Hello all,
So I'm the worst and haven't posted since the new job began because I suck aka I'm so busy it hurts. To be honest, after a long day of planning, teaching, dealing with emotions via teenagers and the fact that they need me to be everything to them including all wisdom, all I want to do is come home and marathon "Friends" while I slip into slumber.
I'm on my second cup of java today, and it's Sunday and I am in the mood to write! So what's on today's agenda? Despite a million things going on in my mind and in my life, I think the most important thing to update you all on is our newest foster dog, Yasu. He's got quite the story, so here it goes:
This is Yasu's story.
So it was late September and we were in the middle of fostering a sweet dog named Hildegard (I know...) and I saw a post for an urgent foster needed over October holiday for an old dog with some needs. I was going to Bali over October holiday, but I thought Bernard could use some company as he was sticking around. I got in touch with the rescuer, but they said our house should probably be dog-free and we had Hilde, so I was a little bummed out.
Then I learned about an opportunity to go to a pet clinic and walk and cuddle shelter dogs who hadn't had much interaction and needed it. DONE! I signed up for that immediately and was on my way to walk a big, beautiful dog who had been living in a cage for a while.
When I got to the clinic, I walked in and asked the woman to lead me to the dog. She took me in the back where there were lined up cages of cats and kittens and one cage with a big, black dog in it. I asked her what his name was and she shrugged. Then, I found out his name was Yasu! I gently called his name and waited for him to budge. He was sleeping and didn't move. The woman at the clinic shouted at him, kicked the cage, and opened the door harshly. I gasped a little but wasn't really surprised. Yasu lifted his head calmly but struggled to get up. The woman grabbed a scruff of his fur and dragged him out of the small cage. I took hold of him
and nodded at her to let me put the "leash" on him and take it from here. The "leash" was a rope that she tied roughly around his neck. He didn't mind any of it!
After the woman pulled Yasu out of the room and practically shoved him out the door, I grabbed the leash and we walked slowly across the street to a park. He was really nervous and wouldn't look at me, but was clearly very excited to be outside and just wanted to explore. I patiently let him sniff around, do his business, and then we found a bench and just chilled. A nice man saw me and came over and said hi. He asked me about "my dog". I told him I was just walking him and that he was from the clinic. Yasu was getting anxious so we continued on after I thanked the man for saying I was a nice person to take up my time with helping animals. :)
As I walked this adorable old dog with greying jowls and limpy legs, I couldn't help but feel like I recognized him. Then I checked my phone and saw that the dog I inquired about fostering was, in fact, Yasu! What a small world!
I finally took Yasu back to the clinic after about 30 minutes because he was getting slower and I figured he couldn't walk very far on account of his age. We got to the clinic doors and he stopped and stood his ground. He was so strong that it was really difficult to get him inside. The woman at the clinic saw me struggling and came out. I gently pet Yasu and talked calmly to him to see if he would trust me enough to pick him up and bring him inside. The woman came over, ripped the leash out of my hands and roughly dragged Yasu back inside. He walked calmly back into his extremely small cage, sighed, and lay down. She asked me if I would take him and I said, I don't think so. She looked disappointed... so did I.
I instantly fell in love with Yasu and sent Bernard pictures.
Speaking of coincidences...
The next day, Hilde needed to go to the vet for a check up. While she was there, a woman passed by and saw her in the window and thought she was beautiful. She went inside and asked about Hilde. Within days, Hilde was adopted. Our apartment was now dog free just in time for us to start fostering Yasu! We took him a week earlier than October holiday which was nice for me because I could meet him before going to Bali.
Yasu got used to us and our apartment faster than any other foster dog we've ever had! He is easily the most tolerant and chillest dog. He's a handful though. His back legs are really bad so he can't use stairs... and we have stairs. Normally, when we foster dogs, we keep them upstairs during the day, so that's what we did with Yasu. Bad plan...
When we came home from work the first few days, Yasu would cry knowing that he had to go down the stairs to get to the door to go out for his walk. I ended up having to carry him down the stairs twice, and it took a long time for Yasu to let me approach him. He growled and cried and oh my goodness... it broke my heart. We almost gave him back because I was really nervous he was going to get aggressive.
Yasu has never been aggressive with me or Bernard. He growls at other dogs because he's a grumpy old man and I think he is trying to intimidate them. His growl sounds like a dinosaur! It makes me laugh.
