In October of 2014 my life was the same, go to work, maybe a hockey game once or twice a week. I needed to change something in my life, I have amazing husband but I was not happy with myself. One night I decided I wanted to change my body, and my lifestyle. I set up an app on my phone called Lose It, it helps count calories and you input your work outs etc.

The next morning I got up early and did my first work out of the many to come. Many would laugh if they found out I used my old wii game system in the beginning. When I started I was not sure, what my favourite work out would be, it did not take long for me to realize it was running. I always looked forward to going for a run and soon realized I hated running by myself I needed someone to run with!

In 2012 our dog Joe passed away, I missed him so much he was my baby. It was hard for me and my husband to get over his death, we loved him so much, he was with us for 17 years.

As I started running more I noticed some people ran with their dog, and I was thinking how nice it would be to having a running buddy. So after a few talks to my husband we decided to start looking for the right dog. One we could give our love to, and to have friendship we needed to fill a void in our life.

For the first while we could not find the right dog, but then one day I got a call about a puppy from my friend Allison. We met up with her at local dog park to see this puppy named Rango. Bill and I instantly  fell in love with him, and we knew that Rango was the one. I even ran with him to see if he liked to run! 3 days later we adopted Rango from Pawsitive Match Foundation and changed his name to Ringo.

Since he has come into our lives Ringo has filled the void in our lives and we love him so much. When it came to my running, I started taking Ringo with me on smaller runs to make sure I did not push him. And now he runs between 5 to 10 kms with me every time I go out.

My Life has changed a lot, I’ve lost 80 pounds and completely changed my life style. We have a great dog in our lives who is a great running buddy.

On May 29/16 I will be  running in Scotia bank Marathon 10k. Unfortunately dogs are not allowed so Ringo will have to cheer me on from the sidelines. I will miss him in the run as he helps me to keep going and encourages me that we can do it. I’ll be wearing a picture of Ringo on my back that day for support.

As many know Pawsitive Match is one of the charities in the run. That day I’ll be running not only for me but  for Ringo and all the other animals that  have not found there forever homes. Please help support the Pawsitive mmatch Foundation, they are a fantastic organization helping animals in need. I would like to thank all the volunteers at Pawsitive Match , and my dear friends Betty, Allison in helping in all the animals. I’m proud to be supporting them and could not imagine life and running without my Ringo.

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If you’d like to support our runners by donating to their cause, please click here!

Caring For Your Best Friend’s Feet

A friend of mine, a veteran of the military, shared this mantra with me, “Take care of your feet, because your feet take you everywhere.” I always remembered that fact and for us humans, it can often be associated with many types of medical issues, particularly those that are connected with a number of conditions like diabetes and circulation problems, since our lower extremities are the furthest from both our hearts and brains.

 

In another chapter from my personal adventures associated with my beloved canine companions, during the dog days of summer, in the quiet suburb neighborhood where I live, I always walk my dog with bare feet during the hotter months. Although my neighbors tease me about this  relentlessly, my mind tells me that, if the sidewalk or asphalt is too hot for MY FEET, it must most certainly torture my dog’s sensitive little paws. Anyone who has ran quickly across a hot beach with no shoes can certainly relate to this circumstance. OUCH!

 

The same is true for our pets, especially dogs, whose paws propel them everywhere in life. Taking care of these delicate extremities is vitally important for their mobility, health and overall welfare. When they have issues with these tissues, sometimes they can chew, lick and irritate these sensitive areas, which only makes the matter worse. Here’s some ways to watch and protect the paws of our beloved four-legged pets:

 

Paws Don’t Come With A Preventative Care Manual

 

Although there’s no such thing as “perfect” when it comes to preventative care, there are some steps that we can take to help our pets with better paw protection:

 

• Trimming their nails is a daunting task at best, but taking some preventative measures when you’re a DYI kind of pet owner is essential. Consider taking some of these steps to prevent excessive bleeding from cutting too close to the quick.

 

• Check your dog’s footsies regularly for signs of irregular abuse, cracking, peeling, redness, swollen areas and other areas of possible irritation and infection. Consult your veterinarian if these problems look serious or you see limping and excessive licking, chewing or favoritism, which can complicate matters.

