There goes another little piece of my heart ...

Car ride to meet Courtney

Joey and I met with Courtney today downtown at The City Garden.    She and I have been in touch for a couple of weeks and we had scheduled to meet this morning.    We met about 11 and Leon was on his best behavior.    When he met Courtney and her friend he was so friendly and affectionate and his tail never stopped.    They both just raved at how beautiful he is, how soft he is and what a great personality.   I told them he'd had a bath the night before which helped his soft fur.
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There was another dog at the garden, she was quite a bit bigger than Leon and he was perfectly behaved.   They sniffed around and he was very happy and excited but didn't do anything aggravating.    A little boy also came up to him and he let the little boy pet him without jumping on him.   Had he jumped on him, he would have knocked the poor guy over.  But he didn't.    Courtney also asked him to sit and he did.

My favorite artwork in the City Garden

It wasn't very long before Courtney decided she wanted to take him home with her.   As soon as she met him and I saw how they were interacting, I was pretty sure he had found his new home.    :)   I sent Leon on his way with some of his favorite balls - the Kong balls that squeak and a toy he had been playing with this morning.   I always think it's a good idea to send something with a foster as they go to their new home.   It has scents of familiarity on it and they know it's theirs.   I'm sure they fall by the wayside as they settle in to their new home.

As I walked away, of course, I shed a few tears.   JTK informed me that I need to learn to handle these situations better.  I don't think that's ever going to happen.    It hurts every time I have to say goodbye, but I have the knowledge this little soul is going on to a wonderful home and if I hadn't stepped in, they would likely not even be alive.    That's such a satisfying feeling ... but I don't think it will ever stop being bittersweet.

Now I am down to only one foster ... TRex.  I took him to PetCo for a couple of hours today but I was so overwhelmed by the noise and activity.   Honestly, I'm to the point I can't bear these events.  I'm sure it didn't help that I was feeling a little sad.    Right now I'm deciding whether to take in a new foster.   I know what will happen ... I'll hold off and then I'll see an email of a dog in danger of being put to sleep and I'll volunteer to take them.    It's  hard fostering, in so many ways.    But the alternative to not fostering is knowing a dog I might have been able to help doesn't get another chance.    I have a few more tears to shed about Leon's absence and then I'll be ready to lose another little piece of my heart.

Happy Family - Courtney and Leon