Hi everyone,
Last night we picked up our new foster. I named him Garth, an homage to Wayne's World - or Garth Brooks, take your pick :) (I wanted to name him Gronk, I literally cry-laughed when I thought of it, but I figured not everyone else would share my sense of humour :P)
He was rescued from a local reserve, where he spent most of his life on a short chain. He's about 10 months old and already 60 pounds. His head and paws are HUGE, so I wouldn't be surprised if he keeps growing for a few more months. He looks like a staffy/shepherd mix, but we never really know. Usually reserve "mutts" are a blend of a bunch of different breeds.
Garth is an absolute sweetheart. He was really shy and unsure when we picked him up, keeping his head down and his tail between his legs, but by the end of the night he was prancing around, wagging his tail, and giving me lots of kisses :) He gets along really well with our dog Cush (we "foster failed" her about 2 years ago) and Cush surprisingly seems to like him as well. She can be a bit of a grumpy old lady, so it's nice to have a foster that doesn't annoy her.
Crate training is going well so far, we bribed Garth in with food and put his crate facing Cush's so he knows he's not alone. He cried for a bit last night, but calmed down pretty quickly and went to sleep.
He has conjunctivitis in both eyes, so we've been giving him eye drops. If it doesn't clear up by the weekend we'll bring him into the vet.
He had his first round of vaccinations when he was a puppy (one of our affiliate rescues has been working with his family for months) so he just needs a booster and rabies shot. We also have some Capstar (Flea medication) that we'll give him tonight.
Garth will be in foster care for at least 2 weeks. At that time, if he is behaviourally and medically cleared, he'll be put up for adoption. We've had dogs that gets adopted right away, and other dogs stay in care for months, or even years.
I'll keep you updated with how Garth progresses :)
Cheers