 

• Some dogs that have anxiety problems, or they are particularly stressed for some
  reason, others are aging with arthritis and other muscular conditions can be more prone to issues with their legs and paws. Again, see your veterinarian for solutions and relief that go beyond the “cone of shame.”

• In extreme climate conditions, both hot and cold, pet owners should resort to protective devices such as booties, to protect their pets from unnecessary harm from the elements.

 

• Younger dogs that are more fast moving and are therefore particularly vulnerable to paw injury and abuse, especially on rough surfaces. They should be monitored more closely and watched for signs of increased wear-and-tear that can occur with higher incidences with these more active individuals.

 

There’s another idiom for the care of feet and delicate paws that that goes along with our human endeavors that goes, “Take care of your feet because they’ll carry you for life.” Extend the years you spend with your pet by ensuring their paws, legs, heart and soul, will be with you for life. Both yours and theirs.

Written by Amber Kingsley

 

My name is Nancy Rattray and some may know me as the President of Pawsitive Match Rescue Foundation. I am a daughter, sister, wife, mother, and friend.

I run, walk, crawl because I can. I have had many ups and downs and plenty of reasons to give up, but I continue to fight every day. I am a cancer warrior and my fight isn’t over. I will continue with scans, follow ups and many more surgeries. My surgeries make me realize how special our lives truly are.

I am a fighter and I cherish everything I have. I run because I can. I can get up every day put my runners on and head out. I can push myself and make myself just run a little further.

Running has been a way to get my head away from all the cancer ups and downs. I am so very lucky that I have the opportunity every day to live my life. I am lucky to spend time with my family, friends, to give back to the animals.

I run because I can and I will continue to run, walk or crawl until I can’t anymore.

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If you would like to join Nancy and many more for the 2016 Scotiabank Marathon, please click here for more information!

The Secret to Happiness (1 Measure of Running + Fund Raising for Pawsitive Match)

By Cathy Mathieson

The media will lead us to believe that the secret to happiness is the next “best” glittery, shiny, electronic, delicious thing. Be it that tantalizing meal, new outfit or laptop. I find it’s short lived and often leads to regret. I forget what most of the things I “just had to have” are. Though I forget them my memory does hold on dearly to other precious moments. Our North American Society leads us to believe that status will make us happy, that when we have that beautiful car, gigantic home, powerful job and/or very expensive ring we will be happy. In all actuality in Canada recent research has found that the happiness barrier maxes out at about $70,000 dollars, under that life is a little less happy. However even if you win the lottery or run a large corporation with the matching large salary it will not make you happier than the average Joe.

So what does the research say makes us happy? Not just some expert’s opinion or top ten list, but what does the actual research say. Well in this day and age with our ability to study and look at the brain the research is becoming pretty definitive. I’ve read about 8 separate studies that determined experiences not things perpetuate happiness. In fact they say that over time your happiness about an experience, be it a vacation, a movie with friends or completing a ½ marathon often goes up. On the contrary your happiness regarding a new purchase be it an i-phone, an outfit or a great meal generally goes down.

I’m not a runner but since I turned 50 each spring I have started to lace up my shoes and train. In my youth I did my share of 5 k and 10 K races but I am looking for a challenge an accomplishment so to speak. I am not a runner by nature, at best you could call me a fair weather runner, but I will tell you when I cross that finish line I am always amazed that I did it. I am so looking forward to running this year on behalf of the best little charity out there! The pups Pawsitive Match so diligently rescues are a clue to an even more definitive cause of happiness, compassion.

Yes Compassion has been proven to cause happiness. A brain-imaging study headed by neuroscientist Jordan Grafman from the National Institute of Health showed that the “pleasures centers” in the brain, i.e. the parts of our brains that are active when we experience pleasure (like dessert, money, sex) are equally active when we observe someone giving money to charity as when we receive money ourselves!

