Missy the Foster Dog

07/24/2022

Hey there! My tail is going so fast just at the thought of you. I can't help it -- I love people. I'm really good with kids too.

If you've seen my posts before, you might remember me, an affectionate, playful, and energetic dog available for adoption in Kalamazoo, southwest Michigan.

Although I haven't posted for a while, my people have been talking to potential adopters. Some of the discussions fizzled out (maybe I wasn't what they were looking for), but I got to meet another great family! They loved me too. Actually, everyone who has met me loves me, but not all their dogs love me. Their dog was 12 years old, timid, and not really playful. Apparently I scared him when I was only trying to get him to play the way other dogs play with me. So, that didn't work out, but the family found a puppy that didn't scare their dog, so it worked out for them.

Do you remember my post about a 16-year-old, 8-pound toy poodle that spent a couple of days with us? I was sad to see him leave, but I got to go and visit him! As you can see in the video, I can do well with older dogs and even small dogs as long as they like to play. I adapt my play style to their size and energy, just as I do with people.

So, why haven't I been adopted yet? The challenge has been finding a family that can meet my challenges. First, I need a fenced yard big enough for me to do my zoomies. I need to be able to run at full speed to burn off my energy, and having a fenced yard is the only way I can do this safely. Second, I need someone who can continue the training my foster family has been doing with me. They've helped me a lot (I didn't even know how to walk on a leash when I came here), but they haven't had time to help me stay calm on walks when I see a cat and especially another dog. Third, I need a healthy diet and supplements to keep my coat healthy and to prevent it from going back to the dull, patchy, and itchy condition it was in. Fortunately, the mid-quality food and supplements I'm on now aren't expensive. I need an adopter who understands the importance of good nutrition for a dog's health and will make sure I get what I need to stay healthy.

If you haven't seen my posts before, please please go to my page, like and follow it, and share my posts. Every like, follow, and share helps my posts get in front of more people. One of these people is going to be my adopter. If you think I might be the dog you're looking for, you'll find lots of information in my past posts, and my people will be happy to talk to you about me.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTf66rvVlD0

Missy (the black and white dog) is an adoptable foster dog in Kalamazoo, Michigan. For more information or to talk to her people, see these pages:https://www...

05/15/2022

I went hiking!

I haven't posted for a while, so for those who don't know or remember me, I'm Missy, an affectionate and energetic foster dog in Kalamazoo, with the rescue group A Place for Paws Animal Rescue. I started my own page to help me find a forever family that's a great match. I have so much to offer -- I'll love you and your kids of all ages, I'll entertain you when you play with me, I'll help you exercise your body and your mind as you meet my needs, and I'll snuggle with you while we watch TV together. Yes, I like watching TV! If you have another playful dog, that's even better -- I really really like most other dogs. Cats are another story, though. My people say that I can't live with cats.

Anyway, the hike was just a wooded area with a steep ravine in the middle and a park on the other side. I love going anywhere -- I need to get out and experience the world -- but being with nature is the BEST.

An interesting thing happened when we got to the ravine. We were off the main trail, and the path down the ravine was very steep, with loose soil. No problem for me -- I can easily bound up and down hills. But my foster mom was trying to figure out how to get down that loose slope without me pulling her as I raced down it.

It's easy to say that I'm smart, but it's better to show you how smart I am. I became even smarter when I had a litter of puppies in my past life. I'm spayed now, so those days are over, but I remember what it's like to watch out for what others need and to take care of them. My foster mom watches out for me, but at that moment, she needed me to watch out for her. I went down the steep descent a couple of feet, waited for her to get good footing and take a couple of steps, went a little further down the slope and waited, and so on, until we reached the bottom of the ravine.

My foster mom was thrilled with me, and she wanted me to tell everyone how amazing I was. I have my challenges, especially when I get overexcited on walks, but I'm also pretty special. That's what my people say.

Would you like to find out more about me, an amazing adoptable foster dog in Kalamazoo? You can read all my posts on my page, and if you're still interested, my people would love to hear from you. You can email them at [email protected] or contact them through my page.

