Full Disclosure

I've received many e-mails, comments, smoke signals, etc. telling me how great it is that we are fostering. While I appreciate all the sentiments, it's not why we do it. We genuinely care about these animals and feel we are doing what small part we can to improve their lives. That being said, I feel it's only fair to share the full story of fostering with you all. It's not all cute, cuddly and kibbles 'n bits.

I first realized we might have a "problem" with Leah when Ryan called me Monday during his lunch break to tell me it appeared Leah had been chewing on our crate. I thought, what does that mean? Our sweet, 33lb love bug couldn't possibly do that. After all, this was a pretty durable crate.

Ryan bent back the metal (with his brute strength) and put her back in there before he had to go back to work. Four hours later he came home to find this.

You may not think this is a big deal, but it is. Your average 14-year-old can't operate this crate. I'm serious, it takes skill. But somehow out little 33lb dog managed to tear the front wall off, pull a bar back (seen in the middle) and separate the bars. When I saw this I couldn't help but laugh. I mean, how could I be that mad? I was impressed! Thank goodness she didn't tear anything up in the house.

Some more shots:

You can see where she pulled the bar away into the middle of the crate.
I'm pretty sure this is what caused a scratch on her little face.

Here you can see how much damage she did to the bars. I couldn't bend them back. I tried.

So the damage is done. In the grand scheme of things this isn't that big of a deal. We don't have to use the crate anymore for our dogs, just for foster dogs. And we hope my brother can weld it back to normal (or just usable.) The sad part is, when I was cleaning up I found blood on the carpet and a tooth. Yes, a tooth. She was so determined to get out, she lost a tooth. Poor baby.

Now, where are we going to put her? Answer: the laundry room. I clean it up, remove (almost) anything she can eat. I left an old rug so she'd at least have something to sleep on knowing that it would most likely be a casualty. My biggest worry was that she would eat our washing machine, but I never expected this.


As I was pulling into my driveway I noticed my neighbor two doors down had a dog that looked just like Leah tied to their tree. I thought to myself, "Surely not?!?"

Yes! Leah managed to use her nose to lift up the doggie door cover just enough to get out before she jumped the fence. I guess eating the blinds was just to express her frustration. I am so thankful she ran right to our neighbor and she tied her to the tree.

OK, so we've got a problem. Leah cannot stay home alone. I immediately contacted the Humane Society's volunteer coordinator, Amy, and she sympathizes and we figure out what we're going to do with Leah.

Amy thinks Leah has "doggie anxiety". She even mentioned we might need to get her on "doggie prozac". I'm thinking I need some "Lindsay prozac". Honestly, when I think of everything this little girl has gone through, it's no wonder she has issues. She is the PERFECT dog when we are home. We think she just doesn't like to be locked up and seperated from other dogs. If she is out with our dogs she is great.

There is still hope for Leah. She will be the perfect dog for someone. We think she needs to be kept inside with or without other dogs. I just hope someone will give her a chance.