Foster Journal

July 2000: An Evening at the Shelter; Foster Updates

July 1, 2000

So, Sassy was finally adopted yesterday. I'll try to remember the events as accurately as possible. Here goes...

Thursday night the lady with the autistic kid was supposed to come and meet Sassy, but she didn't show up. I called her and she had some lame excuse. So i tried to call M. and couldn't get through. Finally i got him. It was late but he and his wife came anyway. They loved the dog. They wanted to know how to adopt her. We told them to meet us at the shelter on Friday after six to fill out the paperwork. We made sure they knew that the shelter closes at seven.

Warren and i got to the shelter a little before six. The kennel manager said that the people that wanted to adopt Sassy were just there looking at other dogs, but they decided they still wanted Sassy. But they were gone when we got there. We figured they just went to get something to eat and they'd be back in a few minutes. Finally it was 6:30 and we started to worry that they weren't coming. They live about an hour away and we couldn't believe that they had been there at 5:30 and then went home. I wanted to call them but i didn't have their number with me. I tried directory assistance but they were unlisted. So i called L. at home because i knew she'd have their number. She wasn't home so i left a message. Then we were talking with some of the staff people and we finally realized that the people that were at the shelter today were the OTHER people that we met the other night (Jennifer and her husband and the 4 yo kid). They had called us from the shelter (after we left home but before we got to the shelter). Eventually they went home (before we got there). I called our machine and listened to their message. They had originally told us they DIDN'T want to adopt her but apparently they changed their minds. Then we didn't know what to do because we like M. better but he wasn't there on time, and we couldn't get in touch with him, and these other people were waiting for us to call them.

While we were waiting around, of course we had to go and look at the dogs and cats. We saw several that we wanted. There is a cat that Warren wants. He already has a name for her: Tapioca. I said why? He said because he likes tapioca. She is really skinny and apparently just had kittens. She's kinda off-white with darker points on her face. And she has blue eyes. Of course we don't need another cat. Warren's been talking about her all day. You know how he is. He keeps asking me how long they keep them before they put them to sleep, because she's already been there a week and she's so skinny looking and already grown up, so he figures no one will want her. But he did get over Captain Johnson, the dapple doxie, so maybe he'll get over this.

Well, at seven o'clock when i was looking at the dogs, i heard a lot of commotion and realized that M. had finally shown up, just in time. Actually i think it was already after seven. So we did all the paperwork (which took like half an hour because H. and Warren and M. kept talking!) and finally we left. I took a picture of Sassy and her new dad. He put on her new hot pink collar and leash. We talked a little more. He said he thinks the foster program is really neat, and i got the impression that he wants to foster sometime in the future. He said he knows our address and we'll be getting a Christmas card! He said his wife loved the dog the moment she saw her. (She wasn't along to pick Sassy up though cos M. came straight from work.) After they first met Sassy, they had told their kids that they decided not to adopt her, so it was gonna be a big surprise when he got home with her last night.

It sounds like the perfect home. They just moved to a house with a good yard. The mom is a teacher, and they waited to get a dog until school was out. So the mom and the kids will be with her all day during the summer. The mom just had a birthday a few weeks ago and they all bought her dog stuff (beds, toys, etc.) in anticipation. And someone they know was getting rid of a dog crate, so now they have a crate too. They're going to take Sassy to their soccer games and practices. And they're going to change her name to something nicer than Sassy.

I was exhausted when we finally got home last night but i still had to call Jennifer. She sounded like she didn't even care. I don't know what that deal was. Then i called L. (the volunteer who placed the ad for Sassy). She is so very nice. She told me she had to call 12 people to tell them Sassy was adopted. She said she would be happy to help me again next time i foster.

I forgot to mention that they already tried to get us to take another foster! We said we needed to take a break for a while. Warren overheard somebody say that they have about 8 dogs in foster homes and none of them are moving. That's not a good sign.