It is also said that happiness is a skill that can be learned, so if you want to unlock the key to happiness please join me May 29, practice a little happiness and raise some money for Pawsitive Match. I picked Pawsitive Match because I am truly inspired by the dedicated, compassionate and dynamic volunteers. That this operation can run this smoothly (I’m sure there are some hiccups) solely by the efforts of volunteers is admirable. They never discriminate, dogs with issues (Medical, behavioural) are welcomed and healed. Apparently rescue dogs are a kinda happy drug because the research shows that even the most powerful anti-depressant cannot light up the pleasure center in our brain like compassion.

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If you would like to sign up for the 2016 Scotiabank Marathon, please visit www.calgarymarathon.com.  To ensure that you are running for Pawsitive Match, please remember to head over to the FrontStream Fundraising Page and enter your information there as well!  If you’d like a pre-written letter to encourage friends and family members to support you, click here!

Fostering is truly a family affair and for this week’s Foster Friday post, our littlest fosters weigh in on why they foster!

“Why do you like it when mommy fosters”  

Trinity (4 years old):

“Because I love them. Cats and dogs. They like to play with me and the sleep in my bed and keep me warm during the night”

Alexis (6 years old):

“Because I love the animals and I love to play with them. I love all animals. I am sometimes sad when the leave but it’s okay when they leave because the get a new home. My favorite foster was the puppies. They were my favorite because I got to name them. But they did always pee and chew my things which I didn’t like but I guess I should’ve picked up my stuff, then they wouldn’t of been able to. Good because I like animals, I wish we could have a rabbit, but I guess we will see when the time comes”

Kensley (8 years old):

My favourite part about fostering is that we can have experience with all different fosters and see how they react to our own animals and us. And they are fluffy. Fostering makes me feel happy but sad at the same time because once they learn to trust you, you have to let them go, but it’s good because the new family gets to experience how great of a pup they got to be because of us. And I’m also happy that they find the dogs when they do because I know we helped saved a life in time. When we first get them we know they are scared but hopefully with being given only love they only remember a happy home and not their life on the streets.

Beck (7 years old) and Brady (6 years old)’s mom did an interview with them and they both drew a picture. Beck’s is Frannie’s litter of puppies, and Brady’s is some kind of fire rescue of puppies on a plane (they fostered a dog who had escaped a fire and apparently that stuck with him!). 

What do you like about fostering and rescuing?

Beck: You get to meet other dogs you’ve never seen before.

Brady: You get to see cute dogs, and pet them, and their fur is really soft.

Beck: The dogs are usually very cuddly, so you can cuddle with them.

Why do we rescue dogs?

Beck: We like giving them a better home than a shelter.

Brady: We save them from fires or dying.

What’s the hardest thing about fostering and rescuing?

Beck: Cleaning up their messes!

Brady: Puppies jumping, scratching, biting!

Beck: Oh, and saying goodbye.

Brady: But we should keep doing it. It’s nice to do and I don’t want them to die.

Beck: If more people fostered, a lot more dogs would be alive, living all nice in a good home.

Brady: In beds to cuddle in. I love dogs!

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We are always looking for more foster homes to allow us to rescue more dogs and cats.  If you and your family are interested in fostering, please visit our website!

If you’d like to see the cats and dogs currently needing fosters, please click here!

 

Foster Friday – Harley

Harley came to Pawsitive Match last September as part of hoarding cat situation.  He was approximately 8 years old and had likely never been truly loved or handled by humans.  He lived with another foster in a cat room for several months and made significant strides, but he was stressed and had diarrhea, so Harley came to live with me in early January.  Let it be known that I had very little cat experience – I had a cat growing up but my mom did all the work and I just got to snuggle and cuddle her (which she may or may not have liked but I did it anyway).  Then last fall there was post asking for help with 4 cats and I somehow agreed to take them, yes take them all! They were great!  They played, they hung out, they were loving friendly cats.  I thought wow this is easy! Eventually they all moved on and I saw Harley was looking for a new foster home so I agreed to take him.

