Foster puppies wanted!

About a month ago Judith and I decided we would like to foster some puppies.  We are constantly reading and researching.  This gives us a lot of ideas!  From temperament testing to socialization, there are a lot of things breeders and owners can do to give their dogs a great start in life if they think ahead.

We have done a lot of thinking ahead with our morgan and arab horses.  Our horse breeding program starts with carefully chosen bloodlines in our favorite breeds and parents that prove themselves to be capable and versatile.  The mother's nutrition and stress levels throughout pregnancy and the foals' handling and exercise from the moment it is born are carefully planned.

We want to be just as careful-if not more- when we breed dogs, because dogs are such a huge part of people's lives.  So many puppies are accidental or poorly planned that huge numbers end up in shelters.

While we look for the parents of our ideal puppies, we decided to take in a litter or two from a local shelter or rescue organization, raise them using the ideas we have from our research, and match them with good, lifelong homes.  When we left our names with local rescues we imagined a mother with 5 or 6 pups.  Then our friends at Animal House, the local pet store, called.  They had been asked to take in 11 orphaned puppies.  John and Jaime at Animal House do a lot to rescue and rehome pets, but they don't have the facilities for pups this young.  In another case of "be careful what you wish for" we agreed to take them on.

So earlier this week we got 11 orphaned puppies.  Their mother died when they were 3 days old.  We are told they are pit and dalmation cross, 7 males and 4 females.  Today they are 8 days old.

We invite everyone to follow their progress and send your best hopes.  These guys are awefully young to be without a mother!