To Foster or to Adopt, That is the Question

We're an active bunch...my hunnie, Georgia and I.  We jog, we hike, we hunt.  So recently when a friends' facebook status popped up with the picture of a dog and the statement "Desperately in need of active foster family," my hunnie and I did some research and some talking and found that it might not be impossible to add one more active member to our household.  If you are unfamiliar with animal fostering, let me fill you in.  As communities rescue more and more animals (either from abandonment or just flat-out bad homes) animal shelters are reaching their maximum capacity.  When shelters fill up, there aren't many options left for the animals...even if an animal shelter is a "No-Kill" organization, it can be very hard on the animals and the shelters' volunteers as more and more animals are rescued.  In the midst of the efforts to find a permanent home for the pets, many shelters are using the community to "foster" an animal--the animal is placed in the care of a person/family, where it receives shelter, food, and companionship until an adopter is found.  One may not realize it, but fostering an animal is a way to give back to your community, to volunteer your time, your friendship (and your finances) to help another living thing.

So Sunday night, in 20 degree weather, my hunnie, Georgia and I drove across town to meet the "desperately in need of active foster family" dog.  Introducing Holmes.  A rambunctious, coonhound pup of about 1 1/2 years.  Let me just say, they were NOT kidding about the activity level of this dog.  Imagine the Tasmanian devil in hound dog form!  Not gunna lie, I am pretty convinced that no level of human activity (except for maybe the Air Force Pararescue training) could wear out this little guy.  Needless to say, he's fitting in great, and Georgia seems to really enjoy having a pal (who, as you can see, is equally as cute!). 

My biggest worry was whether we could handle such an active dog, but now that's been replaced by whether I'll be able to say goodbye to him if he finds a good home.  Would it be so wrong for us to adopt him?  Maybe we were the ones meant to give him the active, loving home he needed.  My hunnie and I were never opposed to adding a 2nd dog to the mix...we had always just thought we'd wait awhile until we found the right one.  Holmes isn't by any means the perfect dog--he tries to sit on the couch and we still have to work with him to ensure he doesn't jump the fence to go sniffing through the neighborhood, but the fact is, he is the missing piece for Goergia and the hunnie, who both are even happier now that he's around.  And that makes me happy.  Of course I would be happy as long as Holmes had a good home, but I think I can really see that home being ours.  I think my Hunnie and I may need to have another talk.

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