Almost Adoptable Howie

I have to make a vet appointment for Howie for one more chem panel to check his kidneys and also to follow up on his heart murmur, but assuming those go well, he’ll be considered adoptable. I know he won’t be the easiest dog to find a home for considering he’s older and deaf, but he’s also beyond sweet. People fall in love with him at the dog park all the time, so we’re hoping.

I always thought I’d feel more anxious about letting go of my first foster. I know a lot of people end up adopting their first foster. But while Howie is welcome to stay with us as long as need be, I am also excited about the prospect of him getting his own forever home.

On some level, this may have been the ideal introduction to fostering for us. June loves everyone, while Larry takes some time to warm up to new pack members, but both are pretty used to us bringing “strange” dogs into the house, so we have done fine. However, as Larry and Howie get more used to one another, instead of becoming more bonded, they are becoming more likely to scrap, more likely to guard territory or me. Recently, Howie has even decided to try and guard territory from June- which she takes as a sign he wants to play, so she goes down into a play bow and starts barking at him and wagging her tail.

I love that Howie is comfortable enough to stand up for himself. That’s good. But I don’t love when he tries to tell one of my dogs that they can’t be near me, or when June feels like with Larry on one end of the bed and Howie on the other, she can’t jump up and instead goes and hides under my desk.

As much as we adore Howie, and as easy of a dog as he really has been, I think we’re all ready for some time with just the family again. So, when Howie gets adopted (and that’s how I’m thinking of it, not if, but when), I think we’ll take a month or two for it to be just us again. Larry and June will appreciate that.