Well, day 1 I contacted the foster team to say that Harley has disappeared into thin air. The kids had assured me that they never left the cat room door open but he wasn’t there.  Hmmm.  Pretty much an entire day goes by and no sign of Harley.  How could this be?  Cats don’t just disappear. Turns out Harley had gotten himself wedged into the boxspring mattress and couldn’t get out. He was quite a chubster at that time and had underestimated how much room he needed.  So we dismantled the bed and cut the fabric to release him – he would be happy to be saved right? WRONG! He was even more terrified.  I blocked off the boxspring and all the areas under the bed and he took refuge in the lower box part of his cat tree.  There I was able to pet him on the head but that was it, attempting to pick him up caused holes to be placed in my neck, petting him further along his back resulted in hissing and spitting and growling. Ok buddy, I’ll let you lead the way.

So day after day after day I would spend time sitting in his cat room reading a book while
he shot death stares at me.  I would feed him and leave treats but he was frozen in terror.  One day he decided to come out for a bite of food. Wow!  I was so excited.  Then he needed his neuter surgery and dental cleaning :(.  I was at the vet picking him up and overheard the staff say “is the feral foster in room 2?”  I wondered who they were talking about and then realized it was me! They considered Harley feral – I was thinking ‘ok he’s scared but not feral is he?’  After talking to the vet, he was considered feral.  I took him home and took advantage of him being dopey after surgery; I held him in my arms, it was a special moment but short lived. He soon went nuts and ripped around the room, forced his way through my blockades under the bed and ripped off his cone. Oh boy – what was I going to do?

I looked up articles on taming feral cats and started to implement some of the strategies I read about.  Slowly they started to work.  I would send excited texts to the team about his progress.  He was purring. He was eating while I was in the room. He let me pet his full body. He let me brush him. He stopped hiding in his box when I entered the room. He was curious about the world outside of the cat room. He explored the upstairs. He approached me for pets and snuggles. He hopped on my lap for love.  He rolled on his back for belly rubs. He PLAYED!  Holy cow, this cat had transformed before my eyes!  What a journey we were on.  I was so excited for him, after 8 years of a crappy life he realized that people can be kind and loving.  Along our road together I can fully admit that I wanted to quit – I emailed the foster team saying it was hopeless and I couldn’t do it. But guess what?  I did do it, and you know what? You could do it too! The feelings I have looking at him now are of immense love and he loves me right back.  FOSTERING SAVES LIVES. Those are not just words, they are the truth and I’m looking at the truth in front of me and his name is Harley.

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If you are interested in adopting Harley, please visit our adoptions page!

If you are interested in fostering a cat like Harley, please visit our foster page!

Foster Friday – Lori’s Story

I often hear people say, “Oh I couldn’t foster, I would find it too hard to let them go”, and the reality is sometimes I do as well . My first attempt in fostering resulted in what’s called a “foster fail”. She never made it out my door to begin a life with someone else.  Fergie, a beagle, came into my home afraid of every shadow, cowered at every noise, whimpered and peed in the house in fear:  traits that sent her packing in three other homes after she had been “rescued.” I couldn’t even imagine what her life had once been and decided that it was about time that someone gave her a break and showed her that people were okay. To teach her about the right to feel loved and safe. And so I adopted her.

But I digress. This story isn’t about Fergie.

This story is about getting involved in the rescue of mostly abused or neglected animals. Dogs that people have decided  to toss away. They got them for the kids, but the kids didn’t look after them. “We feel so bad the dog is being ignored”.  For reasons as simple as them getting too old, walking too slow, taking too long to climb the stairs or not looking as good as they did when they were younger.  Owners turning their back on the one who has been their best friend, surrendering them to a rescue or dropping off at a shelter without a backwards glance, forgetting why they had gotten the dog in the first place, barely realizing that it’s there, getting angry with him when he comes up looking for some attention and wanting to share his love.The sad reality is that most people who surrender dogs to a shelter or drop them off at that out-of-way place in the hope that some farmer will be happy to provide it a home don’t seem to understand  there is only twenty-four to seventy-two hours for dogs to find a new home before they get euthanized in most shelters, or that coyotes and other wild animals can kill them or they can starve to death before help is found.Or people give them up simply because they thought it would be fun to have a dog but didn’t really think it through.Maybe the dog isn’t learning fast enough to suit them, and why, oh why, can’t they read their mind and do what they ask?.Next…….. let’s get a new dog, a better dog. This types of behaviour keeps puppy mills in business and therefore creates a need for people like me. And thank goodness for people like me. The type that loves dogs,understands dogs, helps dogs. Can you be that person? A safe haven until a proper family is found ?There is always a need for people to foster.

