Chester3 Kimball

May 5, 2012

Pulled: Friday, May 4th from Animal Shelter of Clarendon County

Adopted: Friday, May 4th by Betty Taylor and renamed Jagger

Meet Chester Kimball:

Kimball is an energetic 1-year old Chihuahua/Dachshund mix. I named my 63rd foster after Rudyard Kipling’ s hero in the novel Kim . . . which, I’ve never read. It’s been on my list for a long time, though, and since  (1) I’m on the letter “K” in my literary characters system of naming and since (2) character-Kim/author-Kipling is a double “K,” I couldn’t resist.

I pulled Kimball by request. One of my former students has her own apartment and is ready for a dog, and she knew I would be able to find her the perfect one. Her one request was for a smaller breed dog, since many apartments have limits. When I saw Kimball, I knew he would be perfect. Small breed. Big personality. And perfecter of the “I’m so cute you should give me everything I want” stare.

We delivered Kimball (renamed Jagger) to Betty after pulling him from the fabulous Animal Shelter of Clarendon County. Why is the Animal Shelter of Clarendon County fabulous? For many reasons, not the least of which is that one of their employees is hand-raising three baby possums. I snapped a quick photo with my phone and only regret that the possums’ mother is cut out of it. I wish you could have seen the proud and adoring look on her face, as she looked at her possum.

Best of luck Kimball/Jagger! And, remember: if you come across a possum, treat it kindly as it may be your shelter sibling.

And, now for an update! April 12th, 2012 was my one-year anniversary as a dog foster mother. 63 dogs in 1 year. Patting myself on the back, although I would have liked to have reached my lofty goal of 100. Perhaps I can reach my 100-in-a-year goal from April 2012-April 2013. Alas, Scott says no.

To mark the one-year anniversary, I took two recent donations: one from the fabulous Susan Prior and another from someone I don’t even know (but who I suspect is a friend of the fabulous Sabra Smith) and donated them to the following:

1) Nelly, from the Richmond County Animal Shelter, who is being treated for burns. By moving to Holly Hill, I’ve moved farther away from my friends at Richmond County Animal Shelter, though I try to keep in touch (sorry, Allison, that I forgot to call you back until now — sigh) and to help financially when I can.

Nelly is a complete sweetheart, despite her misfortunes (she also has wounds from being bound too tightly around the neck). She always poses when Allison asks for a photo, and I can imagine that she was very annoyed that her roommate was so inconsiderate with her tail.

And, Chrissy, from another NC shelter, who is being treated for heartworms. Like Nelly, Chrissy is a prim and proper lady, as you can tell from the polite way she crosses her paws:

Thanks so much to Susan and Sabra’s friend for helping these sweet girls!

In other news: If you remember why I started fostering in the first place (http://fosteringchester.com/category/why-i-foster/), you’ll be happy to read the following update from The Link. written by Leighton Bell:

http://www.thelinkpaper.com/editionviewer/default.aspx?Edition=7975b245-cee0-4dc0-a0ca-68d7acc838b9&Page=fe9cc1c2-bce9-40ae-8484-37b5fa30e4f9

So, in short, County Councilman Chairman Matt Rivers sums things up well: “This time last year, we were battling news crews to get (into the meeting) because of negative publicity. Now, we have nothing but good news to report about the shelter. In a year’s time, we’ve gone from the shooting to becoming a no-kill shelter.”

He says, “We’ve come a long way in a year’s time.”

Indeed, Mr. Chairman.

Posted in Chester3 Kimball: Adopted! | 1 Comment »

Chester3 Jude

March 6, 2012

Found: Sunday March 4, 2012 near Holly Hill, SC

Adopted: Sunday March 4, 2012 by Shannon Blake

Renamed: Dundun Borges

Colleague and friend Shannon Blake mentioned that she was thinking of getting a puppy for her 5-year-old son. “Done,” I said, and I set off the following weekend to find the Blake puppy. And, yes, it took me all weekend.

On Friday, I went to the city of Columbia animal shelter (Columbia Animal Services), and caught up with my friends there. They said that they had some wonderful adoptable dogs (and they do; I walked a couple of them), but they didn’t have young puppies, and Shannon was looking for a puppy that would grow alongside her son.

Next, I went to Chesterfield, SC to Sandy Crest Kennels, where one of my rescue partners, Whitney, boards and vets dogs from kill shelters in the South before taking them to New York. I knew Whitney would have some puppies and that freeing up space would allow her to pull more in need. I also wanted to visit, because she had talked to me about fostering the following adult dog:

A midnight black Cocker Spaniel — with one eye. I was salivating over him.

Scott: “No.”

Me, wailing: “But I‘ve never had a one-eyed dog! I need a one-eyed dog. I’ll get him an eye patch and call him Captain Jack Sparrow” (I am on “J” in literary names, after all — um, is Johnny Depp’s CJS based on a literary character? Tracy Bealer?).