03/31/2022

Remember me? I'm that talkative foster dog in Kalamazoo, Michigan, with my own page to try to find my ideal forever family.

My people and I have been busy. We met another potential adopter! They brought their dog with them, and I was excited even while he was still in their vehicle. I was so distracted by him that I couldn't really focus on the people. My people liked them, so I'm sure they were nice. However, when they let their dog out of the vehicle, he didn't share my enthusiasm. I admit my exuberance can be too much for some dogs at first.

This dog used to have two other dogs in his family, but one died, and the other one moved away with his person. His people said that he loved playing with other dogs, but he hadn't been around other dogs much recently. First he barked at me, and then he got interested but wanted to keep some distance. Eventually he decided that I was OK, and we had a great time playing together.

Then it came up that where he lived, the fence was an invisible fence. That sounds fun! You just have to ignore the mild electric shock you get from crossing an invisible line, and you can go anywhere. Apparently most dogs don't ignore it, but they probably aren't as impulsive and prey-driven as I am. Even if I stayed in the yard, I'd get to chase the cats that sometimes cross that line, and without a fence for them to climb, I'd finally catch one. I can sprint fast! And with my ability to get collars off because of my thick neck, I wouldn't even have to worry about that electric shock after I got the invisible fence collar off. My people talked about it and thought about it, and they decided that an electric fence isn't a good option for me.

The visit showed how much I've changed. When I first came to my foster home, I was uncertain about other dogs and took a while to warm up to them, like this other dog did with me. On walks, I reacted badly when I saw other dogs even from a distance. Now, I'm ready to meet other dogs at my place as soon as I see them. I still react to other dogs on walks, but now it's just an excited reaction, and it isn't as strong as before. My people want me to be calm on walks. I'm not there yet, but I'm making progress. All the play dates and meet and greets have helped a lot.

My people also talked to some other potential adopters, but none of them has come to meet me, at least not yet. So, I’m still available for adoption.

Are you wondering if I might be an ideal dog for you? I'm smart, as you can see from my posts. I'm affectionate -- I love to give and receive affection, and no day is complete without some snuggling time. I'm playful. When we're in our yard, I’ll plead with you to throw a toy or a stick for me to chase, and then I'll entertain you as I shake it and zoom around the yard with it. I'm energetic too. I have to get in my zoomies most days, and if I don't have another dog in the family to play with (I'd LOVE to live with another dog), I need play dates to help me burn off some energy and keep up my social skills. Walks are also important, of course, and not just for the exercise. I didn't get to see much of the world in my first two years, and now I crave seeing new places and having new experiences.

If you've read my other posts, you also know that I'm great with kids of all ages and that I like watching TV. I'm no couch potato, but I enjoy some quiet family time, especially in the evenings.

The biggest challenges in finding a forever home for me are that I need a fenced yard and someone to continue my training to help me walk well on leash. When I said that I sometimes have excited reactions on leash, I wasn't exaggerating. Until I learn never to lunge and try to get to whoever catches my attention, my person also needs to be able to control me in these situations. My foster mom isn't very big, and she can control me, but I might be too much for people with physical challenges.

Because of my history of skin problems, I also need someone who will feed me only quality food as well as the supplements I need to maintain my health. My foster mom won’t feed pets anything with animal by-products or corn, for example. It takes a little research to distinguish the pet foods with questionable ingredients from the better pet foods. Fortunately, medium quality food still isn't expensive. I have to agree with her on this even though I'll eat just about anything. Compared to when I first came here, I look and feel so much better. I don't want to go back to itchy skin, a dull and patchy coat, and eyes that don't shine. Quality food keeps me healthy and looking and feeling like the dog I've become.

I'm ready for more adventures. Are you interested in sharing your life with me? My people would love to talk with you, and you can reach them at [email protected].

03/25/2022

03/17/2022

My foster dad is the best! I hope my forever family is as good to me.