Yasu has "play" bitten me a few times but because the left side of his mouth on the bottom has no teeth, it doesn't hurt. He also doesn't bite down at all. He just nibbles. It's very cute when he "plays" like a puppy. It last for about 18 seconds and then he gets tired and needs a 3 hour nap. HAH!
It took us about a week to realize that Yasu needs to stay downstairs. Now, our downstairs is his domain. He's very comfortable and doesn't have to move much. He's happy, and we are EXTREMELY happy because he sheds like a beast and our bedroom (upstairs) remains free of dog hair! Win/win!
I remember one day, Bernard messaged me saying that Yasu had climbed the stairs at some point during the day while he was at work and when Bernard got home, Yasu was at the top of the stairs so scared and crying. He had pooped. It broke my heart to see him so scared! Bernard got a leash on him and helped him down the stairs. After that, we now move the coffee table in front of the stairs to prevent Yasu from making that mistake again. We are all learning. :)
My favourite part about having Yasu so far (there are so many reasons) is when his rescuer came over to check on him after two weeks of us having him. She told us that he had been found caught in a gate crying with his legs all squished up and it took a while for him to let someone approach him and help him out because he was scared. Because he was found with his legs all squished -- we don't know how long he was like that! -- his back legs are extremely weak and he cannot physically go down stairs and it's really hard for him to even get up. Combine that with him being over ten years old (she told us he's 8.... but he's definitely older...I think that's just to help him get adopted... I mean, who wants a 10+ year old dog?), and he's in bad shape.
Well anyway, his rescuer came over and when she walked in, her jaw dropped. Yasu was resting his big head on my knee and wagging his tail. I was petting him and he was play biting my hands like a puppy. He walked over to her without much of a limp and she cooed his name. He wasn't super receptive to her, but he was mobile and happy. She had tears in her eyes and said she had never seen him like this.
I told her that his back legs were improving because he would lift his front legs up onto the couch and "sit" with me, but he couldn't lift his back legs. Nevertheless, lifting his front legs was making him have to stand up and therefore strengthening his legs. She was speechless and hugged me.
I felt instantly amazing. It was similar to Moses. I felt like the dog whisperer! We hadn't really done anything special at all with Yasu! We were just patient with him and tried to have him adapt to our lifestyle as fast as possible, and he did!
Fast forward almost two months and Yasu is currently cuddled up in his bed with his Christmas sweater on (a hand me down from Moses, haha) and a doggy blanket over his chilly paws. He was whining because he was cold, but now he's snoozing. He loves playing with the Kong toy we brought back from Canada for Moses who was an idiot when it came to dog toys, treats, and the like. His appetite is unbelievable! He didn't eat for about three days, and now he actually barks when I take his food dish upstairs to fill it as if to say, "Hurry Mama! I'm so hungry!!!" It takes him a while to eat because of his lack of teeth and sometimes he drops his kibble in his water dish.
(picture) Yasu: "Rooo!! Mama, look! I'm standing up! Now pet me."
He's got a bit of a skin condition (we always attract skin diseased dogs!) so he sheds like no tomorrow, but he isn't scared of the vacuum and actually lets Bernard vacuum him directly! It's quite funny!
So I absolutely love Yasu and feel very blessed to foster him. Bernard and I are both pretty aware that we will probably have him for the rest of his life. The reality is: he's old, he's big, he's not a typical light, curly haired dog that is so desired by Shanghai locals, and he has problems. I've made my peace with the fact that he might die on our watch. To be honest, I'd be happy knowing that he passed away safe and relaxed in his cozy dog bed than in an uncomfortably small and freezing cage.
I guarantee that Bernard and I are adding at least a year onto this beautiful dog's life. His personality is amazing and he makes me laugh. To be honest, I really wish he would let me pick him up and cuddle him, but he's just not into it, and I need to respect that. Fostering all these dogs with different personalities is just making me love dogs even more! They are so unique and I love them all!
If I had to pick one thing about Yasu that I wish was better it would be the bath time situation. Oh my goodness... so NO dog we've ever housed has liked having a bath. Moses would put his big gangly legs out and block himself from entering the bathroom and Hildegard would shuffle herself under the couch. Adele would book it upstairs and hide in the corner. Yasu? He does all of this AND cries. No... screams. He cries the entire time. He's SO dramatic, I can't even tell you.