Scott: “No.” — though he sounded intrigued.

Me: “Or Captain Jack . . . Spaniel?”

I knew that Scott would be unable to resist this face (or those furry legs):

But alas: By the time I got to Chesterfield, Captain Jack had found a girlfriend. At first, he would let no one touch him, which is why Whitney contacted me; she knows I love “Heathcliff” dogs, the hard cases. He warmed up quickly, though, to one of the ladies at SCK and was literally eating out of her hand and growling at me. Thus, I decided to let him spend his remaining time in SC with his new girlfriend, before he heads north, rather than uproot him again. He seemed very appreciative:

I turned my attention to the pups: cute black and white Spaniel mixes. Unfortunately, they were all recuperating from a nasty cold, and they needed to stay at SCK for awhile to finish their medication.

I had to get a puppy for Shannon asap. Her little boy was waiting for his pup!

Knowing that there are ever-so-many puppies in need of homes, I decided to find a pup that needed a home right away. So, I went to the Kershaw County Animal Shelter in Camden. They had pups, but all of their pups were on hold for days. They were unwilling to release them until they had been vetted properly.

Day 1 of the Blake puppy search: Fail.

On Day 2, I visited a Chesterfield County rescue, but the person in charge wouldn’t let me take one of her pups without filling out an application and being approved. SIGH. I’ve never had such a hard time getting my hands on a pup . . .

. . . until Day 3. Dejected, I sat down at my computer Sunday morning, remembering what Dr. Hutto, the local vet, had told me. He explained that Holly Hill is the perfect place for me. A rural area, Holly Hill has a stray dog problem (hello Izzy). He said that there are always strays in need of care, and litters being born and dumped.

I remembered that, and I looked on a community web page, and sure enough: a farmer about twenty minutes from my house was asking for help. Someone had dumped a litter of six puppies on his farm: one had passed away, two were having trouble walking, and three were healthy and in need of homes — asap. He didn’t want to take them to the pound. I knew I had found the Blake puppy.

As my Chester J3, I decided to name him Jude, as in Thomas Hardy’s Jude the Obscure. After all, he was difficult enough to find. And, like Jude, his story thus far had been unfortunate, to say the least.

* For the record, I’m not a fan of Jude the Obscure – reading it made me want to gouge out my eyes with the pen I used to annotate it — but to this day I’m convinced that the definition of “ridiculously tragic” (Hardy’s forte) is the following image of Jude: always wanting to go to the University, Jude instead stands outside of the University, selling cookies shaped like it. *

I was very excited to see Jude when I met his sister:

“Jackpot,” I thought. Clearly an Australian Shepherd mix: fluffy, colorful, cute. And then I met Jude:

“He looks like a pig,” I said. The straw didn’t help. Shannon had said she wanted a boy. I looked at Arina, who had already scooped him up.

“He’s so cute!” Arina said.

Me, doubtful: “Uh huh.” And, then, I thought that on the plus side, he wouldn’t shed as much as his prettier long-haired litter mates.

So, I told the farmer that we’d give a good home to Jude. I looked at him again . . .

. . . and phoned Shannon as soon as we left. “The girl is so pretty,” I told Shannon. “And the boy?” she asked. “Helookslikeapig,” I blurted out. And then I tried to describe him — the pink around the eyes and nose, the red markings on his face that sort of look like bags under his eyes. “My mother would say that he’s so ugly, he’s cute,” I said hesitantly; then, hating myself, I said, “I’ll go back and get the girl, if you want.” Thankfully, though, Shannon was intrigued by the boy.

Her first words after seeing him: “He’s ADORABLE!” And, I have to admit, I think that he’s much more handsome as Dundun Borges (his new name) than he was as Jude the Obscure. Here he is, a more confident pup already, now that he knows he’s home and loved:

Here he is, being sweet:

And being curious (I wonder how pine straw tastes?):

And being playful (yes, I think I will use your hand as a chew toy, thank you very much):

And being . . . just . . . pretty darn adorable:

Forgive me, Dundun, for not recognizing that blue eyes, with red diamond patches, and a speckled nose is the height of adorableness. And thank you, Dundun, for reminding me that love is transformative. You went from a scared pig to a handsome pup, though kudos to the Blakes for recognizing your adorableness from Day 1. But, then again, recognizing your adorableness from Day 1 is something that the family to which you belong will always be able to do.

Congrats, Blakes, on your newest addition! And best of luck, Dundun Borges! You deserve it!

