She was finally caught yesterday, and I agreed to take her temporarily.
You can see a video of her (and her sweet nature) while she was living at this park in Stockton, CA. She went missing for a while, so I made this video in an effort to try to see if anyone had seen her.
Her story: she was abandoned about five weeks ago, in a park in Stockton, with several other dogs, a total of five, and we don't know their full backstory. One by one, all 4 of her buddies found places to stay... except her. Until yesterday when I finally took her in.
I really misjudged this dog a few weeks ago, when I saw a picture of her. It's obvious she is a shepherd husky mix, and because I have a shepherd husky mix (who's very neurotic) and a friend of mine has a dog that looks just like this dog (and that dog is even more crazy than mine), I had it in my head that huskies and shepherds should never mix. The last thing I need in my life right now is more drama or chaos, so I was very wary of taking her in as a foster.
But I've recently seen that that is not the case with all husky shepherd mixes. Earlier this week I did a post about a husky shepherd mix that is so mellow and sweet. So really you just never know. And I should not have judged this poor dog, just be based on the way she looked. I was reminded of the fact that one of the best cats I have ever had, who was super sweet and mellow, looked exactly like one of his litter mates, who was extremely aggressive and kinda nuts. So you really can't just judge a book by its cover.
This is not an ideal time for me. to have more than one foster right now, but I started feeling extremely guilty because Rocky seemed very lonely without his best friend. And the woman who has been feeding them for the last month, Sylvia, said the other two dogs seemed very lonely at the park without him. I definitely get the feeling Rocky was the pack leader.
So, I agreed to take Rocky's buddy, whom I am calling Jet. They were soooo happy to be reunited. Sylvia is only able to transport one dog at a time, and she had to drive all the way from Stockton to Redwood City to bring them to me. She told me she was going to go back and get the last dog, Frannie, but it was raining really heavily that night, and Frannie disappeared. Sylvia couldn't find her for days.
I was wracked with guilt over the fact that she had been left all alone in the park, especially because the area where they slept had been washed out and it was super muddy.. It was bad enough that she seemed really lonely when she was just left alone with Jet, but then, to be the only dog left, after she had been through so much... i just felt horrible.
Well, wouldn't you know it right after I did that post, Sylvia let me know she had finally seen Frannie! She was hanging out with another smaller dog, so I was happy at least to hear that she had some company. I think there's a chance the smaller dog may belong to one of the homeless people that lives in the area.
Sylvia told me that she was able to catch her. But when she brought her to her house, her landlord freaked out, and not only said the dog needs to go, but she's getting ready to kick her out because she has too many fosters.
She asked if I would be able to take Frannie if she could drop her off yesterday, and I just couldn't say no. I could not bear the thought of this poor dog who had been through so much, still having to live on the street. At the very least, I could try to see if I could get any interest in her from people on next door or craigslist, before I have to think about taking her to the pound. (Just a note on the other little dog, I thought Sylvia was going to bring him also, but she was worried I was going to get in trouble for having too many fosters, so he is still in Stockton, and I believe she is feeding him... if you have any interest, please let me know, and I will contact Sylvia).
To say Frannie was overjoyed to see her buddies again would be an understatement. She was sooooo relieved!!!
I can say with all sincerity that Frannie is the sweetest dog I have ever fostered. She is super affectionate, and also pretty docile. At first I was a little scared of her because something about her size and shape reminds me of a coyote. So she's pretty unique. But she wags her tail a lot and is super friendly. Of course she has been through some trauma, so i'm trying to take it slow with her, and keep in mind that she might be sensitive to loud sounds or sudden movements or being pet in the wrong way. I haven't even had her for twenty four hours, but so far, things are going well, and I can't help thinking somebody out there would absolutely love this dog.
She does absolutely need to be spayed, and soon. Sylvia has an appointment for her to be spayed in about five weeks. But if I can get it done sooner than that, I think that would be better. I thought about separating her from the boys, but she is enjoying their company so much and I think she'd be pretty sad without them right now while she's recuperating from all she's been through. Since they were already alone with her for the better part of the last two weeks, what's done is done. I might as well just let them hang out and be happy and get her fixed as soon as possible.
I think if you meet Frannie you will see what a sweet dog she is. If you have any questions about her, please let me know. Thank you!!
Laura
