WHAT’S NEw From THe CREW?

Fostering During The Pandemic

The Muttly Crew Interviews Fostering Expert: Tiffany Justine c., East Coast Canine Rescue(ECCR)

Links to Interview: Instagram: @the.muttly.crew @fosteraholic @eastcoastcaninerescue

Our crew sniffed out in-depth advice from an active foster expert. We had the pleasure of speaking with rescue volunteer, “paws-on” mother, and foster parent Tiffany Justine C. She is a mom to 3-year-old Logan, a Siberian Husky Mix and 5-year-old Clifford, a Malamute. (Aren’t the names fantastic? Like you could enjoy tea or a hand-crafted beer in the company of sophisticated yet down-to-earth Logan and Clifford).

We asked Tiffany Justine or TJ key questions to help new dog foster parents. She not only dug up her answers but shared so many great tips!  TJ has personally fostered more than 100 dogs! Needless to bark, her advice is truly based on vast experience.  Here is our one-on-one with this Rockstar dog mom.

Q&A:
The Muttly Crew (TMC):  Any advice for new pooch fosters?Tiffany Justine (TJ):  Make friends! They can share tips, advice, and are an amazing support system. I can’t tell you how many wonderful people and life-long friends I’ve met through the rescue community.

TMC:  During our conversation, you mentioned: "the goal is goodbye."  Great words! Please explain more.TJ:  There are lots of sayings and idioms in rescue and that one is probably my favorites. Saying goodbye is how you continue to save more lives.

TMC: What inspired you to foster yourself and work with a rescue organization?TJ: When I adopted my husky Logan in 2017. I was very green in the rescue world. I applied to several different rescues and ultimately ended up adopting through East Coast Canine Rescue. I was so thankful to one of the owners of the rescue organization. She dropped him off, traveling all the way from Connecticut to New Jersey for me.  I said, “please let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” Sure enough, a few weeks later, she took me up on that offer and asked if I could take an adult dog for just a few days. A few days came and went and my first foster, Vincent was adopted. Since then I have had over a hundred fosters.

TMC: Before the pandemic, how many foster applications did ECCR see weekly? How much has that jumped?
JT: Just this month we have received more than 100 applications. This is wonderful, but also challenging for our volunteers who process our applications. Prior to the pandemic, East Coast Canine Rescue received 3 to 5 foster applications a week.

TMC: How do your permanent furry companions get along with the other animals you take care of at home and elsewhere? 

JT: My boys Logan and Clifford are both very social. They love play dates, dog parks, and on and off-leash adventures. Use slow introductions when it comes to foster dogs and your resident pets. I like to take my dogs on a long hike or activity before introducing them to a new foster. Then they are relaxed. When bringing in a new dog to my pack, I take them for a walk together in a neutral location and to introduce them at their own pace. Be sure to take some time to research more information on how to properly introduce dogs.

TMC: Are you concerned about temp parents not being able to see through the fostering process either to adoption or helping get the fur-baby placed with a "fur-ever" family?

JT: Always. Our rescue is 100% foster- based. This means if we do not have a foster, we cannot save the dog. When you commit to fostering a dog, you are agreeing to have the dog in your home until they find happily forever after. When we move a dog to another foster it takes another home away from a dog we could be saving.

TMC: What are the biggest challenges of fostering?

JT: The biggest challenge, for me at least, is compassion fatigue and burnout. You can get so wrapped up in wanting to save more lives, it’s easy to forget to take time for yourself. It’s important to take breaks, commit to what you can handle, and understand it’s okay to say no.

TMC: What are the most fun parts of fostering?

JT: My favorite part of fostering is seeing a dog grow and flourish. It’s a beautiful thing to see a dog figure out how to be a dog. Little things like their first tail wag are so much fun!

TMC: Have you fostered seniors or fur-babies with special needs?