Posted in Chester3 Jude: Adopted! | Leave a Comment »

Chester3 Isadora

February 24, 2012

Rescued: Thursday February 23 from my front yard

Retrieved by owner: Tuesday March 6th

Meet Izzy:

I can’t believe it’s been so long since my last post — a month! But, there are several reasons for that,one being that I’ve been focusing attention on some previous Fisk fosters. I was distracted by Hazelle (Ella), who came down with and eventually recovered from Parvo (yay for recovery!), and also by Edwards who was a return foster. Poor Edwards. Penny, who was trying him out as a member of the family, adored him. Penny’s cats did not, and they were wrecking havoc on the house in protest. I’m happy to report, though, that Edwards — handsome boy he is — was snatched up by Dog World Rescue and has three families vying to adopt him. Here’s hoping they have only dogs or dog-friendly cats.

The main reason for the absent posts, though? We’ve moved, and anyone who has ever moved knows that the process requires hitting the pause button on pretty much everything else. So, when I found out we were moving, I contacted faithful donor Ashley Smith and asked that she hit the pause button on her monthly donation, since Fisk Fosters was on hiatus.

And, honestly, I wasn’t sure when we’d come back, or if we would at all. I was planning the farewell post, a last “where are they now,” along with a thank you to all who had adopted, encouraged, and contributed financially (speaking of that last part: special shout out to Rebecca Pomeroy Shores whose December donation paid for the neutering of three male dogs AND enabled us to hire a pet-sitter for the pack and travel as usual for the holidays). I had figured everything up: 60 dogs in 10 months, which averages 6 dogs a month. And I calculated our expenses. I was happy to report to Scott (who, at one point, had shown me a chart that suggested we spent 60% of our income on foster dogs) that we in fact spent about $300 in all. Many good people hit the “Donate” button. Again, thank you.

Here are a few of the photos I planned to share:

Remember Clover, renamed Carley? What a Cinderella story!

Remember Gilbert and Hampton, renamed Romeo and Cooper? Here they are, enjoying the day on their porch.

Remember York and Daphne Bordeaux, renamed Pepper and Sissy? Here they are, watching Harry Potter on Mom’s bed:

And here’s a closeup of Daphne Bordeaux/Sissy:

And, remember Abbie Faith and pups? Well, just look at them now! We have Abbie and her human, co-sleeping.

We have Abbie’s and Hilda’s reunion:

And we have Fairfax (Otis), the pup who pulled through!

And, finally, in what may be my favorite canine photo of all time, we have Gregor (Trigger) in his raincoat:

I had planned to announce that I would still get a dog for anyone who wants one. But, I planned to do more behind the scenes work, reach in my bag, and pull out another of my social justice issues to address: orphans? (maybe Scott would allow me to adopt 60 children) or the human rights violations in North Korea? (maybe I could drop 60 copies of The Hunger Games for the people there to read — seriously, read about the censorship in NK).

But, then Izzy showed up in our front yard:

It was dark outside — around 8:00pm or 8:30. At first, I thought Izzy was a deer. She’s that big. She was limping, and I noticed two healing wounds on both her front legs. Also, she has a lump protruding from her chest. I wondered if she had been hit by a car and broken a rib, but the lump isn’t sensitive to touch, so I suspect it’s a hernia. She was flea-ridden, and we could see her ribs.

Arina said, “Well you have two choices, Mom: leave her out here, where she may get hit by a car. Or, put her in the backyard and let her get better.”

Of course, I chose the latter. So, as Arina says, we have three “healthy” dogs and one “wobbly” one. Casey’s response: “Well, Nicole, you needed a wobbly one.”

Izzy is OLD, as you can see in the photo below. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a dog with age wrinkles, but Izzy seems to have them:

When I opened her mouth to age her by her teeth, I saw that many of them had fallen out and the others were discolored with age. I’m thinking 10+. And the limp? I’m beginning to think it’s arthritis. Even Izzy’s bark sounds old. She thought about protesting when I put her in the dog pen out back, but she just made three raspy-sounding barks before shrugging, settling down on the bed I made her, and falling off to sleep, as quickly as my grandfather used to.

Still, you can tell by her profile, that she must have been quite the dog in her prime:

We’re on a literary system of naming, so I thought about Isolde initially. It seemed perfect in a way, since she “Is Olde.” But, she looks more like an Isadora, we think — Izzy, for short. Isadora is the . . . um . . . sexually motivated protagonist in Erica’ Jong’s Fear of Flying. I don’t know if Izzy was ever similarly motivated, but she doesn’t have a spay scar, so I can only imagine the number of litters she’s had. /sigh

And Scott? He didn’t complain, probably because he was so amused by the fact that when I called to tell him about Izzy, I also confessed that I had somehow managed to lock myself with Izzy in the outside dog pen that conveniently came with the new house, and I needed his advice about how to get out.

