Saying goodbye
It has been a bumpy couple of weeks here. I have been on an emotional roller coaster (and not just because of what is going on in our world). I had gotten an email showing interest in Rocky. I emailed back to get more info, but didn’t get a reply so I moved on and didn’t think more about it. About a week later I get a reply stating they were still interested and had not seen the email I sent. We talked on the phone and decided to set up a meet and greet.
The family lived in a town house so would have to walk Rocky (no worrying about fence jumping) and they had no other animals. I was a little worried about being in a townhouse with Rocky’s barking, but they did not think it would be an issue. It was a family of 4: mom, dad, adult daughter, and an autistic son. I was not sure how Rocky would be with the son, but he lived with 2 little boys, so thought it should be ok.
We went for the meet and greet on a Tuesday afternoon. Rocky was very anxious the whole time we were with the family. He was pacing and panting and barking occasionally. He did not react to the son which was good, but he also was not very interactive with the family. They had one other dog they were looking at and would let me know what they decided.
I left rather downhearted. After seeing how stressed Rocky was I was not sure we were ever going to find him a home. At this point Rocky has been with me 13 months total (between the 2 times fostering). I started wondering if he was where he was meant to be. I approached my husband about adopting Rocky. He wanted to give him some more time. So I said we would see what happened.
I was rather surprised the next day when the family emailed that they wanted to adopt Rocky. I did not know what to do. I had pretty much made up my mind to adopt Rocky. I emailed them to make sure they were absolutely sure, I did not want Rocky to have another failed adoption. They really wanted him, so we set up a time to meet.
The day before we were going to meet I developed a cough. Normally this would not be that big of a deal, but with Corona I did not want to pass anything along (even though I was mostly sure it was allergies). So we held off. After a couple days I felt much better so we set up another date, that ended up being 1 week after the initial meet and greet.
Rocky went to work with me on the day of the adoption. We were heading to the house right after. I did give him a bath prior to heading over. We got to the house. The family had already bought a bunch of supplies and had a nice little area set up with his crate and food and water dishes. They wanted to know all about his schedule so that they could make him as comfortable as possible. Rocky was pretty anxious while doing paperwork. I knew it would be an adjustment for him. The time came to leave and I was so torn. I knew he had a great family, but I just hoped he would do well here. I was able to leave without shedding a tear.
That night I was watching TV and got a call that Rocky has been barking all afternoon and was so stressed. The family was not upset at him at all, but they wanted to make him more comfortable. We were able to get him a sedative to help relax him. I was a wreck the rest of the night and the next morning. I doubted my decision, I should have adopted him. He was so upset. The next morning I even ended up in tears when talking to my mom.
Before I went into work I had a couple minutes and checked my email. Rocky had slept through the night and was doing a little better. The family loved him. That had me feeling better. I just got another email today and Rocky is really starting to adjust he even played with toys for the first time since getting there. He is stubborn on walks, but they will get him to a trainer as soon as they can. He is still having some issues with barking, but overall doing well. His family really does love him and said he is perfect. I was so happy when I got that email. It really is a happy ending.
Now I am looking forward to getting my next foster and saving another life. More stories to come. Thanks for all the support with all my ups and downs with Rocky. He really has changed my life.
The family lived in a town house so would have to walk Rocky (no worrying about fence jumping) and they had no other animals. I was a little worried about being in a townhouse with Rocky’s barking, but they did not think it would be an issue. It was a family of 4: mom, dad, adult daughter, and an autistic son. I was not sure how Rocky would be with the son, but he lived with 2 little boys, so thought it should be ok.
We went for the meet and greet on a Tuesday afternoon. Rocky was very anxious the whole time we were with the family. He was pacing and panting and barking occasionally. He did not react to the son which was good, but he also was not very interactive with the family. They had one other dog they were looking at and would let me know what they decided.
I left rather downhearted. After seeing how stressed Rocky was I was not sure we were ever going to find him a home. At this point Rocky has been with me 13 months total (between the 2 times fostering). I started wondering if he was where he was meant to be. I approached my husband about adopting Rocky. He wanted to give him some more time. So I said we would see what happened.
I was rather surprised the next day when the family emailed that they wanted to adopt Rocky. I did not know what to do. I had pretty much made up my mind to adopt Rocky. I emailed them to make sure they were absolutely sure, I did not want Rocky to have another failed adoption. They really wanted him, so we set up a time to meet.
The day before we were going to meet I developed a cough. Normally this would not be that big of a deal, but with Corona I did not want to pass anything along (even though I was mostly sure it was allergies). So we held off. After a couple days I felt much better so we set up another date, that ended up being 1 week after the initial meet and greet.
Rocky went to work with me on the day of the adoption. We were heading to the house right after. I did give him a bath prior to heading over. We got to the house. The family had already bought a bunch of supplies and had a nice little area set up with his crate and food and water dishes. They wanted to know all about his schedule so that they could make him as comfortable as possible. Rocky was pretty anxious while doing paperwork. I knew it would be an adjustment for him. The time came to leave and I was so torn. I knew he had a great family, but I just hoped he would do well here. I was able to leave without shedding a tear.
That night I was watching TV and got a call that Rocky has been barking all afternoon and was so stressed. The family was not upset at him at all, but they wanted to make him more comfortable. We were able to get him a sedative to help relax him. I was a wreck the rest of the night and the next morning. I doubted my decision, I should have adopted him. He was so upset. The next morning I even ended up in tears when talking to my mom.
Before I went into work I had a couple minutes and checked my email. Rocky had slept through the night and was doing a little better. The family loved him. That had me feeling better. I just got another email today and Rocky is really starting to adjust he even played with toys for the first time since getting there. He is stubborn on walks, but they will get him to a trainer as soon as they can. He is still having some issues with barking, but overall doing well. His family really does love him and said he is perfect. I was so happy when I got that email. It really is a happy ending.
Now I am looking forward to getting my next foster and saving another life. More stories to come. Thanks for all the support with all my ups and downs with Rocky. He really has changed my life.
Congrats on finding him a good home. I know that must have been tough but I’m glad it all worked out and that you will be able to help other pups the same way!
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