HELP!

It is no secret… I love coming up with creative names for my fosters. In fact, it is one of my favorite parts of fostering, right behind getting updates from their new homes, taking their photos, watching them grow, getting kisses, cuddling… okay, so there are a lot of things I love. But, naming is up there. Sadly, however, I just cannot seem to put my finger on names that are good enough for these two perfect angels.

Bert and Ernie
Tom and Jerry
Mario and Luigi
Peanut and Butter
Cliff and Norm
hmmm….. nothing seems quite enduring enough.

They are from a litter of seven and came to us on Saturday. For weeks, friends have been trying to get them out of a rough situation. Mom has lived outside, chained to a tree for over SEVEN years. She has a sad little shelter and is not spayed. Six weeks ago, in the freezing weather, she delivered a litter of puppies. These tiny little fighters survived several snow storms and temperatures in the teens. But, without any barriers up, they started venturing into the street. After a lot of finagling and many brave acts by some animal lovers… the owners agreed to give them up. Five of them made it into rescue and a good Samaritan took the other two.

There is a huge size difference in the puppies. The largest is a black female with tan markings. She weighs almost five pounds. The smallest are my two little guys, at just over 2.5 pounds each. With this size difference and the fact that their bellies are so filled with worms that they have a hard time walking, we split the litter in two so that we could give them extra care. We are paying special attention to their behavior and hoping for the best. Worms can be very dangerous, even deadly at this fragile age.

Saturday was the first time they experienced the warmth of a home and the love of people. Yet, they may be the most affectionate puppies I have ever met. As soon as I enter the bathroom (their make-shift mansion at the moment), they can’t wait to be picked up and loved on. We are uncertain of their exact breeds. But, they appear to be a big mix with some Lab, Boxer, Rottie and maybe some Shepherd.

But, while these little guys are finally safe (although not completely out of the woods), Mom is still on her very short chain, outside, alone. She will stay there until her owners surrender her willingly or the law recognizes that dogs deserve better. There is an ordinance being proposed in Forsyth County as we speak. With any luck, the ordinance will pass and Mom will experience freedom for the first time. For more information, visit http://www.unchainforsyth.org/nforsyth.org/.

Until we can do more, we will focus on giving her babies the best life we can. So… what are we going to call these little loves?