Good News for Boo Boo

Postby DempseysPaw » September 17th, 2008, 1:27 am

Well after 16 months of trying it looks as though we may have just found Boo Boo her forever home. He contacted us through the pbrc and so far everything looks good. It's funny because in 16 months of really pushing hard to find her the right home we got but one serious viable inquiry and on the surface it looks like a home run. He found us on the web but if I walked her in a straight line instead of laps around the park I could be to his house and back in less time then we usually walk. He's like mid 30's, single, owns his own home, works out of his house, no other dogs or pets or kids and had his first pit 13 years before cancer claimed her. And he's a really nice guy. And unless the background and credit checks turn up something odd then he's about perfect.

It's just hard to believe that after all this time and the fights with Phoebe and the crating and the rotating that she's finally found a home. And it's breaking my heart to think very soon she won't be waking me up as the rooster crows (literally). It took me two weeks to aknowledge his first e-mail because they had sent me his applicaion and I knew if he turned out to be as he appeared on paper she'd be gone soon. I've been through this before and it's always hard but this time it's especially difficult. I really do love that little girl. The thing is, with all the other's I knew they were going to great families or people and I never gave how happy they were about the whole thing a second thought. But this one has me wondering if it won't breake her heart just a little also. As fond as I am of her I know it's nothing compared to the way she shows she feels for me.

Well as depressing as the thought of losing her is even more depressing is that I already have my choice of two new fosters. A 2 year old female Boxer or a 9 month old Puggle. With the Boxer I already know I'm in it for the long haul again and I know and love the breed but I don't know much about these Puggles. I know they're the flavor of the month in designer dogs these days and I see a butt load of them up for adoption already so I'm wondering what my odds are of placing one of those in any kind of reasonable time frame is. I know her history in that I know her story suggests she's a petshop/puppymill dog. I've known a few hound in my day and my Duke had Bloodhound in him. My stepfather and cousins all had hunting beagles that were outside dogs. I'm familiar with the basic scent hound traits and quite honestly they're not what I'd pick for myself in a dog. I've never known a Pug but have talked with many Pug owners and they all seem to like them.

I am wondering about one thing though that has me a bit worried. Ultimately I won't pick between the Boxer and the Puggle; It'll be my 3 dogs and their new roomate to decide who it'll be. But should I be worried about Phoebe? She was every bit as eager to mix it up as Boo Boo and both of the two new prospects are females. The Boxer lives with her female littermate whom she was raised with. The Puggle was a recent addition to a family with a middle aged female Miniature Schnauzer. I just wish I knew why those two girls of mine turned on each other one day and why they never got over it. But if I knew that I wouldn't be considering fostering either of them because I would have stopped searching fo a new home for Boo Boo a long time ago. Should I even be considering bringing another female or any other dog for that matter in to my house with Phoebe there?
I'm thrilled to announce that this puppy HAS BEEN ADOPTED!

http://www.myspace.com/boo_boo_puppy
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Postby iluvk9 » September 17th, 2008, 6:06 am

Well, what a smart dog! Having her own Myspace!!! 8)

I hope this will be her forever home and she is as happy as she was with you. :wave2:
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Postby DempseysPaw » September 21st, 2008, 4:28 pm

Well we just got home from dropping Boo Boo off for her 30 day trial period. So far we have every indication that she'll be in good hands and I'll be stalking them fairly regularly just to be sure.
I'm thrilled to announce that this puppy HAS BEEN ADOPTED!

http://www.myspace.com/boo_boo_puppy
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Postby iluvk9 » September 21st, 2008, 4:52 pm

Enjoy your new adventures, Boo Boo! :)
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Postby StalkerBlueDog » September 24th, 2008, 12:31 am

It seems like it should be easier knowing that they're eventually going to be leaving.. but even then it's never quite the case.. it's a little easier knowing they're not yours forever and you try not to get attached..but it's still alway tough.. I've fostered dogs, raised guide dogs, and trained/socialized dogs for my pup's breeder and it always leaves a little hole when they leave.. no matter how small..
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Postby Jenn » September 24th, 2008, 10:21 am

Good luck Boo Boo :) I'm sure you'll miss her terribly, but you've done a wonderful thing.

As far as bringing another dog in with Phoebe ~ I think it's just a personal decision you'll have to make. If your willing to do the same routine (keeping separated, etc.) IN CASE Phoebe doesn't like the new addition, then I say go for it. If you aren't, then I'd wait and maybe help in other ways like volunteering or something. :| Maybe even opt for fostering male dogs only?
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Postby DempseysPaw » September 24th, 2008, 12:01 pm

Yes, knowing they're leaving does help and with the foster I had before her I knew almost right away where she was eventually going and it was just a matter of getting her ready. Still I had her six months and did get very attached but I knew all along she was leaving which helped. And the family that adopted her couldn't have worked out better. They found me less then a month after Honey arrived and for 6 months I trained that girl to be everything they were looking for in a dog and then some. It was like they special ordered a dog with every option and had it hand delivered to them. She's exactly what they hoped for and you couldn't pry that dog away from them.

