 She could be yours!  |
| Tripp and Huxley Our guest blogger today is Andrea Dickason, animal lover and FOR volunteer. |
A Tail of Two Dogs
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| Huxley |
I don't remember a time when
I didn't want a dog. Growing up, my whole family was allergic to them and so I
settled for a guinea pig. In college, I could afford neither the money nor the
time to get a dog. But the day I accepted a job offer, I started looking for a
dog. Never mind that I was still 3 months away from actually moving to the
area. It took me a month of searching petfinder until I found him. His name was
Huxley, he was a German shepherd- lab mix, and I loved him the second I saw
him. There was no question, I just knew I wanted him. I checked petfinder every
single day to make sure he was still there until the day I moved to Alabama.
And the day I signed the lease on a house (found with the condition that it was
large-dog friendly), I contacted FOR. It was agonizing waiting for their
response to see if he was still available. I scoured their Facebook page,
looking to see if he had been posted as adopted. I hit refresh on petfinder
repeatedly, hoping his picture wouldn't disappear. It felt like forever (but
really was probably barely 24 hours)and I got a response: he was still
available. Kids on Christmas can't hold a candle to how excited I was. I knew
Huxley was supposed to be mine. Even the warning that he came with a bite
history and limitless energy didn't deter me at all. And on January 14, 2012 it
became official.
I got into fostering because I wanted a buddy for Huxy while I was gone at work. He loved every foster. Each one was a new friend, a new playmate. I've now fostered somewhere around 30 dogs-- once I got started, I couldn't stop. The one thing he didn't like was strange men. And any man he didn't know was a strange man. He was my security system. Nobody dared come near the house with him at the door. Even delivery men would stay 10 ft back from the door, gesturing that they would leave the package right there before they turned and ran. My now- boyfriend learned this the hard way, as Huxley caught Alex's lip when Alex tried to introduce himself on our first date. Alex ended up with four stitches, but there surprisingly was a second date anyway!
Sadly, and unexpectedly, we lost Huxy to (suspected) cancer on Sept. 3, 2013. The pain of losing him was unbelievable. It seemed so unfair; he wasn't even 4 years old. I had planned on at least another 10 years with him. I didn't know how to live without a dog anymore, so the very next day I picked out another foster. The next week I picked out another. Alex got his first foster. Soon we had a house full of dogs again. But something was still missing. I knew I could never replace Huxley, but I wanted a permanent dog again that I could bond with. Around that same time, I started dog sitting the foster that Huxley's old foster mom had. I had dog sat that same dog in March when his then-foster family went out of town.
I got into fostering because I wanted a buddy for Huxy while I was gone at work. He loved every foster. Each one was a new friend, a new playmate. I've now fostered somewhere around 30 dogs-- once I got started, I couldn't stop. The one thing he didn't like was strange men. And any man he didn't know was a strange man. He was my security system. Nobody dared come near the house with him at the door. Even delivery men would stay 10 ft back from the door, gesturing that they would leave the package right there before they turned and ran. My now- boyfriend learned this the hard way, as Huxley caught Alex's lip when Alex tried to introduce himself on our first date. Alex ended up with four stitches, but there surprisingly was a second date anyway!
Sadly, and unexpectedly, we lost Huxy to (suspected) cancer on Sept. 3, 2013. The pain of losing him was unbelievable. It seemed so unfair; he wasn't even 4 years old. I had planned on at least another 10 years with him. I didn't know how to live without a dog anymore, so the very next day I picked out another foster. The next week I picked out another. Alex got his first foster. Soon we had a house full of dogs again. But something was still missing. I knew I could never replace Huxley, but I wanted a permanent dog again that I could bond with. Around that same time, I started dog sitting the foster that Huxley's old foster mom had. I had dog sat that same dog in March when his then-foster family went out of town.
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| Tripp |
Huxley had loved playing with him, which was normal, but Hux
had liked this dog so much that he let the new dog cuddle with him. Huxley was
not a cuddly dog. Regardless of how much he liked someone, he liked his own
space more. So the fact that Huxley cuddled with Tripp was significant. I
couldn't forget that picture. And the similarities piled up. Tripp had a bite
history. He now had the same foster mom Huxley had. He had been in the program
for months and months. He'd had applications fall through. He liked to run. And
he was a total sweetheart and a wonderful dog. I finally realized that Huxley
had picked his own buddy months ago and I just hadn't known. Tripp became mine
on Oct. 23, 2013. I'll probably always miss Huxley. But I'm so thankful for the
time I got with him, and I'm thankful for a new dog to love, and thankful for
FOR for bringing both of them to me.
Stylish Sally
This is Sally, she is 12 years old, not super active. Loves to roll on her back like a little wiggle worm. She is very Stylish in her pink jacket. She
would be a fantastic pet in a single dog home and is totally housebroken. She is a shelter favorite at the Athens/Limestone Animal Shelter.
For more info about Faith or becoming a foster parent emailINFO@FORrescue.net
If you would like to contribute a story to the FOR blog, please mail the contents along with an image or two to blog@forrescue.net.
At the end of 2014 individuals who submitted content for the FOR blog will be entered in a drawing for a free pet portrait.
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