Jelly was very happy and seemed to fit into their home very
well, at least for a while. The problems
started when she grew tired of being left alone while they went to work and
school. She is very much a people dog
and needs companionship. After
destroying the inside of the house several times my daughter decided that while
they were gone from home Jelly would have to stay outside. She had the perfect place to leave her
outside – a large covered patio with shade and protection from the occasional
rain shower we get here and a nice fenced yard with enough room to run and
play. That worked well, for a
while. Then their time away from home
increased and Jelly wasn’t happy. So she
began to dig holes under the fence and wiggle through to escape into the
neighborhood. Not a good plan, Jelly.
So, she came over to stay at my house until a suitable new
home could be found for her. She enjoyed
the company of my four little low-riders, but it was different having that
fifth dog in my house, especially a big dog!
We knew that we had to find the exact, perfect home for
her. So we sent out e-mails, posted on
Facebook, and my daughter advertised through her company’s classified ads. At
first there was nothing except polite inquiries and good wishes. It was discouraging, but we knew that the
right person(s) would come to give Jelly the forever home that she needed. We could not even consider a shelter because
of the fact that she had already been bounced around too much; plus, we knew
that she is a good, sweet dog and just needed help to find the right home.
As silly as this may sound, we prayed for Jelly to find that
home. God answers prayers for dogs as
well as people. Last Friday my daughter
had an inquiry and the folks came by to look at her and agreed that she was the
right dog for them. We agreed that they
were the right people for her. They live
in Fort Stockton (way out in west Texas) with property, have another dog, and
one of them stayed at home during the day.
Perfect!
Jelly took right to them, giving them her big hugs and
licking their hands. When they picked
her up on Saturday afternoon I said good bye and she walked down the driveway,
just like she was ready for her new life.
I was relieved because my dogs would never have left me to go somewhere
with unknown people.
I’m sure that this happens fairly often. You adopt a dog knowing nothing about it and
then it is not the right match for you and your family. I’m glad that we were able to do the right
thing for Jelly and get her into a home where she will have the companionship
that she needs.
Having five dogs, one of which was large, was interesting,
but it was only for about a week and a half.
During this time I realized that while I have always thought I could
never foster a dog (I would get too attached, I thought) I now think I could
and may try sometime in the future to do so.
There are several dachshund rescue organizations in our area and I know
they need foster doggie parents. If you know that the dog is only staying with
you temporarily, then you care for it and give it affection but you do not bond
with it. This is exactly what I did with
Jelly because I knew I could not keep her permanently; she was loved and cared
for and I enjoyed her sweet company, but I did not let myself get attached to
her. I knew that was to be saved for
someone else.
So, Good Luck Jelly!
We will miss you, but know that you are on your way to a long, happy
doggie life in west Texas!
