Pages

Wednesday, September 4, 2013

Fostering a dog.

Having said goodbye to our foster puppy recently I have been thinking about the whole fostering experience.
Maya would give me funny looks after a few pictures.
I have spoke with many of my dog friends that fostered a dog, and most of them are in a group called "foster failures". They tried to foster a dog but grew too attached and were not able to let go. Most of them expected us to also end up keeping our little puppy. We did consider it. She was, and is, a sweet, loving, brilliant girl who holds such a deep place in my heart.  Today I want to walk through some of the turbulent times that come with fostering.
She loved to cuddle and sleep.
We got her at around three months old.  She was pretty small, but the world was her playground. Maya developed in leaps and bounds under our care.  Within the first week after we got her, when she was spayed, she growled at the vet staff.  A month later, when we took her in to have the stitches removed, she was friendly and playful the entire time.  The staff even commented that she had really improved emotionally since we had first got her. Watching her grow and improve was something I will always treasure.
Joint head turn.
In our attempts to remind ourselves we called her our foster puppy and us her foster parents. We would take turns reminding each other that she was a foster puppy and we were just getting her ready for her forever home. It didn't work.  That little trouble maker who chewed the chair and would whine or talk at everything was in our hearts and was there to stay. She has such love for every person in her life that it's hard to believe the first two homes felt the need to get rid of her. We used that love she gave us and helped her to find a home with someone that would be amazing for her.
No I will not look at the camera.
Honestly, I don't know if I would have been able to let her go as easily as I did without seeing the relationship she had formed with her new mom. Her mom is a good friend of mine that I have known since we were little kids. She was in town visiting some family when she first met Maya. She had already expressed an interest in Maya but had not been sure if she was at a point that she could alter her life to suit a dog's needs. When she visited they went jogging and for walks while I was at work and most nights she was come over and they would cuddle and watch TV together with us. When my friend had to go back home Maya pouted around the house, confused why her new best buddy had not come over to hang out. My friend, after meeting Maya and spending time with her, decided to do what she needed to rearrange her life and get Maya in a little over a month. Seeing the work she was doing and how much they liked each other really helped me to let her go.

No comments:

Post a Comment