Penelope, Adopted 8/4/10

I am late posting this due to pure laziness and being busy, but better late than never, I suppose. I sincerely apologize to Penelope and her new family for the amount of time it took me to post this.

Penne was such a good girl during her time with us. She was so well-behaved and mild-mannered that we didn't even crate her when we were at work and she never had a single accident! We didn't dare do that with any other fosters, just in case anyone got bored and decided to chew or get into something they shouldn't. She just hung out on the furniture with Gabe and Sam all day and then happily greeted us when we returned home.

As the end of July was drawing near and Penne went to boarding and daycare while we went to Jamaica, I hoped for her sake that someone would finally express some interest in her. I picked her up when we returned and the workers gushed about how wonderful she was and that a few people had asked about her so they posted her picture and bio for anyone who might wish to apply for her. This was encouraging, but again, nothing came of it.

A few days after our return though, I got a great application from a family with two young kids. I called them immediately and they seemed very excited and we promptly arranged a time for them to come and visit. When they arrived, Penelope was just smitten with them all, especially the kids, and vice versa! They hugged her and pet her, ran around the backyard and threw her tennis balls. It was love at first sight! When they left, she seemed sad and looked out the window after them as they retreated down the street, but I had a good feeling about it and set up the home visit right away.

The home visit was a success and we agreed that they would pick her up the following Thursday evening. I was sad to see her go but I knew that this gentle girl would be beside herself to have two kids to grow up and be best friends with. Her new mom came to pick her up after work and we said our good-byes. I was excited and a little bit jealous that Penne would spend the rest of her summer at the cape before returning in the fall, and while I didn't get a family picture that evening, her new family was nice enough to send me one a few weeks later, which I greatly appreciated. She looked happy and healthy, and the update informed me that she was doing very well.

I think of her often when I see other dogs on our website who've been in foster for quite some time, for no real reason. She was an amazing dog and her temperament was perfect, I still can't believe I only had one application for her in 3 months! I suppose it doesn't really matter. She went with the perfect family and sometimes it just takes awhile to find the perfect match, but I still am baffled as to why it took so long. As I write this I am looking out my living room window and watching the snow fall with fury and blow in the wind. I love snow days myself and can only imagine how happy Penne must be to have her kids home with her, romping around on this wonderful snowy day. The thought brings a smile to my face.