Always trust your gut. I cannot stress that enough.
I had received a couple of texts and a photo of Gordie in the first 24 hours. Adopter said he had bonded with her, but not with the rest of the family. But they were working on it. Bonding doesn’t happen instantly, so I wasn’t worried. Gordie had to get to used the house. And, if his new brother was anything like he was with Tucker, he was spending much of his time fending off getting head-humped.
Then on Day 5, came the text: “There have been some developments. I am not sure Gordie is happy here. Gordie ran away a day ago. Please do not worry, Gordie came back….”
Well geez, how does that happen??
I do forget that people who have their own dogs who are trained to stay inside with them or just naturally aren’t interested in leaving, aren’t as diligent about keeping new dogs where they’re supposed to be. Apparently the adopter took the trash out, and Gordie snuck through the gate and made a break for it.
Her dog followed but came back as soon as she called. Gordie kept going.
But when he realized that she wasn’t chasing him, he stopped.
She wanted to give it another week, but she also wanted to train him to pee indoors. I explained that would hurt his chances in getting adopted again, so if she didn’t think it was working, I should just take him back now.
And so, Gordie returned.
Look, it’s not always a match. Rescues take back dogs so people—and dogs—aren’t stuck in shitty situations. Gordie wasn’t happy there. He was thrilled to see me, and didn’t even look back when we left. It wasn’t necessarily a bad home; it just wasn’t Gordie’s home. Their lifestyle didn’t match his. They weren’t bad people; they just weren’t Gordie’s people. They took a lot of care with their other dog, and if Gordie and the family had clicked, they would have treated him just the same.
I had felt something was off, and I had been feeling that way with every application that had come in. I had to give him this shot with someone. “There are no perfect homes….”
But again, trust your gut.
I don’t think Gordie thought I was his home either. He seemed to like it here, but I believe that on some level he knew that Tucker was my soul dog and he was not. I’ve always considered fostering like friendship. My dog is the love of my life, the one I married; but that doesn’t mean I can’t have friends who I love too. It’s just different.
Gordie was pleased to see Tucker again and resume his lessons in all things dog. Maybe after his brief stay with the other dog, he and Tuck had a discussion and they came to a better understanding on how to hang with one another. There was much celebratory wrestling.
I had felt something was off, and I had been feeling that way with every application that had come in. I had to give him this shot with someone. “There are no perfect homes….”
But again, trust your gut.
I don’t think Gordie thought I was his home either. He seemed to like it here, but I believe that on some level he knew that Tucker was my soul dog and he was not. I’ve always considered fostering like friendship. My dog is the love of my life, the one I married; but that doesn’t mean I can’t have friends who I love too. It’s just different.
Gordie was pleased to see Tucker again and resume his lessons in all things dog. Maybe after his brief stay with the other dog, he and Tuck had a discussion and they came to a better understanding on how to hang with one another. There was much celebratory wrestling.
When I first adopted Tucker, I wondered if I could ever foster: how could I give love to two dogs? How could I make sure Tucker knew he was top dog, while not making the other dog feel less than?
It only took ten years, but I figured it out: when I’m fostering, it’s not me with two dogs; it’s Tucker and me hosting a canine friend. And Tucker does an amazing job helping our canine guests feel at a home in a way only another dog can.
I continued Gordie’s training from the human angle. After a pro tip from a patron at the local coffee house, I finally, after a whole month, got Gordie to “Lie Down”. The trick was to have him up high and me down low. The “down” hand motion just didn’t make sense from way up above him. My hand needed to be at eye level for him to get what I was saying. Once I could associate the word with the hand motion, I could drop the hand motion. But that takes time. I’ll take the win for now.
It only took ten years, but I figured it out: when I’m fostering, it’s not me with two dogs; it’s Tucker and me hosting a canine friend. And Tucker does an amazing job helping our canine guests feel at a home in a way only another dog can.
I continued Gordie’s training from the human angle. After a pro tip from a patron at the local coffee house, I finally, after a whole month, got Gordie to “Lie Down”. The trick was to have him up high and me down low. The “down” hand motion just didn’t make sense from way up above him. My hand needed to be at eye level for him to get what I was saying. Once I could associate the word with the hand motion, I could drop the hand motion. But that takes time. I’ll take the win for now.
Finding his true forever home was even more pertinent. I was supposed to go away in two weekends to a friend’s baby shower in our favorite city by the Bay, and while I knew Tucker could come, I really didn’t want to have both dogs with me. But I wasn’t going to rush into another adoption only to have it backfire.
Shelters and rescues were filling up quickly, and I was miffed by the lack of adoption applications. Gordie was a small dog—no apartment restrictions, can go on a plane, super cheap to feed—especially since he’d only eat garbage kibble. Yet despite all that, he wasn't getting to his people. Ultimately, that's the goal: to get the dog in front of the person who is meant to be their life partner. I just wasn't getting him where he needed to be and I needed a new plan - fast. Tucker loved playing with Gordie, but Gordie had a lot more energy to expend than Tucker could keep up with long term.
Shelters and rescues were filling up quickly, and I was miffed by the lack of adoption applications. Gordie was a small dog—no apartment restrictions, can go on a plane, super cheap to feed—especially since he’d only eat garbage kibble. Yet despite all that, he wasn't getting to his people. Ultimately, that's the goal: to get the dog in front of the person who is meant to be their life partner. I just wasn't getting him where he needed to be and I needed a new plan - fast. Tucker loved playing with Gordie, but Gordie had a lot more energy to expend than Tucker could keep up with long term.
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