Ladybug

Yesterday after work Sellus and I went to the Humane Society to pick up our first foster dog.    I had dropped by earlier on my lunch break to check out all of the dogs available for foster and spend a little time considering who might be a good fit for our home.     The foster program that has been created at FCHS is suprisingly user-friendly.   They have several forms you fill out detailing your home environment, what kind of animal you might be willing to foster (cat or dog), what age animal, how long you would consider fostering, and what if any issues you would be comfortable dealing with (ie, pregnant dogs, bottle-feeding babies, behavior issues, etc.).    In addition, you can sign up to only be an emergency foster, in which case they will only contact you about fostering during emergencies like floods or severe over-crowding.     We signed up for pretty much anything except bahavior issues since we have a toddler and another babe on the way.

I was incredibly suprised at the great dogs they had available to foster.    When going in, I was prepared for lots of dogs with behavior issues or dogs that would need a lot of work in general.   Instead we found some sweet older dogs, two calm beagles, a boxer who had been abandoned at a vet office, a mom with puppies, and several young mix breed dogs.   Most of the dogs just need some care, relaxation, and rehabilitation to be ready for adoption.

We chose to take home a young female shepard-mix.   She was severely emanciated when she came to the shelter and is just now getting up to normal weight.    She's a totally sweatheart and was very loving when I spent time with her.   I knew immediately that she would get along with our dogs and being young (less than a year, I think) I figured she would learn quickly from them.     Her most recent name at the shelter was Ladybug.  

We found out immediately that Ladybug had never been for a car ride.   It took quite a bit of coaxing to get her in the car, but she was happy once in as long as she could lick my hand.     When we first picked her up, we thought we would rename her, but it turns out that Jamison LOVES the name Ladybug for a dog.   She picked it up right away and called her by name all evening.

Ladybug, our first foster!

Sweet girl, licking my hand.