We said goodbye to Duff last week. He is one of the sweeyest dog I’ve ever known and I hope he will be happy for the rest of his life. The house feels a bit empty now that he’s gone. It is amazing how such a little creature can bring so many colors into one’s life.
Sidra said that he misses how Duff always asked for a belly rub. But he also said that for now he didn’t want a permanent pet anymore, he would love that we continue fostering and get to know more dogs. Saying goodbye each time is indeed heartbreaking but it is also a happy moment.
It’s my first time commenting here but I’d like to say I’ve volunteered for the same organization as Novita when I lived in Japan (fostering cats though). They really care about animals. When I wanted to adopt a little starving cat my friend found in the tsunami-hit area of Japan and bring her with me to the Tokyo area and then out of the country (I was moving), volunteers from the organization not only recommended a good vet that could check her out and give her all the shots and paperwork that she needed but even gave me a ride there.
Sadly, Japan gasses to death 200,000 animals every year. You can read about it here. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/02/19/issues/millions-of-dogs-cats-coddled-200000-gassed-each-year-in-pet-mad-japan/#.Uc1ZkOCUBok I saw a photo essay about it in a Japanese magazine and it’s the most awful thing you could imagine. I think Novita is doing a wonderful thing-maybe without her family’s work training Duff to follow commands and getting him used to being around people he wouldn’t have been able to find a new owner.
I love that you and your family foster. And it is wonderful you son is so mature. My husband doesn’t want to foster because he knows what happened to our last foster dog – I couldn’t let him go and he became part of our family. All out pets have either come from the Humane Society or recently from a program called HELP – where all animals are fostered before adoption. The foster parent can pass on a lot of information about the pet whether they like other animals, are afraid of thunder or eat kids toys.
I do have to say, Duff has the sweetest face. I am sure he is thankful you took such great care of him. Thanks for posting about fostering.
I don’t really understand this foster dog process. I mean does anybody thinks about the dogs? They get to love people and get used to them too… It’s like nobody really want them, so they go from one family to another…
But would they be better off in a rescue center? Those places are loud and stressful and if they run out of space they often have no choice but to put dogs down.
It’s not perfect but it’s better than some of the alternatives.
I understand what you’re saying and I know you’re right. I’m just so sad for the dogs. He looks so happy with the family…
Fostering dogs increases the likelihood that they’ll find a perfect match with a forever family and that they won’t wind up back at a shelter. I’ve fostered dogs in the past, and it’s a good transition for dogs that need extra care. The last dog I fostered was really, really fearful and nervous– the first night we had him, we couldn’t even get close enough to touch him. But we also knew that he would be happier in a suburban or rural environment, so keeping him long-term wasn’t the best for him.
Also, fostering dogs takes some of the pressure off of really crowded shelters. You can take the time to find a really suitable owner when shelters don’t always have that luxury. It’s a hard thing to do– if I could, I would keep every dog and have 20 of them! But I really commend Novita for opening up her heart and home to dogs, even though it’s challenging and emotionally difficult.
Everybody involved in the process thinks about the dogs. Some of the dogs, like Duff, come from horrible places where people kept tons of dogs without proper care, some are stray or abused dogs, some has their previous owners died or too sick to care for them anymore.
They don’t just go from one family to another. Some dogs can be kept in the shelter but there are dogs who can’t stand the stress of living with so many dogs. Some dogs need more attention than others. These dogs are placed in foster families who gives proper care and love until they find an adopter.
Some of these dogs don’t have proper training, and foster families train them so they will have more chances of getting adopted. Some dogs have lost their trust for human, and foster families are there to help them trust human again.
When Duff was saved, he couldn’t walk. He was treated with medication and proper care until he’s healthy. He didn’t know any command and he didn’t know how to play with toys. Now he’s properly toilet-trained, knows some basic command like sit, down, and stay, and he plays with toys.
Of course it is sad when they go, we have got to know them, we trained them and took care of them. But they go to their forever family who will love them just as much and maybe more than the foster families. It is a good thing when they get adopted. If we adopt Duff, we don’t have place for fostering another dog.
It’s fantastic that he’s going onto a new life, as sad as it is letting him go. My nana used to foster dogs years ago, and as a child I loved going to visit her and meeting new dogs all the time. It’s a really wonderful, generous thing to do, and it’s heartwarming to see people doing it still. Good for you, and good for Sidra for being so incredibly mature.
Goodbye cute Duff… He was a joy to watch.. Dogs are so previous… I miss mine all the time.. This photo collage it’s so beautiful…
I can’t stand Duff’s eyes. Anyway… So long Duff!