Category Archives: Foster Dogs

Must Love Dogs

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I didn’t want her to throw me a party. I thought I’d slip out of town quietly.  I’d say my goodbyes, of course, but without fanfare, one at a time, on the phone, at lunch, over coffee. The farewell party that Q. insisted she throw for me felt over the top. It felt emotional. Maybe it’s because there were so many people dear to me all in one place.  These were the friends I shared my best times with, and they were the friends who saw me through the worst.  They were the ones who got me through the year … Continue reading →

Hello…Goodbye

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  We stood on the grass as the van made its way over the gravel driveway.  As it came to a stop, E. emerged with a brown cocker spaniel in her arms.  “This one’s yours!” she said as she handed the dog to me. “Isn’t he a beauty?” The kids gathered around me as we said hello to our first foster dog Brock. That was a year ago.  We’ve fostered fourteen dogs since.  Many people don’t understand why we have chosen to take in dogs on a temporary basis as fosters versus adopt.  Today, I’m explaining my famliy's decision to … Continue reading →

How to Trash a Vet’s Office in 30 Seconds

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    “Mom, if I ate 50 hot dogs, how much would I poop?” “Dude, can we talk about this later?” “It would be like fifty times the poop I make now, right?” “Stop,” I mutter.  I eye Dr. S. apologetically as she works on Dolly. “It’s ok,” she says.  I have boys. She kneads the dog’s belly. “It might be intestinal. I’m going to take some x-rays.” Dr. S. whisks the tiny shih tzu out of the exam room and down the hallway.  The dude and the two girls spill into the waiting area and run around in circles.  … Continue reading →

My Evil Mistress

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“I need a favor.” My mother’s voice quivered. “Mom, are you OK?”   I had just left work and gotten into my car, which was semi covered in the first round of slush from our Friday-Saturday snowstorm. “You don’t have any Diet Coke.  Can you stop at the store and get some?” My mother had moved in with us for the night in anticipation of the first blizzard of the winter.  The kids love having her around.  And they love that she travels with Carrie. I love having her around, because when she’s here, I can slip off to Target by … Continue reading →

Balls

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Noah trotted into our living room as if he had lived here for years.  Our ninth foster dog, a Lhasa Apso mix, arrived the end of November from a shelter in Camden, New Jersey.      He was adorable, as you can see. But there was much more to Noah than this irresistible face. It was Noah’s “other end” that intrigued me. As Noah spent his first night with us, sniffing around the premises, I couldn’t help but notice his enormous set of balls. His balls were so big, they kind of got in the way of his being able … Continue reading →

Hope on a Leash

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It would have been a lot of work for her.  It would be good for her, but was she ready to take the leap?     She had mentioned wanting to adopt a dog a year ago.  The company would serve her well, after losing my stepfather.   The dog came up from time to time.   "Mom, have you gotten to the shelter yet?" was a question we frequently asked her.  "No, next weekend," she'd reply before the subject was dropped for months.  She didn’t mean to drop the subject, but life gets in the way, as it does for … Continue reading →

Dogs Conquer All

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When I told my husband that we needed "dog energy" in our house, he looked at me as if I had three heads.  I'm used to this look. As the poster girl for "Yoga-As-The-Answer," this is the same look I get from my husband when I mention to him that one of my chakras is out of alignment, or that I'm having trouble focusing with my third eye.  "Maybe your third eye needs glasses," my husband will say from across the dinner table, devouring his steak and mashed potatoes, as I sit opposite him with my plate of quinoa and … Continue reading →

Helicopter Parenting and Other Nonsense

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This is our foster dog Brock.  Yes, he really is this adorable! With Brock's arrival, came that "new dog" kind of chaos, which only added to the inherent chaos of our household, fueled by three high octane children under the age of nine.  Brock is a Cocker Spaniel puppy.  He jumps.  He wants to play catch all day.  He teethes. On everything.  He gets into puppy mischief, yet all is forgiven quickly. When he pees on the carpet, I sigh and open up the back door to let him into the yard.  When he ate through the leg of my … Continue reading →