While we were sitting around last night waiting for Sassy's new dad to show up, we got to observe some of the scary stuff that goes on. Two young guys came in and it seemed like they wanted to find a big mean looking dog so they could be cool. They adopted a huge, tough-looking doberman mix. Then a weirdish lady came in with a beagle. The staff started flipping out because they thought she was dropping him off. No, she said, she was just looking for a second dog, because the beagle was an outside dog and she wanted an inside dog. She wanted to walk her dog around the kennels to see which dog it liked. They made her leave her dog in a room while she looked, and it peed and pooped everywhere. I don't know if she adopted anybody. Then a couple with a little toddler wanted to adopt a young golden retriever mix puppy. The staff tried to tell them that puppies and toddlers do not mix, but they really wanted the dog. They insisted on having the dog right away. The staff person told them that the dog had to be neutered on Monday and they could pick it up Tuesday. They said Tuesday is a holiday and is there any way they could get it before that? I don't know what they ever decided.

So here's the main story. When i was using the phone in the "get acquainted" room, there was a middle aged man feeding treats to a fluffy little terrier fluff dog with weird teeth. He seemed to really like the dog, and it seemed to like him. He started talking to me about it. He said his mom is old and kind of frail, and he wanted to get a dog that would be cuddly and gentle with her. He said he didn't want to rush into it, so he was going to think about it overnight and come back and adopt the dog in the morning. He left. Right before the shelter closed, a mentally handicapped lady came in. I don't know exactly what was wrong with her but she definitely had some screws loose. She was determined to get a dog right then and there. In a matter of minutes she selected her dog. Of course, it was the older guy's little fluff dog with the messed up tooth. Someone asked the woman if she had kids. She did. The person explained that the reason the dog was brought to the shelter was because it supposedly tried to bite a kid. She told the lady that it was a bad idea to adopt a dog that doesn't get along with kids. The lady just said, "No, i want this dog. I'm adopting this dog." So she stood around with this little dog on a leash, and she obviously had no control over the dog (or herself, actually). She started talking to me. She asked me what she should name the dog. She followed the dog around because she couldn't control it. She kept telling the dog she was sorry every time it pulled on the leash. She asked the dog what she should feed it. I think she actually expected an answer. She told it she would give it puppy chow (the dog was obviously not a puppy). They handed her an application. "What do i do with this, put my name on it?" They told her she had to fill it out. She stood there holding it, looking around like she was lost, waving her credit card around like she just wanted to buy her dog and leave. I never saw her fill out the application. I hope that she couldn't read or write and they just didn't let her adopt that dog. That poor dog. And that poor guy. I bet he showed up today and found out the dog was gone.

I have to give the shelter staff a lot of credit. We were there less than two hours and i was totally stressed.

July 3, 2000

I was flipping through the humane society newsletter and i saw a picture that looked a whole lot like Buddy. I read the caption. It said something like, "Another successful adoption! Buddy found a new home after spending time with his foster mom, volunteer Amy Romanofsky..." and a number to call to become a foster home. Very cool!

Mom wrote, "hey, that's neat about the buddy adoption story."

It was really funny because i glanced at the picture and thought, wow, another buddy-looking dog. But it really was him.

July 21, 2000

[Note: I received this wonderful message from Sassy's new mom!]

Sassy's mom wrote, "Just a note to let you know that Sassy instantly became a member of our family. I can't imagine anyone looking at her and not adopting her. She is the best dog I could ever imagine owning. She has chewed some stuffed animals, and the backyard looks like a mine field with all the holes she digs, but she is so loveable! At night, she sleeps in each of our beds, usually ending up with our 7 year old son. She loves to play with everybody, and has already learned several tricks. Many thanks for the time you spent looking after Sassy. We truly appreciate the loving home that you gave her for part of her life. We may at some time in the future take you up on your offer to keep her, even though we don't go away too often. Again, thank you for the work that you do, and for giving us our latest addition to our family."

Mom wrote, "wow. that's great. i'm so happy for you, and for sassy, and for the people. they seem to really like her. that worked out very well, didn't it? you should feel good about that. they seem to appreciate her. well, she is a loveable dog. and they seem to be just right for her."

Yep, couldn't ask more than that! She didn't mention anything about the housetraining. I assume that means it's going well.

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