Yup, I’m a foster dog, as those of you who are following me online know. For the longest time, only a few potential adopters had asked about me, but no one had even come to meet me. So, I started my own page to help people find me, an adoptable dog in southwest Michigan, and to learn more about me. You wonderful people have liked, commented on, and shared my page and posts so much that I’ve now had three potential adopters meet me. Woo hoo!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t the right match for any of them. The first two really liked me but decided on a dog that was a better fit with their family, and with the third one, the family dog didn’t like me. I’m not offended – I can be picky about other dogs too. But somewhere out there is my future forever family, and I can’t wait to meet them.

Anyway, a few weeks ago, my foster dad went away for a couple of days. When he came back, I was excited to see him, of course, but he wasn’t alone – he brought home a puppy for me! That is, that eight-pound toy poodle looked like a puppy. As those of you who have been following me know, I was a mama once. When I was found, my teats were full of milk, so I know all about taking care of puppies.

This puppy didn’t need milk, but apparently he needed me. He followed me everywhere, and he kept trying to jump on me and play with me like my puppies did. I lay on the rug and played with him the way I used to play with my puppies. I admit that he got annoying at times, and it must have shown in my eyes because my foster parents would then pick him up and hold him in their lap for a while to give me a break. But he was my puppy! When they did that, I would rest my head on their knee so that I could gaze at this adorable present.

My foster mom and dad talked about how a relative was in the hospital and they were taking care of his dog for him until he could go home. So that was it. Oh well. They were amazed at how well this dog was doing because he was 16 years old. Sixteen! I can’t count that high. Still, he was a puppy to me.

They were thrilled at how well I did with my puppy. After all, I play pretty roughly with dogs my size and bigger. But this dog was a tiny dog. Of course I was careful with him, just as I am with human kids (I have a post about that). What else would you expect from a dog that has been a mama?

A couple of days later, my foster dad got in the car to go somewhere again, and my foster mom put my puppy in the car with him. She made sure that I saw her doing that so that I would understand that my puppy was going with him.

I’ll admit that life has been more relaxing without that puppy, but I missed him. But I’m glad I got the chance to show my people how good I am with little dogs and that I know how to adjust my behavior depending on who I’m playing with.

Do you have little dogs or little people who’d like to have a 50-pound motherly dog join your family? There’s lots more to me than that, of course. If you follow the Missy the Foster Dog link, you can read my other posts. You’ll see that I’m affectionate, playful, smart, and energetic. And, of course, good with kids. I do need a fenced yard to get in my zoomies, and I need someone who can help me with my on-leash challenges and help me get plenty of exercise and mental stimulation. In return, you’ll get tons of love, and I promise to entertain you too.

If you want to ask about me or meet me, you can reach my people at this email address: [email protected].

03/13/2022

I met another potential adopter! We had a great time together. Then he disappeared and came back with...another dog. Woo hoo! I was excited to see her.

For those who don’t know me, I'm an adoptable foster dog in Kalamazoo, southwest Michigan. You can read lots more about me by following the "Missy the Foster Dog" link.

Unfortunately, the other dog wasn't excited to see me. When she barked at me, I barked right back at her. That's how I roll, er, bark. I get along with a lot of dogs as long as I’m not on leash when I meet them, but if they bark at me, I bark too. Except the neighbors' dogs, that is. I ignore them when they bark at me.

Our people tried to get us used to each other, but it wasn't going to happen. :( I really liked the man, but apparently his dog and I weren't a match.

Did you notice that the other dog was female? My people thought that perhaps I didn't like other female dogs based on past situations, but they weren't sure. I’ve now shown that I do like some female dogs. Of course not all other dogs like me, and I don't like all other dogs. Come on, do you like all other humans? Of course not.

Do any of you helpful people in the Kalamazoo area have a playful female dog that I could meet? I love play dates with dogs I get along with, and I'd love to be able to show everyone how well I do with some female dogs. We'll meet through the fence first, and if that doesn't go well, we won't be in the fenced yard together. But I know that with at least some of the female dogs out there, it'll go great.

