After fostering 28 dogs since 2008, I have decided to have my 29th dog start my first blog by tracking his progress in his own words. I am doing this not only to let other people know about different behaviors of dogs that have been thrown away and saved to live in foster homes until their perfect Angel comes along to adopt them into forever homes, but to remind me of what each and every one goes through after they are adopted and become just memories for me that I never want to forget. And, I want people to understand why dogs should not be purchased from pet stores or puppy mills which treat their as bad as prisoners of war and perhaps worse as they are animals who cannot understand why they are being abused and neglected until they find out what a pleasure life can be with the wonderful people who are out there This is the first time I have ever blogged so please be patient and I will accept any suggestions that you who read this can give me. Here goes:
Hi, my name is Marly and I am a 9 month old Silky Terrier who was surrendered to a high kill facility for what my owners called "behavioral issues." United Yorkie Rescue saved my life as I could only stay at thie facility for 5 days and if nobody came to adopt me I would be put to death. The girl who saved me called my Foster Mom, Phyllis, and asked her to take me. She already had her own two dogs and one other special needs foster girl but she said yes and she picked me up on Friday night, September 16th and brought me home to her house. Let me tell you, I was petrified. I didn't want to get out of the car so she carried me in. When she put me on the floor and I saw the other dogs I couldn't find a place to hide fast enough. I was very much afraid of the other dogs. Phyllis didn't bother with me for awhile as she saw how frightened I was. I ran under the bed which was the closest place that looked safe. The other dogs came and sniffed under the bed and I tried to roll up into the smallest ball ever. Finally they went away. I was offered food while I was under the bed but I just lay there shaking and hoping she would go away and leave me alone, which she did. After awhile she got me from under the bed because I was even too sscared to run away and put me in a big thing she called a bathtub and gave me a bath because she said I smelled and was very dirty. I didn't move while she did it which seemed to please her and she didn't hurt me at all and to tell you the truth I felt much better afterwards but wanted to go back under the bed once I was dry. She was trying to clean my ears but I wasn't going to sit still for that. I just know she will try again.
Later Friday night I did come out from under the bed and walked into the kitchen and peeked around the corner to see who was there. Phyllis was sitting on the couch with 3 dogs sitting on the couch with her. One of the dogs got off the couch and I went right back to my safe place under the bed. This went on for a few hours because every time I would sneak out one of the dogs wanted to see me. Very scary to be in a strange house with strange dogs and a strange lady. Phyllis keeps looking for my "behavioral issues." I had to go to the bathroom and when nobody was looking I snuck out from under the bed and found a wee wee pad to go on and boy did I go. Phyllis was surprised that I used it because she thought that might be my issue as lots of us that are given up because we won't potty train because the people who bought us usually don't know how to do it and just think we come that way. We don't.
On Friday night when Phyllis (that's what I will call my Foster Mom) turned out the light and went to sleep on a couch in the living room because her special needs foster dog can't get off the bed that is too high, but can get off the couch if she needs to go to the bathroom , I was too scared to sleep there so I went into the bathroom and slep by myself on the tile floor behind the bathroom door cause there was no way yet that I was trusting Phyllis o rthose dosg in that living room.
On Saturday morning everyone got up and I got up too. I went out of the bathroom being careful not to let anyone near me. Phyllis offered me food in the kitchen but away from the other 3 dogs in the house and I ate everything she gave me because I was so hungry and then I retreated to my place under the bed. After awhile I decided that things were not so bad here and if the other dogs would just keep away from me I would go out and inspect the house. For most of the day Phyllis sat on the couch with the other dogs and watched tv and did some of what she calls knitting. I lay in the kitchen watching but was still not ready to join them. Then she came and got me and put something she calls a harness on me and then this long thing she calls a leash and took me outside by myself to see what I would do. OMG was that scary. I tried to get away and was not going with her no matter how much she tried. I just lay on my belly and hope if I closed my eyes this terrible thing would just stop. So Phyllis just picked me up and told me what a good boy I was and brought me into the house. She must have figured out by that experience that I had never been trained to walk on that thing she calls a leash and never wore that thing she calls a harness. When Icame into the house she just left that long thing on me for awhile and I walked around with it. She tried again later in the day and I did walk a little bit and it wasn't bad at all. I might get to enjoy it. Life right now seems to complicated. I stayed in the kitchen and watched Phyllis play with the other dogs on the floor for awhile and then I decided it was safe to go in there. It was kind of fun watching her play with the dogs. She was throwing things she calls toys and they were chasing them and bringing them back and pulling them from each other. I was still not ready for them to come and see me and when they did I just ran away, but only as far as the kitchen and t but then the dogs started to just ignore me. Saturday night I ate in the kitchen with the other dogs and came into the living room and watched everyone else. When it was bedtime Phyllis picked me up and put me on the couch because all the dogs sleep with her. Still not ready for that I jumped off the couch and slept on a bed on the floor but in the same room. Oh and I forgot to tell you that a little girl came to stay over with Phyllis. She said her name was Samantha and she was 8 years old. She told her not to go and try to touch me because she was still looking for "behavioral issues", but I did go to the little girl because she looked so friendly and I let her pat me and I really liked her. I let her pick me up so Phyllis could take a picture of me. Maybe I liked her because kids are not so high off the ground as grownups are. I don't know. Well, there is no more room here so I will be back tomorrow to continue my story
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