Lil Man

lil man was my first foster that stayed a while! chip (older post) was only with me for a few days, but lil man stayed for several weeks. he was a "boston terrier/ jack russell mix", though i kinda doubted his bloodline. he really didnt look very boston to me, but he was a handsome man and a wonderful dog nonetheless.

lil man was such a sweet boy that he let vet tech students (near the shelter he was in) practice giving vaccines and drawing blood on him! talk about a sweeeety. the BTRSC pulled him and he was originally fostered by someone else in the group. he proved to be a bit too hyper for that home, and since my boy, packer, is ALWAYS up for playmate, i offered to take him. he fit in very well and he was a wonderful friend to packer. now, benjamin is never too excited about a foster. he pretty much eyeballs them from a distance and eventually may bother to sniff them. but packer, OMG, packer is in HEAVEN. he loves anyone he meets, human or canine, and every time a foster comes in he thinks he has a new toy! so anyway, packer and lil man got along just great and kept each other busy most of the time. lil man was adopted from me by a family not exactly equipped to handle him...he was returned to the rescue by this family, but quickly readopted. he is such an easy-going sweet boy, and im so happy he found his way to his REAL family!

(packer got caught snuggling with his foster brother!)

my second first...

So, as mentioned in my first post, Benjamin was my actual "first" foster, but since i adopted him, hes not really a foster baby! So this is Chip:

chip was abandoned by a breeder that no longer had any use for him. chip had learned zero dog skills, considering he was kept outdoors and had had little, if any, human interaction. i dont think the owner so much as spoke to him. pitiful. since chip had never been indoors, he found things very strange...he would tilt his head back and forth at the tv; he would scramble to get footing on the wood floor; he hoarded all the toys in his crate; HE PEED EVERYWHERE. and i mean it. he also ran around and around and around my house as a chased him to get him on a leash to go outside. he was basically feral if you ask me. since he was in need of some serious dog learning, he only stayed with me a few days before being transported to another wonderful foster mom in the BTRSC who has years of experience. chip was transformed into a perfect pet, and was adopted within 2 months of being rescued! yay chip!!

my attempt...

so...this is my attempt at sharing my thoughts and experiences as a foster mom and rescue volunteer for the boston terrier rescue of SC. i have tried to blog in the past, but truly, my life isnt interesting enough to blog regularly...the only non-constant things in life, actually, are the dogs that come and go from my home. and this is my way of remembering each one...what i love about them, what i barely tolerated about them, and why i do what i do...

why bostons? hmm. i have no idea where it began, but once i bought my own home and lived alone, i was determined to get a dog, and it was always, in my mind, a boston terrier. im not sure why, other than them being irresistibly cute and incredibly smart. i had never known a BT or anyone that had one (well, except my granddaddy, who had one years ago and swears to this day that it was the meanest dog he has yet to meet...) but something in my heart just longed for one...

so, in a very unplanned moment, i saw a local breeder's ad of BT puppies (dont cringe, more about my opinions on breeders vs rescuers to come) and went and bought a perfectly wonderful TINY 5 week old baby boy. this baby boys name is Packer, and he absolutely makes my life happy. he is now 3 and i love him more than words can say. you will likely read alot about him.

from there, i was content. i never desired any more dogs, Packer was my most prized companion and we were complete...but then, as they say, something happened...

my sister gave me a book for christmas last year, harmless, right? it was called "you had me at woof" and the cover had the ugliest yet most precious boston terrier on the front. this book changed everything. it is about a woman who volunteered with her local BT rescue and the dogs that she came to love, or not love, and how it changed her life...and then i knew. i knew i had to do something to help.

I emailed the founder of the boston terrier rescue of SC and told her, while i could not FOSTER any dogs, i would love to help in any other capacity. transport, volunteer coordination, paperwork, anything...

i had a foster dog within a week. his name was benny, and they didnt know much of his story, just that he was pulled from a high kill shelter shortly before being euthanized. benny was flown to me by an awesome volunteer and i thought, well, hes cute, he will probably get adopted quickly and be out of my house soon. and he was. he was adopted very quickly by a sap who fell in love with his sad eyes and his adorable crooked tail and his precious wiggle. that would be me.

and so benny, properly called benjamin, joined my home permanently. so i failed, right? i adopted my FIRST FOSTER, so its all over. not so much. my heart still longs to help other BTs who need me. and i will share their stories along this blog, as well as pictures and stories of my boys, im sure.

so here we go. its a journey that i love, though there are moments when i think ive lost my marbles. i came to packer for a reason. benjamin came to me for a reason. there is a reason for all the insanity, the black and white hairs everywhere, the destroyed toys, the inside accidents, the slobber, the vomit, the stress, the sleepless nights...there is a reason, and im so so happy to be a part of it all.