Fostering Puppy Love :: Gracie Lou (Sweet Pea)

So after finding Roxie the most perfect family to share her happily ever after with last month, the Poz Palace took a short break from fostering.  But it was inevitable – the puppy love bug bit me hard again!  I saw a fellow BARCS volunteer post about this beautiful blue pit that was scared and shy, but super sweet.  The very next morning, I went to BARCS to walk some dogs, and to meet this little beauty.  After taking her for a short walk and indulging her with a few treats, I could see that she was extremely scared being in the shelter, and needed a safe home to gain some confidence and soak up some love.  That very day I decided our break from fostering was over.  I told Poz that she was coming home with me, and like the amazing husband that he is, said ok, I’ll get the crate ready.  Before even bringing her home, I decided that as wonderful as the name Sweet Pea was, that I was going to be calling her something else.  The name Gracie was stuck in my head, and fellow photographer, Natalie, suggested Lou as her middle name!  So Gracie Lou was headed out of the shelter life, and would soon know just how lucky she was.

I brought Gracie Lou home, walked her with Holly Pancetta, and they seemed to get along fine.  I thought that she was going to be our first “normal” foster – no “situations”, no medical attention, no starving dog to fatten up.  HA!  Well that afternoon,  Gracie started to show signs of being sick, and by the end of the night, she had a fever, was coughing a lot, had trouble breathing and wouldn’t eat or drink anything.  Long story short, Gracie had developed full blown pneumonia, and had to be hospitalized for 6 days, 4 of those being in an emergency facility.  We were so scared that she wasn’t going to make it, but with the help of lots of prayers from our friends and family, the little nugget pulled through, and finally was able to come home with us again last Monday afternoon.   This pic is when I picked her up from the ER – as miserable as she was, she perked up and gave me a kiss!!

She has undergone lots of IV fluids,  meds, and nebulizer treatments, and is finally starting to act like a normal puppy with some energy!  She has been quite the adorable snuggle puppy, and loves to be close to me.  She’s currently sharing my desk chair with me as I work  🙂

So I’m sure you’ll be seeing much more about Miss Gracie Lou on the bloggity blog!

A BIG shoutout to everyone who contributed to Gracie (Sweet Pea’s) Chip-In to help defray her emergency medical care costs.  BARCS has a special account – the Franky Fund – which can be used in this type of situation, but Gracie’s medical bills totalled over $2,000.  So THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for helping us help our foster child!    Also a big thanks to everyone who participated in my mini-sessions this past Saturday – all of the session fee is also going towards Gracie/Sweet Pea’s bills!

And one last big thanks to the staff at the Frederick Road Veterinary Hospital and at the Emergency Veterinary Clinic in Catonsville, who took such good care of Gracie/Sweet Pea.  The receptionist at Frederick Road, Vivian, earns a huge gold star in my book, as she let us borrow her sons nebulizer so that we could give Gracie these treatments.  I truly believe the nebulizer played a huge part in her getting better so quickly!

Much Love,  tPoz   (and Gracie Lou!)

Please consider fostering.  
You will literally be saving an animal’s life.
Visit these websites for fostering opportunities:

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COMMENTS:

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  1. Kara Coleen says:

    I think its so wonderful that you do this! I’ve always believed that the key to a happy life is being kind to children and animals. 🙂

  2. […] of them with their two pitties, Java+Kane. He had heard that I was doing mini-sessions to benefit my foster dog, Sweet Pea (Gracie Lou), who had been hospitalized with pneumonia. What a great two-fer, to get a great family portrait and […]

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