Foster

Fortunately there are people who volunteer to spend time working in the shelters.  At Lynchburg animal shelter, where Edgar found himself, students from Liberty University often come to walk, play with, clean, feed the "inmates".  There is a large living room with glass front filled with couches, cat towers, toys, food and water and litter boxes.  I was amazed to see how many cats were dwelling  there.  Some playing together, some eating together,  some snoozing up on a shelf.  No fighting!  The volunteers go into this room with the cats.  They play with toys on a string.  Sometimes they simply cuddle a kitty who purrs his delight at having this one on one attention.  

The shelter also has the opportunity for approved families to take a foster dog or cat.  Right now they have several queens (female cats), very pregnant, looking for foster homes where they may go to give birth in a quiet setting and raise their kittens until they are weaned and go to their permanent homes.  It is an easy task to care for these "mamas" and babies.  Not so easy to give up those darling kittens when they are ready to be on their own!  My daughter, Meg, and her daughter, Lily, have done this, so I have heard their stories.

Anyway, back to Edgar.  He was put on the list (probably at the top of the list) as available for foster care.  A young woman and her 11 year old daughter decided to volunteer.  I don't know the details of how it was Edgar they went home with.  He needed SO much care.  Weekly baths and daily treatment of his skin and ears, as well as giving oral medication.  They had a cat and a young female purebred Australian shepherd.  A nice home with a large yard.  The Mom worked all day.  So the dogs were often taken to spend the day with her Mother.  I only talked with this family briefly on the day I adopted Edgar, and later a phone conversation, so do not know the daily routine or details.  Edgar was already housebroken.  A big factor, since many rescue dogs have not been house trained.  These two did a very good job helping Edgar's body to heal.  He was returned to the shelter for neutering and again to remove several of the larger growths.  This added to the care routine--keeping him away from his stitches etc.  The one thing they did not do was help him to learn manners.  They fed him bites from the table as they ate.  their Aussie was treated to this also.  A couple of begging dogs!  He was allowed to just go out to do his business--no leash training.   They did a great job of loving him and being meticulous with all his medical needs.  

The day we met at the shelter for adoption, I could see they would miss him.  The Mom told me she thought Edgar was "a little hard of hearing".  Edgar also sported an open wound on his neck which she had trimmed up.  She said she believed her Aussie had done it.  So I began to wonder just what did go on when she was at work.  Because of the neck wound, Edgar could not wear a collar.  The shelter had put him in a harness-pink-on a red male dog.  Ha ha.  (He is still wearing it.) I filled out the paperwork.  The lowest adoption fee there is $139.  Edgar's was set at $49.  No one had shown any interest in this big dog on very short legs with medical issues.  The girl at the desk asked me if I was over 60 years of age!  I told her, "Considerably".  My daughter , Terry, who was with me, is 60.  The reason she asked is due to the shelter policy of giving seniors a $50 discount.  So I got Edgar free.  Actually just the girl asking me if I was 60 made my day!  My daughter lifted Edgar into the back seat of her SUV, where he sat quietly on the pillow his foster Mom sent with him.

When we arrived at my apartment, I began Edgar's training the moment he set foot out of the CRV.  I made him wait while I went through the door first.  

So it began.  The story continues tomorrow.

Edgar in his new home the first day.