As I walk through my house, I see reminders in what I consider the best of places. My favorite pair of green Puma’s with the lace that is now half eaten, the back pad has a great custom chunk taken out of it. The Tupperware in the fridge holding the leftover mac-n-cheese with nibbles in the plastic lid making an only slightly less than perfect airtight fit. The chair leg with gnaw marks, creating character in an otherwise normal living room furniture set.
Even when the house is quiet, I see these reminders of our past visitors…and smile.
Shoeless Joe, ironically the Puma predator, just had his first birthday and is living with his kitty sister and his parents helping them live their best life by being a super supportive marathon training partner.
Gwen, the lover of plastic storage bins, is the Corgi princess who rules the roost as the little sister in a house of other short legged wonder brothers.
Bug, the cow spotted pitty who thought he was a beaver, has claimed his spot with his family as ‘the first born’ graciously, and is getting all the spoils of being an only child.
None of these dogs would’ve made it to their first birthday, let alone living the amazing family lives they have now without a rescue and a foster home to give them a chance. Joe’s family wouldn’t have a coach and training partner, Gwen’s family wouldn’t have been seamlessly rounded out by a little squatty wonder, and Bug’s parents wouldn’t have their perfect first born son to complete their growing family. And I?… I would have a perfect pair of Puma’s without any custom modifications, a set of Tupperware with perfectly interlocking lids, and a perfect chair in my living room, lacking in any character flaws.
But who wants to live up to the idea of “perfect” anyway? Would I smile at a chair without character? Would my favorite pair of shoes be any different from any other pair without the nibbles in them? Would a set of Tupperware without modifications bring me any joy? These things all remind me of the dogs I’ve let into my home, that I’ve watched grow, that I get to see become a family member and bring another family indescribable joy. The dogs that otherwise would have never made it out of the shelter alive but thanks to a foster home are now loved, truly and forever.
If you are interested in becoming a foster family, and learning to find joy in some of the finer ‘imperfections’ in life – check out Secondhand Hounds. We need more families like you, the dogs need more families like you. https://secondhandhounds.org/get-involved/foster/
