Toscana, Pepita and Learning to Ask New Questions

Its true, I'm a usedvictoria junkie right before bedtime. I cruise the dogs, always on the hunt for that 'illusive' second dog of mine that's firmly just in my imagination. I think it comes down to: when I saw Beckett's picture, I knew he was my dog. I tried to talk myself out of him -choose a more rental friendly looking dog, something more trained, something not so 'wild', but the picture did it. For better or for worse the picture alone went "I am your dog."

The picture that did it:


So when I was surfing the usedvic ads (a ton of puppies, a lot of old dogs, some people looking for help, or puppies, or whatnot) I happened upon what I thought to be Yayis' sister.

I fostered Yayis back in March and she was only with me for four days before she found a home of her own, but she is still the best-looking (besides my biased opinion of Beckett) that I have ever come across. She's unique, slender, gorgeous colouring, and tall. She's a real 'looker' of a dog that people really do stop and stare at. (Luckily for me, she was glued to Jerrad, so I never got to know her enough to want to keep her :P)

Yayis



So when I found this: http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/My-Dog-Needs-a-New-Home_15052121 my mouth kind of dropped.



Toscana is Yayis's direct sister. They lived the start of their short lives in a garbage dump in Mexico. I was pretty sure the adopters needed to sign forms that they would be returned to Laura if they weren't working out (and I was right about that). Unfortunately, Toscana's current owners refused for the longest time to give her back saying they wanted to get a return on their investment in her, and that they didn't care who'd adopt her and if we wanted her back we'd have to pay the 200 they were asking.

It was only this evening, after the Humane Society of Cozumel got involved (the rescue they came from in Mexico) that Toscana is being returned, thankfully without any fuss -apparently the wife wanted to return her, the husband not? Regardless, there are contracts in place for exactly this reason. BUT to go to court over the contract, the dog would have to be given up in the first place, which isn't right for the dog. People are assholes sometimes.

I was secretely hoping Toscana would come into foster care here, but with one week of vacation coming up, two (GREAT) fosters already, and three little board dogs until Wednesday, it wasn't meant to be. So Toscana will go on the hunt for a great new (SCREENED) family and not tempt me into getting a second dog by coming into foster care here. This is for the best on all accounts, but who knows, she might just be waiting for me when I get back :P I trust fate on these things.

So, just as Laura and I had figured out Toscana, along came this ad.
http://www.usedvictoria.com/classified-ad/Loving-puppy_15072048

Pepita is one of the seven dogs Laura brought over as well.


Luckily, after putting the ad up, Pepita's current people phoned for help in screening potential new adopters. What it came down to was a full-time job and too many hours in a crate. So, although she will have to find a new home, at least we don't have to try to bust her out of her current situation and see her go to a home that doesn't understand how to work with very shy/nervous dogs.

I hope these misshaps only make Laura stronger, as the dogs she's brought up are some of the best looking I've seen (and TG dogs are great looking too). Loca -one of the seven who was adopted by a client at our daycare is an amazing and come so far out of her shyness she is hardly the same dog. If they needed to give her up I'd take her in a heartbeat.

As many of my high school teachers have asked me "What is the morel of the story?"

In this case, I think its that, as rescues, we need to ask a lot of questions to make sure the dogs are going to be safe for their lifespans. Its not enough to check a box asking if you would keep a dog if your job changed, your location changed, your marriage changed. And this doesn't come down to just paper. It comes down to the people doing the screenings asking the hard questions. You might not know where you're going to be 10 years from now, and its not fair to ask people to do so, but its your responsibility to make sure the potential adopter is willing and able commit to what the dog needs for now -and for the future. I might have adopted Beckett when I was 18, renting, and in school, but I knew and still know that he can only be left home at max 8 hours a day (most of the time 6), that he needs at least an hour walk EVERY SINGLE DAY, (closer to 3 hours when we first got him) and that it is my responsibility to provide food, water and medical care.

If that infringes on fancy clothes, suppers out, or gas money, that's what I'll do to keep him. I'll live in crummy places if I need to, work odd split shifts to accomodate him if I need to, and whether Jerrad likes it or not, if we were ever to seperate, Beckett would be mine (or be a 'shared' dog if we lived in the same city). These are things you need to realize before you commit to a dog, and your dog has to come before anything else (before you a lot of the time). The only thing a dog shouldn't come before is the safety of your children.

So, here's to asking some hard questions at home checks/meet+greets I am apart of. Because a dog isn't just for the now.

So tonight I'll return to hunting my usedvictoria ads, and petfinder for that illusive second dog that'll scream 'I'm your dog', and I might eventually fail fostering, but like all the good things (that make live wonderful, but don't help the finanaces :P) they will tell me when they're ready to happen.

However, there are a two pictures that I keep going back to these days. ;)

Cody is a BC from Turtle Gardens who I've had my eye since he's come in. One of these days I'll probably get him into foster -maybe the next one, maybe not until 9 months or more down the road. He'll be difficult, he'll probably need a month or more in "foster-finishing-school", and he might drive me bonkers along the way, but I just have this gut feeling about him.



The second dog is from TUAPA in Taiwan, and there's a great possibility that Island Dogz (who I fostered Tine for) could bring her up someday. This is the picture I look at everyday (similiar to how I used to look at Beckett's picture). Everytime I look at her picture I go "She might be the one". (If she was a TG dog she would have been down here and into fostering by now, but I have to be patient to bring her from Taiwan with a group I've only fostered one dog for!)

Jasmine


I know this time around though, that it has to be more than just a picture (there's a lot more life to fit into now), but with a little faith who knows.

But here's to all of us foster people who are brave (and perhaps silly) enough to enjoy dogs that won't stay that long, to help them on their way, and be pit spots and classrooms and etiquette school. To rescue people in general who can take the bumps in the road, and to knowing when you've done all that you can do -even though it might never be enough. Who might fail a day, or a session, or hit rather large potholes along the way, but refuse to fail the dogs in our care. Who refuse to be negative even though there's so much to be negative about. To all of us who can love and let go, and to those of us who can't and still make wonderful homes.

Most sincerely,
Emily