Some of Us Are Remedial Learners

Sometimes I’m slow on the uptake. This week’s adventures have reminded me that I am still a rookie foster mom over here. The lesson is a repeat from Galina days, but it appears I needed to learn it again. And the consequences may mean more than a three-dog weekend, they may lead to a three-dog month.

Here it is: Never look a gift-adoption in the mouth. Or something like that.

On Wednesday the perfect adopters (and I mean perfect like I made them up myself) were approved to adopt Carla. I had a lovely conversation with her future adopting mama. We made plans for the family to meet and adopt Carla on Thursday. Hooray!

And then, because there were actually two other applications in the system on Carla, I made the bold move of agreeing to take a new dog from this week’s transport.

Symphony is adorable and part Border Collie – a breed I have always coveted.

She even has a great story (a street dog picked up by paramedics), reminds me of the dog on the Little Rascals, and looks to be the perfect size playmate for Gracie. Carla is too big, Wheat Penny was too small, but Symphony looks just right. All was well with our dog world.

And then Thursday morning I received an email from the potential adopters saying there had been a drastic shift in their situation and they would sadly be unable to adopt Carla at this time. Whoosh. (That was the rug being pulled out from under my carefully laid plans.)

Quick like a thief I checked Carla’s page on the OPH site. Surely one of the other applications would pan out. Alas, now there was only one application left and that one looked like it wasn’t such a great fit. The other application had simply vanished. Carla was going nowhere. There were cheers from several members of the family who are pushing for a foster-fail.

But what about Symphony? I couldn’t renege on my plans to foster her. Foster dogs have too many abandonments in their lives already, I wouldn’t be another. (Never mind that Symphony hasn’t even met me yet, it’s the principle of the thing.)

And so we are making plans to welcome our fourth foster dog tomorrow morning.

For her part, Carla is stepping up her behavior, sleeping on her own bed and still running like a champ with me. It’s almost as if she’s petitioning to stay. In the morning instead of circling me in the kitchen as had been her habit, she waited patiently at the bottom of the stairs for the kids to get up. She obviously knows who is working on her campaign and who is looking for an exit strategy.

In any event, it looks as if it will be an all-dog weekend. I’ll pick up Symphony at the bowling alley in the morning. (I just love saying that.) And then I’ll be taking both dogs to Bel Air for an OPH adoption event on Sunday. I can’t seem to get anyone to come along and hold the other leash for me, so that should be tons of fun. If you’re in the area – stop on in at the Pet Valu and enjoy the show.