‘‘‘

In each of my posts, I've shared some of my past experiences and what I'm like. Let's recap now.

I'm an adorable adoptable black and white female, about 3 years old, spayed, and 50+ pounds. I'm smart, affectionate, high energy, playful, housebroken, and crate trained -- I sleep in my crate at night and nap in it during the day. I'm great with kids, and we have photos to prove it.

Because of my urge to chase cats and the skin and coat problems I’ve had, my people want to find me a forever home that doesn’t have cats and where I’ll be fed only quality food and the supplements I need to stay healthy.

I need to run, run, run! I love doing zoomies almost every day, and when I'm not zooming around the yard, I enjoy chasing toys and running to the gate to see what's going on. My need to run and spend hours outside most days is why my foster family is looking for a forever family with a fenced yard. I’m also mentally active – I love going places, meeting new people, and smelling new smells. Sometimes I stand by the gate and look longingly out at the world because no matter how big the yard is, I want to experience more. Car rides are great -- especially when we're going to a park or somewhere that we can get more exercise. Did I mention that I'm energetic?

I love activity. If you have lots of people in the house, I'll enjoy spending time with all of them. I want to be part of whatever is going on. I like spending time with other dogs I get along with too. I'm usually calm in the house, and I like watching TV with my people, especially when animals are on TV.

Speaking of people, I'm really good at reading you guys. I know what you're thinking and feeling, and I respond to your energy. You'll be impressed at how good I am at that. :)

My superpower is getting out of most collars. Because of my thick, muscular neck, I learned early in life that if a collar is holding me back, I can wiggle and roll and get my head out of most of them. When my foster mom put a halter on me, I got out of that in just a few seconds too.

My foster parents use a martingale collar or a harness for me when we go anywhere, and I've never gotten out of either of those. But when I want to get at something and they're holding me back, I remember how I got what I wanted before, and I might lunge, strain, twist, and so on to try to get loose. I'm good at it! But even though it's my superpower, my foster parents are not impressed. They've tried to teach me to stay calm and walk next to them on walks, but when I see a cat or another dog or a deer, I get worked up and forget everything else. They haven't had time to work with me consistently on this, so they're looking for an adopter who can help me stay calm on walks. You're probably thinking that I'm so sweet that I couldn't be like that, right? Well, I am sweet almost all the time, but on walks, I can be a handful.

Since I love treats, it's usually easy to motivate me to do what you want. I'd love to learn more. Did I mention how agile I am? If you're looking for an agility dog, we could have fun doing agility together. Or running together. Or playing fetch. I need quiet time too, though, including snuggle time together.

Do I sound like we might be a match? My people would love to talk with you. Here's our email address: [email protected].

To help me find my forever family, I invite you to like, comment on, and share my page and posts. Thank you!

03/07/2022

People are great! And you guys are the best. :)

In my quest as an adoptable dog to find a forever family, I asked in my last post if I could meet kids so that I could show everyone how good I am with them. Three families responded! I was thrilled. I would've loved to meet all of them, but only one of the families was in my city, Kalamazoo. The others were a little too far away to get to easily, but I was so happy to know about them. I got to meet the Kalamazoo family on Saturday.

As you can see from the photos, I did great with the 10-year-old and 8-year-old boys AND with the toddler. I moved more carefully around all the kids but especially the toddler because he was so small.

The two older boys and the parents gave me lots of love, and they tossed sticks and toys for me to chase. I love chasing toys! After I retrieve them, I'd rather play tug of war than give them back -- that's fun too. But sometimes I drop them so that people can throw them again for me. Even the toddler tried to play with me by offering me a stick.

I don't think my tail stopped wagging the whole time. What a marvelous family! They even talked about how they would've liked to adopt me if they didn't already have two dogs and other things going on. They told my foster parents right at the beginning that they were welcome to take photos for me to use with a post.