Happily, I escaped. And, so far, the only other memorable mishap has involved chasing Morven around the neighborhood, after he managed to get under the house and push away a piece of the brick foundation in his eagerness to explore the new neighborhood. He got into so much trouble that, since then, he’s been content to pretend that he’s Mr. Knightley’s fuzzy blanket:

So, welcome, Izzy: Foster #61. And, thank goodness, you’re not like Morven.

If any of my readers would be interested in being Izzy’s retirement home, send me a message!

Update: Izzy has been reunited with her family! The longer she stayed with us, the more I became convinced that she had belonged to someone who loved her. She had a spay scar after all, and she knew how to catch a frisbee — well, she was too old to actually catch it, but she hobbled after it, picked it up, and brought it back.

I began to think that she had wandered off to die, honestly, and then changed her mind. Maybe she wanted to catch a frisbee a few more times, and eat a few more dog treats.

I visited the local vet and was thrilled to learn that someone had reported a missing female Lab. I left my information, and Audrey, Izzy’s mother, called me this past Tuesday! Like us, she has recently moved to Holly Hill, and — like Morven — Izzy (henceforth called by her given name: Daisy) escaped from the backyard fence. Being in an unfamiliar area, she got lost and has been lost for the entire month of February.

After hanging up with Audrey, I called Daisy to come inside, and I swear she knew she had been found when she heard her given name. “Your Mom is on her way, Daisy,” I said. Pure excitement. We waited together, and Audrey pulled in the yard within five minutes. The reunion was beautiful to watch.

Daisy’s age: 16 years

The lump on her chest: a fatty tumor (one of several apparently). When first diagnosed, Daisy was given a year to live. That was 5 years ago.

Our farewell? Audrey and I chatted awhile; then, Audrey asked, “Ready to go home Daisy?” Daisy turned to look at me and barked four times.

“You’re welcome, Daisy. And, yes, I know you have to go. It’s okay.”

She bumped her big head against me, wagged her tail, and was off.

Farewell, Daisy! You were a lovely house guest. Feel free to visit, though next time: ask your mother first.

Posted in Chester3 Isadora: Reclaimed by owner | 4 Comments »

Hurrah for Chester3 Gregor!

January 28, 2012

Pulled: Friday December 30 2011 from Richmond County Animal Shelter

Adoption commitment: Wednesday January 28 2012

Gregor has been adopted at last! I’m shocked that I had this little guy for nearly a month before I was able to find a home for him. Scott says that I’m getting tapped out at last. Nearly all of my facebook friends and blog readers who are able to adopt a dog from me have done so at this point.

Or, more likely: Gregor was meant for his adoptive mother Jen Fowler, and only Jen, so he just had to stay with us until she figured that out. And what a stay! Gregor quickly became Scott’s favorite of all the foster dogs we’ve had so far (except for, maybe, Quinby). And not because Gregor was easy, but because . . . well . . . how can you ever stay angry at such a teeny tiny baby face?

Incident: pee/poop in the house.
Scott, affectionately: “Oh Gregor!”

Incident: chewed up paper all over the floor.
Scott, affectionately: “Oh Gregor!”

Incident: too much barking for too long.
Scott, affectionately: “Oh Gregor!”

After 60 foster dogs, I found this behavior from the normally-reluctant-and-always-complaining spouse mind-boggling. He’d chide Gregor patiently. And, then, he’d pick him up and place him out of trouble, on his lap! Scott has played many a round of America’s Army accompanied by a sleeping Gregor. Mind-boggling.

I think it’s because that Scott, a funny guy himself, appreciated Gregor’s humor. Or maybe he appreciated his spunk (it’s a well known fact that the smallest creatures often have the most spunk, me included). Or maybe he finds Gregor’s spunk humorous. See, below, Gregor’s attack dog response to Scott’s teasing:

Whatever the case, Scott likes Gregor. Favorite moments?

1) Gregor vs. David: One sunny and warm January afternoon (global warming, anyone?), Scott and I decided to leave Gregor and Morven in the backyard to play. We were careful to close the gate, but it’s easy to forget that Gregor is SUCH a little dog, because of his big case of the Napoleon complex. Physically, though, Gregor was easily able to squeeze under the gate — like a rat or a squirrel. Apparently, he did this throughout the day, for the sole purpose of barking at our next door neighbor, David, who was working in his front yard. Gregor would bark loudly at David, bounce around in circles for awhile, and squeeze back under the gate. I imagine an interaction with Gregor starring as a cuter and less annoying Scrappy Doo:

Our apologies, David.

2)We currently have a return foster — Chester Edwards (more on that later) –  but Gregor didn’t understand that Edwards had been here before. In Gregor’s mind, he was here first and was therefore in charge, despite the fact that it would take about a hundred Gregors to make one Edwards.