JT: I fostered just about all walks of life when it comes to dogs. I mostly foster puppies, working breeds, or when a foster family is having trouble with a foster dog. We have several fosters who prefer seniors so a lot to the time they go straight to those volunteers. I have only fostered one senior and it was the best experience. His name was Sunny (7-year-old golden retriever). He was basically a reincarnated version of the dog from “Up.” He was the happiest guy! I got him from a local dog groomer. He took him from a bad situation where he was kept tied up outside all his life.

Several other special cases come to mind. If I had to choose a favorite, it would probably be Ivory. She was the mom of four Husky puppies I fostered earlier in the year. After several months in foster care she was not making much progress with her fear of being touched and people in general. Once all her babies were adopted, I knew I needed to focus on their mom. I picked her up from transport and from the minute she got off the truck I attached her leash to me. Giving her no option but to be near me 24/7. Wherever I went, she came along and was not happy about it at first. After a few days of desensitizing her to me, I started the same process with other people by taking her to dog-friendly places. She met people giving her lots of high value treats and praise. With time her confidence grew, and she was ready for adoption after a few weeks in my home.

Another good friend is Roxy. Roxy spent her mornings tied to a post outside a Peet's coffee shop while her person was inside talking with his friends. Whenever Roxy would see me and my person approaching she would get up and walk to the middle of the sidewalk and sit down. She knew my person always had a treat for her and wanted to make sure he didn't miss her. People would take a wide berth around Roxy which I found funny because Roxy wouldn't hurt a fly.

A new friend that used to come over with his person is Big, not so big. He's very cool. He was attacked by a coyote awhile back, but has completely recovered. Because of the pandemic and stay at home decree around the state I haven't seen him in over a month. I miss him.

The truth is that being a dog during a pandemic has some pluses – one being that their person or their family is around a lot more and can play with them. But, the big minus is that they don't get to see their dog friends, where they get to play and more importantly sniff, a favorite of all dogs.

Micronesia Mutts

By: Joy Charles, The Muttly Crew (Contributor)

On the islands, sand and coconut trees are as common as seeing crystal blue sky and cotton balls of clouds. Surprisingly, pups are also common, roaming freely around the beaches and mountain terrains. At 9 years old I anointed myself an amateur veterinarian, rescuing abandoned puppies and closing wounds on strays. One specific time remains vividly in my mind, when I rescued a handful of pups left in the bush. It was a rainy day and I could hear puppy screams from my bedroom. I grabbed a bucket and headed out with a flashlight, the skies were dark and no one was around. I peeled the bushes to find a spotted band of misfits, pink noses, with eyes still closed crawling over one another, 5 little blessings. Upon cleaning the fab five, I realized that their eyes were stuck with maggots, it was gross but I took my time with a pair of tweezers pulling each nasty maggot out of each eyelid. 

Once all was done, a day or so later the beautiful innocent eyes of  Freeway, Hamburger, Shake, Peanut and Amigo opened. Mutts blessings with attitudes. They followed me everywhere, people were scared of Shake and Peanut the biggest of the bunch but they were gentle and silly. I loved every single one of them, Amigo was timid but really stubborn, Hamburger so lazy half the time I had to drag her off the ground. Freeway was the wild one, always getting into fights with the neighboring dogs. She ended up with a half ear from her many MMA fights. I can't remember how many times I had to clean her wounds but the thing about her? She was a secret lover, a cuddler with my cat Frisky, they would lounge by the front door all day if they could, not a care in the world. Weird huh? Shake and Peanut were always with me, they growled at anyone who got close but they were friendly just like me. I think all my pups inherited something from me, Shake my paranoia, Peanut my distrust of strangers, Freeway my warrior mentality, Amigo my stubbornness and Hamburger my appreciation for life and living in the now. But I inherited something much more from all of them, happiness and friendship, unconditional love and loyalty. I firmly believe that human life is much happier with a mutt in it. My pups are all in Dog Heaven but their lives and memories are stamped on my heart for the rest of mine. 