He will cry and cry, step into the shower, and just cry. After the shower, he'll look at me like I just did something illegal, shiver and cry. Then, he gets tired and needs a 3 hour nap. Did I mention that this whole time, he sheds triple his normal shedding? So essentially he destroys our bathroom and living room with water and dog hair! It's brutal. ...I live for it. :)
(picture) Yasu: "Who me? No, you must be mistaken. I think Bernard left all that hair in the bathroom."
I love Yasu so much and I'm really nervous about leaving him when we come home for Christmas, but I know he'll be as excited as a year old puppy when we come back. And we will. We always do.
Thanks for reading,
Sarah the dog loving Wun
So I'm the worst and haven't posted since the new job began because I suck aka I'm so busy it hurts. To be honest, after a long day of planning, teaching, dealing with emotions via teenagers and the fact that they need me to be everything to them including all wisdom, all I want to do is come home and marathon "Friends" while I slip into slumber.
This is Yasu's story.
So it was late September and we were in the middle of fostering a sweet dog named Hildegard (I know...) and I saw a post for an urgent foster needed over October holiday for an old dog with some needs. I was going to Bali over October holiday, but I thought Bernard could use some company as he was sticking around. I got in touch with the rescuer, but they said our house should probably be dog-free and we had Hilde, so I was a little bummed out.
Then I learned about an opportunity to go to a pet clinic and walk and cuddle shelter dogs who hadn't had much interaction and needed it. DONE! I signed up for that immediately and was on my way to walk a big, beautiful dog who had been living in a cage for a while.
When I got to the clinic, I walked in and asked the woman to lead me to the dog. She took me in the back where there were lined up cages of cats and kittens and one cage with a big, black dog in it. I asked her what his name was and she shrugged. Then, I found out his name was Yasu! I gently called his name and waited for him to budge. He was sleeping and didn't move. The woman at the clinic shouted at him, kicked the cage, and opened the door harshly. I gasped a little but wasn't really surprised. Yasu lifted his head calmly but struggled to get up. The woman grabbed a scruff of his fur and dragged him out of the small cage. I took hold of him
and nodded at her to let me put the "leash" on him and take it from here. The "leash" was a rope that she tied roughly around his neck. He didn't mind any of it!
After the woman pulled Yasu out of the room and practically shoved him out the door, I grabbed the leash and we walked slowly across the street to a park. He was really nervous and wouldn't look at me, but was clearly very excited to be outside and just wanted to explore. I patiently let him sniff around, do his business, and then we found a bench and just chilled. A nice man saw me and came over and said hi. He asked me about "my dog". I told him I was just walking him and that he was from the clinic. Yasu was getting anxious so we continued on after I thanked the man for saying I was a nice person to take up my time with helping animals. :)
As I walked this adorable old dog with greying jowls and limpy legs, I couldn't help but feel like I recognized him. Then I checked my phone and saw that the dog I inquired about fostering was, in fact, Yasu! What a small world!
I finally took Yasu back to the clinic after about 30 minutes because he was getting slower and I figured he couldn't walk very far on account of his age. We got to the clinic doors and he stopped and stood his ground. He was so strong that it was really difficult to get him inside. The woman at the clinic saw me struggling and came out. I gently pet Yasu and talked calmly to him to see if he would trust me enough to pick him up and bring him inside. The woman came over, ripped the leash out of my hands and roughly dragged Yasu back inside. He walked calmly back into his extremely small cage, sighed, and lay down. She asked me if I would take him and I said, I don't think so. She looked disappointed... so did I.
I instantly fell in love with Yasu and sent Bernard pictures.
Speaking of coincidences...
The next day, Hilde needed to go to the vet for a check up. While she was there, a woman passed by and saw her in the window and thought she was beautiful. She went inside and asked about Hilde. Within days, Hilde was adopted. Our apartment was now dog free just in time for us to start fostering Yasu! We took him a week earlier than October holiday which was nice for me because I could meet him before going to Bali.
Yasu got used to us and our apartment faster than any other foster dog we've ever had! He is easily the most tolerant and chillest dog. He's a handful though. His back legs are really bad so he can't use stairs... and we have stairs. Normally, when we foster dogs, we keep them upstairs during the day, so that's what we did with Yasu. Bad plan...
When we came home from work the first few days, Yasu would cry knowing that he had to go down the stairs to get to the door to go out for his walk. I ended up having to carry him down the stairs twice, and it took a long time for Yasu to let me approach him. He growled and cried and oh my goodness... it broke my heart. We almost gave him back because I was really nervous he was going to get aggressive.
