Last week I was asked to foster a pair of yorkies... yes a pair... and I agreed. The story was that they were mother/daughter and would do well in a small pen while I had them for the weekend... I agreed... knowing that the pace for which I foster knows my preferences for dogs and that I have cats...
So... the duo was coming from Georgia... and apparently were being filmed as a way to show a dogs journey through the shelter/transport/foster process... so when I got to the shelter to pick them up I was met by a small group of folks who had traveled with the dogs from Georgia.
They told me this pair was in their van and how cute and loving they were, as long as they were together. So I loaded up the pen, the food, etc., and waited to meet them. Not long after that one of the shelter workers came out with two leashes and two dogs... one on each side of her... next thing we knew they were in a fight! I have never seen a dog fight before and this one happened fast... the shelter girl pulled them apart... and there was some blood...
The shelter folks didn't seem too alarmed... they assumed that the dogs caught sight of another, larger dog that happened to be in a crate in the room where we were meeting... so they took both little dogs and fixed them up. They told me I could still take both but they were in bite quarantine... meaning 10 days instead of 5... and that I would need to keep them separate and keep them both completely away from my cats...
I passed on that option..especially when they tried to reintroduce them together, away from all other dogs and both showed signs of aggression...
I don't have the ability or knowledge on how to manage something like that... so I offered to take one of them... they agreed and said they would appreciate it if I kept one, the younger, for the full 10 days. I said that I would try for the weekend, see how it went and let them know.
Here she is... Yorkie Mcdoolittle...
She looks sweet enough.. and was...very sweet when it was just her and me... but... as soon as she saw my cats.. she freaked out. Thankfully I kept her leashed at all times... I kept pretty good track of where the cats were and tried to work with her to distract her from them, but she was hyperfocused on them... super super hyperfocused... and... tried to get them a couple of times... very aggressive... I did not like that and would put her in her pen when she displayed that behavior. She seemed to learn and improved...ever so slightly...until Sunday...
She and I were on the couch. I had gotten up to get some water and had secured the leash to my coffee table.. she was so little it was a suitable anchor.
Not long after I sat back down I got interested in something I was reading and didn't realize one of the cats had come downstairs...suddenly (and a bit scary) she lunged and barked and because she was tethered hit the ground pretty yard... I felt badly about that.. but was so thankful she was leashed... otherwise I think she would have hurt the cats...
After that the cats were freaked out... and I made arrangements to take her back on Monday as planned.
I feel bad... I know it isn't her fault, that it is the lack of training and socialization she had... she was not housebroken... I think someone had her as a lap dog and didn't train her, other than to use pee pads...
So... I foster failed... the foster coordinator said she didn't see it that way.. but I kind of did... though I learned a lot... about what I don't want!
That being said... though it has been short lived... I am done fostering for a while...
Because... I have decided to adopt!!
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