So, now we can say -- with photo evidence -- that I am great with kids. Of course I expect the adults to supervise and teach the kids not to do things that could hurt me, but I was a mom too, remember? I've had puppies crawl all over me and do annoying things, so little things don't bother me.

I would love to become part of a forever family. I enjoy adults, kids, playful male dogs of all sizes and maybe some other dogs, and lots of exercise and other activity. I also enjoy watching TV with my family when we're relaxing -- one of my posts is about that. Because of all you guys who shared my posts, my people have talked to TWO potential adopters in the past week. The first one sounded great. She even knew how to help me with my leash issues! She didn't have a fenced yard, though, and I need lots of running-around time. We haven't met the other one yet, but he's still a possibility. I'm hopeful that one of these days, I'll get to meet my forever family.

Would you like to meet me or find out more about me? You can reach me at [email protected]. You can also click on the "Missy the Foster Dog" link to read more posts about me, see more photos, and get to my Petfinder profile.

I hope you'll continue to like my posts, like and follow my page, and comment on and share my posts. I'm sure that with your help, I'm going to find my forever family. Thank you!

03/02/2022

Hey friends! I haven't posted for a week because I met this nice couple who were looking for a dog to join them and their two young children. Well, long story short, I'm still available for adoption. And if you want to help and you have kids, please keep reading.

For those who haven't seen my posts before, I'm a foster dog in Kalamazoo, southwest Michigan, looking for a forever home. I post every few days to tell you a little more about myself so that you can help me find my forever family. If you click on my "Missy the Foster Dog" link, you can read more of my posts.

I would've loved to become part of that nice couple's family. They had a fenced yard, a stay-at-home mom who likes going for walks, a dad who has experience training dogs, and two little kids to play with. The kids weren't with them, so I didn't get to meet them, but the parents were super friendly with me. Actually, the dad was handling me in different ways and doing things that might be annoying to some dogs, to see if I showed any signs of discomfort or aggression. And I was completely comfortable with all of it. They loved me! And I loved them. I was sad to see them leave.

Yesterday they sent this message to my people: "After much consideration we have decided to go with a puppy for now. With every older dog we meet we worry about how they will interact with the kids and the best way to know that is to get a puppy. I think Missy is a great dog and I hope she finds a family of her own soon. Thank you for letting us meet her. I will absolutely put the word out on her to anyone looking for a great dog." My foster mom asked if I could share this in a post, and they said yes.

I know they had nothing to worry about with me, but they're the parents, and they made the decision that was best for their family. A lucky puppy is going to get to live with them.

My people have decided that we need to be able to really show prospective adopters how good I am with kids. Since I came to my foster family, I haven't had any interactions with children except once, when I was on a walk with my foster mom and met an 8-year-old boy. I stood calmly and let him pet me. He was so sweet! I've also met teenagers while I was on a walk, and I was happy to meet them too.

The way I play with other dogs is also informative. With dogs my size or bigger, I like to play roughly. We tear around the yard, roll around together, and do things like that. But when I play with a small dog, I'm gentle and careful, like I was when I had my own babies. I know how to adjust my behavior depending on who I'm playing with.

Some of you who read my posts might be wondering how you can help. You're already helping by liking, commenting on, and sharing my posts. All those actions help increase their reach.

If you have kids, here's another way you can help. My people want me to meet and interact with kids of various ages, starting with kids about 8-12 years old and working down from there. If we can get the interactions on video, that's even better. You can bring your kids here (I live a little south of downtown Kalamazoo) and meet me through the chain link fence first, so that you can see that I'm completely friendly. Or my foster parents can bring me to your home. We want to meet and spend a little time together so that people can see how great I am with kids. To make people feel safer, we'll leave my leash on so that you can take hold of it if you feel any concern.

After I've shown how great I am with 8-12-year-olds, we can meet with 5-7-year-olds and go down in age from there. I understand how a parent wouldn't want to put their 4-year-old with me when they don't know me. But if they can first see videos of me behaving well with kids that are a little older, it'll be clear that I'm good with kids. I was once a mom myself, so I get it.

