My first foster puppy, adopted

            Today I learned that my first foster puppy has a forever home. The lovely people who have been keeping her for a slumber party decided that they want to keep her for good. They have already selected a new name for her.
            I am so glad. In the first two weeks I fostered this puppy, I could not possibly have let her go to someone else. She and I just seemed to have a bond that materialized as soon as she crept out of her crate to take a treat from my hand. I saw how frightened she was, but also how curious about the world. She wanted to try things, but she wasn't sure what might happen. So I set out to provide her with a structure she could understand, to lay the foundation for anything she might do in the future.
            After a few weeks in our house, my dear foster puppy had learned so much. I was very proud of her accomplishments, because I could see how proud she felt each time she succeeded at something. And I saw that she needed to go live with someone else. Much as I love her, not every dog is a good fit for every household. And that is fine.
            I saw when I dropped her off for her slumber party that she will enjoy living with her new family. She now has two humans to love her and an adult doggie brother to play with. I could see that my training worked; for the first time, we let her off leash with no fence. She romped and zoomed and leaped into the air, and every time we called to her she raced back to us, tail wagging. I suspected that was what she would do, but it is another thing altogether to see her in action and to know that I gave her the skills to have that freedom.
           It does hurt a bit to let her go, yes. But when isn't it a little difficult to take away your guiding hands, and entrust someone you love to what the world has to offer? She was ready. I am glad she didn't have to wait a moment longer to start the rest of her life, with her very own family. Be well, sweet puppy.

            I foster animals in memory of my first dog, Dandy. Let her legacy be the happiness and health of this puppy and many more.

Our current household crew

            My home is full of furry creatures. My partner and I are currently living with three cats of our own, and two foster dogs. We recently returned two foster kittens to the SPCA of Hancock County, Maine. These are our beasties:

            Warbear, shorthaired silver tabby. She's about a year old, sleek, shiny, and loves to be snuggled. But... she wishes most of the other critters would go away. She will grudgingly tolerate their presence in her home, if we insist.

            Brenna, longhaired tortoiseshell. She's about two years old, silky, talkative, and loves to be brushed or just hang out nearby. Brenna is a mellow, easy going cat. She hides from new things for about two weeks, and then magically reappears once it seems like everything is safe again. Brenna likes to sing in the stairway, where her voice echoes loudly.

            Wren, longhaired tabby. Wren is about eight years old, and mostly blind. But she is the friendliest cat I've ever met. Anyone can just pick her up and hug her, and she is delighted for the attention. She likes to keep to one or two rooms, and snoozes in the same spot most of the time. She likes dogs, kittens, humans, and the warmth of the wood stove.

            Alice, foster dog. We are fostering Alice for Peace Ridge Sanctuary (where I also work). She's about twelve years old, but still enjoys a good run. She weighs about sixty five pounds, now that she has lost some of the excess weight she arrived with. She is a lifetime foster, which means that this is her forever home, but the sanctuary provides for her care. Alice likes getting brushed, trying to convince us to let her eat mussels she finds on the shore, and spending every waking moment with her humans. She has separation anxiety, doubtless from being tossed from one home to another and into the shelter. She is not a big fan of other dogs, especially in her house.

            Penny, foster dog. Also for Peace Ridge. Penny is available for adoption at the moment! She is a very smart little cattle dog mix, about six months old. She is shy in new situations, but is learning that the world is actually kind of fun to explore. She loves clicker training and playing with other dogs. She tries very hard to convince Alice to play with her, but Alice won't have it. We keep them separate to reduce the stress on Alice while Penny stays with us.

            So these are the furry creatures who are living here! Penny might have an adoption pending, but I can't say for sure as I'm writing this. If so, hooray! If not, you may be seeing more pictures of her here, and stories about her, too. She's a great little pup, and I'm enjoying working with her. Some lucky someone is going to have a wonderful companion when she gets her forever home.