The dogs looked concerned when I told them we’d be fostering a puppy sometime soon — just until that pup can find its forever home.
Luna gave me her classic side-eye, making it clear that she had questions. Duncan nervously sang a little half-Husky song, which he usually reserves for the UPS guy when he approaches the front door.
“Another dog?” they seemed to say. “Are we being replaced?”
“Guys, it’s gonna be great,” I assured them. “You were both in foster homes before you found us! You can help this little mutt learn how to walk on a leash, and to sleep in a crate, and hopefully how to get house-trained. It might just be for a few days, or it could be for a few weeks. But you’re not being replaced. I promise. It’ll be like a visit from Cousin Oliver.”
Both dogs tilted their heads to the left, indicating confusion in unison. “You don’t remember Cousin Oliver from the “Brady Bunch?” I said, incredulous.
No reply, so I explained. “I think he was Carol’s nephew. He just sort of showed up out of nowhere one season, and he left just as quickly. He was intolerably cute, and he caused a lot of hijinks and mishaps. But in the end everyone loved him. I bet the dog we’ll foster will be just like Cousin Oliver!”
Luna yawned. Duncan yawned bigger. Time to wrap up this family meeting.
“Anyway, guys, don’t worry, it’s gonna be fun. I’ll let you know once we hear what kind of dog we’ll be fostering and when we’ll be picking him up.” Quickly, I added: “I asked for a male dog, Luna, because I know how you are with other women.”
Time for treats.
A few days later, the email from the Brown Dog Coalition arrived, telling me where and when to pick up the foster pup – one of nearly 50 arriving in Massachusetts this weekend after their journey from a Southern kill-shelter to a southern foster home on their way to adoption in the Boston-area.
And I’m not making this up: our foster pup is named Oliver.
We can’t wait to meet him.
I’ll be posting updates about Oliver all next week in an effort to spread the word about his availability for adoption through the Brown Dog Coalition.
I just know he’s going to cause less trouble for the Grady’s than Cousin Oliver caused for the Brady’s.
bark/bite 