If I sound bitter, then I admit that sometimes I am. It’s hard to see their faces sometimes when they first arrive to our rescue: eyes downcast, shaking in fear of the unknown, or maybe used as target practice and a bullet found in their body when they’ve gone to be vetted. Or broken bones delivered from a kick from someone’s boot. At times, the level of abuse that some of them have endured is overwhelming. But then I am filled with amazement at how quickly they respond to a soft voice, a rub behind an ear, their tail wagging of their own accord, happy in the knowledge that someone is finally being nice. Quickly willing to forgive, just wanting to be loved. We are so lucky that they still crave wanting to have a relationship with us.

And that’s where someone like me comes in. A foster volunteer, one of the many positions that are needed to successfully help a rescue be a healthy place for animals to find their forever home. For our rescue group, we can pick and choose whom we would like to foster from the pictures that are shared about.

Generally speaking, we work with shelters in Mexico, California, the Northwest Territories, Alberta and Saskatchewan, though we have had shelters from Korea, India and the Dominican, to name a few, contact us for our help. And I know I can speak for most of us when I say we get so excited to see the new dogs that we have managed to save, the scruffy ones, the chi’s, terrier mixes and poodle crosses and everything else all mixed up and in between. And we love them all.

I love helping out at the intake center and seeing them first, taking a few pictures for our website in the hopes it helps them find a foster or better yet a forever home. And it helps me to decide who I should bring home to introduce to my own muttley crew. And usually I’m happy to welcome them into my home and work hard alongside other volunteers to help them find a family of their own. And usually I rejoice when I congratulate someone for deciding to adopt one of our beautiful dogs. But not always –or should I say not always at first. Sometimes I just need to have a good cry. Just like I did the night before. A dog that managed to cross over the “I really like you” stage to the “oh my goodness! we all love you” stage.

And I have failed a few times, and I wouldn’t change that for the world. Fergie, Nellie and Ivy have joined me over the last ten years. They have made my world so much better, so much richer, an expansion of family if you will. My foster fails.  But at this point I know that I am doing the right thing, saying goodbye to the dogs that now cross my threshold looking for a berth in the storm while waiting for someone to adopt them. Making the responsible decision to say goodbye and hand them over to someone else to love allows me to continue fostering: to keep a parade of dogs that come through my door, to engage and charm me, fill my heart with joy and I delight in the knowledge that I did make a difference that I helped save their life. In allowing myself to let go, I can save another one, engage with a new personality, own a different style of dog though it’s only borrowed, and fall in love all over again. Life can’t get much better than that. Who among us can say oh I love Beagles and Chi’s and Poodles and St Bernard’s and Labs and Mexi Mutts and all the countless breeds that have travelled through my door and learned I love them all. Become a foster, revel in the experience, introduce yourself to multiple breeds, be the most popular person in the dog park and be loved by many even though most of the many are furry.

So when people say, “ I could never do that —  it would be too hard ,“I simply say, “ I could never not do it because to me that would be too hard to know I could do something and chose to ignore it.”

(For a side note, not everyone has the availability to be able to keep a dog. But for those people there are so many jobs that need to be filled to run a successful rescue,dog walking, medical, accounting, fundraising, special events, transport, supply houses, coordinators for the adoption and foster teams to name but a few. Please consider helping out a rescue. You’ll be surprised at how much joy it can bring to you and all the great people you can meet.)

Written by Lori Stainer

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If you are interested in fostering a Pawsitive Match animal or volunteering for Pawsitive Match, please visit our website!

Foster Friday – Cricket

Cricket was initially incredibly untrusting of humans.

My husband hates cats.  (That’s what he says, anyway).

