A Happy End (of a year) to all

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Some of you who are my friends on FB know that I volunteer for our local animal shelter taking pictures of the dogs.

I have been doing this since April and even though I feel bad for all the wonderful dogs suck at a shelter, I managed to keep my cool. Until early November 6th, when I noticed a small poodle mix was brought to the shelter as a stray. I was there the day after they checked her in, and for some reason I just had to see her. She was in the "found" area waiting for somebody to come claim her. No collar, no chip.

She was very scared and we could barely get her out of the kennel to take pictures of her. But once she was outside, she let me pick the weeds and stickers out of her ears. She seemed freshly groomed, but very scared of people.

I went home and could not get her out of my head. Days went by and all I could see was her sad eyes. Normally, if found dogs are not claimed within two weeks, they are up for adoption. Her date was November 14th. I checked with the shelter before this date and was told that she won't be adoptable because of her extreme fear. And that they will will working with her to overcome the fear. After this information, I became even more restless and I've decided that I want to foster her. Unfortunately, the people whose approval I needed were out until the 19th of November.

Now, I'm a first time dog owner. I've never fostered dogs before. I have never adopted a shelter dog either. And I've never felt the urge to do that. But I just could not get this girl out of my mind. So I told my husband my plans and he was okay with it. He said to get ready for pee and poo in the house...and in all honesty, I had no idea what I would do with a very fearful dog.

I brought her home on the 19th of November and named her Cookie. After 30 minutes, Cookie was snuggled up to me on the couch. Monty and Auggie were great in giving her space (well, Auggie had to get a reminder from Cookie a couple of times, but he got it pretty quickly). When my husband came back from work that day, I could feel Cookie trembling in fear. I dragged out our old crate and set it up in the kitchen. Cookie spent the first night sleeping through the whole night in the crate. I bet she was just so exhausted from being in the noisy shelter environment. My husband was leaving for work at 6am in the next morning. We let Cookie out of her crate at that time and her tail was going millions miles a second. After my husband left, there was no way she would go back in her crate. So I took her upstairs and she immediately hopped on the bed and slept between my legs till 8:30am. She was sleeping with us in the bed for the subsequent nights.

There was no sign of fear once Cookie knew she was home. She was potty trained. She was the biggest snuggle bug of all. Always by me and with me. She warmed up to my husband the next day and would lay on his belly watching TV. She learned to use the doggy door the next day just by seeing my boys go through. And soon enough, she joined them in barking at the neighbor's dogs.

I love my boys to pieces, but they don't snuggle. They come for their pets when they need them. This girl was constantly in my lap, snuggling at all times. It was so cute. All she wanted was love. My husband was falling in love.

We got to the point where were were considering keeping her. At the same time, I got a message from a family who was interested in her. A freshly retired lady whose husband still works. She felt alone spending the whole day at home and needed a snuggle buddy. We went to see them, but Cookie was scared of them, as expected.

So I made a video of her progress for them to see. She was a totally different dog at home.

https://vimeo.com/112649869

The story short, after a trail week with Cookie, the family decided to adopt her. A perfect situation. Cookie would be the only dog at the house and the mom is there the whole time. Walks by a golf course every morning and lots of love throughout the rest of the day...

I cried for the next two days after we dropped Cookie off. I felt like I betrayed her since she was so scared of her new owners. Fortunately, they kept in touch on how she was doing and I'm happy to report that Cookie is back to her old happy self. I'm still sad that she is not with us. My heart aches for her companionship, but my brain is telling me this is the best outcome. I can' have three dogs, with one being so needy for attention the whole time.

I'm at peace with my decision (until I look at Cookie's pictures and videos) and I do believe this was meant to be. I don't think I'm a foster parent material. I'm too sensitive for that. But I do believe that shelter dogs need a chance. And I'm really happy to be able to find a loving home for Cookie.

You might see a scared dog at a shelter that nobody would want to adopt, but they might be a very loving companion once they know they are safe. Cookie sure was. I've never seen a dog with such a loving personality in my whole life.

So, this is a happy ending for one shelter doggy and a person who's never fostered dogs before.Big thanks to all of you out there who foster dogs on a regular basis (and are able to let them go to their furever loving homes).

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Jarka, How did I miss this heartwarming blog? You did a wonderful thing for Cookie. The whole time I was ready your story, I thought about our Vern. He is the biggest snuggle bug, but he would do terrible at a shelter. He growls when he is in new situations and unsure of things and that combined with his size would be so bad for him at a shelter. Thank you for seeing beyond all that with Cookie. It sounds like she is meant to be with this family and the good news is you can still see her. 

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Just an update. I saw Cookie today for the first time after almost a month. I did not expect her to remember me, but it took her about 5 seconds to realize who I was and she was all over me covering me with her kisses! It was so sweet. I had Monty with me and she seemed to remember him as well as she jumped in my car, to the back seat to sniff her "brother" wagging her tail. I still wish she could have stayed with us (heck, I would take all the doodles, who am I kidding), but her new family is perfect for her. They adore her and she changed their lives already. This was truly meant to happen, both for me to take the leap and get her out of the shelter, and this particular family to come forward looking for a little dog to brighten their days. I will love her forever and I'm lucky enough to be able to see her from time to time.

[Camilla and Darwin]

What a wonderful story Jarka!

[DJ & Chance]

This is such a beautiful story.  Thank you, Jarka.

[Julie and Max]

What an awesome thing you did for Cookie!

[Cheryl and Finnegan]

Just catching up.  What a wonderful thing you did, giving Cookie a second chance.  She certainly came around under with your love. It was so heartwarming to watch your video.   

[Jarka, Monty & Auggie]

Thank you all. This surely was a learning experience. And actually an easy one. She was perfect. The hard part was letting her go. I admire those of you who do fostering on a regular basis and deal with all sorts of issues the dogs might have.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Jarka, thanks so much for fostering Cookie. Sometimes there is a dog that just catches our heart - that you were able to give her to the right home is both selfless and fulfilling. And,  Cookie will never for any reason be at a shelter again because you are the forever backup.

[Karen Glassman]

Your story brought tears to my eyes. Cookie is one lucky dog :)

[Janie, Jackson and Jilly]

Jarka, I've been wondering how Cookie did with the family and was going to message you. What an amazing thing you did for one special little girl!