Our First Foster Puppy Layla

Layla the Chipom

Our time is growing short with our foster puppy and her placement in her new home is upcoming.  We thought it would be nice to give our little friend a permanent place on our blog so that we can always be reminded of our special connection.  Like any “firsts” in life, our first foster puppy is very special to us and will always hold a special place in our hearts.

This page is devoted to our very first foster puppy, Layla.  We have always wanted to help a dog find its forever home, so when the opportunity presented itself to foster this cute puppy, we eagerly welcomed her into our home.  You might be wondering how such a cute puppy ended up in foster care in the first place.  Well, this precious little furbaby was purchased by a young woman who did not have the means to care for her and knew the best solution would be to find this puppy a new home.  Fortunately for Layla, a wonderful rescue group was contacted and told of her plight.  This caring group travelled miles to pick her up and transported her into the waiting arms of her new foster mom.  (That would be me)  We were surprised at how tiny and young she was.  (Only eight weeks old) and felt that she was probably taken from her mother and littermates much too soon.  While we have never owned a Chihuahua or Pomeranian, we know that reputable breeders of small breed dogs usually do not release them into their new homes until they are at least 12 – 16 weeks of age due to their small size and need to learn valuable social skills from their siblings and mother.  Here is a picture of Layla on her first day in our home.  Isn’t she just precious?

Welcome Puppy! She's not much bigger than her toy!

A nice warm lap to sit on and fancy new clothes to wear!

Layla was given lots of things to make her feel at home.  We bought her nutritious food to eat, fun toys to play with and offered her a comfy place to sleep.  Her foster family consisted of two human brothers, a mom, a dad and a fursister, that would be Tiffy.

Puppy's New Foster Sister

Layla enjoyed interacting with her new fursister and this also gave Tiffy an opportunity to pal around with a new canine friend.  Tiffy shared everything with her new foster-sister, her food, her balls, her clothes and her toys.  She even let her new friend wear her gold and jeweled collar that she wore as a puppy herself.  Even though theyt were good at sharing, there were always some toys that they both wanted to play with at the same time.

Can't we share the bobo??

Since mom and Tiffy realized that two of the main reasons dogs end up in shelters in the first place are behavioral and house training issues, they decided to make sure that puppy had a good start in life.  We used a small crate and helped puppy feel comfortable in it.  Inside we placed a soft towel wrapped around a hot water bottle and a favorite chew toy.  We taught the puppy that the crate was an inviting and safe place to be and within 2 weeks puppy was sleeping through the night (7 hours) warm and safe.  To make the crate feel super cozy at night, along with the hot water bottle (She liked to sleep on top of it, kind of like a doggy waterbed.), we placed a ticking clock outside the crate for puppy to listen to.  This proved to be very comforting to puppy.  Learning to stay quietly in a crate is a great life skill.  If pet parents need to travel and can’t take their furbaby with them, most boarding facilities use some type of crating system.  Also if your pet needed to stay overnight at the vet, they will also find themselves in a crate.  A dog that is comfortable in their crate would fare better in these circumstances.  Although Tiffy does not sleep in her crate anymore, we can rest assured that if she needed to be crated she would be comfortable with it because of her training during puppyhood.  During the day puppy would play in the kitchen.  We took out any rug because it seems as if puppies seek these spots out for potty accidents.  To encourage house training success, puppy was taken outside, after nap, after a vigorous play session, within 20 minutes of eating and whenever she was taken out of her crate.  Each time we would say “outside” and “good potty” when she relieved herself.  Eventually she started signaling to us her need to go outside by whining and running to the door.  If you said “outside”, she would let you know you were correct by motioning to the door and circling around and this was after only 2 1/2 weeks of consistent training.  While her house training is still a work-in-progress with occasional accidents, with continued support and consistent training,  we are confident that she is well on her way to becoming completely house trained in the coming months.  This is Layla’s look that she gives when you understand what she is telling you.

I think you understand what I am telling you!

Some other things we taught Layla during her stay with us…  We encouraged her to play gently and would offer her appropriate toys to chew on.  After all puppy teeth are sharp.. Ouch:)  Along with this we made sure to touch her paws, ears and basically acclimate her to things she might encounter at a vet visit. Tiffy was able to teach her things that only another dog could.  She did a great job playing with puppy and was very tolerant of her occasional roughhousing.

Tiffy and Pup

Although it will be very difficult to say goodbye to our new furfriend when she finds her forever home, we found the fostering experience to be very rewarding in many ways.  We were able to provide a safe haven for a puppy that was down on her luck.  It was also nice to revisit puppyhood, even if it only lasted a short time.  We found it rewarding to see puppy reach each small milestone and were grateful to be a part of this little dog’s life.  My family wishes puppy and her new family all the best in the future and know that she will be a cherished pet in the year’s to come.  Layla, our first foster puppy, will always occupy a very special place in all of our hearts and we will never forget her precious little face.

Precious Puppy...

I would encourage anyone considering fostering a dog in need to contact your local shelter and don’t apply to just one.  We sent out several applications before finding the right fit for our family.  Rescue groups without a formal shelter can always use the help of warm and loving foster homes.  I feel this experience has enriched our lives in many ways and we were happy to be a part of this wonderful program.

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