Diapers, Diapers, Diapers (Part 1):

Caring for a Newborn and a Senior Dog at the Same Time

By: Julie, The Muttly Crew

Our senior dog-son Teddy lost control of his “plumbing” 18 months ago. He suddenly could not pee on his own. We had a difficult time helping Teddy relieve himself. He became excessively thirsty all the time. Months passed of him having checkups, infections, catheterizations, good and bad days. Then, last spring his back started to bother him. We found out later he probably has slipped discs. As expected by any seasoned dog parent, Teddy’s comfort, our lifestyle and freedom were instantly and greatly compromised. The daily tasks amount to so much more than making sure Teddy can just relieve himself.  Our everyday to-dos include his bath, 1 to 3 clean-ups, 8 doggy diaper changes and “walks.” I will tell you later in this series why “walks” don’t really mean the true exercise of walking together with our furry child. We also live in a condo complex and take an elevator downstairs each and usually ride with someone who asks what is wrong with Teddy. There is just not enough time during the elevator ride to explain his issues or deal with ridiculous questions such as have we taken him to a vet. There are multiple clean-ups, an increasing pile of veterinarian, medication, dog walker, cleaning supply, diaper and wee-wee pad bills, natural and holistic research and experiments.  Teddy has been to 4 different veterinarian offices and 1 pet rehab facility in less than 2 years with no diagnosis for the underlying cause. The poor guy has endured pain, UTIs, many exams, x-rays, ultrasounds, catheters, blood tests, medication side effects and the anxiety he feels each time he has an accident. And then there is the added responsibility, stress and guilt for my husband and me. We feel so bad for Teddy, and also, for ourselves. More expenses, more time spent on his care, less time for work and no shot for us both simultaneously being able to leave home at the same time for an extended period of time. Parenting styles either gelling or conflicting with breaking points inevitable. And while we are still trying to get a grasp on how to help Teddy without losing it, we learn we are pregnant!

Diapers, Diapers, Diapers (Part 2):

Caring for a Newborn and a Senior Dog at the Same Time

By: Julie, THE muttly crew

We were sooooooo happy about expecting our first 2-legged baby! Despite Teddy having serious health issues, we would remind him he was going to be the best big brother and we need him. With every good checkup on our bun in the oven, my gratefulness was sometimes offset by guilt that Teddy didn’t feel better. I felt like the pressure was on even more, for us to find him permanent relief. Was Teddy ever going to really enjoy his quality of life close to what is was before? Could we help him further before the baby arrived? How were we going to give Teddy the attention he needs while caring for a newborn? And I knew sleep would already be a lost cause. My husband already had a demanding job while my business partner and I were building a company. Obviously, raising a baby is one of the most rewarding and challenging jobs in the world. I was excited and elated to be a hair-baby momma in addition to a “fur-baby mutter.” How the heck were we going to do both well? At this point, my husband is taking him outside 6 to 8 times a day. Getting through my pregnancy and making sure the baby was okay was now our top priority.  Rescuing Teddy in 2007 had changed my life. Sorry to be corny, but yes, he saved me more than I saved him. (Then a couple years later, my husband-to-be saved us both, ha!) Teddy is really our family, our kid with the tail. Giving up on him is not an option. But what about our sanity? Guess that’s out the window! And really, how did Teddy’s health demise like this?! He is a mutt, on another level. According to the DNA test Wisdom Panel, he took years ago, he is descended from 4 different breeds. How is he this sick?  Multi-breeds are supposed to have less issues, right? What did I do wrong? I thought we took great care of Teddy, above and beyond actually. “Of course, at this time he is pushing 13 years of age (91 in dog years). I expected some senior issues but come on!" Teddy was such a cool, sweet, quiet and chill dog before his urinary continence and back pain issues. But as my pregnancy progressed, Teddy got more thirsty and needy. Mostly he couldn’t help it, but time-to-time, we knew he could. He was sticking it to us. How dare we have another child while he wasn’t well! He would just walk him and help him take a long pee outside and return home only for him to leak or pee inside 15 minutes later.  Or he would all the sudden become a shadow and continuously and quietly walk up right behind us, tripping us.  He wanted us to know he needed help and was irritated. We were really trying.

