Last weekend we said a sad farewell to Mia. She had been staying with us for almost six weeks as a foster dog awaiting adoption. A family came by on Friday, signed some paperwork, and loaded her up in the car. She doesn’t want to be around strangers, and doesn’t like being on a leash, so naturally it was rather traumatic experience for everyone.
Mia was our sixth foster hound in the past 12 months. They’ve all been tough to let go.
That’s the whole shebang in a picture Ann created for the recent AZ Gives Day. Top row left-to-right: all-black Sophie, Geordie the OG, and Plucky (now Pennie). Mia is middle right. Bottom row is lounging Koki, Dorothy (now Millie) with the shawl that came in her go-bag, and super-shy Tessa with the black snout. Wow! What a brood.
Millie actually returned to us briefly after not working out with her original family. She’s now been re-homed. Plucky and Koki we haven’t seen since, but all original handover reports were positive. Tessa, Sophie, and Millie have all joined us at the various dog parks around Tucson.
And Mia didn’t even last 24 hours at her new home. Their established greyhound didn’t like having her around, so she immediately went to a different family with an established dog. Everything appears to have worked out in that new location.
Yes, it’s tough getting to know such a sweet bunch of dogs only to see them shipped off for someone else to enjoy. They all arrive shy and a little terrified. We’re the first house any have ever lived in. But they learn the few rules, experience the joy of riding in the car with their head out the window, discover which stuffies they can drag out of the toy basket, and follow Geordie (our stable pony) out back to do their business. Pretty soon they have personalities and become a joy to be around.
But we’re going to take a break. Geordie is in dire need of all the attention, and we’re spending way too much on dog food. Plus it’s about to get REALLY hot down here and greyhounds require special care in the extreme heat. So one hound is enough till it cools down.