OUR ANIMALS
Meet Cookie
We received a call in the evening from an RN case manager at Harborview who had heard about us from a social worker in the ER - the social worker had seen a brochure that was dropped off by TGP earlier that week. She had a patient in the ER who needed to stay in the hospital, but was unwilling to do so unless there was someone who could care for her cat as she didn’t trust the people in her building to do so. It was so great to be able to say, YES we have fosters waiting to take in animals and we can do this for your patient. She was super appreciative and got all waivers and releases signed by her patient and scanned back to us that night. We coordinated with the case manager in her public housing building to access her apartment and pick up her cat. We contacted our volunteer manager to see if we had a foster able to take in the cat for what would probably be a few weeks. A foster was located within 24hrs and one of our board members picked up the cat at her building and walked her down the street to the foster, picking up food and litter along the way. The next day, another board member dropped off an additional supply of food donated by Seattle Humane. The patient got her medical issues cared for and was home within a couple of weeks. We were able to provide veterinary consultation for Cookie while she was with her foster mom as there was some concern about her scratching at herself and some wounds on her body. Her scratches were treated, her nails got trimmed and she was returned to her home healthy and happy!
We received a call from a housing case manager that they had a client who had entered the hospital emergently and had left their cat behind. The building staff had been caring for her, but were no longer able to do so as they were getting busy and unable to keep up with her needs and felt the cat, Chaos, was being neglected. I was able to coordinate with the RN on the hospital unit to have the client sign waivers and release forms for us to take Chaos into our care for a few weeks so the patient could care for herself in the hospital without having to worry about her cat’s care. Forms were scanned back to us and I reached out to our volunteer coordinator to connect with available fosters. A foster was found who could take Chaos the next day. The building staff was contacted and we coordinated a pickup time. We loaded up donated food and supplies, picked up Chaos at her building and drove her to her temporary foster home 20 mi away. Initially, Chaos had a hard time adjusting. There were other animals in the home and she was very nervous and fearful. She didn’t eat or void for the first 24hr. Her foster mom bought special food for her to try and she was finally coaxed to eat some fancy wet food which she couldn’t resist. Over the next week, she adjusted and settled in with her temporary family, but was happy to get home to familiar surroundings as soon as her mom left the hospital.
Meet Chaos
Meet Sadie
We received an email from a community partner and one of our biggest supporters asking if we had any options for a dog in need of fostering. Sadie’s family was in town in order to access cancer treatment for the teenage son and they were staying in shared housing provided by the hospital. No dogs allowed. Sadie had been sleeping in the family work van, but it was getting cold, her family didn’t have time to care for her with all of the treatment appointments and she was lonely and scared in the van all day. The Goochy Project reached out to all of our fosters and posted the need on our social media sites. Within 12hrs we had a family who wanted to take her in and foster with us. They filled out our paperwork, waivers, and releases, and the next day we loaded up on food and supplies and picked up Sadie at her van. Her family was sad to say goodbye temporarily, but so grateful knowing that she was going to be warm and cared for by a family that was able to give her the love and attention she so craved. We were able to get her toenails clipped and a new harness which made walks easier for all!
We received a phone call at 5pm on Friday from a desperate case manager working with a client who was in need of emergency medical care, but who refused to go as he had no one to care for his 3yr old German Shepherd. I sent a quick text to our volunteer coordinator and she responded within 15min that we had a foster willing to take Duke that night. We called the case manager back who was thrilled and relieved. She filled out our intake form on behalf of her client, arranged with the client to meet us at the ER with his dog and we all connected by 6:15 that night. The owner filled out waivers and release forms at the ER, said a tearful goodbye to his amazing dog, Duke, and headed into the ER to take care of himself. We loaded up the 100lb puppy and headed for the foster home with food and treats to last a few days and he was settled by 7pm. Duke charmed everyone, but was definitely missing his owner that first night! The case manager contacted us on Sunday evening to report that luckily his owner was out of the hospital in 48hr. We arranged transportation for Duke back home; it was a happy reunion!
Meet Duke
Meet Daisy
We received a call from a client who was new to town, homeless, living in a tent city, suicidal and seeking hospitalization. However, she didn’t know what to do with her dog. We were able to refer her to an appropriate hospital which she called to let them know she was coming. Meanwhile, we arranged a foster for her high-energy girl. We picked up her dog so she could get to the hospital, the ER social worker then coordinated with us to let us know which hospital she was going to. We continued to keep in touch with the social worker on the inpatient unit so we could coordinate the drop-off of her dog after she stabilized and they found an appropriate transitional housing situation for her where she could be with Daisy. We also sent photos while she was in the hospital so she would know that Daisy was doing fine and enjoying her new, temporary home!
We got a referral from a case manager at the VA whose client was planning to enter rehab and the bed date had come earlier than expected, the next day. He would go, pending a place for his beloved elderly rescue dog. We found a foster the same day and within 24hr we had picked up “Z” and the veteran was on his way to treatment. Z was a sweet, mellow old girl and we got her in to see our vet partners the next day to establish care and get a nail trim. Unfortunately the first foster didn’t work out as their puppy was a little much for this old girl, but we managed to get her moved quickly and she was much happier for the duration of her stay with us. Her owner didn’t complete that treatment program as it wasn’t a good fit, but he now knows that when he’s ready to try again, we can help out with a safe and comfortable place for Eliza.
Meet Eliza
Meet Candie
Candie’s owner needed emergency surgery which was scheduled for 2 days after we received a referral from the nurse case manager. We arranged a foster for the next day and picked Candie up the day before surgery. Candie's owner, who is deaf, wrote us notes to make sure we understood all of the specifics of her care as she had a number of particular habits. She was sent with special food, blankets, and even her owner’s shirt to make sure she knew he was still present and not abandoning her. She initially had a little difficulty adjusting to her foster home with 2 resident dogs so Goochy Project provided a kennel for her so everyone felt safer. She ended up not needing that special space as she settled in just fine and enjoyed the yard to run at top speed. Her owner’s surgery was successful and he took a couple of extra days to recuperate at home before taking Candie back so he could make sure he was ready to care for her. Candie was happy to see him and he was extremely thankful to be able to take care of his urgent needs knowing she was well cared for!