foster.

Foster, by definition, means ‘to encourage the development of someone or something’ as well as ‘bring up a child that is not one’s own by birth’.  I’ll tell you honestly that I don’t love this word- for some reason it kind of doesn’t express how I feel as a foster…the definition does, but when I say the words “I’m her foster” it just sounds kind of empty and distant.  Taking in a dog to me is something MORE than just a place to house a dog that has no where to go.  My preferred title is “Temp Mommy”.  (as i write this Rosie is licking my face).

When they are in my house, a dog is in my care, my responsibility and I treat them like my own..because for me, there is no other way to care for them.  Rescues have something special that I never knew about and admittedly I never understood WHY people took in dogs that could potentially have “problems” (as I thought at the time)  until I did so myself. (pibble kisses again!)  There is an incredible bond formed very quickly- it has happened with each dog I’ve been a Temp Mommy for- trust, loyalty and I know you might think this is typical crazy dog lady talk but I stand by it when I say they are grateful.  You can just see it in their eyes and you feel it with every look, snuggle, and wag of the tail.  Rosie is no different- this morning she moved from “her side” of the bed over to mine and snuggled up with her eyes looking straight into mine as close as she could get herself next to me. They just seem to get it, that we are here for them.  That is the thing about the word foster that I do like- nurturing, encouraging and doing everything for a being that usually came from a bad place, bad people and needs to know unconditional love. (Rosie is rolling around boxing her legs and in general making joyful pibble noises right now).  Rosie is a joyful little pibble, and I do believe thats her nature- but she is also allowed to be joyful and encouraged.  Everywhere we go she gets smiles on the streets, pets from kids and adults, and these positive experiences are really what I feel like its my job to show her- the goodness of people, the goodness that she will only have from now on.  We go out to cafes, parks- Rosie goes everywhere I go so that she sees people of different ages and experiences kindness all over.  Yesterday we sat at a coffee shop around the corner from my house, where Rosie has been adored by the waitresses and has to kiss them all when we are there. We sat outside on the sunny day as Rosie tore into her new red ball (which if I’m honest was her ball by default after she took it from a low shelf at the vets…who puts dog toys on a low shelf??  is that really fair to all of us softies who can’t say no when their dog steals a toy???). People came and went, gingerly stepping over her area of ball destruction amongst the outdoor tables; she would wag her tail, look up,  then continue with the task at hand.

These moments are what you feel as a Temp Mommy that fill your heart with a feeling of gratitude for THEM. What do I get out of caring for a dog as my own? As my aunt told me last summer, “they give you back a million times over the love and care you give them” and its TRUE. I keep thinking of these words with every cuddle and moment when Rosie seems truly blissfully happy in a safe, positive environment at my house. You can be a Temp Mommy too- you will learn more patience, understanding and loyalty in a short time from an animal that knows that they are embraced for maybe the first time in their lives. As I write this sitting on my hardwood floor, I can see Rosie peeking over at my from the couch….this foster/Temp Mommy has a full heart.

arrival.

As many of you dog-lovers know, once you have a dog in your house living every day with you to then having no dog:  is…depressing. Straight depressing. Coming home is never the same.  I found myself in this situation after my own beloved rescue dog went to the US to work on socialization (rescued in Zagreb, Croatia) and to help him work on his fears of people, cars, in short everything.  I had recently fostered a German Shepherd that had been in terrible condition and after he was adopted I was once again without a furbaby.  The rescue organization that had saved my pup (Udruga Indigo) is always in need of fosters- and had a dog that had just had surgery and needed a place to stay.  A Pitbull. She ambled up the stairs into my apartment, ribs showing…and I sort of just looked at her – a pitbull.  The feared pitbull. I will admit I don’t think I had ever even petted a pitbull in my life.  They just weren’t neighborhood dogs where I’m from. I even asked what kind of dog she was… she was a pitbull.  Of course I thought…oh God they really think I’m the best person for her? Me? I have a furry little baby dog fluffball and this is a pitbull. Scars covered her legs…she had a few slashes on her face.  I mean..she did look kind of scary. I was coached on how to feed her treats, to have her sit- but instead I dropped them an arm’s length into her mouth. I kept thinking over and over that I hoped I wouldn’t do anything to provoke her, to have her turn against me or something like that.  She smacked her lips chewing the treats (really it sounded like she had no teeth…and no dentures..you know what i mean? )  come to find out she has only a few teeth, the rest all knocked out in the front..ok, so kind of like feeding a horse: she grabs the treats with her lips and won’t bite me…phew. That first night I tentatively went around the house, letting her settle in and all the while telling myself that fostering means I have to get over some of my own fears.  Its not about me..Its about this dog who, so far, in the first day has been everything but what I could have sworn was the definition of a pitbull that I knew.

She needed to have a a soft fabric cone around her neck because of her operation… she looked like a flower, a ridiculously cute, muscled pitbull flower…a rose…Rosie.

Introducing Rosie.