Relief

I think everyone who's fostered a dog has heard someone say "I don't know how you do it. I would love to foster, but I wouldn't be able to give the dog up!" I know I hear it all the time at adoption events and from friends - hell, I used to say it myself.

I don't fault anyone who says it, because it's certainly not easy to see a dog leave your home, but here's the truth of it: I was sad to see Boo leave our house... but it was also an enormous relief.



Over the weeks I had grown attached to Boo. She was a great little dog and easy to love. She just wanted to be with people and would follow us (especially me) around all the time and cuddle up to us whenever possible. She crate trained quickly, got along with our dogs, was housebroken, and was an all-around great companion. The first word I used to describe Boo when I first spoke to her Person was "Easy. Boo is a really easy dog." When I watched her drive away with her Person - away from me - I cried.

But by the time I got home and walked through my door, I felt a huge sense of relief.



I walked into my house and was greeted by my dogs. Seeing their happy faces and wiggle butts, I was reminded that Boo was never my dog. She was in my care for a time, and I treated her like she was one of my own, but she never truly was. She belonged to her Person from the very beginning, they just hadn't found each other yet.

When Boo found her Person, it was a relief to know that I didn't have to worry about Boo anymore. It's a relief to know that she's in good hands now. Hands that will give her the individual attention she deserves, while my own hands are often full with my three other dogs. It's a relief to know that every night for the rest of her life, Boo will be snuggled up to her Person, content in the knowledge that she will always be there for her. It's a relief to know that her life won't be uprooted again, that she won't have to live in yet another home, and that she will remain comfortable and happy for the rest of her life.



I don't judge people who don't take on the commitment to foster a dog. It's certainly no small thing to take responsibility for the care of a pet. Even I - an undeniable crazy dog person - am not a serial fosterer because our household can't handle the constant turnover of one foster dog after another. We just do what we can, when we can, and hope it makes a small difference.

But it does make me sad to hear people give up on fostering because of what should be the happiest part of fostering. Finding a dog's forever home isn't something to fear or be anxious about, instead it's the moment that all dogs need and deserve. It's what fosters look forward to and start working towards the moment that they pick up their foster dog.

Becoming a dog's foster isn't about giving the dog up, it's about bringing the dog home.



And it's a relief to know that I've helped one more find her way.