Secret got a belated Christmas present at the trial this weekend (post to follow -- working on video!). Our favorite vendor, Best for Pets, always manages to get exactly the items I'm interested in exactly when I tend to need them. Darn them for making me spend money every time I see them....I've been looking at the Back on Track coats for Secret for a while now. There has been discussion of them on various agility lists and the people who use these products tend to swear by them. I have been wondering if one of these jackets might help Secret with her multitude of back sensitivities. The main reason I have put off ordering one (aside from the expense...) is that they come in a bazillion different sizes and I had no idea which would be best for Secret.
When I saw that Jason & Natalie had them in stock at their booth this weekend, I could hardly pass up the opportunity to bring Secret over for a sizing. We started out with the 63cm and it was much too large. The 55 was a bit small, which brought us to the 59 -- and it was perfect! It looked so nice on Secret and the price was the same as online, so I decided that I may as well support Best for Pets and buy it from them.I've been letting Secret get used to it the last couple of days. I've had her wear it out in the yard while I pick up poo and have been putting it on her following play sessions to keep her muscles warm. Today she will wear it while we go for a walk, as the published information says it actually has the most benefit while the animal is in motion because there is more heat to reflect back into the muscles. It doesn't hurt that it's our coldest day of the season today, so she probably won't mind the extra warmth. It will be interesting to see if we notice a difference after a few weeks.
So.... Joe is gone. :o( His new owner came to the agility trial Saturday morning to pick him up. She brought her dog along and she seemed okay with Joe right off the bat, so we don't expect there to be any problems. I got a report on Sunday and it sounds like he was being his usual perfect puppy self, so it looks like he's a keeper.I knew it wasn't going to be easy to let him go, but it hit me harder than I expected. I said my goodbyes Friday night during our final cuddle on the couch. Figuring I got it out of my system, I actually did okay when it was time to say farewell on Saturday. What I didn't expect was to completely lose it when I got home and had to put away all of his things (dishes, crates, etc.).
I'm doing better now, but I do still miss the little guy. He was such a good puppy. I've already been asked if I would like to take in another one -- a 6 month old cattle dog cross who is pretty shy & reserved -- but I had to pass for now. My parents are going on vacation the last half of January and I'll have Lexie for that time, which includes a trial weekend in La Crosse. I'd be overtaxing myself to take on another one right away. I also feel that I'd like to stick to border collies and younger puppies. My dogs seem to accept them better if they are younger (okay, that only applies to Kaiser!) and if they are under 5 months I can technically avoid any legal hassles with the stupid limit laws in my area. Not that I care, but it's easier to explain to the shelter, were they to ask. :o)
So there you go -- I'm not a foster failure. This time.
People always ask if it's hard to give up my fosters and it's really not. For the most part I have specific type of dog in mind when I'm looking for one of my own, I don't want more than three dogs, I don't consider keeping any of them to be an option, and I know there wil always be another one. That said, I did cry once. Also Zodiac and Lyric are foster failures but I purposely fostered them as prospects since they were what I was looking for at a time when I wanlooking for another dog.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't hard for me to say goodbye to Max at all last year. It was actually a relief because he caused such an upheaval in our pack.
ReplyDeleteNow that Joe has been gone a few days I can see that there was more stress in the house than I realized. Secret is fine, she liked Joe. Luke is a little more relaxed now, though, and Kaiser is WAY happier. He gets so stressed when things are not the way he thinks they should be -- but too bad for him, because I'm quite certain there will be other dogs in our family before he passes. ;o)
For the reasons you state, it should have been easy. I really can't have four dogs at the moment and Joe didn't at all fit the mold of what I have in mind for my next dog (small, smooth, prick ears, etc.). I think the reason I enjoyed him so much was because his play drive was everything I wanted and everything that Secret wasn't. He was just a fun little dude.
But yes, there will be others! Hopefully they are pain-in-the-butt puppies that are easier to say goodbye to. :o)