Dog is God Spelled Backwards

We got an email from LRR (Labrador Retriever Rescue) today asking for emergency Foster Homes this coming October. Several of our regular Foster Home Families are going on a group trip this October leaving our all-volunteer organization very short on Foster Homes for about 8 days this Fall.

We recently lost both of our precious Labbies in less than a year and we needed a break for a while. Isabelle was still a baby, and we figured we would wait until she was a bit older before we became a dog family again. I figured when the time was right, an opportunity would present itself.

Oddly enough, the friends we went to the concert with yesterday were talking about their dog, and asking us when we thought we might get another one. A few hours later, watching late night cable at Ed's cousin's house, I caught the last half of Marley & Me on HBO and ended up in tears (once again) watching the movie based off the classic book about a "bad" yellow Lab and the family who loved him. I realized that I do truly miss having a warm, wet nose in my life.

Today, the opportunity presented itself. An "emergency" email from LRR asking for foster homes this October. It seemed like kismet with the dog conversation and movie yesterday. I volunteered our home for those 8 days in October, without even clearing it with Ed first. (I told him immediately afterwards, and he was fine with it.)

Granted, we're only volunteering to foster for 8 daysl. But anyone who knows us, knows where fostering Labs has led us in the past. We had 2 dogs at one time for several years (3 different Labs rescued so far). And the director of LRR knows us well enough that she will ensure we get a great foster dog, that she knows we'll fall in love with, and end up adopting. Susan is the quintessential organizer of what we call "suckers" in our LRR organization. Those are the "foster homes" that end up adopting the dogs we're only supposedly providing temporary foster homes for.

So, this might be a bit sooner than what we thought? We said 2011 when we'd start fostering-to-adopt. But I have a feeling that Isabelle is going to have a fuzzy friend in her life sooner than planned. I just pray that we don't have another Winter like last year, for more reasons than just not wanting to walk a dog in 4 feet of snow!