Okay, so apparently something inside me felt like I didn’t have enough on my plate, because a month or two ago, I finally got involved with trying to be a foster home for rescued Italian Greyhounds (that’s what Stevie and Bonnie are, in case you didn’t already know).
I have been interested in doing it for quite some time, but working as a teacher wasn’t exactly conducive to the hours needed to help with an Iggy-in-need. Now that I am at home most of the time (and now that Evie is starting to be less crazy when she is feeling well!), I can spend more time with the dogs throughout the day.
So I contacted my local chapter of IGCA Rescue (Italian Greyhound Club of America) about two months ago after seeing that they were getting a lot of dogs needing foster homes until they could be adopted out. It’s a pretty hefty process- they do actually call your references and there’s a few applications you have to fill out.
Evelyn does make things a little more complicated, however; we can’t foster a dog that has too many unknowns. It has to be able to handle a rather vocal and growing infant and be relatively calm and friendly.
Enter Selena:
This sweet little girl was saved from a puppy mill. She is about 8 years old, and a tiny little thing! Rescue was pretty sure she was in a real home at some point in her life, because she is so good about going potty outside and LOVES to snuggle with people, but somehow she landed in a Oklahoma puppy mill. While there, she developed some awful cataracts and a horrible case of glaucoma in her eyes, and so she is almost completely blind. The glaucoma was so bad, they thought she would have to remove her eyes, but this sweetie has been reacting so well to her medication that her eyes are no longer swollen and you can tell she is feeling so much better.
As I said before, she LOVES to snuggle. She is seriously the sweetest, easiest foster dog in the world. We feed her, and then she just wants to snuggle on the couch or on a doggie bed all day. We interrupt her cuddles to take her out for occasional potty breaks, or feed her, or remind her that she should drink water, but she has been so sweet and perfect. And that little tail of hers does not stop wagging when she hears you talking to her or when you are petting her. She LIVES for loves!
She’s also getting along well with Stevie and Bonnie. We were worried they’d be too rough on this little girl, but now that the novelty has worn off, they tolerate her really well (she occasionally wants cuddles and invades their spots, and they are really nice about it) and only need to be reminded occasionally to be gentle because she can’t see them. The other morning I walked downstairs to see this cuteness with Jared and the three dogs:
This picture is Iggy heaven in a nutshell.
Anyways, we are really enjoying this little girl. It’s going to be hard to let her go whenever that time comes, but whoever ends up with this sweetie pie is going to be a really lucky person, because Selena has A LOT of love to give. I am excited about this opportunity to give a little extra love to a dog who hasn’t had enough of it in her past. She is a real T-R-E-A-T!
