THE LAST CLICK

Trying to make saying goodbye better than saying hello is the job of every person or family who fosters a dog. We know the goodbye is coming, and we know it will be relatively soon. We look at our foster and must always be mindful that this may be the last trip to the lake or the beach or the park. That this may be the last bath, the last snuggle, or the last treat. We can train our brains to understand the eventuality. But how do we train our hearts? Better said, how do we tame our hearts?

 

My friend Diana and I had the idea about fostering shortly after she retired. Even though she spends most of her time ministering to others, her love for animals and specifically for doodles overarched her yearning for more free time in retirement. And so the process began. Contacting the doodle rescue organization, filing an application, going through the interview process, and finally being approved to foster a dog. And then it happened. Maddie happened. A sweet, snuggly, alert, loving Labradoodle with a heart yearning for a forever home. She captured both of us within moments of meeting her. The wag of her tail was as constant as her eagerness to play with Diana's doodle, Jack. And now, less than a month later, we must turn Maddie over to her forever family. And we will both listen to that last click of the leash as we hand her over forever.

 

Who is better for this undertaking? Diana and I, for sure. She has had the luxury of snuggling even in bed with Maddie, and enjoying the warmth, both physical and emotional, of contact with a heart so pure and so appreciative. I have had the joy of training Maddie to become a more obedient and secure dog. Jack has had the benefit of a little sister whom he could help learn the ropes of walking in cadence and enjoying the abundance of nature on our Folsom trails. And even little Honey, my Chihuahua terrier mix, has grown in appreciation for Maddy's eagerness and fun-loving nature.

 

Now the calculus begins. Quieter houses and walks, and glancing over at the spaces that Maddie occupied with such whimsy and fullness of life. But we have not lost her. We have given her away to a forever home. We have made her better, and she has made us better, and that, is after all, the entire goal of fostering.

 

So for those of you who foster, kudos to you and your family and your friends for your patience, your sacrifice, and your willingness to give up what you're falling in love with.

 

As in life, we never really do know when the last click will happen. But for animals whose very future is so uncertain only weeks before we meet them, we provide fostering homes and families to help launch them into the next chapter.

 

For us, it's the last click. For them, it's the first click of the rest of their lives.