# The Amazing, Athletic, Adorable Alma! (Foster dog)



## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I drove my friends dogs home (the ones visiting for a few weeks to let the new parents adjust to having an infant) and in a fit of insanity on the way back, picked up this sweet girl as a foster. Don't worry, it wasn't truly impulsive, she'd already met Chester and I was going to get her in a few days. 

Without further ado, here's Alma!


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## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

Beautiful I hope she finds a great home. On a side note. I love the water front. One of my favorite places to talk a walk with the dogs.


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

Yet another beautiful girl. Is it just the pictures or does she have what kinda looks like cherry eye?


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

Oh look at her cute little buns.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Damon'sMom said:


> Beautiful I hope she finds a great home. On a side note. I love the water front. One of my favorite places to talk a walk with the dogs.


Thank you. And it was a very lovely day on the waterfront, cool and breezy and many people but not many dogs. Lots of construction but not to the point of being annoying. 



dagwall said:


> Yet another beautiful girl. Is it just the pictures or does she have what kinda looks like cherry eye?


Yep, cherry eye in both eyes. Vet says it should be minor to fix with only a week or so recovery. 



sassafras said:


> Oh look at her cute little buns.


She's a muscular little thing. We're calling her a "low rider" because she's about half the height of Chester but all lean muscle to her.


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## MyCharlie (Nov 4, 2007)

Gah! She is gorgeous!! I adore that silver /blue color.


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## zeronightfarm (Jun 15, 2011)

Dan't girl, what you gonna do with all the junk, all that junk inside that trunk! Man what a back side!


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## Vicky88 (Jan 29, 2012)

She is lovely. Looks like the pool is a big hit.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Pretty girl and a gorgeous color.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

I loved the video! "Oh, pool, I love you! I love you sooooo much!"


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

Another beautiful little pittie!


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

First trip to the big park today, she did very well. Even walking nicely on the leash within a few minutes...except when she saw squirrels. Oh boy does she want to chase squirrels! 


























She ignored other dogs from a distance and was only mildly interested in people passing by. She totally missed seeing a deer that was only about 20 feet away and was staring right at us-- she had her nose buried in some plants for serious sniffing time


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## packetsmom (Mar 21, 2013)

Look at all that muscle...and that coat color! What a beautiful girl.


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## Hambonez (Mar 17, 2012)

That is too cute! Imagine what she'd do in a full sized pool?? I wish Hamilton liked the water. The best we've gotten to is "not fight desperately when having bath" and "it's ok to have wet feet at the beach!"


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Hambonez said:


> That is too cute! Imagine what she'd do in a full sized pool?? I wish Hamilton liked the water. The best we've gotten to is "not fight desperately when having bath" and "it's ok to have wet feet at the beach!"


Yeah, that's about how Chester is with water. He will now wade up to his knees if it is a hot day.

Alma, however, LOVES water.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Shell said:


> First trip to the big park today, she did very well. Even walking nicely on the leash within a few minutes...except when she saw squirrels. Oh boy does she want to chase squirrels!
> 
> 
> She ignored other dogs from a distance and was only mildly interested in people passing by. She totally missed seeing a deer that was only about 20 feet away and was staring right at us-- she had her nose buried in some plants for serious sniffing time


So she's Kabota's pitty twin?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Amaryllis said:


> So she's Kabota's pitty twin?


Maybe  He came from down around here didn't he? I met a shaggy long haired pit bull/ shepherd mix once; never would have guessed the breed if he hadn't been born to a bully breed mom. 

It is funny, she's the first pit bull I've had that isn't head over heels for meeting new people (aside from Cupcake until she got over her fears). But Alma isn't scared, she just doesn't care much. She met a neighbor of mine who is very much a dog person and Alma barely paid her any attention while sniffing her car and the fence and just looking around. She warms up but so far she's much less velcro than most (although still far more velcro then Chester)


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)




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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Shell said:


>


OMG, that smile!



Shell said:


>


Squee! Those ears!

She's a cutie, for sure.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I'm starting to bring Alma into the fold so to speak. We've gone on a handful of walks with her and Chester side by side and afterwards spending some time together in the house (rather than the crate and rotate that I generally do for fosters in the beginning) and she's learning to relax around him.


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## aiw (Jun 16, 2012)

Oh man!

You have to stop with these updates, you're making me so jealous!! What a beautiful girl. It would be awesome to have a water-dog, Pete is *so* not a fan but we have a whole lake to play in! Alma would love it at our cottage.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

aiw said:


> Oh man!
> 
> You have to stop with these updates, you're making me so jealous!! What a beautiful girl. It would be awesome to have a water-dog, Pete is *so* not a fan but we have a whole lake to play in! Alma would love it at our cottage.