If we gave Chester Edwards a Gregor-sized bone, we’d soon see Gregor dragging it behind him. If we left Gregor in the yard to “play” with Edwards, we’d watch him prance through the door later with white tufts of fur in his mouth. Oh, how I wish I had thought to take photos of Gregor, looking simultaneously proud and ridiculous, with his white beard.

3) Favorite moment #3? Getting the following message from Jen:

“I am so happy with our new family member Trigger (Aka Gregor). He has put plenty of smiles on my face. His cuteness is what will always keep him out of trouble. He went potty outside for the first time last night. We were so proud; it took Kevin taking him for him to do it. Lol. He loves his toys, doesn’t like it when Daddy leaves for work without a proper goodbye. He saved my life from the vacuum cleaner and my shadow. He likes his car rides as well. Thank you guys for the gift you gave us. He is a blessing. We will post pics after the kids see him; we have not told them yet! That should be epic!”

Keep protecting Mom from vacuums and shadows, Chester Gregor Trigger! And, Jen, enjoy your new red-headed bodyguard. Love to you all!

Adopted by: Jen Fowler and Kevin Richmond

Renamed: Trigger


Posted in Chester3 Gregor and Hazelle: Adopted! | 1 Comment »

An Ella Update

January 21, 2012

Pulled: Friday December 30 2011 from Richmond County Animal Shelter

Adoption commitment: Saturday December 31 2011 by the Headley Greenlaw family

I’m happy to report that Ella, who was diagnosed with the dreaded Parvo, seems to have made a full recovery. See the “before” photo of sick Ella:

And the “after” photo of Ella, playing with her much bigger canine sibling, Red:

Thanks to all who donated to her treatment. We raised $485, 81% of the $594 total! I know how much the Greenlaw family appreciates the help and no one is more deserving. Both of their dogs are rescues, although they affectionately call the big red dog, above, their $2000 dog.

Jeff, a military man, noticed Red on base and assumed that one of the people with whom he works was bringing his/her dog to work. “No dogs on base,” he reminded them. “He’s a stray,” they said. “Then why is he hanging around?” Jeff asked, “and why is he so well-fed?” Apparently, several men on base were taking turns driving Red through the drive-through each morning for his daily meal.

(And, yes, R. does bear a striking resemblance to Clifford):

So, Jeff did the only thing a softie can. He brought Red home, paid heftily to treat his heartworms and other ailments, and made him part of the family.

When their rescue #2, Fisk foster Ella, got sick, my first thought was “no good deed goes unpunished.” But, then I remembered how wonderfully supportive most people are, and my blog readers especially, and I knew that the Greenlaws and Ella would be okay.

So, again: thank you, thank you, thank you! From the Fisks, the Greenlaws, and, especially, from Ella and Red:

Posted in Chester3 Gregor and Hazelle: Adopted! | Leave a Comment »

In Praise of Chester Hazelle Hawthorne (aka Ella)

January 8, 2012

Pulled: Friday December 30 2011 from Richmond County Animal Shelter

Adoption commitment: Saturday December 31 2011 by the Headley Greenlaw family

I may have found my match, at least where my love of dogs is concerned: friend and neighbor, Emily Headley. When Emily heard that I came back from Richmond County Animal Shelter last Friday with two puppies in tow, she was outside my door on Saturday morning. She bonded at once with Chester Hazelle Hawthorne.

“What’s her name?” Emily asked. I explained that I named her Hazelle after a particularly strong though minor character in The Hunger Games series. Then, since I have a thing for shortening names (even Jack often becomes Ja), the name morphed to “Elle” and finally to “Ella,” just because she looks like an Ella to me. Emily agreed and took her off to meet June, Emily’s normally-not-so-crazy-about-dogs mother. Imagine my surprise when Emily said that June agreed to let Emily adopt her. Then, imagine my horror when, four days later, Ella vomited blood.

See, below, one of the sickest puppies ever:

The vet diagnosed Ella with the dreaded Parvo. I’ve never had a dog, family or foster, with Parvo before, but I’ve heard people speak of it — in a whisper, which always means it’s really bad. One of the newest, youngest arrivals at the shelter, Ella had not received her first set of shots. Richmond staff had been careful to keep her away from any sick dogs, but this is why it’s so important to get puppies out of shelter environments. With little to no immunity, their presence in a shelter is akin to  a newborn’s in the sick ward of a hospital.

The vet told June that treatment would be $500-800 and that Ella had about a 50% chance of surviving it. June’s response? “Well,” she said valiantly, “that’s what credit cards are for.” And, she told me that she would make sure that Ella survived if love and attention could do it. She vowed to spend hours with her in the quarantine room every day, if the vet would allow it. In short, she responded the way anyone who had fallen in love would. And how could you not fall in love with such a cute puppy, sporting — of all things — a heart-shaped nose?

