Big, Black Dogs

Puppies don’t come with built-in clocks, so I was up at 3:00 a.m. cleaning a crate, taking them out for walks (one at a time; these are big pups and too much to handle two at a time on a leash), then letting them race and wrestle around the house to wear off some puppy energy.

Worried I'd sleep through my morning alarm and the foster cats' vet appointment first thing in the morning, 4:00a.m. found me fueling up with coffee and surfing YouTube in a sleep-deprived daze. Then I found a video reminding me why the lack of sleep is worth it; why I am walking, playing with and cleaning up after black puppies at the crack of dawn:



Jake and Jasmine are from a litter of 9 puppies, all mostly black. Seven remain un-adopted after weeks and weeks in foster-care (although it looks like Jasmine is going to stay with me!). They are all beautiful with the sweetest temperaments. And, they are SMART (they should be; they are a mix of very intelligent breeds – Border Collie and Labrador)! Jasmine accompanied me to the Veteran’s Hospital where she did some unofficial therapy dogging a couple weeks ago and she acted like a professional – with no experience at all!

And Jake? He’s just a big lover who has no idea he is a moose of a dog at only five months old, wanting nothing more than to sit with his head in a human lap or curl up at the feet of someone who pledges to keep him forever. He is super gentle, wants only to please and is constantly reminding me why dogs are called man’s best friend.

Jake and Jasmine’s litter are not the only black puppies waiting for a home via Heartland. From three litters, over a dozen remain; growing bigger, getting older and hoping they are next to be chosen.

I am barely a kindergartner to fostering. It’s all brand new. Every day brings a reminder I still have much to learn from the sage fosterers mentoring me. One thing I am learning though is that the hard lessons seem to come first.

Of course, all the volunteers who spend their Saturdays at PetSmart, hoping this Saturday will be the day their foster dog(s) find a family, celebrate each adoption, no matter the color of the dog who finds a home. But, those days the black puppies all get loaded back into cars to return to foster care because they were overlooked can feel discouraging . . .

. . . because we know and love them and have witnessed just how hard they work to prove they are every bit as wonderful as any other dog.

*****

(that gorgeous big, black puppy in the photo above is "Jake." Jake is a five month old lab/border collie mix who will grow to be approximately 70 pounds. If you are interested in bringing him home before Christmas, please visit Heartland's Site!)