I just wish I had a safe natural body of water to take her to and see what she thinks of it. There is a really limited number of lakes and rivers around here (with public access) where I wouldn't worry about either heavy pollution or blue-green algae. the few cleaner areas tend to have a lot of fishermen so there's often the risk of fish hooks 

For now though, I have the perfect flirt-pole by using the water hose-- she chases, she bites, she leaps, she chases and she never ever "catches" it.


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## MyCharlie (Nov 4, 2007)

Love those new pics! Her eyes look better - have you gotten the cherry eye corrected?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

MyCharlie said:


> Love those new pics! Her eyes look better - have you gotten the cherry eye corrected?


Thanks!

She is scheduled for surgery next Thursday on her cherry eye. Probably just the angle of the photos making it look different.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Warm, strong sun, but breezy day after a day of heavy rainstorms. So perfect for lots of walking. Lots, lots of walking--I'm tired! 

Alma wanted to jump right in but the Ohio River is no place for a dog..









Break time in a shady spot









Life is good expression









It is like the water hose x 20! The kids at the play area (and the watching parents) had a blast seeing Alma leap and tackle and dodge the water









The result of a day of fun in the sun


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

Shell said:


> It is like the water hose x 20! The kids at the play area (and the watching parents) had a blast seeing Alma leap and tackle and dodge the water


Now that is the type of water fun Jubel LOVES. I wish I knew a place we could frequently visit with those. Only seen them at the water park on dog days.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

dagwall said:


> Now that is the type of water fun Jubel LOVES. I wish I knew a place we could frequently visit with those. Only seen them at the water park on dog days.


The city put spraygrounds into almost all the larger parks here. Some are the towers than spray water down, some are really elaborate water parks with spinning and flying water at different angles and some are the ones that shoot up at different times like the one in the photo. The ones that are in the playgrounds proper are often "No Dogs' or at least they are so busy that it isn't prudent to take a dog there, but the more basic kinds are usually accessible and not super busy if it isn't 100 degrees out or a Saturday afternoon.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

dagwall said:


> Now that is the type of water fun Jubel LOVES. I wish I knew a place we could frequently visit with those. Only seen them at the water park on dog days.


I've seen dogs in the splash pad thing at the Georgetown waterfront...


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

hamandeggs said:


> I've seen dogs in the splash pad thing at the Georgetown waterfront...


That would involve driving in DC... I avoid that as much as possible. Haha.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

dagwall said:


> That would involve driving in DC... I avoid that as much as possible. Haha.


Come on, if you drive at 3 am on a Sunday morning the traffic isn't too bad  
I used to have to drive in the Dupont Circle/Georgetown/Foggy Bottom area during the day. That was so much fun. 

Chester is highly confused by Alma









But they are getting along well as long as each ignores the other for the most part. They seem happy with that arrangement. 


















But sometimes I think they may be plotting to take over the neighborhood


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Shell said:


> Come on, if you drive at 3 am on a Sunday morning the traffic isn't too bad
> I used to have to drive in the Dupont Circle/Georgetown/Foggy Bottom area during the day. That was so much fun.


We lived in Dupont/Adams Morgan for 2 years! And owned a car! It was...fun. 

Actually we live in Boston now, and people always talk about horrible driving is here, but it's definitely not as bad as DC. Ugh. 

She'll, it's good to see Alma doing so well!


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

hamandeggs said:


> We lived in Dupont/Adams Morgan for 2 years! And owned a car! It was...fun.
> Actually we live in Boston now, and people always talk about horrible driving is here, but it's definitely not as bad as DC. Ugh.
> She'll, it's good to see Alma doing so well!


I wonder if we overlapped time in Adams Morgan. I spent a lot of time around there in 2005 and 2006. And thank you for caring how Alma is doing-- it's going to be a rough few weeks since she had her eye surgery yesterday.

Astute observers might notice that she is wearing two different cones in these photos. That is because she totally panicked in her crate today during my workday (she's been very chill and content in her crate prior to today) and shredded and bent and chewed her cone into oblivion. I came home to a frightened dog with a mangled cone poking into her face -- not so great for the whole protecting her eyes goal -- and then had to take said frightened dog with me to the pet store to buy a new cone because my extra didn't extend far enough past her face to protect it. I am planning to leave her out of her crate on Monday because I don't see any other options. She isn't otherwise destructive so there is hope.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Oh, poor thing. I hope she gets used to the cone and simmers down! She mug have been totally freaked out. 

I bet we did overlap in Adams Morgan somewhat. We weren't living there until 2011-13, but I was living in Courthouse in 2005-2006 and, being fresh out of college, I certainly spent a lot of time in Adams Morgan.


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## Ivyrose (Aug 11, 2013)

Oh my goodness! How beautiful is she?! I love her coloring! Such great pics!