But apparently he loves me, which is how we ended up converting one of our spare rooms into a cat room for semi-feral cats, “just temporarily” of course.  Several cats came and went, one was adopted by a lovely couple, a few others went on to new foster homes, but one managed to make her way from our cat room, into the spare bathroom upstairs and into our hearts.

I fell in love with Cricket the moment I saw the photo that was sent to Pawsitive Match from another rescue agency who needed help placing some cats.  I remember picking her up from the quarantine foster home and how she hid on a windowsill high above our heads, the way she cowered in her kennel when I brought her home and how she hissed at me during our first days together.  We began making slow progress while I sat with her, gently petted her and slowly gained her trust.  One day, after a short weekend away, I visited the cat room and she started purring and rubbing up against me for love!  There is no greater feeling than seeing your patience pay off after so much time and gaining the trust of a terrified animal.

Not too sure about this “moving” business.

Cricket continued to make progress while living in our cat room, and eventually I convinced my husband that she should move upstairs to become part of a family and increase her chances of being adopted.  Cricket made her home in our bathtub and could be found hiding between the shower curtain and liner for most of the day, but when 10pm hit, she would come out in search of some love.  Cricket began exploring the upstairs and would tentatively follow me down a couple of stairs, but would only proceed to our main level after we were asleep.

While Cricket was quite comfortable with me, she was still concerned and cautious about my husband.  One evening I went to bed early and received a text from my husband to “come see”.  I opened the door to see my husband sitting in the hallway and Cricket rubbing against him and purring.  I could hardly believe it.  Another night while watching TV I heard her precious little “meow” from upstairs and soon enough she had made her way downstairs, jumped up on the couch and settled in for a nap.  I cried.  What a brave, trusting girl she had become!  I was so proud of her!

Hmm.  Hanging out on the couch is acceptable!

Then one day, someone applied to adopt my precious girl.  Like any momma, I was cautious, reserved and terrified that the adopter wouldn’t understand her needs.  What if they didn’t understand just how scared she could be at first?  What if they didn’t give her a safe space in the home and she just disappeared and hid all day?  What if moving her destroyed all the work we did together?  And most distressing, what if she thought I abandoned her after she had finally given me her trust?  After a couple of emails, I began to wonder if this was really it…could this be her new home!?  There was no question about it after her new mom came to meet her; despite Cricket hiding behind the toilet and ignoring any attempts to socialize, her new mom loved her!

No fairytale is complete without a little bit of drama, and Cricket made sure to save hers until the very end of our time together.  The evening her new mom was coming to pick her up, I began gathering her things and went to “her” bathroom to say our final goodbyes when I realized, she was gone.  In all the time she had been with me, she had never truly disappeared and had started to come when I called her name.  Not this time.  I looked in all her usual hiding spots, at least 10 times.  I looked in every spot I could think of, again and again and again.  In the midst of this searching, her adoptive mom had arrived and patiently told me that “It’s ok!  This is what cats do!”  To make a long story short, I eventually found her that evening, curled up in a nook on the back of a piece of furniture.

Final snuggles before heading off to her new family.

What a relief.   I gently pulled her out and she sat in my lap and snuggled for the longest time.  It’s like she knew.

I couldn’t believe how empty the house felt after she left.  Even with our three resident dogs, there was a quietness and void left in her absence.  I wondered and worried about her for awhile, even dreamt that she reappeared at our house, before finally caving and texting her new mom to see how she was doing.  I was beyond delighted to hear that she was snuggling with them, jumping up on their bed to visit with them and that everyone was so happy.

Cricket is happy in her new home and is so loved by her parents!

People always tell me they don’t foster because they wouldn’t be able to let them go.  It is, undoubtedly, one of the most difficult things in the world.  And yet, at the same time, it remains one of the most rewarding things I have done.  There is no way to describe the feeling of seeing “your” baby happy and loved by their new family.

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If you are interested in fostering a cat like Cricket, please visit our website for more information.