With Boo Boo it was a little different. She was a stray I picked up so I was on my own with her and after the first 6 months went by without a single viable lead on a new home I was fairly convinced she was staying forever and was happy to have her and then the fighting broke out. But I was going to hang in there with the hopes that I could curb or control it and doing the whole crate and rotate routine knowing that Phoebe was pushing 8 years old and that she's got a few screws loose; I figured worse case scenario I'd maybe have to keep them apart another year maybe two and then Phoebe would most likely be gone. I know it sounds cold but she's got 10 years max. written all over her so I figured I'd ride it out till she died and just keep Boo Boo. Plus I'd given up all hope of ever finding her a good appropriate home so I wasn't really mentally prepared to see her go even after 16 months of looking.

I remember when I took both girls down to be spayed at the end of July. We had to take them each in separate cars 20 miles each way and muzzle Boo Boo to keep her away from other dogs and muzzle Phoebe to keep her away from any men and then the vet that was going to do them came out and was concerned with Phoebe's age and didn't want to risk the surgery and tried to talk me out of it. She didn't believe that Phoebe was only just about to turn 8 and thought she was too high risk to be put under without blood work and testing first. That woman looked at me when like I was nuts when I explained that Phoebe was 24 hours from being put down when I took her in because she's so aggressive towards men and that she's had 5 good years with me she never would have had anyway and that Boo Boo only stood something like a one in six hundred chance of ever being adopted and that the two refuse to get along so if one of them should die on the table all of their/our problems would be solved. I know it sounds cold but that was the reality of it at the time.

I only checked Boo Boo's e-mail once a week at best since there was never anything new and then there he was. His e-mail was a week old when I first saw it and I must have taken a week to respond because this guy looked perfect on paper and I knew if I contacted him back she stood a really good chance of going and sure enough since Sunday afternoon everything is going better then I hoped for her and him which is really nice. He lives alone and works from a home he's owned for 14 years that's a mile from me, had a female pit for 13 years before cancer took her about 14 months ago. So he was ready, she was ready and I made up my mind I'd have to become ready. I'm sure she's in good hands and that when the 30 day trial is up we'll all sit down and sign the final papers.

I'll say this much for her; she changed everything about the way I perceived the breed and did the same for my wife and we would happily invite another pitty in to our home and in fact am looking forward to the day when it happens. She shocked a lot of people with how sweet and friendly she is and I can't tell you how many times I heard "Wow! Really?" when I answered with "Pit Bull" when asked what kind of dog she was.

As for putting myself in another crate and rotate situation? No; not knowing going in anyway. It's too hard to have to see them have to be separated like that. So I've got a female Boxer for them to meet (the Puggle has found a good home already) a female Welsh Terrier a male Pit and a male English Mastiff as well as other new candidates every day that need fostering so I'm sure I'll find a dog in need that is a good fit for the rest of my pack and we'll do it all over again. And I still volunteer with the transports as a driver whenever I can.

Thanks again everyone for all the good advice and support regarding Boo Boo and the others and for just letting me spew and vent when I'm feeling bummed out.
I'm thrilled to announce that this puppy HAS BEEN ADOPTED!

http://www.myspace.com/boo_boo_puppy
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Postby amazincc » September 24th, 2008, 3:08 pm

You are an awesome person. :hug3:
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Postby Jenny » September 25th, 2008, 10:16 pm

Good job! and good luck and happy sailing Boo Boo :P
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Postby DempseysPaw » September 26th, 2008, 8:53 pm

Well I paid Boo Boo and John a surprise visit today on the way home from work and she looks great. The yard was clean, the house was clean and she seemed just fine. A long time friend of his just happened by right after I did so I got to see her manners in action when a stranger came to the door and she did quite well and immediately invited him to join in our play time.

I couldn’t stay long as sadly I had to go meet another potential foster. Unfortunately the new foster was a female and the initial meeting did not go very well. As is typical with Phoebe every new dog she meets wants to either instantly kill her or run for the hills as fast as they can and once Phoebe called her out on her bluff she decided it would be best to run for her life. So I guess from now on we’ll only be meeting boy fosters.

So the rest of us are off to bed early tonight so we can get up early in the morning and do a transport run down to Lafayette and back.
I'm thrilled to announce that this puppy HAS BEEN ADOPTED!

http://www.myspace.com/boo_boo_puppy
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Postby John boo boo » October 4th, 2008, 12:51 am

boo boo is doing great here. she really fit right in, she seems to enjoy her freedom and has free run of the house. I left my camcorder out where it was easy for her to get to and she chewed it up....but it still works so I couldn't get too mad about it(besides that it was my fault for leaving it where it was :doh: )
She is a great dog and I can't thank you enough Tom, she is perfect for me and will be very happy here.
I look forward to getting the yard fenced in so we can play harder and she could release all that energy.

