“Are you kidding me with this?” - Every mom

It was the evening of November 3rd. I had spent the last several hours alternating between Twitter, CNN, and curling into the fetal position begging for sleep. I finally took an Ambien and, as I faded into sleep, took a quick glance over to Facebook where I saw a video of some squirmy newborn pups. The post was from Hearts & Bones Rescue—they needed a foster to take a momma pup and her newly hatched babes.

‘Cute,’ I thought as I drifted off to sleep. The next morning, I was greeted by an email thanking me for volunteering to take this awesome litter and asking if Saturday would work for a drop off.

Um, what?

I scanned my sent box and, sure enough, I had shot off an email saying I would be happy to foster nine dogs for an indeterminate amount of time. Forget drunk dialing, welcome to hysteria-induced fostering.

A few days later, I welcomed eight two-week old potatoes and one desperately skinny mom into my home. I had no idea what I was doing. Most of my fosters were middle-aged grumps, and the three puppies I had previously fostered were all already weaned. Over the next five weeks, I got a crash course in puppy development, reluctant motherhood, and how to avoid stepping in poo (actually, I still don’t have a good solution to this one). Here is some of what I learned:

Welp, it’s time to Whelp

In the beginning, mom really does most of the work. She feeds and cleans the babies, encourages them to eliminate, and eats the waste. It’s not really something you think about until Mom decides to have a makeout sesh with you, but honestly, cherish this time. The minute mom stops cleaning the pups, well, that’s when it’s your turn to step up to the plate.

During that peaceful and clean period, make sure the area they’re in is nice and toasty (I used a space heater placed outside the pen so the puppies couldn’t get to it), and give mom a cozy spot away from the pups so she can have alone time. If you’re keeping the pups in an ex-pen that does not have a door, use a piece of cardboard to block the exit from the little gremlins, while making sure mom can get in and out without irritating her teats.

Even with mom doing clean-up duty, there’s still going to be a mess to deal with. After several trials, I came up with a four-layer floor setup that provided protection and (semi-) easy cleanup.

The “Cozy” Layer (optional): I have hardwood floors and wanted to soften it up. I used a large piece of remnant carpet, but you can use blankets, towels, egg crates, old rugs, or anything else you can find for free.
The “You Shall Not Pass” Layer: This is the item that protects your floor (and walls) from major leakage. I have used paint drop clothes, shower curtains, and even trash bags. They work well, but tend to slide around under your feet and are easily torn by sharp puppy nails. This time I got a bunch of non-slip baby splash mats. These things are great. They offer waterproof protection, have grippy bottoms so they stay in place on the floor, are super easy to wash, and stand up to the pointiest of puppy nails.
The “Pee Pad Under the Pee Pad” Layer: This, to me, was the most critically lifesaving element. Puppies love to run, play, and eat pee pads. They also really love to pee right at the moment you’re trying to clean up the eaten pee pad. One option is to just be continually replacing pee pads, round-robin style. The other option is these washable pee pads. If a puppy misses a pad, the washable one is there to save the day. You can also use towels or blankets for this layer (anything that is super absorbent), but I found the washable pads well worth it because they were thin enough to lay flat on the floor. (Tip: Get free stuff! Aside from all the goodies the rescue provides, I scored a ton of sheets, blankets, and dog beds just by posting a photo of my furry crew on NextDoor. If you have the room, take everything you can get your hands on. When three puppies decide to declare nuclear war with their butts, you’ll be glad you can throw out that ratty old Wiggles blanket).
The “Actual Pee Pad” Layer: There’s no point in mincing words. You will be changing pee pads constantly. There are two things I learned that make this more manageable:
- Use extra large pads underneath smaller pads. Similar to Layer 3, the extra large pads catch any errant pee or poo that misses the target. The larger pads are also a bit heavier and harder for the pups to destroy. I found that you are able to change the small ones throughout the day and keep the large ones down for longer. Is it environmentally friendly? No. But is it efficient? Also no. But is it a way to keep everything clean and smelling good? Still no. It does help, though.
- Pre-open your pee pads. Honestly, this was my number one discovery. It fundamentally changed everything. If you follow only one tip, follow this one. Every night I would take a big pile of pads and unfold them while watching The Mandalorian. Having the pads open and ready to go was a life saver (or at least a floor and foot saver).

“Did we get all of them? Double check.” - Puppies, probably

Identical Octuplets

When the pups first arrived, I tried to identify them by some defining characteristic—a spotty bottom, an extra toe, white ankle socks. This is a terrible way to keep track of puppies. I found that using these breakaway collars let me identify each pup at a quick glance. They were on meds, and two times a day I dosed them all in ROYGBIV order, never worrying if Floppy Ears got two doses and Pointy Ears got none. The colors were also helpful for tracking food intake, weight, and any behavioral or medical concerns. (The collars are made to quickly breakaway against pressure, so you don’t have to worry about them getting too tight as the pups grow.)

Let’s Get Ready to Rumble

I knew I wanted to give the pups stimulation and exercise, so I got two of these cat tunnels. They were obsessed—it was like a cat tunnel fan-con in there every day. The tunnels were quickly destroyed and I wanted to find a more sustainable way to keep them entertained. Enter the cardboard box.

If you have a little bit of time, it’s really easy to put together: just cut a hole in the side of a box, and connect it to more boxes. I started with a straight cardboard tunnel and eventually turned it into a maze, luring the puppies through it with kibble. It’s easy to replace boxes that get pooped in, and you won’t feel guilty about throwing them away. The entertainment value is high, for both the puppies and for you. If you have any kind of camera or monitor, stick it in one of the holes and you’ll be on your way to TikTok gold!

What Did I Just Step In?

You will step in poop. No sense in lying about it. When you do a pad sweep and a puppy places his ridiculous potato noggin right under your foot, you will side step that noggin and your foot will land right in poo.

At first I used these disposable booties. They worked really well, up until the day the puppies decided they were chew toys. Then, I did an ill-conceived day with commando feet… No comment. Finally, I settled on these puppy sandals. It was just like being in the college showers if all your dorm mates were wildly incontinent. I left the sandals right outside the ex-pen. This helped keep my feet clean, and ensured I didn’t track anything into the rest of the house.

SOS

Find you a puppy that looks at you like this (Spoiler: it’s all of them, just find any puppy).

Second only to the pre-opened pee pad thing, the most important thing I learned was to ask for help. Fostering can be nerve-wracking. Having people you can reach out to is key—people who won’t laugh at your ridiculous paranoia or be freaked out by pictures of poo. The good news is that there are a lot of those people! MPR’s Foster Buddies are always available to answer questions you may have about your mom and litter, and they also have fostering resources and a Facebook community at the ready. If you’re in need of additional help, I recommend joining the Foster Forum on Facebook too. It’s a great community of active fosters from rescues all over the country who are always happy to help.

Caring for a litter is exhausting, confusing, smelly, messy, and exhilarating. Watching them grow from amoebic spuds to baby bucking broncos is like living in a real life time lapse video. They leave as fosters and begin the rest of their lives as family members and best friends. And though they won’t remember the short time they spend with us, they’ll always remember the feeling of being warm, happy, and loved. And in the end, that’s the feeling we’ll remember, too (also, probably the feeling of stepping in poop…but mostly the love).

Molly Sugarman is a foster, volunteer, and former MPR Board President. You can follow her foster journey on Instagram, and you can view her experience fostering her mom and litter here.

Did Mama Pumpkin Spice catch your eye? She will be adoptable soon through Hearts & Bones Rescue!

Interested in fostering a mom and litter? Let us know! Stay tuned for our educational video and written guide on this special foster opportunity!