At just seven months old, Mr. Wiggles has seen his fair share of change. First, ending up at Animal Control. Then joining the Gateway Pet Guardians foster family, and he was unfortunately bounced around from foster family to foster family. But finally, he landed himself in a foster home with Jordan Oxford about six weeks ago, and his life has been looking up ever since!
Mr. Wiggles has extreme anxiety, which made him difficult to place in a foster home. But Jordan loves him, especially his quirks! Perhaps because she can relate to him on a level nobody else can. Jordan explains, “When we picked him up from the shelter we were handed two pill bottles, both of which were said to help with his anxiety. I personally suffer from extreme anxiety and have been through several changes to find the right balance of medications and life structure that works for me. After a week with us, I started to wonder if the meds he was taking were actually helping with his anxiety because I wasn’t noticing a difference in his behavior. We scheduled a trip to the vet which led to the discovery of a UTI, infected anal gland, and the possible need for a different anxiety management med. After a few more trips to the vet we got his medication changed! He now takes prozac each day. It was the medication that made the difference for me, and within the next couple weeks, I hope to say the same for him.”
To also help with his anxiety, Jordan and her fiance work really hard to establish and follow routine. When Mr. Wiggles first visited, he had no intention of ever sleeping in a crate. His first night, he broke out and made a mess of the house. But instead of giving up on him, Jordan worked with him. Mr. Wiggles now sleeps in bed with them at night, and she works regularly with him on crate training. Jordan says, “Between zip ties, routine, and medication, we have the crate anxiety under control. He knows the routine: I grab treats out of the pantry, call him, and we walk downstairs together, I say ‘kennel up’ and he walks right in, gets his treat and LOTS AND LOTS of kisses. We try to make sure this is the routine no matter whether it is myself or my fiancé that puts him up before we leave.”
Unconditional love and routine have made all the difference for Mr. Wiggles, and he is truly thriving! But this is only a minor stop on his journey–the best is yet to come. Jordan is excited to help Mr. Wiggles find his happily ever after so that he can be with a family that loves and supports him. Her favorite part of fostering is watching a dog’s progress and knowing that she is saving lives. “My advice to someone considering fostering… DO IT! Our house is small, and I always thought having another dog would be too much, but in the end, I have noticed no difference in the ‘space’ of our house, and our house dog has LOVED having a play mate.”
Interested in learning more about Mr. Wiggles? Visit www.gatewaypets.com/adopt. And if you’d like to become a foster like Jordan, visit www.gatewaypets.com/foster and make a difference in the life of a rescued pet today!