No adoption news yet...

[JackieMaya]

... but here is the latest update on the website for Hogan:

10/31/04: Hogan has become a good friend these last few months, and has made a lot of improvements. He is just the sweetest dog. I hope someone adopts Hogan soon, because the longer he is here, the more I like him!
He likes to follow me around the house, but sits and waits quietly when I am on the computer. He is a loyal dog that would love to be the center of attention (what Golden wouldn't?).
Hogan has plenty of puppy left in him and just needs someone to give him a chance. Meet him and you won't be disappointed!

I told the person at my home visit that I'm going to Florida this weekend, and she said that I would hear back "way before then." I'll be gone from Saturday until Wednesday, so hopefully I'll hear something before I leave.

I'll let you know when I hear anything.

[Guest Mutts4Me]

Good Luck :)

[Rowie-the-Pooh]

Ooooh can't wait! :D

[imported_Kat]

Waiting has got to be the hardest thing ever! Hopefully they will let you know and keep on at them if you don't hear back again soon :wink:

[kendalyn]

Wow this is taking forever! I don't know if I could be as patient as you're being!

I'd probably be planning covert operations to go snatch Hogan myself! :lol:

[JackieMaya]

I'm going to have a follow-up home visit tomorrow (Wednesday). They're a little concerned about whether Maya will accept another dog. So a different person is going to bring her male dog who she said is real laid back and if a dog growls or barks at him, he just kind of ignores them. And she talked with the dog behaviorist to see how best to introduce the three dogs. We're going to have her bring her dog in the back yard while my girls are in the house. Then I'll let Jackie out first and let her play with the other dog. Then I'll let Maya out and see how they all do (starting on a leash first).

Then on Friday I take the girls to "doggie camp" and from Saturday to Wednesday I'll be in Florida visiting my elderly uncle with my brother and sister-in-law. I get back around 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, and depending on when I get home, I might pick up the girls on Wednesday. But if they would only be home with me for like an hour, then I'll wait until Thursday.

Wish me luck!

[imported_Kat]

I just don't understand this concept of bringing a dog other than the one you are going to prospectively adopt. This dog may react differently to Maya than what Hogan will. At the end of the day the 2 dogs could get on great but whats important is that it should be Hogan that is brought with Maya and Jackie to a neutral location to see how they interact. Hogan may not get on with Maya even though the other dog may. I just don't get it why on earth they do it this way. In the UK when we do home visits we first check out the home itself where the dog will be living. After that the dog is brought to a neutral location with the adoptee's other dog(s) to determine how they interact and then the adopted dog is released for a 2 week trial (in most scenarios) to see how the dogs fare together at the actual house.

[JackieMaya]

Maya passed the home visit! The dog she brought was real laid back, and when Maya would start barking (not aggressive barking, just "Hi there, I want to play" barking) he just basically ignored her. He had the look on his face like "won't she ever shut up?" But it went great! She said that it would definitely have to be just the right dog to fit in there, but that they're not worried about Maya being aggressive. She's just enthusiastic, not aggressive.

So now I'll get calls from the foster parents and go from there. Once I find a dog (hopefully Hogan or Brutus) that we think will put up with Maya, I'll have several visits with the girls and the boy both at the foster home and at my home. They just got 7 new dogs into foster homes too that haven't been put up yet on their website.

So things are progressing!

[ESSlover]

Yay congrats on the home visit!!! Hope things start pickin up the pace :wink: :lol:

[JackieMaya]

Kat, to answer your question about why they don't bring the dog you want to adopt, I guess they just want to make sure that your dogs and home will be suitable before they move the foster dog around? I don't really know. Sometimes you don't get the dog you were really interested in because the personalities aren't right, or someone else gets them first, or whatever. I don't think that all rescues in the U.S. do it this way, but the one I'm going through is very thorough and really want to make sure that the dog who is being adopted will stay there for the rest of its life.

When I adopted Jackie and Maya (from a different rescue), I just called them up and told them who I was interested in, I went to see the dog the next day and brought them home.

Breed rescues tend to be much more thorough then non-breed rescues (like the one I got Jackie and Maya from).

[imported_Kat]

Thats great news to hear that you are moving along! :D

[Mutt_Lady]

I'm so happy to hear that the pace has quickened! I bet, to you, that felt like years. Hopefully the process will speed up and you will get your third dog. Good luck!