When the time comes…

Dear Cooper,

Today marks eight months that you’ve lived with us at Foster House. Eight months, kid! If your goal was to crush the record of every other dog that’s passed through our doors, well you certainly have succeeded, sir!  Far and away. You’ve even gotten lapped – twice!

Cooper’s first night at Foster House

There’s no doubt that you have been “my” dog from the start. Of course you love your Foster Dad, but you clung to me from the moment we left the shelter on your little temporary leash and generic nylon collar.  Well we’ve certainly improved your wardrobe since then,  haven’t we?  (Exhibit A, B, and C) 

When you were on your very first outing with us, I clipped you to the run in the backyard with Oscar and turned and walked to get something out of the car…you strained against your tie-out and barked in distress after me, terrified that I was leaving you. Of course, I returned, and you’ve been a momma’s boy ever since. 

 

You let us know right away that your stint with us would not be uneventful.  You’ve challenged us more than we ever thought a foster dog could.  We found ourselves completely out of our depth with you – between the potty training, the destruction, the separation anxiety, and of course your fear around other dogs, more than once we thought we had bitten off more than we could chew.   But no matter how hard it got, we never once thought of giving up on you.  You needed us to be strong and constant for you.  So we gritted our teeth and equipped ourselves with tools to help you.

Cooper graduates from Basic Obedience Class!

It is impossible not to love you.  That tail of yours never stops wagging, and that adorable brindle tushy it’s attached to has wriggled it’s way right into our hearts. You’ve slept in our bed with us since the second night.  Not just in our bed, but a lot of the time right up there on our pillows with us.  You’ve punched me in the face in the middle of the night, and have woken me up way too early on mornings after I’ve worked late.  You are the only one who could have possibly gotten away with that.  With your goofball antics and your infectious smile, I just can’t stay mad at you!

Coop, you’ve got your momma whipped!

As much as I love you, I know that the time will come when I have to tell you goodbye.  I’m not going to lie, it is getting harder and harder to think about.  Honestly, there are tears in my eyes as I’m typing this out, and you haven’t even been adopted yet!  Just the thought of you leaving us makes me so, so sad.  I think it’s because we’ve invested so much emotionally into you.  I’ve celebrated your victories with you, and I’ve cried behind closed doors when I thought we were failing you.  You have wormed your way so deep into my heart that I don’t know how I’m ever going to be able to let you go.

But, that’s what a Foster Mom does.  She falls in love a million times and sends a piece of her heart with each dog who leaves her in his rearview mirror.  When the time comes, I’ll hug you tight (and probably pick you up, because you let me do it – I love that about you), smooch your face and try with everything I have to hold it together until you’re out of my sight. Because when the time comes, it will be a happy day, because it will mean that I’ve done my job.  I’ll have made you into the dog who your Furever family can call “mine.”

I am both looking forward to and dreading that day.  But, until then…you will be “My Cooper.”

With love, always…
Foster Momma

…and in my heart, you’ll always be “My Cooper.”

If you think you’re the right family for Cooper, please fill out an adoption application with Agape Animal Rescue.

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