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Poor Alma all alone and trapped with that scary cone of shame. Hope she's doing better very soon.


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## MyCharlie (Nov 4, 2007)

DEFINITELY plotting to take over the neighborhood! lol


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I'll update some photos in a day or two, but while she's gotten more comfortable with the cone-- I think mainly because I am not crating her at all -- the surgery itself has failed on at least one of her eyes and maybe both  
I've been making sure she gets a walk daily but she overheats in the cone so we can't hike or go on long walks and we can't swim or play in the water yet either. Yeah, it's a little crazy around my house.


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## Trillian (Jan 17, 2011)

Do I sense a foster fail coming on? Who could give up THAT face!


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Trillian said:


> Do I sense a foster fail coming on? Who could give up THAT face!


Nope. She's a darling and relatively easy compared to most of my fosters (well, excluding the cone which is temporary) but for practical reasons, I'm essentially limited to actually owning one dog. On the slim chance that I'd seriously consider a second dog, that dog would have to have some very specific qualities. I think once Alma's all healed up that she'll find a great home since she's not much trouble at all. No cats and she's dog selective but not dog reactive or dog aggressive in public so she's fine on walks.


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## melaka (Mar 31, 2010)

Sorry to hear that the surgery may not have worked. I hope they're able to help her.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Shell said:


> I'll update some photos in a day or two, but while she's gotten more comfortable with the cone-- I think mainly because I am not crating her at all -- the surgery itself has failed on at least one of her eyes and maybe both
> I've been making sure she gets a walk daily but she overheats in the cone so we can't hike or go on long walks and we can't swim or play in the water yet either. Yeah, it's a little crazy around my house.


Aw, poor thing. Are they going to redo the surgery?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

hamandeggs said:


> Aw, poor thing. Are they going to redo the surgery?


Not been decided yet.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Alma, un-coned


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## MyCharlie (Nov 4, 2007)

Yay for no cone! Looks like it might have been successful on the left, at least?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

MyCharlie said:


> Yay for no cone! Looks like it might have been successful on the left, at least?


It worked on the left eye. We're not going to do a second surgery on her right eye.

She is soooo happy without the cone. She played in the baby pool for nearly an hour after getting the cone off. Chester is happy since she's no longer running into him with it and I'm happy because my life just got a lot easier.


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## melaka (Mar 31, 2010)

Aw, glad she's feeling happier. They always look so pathetic in those cones.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

I felt like being silly so I put a polo shirt on Alma just to see what she thought of it. She liked it apparently and snuggled into it all evening. Dork 

She studiously ignored Chester sniffing at her (good girl!)









This photo isn't much as a photo, but this is the first time she let Chester play with her at all. They'll lounge together and walk together, but she would get very stiff and hesitant if he went for a nibble or roll. 









AND.....

Alma has a meet and greet tomorrow evening. Adult couple, no pets, no kids. Wish her luck


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Hope lovely Alma finds her new family! Let us know what happens.


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## taquitos (Oct 18, 2012)

Ohhhh my goodness. Alma and Chester make a great couple  hahaha

All of my foster pits really enjoyed wearing clothes LOL I think it was because of the attention they got 

Good luck Alma!!


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

She had a really good meet and greet today so I am optimistic. Nice couple, she was everything they were looking for, they were comfortable with her quirks and he had owned pits and rotties in the past.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Water dog has a blast (it was a very very quiet Saturday downtown so we weren't disturbing anyone by playing in the fountains)


































and a video!


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Alma is going to her new home tomorrow. So I made the dogs pose for a portrait, they were just thrilled about it, ha. (nah, they were really grumpy at the rainy weather)










My new foster is arriving Sunday morning, her name is Sox so stay tuned for more cuteness on the way.


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## hamandeggs (Aug 11, 2011)

Yay!!!

That last picture made me LOL. It looks like the canine version of one of those Victorian-era wedding pictures where everyone looks super grim.


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## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

Aww!! Great. I'm so happy for Alma. I hope her new owners allow her to continue pursue her love for water! and, I'm eager to meet Sox. 

Shell, do you ever think or wonder that the inconsistency of residents in your household could ever effect Chester?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

BubbaMoose said:


> Aww!! Great. I'm so happy for Alma. I hope her new owners allow her to continue pursue her love for water! and, I'm eager to meet Sox.
> 
> Shell, do you ever think or wonder that the inconsistency of residents in your household could ever effect Chester?


Part of what attracted the new owners was the video of her playing the water and they really like the prospect of a water dog so I think she'll get to indulge, weather permitting since it'll be getting cold in a month or 6 weeks.

