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This one is long overdue - several months overdue in fact. As I sit here writing this, Babybel - Belle as she's been dubbed in her new home - is loving life with her new family and foster brother, Thor.
Babybel was one of our most difficult fosters to let go, but also, one of our most rewarding.
If you're reading this, please consider fostering. I thought that I too would become too attached to the pup in our care, but let me tell you, that's not the case. Not that they're bad dogs, but quite the opposite.
Babybel didn't have it easy. She came into our lives when we went to Dekalb County Animal Shelter looking for another foster. We always go and look at the urgent dogs - the ones that are getting cage rage, that are having a tough time, the one's that get passed by. Belle was chasing her tail in her crate, getting stir crazy, and was heartworm high positive. Meaning, she didn't have much time.
So we brought our little pack to meet her, and they hit it off.
This little cow was coming back to our farm. Just check out how happy she is in the picture to the right.
But Babybel had a long road ahead of her.
She's very high energy, and still a pup at heart, at roughly 2 years old. She's very sweet, and snuggly, but like to jump with her mouth open.
For that very reason, we went through A LOT of applications and had a lot of phone calls with prospective adopters.
Unlike Abby or Kermit - our first two fosters - Babybel needed the perfect home. One with a pup she could play rough with, and without small children. Not that she was aggressive by ANY MEANS - I want to let that be known now, but we didn't want to set her up for failure by adopting her out to a family with children, and them thinking that "a vicious pitbull" bit their child when she was simply high energy, and jumping with her mouth ajar.
In conjunction with that, we had to get her free of heartworms, and since she had a high positive, we needed to use a painful injections protocol. Abby, the soldier she is, was unfazed by the injections. Belle, however, was hurting. She was tuckered out after her shots, and gave us the most forlorn look when we had to keep her in her crate. This was only abated by the brief periods we took her out to snuggle her, and try and tell her that she was a good girl - she just couldn't get excited and risk getting sick , or worse - dying from complications. I wasn't going to let that happen.
After literally a dozen applicants, nobody felt right. We make the same promise to all of our fosters -
"You're here until we find you the perfect home. Until then, you will never see the inside of a shelter. We promise."
Then, out of nowhere, we got the perfect inquiry. A young couple, with another pit mix, who was looking for a playmate. They, to make it even more perfect, were fellow New Yorkers.
Our first phone conversation with her new prospective dad was outstanding - he referenced using a dog behaviorist, understood pits and their psychology, and even stated that he understood the work going into introducing a new dog. So we agreed to meet up at a local park, and let everyone meet.
Thank god her new prospective parents didn't get spooked. She was so high energy, she kept barking, yipping, and trying to play with Thor. To the uninitiated, it would look like she was crazy or borderline aggressive. We were so worried that they would back out, but they said the magic words "When can we see her again?"
"How about next weekend?"
So we went back for our second meet and greet - and she was a different pup. She was calm, and happy to go on a pack walk. She sniffed on Thor, did a play bow, and I think that was it.
To put the nail in the coffin, we scheduled a play date at their house. And they played, ran, and rolled in the grass. In fact, they said they never saw Thor move so quickly.
That was it. Belle had a new home, sadly, this southern Belle was going to have to suffer another house full of New Yorkers, lol. You can see her below snuggling her new brother.
The next step was the hardest one of all - taking her to her new forever family. Here's a picture of the night before, when I got some of her epic snuggles in. She was one of the most affectionate pups we've ever fostered, and so playful. That, and she could chew through anything. Literally. She destroyed toys that our pups, twice her size, never put a dent in.
So that's the story of Babybel - just one of the many dogs out there in a shelter that needs a chance. All you need to do is open up your home and heart, dole out some belly rubs and with an occasional discipline. So what if they have heart worms - it's treatable, and many shelters do it for free or low cost. So what if she was on the "urgent list." That doesn't mean they're a bad dog. In fact, it's usually quite the opposite.
And just for posterity, here's the first picture of Belle and her new family. Just look how happy everyone is, especially Thor!! (We caught Belle mid bark).
Fostering saves lives. Period. If you need help or want to foster, please contact us. We will cover their food, crate, and toys - you just need to put in the time and love. Trust me, you will get it back tenfold.
-Alex