At first, Ella showed little improvement, despite the anti-nausea meds and iv fluids. See  Ella, below, still being pathetic on Day 2:

See Ella, below, still being pathetic on Day 3:

Day 3, however, marked the first no-vomiting day, and June and I think it may be because Ella wanted so badly to impress a very special after school visitor:

One of June’s friends predicted, “If that doesn’t make her better, nothing will!” And, lo and behold, Day 4:

Yes! That’s Ella, lifting her head! — such a little head, I know, but for days she’s been too weak to lift it. She, of course, prefers to rest it on June, but we know, at least, that she can do it.

And here she is, one-upping herself by sitting up.

June decided this was Ella’s way of saying, “Take me home,” and she told the vet so. The vet said that Ella isn’t out of the woods yet, but that the four days June has spent in puppy quarantine with Ella is proof enough for him that she’s capable of continuing an at-home version of the treatment. We suspect that the vet is tired of having to push June out the door every day at 5:30 and arriving to find her on the doorstep the next morning.

But, hurrah, Ella is home! See Ella, below, with her welcome party: human sister Emily and canine brother Red:

Here’s to Ella’s continued improvement! And, if you haven’t already, please consider donating to the Ella fund. I asked the fabulous Middle Mutts (the 501(c) 3 organization that I so often work with) to set up a chip-in for Ella’s medical treatment. When I told Middle Mutts friend, Judith, that Ella has Parvo, she set the goal at $600. When June left with Ella today, she put $594.00 on her credit card. To say that Judith has been doing this awhile and that she knows her stuff is an understatement.

Let’s help June out with as much as we can, especially since she’ll still have the refill medication and follow up visits to pay for (and since Emily, sweet girl that she is, has already put in all that she’s been saving of her allowance):

http://middlemutts.chipin.com/ella

Thanks in advance. And thanks to the Hedley Greenlaw family for proving that they’re made of the same stuff Hazelle Hawthorne/Ella is: a whole lot of heart and a whole lot of spirit — which equals an especially winning combination.

Posted in Chester3 Gregor and Hazelle: Adopted! | Leave a Comment »

2011 in review

January 1, 2012

Thanks and Happy New Year to all my readers! Love from the Fisks and all the pups

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2011 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

The concert hall at the Syndey Opera House holds 2,700 people. This blog was viewed about 10,000 times in 2011. If it were a concert at Sydney Opera House, it would take about 4 sold-out performances for that many people to see it.

Click here to see the complete report.

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Chesters Gregor and Hazelle Hawthorne

December 31, 2011

Pulled: Friday December 30 2011 from Richmond County Animal Shelter

Adoption commitment for Gregor: Wednesday January 28 2012 by Jen Fowler and Kevin Richmond

Adoption commitment for Hazelle: Saturday December 31 2011 by the Headley Greenlaw family

Meet Chesters Gregor and Hazelle, fosters #59 and 60:

Chesters Edwards and Forest went to their new homes today! Hurrah! Conveniently, Edwards’s/Frankie’s new home is only twenty minutes from the Richmond County Animal Shelter, so I thought it only polite to pay Allison a visit. As soon as Allison saw me, she said that she had the perfect foster: a 3 month old Chihuahua/Feist  male pup. “Perfect!” I said. And, indeed, he is. See teeny tiny Gregor, below:

And, no, there aren’t any “G” towns/cities/counties in SC named Gregor. Naming fosters after towns/cities/counties is so 2011. With a new year comes a new system of naming fosters: I will go down an alphabet of literary characters. I told friend Rebecca Pomeroy to choose the name for my “G” foster, since I used her donation to pay his pull fee. She sent a list of truly fun and funky “G” names, but I fell in love with the name “Gregor” — probably because it made me thing of Suzanne Collins’s The Underland Chronicles, featuring none other than Gregor the Overlander as the young hero. Yay for literary associations! — although Grace Hagood: I promise to name a foster “Easley” at some point, just for you.

And, yes, Gregor is wearing a Christmas collar with a bell. You can just see the corner of it in the photo. Why did he come with bells on, literally? For the same reason that Daphne BordeauX had a bow on her head. Richmond County Animal Shelter employee Ashley always adorns her favorite shelter dogs.

Of course, I couldn’t pull only one puppy. A puppy needs a puppy friend — or he’ll cry at night and keep us awake. Enter Chester3 Hazelle. In the perfect literary world, Gregor would be paired with Luxa. But, I needed an “H” name, so I settled on a Suzanne Collins’s character from a different book: The Hunger Games. Hazelle Hawthorne is Gale’s mother in the series, and is a minor though resilient and therefore admirable character. And her namesake is resilient too:

You kind of have to be when you’re alone at 3 months in a shelter. Gregor and Hazelle aren’t from the same litter, though they look alike in some ways (small ears, short snout). Hazelle is listed as a Cocker Spaniel mix; still, at three months, she isn’t much bigger than Gregor. So, perhaps she’s a Spaniel mixed with a smaller dog, like a Chihuahua?

