Fostering Chester

Pulled: Thursday June 2, 2011 from a local rescue (Edisto), and Thursday August 18, 2011 from Vance County Animal Shelter/Middle Mutts (Isla)

Adoption commitments: Friday October 21 2011 by Last Chance Animal Rescue (Edisto), and Saturday September 3, 2011 by Krystal Branch (Isla)

Scott and I have had a revelation about Chester Edisto, the Wonder Dog. Those of you who are fans know what an . . . um . . . interesting foster he’s been. At first, he seemed perfectly house-trained. For weeks, we let him have free reign of the Fisk house with no upsets. Then . . . he began marking his territory and having to be carried outside. We resorted to buying him a male wrap, and, well, carrying him outside.

We assumed that Edisto’s traumatic past as an abused hunting dog was coming back to haunt him. Now, we’re considering that his anxiety isn’t anxiety at all; rather, it’s depression after being dumped by his girlfriends.

Our troubles with Chester E. started after foster Chester Florence, who E. adored, went to her new home. Edisto, not understanding such an unceremonious and unwarranted breakup, began acting out. Then, he finally allowed himself to love again when foster Chester PelZer, the Peck family’s super cute redhead, entered the scene. She went to her new home this past Sunday. Yay for Chester Z., but heartbreak #2 for Chester E.!

And, now, enter Chester Isla. I’ve watched Edisto interact with her. Just like a preteen boy yawns, stretches, and slips his arm around his girlfriend, Edisto yawned, stretched, and moved his paw in Isla’s direction (see photo, above). Smoothly done, Edisto. The paw touch then led to this:

Score for Edisto!

Clearly, Isla’s Golden Girls’ style hairdo, crooked leg, and limp do not bother Edisto in the least. All he sees is a slightly older lady (Isla is 5-6 to Edisto’s 2-3) and A LOT of potential.

And, since Edisto is probably the first dog to look Isla’s way since her leg break, she’s responding pretty favorably, I’d say.

So, currently as Fisk Fosters we have a not-very-attractive-to-anyone-but-Edisto poodle and a lovesick beagle who pees on himself and has to be carried everywhere when he endures a breakup. (Incidentally, Casey and I imagine USC colleague Matt Simmons would behave the same way if his longtime love of a wife Meredith was ever zapped to another dimension. So would Scott, though he’d never admit it.)

We’re on, according to S., the Island of Misfit Puppies.

But, as Rudolph reminds us: “We’re all misfits too.” — in one way or another.

Personally, I like how the Island of Misfit Toys is described, and I think it would be pretty cool to be King Moonracer, slightly revised. Who is King Moonracer? Here’s my revision:

“She rules here. Every night she searches the entire earth. When she finds a misfit pup, one that no little girl or boy loves, she brings it here to live on her island until someone wants it.”

Yep.

This entry was posted on August 20, 2011 at 1:30 pm and is filed under Current fosters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.