Meet the Fosters: Lisa, Mark, Diego and kittens?

Some people are dog people. Some people are cat people. Some people think those categories are ridiculous: dogs and cats are both animals, right?

Diego, the Little Brown Dog, and kittens!

Lisa and Mark are animal people, and luckily for Hopalong, they're animal fosters! And they've reached the point where animals start coming to them, even on their days off- recently Mark was riding his bicycle many many miles away and found itty bitty kittens on the side of the road. Guess where those ended up? At last count, they'd fostered over twenty animals, including little guy, Enzo, for months and months while his leg healed. They've even got their son Gavin involved- current foster Diego is absolutely smitten with him!

We have a lot to learn from Mark, Lisa and Gavin: they're in it for the long haul and for the dirty work of fostering. Sometimes their animals have casts, sometimes the animals have nasty rashes that require dipping in stinky sulfur baths, and, as with this last batch of kittens, they're not always quite eating on their own. This work is exceptionally rewarding: casts come off, rashes go away and kittens start eating, but it's hard! Thanks to Lisa and Mark for bringing out the best in Hopalong animals!

Meet the Fosters- Tina and Chico!

When Tina signed up to foster dogs in May, we told her what we usually tell new fosters: fostering can last anywhere from a couple of weeks to a few months. We also told her that our Maddie's Pet Adoptathon event was right around the corner and that most of our dogs were likely to get adopted at this event.

We sent Tina home with Chico that month and now, over three months later, Chico is still with Tina. We can't quite figure out what the deal is: Chico is kind of a LBD (Little Brown Dog), but he's big enough that he is a "real dog" size. He's dog-selective: he doesn't love every dog he meets, and his terrier personality comes out around cats, but he is exceedingly smart and trainable, athletic enough to hike and adult and mellow around the house. At the Maddie's event, Tina taught him tricks that he learned on the spot- not an easy feat for a dog in such a highly stimulating environment!

It wasn't the easiest transition- transitions can often be difficult for both the human foster and the foster animal- Chico wasn't super into Tina's dog, Bella, but Tina was patient and Bella was persistent, and you can

see the results for yourself. Tina reports that Chico's leash walking and manners have improved, this LBD is a gem in the crate and has won over his temporary foster home who takes him for overnights. Every experience is different, and Chico reminds us that big challenges and big wins can come in little packages. Tina reports that she has learned a lot from fostering and is now a little worried about her next transition- when Chico finds his forever home!

Meet the Fosters- Deb, Jean and Mochi!

Today we're introducing a new feature: Meet the Fosters!

Deb and Jean are some of our devoted cat fosters. They foster cats, kittens and we can always count on them to foster some of our more challenging critters. Sometimes they even foster both.

Their current foster cat, Mochi, is deaf. No challenge is too big for Deb and Jean: Mochi was a little shy and, let's face it, strange at the beginning, so they did a bunch of research on working with deaf kittens and really helped her personality blossom.

One thing we can learn from Deb and Jean is some awesome bio writing skills. Here is the most recent update they send along about Mochi (feel free to pass on, as Mochi is eager to go to her new home!)

Mochi is sweet little cat who is deaf and needs a special forever home. Due to her disability, she has a heightened sense of the world around her, but it doesn't slow her down. She wants nothing more than to learn your routine, be a part of it and please you. Mochi lives for kisses on the top of her head, ear scratching and kitty treats. She'll be playing with her toys or watching the world go by and then be perched in her cat tree before you know it. Mochi gets along well with older, easy-going cats, not so much with kittens. If she had her way, Mochi would be an only child. She startles easily, so probably won't do well with dogs. Mochi says children are OK if they won't chase her. Once she learns to trust her forever family, she’ll become your darling little sidekick.