Saying goodbye is so hard.

I had planned on writing about summer treats and fun pup ice cream recipes. Life decided to get in my way. On Thursday 8/22/2013 my foster puppy Maya went to her forever home.  In honor of our time spent getting to know Maya and watching her grow the next few posts are going to be about her and our experiences fostering her.

 
When we first brought her home she was wild beyond belief.  At  3-4 months old (best guess between unreliable information from the previous owners the vets), she'd never had the opportunity to properly exhaust her energy. It took the three of us (two humans and Sadie) to wear her out. I remember feeling sorry for Sadie at first.  Maya had never had the ability to interact with another dog, having been taken from her family at around 5-7 weeks. She was not only puppy energetic but also lacked appropriate social behavior.  Sadie was a good sport and took everything the puppy gave in stride, including being used for teething. By the second day it seemed to us that Sadie was getting a little annoyed with the puppy.  With the non-stop play who could blame her?  I took Maya away from Sadie in the hopes of redirecting her attention and giving our little girl a break.  To my surprise Sadie followed me and stuck her face right up to Maya's mouth, encouraging her to play.  It was then I realized the bond that these two, knowing each other for only a day, had already formed.  Maya was being taught how to act like a dog, and Sadie was feeling fulfilled by having a job to do: Raising a puppy.

A personality quirk of hers that I loved was that she would "argue" with me.  During feeding time the dogs get very excited, so we use obedience commands to keep everything in check.  When I gave commands to Maya (such as sit) while presenting her food and before letting her eat she would respond with barks and short howls while following the instructions.  This ended up delaying her getting to eat because I liked to give her additional commands just to have her argue with me again. Huskies are so vocal in the interactions and it was a treat to listen to Maya get a word in on everything.

Our little home is very quiet with her gone, and we are all still adjusting to her absence. It's strange that I come home now and she isn't she isn't there to greet me, it's a rough adjustment. Sadie seems to be handling it pretty well, but she has been seeking out more attention. We are all adjusting together but we could not be more happy or excited for Maya in finding such a wonderful forever home. I am lucky that I know her new mom pretty well and although she live a ways away I will be able to get updates and hear how she is doing and visit every now and then. 

 

 

Good luck Maya we love you and wish you the best.