Rescue Me: Connor, Foster 3/5/10-4/15/10

As Daisy's adoption was being finalized, the foster coordinator emailed me and asked if we would be willing to take Connor next. I replied that we would and then proceeded to his description on Petfinder. He was so beautiful, a smooth, chocolate brown coat and greenish/white eyes, I figured that this guy wouldn't last long! I was a bit surprised though, because we had always been given small dogs up to this point, and Connor was 55 pounds. In the days before we picked him up I wondered how Gabe would react to such a large dog as his brother.

The day came to pick Connor up, and since Alan was driving near the kennels on his way home from a meeting for work, he offered to get him on his way home. He called me once they were both in the car and said that he was very sweet and giving him kisses...and that he was really tall! I couldn't wait to get home, so I rushed out of work as soon as the clock hit 4:30 and as I drove down our street I saw them waiting outside for me. He didn't look quite so tall with our house behind him but once we got inside he certainly did! We watched him extremely carefully all night, to try to prevent any accidents in the house as many dogs usually have when they've been plopped into a new environment, but he was a good boy and always did his business outside. Gabe growled at him nonstop (for days) but was truly petrified of him, and Connor would just tip his head at Gabe quizzically and move on. I browsed through his vet records on the first evening, as I always do for any new foster dog, and I noticed that his updated weight after coming off transport was 71.6 pounds! I then made a mental note that we needed to update his petfinder listing.

I learned from another volunteer that when Connor was found as a stray, he was extremely emaciated and was eating 8 cups of food each day to catch up. We're decreasing his food a bit as he's leveling out, and he is quite happy and in good health. It makes me sad to think of him as a stray, and the fact that he was starving makes me feel even worse, but he was lucky enough to stumble across an animal rescuer in Tennessee and his new life is just beginning.

Connor appeared to have bonded very closely with Alan in the few hours that they had alone before I came home from work, and he would whine softly whenever Alan left the room. He seemed to like me, but he definitely had eyes for his new daddy. The following day after we picked him up, there was a meet and greet at the Harvard Kennels, and so we brought Connor to see if he might generate any attention. There were a few families that appeared to be interested, but no one seemed particularly committed. Connor didn't seem to mind and slept like a log, sprawled across the backseat, on the way home.

Over the next few days, we got to know Connor quite a bit better. Every so often he would do something new or goofy, and after a few days he was starting to become a bit more snuggly and showing much more excitement when we would come home from work. During the time that we've had him, we've discovered that he loves rawhides and any sort of chewies, likes to trot like a pony around the backyard, and enjoys initiating play with Sam and being chased by Gabe. Our master bedroom is quite large and because Connor hasn't had a single accident, he hangs out with us while we are cleaning or putting clothes away. I think he enjoys the extra space, and he rolls around on the floor a lot, showing us the white patch on his chest, which practically begs for a belly rub. Sometimes he gets excited and gnaws on the carpet, but when he is told not to do so he immediately stops and looks at us with eyes just like a human's, or a child's as if to say "but it's so fun!". When we come home from work or let him out of his crate in the morning his whole body wags with pleasure. The past few weeks have taught us that big dogs' tails can be dangerous and we quickly learned that we should be ready to catch anything being knocked over from a medium height surface!

I cannot say enough good things about Connor. His manners are amazing, and he is loving and sweet. His goofiness is great, as he seems to just have that silly big dog look on his face sometimes. His personality is amazing, he loves everyone he meets and is quite the charmer. He hardly ever barks, plays hard with his brothers and sleeps hard, too. As I am writing this he is dreaming, hopefully a pleasant dream, on the love seat in the living room. He just made one of those whimpery-sleepy noises that dogs make when they are dreaming and I am trying to stifle my laughter so as not to wake him up. It's funny to witness such a small sound from such a large dog! He is all sweetness and love, a big baby and a gentle giant.

While I know that Connor will not last long with us due to his amazing disposition and striking good looks, I feel a bit conflicted, as I often do when thinking of my foster dogs. On the one hand a short stay in our home is great because the sooner he finds his forever home the better it is for him, and once a foster is adopted another life will be saved as GDRNE sends another one our way. But on the other hand, the sadder hand, I think of how I am unlikely to ever see him again once he is gone. We have been so fortunate in that all of our previous fosters have kept in touch and sent us pictures and I cannot express enough just how much we appreciate it! But it still is sad to imagine never physically being with this buddy again. Nevertheless, I know that we will miss him more than he misses us and he will be happy in his new home, wherever that may be and whoever it may be with. I keep this blog for others to read but also mostly for myself. I like to look back and see the lives that I have saved and remember that even though parting with a foster is sad we are doing it to give other dogs a second chance at a great life. Hopefully Connor's forever family will come along soon and whoever they are will be so lucky to have adopted such an amazing dog!