Solving Inappropriate Chewing

Older dogs chew to keep teeth clean and jaws strong. Puppies chew to relieve pain caused by incoming teeth. Chewing is a normal part of any dog’s life and dogs chew for stimulation, relief from anxiety, and health. Problems arise when dogs chew inappropriately and cause property destruction.

Separation anxiety, hunger, boredom, and isolation stress are some of the common causes of inappropriate chewing. Dogs experiencing separation anxiety may chew when left alone. A hungry dog might chew items to find food. Under exercised dogs often chew to relieve boredom. Since dogs are social creatures, it is not in their nature to spend many hours alone, therefore, the dog chews to relieve loneliness.

To deter inappropriate chewing, there are a few things you can do around the home such as dog-proofing, providing appropriate chew items, offering edible chews, looking for a chew pattern, and providing training. Dog proofing requires you to put away any item considered inappropriate. Teach your dog to identify what is an appropriate chew toy and what is a household item. There are hundreds, if not thousands, of dog toys. Consider rotating toys to prevent boredom. Look for toys that enrich the environment. Edible chew sticks can occupy your dog for long periods of time. Careful selection is necessary to prevent choking.

Dogs are creatures of habit. Set up a camera to see if your dog chews at a certain time each day. This could be a time to introduce a dog walker. Today there are automated food dispensers available to owners. If your dog chews at a certain time, this could be an opportunity to dispense a meal. Work to develop a positive and healthy relationship with your dog. Spend time training and reinforce training principles daily. Finally, provide your dog with daily exercise that includes physical and mental stimulation.

Marianne Rogerson

Foot and Paw Pet Services

Foster Friday – Madison

Ever since we started fostering for Pawsitive Match last July, my husband has been trying to convince me to bring home a puppy to foster. We’ve pretty much lucked out with perfectly behaved, housetrained adult dogs since we started and I knew that a puppy would be a different story!

After a brief reprieve from fostering over the holidays, our resident dog Bella seemed to be lonely and we started thinking that it might be time for another foster. When the call for emergency foster homes for puppies went out on a somewhat chilly Monday evening, I hesitantly showed my husband a photo of the puppies and an hour later we had puppy-proofed the house and were off to Cambrian. After some snuggles and shots for the pup, we left with puppy in tow, armed with puppy food and pee pads!

We spent about 2 hours debating names that night. Since we both love hockey and Bella was named after Jean Beliveau (I’m the Habs fan), I decided to let my husband name her Madison (for Madison Square Garden, of course). Meanwhile, Bella was showing Madison that the house wasn’t a scary place, and soon the two of them were roaming around and playing non-stop. Madison has been keeping Bella on her toes all hours of the day, climbing on her, nipping with her little puppy piranha teeth and stealing all the toys…and Bella couldn’t be happier!

Madison does have some funny traits – she LOVES to collect toys from around the house
and hoard them in her kennel or by the back door. She also thinks pee pads are for napping on! Fortunately, after moving all rugs from sight (which were apparently enticing for pee time), she is getting the housetraining thing down fairly quickly. She is a smart pup who enjoys playing fetch and has quickly learned “sit” and to patiently wait for her food. Since she scarfs her food down lightening quick, she graduated to getting part of each meals from a food dispensing toy!

When she isn’t playfully attacking Bella, Madison is guaranteed to be snuggled up next to her humans. She absolutely has to have her head resting on you when she goes to sleep and likes to curl up in the tiniest spot possible next to you. When she was sentenced to the cone of shame after her spay appointment, I felt so sorry for her that she – cone and all – ended up sleeping in our bed. She must have whacked me in the face 20 times that first night trying to get comfortable…but her puppy eyes ensured all was forgiven instantly.

Madison met her first applicants shortly after and they fell in love with her goofy, dainty self. Madison is lucky enough to be adopted by one of our own fosters and will have a PMRF alumni brother – Chuckie – to show her the ropes in her new home. We are going to miss our snuggly, long-legged pup (and Bella will miss her non-stop playmate) but we are so happy to know she has found an amazing furever home! Better yet – we hear her new brother doesn’t like toys, so she can hoard them to her heart’s content!

If you are interested in fostering a puppy like Madison, please visit our website for more information!