Pulled: Friday September 2, 2011 from City of Columbia Animal Shelter
Adoption commitment: Sunday December 25, 2011 by Urs and Kathleen Keller.
Meet Chester Lexington:
Lexi is a 1 year old Norfolk Terrier: a 17 lb. bundle of terrier cuteness. She’s from the City of Columbia Animal Shelter, which means she’s heartworm negative, up-to-date on shots, spayed and microchipped.
And, no, Scott doesn’t know she’s here yet. My mother does and is upset with me. Mom came to Columbia to keep the kids for a couple of days, and I suspect that she and S. have a deal: to keep me from getting any more dogs while they’re on watch. Whatever. I told Mom I was running an errand. love you, mom.
I’m sure S. will understand, though, when I explain WHY I brought Lexi home. He knows that I got a phone call last night from Sandra, who was distraught. Sandra and her fiance, Mark, have been hand-raising Chester Gaffney, the runt of Abbie Faith’s litter. Sadly, Gaffney passed away yesterday.
I tried to tell Sandra that it was bound to happen, that Gaffney wouldn’t have lived as long as she did without their help. G. seemed to be improving when Sandra and Mark first started working with her, but she never progressed from the puppy-gerbil stage (when pups look more like rodents than pups) to the puppy-puppy stage (when pups look like pups).
Still, I’m so thankful that G. learned what it means to be spoiled and fawned over in her brief life. — and that’s all thanks to Sandra and Mark. I told them this. But, Sandra and Mark are still sad.
I felt like I needed to do SOMETHING to cheer them up. I thought about pulling the senior Beagle my rescuer-in-crime, Kerri, told me about. But, he’s safe with Last Chance Animal Rescue; yay for senior Beagles and LCAR!
So, I visited my friends at the City of Columbia animal shelter. Marion told me Lexi’s story. Lexi was relinquished by her owner after becoming pregnant. The owner complained that her son was supposed to take care of the dog, not her, and that she wasn’t interested in caring for a nursing mother. Yep. (There’s also a male terrier there with the note, “Children outgrew dog.” — as if he’s a Fisher Price toy.)
Lexi went into labor shortly afterward and gave birth to two stillborn puppies. “She’s depressed,” Marion said, “both because of the puppies and because of the relinquishment.” When I went back to see Lexi, she was shaking from head to toes.
“Perfect,” I said. I can think of no better way to honor foster parents Sandra and Mark than to rescue a similarly grieving parent.
And Lexi has been charmed by the babies in the Fisk household, Jack in particular.
She has also visited Chester Abbie Faith’s brood. And Abbie Faith has been more patient with her than all the other canine visitors, perhaps because she recognizes Lexi as a kindred spirit. — someone else who has recently gone through labor and delivery, albeit with unlucky results.
But, if there is one thing the Fisk family understands it’s the awesomeness that is adoption, the idea that love makes families rather than genes. So, we’re totally cool with Lexi adopting Jack until she finds a more permanent family to adopt. And J. seems to be cool with it too.
Fostering Chester 
