The Fostering of Walter

We have been a dog free household for almost 2 years.  The Minion desperately wants a dog.  I do to.  But, I just haven’t been ready.  

I had my baby girl for 15 years.  She was my first kid.  And my sweet boy was with us for 12 years.  I just haven’t been able to imagine having another animal yet.  Plus, the last couple of years were pretty brutal.  Lots of care and vet visits and it was hard.  I didn't realize how much my life had come to revolve around the care of those two until they were gone.  After 15 years, it was nice to have total freedom for a change … no worries about staying out too late or going out of town, arranging for pet sitters or cleaning up messes when we got home.  It’s been a welcome change.

But I admit, I have desperately missed having a critter in the house.

So, sort of by accident, I ended up agreeing to dog-sit for The Boss for the weekend.  And it was great.  She’s the best dog anyway, so there were no worries about messes or her tearing anything up.  We broke through her well-mannered training and got her to sleep on the couch and on the bed.  It was fun.  She loves to chase the ball, and The Minion had a blast playing with her for three days.  I felt like it was a good test run to see how we would do with a pet.  I enjoyed it, but I was also happy at the prospect of getting my freedom back again.

Then came Walter.

Walter is … Walter has eyebrows ya’ll.  And an underbite.  How could I deny that?  It’s just not possible.

Walter belongs to friends of ours.  He is awesome.  Their landlord is not.  Crazy landlord = Urgent and speedy need to relocate.  This meant, for them, temporarily bunking in with the parents.  Not too terrible, except the stepfather is apparently a soulless monster that hates dogs.  I can’t even comprehend how that is possible.  But whatever.  So … Walter went from being an inside, hanging out, snuggling on the couch kind of dog, to being an outside, chained to a post in the yard kind of dog.  He was sad.  They were sad.  It was sad.

Our friends approached us about the possibility of providing a temporary foster home for Walter.  And, seeing that face, I really couldn't say no.  EYEBROWS.

The Fostering of Walter began.  

Walter is a sweetheart.  Walter has systematically destroyed my mini blinds.  Walter becomes a freaking champion show horse and bounds baby gates like Seabiscuit.  Walter likes to investigate the kitchen trashcan.  Walter’s favorite place to lay is across the back of the couch like a giant cat.  Leather couch + Walter’s feet = NO. Walter is a mess.  And Walter is awesome.

Walter will hip check POF and flat out run down The Minion to get to me when I come in the door after work.  I am his favorite person in the house, and I can admit that I adore that.  I've missed that.  But Walter also loves to cuddle with The Minion in the mornings and to run around the back yard like some sort of gazelle. He will, occasionally, play ball with POF.  Mostly he just sees POF as The Mean One that won’t let him do bad things like sneak scraps or sit next to me on the couch when I eat something, or be mean to innocent visiting critters. (Apparently Walter has decided that new house = new personality, so he's determined to prove he's a dominant badass.  Except, he's not.  Walter has an abundance of confidence and determination, and it's a bit misguided.)

The Minion LOVES Walter.  He knows that he’s temporary, and he’s excited about getting a dog of his own when Walter goes back to his family.  This wasn't planned.  And I am a Grade A Planner.  But it’s good.  I have missed the energy that a critter brings to a house.  I am looking forward to getting our own furry friend after Walter goes back home.  I don’t know what we will do about trips and schedules and all that stuff.  But we will figure it out as we go.  I am excited at the thought of being a dog owner again.

But I do still miss my sweet baby dogs something fierce.  And the idea of having another pet does break my heart a little bit.

Last night, we tried to make a friend for Walter.  Walter does not want friends.  Walter is the weird kid that would rather beat up his potential friends.  Walter tried to get all gangster on a nice little Maltipoo, the epitome of white suburbia.  Needless to say, Walter is still friendless, the Maltipoo thinks Walter is a major asshole, and I have my first canine foster parent fail.  

Walter has some social behavior issues. Because, as mentioned, Walter thinks he's Tupac now.  Walter is so very wrong.  Bless his little furry heart.

This is Walter refusing to look at me after the other dog left.  He knew he should be embarrassed by his terrible host dog behavior. 

A gentleman does not try to mangle his guest.  Usually.  We have rules dammit.  I don't have them written down exactly, but I can say with certainty that We Do Not Maul The Company is one of them.