I know it affects Chester, in both good and bad (for him) ways but overall he seems to enjoy the company and has learned that he isn't going anywhere. I think it confuses him a little but he just rolls with it and since I have to take the fosters to lots of new and busy places to try and get them seen, he often gets to tag along to more events and parks etc then he might go to otherwise when we'd just fall back on our huge nearby park.

When my first foster (who stayed 5 months) left, he chewed up my shoes and avoided me for a week. He is NOT a chewer and even as an independent hound, he was avoiding contact more than usual. I'm sure he thought after 5 months that she was a permanent fixture and then one day she disappeared.

Second foster was fine, 3rd foster was only a week and he was like whatever and had blast wrestling with her. 4th foster stayed 6 months and he really loved her- playing with her, snuggling with her- and when she left, he ate all my shoelaces 
But then the next few after that were here less than 2 months and he liked playing with them but didn't seem bothered by them leaving either. 

I try to give him some special treats like extra long walks or trips to his favorite store etc at least once a week and do something really fun on the day a foster leaves.


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## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

Shell said:


> Part of what attracted the new owners was the video of her playing the water and they really like the prospect of a water dog so I think she'll get to indulge, weather permitting since it'll be getting cold in a month or 6 weeks.
> 
> I know it affects Chester, in both good and bad (for him) ways but overall he seems to enjoy the company and has learned that he isn't going anywhere. I think it confuses him a little but he just rolls with it and since I have to take the fosters to lots of new and busy places to try and get them seen, he often gets to tag along to more events and parks etc then he might go to otherwise when we'd just fall back on our huge nearby park.
> 
> ...


Wow Shell, the avoidance and chewing/eating shoelaces is so sad. It's nice and so good to hear that he's learned to adapt as well as he has. You're so good to him. 


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## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

Ahh, poor Chester. Fortunately for me the only real negative effect fostering has had on Jubel is made him a bit of a door dasher at times. He got annoyed with me taking Duncan places (adoptions events and groomers for his nails) without him. He'll still do it every now and then even without a foster in the house. I think it helps that he didn't really LIKE the only long term foster, Duncan, so he didn't miss him. He's liked some of the short term fosters but they only stayed two and a half weeks at most.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Happy to read the happy ending for Alma. Hope Sox's story is just as happy.

Chester is such a good boy.


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Happy to see this thread for the first time! Lol!  Great news for Alma! I can hardly wait to see sox!


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

cookieface said:


> Happy to read the happy ending for Alma. Hope Sox's story is just as happy.
> 
> Chester is such a good boy.





Abbylynn said:


> Happy to see this thread for the first time! Lol!  Great news for Alma! I can hardly wait to see sox!


Here's Sox's thread- now known as "Eva"


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

Shell said:


> Here's Sox's thread- now known as "Eva"


What a pretty face! A bit underfed though. You will fix that up!  You get the prettiest fosters!


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## melaka (Mar 31, 2010)

It's nice to read that she was adopted. Best of luck to her and her new family.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

Alma is being returned  

The "excuse" is that the landlord doesn't allow pit bulls (but the rescue checks that before adoption so I don't know what happened there). I have reason to think there may be more to it that doesn't actually have anything to do with poor Alma.

We're trying to find her foster placement now. Hopefully that's successful or she may land back with me and we'll place Eva with another foster if that's what it comes to.

The good thing is that former foster Penny, who we thought was going to be returned, is still with her adopters. They got some training advice and upped her exercise and at least for now she's doing well there.


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## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

Wow. I actually gasped when I read this. How sad. That does sound like bs. Do you have any speculations as to what the real reason could be?


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

BubbaMoose said:


> Wow. I actually gasped when I read this. How sad. That does sound like bs. Do you have any speculations as to what the real reason could be?


I do, but I prefer not to share it on a public forum. Basically I think it has to do with breed prejudice/ pre-conceived notions. I could be wrong though. It could really be a landlord issue and that does happen, even if the property owner is "okay" at the beginning.


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## BubbaMoose (May 14, 2013)

Shell said:


> I do, but I prefer not to share it on a public forum. Basically I think it has to do with breed prejudice/ pre-conceived notions. I could be wrong though. It could really be a landlord issue and that does happen, even if the property owner is "okay" at the beginning.


Wow. That's a bummer. So have y'all figured out where she'll be placed? Have they returned her yet? Poor, sweet girl. 


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

BubbaMoose said:


> Wow. That's a bummer. So have y'all figured out where she'll be placed? Have they returned her yet? Poor, sweet girl.


She's been returned and she's in boarding right now.


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## Shell (Oct 19, 2009)

After 3 weeks in boarding, we got Alma into a foster home with a dad, stay-at-home mom, and 2 kids. I met them and did the home visit. For now at least, she is being cared for in a real home. Our collective fingers and toes are crossed that she does well there and maybe even foster fails or flourishes enough to find a permanent adoptive home.


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