One year ago today Roo Roo officially became a member of our family.  After unexpectedly losing our last girl, Belle, my heart felt broken.  While we weren’t ready for a dog of our own yet, I decided I wanted to foster.  We all know how that turned out.  Pets, it turns out, are exactly like love and adventure and anything else good that’s worth experiencing in life–they don’t follow a script or the whims of our rational choice.  Instead, sometimes, they just happen.  It was clear to me the moment that I found her that we needed each other.

She had been lucky enough to have been saved by Lost Dog and Cat Rescue Foundation (http://lostdogrescue.org/), but, still, she had been homeless her entire life.  After 15 months of being shuttled to adoption events she was visibly depressed when I saw her for the first time.  Her head hung low, she showed no excitement, she was just plodding along behind the volunteer assigned to her that day.  Now, after going to a few adoption events since then to volunteer, I recognize that most “long term” rescues behave the exact same way.  They grow used to adoption events only to just board the van back to the rescue shelter.  Who wouldn’t get depressed after months (or in Roo’s case over a YEAR) of that?

I took her home as a foster that night.  I remember it as clear as day.  She cautiously took a lap of the place and then I watched her face change as she realized she was in a home.  Showing the first burst of energy since I’d met her, she bounded across the room to where I was standing and pounced me.  With a barrage of dog kisses, she made it clear she was finally on the way to finding happiness.  Truthfully, so was I.

This video was from the day we adopted her.  She was still technically Sable, our foster dog, when this was shot.  We made it official that afternoon.  Here she is at the K-9 carnival.  (She’s at :53 and 3:00).