Cartier ended up at a New York City shelter after her family decided they didn’t have time for her. In her surrender notes, they wrote that they kept her in a crate all day. Cartier spent seven long months at the shelter — where she was a favorite of all the volunteers because of her shy smile, perfect ear bonnet and sweet, silly demeanor. In March, she was pulled by Rebound Hounds and was finally able to head to a foster home.
Cartier is being fostered by Katy Brink, executive editor at The Dodo, and her husband, Collin. They had caught a glimpse of her while visiting the shelter about another dog last year, and never stopped thinking about her. And as soon as they picked her up, she rested her head on their shoulders the whole ride home. She was a velcro dog from day one, and loved running around in a yard and snuggling on the sofa.
There was just one problem. Cartier’s foster parents were hoping she would get along with their dogs, Jake and Lola — but unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
“She previously lived with a small dog, but it was pretty clear from the start that our dogs stressed her out, and vice versa,” Collin told The Dodo.
Cartier is working with her foster parents every day to get more comfortable around other dogs, and she loves her training sessions. In the meantime, she and her foster siblings have to be kept in separate zones of the house. This means that Cartier is back to having to spend too much time alone. To keep an eye on her, her foster parents decided to get a Ring camera.
After setting up the camera, they were able to check-in on Cartier whenever she was alone — and they realized that as soon as they shut the door to Cartier’s room, she would always do the sweetest, most heartbreaking thing.
“Whenever we left her alone, we could see that she was just waiting by the door for us,” Collin said. “Which was kind of heartbreaking, especially considering she’d grown up in a crate. She just wants to be your best friend and be a part of whatever you’re doing.”
The couple have come up with a system to ensure that Cartier only spends minimal time alone. She hangs out with one parent in their home office all day while Jake and Lola are with the other parent. After the work day, Cartier goes into her room while her foster siblings spend time with their parents. During that time, Cartier gets licky mats and puzzles to stay busy and entertained. To end the day, Cartier gets time on the sofa with her foster parents for lots of snuggles.
The system works for now — but what Cartier really needs is a home of her own.
