Sweet Sadness

I learned of the passing of two former fosters this week.

Luke was a two time former foster. He was fostered once and returned a few years later, along with a female rottie named Tasha. You are inclined to feel bad for a dog who was abandoned not once, but twice, but they both landed in a better home each time.

Luke (center) with foster folks, Sandy and Steve.

Luke had actually gone to another foster home who found his adopters. I just learned about it on Facebook this evening and I guess I was a little surprised to hear that Luke just recently passed on.  He was 8 or 9 years old when he was returned to me back in 2010. He lived to a ripe old age and I know he had the best of care and the best possible home. That's really something more to celebrate than to mourn.











The same is true for Jasso, who died just a couple days ago. Jasso came out of North Carolina, a retired police dog who was essentially abandoned by his handler and the departments that he served. He ended up back in a shelter as a senior dog who was deaf, had heartworms, and a variety of skin infections, but he remained one of the nicest and happiest shepherds I've even known. After a few months of medical rehab at our place, he went to a retirement home that most dogs can only dream about. His medical problems were ongoing, but they were managed. He was with his new person every day for the rest of his life, they were never apart. But they didn't just sit at home either. They traveled, for work, and for pleasure. This North Carolina dog saw a lot of new places in his last year. They walked, and they went for a drive nearly every day, which Jasso really loved and which accommodated his declining physical abilities.

He had cancer, but he seemed well right up to the end. It took him quickly so he really didn't suffer a decline in the quality of his life.

And best of all, he had a loving, caring home. We should all be so lucky.