Samson goes home

My first post on this blog was about Samson, a young male German Shepherd Dog. Samson hadn't fared well in the shelter environment and had developed a touch of pneumonia. As predicted, he bounced back quickly, is an awesome looking dog, and has just been adopted. He will be continuing on antibiotics for two more weeks in his new home, because as the vet reminded me, pneumonia doesn't go away quickly even though the dog seems to be recovered.

This is a great home for Samson, I hope. A young couple, the wife is a nurse and works only 3 days a week, although those are 12-hour shifts. The husband can come home for lunch most days and they have a network of dog-friendly neighbors and friends who can help out when needed. Samson has had no training, but he isn't particularly difficult. He's got a great disposition and seems willing and eager to learn. They live near a couple of dog parks in Richmond and Samson should enjoy going there.

The only real concern is the new owners' two cats. Samson has seemed disinterested and easily put off by the cats that he's met so far, but being in a home with them is a different situation, so we will just have to wait and see. The adopters have a large crate for use when they aren't around, they are smart people and have done some reading on dog/cat introductions, so this adoption seems to have a lot going for it. She wants a dog to go with her everywhere and to do things with. That's a good gig for most any dog, and particularly for a shepherd.

So I gave him a kiss on his big, beautiful head, and wished him well. If this adoption works out, Samson will have been a "short-timer" here, which means I'll have trouble remembering him in a year and he won't remember me in 30 days. That's the way it should be. Ideally, foster care is a brief respite in a dog's life-- a way station where they can safely pause, rest, recover, and get directions before continuing on their way.