On Sunday, Veterans Day, November 11th, we picked up a 6 month old puppy (Hans) to foster for a homeless vet until he gets housing. We got the word that Hans needed a place from a friend of mine who posted it on Facebook, I called her up to get more info (yes Virginia, sometimes “Friends” can be more than ones and zeros). Learned he was a Blue Heeler mix that got along with other dogs and cats, was housebroken, crate trained and was going to get all his vaccinations updated and then be neutered before we fostered him.
We drove downtown to pick him up. He was getting his neutering done at Portland Animal Welfare (PAW Team) , an organization “Helping people and pets stay together, through veterinary care for pets of people in poverty”. The neutering technique was a new one to me, it was done using the non-surgical method of zinc neutering. Learn all about it here.
He was a bit under the weather from the drugs when we got him home, so we let him take his time adjusting.
Our dog Skye was very accepting of this newcomer to the house since we dog sit for friends all the time, plus she just loves other dogs. The cat Teufel (devil in German), went upstairs. Of course he slept on my bed that night, I’m only human after all.
The next day the games began!
After about an hour of that I was going to put him in his crate for a time out but someone else had a different idea.
My neighbor (Elizabeth) had a knee replacement done last week and was at a rehabilitation facility where they have therapy dogs come in all the time and/or you can bring your dog just to visit. That is supposed to be only to visit the patient you’re seeing. Good luck with that. I brought Hans down to see her yesterday and he was a nonplussed going through the automatic doors and riding the elevator. As I was signing in the visitor’s log, an old gentleman in a power chair said, “Don’t move.” He started digging around in a small bag he had for dog cookies. Onward to see my Elizabeth! Had to stop twice for petting by other staff and patients. His owner had mentioned he was thinking about training him as a therapy dog, he is a natural. She was in the library and he immediately went to her for some loving and then flopped down at her feet. We stayed for about half an hour and everybody on the way out had to have a turn petting and praising him.
As I write this he is sleeping behind me, content with the world, as am I.