My Year of Meaningful (2011)

Obviously, something I would want to preserve for the future would be the long line of fosters we've had come through this house.

H and I volunteer for this animal welfare group called CorkAnimalFriends. It's a desperately necessary organization around these parts, as Ireland has a terrible stray dog epidemic. These crazy feckers don't realize you need to get your pets spayed and neutred... especially if (as they do) you just turn them loose out the front door devery day, let them run wild in the streets, and dont give a shit if they return at nighttime or not. Very much the typical Irish "pet owner". Don't even get me STARTED on the way they treat greyhounds over here.

When we arrived in Cork 3 years ago we were like: HOLYshit it's worse than africa. Stray dogs everywhere. THEN we learned about the "Cork SPCA" (in quotes, as in, if you even knew what went on behind these doors, you'd want to sic the the REAL SPCA (wherever there is one?) onto these imbesciles). If a dog is turned into this *supposed* "society for the prevention of cruelty to animals"... it's put down. Literally, within 24 hours. Even if it's WEARING A TAG. You go, guys. They seriously need to do an expose' on this torture institution.

I could go on. . . and on. . .

Right. CorkAnimalFriends. Literally a handful of decent people/families who volunteer to foster stray dogs while they wait to be rehomed (via word of mouth, internet, posters), and thus saving one more innocent life from the vicious pound. We've had some of the best dogs ever stay with us (1 at a time) for up to a couple months at a time. It's great stuff for Reilly, because BillyBob and Reggie are too boring to play with her during the day. Most of the foster dogs have really kept her well-entertained because normally they're wild and wooly strays with a lot of energy to burn, since they're used to being on the run.

For posterity's sake, here they are*:

Tucker: The most doscile, sweet, quiet dog ever. (Not exactly Reilly's type) He had a scruffy coat and a little beard. He was a Heinz 57 terrier variety, who never did anything wrong. A lucky family from Wexford drove all the way to Cork to adopt him, and when they were here checking him out, he just layed on the floor in front of them and slept. He was SUCH a good boy.

Nacho: Another terrier mix, probably part staffie. He was H's favorite. He had such a personality-- the stubby little legs and the pointy bat ears. He walked like a stout cop on the beat. More like, he "toddled". His little front legs were so stubby, that when he went downstairs, it was like: kaTHUNK, kaTHUNK... 2 legs at a time. He had a really silky coat and he used to growl and sing all the time-- this really weird gutteral noise that sounded like someone was killing a baby, somewhere in the distance (?!) He and Reilly were best mates. Some nice yuppie couple from the south side adopted him. I was glad they had another dog already, Toby. Toby had a really metro-sexual bejewelled collar.


Josie: Our friends Mark and Joanne adopted Josie and then chenged her name to Roxie. Whatever! She was really cute and bouncy and roly-poly. Reilly used to drag her around by the collar whenever they were playing. She could really take some abuse, and loved it. H still maintains "she didnt really have much of a personality". . . but that's because we just had gotten rid of Sgt. Nacho. I mean, HOW could you compete with that guy?



Lucky: This is who we have now. She's the sweetest puppy ever, and she was found dumped in a box in the city centre, in some nasty alleyway. She wasnt even weaned yet, and wouldnt eat for days-- well naturally, she was supposed to still be on her mommy. Anyway she's part boxer, but the only person who has been interested in adopting her yet changed her mind because. . . SHE HAS A TAIL. As in, "not boxer enough" for them. This really gets me so fired up I should stop now. At any rate, Lucky is so well behaved and sweet, she's about 16wks old now and SO SMART. She's going to have really beautiful tiger stripes when she grows up... her coat is this amazing, silky brindle coat. I love her to bits. she sleeps in your arms and she plays like a kamikaze with Reilly. These long, gangly boxer legs on such a tiny little puppy crack us up.
**Apologies to Mason the german shephard and Ally the springer spaniel who we never got photos of, but are both happy in their new homes anyway.

Everyone always says how good the whole concept of CAF is, but that they'd be too afraid of becoming attached to the foster dogs... I dunno, we never had that problem, I guess we are just in "foster mindset" and we actually HOPE they get adopted, because that's what it's all about? Whatever. My point is, there are so many wonderful mixed breed dogs out there with no families, and who run the risk of being put down, hit by a car, abused, burned on a bonfire (yes, a truly irish tradition in certain neighbourhoods), or otherwise made to suffer in some way.... all because there's a stray epidemic since PEOPLE DONT GET THEIR PETS NEUTRED.

I really want Lucky to find a home soon, she's growing fast and I really want some nice new owner to get the enjoyment of her true puppy phase. Not boxer enough. Hmmmph.
Most rehomed strays are middle-aged (the most common age to DUMP A DOG) and therefore it's REALLY hard to find a home for them. I just dont understand how people can be so obsessed with buying puppies . They HAVE to be a puppy, and they HAVE to be a "breed". (And as a side note, typically the older dogs don't have the same high-maintenance problems that puppies do-- chewing, miniature bladders, un-harnessable energy...) There are so many rescues out there, wonderful dogs FREE to a good home, and you get good karma to boot!!