What I’ve noticed about the newest additions so far:

Gregor’s best feature: an underbite and a tail that curls above his back

Hazelle’s best feature: one eye with eyeliner, and one without

Gregor’s best personality trait: he’s feisty. Very. He barked at and chased my mother’s much older and larger dogs. And he won.

Hazelle’s best personality trait: she’s sweet. Very. Gregor would rather play, and Hazelle would rather cuddle; so each annoys the other. However, when Hazelle reaches her breaking point, she never fails to “pin” Gregor, Lion King style:

Good girl, Hazelle.

Contact me if you’d be interested in adopting Gregor or Hazelle!

And now for a memorable mishap:

This is an old memorable mishap, actually, but it’s appropriate since it involves both rescue dogs and Gregor the Overlander. Earlier in the year, I was coming back from the Dillon County Animal Shelter with some fosters (Paxville and York maybe?), and I was listening to an audiobook, as I often do on long trips. I was so engrossed in the story that I didn’t realize I was still driving in the left-hand lane on the interstate, and slowly at that. Someone who was wanting to pass honked angrily and then gesticulated wildly once I changed lanes and he was beside me.

My response? Like a dork, I pointed at the cd player and mouthed:

“I’M SORRY! I’M LISTENING TO GREGOR! HE JUST BRUSHED LAPBLOOD’S FUR! IT’S VERY MOVING!”

All that to say: Gregor, I think, is a very fitting name for my first literary-themed foster. Well chosen, Rebecca!

Posted in Chester3 Gregor and Hazelle: Adopted! | Leave a Comment »

Edisto vs. the Zhu Zhu Pet

December 30, 2011

I love being facebook friends with Chester Edisto‘s Mom, because I get occasional updates about my favorite Wonder Dog.

The latest? Edisto has decided that Lindsey’s Zhu Zhu Pet is his new nemesis. See him, below, engaging the Zhu Zhu in a staring contest that he’s destined to lose. Poor Ed doesn’t understand WHY that damn rodent doesn’t blink. Obviously, it means that Zhu Zhus are pure evil.

One of Lindsey’s facebook friends predicts that, eventually, the toy “will just make an annoying noise” and Edisto will “run away.”

He knows Edisto well.

Posted in Chester Edisto: Adopted! | Leave a Comment »

Happy Holidays from Fisk Fosters! And a Merry Christmas Memorable Mishap . . .

December 30, 2011

I’m back to blogging after a much needed Holiday break! Here is my attempt to recap the month of December, in list form. But, before I do that, I’d like to post photos of Christmas Craftiness 2011, Nicole style.

For each person fostering for me (or donating regularly to the cause), I printed and arranged photos of their foster/s.

For Sandra Keller (featuring Chester Lexington) and John Muckelbauer (featuring Chesters PaXville, James, and McBee):

For foster-in-crime Trina Shealy (featuring Chesters Duncan, Fairfax, Chance, Williston and DalZell):

And for Ashley Smith, whose $50 monthly donation keeps Fisk fosters fed and entertained with squeak toys (the latter has to be replenished as often as the former, since Morven can destroy anything):

This frame features some of Ashley’s favorites: Chesters Hilda, Kincaid, and Quinby.

And, last but not least, for Scott, the reluctant spouse:

I told Scott he should hang the frames in his shop, which has weathered (along with Scott) puppy pee, poop and vomit.

And the best part? All the puppy gifts came from the The Animal Rescue site. So, a portion of the profit was donated to shelter dogs.

Yay for me! Seriously. I am *NOT* a crafty person, so I’m ridiculously proud of myself. And, now, for the recap:

1) At the beginning of the month, I brought home Fisk fosters Edwards and Forest. And, I still have Fisk fosters Edwards and Forest. Edwards is currently sleeping at my feet; Forest is currently sleeping at Scott’s feet.

Edwards, renamed Frankie by his adoptive parent, will be going to his new home this weekend. Penny Pickrell fell for Frankie as soon as she met him, but she needed several weeks to pet proof her house and to get home from Holiday travels.

I’m glad I’ve had the extra time with Frankie, though, since he taught me two important lessons in the meantime — well, I should say that he reminded me of a couple of things I already knew:

Lesson, the first: do not put two unaltered male dogs in the same space and expect them to get along. Frankie and Forest, before their neuter surgery, did not get along.

Because Forest is the smaller dog, he was allowed in, and poor Frankie was kept out (in the fenced-in yard, with Scott’s heated shop as his apartment). Frankie was fine with this arrangement at first. But, then, we had a cold spell. I hate cold weather. So, I’d dash outside to tend to Frankie and rush back inside, not giving him the attention I normally would.