To make matters worse for him (and eventually better), we decided to finally neuter him. This happened during the first trimester of my pregnancy. Three veterinarians said this may help his prostate shrink, putting less pressure on his bladder.  The timing of the potential positive results were not predictable. Teddy was understandably upset we took his manhood. He had to go through the healing process from a serious surgery and hormone changes. (I didn’t neuter Teddy early on because right after adopting him, we found out he had several serious health issues to tackle first).  Looking into his back issues required anesthesia, a MRI, and possible surgery. Veterinarians said this may pose more a risk to then 12-year-old Teddy’s safety than helping him. More months of managing Teddy’s health day-by-day by moderating water, Teddy pep talks, clean-ups, “walks” and trying this medication, stopping another one or using a natural option. He would start to have a good day occasionally where he didn’t leak inside and was in better spirits. Then our beautiful baby boy arrived!

Diapers, Diapers, Diapers (Part 3):

Caring for a Newborn and a Senior Dog at the Same Time

By: Julie, THE muttly crew

We brought our other blessing home. The day before, we gave one of our baby’s hats to my mother-in-law for Teddy to sniff before he met him. After we arrived home from the hospital, Teddy greeted my hubby and me, but he kept his distance from our new addition. He wasn’t interested in getting to know his little brother. And things didn’t get easier right away with Teddy. I won’t even go into us juggling getting up every 1 to 2 hours for our baby boy while tending to Teddy nearly every 2.5 hours. Sleep deprivation. Happiness and frustration. Inundated with feedings, newborn troubleshooting (sorry, don’t have a better word for it), Pampers and Bodhi Dog diaper changes! It was just insanity. I also had a great loss in the family within 2 weeks of our boy being born so it was a very sad time too. A few weeks after our blessing’s home debut, Teddy actually got better!  There were still accidents and times he needed a little more help to relieve himself. But now these incidents were few and far between. This miracle happened after many weeks of Teddy’s father mainly having to express him EVERY time he went to pee outside and then giving teddy a brief walk. It’s all about timing. There is a very short period of time when we can express Teddy’s bladder. It’s right after leaving the building and quickly getting his diaper off. He gets in a position, gaining momentum where his belly/bladder area is firm and we can express him. But then it softens quickly and he then can’t be effectively “squeezed.” So it’s racing out the door while hoping no one else is exiting or coming in the building at the same time where it can slow us down. Because Teddy will start peeing as soon as he thinks he is technically outside or can’t hold it anymore. Props to him for holding it as much as he has on a daily basis! On many outings, Teddy also would be unable to pee after his first run. It would just be frustrating and painful for Teddy to keep trying and moving with his bad back.  Before, when I referred to our “walks,” that’s what I meant.  Then after that initial relief, we try to walk him a bit if he is comfortable enough to endure it. It depends on his back, sometimes it seems to get better and he can take on some light exercise. Rest seems to help his have backache relief. This was our lifestyle: doing the daily tasks of work, chores and obligations. We focus on the baby being healthy and enjoying him while ensuring Teddy could pee okay and didn't have any infections.

    Teddy remained cautious, quiet and kept his distance from the baby. But most importantly, he was gentle. He didn’t mess with the baby and the baby, well, couldn’t mess with him anyway. He was a newborn!  But Teddy was annoyed.  They just coexisted. But our baby boy never flinched when Teddy walked by or looked at him. He was intrigued with this cute, quiet, big moving stuffed animal! At this point, whenever one of us was awake and not tending to the baby, he won’t leave that person alone to even nap himself. He was starting to look like his condition was improving.  Although he was getting better because we could relieve him every day, he was mad our attention was primarily on the baby. Particularly mine. And he made us pay for it from time to time with vindictive leaking and peeing. Yes, of course, many times he can’t help but we have known him for 13 years. Sometimes he is sending us a message! Through this entire experience, I have felt we have grown.  It became as much about becoming more patient, sympathetic and empathetic toward our Teddybear as it was about getting him to feel better and live his best life.  Managing challenging situations for the greater good. He is our furry child and we will never give up on him.