Pulled: Friday October 21, 2011 from Richmond County Animal Shelter
Adoption commitment for Timmonsville: Sunday October 23, 2011 by Miriam Crow; renamed Scout.
Adoption commitment for Union Chance: October 21, 2011 through Middle Mutts/Last Chance Animal Rescue.
Meet my Chester T squared, who we will call Timmy:
and my Chester U squared, who we will call Union “Chance.” As my 47th foster, Chance falls victim to my unfortunate system of naming fosters (Chester + SC town/city/county). There are only two U’s (Ulmer and Union). So, his Middle Mutts/Last Chance Animal Rescue name fits him best: Chance.
Timmy and Chance are teeny tiny balls of fluff, as you can see. They’re Yorkie/Chihuahua mixes, or Chorkies, 6-8 weeks old.
My mother, who is both tolerant of and exhausted by my fostering made one request after I left with Edisto, Ravenel, and Abbie Faith’s pups: “No more puppies for awhile.”
Sorry, Mom.
After dropping the Fisk Foster pack in Chesterfield, Casey and I went half an hour north to Richmond County Animal Shelter. We met the shelter director, Allison, who we adore, and she gave us a tour of the place. She is taking in more animals that she’s adopting out, she hates to euthanize any of her “children,” as she calls them (did I say we love her?), and asked for our help. Done and done. — and we’ll be doing some more.
Here’s the Catch 22 with puppies: (1) on the one hand, they have a greater chance of being adopted in a shelter. — because they’re SO stinking cute; (2) BUT, they also have a much greater risk of not surviving to be adopted from the shelter. Like newborn babies, puppies have a much weaker immune system. So, putting puppies in a shelter is like putting newborns in an airplane (another closed, confined space) with a bunch of sick people. Not a good idea. — although Allison, to her credit, is as smart and good as they come and was separating the puppies to the best of her ability.
I didn’t always know about the newborn baby/puppy connection, nor did Mom, though it makes sense, of course.
When I was in elementary school, a stray dog had a litter of puppies by our house. Mom said that I could keep only one. And there was one that ADORED me. He would follow me around everywhere, and I remember becoming so frustrated with him at one point that I put him in a wheelbarrow and went about my business. He cried so loudly, though, that I took pity and went back to get him.
Still, I couldn’t be convinced that he was the one for me. I had my heart set on the dark, brooding dog of the litter, who wouldn’t approach anyone. — the Heathcliff from Wuthering Heights dog. SIGH. We adopted that one, an animal control officer came to get the mother dog and the rest of the litter, and the one I chose ran away within the week.
It remains to this day one of my biggest regrets, and if we knew then what we know now, I think Mom would agree that we wouldn’t have sent any of them.
So, fostering puppies from shelters is my way of paying my karmic debt.
And, when they’re this cute, it’s an easy debt to pay:
Chance has a home! Last Chance Animal Rescue posted his sweet photo, and he was requested in a heartbeat. But, if you’re interested in Timmy, his brother Chorkie, let me know!
Update: Timmonsville has a home with our neighbors, the Crows!
Fostering Chester 