Frankie stopped eating. I couldn’t figure out why at first. I finally, despite the cold, sat down outside with him. I petted him. I put his food beside him. While I continued to pet him, he devoured his food, as though he had been starving.

Lesson, the second: Dogs, like humans, need to have their basic needs met, but they need more than that too. They need kindness. If not, life doesn’t seem to be worth the living. Needless to say, now that Frankie and Forest have been neutered, they’re both inside getting the necessary attention.

2) I falsely assumed that I would be able to place more Fisk Fosters over the Holidays. Instead, I had more trouble — especially drumming up any interest in Forest. So, we decided to take Forest with us on our Holiday travels, to McBee and to Charleston, and to try to get photos of him along the way. Maybe, we thought, we should be creative with our photography. See, below, a photograph that emphasizes Forest’s eyes . . .

. . . and another that emphasizes his fabulous whiskers.

You can see, below, that Forest enjoyed himself very much. Here he is in McBee, trotting around . . .

. . . and here he is, in the best shot of the day:

I’m happy to say that the handsome boy has a date with a prospective adoptive parent tomorrow! And she hasn’t even seen the photos yet.

3) Special thanks to friend, Rebecca Pomeroy Shores, whose generous Christmas donation enabled us to travel as usual over the Holidays. We used part of the money from Rebecca to hire a pet-sitter for Frankie and Roo (John Mucklebauer’s foster). Because pet-sitters charge by dog, though, we took Emma, Mr. Knightley, Forest, AND Morven with us.

Yes. We still have Morven. See him below, at the Fisk’s in Charleston:

And here he is, with his pal Forest:

Thank you SO much, Rebecca. We couldn’t have done Christmas this year without you. Even with four dogs in tow, Mom said I was “pushing it” with the overnight visits. And, I even have some money left over for what will be Chester G, cubed. Shh. Don’t tell Scott.

4) The merriest Christmas news is that sweet Chester Lexington has been adopted! Hurrah for Lexi! Foster Mom Sandra sent me the following message on Christmas Day:

“My parents would like to adopt Lexi! She’s been so good and loveable that she won them over. :)   She has been very sweet here, playful with the family and gentle with my grandmother. She would be an inside dog, but they do have a fenced-in backyard where she can chase squirrels to her heart’s content.”

Best Christmas present ever. Thanks to Urs and Kathleen Keller for falling for this sweet girl, and thanks to Sandra who fell for her first.

Sandra: let me know if you get lonely without Lexi. As Casey said, my glass is always half full of puppies, and I’m happy to introduce you to a new four-legged friend.

5) And now for the Merry Christmas memorable mishap: I may have pleasantly surprised myself with my Christmas craftiness, but I’ve proven to be a complete disaster with my new scheme to save money for Fisk fosters: couponing.

For Christmas, my parents gave us a $50 gift certificate to Earthfare. I got a book of coupons, complete with discounts on dog food and carpet cleaner, which we need, unfortunately, because of the dogs. I spent an hour, at least, in the grocery store. The total: $200!

Me: “I just don’t understand, Scott. I used COUPONS.”

Scott, pulling out a pack of Izze Sparkling Apple naturally flavored juice beverages: “What the heck is this?”

Me: “I don’t know, but I had a coupon for it.”

Scott: “You don’t get stuff we don’t need just because you have a coupon for it.”

Me: “But maybe we’ll like it.”

Scott, pulling out Sarabeth’s Legendary Spreadable Fruit: “What the heck is this?”

Me: “Jam. I had a coupon for it.”

Scott, rolling his eyes: “You don’t buy the $10 jam with the $1.00 coupon. You buy the $4.00 Earthfare brand jam.”

Me: “Oh.” (What can I say? I lost my ability to do math — and to pay attention to anything related to it — long ago). “But, this jam is legendary.”

Scott: “You’re dumb.”

He spent the rest of the night pulling food out of the bags (and I got a lot of food — and two different kinds of hand lotion), and saying sarcastic things like, “Goat tongue! Just what we needed! So glad you had a COUPON!”

So, Scott was not impressed with the hour I spent at Earthfare, going through the coupon book like I was on a scavenger hunt. He was even less impressed when I told him that I got really upset when I couldn’t find the food item advertised in the coupon (“WHERE are the darn Blue Horizon Wild crab bites?”); or that I dashed around even during checkout, when the cashier pointed out that some of the coupons were buy 2 (not 1). And, no, he was not impressed with the Earthfare dog food. I’m not allowed to go couponing any more — unless Casey, competent member of the Nicole Support Staff, goes with me.

Whatever. Morven, Forest and Frankie LOVE their Earthfare dog food. Also, I’ve already had to use the discounted (though apparently still expensive) carpet cleaner on the rug.

And it is nothing less than bottled up magic.

Posted in Memorable Mishaps | Leave a Comment »

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