Dash is 5 months old and a cattle dog / russel terrier mix. He's a wild ball of energy. He's been at the shelter for 2 of his 5 months, and they were worried he was missing his critical socialization window.
He's not completely house trained. He bothers the cats. He has WICKED gas. It's okay, we like him. Hopefully he'll get a home soon. With someone who jogs or something, because he will not stop running through the house.
An old woman once told me to decide which was more important - my beloved true pet friends, or the cute ones I was fostering. She was very stubborn but admitted that if one her beloved pets was suffering because she wanted to keep one that had come later - think about the time put into the first pet to socialize and civilize that one. Some fosters were okay and some were not with this particular older pet. So, this old woman learned that if the older pet is upset too much and starts to retreat to old bad ways, or feels unloved, the new one might possibly have to move to another place. There are plenty of others that deserve that spot of love offered.
ReplyDeleteThat old woman didn't seem to know much, but she knew her pets, both the old and gray ones and the new little ones she took in temporarily. She couldn't keep up with the pet hair in her house, though she tried. People thought she was crazy, but the old woman didn't care. All her pets got their shots, were properly fed and loved, and she believed there was a psychological component in the raising of a good companion animal. Just as in the shelter you are talking about, there are too many. There is always another one to foster if one doesn't work out with the family.
I knew very early on that I wanted to be this old lady. I still do.
Good luck with the new foster dog. I hope Dia accepts her and manages to remain the amazing companion animal that you two worked so hard to develop from what she was when she first came home with you.
Update, please. Busy farming time.
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