I Miss That Crazy Dog

I took this completely un-Photoshopped photo a few days ago, using a slow shutter speed on my camera. I love the way it makes Francie look like a ghost or fading memory as she walks through our house. While I'm still rejoicing about Francie getting adopted, I absolutely cannot believe how much I miss her. She was only at our house for a week, but she was a part of my daily life for the past three months.

Want to hear an interesting story? The first night of our foster, I put Francie's red "adopt me" jacket on her and took her for a walk at a park near our house. I was desperately trying to get her as much exposure as possible. That day, I had contacted numerous rescue groups, pit bull organizations, and made the Craigs List post--everything I could think of to get Francie out in front of people and hopefully, that one Right Person. As I walked through the park, I saw three grade school-aged kids watching us. When we got close to them, the oldest, a girl of about 13, pointed to Francie and said, "That used to be our dog." I had to ask her to repeat herself three times because I couldn't get what she was saying through my thick head! She said that Francie, who's name used to be Carly, was owned by their 23-year old brother. Carly ran away when she was 8-months old and was picked up as a stray. They eventually went to the shelter and saw that she had been renamed Francie (they must have waited for a long time for her to have been given a name by then), but their parents didn't want to pay the $400 to reclaim her (it actually only costs $40, but the girl had apparently been told that it was $400).

She ended by saying, "Well, at least she has a good home with you now." I pointed to Francie's "adopt me" jacket and said, no, she does not have a home, that she has been at the shelter for over 7 months, and that she was almost euthanized. I said it as gently as I could, but I didn't want to sugarcoat the situation either. I felt they needed to know that the choices their family made had huge ramifications, namely, making their dog's life a living hell. Hopefully, if they ever get another pet, they will not repeat their mistake.

But I just got off the phone with Francie's new owner, who reports that Francie has slept on his bed for the past two nights. He told me initially that she would be sleeping on her own dog bed on the floor next to his bed--I've never been so glad that someone's resolve caved! It's a good sign that Francie will be living the spoiled life she deserves.

Francie's owner plans to make Francie her own Facebook page so we can all follow along in her adventures. He says I'll be jealous when I see the amazing life she's living. I'll be sure to share the link so we can all jealous together!