In Anticipation of Goodbye

A lot of work goes into getting an animal ready for adoption; especially if the animal is a baby. For puppies and kittens there is a quarantine period, trips to the vet for tests and vaccines and a surgery day for spays or neuters. If the animal isn't healthy in the beginning, there are other appointments and medical treatments. Then there's the potty training for puppies - the x-pens, the crates, the stacks of newspapers and endless clean-up.

And, of course, there is the really important stuff: socializing the animals, something that can only be done by spending time with them; getting attached to them. We play with them, include them in our routine and, while they are with us, treat them as if they are staying forever.

After six weeks or so, we are suddenly faced with reality: our job is complete and our foster animals are ready to find their permanent homes. Their photo and bio goes up on the website and petfinder.com, the applications begin coming in and we take them to adoption days.

I love doing all the stuff up until that point. It's the goodbyes I dread, even though I truly want for them to find a home. Baby animals are just impossible to not get attached to. Right now, all my babies are suddenly ready for adoption. I have seven kittens of various ages and my beautiful puppy, Relay, just waiting for the right application to come in. This weekend, I will be taking Karma, a kitten, Angel, another kitten and Relay to PetSmart adoptions. I'm sure I will be leaving there without some, or all, of them. If there is a secret to fostering without the heartbreak of saying goodbye to an animal one has grown to love, I am not yet in possession of it.

And then there's the hangers-on, who we worry will never find a home. For me, that is a beautiful torti cat named Ginger. Poor Ginger has a couple knocks against her. She isn't a fan of other cats and she hates going to PetSmart, so shows her displeasure by growling, hissing and being otherwise cranky. I am not sure which one of us gets most stressed by adoption days so for the most part I've stopped the practice, hoping someone falls in love with her photo instead. She is a wonderful cat -- super affectionate, totally beautiful and very easy to please, wanting nothing more than a lap to sit on and someone to give her love. When her adoption day comes, it will truly be a celebration. She has waited a very long time.