Who has kids who can help me? I promise I'll be good, and the kids will enjoy the experience too. :)

Here's the email address for me and my people: [email protected].

02/23/2022

Thanks, you guys! You've liked, shared, and commented on my last post so much that it's reached almost 1,600 people. Wow! One of these times, it's going to reach the person who is going to adopt me.

In fact, another person asked about me yesterday. Woo hoo! While we're waiting to hear more about that, let's continue here. I'm still available for adoption.

If you're new to my page, I'm a foster dog in Kalamazoo, Michigan. My rescue group, A Place for Paws Animal Rescue, is taking care of me, and we're trying to find me a forever home. I got the idea to create my own page and post regularly so that more people find out about me. With your help, it's working. :)

I know I can count on people to help me. My first memory of this part of my life is when I was suddenly alone one cold dark evening on a road I didn't know. I was in front of a small police station in a residential area, but the police officers weren't outside. Then I saw a young man walking along the road. A person! I knew he'd help me, so I followed him home.

He brought me into his house, and I showed him and his mom how friendly and affectionate I am. I impressed them. :) They weren't impressed when I tried to chase their cats, so the mom took the strap off her purse to use as a leash. That kept me from getting at the cats. I didn't really mind -- I was so happy to be where people were taking care of me.

The mom posted about me in a Facebook group about lost and found pets, and a little while later, another woman came in her car and took me to her house. I didn't know how to get in her car at first, but I figured it out. It turned out that this woman was my new foster mom, and her husband was my new foster dad. They got a crate ready for me -- my new lair! -- and they had a gate up to keep me and their cats apart.

The next day, my foster parents and other volunteers started trying to find my family. It was more urgent than with most found dogs because my teats were full of milk. Yes, I was a mom, and I had babies out there somewhere. I wasn't anxious about them, so my foster parents thought my babies were probably old enough to be without me. Still, they didn't know, so they did everything they could. During the next 30 days, they reported me to Animal Control, posted about me online, took me for walks in different areas, looked for listings about puppies that could possibly be mine, put up posters about me, and even took me back to the police station where I'd started following the young man home. The police officers didn't know anything about me, though. :( After the 30-day stray hold was up and my family wasn't found, I officially became a foster dog with A Place for Paws Animal Rescue.

When I first came to my foster family, my coat was dull and rough, and I had several small bare spots on my back. My foster parents fed me good food and supplements, and within a few weeks, my bare spots filled in and my coat grew shiny and soft. They had a fenced yard for me to run and play in, and they gave me lots of love and snuggling time. Life was good, and I could feel that it was going to get better.

After my milk dried up, my foster mom found a large mammary tumor (you can see it in the photo I'm sharing today) next to one of my front teats, so they had to get that removed in addition to getting me spayed. Weeks later, they had raised enough money through generous people like you, and I had my surgery to remove the tumor and get spayed. The hardest part was that I couldn't run around in the yard until my stitches were out. Ten whole days! I ran enough after that to make up for it. I LOVE to run and play.

I discovered that I also love car rides. Going places is great! It's even better if I get to go for a walk when we go somewhere. Speaking of walks, my foster family found out that I didn't really know how to walk on a leash. They've been helping me, but it's hard to remember what to do when I'm excited. They also learned that while I have great fun playing with a lot of dogs, I don't react well to other dogs while I'm on leash. They've talked about how they could help me with this if they had more time, but they're already doing as much as they can. I would like to be good around other dogs while on leash, and I hope my forever family can help me with this. As you saw in my last post, I'm GREAT with a lot of dogs on play dates. Dogs aren't the problem.

Now, here I am still, ready to love you and entertain you, my forever family. I shouldn't be in a home with cats, but I can live with another playful dog or with just me and you as long as you arrange some play dates for me. I'll bring you joy every day with me in your life.

Would you like to meet me or find out more about me? Here's my email address: [email protected].