After a long week at work and a stressful weekend, I just didn't have it in me to sit down and write a blog yesterday, but I wanted to share a short story tonight. Little Miss Zi gave me quite a scare over this weekend. She started to vomit and then refused food...and was clearly not feeling well. I was worried sick about her and feared that so many things could be wrong. Luckily, she just had a little GI upset that cleared up on its own, probably a little virus. But while I sat here over the weekend, unable to really do anything to help and squirting syringes of Pedialyte into her mouth so she wouldn't become dehydrated, I realized the I am mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. After caring for my sick, old girl for the last several months and knowing what is coming with Peaches, I think I reached a breaking point.
Over the course of the last week, especially with the events of this weekend added in, I've realized that I am not quite ready to fully take on a new foster. While I thought bringing Zi into our home would help Maddie feel like things were more normal and would give Peaches a new playmate, I also thought it could help me heal as well. What I learned is that I had unrealistic expectations and, after all I went through in the end with Imke, I just need a break. I am not ready to jump back in and just keep going; none of us are.
Zi is a sweet girl and I certainly don't regret helping her out, but she was more of a challenge than I was prepared to take on...at least mentally. And I was surprised to see how quickly I felt overwhelmed by the situation. While she is sweet and loves people, she is also nervous and unsure and has a lot to learn. She would really benefit from a confident dog, but without Imke here, I have a house of anxious, not-so-confident dogs right now. I have a house of dogs who are still trying to figure out the hierarchy of our pack. We are all still learning how to navigate through life without Imke. Nothing feels quite like it should and I suspect that life will be that way for a while.
But I am not one to give up on a challenge and I knew we had to make the best of the situation so that Zi could learn how to be a well-adjusted, happy girl and find a new home. With as nervous as she is, I didn't want her to have to move to a new foster home before finding her forever home. Lucky for me, the family that is interested in adopting her is willing to offer a foster home for her until she is finished with all of her vet work and can officially be adopted.
After speaking with them last week and sharing all about her personality, they were excited to bring her into their home. They currently have two Shih Tzus and before we could move her, we had to make sure that she would be okay with little dogs. So on Friday, she came to work with me for the morning and then at lunch time we headed out to the shelter to meet some little dogs. She did great! So it was decided that this Sunday she will move to her new home in Chicago.
Her new family is so excited to meet her and I am excited for her to meet them. She deserves a stable, loving home, and I truly believe that they will give her just that. While she will only have spent three weeks here, she has left an impression and I won't soon forget this sweet girl...my first foster without Imke.
Now I will be taking a break to focus on the two girls that I have. Peaches and Maddie have taken a backseat while I cared for Imke and now they are not getting as much attention as they deserve as I help Zi. It is time to focus on them for now and maybe it's time to focus on me too.
Over the course of the last week, especially with the events of this weekend added in, I've realized that I am not quite ready to fully take on a new foster. While I thought bringing Zi into our home would help Maddie feel like things were more normal and would give Peaches a new playmate, I also thought it could help me heal as well. What I learned is that I had unrealistic expectations and, after all I went through in the end with Imke, I just need a break. I am not ready to jump back in and just keep going; none of us are.
Zi is a sweet girl and I certainly don't regret helping her out, but she was more of a challenge than I was prepared to take on...at least mentally. And I was surprised to see how quickly I felt overwhelmed by the situation. While she is sweet and loves people, she is also nervous and unsure and has a lot to learn. She would really benefit from a confident dog, but without Imke here, I have a house of anxious, not-so-confident dogs right now. I have a house of dogs who are still trying to figure out the hierarchy of our pack. We are all still learning how to navigate through life without Imke. Nothing feels quite like it should and I suspect that life will be that way for a while.
But I am not one to give up on a challenge and I knew we had to make the best of the situation so that Zi could learn how to be a well-adjusted, happy girl and find a new home. With as nervous as she is, I didn't want her to have to move to a new foster home before finding her forever home. Lucky for me, the family that is interested in adopting her is willing to offer a foster home for her until she is finished with all of her vet work and can officially be adopted.
After speaking with them last week and sharing all about her personality, they were excited to bring her into their home. They currently have two Shih Tzus and before we could move her, we had to make sure that she would be okay with little dogs. So on Friday, she came to work with me for the morning and then at lunch time we headed out to the shelter to meet some little dogs. She did great! So it was decided that this Sunday she will move to her new home in Chicago.
Her new family is so excited to meet her and I am excited for her to meet them. She deserves a stable, loving home, and I truly believe that they will give her just that. While she will only have spent three weeks here, she has left an impression and I won't soon forget this sweet girl...my first foster without Imke.
Now I will be taking a break to focus on the two girls that I have. Peaches and Maddie have taken a backseat while I cared for Imke and now they are not getting as much attention as they deserve as I help Zi. It is time to focus on them for now and maybe it's time to focus on me too.
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