This week my boyfriend and I welcomed a third personality into our brand-new living situation: a two-year-old black lab mix named Macy.
She is a foster dog that just went through some pretty harsh medical issues, and she is still taking the five pills a day to prove it.
Both of us have pretty much constantly had dogs in our lives, so coming to college every year and not having that is always a bit of a downer.
We talked and decided that while we aren’t in the position to adopt at the moment and not knowing where we’ll be living a year from now, we are both experienced dog handlers and we have the flexibility in our schedules to commit to fostering.
A few people have asked me the standard questions: is it worth it? Won’t it be hard to say goodbye?
I am not going to lie to you, there have been rough moments. House-breaking a dog takes a saintly level of patience (and a whole lot of carpet cleaner).
But what I keep telling myself during this experience is that we are giving her a warm, quiet, safe place to heal, and teaching her manners and skills that are going to make her even more loveable and adoptable when the time comes.
I think that’s probably what will get me through letting her go, too—knowing that we helped shape her into a truly awesome dog that will make somebody else’s family complete, and that they are going to love like crazy for years and years down the road.
Fostering isn’t for everyone, and this has made me realize that as well, but giving this sweet girl the one-on-one attention and love that only being in a home environment can provide has been a wonderful and emotional experience… and make no mistake, we do love her like crazy.
If you want to get involved with some great animals (and humans), consider volunteering at the Animal Rescue Coalition right here in Big Rapids. They are a great organization doing some really important work.
Contact information can be found on their website at arcofmecostacounty.com.
Click here for last week’s Chat with the Chief.