Teddy Boy was my shortest foster. I had him with me for a whopping two hours.
He was a happy-go-lucky boy and only 8 months old when he was adopted the first time. He had an older “brother” dog and he loved his family. We thought they loved him, too. All seemed well, until it wasn’t.
One day, Teddy Boy and the older dog suddenly didn’t get along. He had been with his owners for a year and a half and this came out of the blue. They freaked out and felt they couldn’t deal with it. Things became very tense. They kept the dogs separated and spent less time with Teddy. He knew something was up and stopped eating much at dinner. They felt they had to choose and that their first loyalty was to the older dog.
When they contacted the rescue, they planned to send Teddy to a local shelter immediately. The adoption contract, however, said they had to return him to the rescue.
It’s awful for any dog to be sent from family life to a shelter. They don’t understand what happened or why. They trade a warm bed for a concrete floor and daily affection for getting only their basic needs met. The rescue didn’t want to see that happen to Teddy.
Teddy Boy was a beautiful dog. He was a rangy 70 pounds with creamy, short fur and freckles across his face. He was tall, with long legs and was both graceful and fast. He was also a lucky boy. The rescue convinced the owners to stand by their word and release him back to them. Instead of going to a shelter, Teddy went to a beautiful dog boarding facility nearby.
I went to pick him up a few days later. The place was 90 minutes away from me in a very pretty rural setting. As soon as I walked in, several of the people who worked there rushed over to tell me what a wonderful dog he was.
“He gets along with every single dog, even the picky ones,” I was told.
“His tail never stops wagging. Even when he eats, his tail is wagging,” another said.
One young woman had come in on her day off to ask if she could adopt him. “I bring my German Shepherd to work,” she told me. “He loves Teddy and so do I.”
In the few days that Teddy was in the boarding facility, he had already been adopted. In fact, several families fell in love with his online picture. Instead of bringing him home to my house to foster, I was meeting his new family two towns away in a local park.
I walked him out and around the parking area where I could smell the piney smell of the surrounding evergreens. He zig zagged and pulled a bit. He hopped readily into my car and we loaded up his stuff. He had a lot of things from his previous owners – a bed, a bag of toys, leftover kibble and treats. He sniffed and, satisfied that he recognized it, settled down in my car.
The drive was short and along pretty roads. In about 20 minutes, we came to the turnoff to the park. His new family arrived quickly after us. They were thrilled to meet him. They exclaimed over how beautiful he was and let him take the lead in greeting them, as experienced dog owners do. They had recently lost a dog, they told me, and felt they needed a new dog to make their family complete.
The father asked if he could walk Teddy and did, with his two little girls by his side. Again, Teddy zig zagged and pulled a bit on his leash. The 7 year-old said, “Me next! I want to walk him.”
“No! I want to go first,” the 4 year-old daughter exclaimed.
Without hesitation, the father handed her the leash. And Teddy did a remarkable thing. He looked over his shoulder at the little girl, seeing who was holding his leash. When they set out, he walked slowly and gently. He adjusted his pace to hers. He walked in straight line in whatever direction she chose. She beamed.
They signed the new adoption contract and loaded up Teddy’s stuff into the back of their SUV. He jumped in the back seat, between the two little girls. All three of them looked happy, Teddy most of all.