These are from today:
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She thinks she's a pointer at times...she lifts that front paw and points
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LOL The bionic eye
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Image
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Night time tennis ball chasing
Image
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Postby DempseysPaw » October 4th, 2008, 12:06 pm

That's my girl, always has been a ham for the camera, it's no wonder she decided to try to make movies on her own.

Keep up the good work John, you're doing a great job. We're just thrilled to have found someone with all the qualifications we were looking for and have him be right in the neighborhood so we can continue to watch Boo Boo grow up.

Now I want to take a minute to preach a little. 1 in 600 was a number I read somewhere about the odds a pit bull has to be adopted successfully. That was a number that depressed me on a daily basis for a long time and it now brings a smile to my face and a different type of tear to my eye. Because now I know that we can beat those odds. Most of you are long time pit owners and already knew the joys that come with living with the breed and it only took me a very short while to realize what you all already knew. So I'm pleading with all of you to continue to do whatever you can for this and all breeds of dogs in need whether it's volunteering at the local shelters just to visit the dogs and keep them well socialized or just to drop off supplies. Fostering is a GREAT way to help and as you can see while it can be very emotional it's also about the most rewarding thing you can do. Maybe you can't foster or adopt another dog so think about volunteering for transports. Every week I get an average of 100 e-mails begging for drivers to help get dogs out of kill shelters and get them into foster homes or rescues or no kill shelters and with the price of gas it's getting harder and harder to fill those much needed legs on those transports. For just a few dollars in gas and a few hours in a car on the weekend you can help save the lives of countless dogs. I remember the first transport I volunteered for I had 13 puppies in the back seat of that car; that's 13 lives saved in less than 4 hours and less than $20.00 in gas. But maybe driving isn't an option either so please consider taking those wonderful Pitty's of yours and getting them therapy certified so that they may become ambassadors for the breed. You and your baby could be the next ones to bring a smile to the face of a sick little girl who's far from home and away from her own beloved dog in a specialty ward of a children’s hospital. There are also seniors all over the country sitting in retirement communities because they can no longer care for themselves, many of whom had to give up their own pets when they were put in nursing homes. So get those pound puppies out of the house and take them down to the "people pound" and spread a little joy to the scared and lonely.

Hey, the economy sucks, people are struggling every day just to pay their bills and it's a depressing time for everyone. I myself am worried every day at work may be my last because business is slow but when I get home and see those smiling faces and wagging tails I forget all about my own troubles for a while. So when I'm feeling down I don't pick up a bottle or a pipe I pick up a leash. So people, please pick up a leash and help make a difference.

1 in 600 huh, I like those odds, hell I laugh at those odds because I know that with everyone’s help that just maybe someday the odds will be more like 600 homes waiting for 1 dog.

Thanks again everyone for the help, advice and support and although at the moment I don't "own" a Pit Bull and may never "own" one They will forever be a part of my life in some form or fashion and I only hope that someday I will be lucky enough to have one stay as a permanent resident of the house.

Well John, I know you're reading this and while I come across as maybe sappy here you've met me and you know how serious I take this so the question now is what are you going to do with the special gift you've received? I know that little girl well and I know what she is capable of so now all you need to do is figure out what the two of you are capable of together.

N.I.L.I.F. Nothing in life is free; not just for the dogs but for us owners also.

That's it, I'm done preaching for the day. Thanks again everyone.
I'm thrilled to announce that this puppy HAS BEEN ADOPTED!

http://www.myspace.com/boo_boo_puppy
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Postby John boo boo » October 4th, 2008, 4:52 pm

1 IN 600...That really is sad, hopefully that could change in the future but this breed has so much going against it. All the nut cases that get these dogs for all the wrong reasons :crazy2: , and young people who get them as a status symbol....It's really sad what this breed is up against in the world today.

boo boo is so sweet and I know she is going to change alot of peoples minds about pit bulls...Just like my last one did. So many people are so afraid of them and they never even met one, they just see the biased headlines in the paper and think they are all bad.

boo boo and I will be changing alot of peoples views on this breed, that's our plan :)
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Postby cheekymunkee » October 4th, 2008, 5:03 pm

I'm SO happy she found her forever home & that it is close enough for you guys to stay in touch. :)
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Postby iluvk9 » October 4th, 2008, 7:15 pm

Really... I am just senile. :bs:

I didn't put John and Boo Boo together when I read his intro. :rolleyes2:
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Postby KJS » October 5th, 2008, 11:14 am

iluvk9 wrote:Really... I am just senile. :bs:


if you forget where your water bowl is I will help you find it ..ok?

1 in 600 sounds like a bad starting point...but if we count up what the people here do...just them...the odds are much better than that ...and these poeple make that happen...dont let the odds get you down...keep on to the next one
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