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Looking Back on 2010 – Buzz

When V next contacted me, I reluctantly agreed to give a small dog a try.  I like big dogs, but in theory for fostering it doesn’t matter.  I’m not planning to keep the dog.  Still, Indy has an issue with small dogs.  She is very sensitive about her feet and tends to have a fear aggression issue with little ankle sized dogs.  Bad enough out on walks, but definitely not something I wanted in my house.

The rescue is totally supportive of the fact our own pets come first, so if they drop a foster off and it doesn’t work, I am just supposed to call and they will send somebody over to pick the foster up.  I hope I never need to do this.  They also have crates and exercise pens that they can loan me.  I would have a way to keep the small dog separate from Indy if necessary.

So, V came over and dropped off Buzz. I had put Indy in my bedroom so we could go through the drop off smoothly. I need to meet the foster and get care instructions. V deposited the dog and left, and as soon as the coast was clear, I looked down at my new foster dog and laughed and laughed and laughed.

Really.

 

 

Buzz and the Cone of Shame

Buzz and the Cone of Shame

I called my daughter downstairs to introduce her to Buzz, and she laughed hysterically at him.

Yeah. We’re kindhearted. Uh huh.

Anyhow, Buzz was found abandoned at a rest stop.  He was very matted and needed to be shaved, and he ended up with clipper burn on his scrotum.  Ouch.  He kept trying to lick it, hence the cone of shame.

He was so small that he was really too small to interact with easily on the floor.  We are a family with bad backs.  We had to have a little family discussion about the no dogs on furniture rule.  My daughter kept saying, “That’s not a dog.”  We determined that we were size-ist, not specie-ist.  Since Buzz was smaller than our cats, he too could be allowed on the furniture.  That’s pretty much where he stayed his entire time with us, snuggled tightly to somebody on the sofa.

Buzz was the least troublesome foster we’ve ever had.  He never chewed anything he wasn’t supposed to (clipper burned scrotum excluded).  He never had a potty accident in the house.  He didn’t give us trouble when crated.  He didn’t lick his lips hungrily when he looked at the cats.  All he wanted was love.

He and Indy did more or less okay with each other.  Buzz didn’t seem to realize how small he was, so instead of barking and nipping at Indy’s feet, he’d bark and launch his tiny teeth at her head.  This didn’t particular bother Indy because he was too small to be more than a buzzing fly annoyance to her, she is only super sensitive about her feet.

Our daughter refused to walk him, “That’s not a dog.”  I have to admit, I was embarrassed when walking him.  I wanted to tell anybody that I saw, “It’s not my dog!  My dog is big and mean looking and she could bite your face if you mess with me.”  Under normal circumstances I don’t want to talk to people I don’t know (and a large number of people I do know), so this drive to explain myself was clearly pretty strong.  I refrained, but the instinct was there.

My husband was a fan of Buzz, “What’s not to like?  He’s no trouble, takes up very little room, and is very sweet.”  “That’s not a dog,” our daughter informed him.  I pointed to the stains being left by the ointment I had to put on Buzz’s clipper burned scrotum.  “You guys are mean,” he’d tell us, and go back to petting Buzz.

A couple came to meet Buzz.  Buzz clung tightly to me.  I gave them some treats to lure him over, and explained that he had been extremely shy when we was brought to us, but had bonded very quickly, and I was sure that he would settle in with them quickly if they gave him a chance.  I told them to truth, I always do, but usually the truth involves a list of things that are great about the dog, and a list of things that need work.  With Buzz I just told them that he’d been really easy for us.  Very reliable and trustworthy in the house.  Very easy going.

The liked him and applied to adopt him, and soon V came to pick him up and take him to his new home.

He was our shortest fostering experience, he was snapped up quickly, and I bet they are very happy to have him.  If I were ever going to be a small dog owner sort of person, Buzz would have been exactly what I was looking for.

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2 Responses to “Looking Back on 2010 – Buzz”

  1. Rachel says:

    The picture won’t come up for me. I NEED to see Buzz and his cone of shame!

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