Rescued dogs learn about human kindness in foster home

VIRGINIA BEACH

Virginia and Mama Mia didn't know how to eat food from a bowl when they arrived at Lizzie Martingayle's Virginia Beach home.

They didn't know how to climb stairs or chase a tennis ball.

"They weren't wagging their tails, either, then they slowly started wagging their tails," said Martingayle, who is their foster mom for the next few weeks.

The two dachshunds had spent their lives in cages at a puppy mill in West Virginia until August, when they were rescued and brought to the Virginia Beach SPCA.

Veterinarians think the two dogs, which were pregnant when rescued, are about 3 years old and have had several litters of puppies.

They each gave birth in September at the Beach animal-adoption group's shelter and were taken home by Martingayle the following day. The dogs and their puppies will be adoptable in a few weeks.

Some of the 115 dogs brought back from the West Virginia puppy mill have been adopted, but others need more socialization, Martingayle said.

The dogs need to learn how to behave socially with other dogs, people, and even with their own puppies, said Martingayle. Some need to be housebroken.

Virginia, a white-and-brown dog with one puppy that Martingayle named Solo, had pretty good mothering skills. But Mama Mia, whose coat is auburn, needed a bit of help with her two puppies, Jack and Jill.

The two dogs stick together when they're in the back yard, investigating the trees and grass. They've gotten along well with Martingayle's husband, Kevin, and the couple's three children and two dogs.

The SPCA's foster program puts prospects through a class to teach them how to help improve dogs' social skills.

People who become foster parents to animals are taught to approach them slowly, to lower the tone of their voices, and not to look them in the eye at first.

"It's things you forget because we're used to our domestic animals," said Martingayle, who is on the board of the Beach SPCA. Most of the rescued dogs, she said, have never had eye contact with people.

"So the idea of staring into a dog's eyes, it's very intimidating," Martingayle said. Foster dogs need praise and love just like other house pets, she said.

The SPCA pays for veterinary care and medications for the dogs, she said. They even gave her towels.

"It's fun to see them develop," Martingayle said of the two dogs. "I've noticed a difference in their eyes since they've been here. Their soul's just happier."

Cindy Clayton, (757) 446-2377, cindy.clayton@pilotonline.com