did not know what to think. You could tell he had not been fed good food. He LOVED the roast beef.

 
We have a fenced in backyard. After we ate, we let the dogs out to do their business. Well this was a huge experience for Casey. I kept him on leash since it was dark, and this was his first time in our yard. We had to go down a few steps to get into the yard. Casey stumbled down them and then did not know what to make of the yard. You could tell he had never been down steps before or been in a yard. This was freedom that was all new to him.

 
When we went inside, we let him off the leash and Casey was very nervous. He did not know what to do. After living all his life in a crate, this newfound freedom made him very jittery. It took him 3-4 days to relax and enjoy his freedom.

 
Another first for Casey was getting a treat. I put one in my hand and offered it to him. He just looked at because he had no idea what it was. It did not take him long to realize what treats were all about.

 
Over the next few weeks, Casey got housebroken and adjusted to being in a home and receiving love. He also had to learn how to socialize with our other 2 dogs.

 
My friend (who got us to foster) called to tell us about a couple of families who were interested in Casey. I spoke with both of them and told them about Casey and how he had adjusted. We actually had a family set up to take him at a dog show that we were getting ready to attend. At the last minute, things did not work out with the family. So we went to the Cavalier dog show with Casey and he was a big center of attention at the Rescue Table.

 
As the weekend progressed, my love for Casey was getting bigger by the moment. I finally admitted to myself that after all we had shared with Casey (it was so special to us to show him what life should be like for a dog, and we shared so many firsts with him), and now I could not let him go. So I asked my wonderful husband, if we could keep him. He did not hesitate and said yes. So to celebrate we got some peanut butter and put a dab on our cheeks so Casey would give us a kiss. He did not know how to do a “kiss” yet. So we helped him out with the PB and got our kiss.

 
We have never regretted it and Casey has been a part of lives for 5 years now. You would not believe how far he has come and how much “love” can change a dog. He has showed us a lot also. We are proud to say we are “rescue parents” and encourage anyone to be a foster and/or rescue parent. ~