UPDATE ON MY FOSTER/RESCUE EBBY
I have a new respect for people who are willing to foster pets, not always knowing the animal’s temperament and idiosyncrasies. And I keep thinking of that adage “NO GOOD DEED GOES UNPUNISHED.” In case you are newly becoming acquainted with Ebby, she has been a real work in progress, and I may have come to the end of my tether with her. I have been her caregiver since September when I agreed to take on two dogs whose human parents were both in the hospital or rehab, and the only one left, according to their neighbor, was a non-interested son. The neighbor brought them to the shop on a Thursday, the day prior to my husband’s new hip surgery. It was apparent that both dogs had suffered neglect, and they were treated to needed grooming by the wife, who had given her credit card to the neighbor for anything the dogs might need. The older dog was very ill and coated in urine. The younger dog needed a grooming as well, and they both smelled from the Pedigree food that was their inferior diet. Linda took the old dog home with her on Sunday, and I was reluctantly entrusted with the female, I ended up calling Ebby, short for her given name Ebony. I had not realized when I agreed to foster, I would also be taking care of Bob’s post op. Thus, it was a bit stressful. The older dog had to be put down on Monday as he had a serious heart condition and the doctor believed that the only thing that had kept him alive a few more days, was his grooming which had made him feel so much better. Ebby’s owner, the husband, died, so now my foster could be a rescue.
I have written a few articles updating my experience with fostering and expressed my concern with Ebby’s fear of everything and her tendency to act out, first, thank goodness, with a growl, and then if challenged, attempted biting. She did not exhibit this when kept in our grooming shop for she was probably happy to get attention. She had been a client of Linda’s and Linda knew she had to be muzzled to do her nails. Otherwise, she seemed docile. At our home, I put her immediately on a better diet-they fed Pedigree- and it still took a few weeks for her not to smell. I had to be increasingly aware of her moods (not to expect to pet her when she just woke up in the morning) letting her come to me for attention, and her temperament around the other dogs and the cats. During the second or third week she did bite Bob who had leaned over to pet her, and she broke the skin on his finger, and he had to be put on antibiotics because of his recent surgery. Now he was more anxious about her.
As the weather turned cooler, and because Ebby had been trimmed short in her first grooming, when she got another bath and cleanup, I had Linda put a Gold Paw (soft, comfortable coverup) on her as there was no way she was going to let me do it. I had a very difficult time with a harness, about which I gave up. (And I left the coverup on even when it got a little warmer.) A few days ago, it was raining. My gloves from Amazon arrived that are worn when working with a biter. I was very quiet and patient, but each time I tried, her vicious reaction increased in intensity until she finally managed to hurt my index finger through the glove, leaving a bruise. I gave up and took her out in the rain. She did let me cover her with a towel (as I had done before when it rained) and gently pat her dry.
The more comfortable she becomes in the house, and the more attached and possessive of me, she becomes more aggressive towards our pets and Zoey, who had loved playing with her but has not been interested in about ten days. Friday, the 19th of November, I spoke with Dr. Grant about Bob and my wariness of her (although when she plays with me, she is very gentle with my hands in her mouth) and my general frustration. He recommended putting her on medication which Bob picked up at Reef Pharmacy this morning. She got her first pill. Cross your fingers that this works. Otherwise, she may have to be put down, according to the shelter I called. No one wants a biter.
