April 12, 2025

When we lived in western Wisconsin a couple years ago, we got involved in fostering homeless rescue dogs. It was a challenging and rewarding experience. Over approximately a year and a half, we fostered 15 rescue dogs. Sometimes we had 2 at a time but mostly one puppy at a time to foster. We worked with Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue in the Hudson/Somerset area of western Wisconsin.

There was one occasion that we took in a mom and eight 6-week-old puppies on a temporary fostering situation. This family had been rescued from some terrible situation in one of the southern states. The transporter from down south drove them north, meeting the relief transporter mid-way between the southern state and Somerset, Wisconsin, where the main rescue shelter of Coco’s Heart Dog Rescue is located. We met the transporter around 10:30 that night at Coco’s Heart facility. The nine of them were frightened and confused. Millie was in one kennel and the pups were in another one. That in itself was difficult for the dogs.

We were called early in the evening to see if we would be willing to be a temporary foster until a permanent foster family could be found to nurture this family in crisis. Of course, we said “yes.” We had never fostered such a large family before and weren’t really equipped to take on such a challenge. But I’m resourceful and creative. We made it happen.

Coco’s Heart supplied everything that we needed for fostering – blankets, kennels, food, food dishes, toys, peep pads, lengths of dog fencing, and any other items that might be needed. We took four lengths of wire fencing, strung the sections together with alligator clips. We constructed this in the dining room. This was our fostering area since it joined the kitchen and had the sliding glass door to the back yard. We planned to eventually replace the cheap flooring so that was not an issue if we needed to clean up after the puppies.

As far as the outside situation, it was the middle of winter. Scott had shoveled high piles of snow around a large area in the backyard to act as the confined area for the puppies. We didn’t have a fenced yard, so this worked well – until spring when the piles started to melt. We were all set for the family to join us.

The enclosure was for the eight little ones with easy access to the backyard. In the enclosure, we had their kennel, bedding, pee-pads, and water. Momma Millie had her own kennel outside the enclosure. She looked overwhelmed and exhausted and seemed to welcome the separation. We also had another foster dog at the time, Alex, a white and tan pit-bull/terrier mix. Alex was about 8 months old, well-behaved, housebroken, and calm. He was curious and seemed respectful of these new houseguests.

By the time we got all the dogs settled, it was nearly midnight. The big dogs need to go outside to do their business. Scott took Millie and Alex out the sliding back door to the backyard. It was dark out even with the porch light on. The puppies started barking in unison because they could no longer see their mommy. One little puppy started nosing at the bottom of the fencing connection point nearest the open sliding glass door.

I was in the process of closing the door when out of the corner of my eye I could see a little black and white pooch nose through the opening as the alligator clip popped off and flew out the door leaving a good size opening for the first little puppy to nose through. Quickly, I jumped outside and kneeled on the step at the door and pushed him back inside, just and another one slipped out and dashed around my spread elbow determined to find her mom. I grabbed her and put her further into the dining room. Now, there were two running furiously around me at the door entrance, trying to get outside. Then the circus began as the rest of them found their way out of the enclosure through other clipped areas, alligator clips popped and flew across the room in different directions as the little ones scampered into the open room heading for the open door and me.

Remember the episode in “I Love Lucy” where Lucy and her friend were filling candy boxes from a conveyor belt, and Lucy couldn’t keep up with the speed of the candies coming down the belt? That was me on the floor at the sliding glass door opening, trying to push puppies back inside. Puppies were yipping, Momma and Alex were barking, and I was laughing. Scott couldn’t tell if I was crying or laughing and what was me laughing or the dogs barking. Oh, for a video camera at that point. I just couldn’t keep up with the speed of those determined little guys. Of course, it was really dark outside. I was afraid that if any puppies got outside, we might never find them. That probably wasn’t an issue because they wanted to be with Mom, so they wouldn’t have gone far. I didn’t want to take a chance on it. I gradually started edging back into the house as I kept pushing puppies further inside and away from the door. I yelled at Scott to get the door slid shut as my feet cleared the opening. At last, all the puppies were pushed back inside and, in their kennel, while I tried to figure out a better way to hook together the pet fencing other than with alligator clips or maybe more alligator clips. And that’s what we did. If we ever do that type of fostering again, it would have to be with a better enclosure that fencing held together with alligator clips. Flying alligator clips can be dangerous.

Those little guys surely were fun to watch and hold. We only had them for a few days until a permanent foster was found. A few days were long enough.

We are going to be fostering again. This time we are taking on a little pit-bull pup that will be just out of heart surgery. We will pick him up next week. This is a new challenge. I’m looking forward to helping this little guy.