Josh and I thought a lot about the possibility of a second dog when Shio turned 2 years old in December of last year. The problem was that even if we were ready emotionally to take on another dog, the timing was still off. We didn’t have a car and it would be difficult to live with two dogs in a small Manhattan apartment. Then, we moved to Brooklyn in March and started having some behavioral issues with Shio because of the drastic change for him. Shio was stressed from the move and started fights with dogs in the dog run. After 4 months he finally settled in and the breeder we leave him with said that he would pair well with any dog that we welcome into our new home.
In Brooklyn, we still have no car but a lot more space and a large local dog run in a community where everyone jumps to help each other out if there is a dog in need or trouble. In September, we started thinking about fostering a dog instead of adopting one. This decision was largely influenced by one blogger, Jen at Inu Baka blog. She details the chronicles of her experiences with each of her fosters, beginning with the basic training issues to the emotional bond that she builds with each dog. Reading her blog helped ease the fear of having a strange temporary dog and the sadness that I might feel when the dog is adopted out. Thanks to Jen’s blog, we know that the sadness that we feel when we let go of our foster would be replaced by the joy of him/her finding the perfect home and knowing that we have him/her a second chance.
When we heard that there were Shibas in New Jersey were confiscated, it was the perfect opportunity to assist the organization and we applied to foster. (Thank you Jenna for the wonderful recommendation.)
The foster program director matched us up with a female black and tan Shiba. She’s approximately 11 months old. Her name is “Goo Goo 2″. Unfortunately, all the Shibas have simple names like our foster’s.
After this long and sappy post, here is a picture of our foster to lift your spirits:
Our foster: Goo Goo 2
Goo Goo arrives on Friday at 3pm. We think that she has the sweetest face and from the pictures we’ve seen, an equally sweet disposition.
Before I saw Goo Goo’s picture, I was sure that this we would foster and give up the dog to a better home but after seeing Goo Goo’s face, we are preparing for the prospect of failing Foster 101.
Read more about 10 of the 22 Shibas (Goo Goo’s in there!) confiscated from NJ on the NYCSR website: http://nycshibarescue.org/category/nycsr/
what a cute face! thanks so much for using your home to help a shiba-in-need!
What happened to Goo Goo 1? Good luck with the fostering? I can tell Josh is already resigned to the potential outcome!
Goo Goo is gorgeous! I am really looking forward to reading updates on her and Shio’s progress. I am sure they will get along great. Like any single child, it will be difficult to share things and territory, but I think he will really appreciate the company and they will grow to be best buds. Best of luck to the both of you – and thank you (from one Shiba rescue owner to another) for taking in a foster!
Goodness–what a beautiful girl! I can’t wait to hear lots of stories about Goo Goo and Shio together. If she’s along to keep him company, Shio might even want to walk! I’ve read that it’s best to introduce a new dog to the household at a neutral location–do you plan to try that? Congratulations to all! Shio gets a sisfur. You get a beautiful shiba! Best of all, Goo Goo gets a fabulous home with brofur to keep her company so she won’t miss the other 21 quite so much.
Thank you for fostering! We can’t wait for stories and maybe some video too?
And I’ll add this reminder: they still need funds at the rescue for all of this.
This is so exciting! Made me smile to read this post =)
Thank YOU for fostering!!! You will love it, I promise.
Wow, that’s is incredibly nice of both of you to foster Goo Goo. I’m sure Shio will be happy with another friend in the house too! I hope you all make enjoyable memories in the future!
Yay! I can’t wait to hear about all your special adventures together.
I can’t wait to see how GG2 fits in.
Here’s a song for you to help welcome her. Local noise/mashup/collage artists reworked a classic from “Moving Right Along” from The Muppet Movie and turned it into a wobbly, quirky ditty renamed “Good Times A Goo Goo.” It came immediately to mind when I read your announcement, and you can d/l an mp3 of it here: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/3206860/04%20Good%20Times%20A%20Goo%20Goo.mp3
aw yeah!!!!!! i love reading stuff like this.
it’s super hard to take the foster plunge. GO YOU! there will be trying times ahead, but the joy and amount you will learn far outweigh the potential stress of adjustment.
I can’t wait to read all about GooGoo2!
My comment didn’t show up!
I LOVE reading things like this! Love love love.
I wish you all the best in your fostering endeavor. There is no harm in ‘failing’, its a beautiful thing to help a dog find its forever home – even if that home is you.
Bravo for going for it
Thanks for the support and encouraging words! She’s going to be here in an hour. I can’t wait!!!!
I love that you promise things and they come true. It’s been an awesome experience so far Jenna!
Thanks! We hope to inspire more people to foster as well through our experience!
Thanks! Shio’s incredibly happy to have a live in playmate!