So far my family has raised four foster puppies. Our first was Chablis, who is now called Capri. We got him when he was about 3 months old in May of 1997. He lived with us until February of 1998. It was very hard to give him up, but soon we got good reports about his training, and it was a very very proud day when he was placed with a client. Capri is now a full-grown black lab and works with Brian.
Our next puppy was Cassidy, a yellow lab. He was rather slow-learning at first when he came to us in fall 1998, but soon he got into shape and became very smart. He left in late winter of 1999. Now he works with a man named Robert who lives in Ohio.
Spice lived with us during the summer of 1999. He is a purebred black lab, but he has some brindling on his tail, legs, and ears. This didn't stop him from being a very smart dog, however! He was sent to start training with a client, but the client decided that her roommate could take better care of her, so Spice was sent back, several pounds heavier, much to many people's disappointment. His situation is now being evaluated at the PAWS headquarters.
Here's a picture of the puppy Shane. He is a yellow lab.
Shane is now a Demo Dog for Paws With a Cause! He is living in Byron Center, Michigan. He would have gone on to work with a Paws client, but he has some leg and ear problems. A beautiful dog, however! If you're in the West Michigan area, you might see Shane at a demonstration someday!
Right now we are housing Dolly, a puppy who was in training to be a hearing dog after being rescued from the Humane Society. We are teaching her to be a dog in a house, and she is becoming very social. It will be sad to see her go in a few months.
Here is a picture of Dustin, one of the puppies we took care of for a few days. We do this "puppy-sitting" every now and then now. Very fun!
If you are interested in becoming a foster parent for a great puppy like this one, visit the Paws With a Cause Foster Program site.
