failing fostering

lots going on these days. yay new president, yay springtime weather in january, yay winter vacation, boo winter vacation over, boo bad economy, etc.

now that i've gotten that out of the way, on to the real new news. we have a dog! well, she's not ours... at least not yet. we decided that we wanted to try fostering rescue dogs through the german shepherd rescue of northern california. i've been hesitant to get a dog for a long time, but now we have the yard space to make it feasible. fostering seemed like a good dog-ownership trial run-- we get a dog for a short period of time, train it and warm it up for a good adoptive family, and then it's on its way to its new home. the only thing (other than daily care) that the rescue organization asks is that you volunteer one day a month at adoption fairs. seems okay, right? even better-- the rescue organization pays for food, vet bills, and sundry necessities, so it's not even a huge financial investment. the problem? when you get a dog like this:

this is bonnie. she's our first foster... and as heather likes to say, i may be failing fostering. she's 2-3 years old (we don't know exactly), she's house-trained and crate-trained, she listens well and learns easily, she's friendly, and she's a beautiful dog. how can you not love that face? she came to us from a shelter in fresno, where she'd contracted heartworm (she's on the mend now). she came in with another shepherd (clyde) and their two puppies, who are still being housed in a kennel until they are adopted.

bonnie needed some recuperation time and tlc, and she needs some socialization and to be spayed, which is why she's with us. she gets more settled in at our home the longer she's there, and i think she's even starting to think it's her home. we took her to a pet store bathing center for a bath yesterday (which was an adventure), and her color changed! a patch of white showed up on her chest, her fur is shiny, and she even seems happier to be clean. she'll be ready for adoption in the next couple of weeks... and the closer that gets, the sadder i am about it. i forgot how much fun it is to have a dog...