Yasu has never been aggressive with me or Bernard. He growls at other dogs because he's a grumpy old man and I think he is trying to intimidate them. His growl sounds like a dinosaur! It makes me laugh.
Yasu has "play" bitten me a few times but because the left side of his mouth on the bottom has no teeth, it doesn't hurt. He also doesn't bite down at all. He just nibbles. It's very cute when he "plays" like a puppy. It last for about 18 seconds and then he gets tired and needs a 3 hour nap. HAH!
It took us about a week to realize that Yasu needs to stay downstairs. Now, our downstairs is his domain. He's very comfortable and doesn't have to move much. He's happy, and we are EXTREMELY happy because he sheds like a beast and our bedroom (upstairs) remains free of dog hair! Win/win!
I remember one day, Bernard messaged me saying that Yasu had climbed the stairs at some point during the day while he was at work and when Bernard got home, Yasu was at the top of the stairs so scared and crying. He had pooped. It broke my heart to see him so scared! Bernard got a leash on him and helped him down the stairs. After that, we now move the coffee table in front of the stairs to prevent Yasu from making that mistake again. We are all learning. :)
My favourite part about having Yasu so far (there are so many reasons) is when his rescuer came over to check on him after two weeks of us having him. She told us that he had been found caught in a gate crying with his legs all squished up and it took a while for him to let someone approach him and help him out because he was scared. Because he was found with his legs all squished -- we don't know how long he was like that! -- his back legs are extremely weak and he cannot physically go down stairs and it's really hard for him to even get up. Combine that with him being over ten years old (she told us he's 8.... but he's definitely older...I think that's just to help him get adopted... I mean, who wants a 10+ year old dog?), and he's in bad shape.Well anyway, his rescuer came over and when she walked in, her jaw dropped. Yasu was resting his big head on my knee and wagging his tail. I was petting him and he was play biting my hands like a puppy. He walked over to her without much of a limp and she cooed his name. He wasn't super receptive to her, but he was mobile and happy. She had tears in her eyes and said she had never seen him like this.
I told her that his back legs were improving because he would lift his front legs up onto the couch and "sit" with me, but he couldn't lift his back legs. Nevertheless, lifting his front legs was making him have to stand up and therefore strengthening his legs. She was speechless and hugged me.
Fast forward almost two months and Yasu is currently cuddled up in his bed with his Christmas sweater on (a hand me down from Moses, haha) and a doggy blanket over his chilly paws. He was whining because he was cold, but now he's snoozing. He loves playing with the Kong toy we brought back from Canada for Moses who was an idiot when it came to dog toys, treats, and the like. His appetite is unbelievable! He didn't eat for about three days, and now he actually barks when I take his food dish upstairs to fill it as if to say, "Hurry Mama! I'm so hungry!!!" It takes him a while to eat because of his lack of teeth and sometimes he drops his kibble in his water dish.
(picture) Yasu: "Rooo!! Mama, look! I'm standing up! Now pet me."
He's got a bit of a skin condition (we always attract skin diseased dogs!) so he sheds like no tomorrow, but he isn't scared of the vacuum and actually lets Bernard vacuum him directly! It's quite funny!
I guarantee that Bernard and I are adding at least a year onto this beautiful dog's life. His personality is amazing and he makes me laugh. To be honest, I really wish he would let me pick him up and cuddle him, but he's just not into it, and I need to respect that. Fostering all these dogs with different personalities is just making me love dogs even more! They are so unique and I love them all!If I had to pick one thing about Yasu that I wish was better it would be the bath time situation. Oh my goodness... so NO dog we've ever housed has liked having a bath. Moses would put his big gangly legs out and block himself from entering the bathroom and Hildegard would shuffle herself under the couch. Adele would book it upstairs and hide in the corner. Yasu? He does all of this AND cries. No... screams. He cries the entire time. He's SO dramatic, I can't even tell you.He will cry and cry, step into the shower, and just cry. After the shower, he'll look at me like I just did something illegal, shiver and cry. Then, he gets tired and needs a 3 hour nap. Did I mention that this whole time, he sheds triple his normal shedding? So essentially he destroys our bathroom and living room with water and dog hair! It's brutal. ...I live for it. :)
(picture) Yasu: "Who me? No, you must be mistaken. I think Bernard left all that hair in the bathroom."
I love Yasu so much and I'm really nervous about leaving him when we come home for Christmas, but I know he'll be as excited as a year old puppy when we come back. And we will. We always do.
Thanks for reading,
Sarah the dog loving Wun
