New Dog Blues

We ended our foster period with Merit about three weeks ago. She kept biting Dylan out of what we think was a combination of jealousy and anxiety. We wound up keeping the dogs separate all the time.

It was hard. It meant separate walking, separate feeding, separate rooms for their crates... it was a lot of effort. It wasn't working out.

One day, not long before we took her back, she was loose, and bit Dylan again. I tried to break them up, and got my hand chomped. M and I spent the afternoon in the emergency room. I'm fine by now -- my chronic nail biting does worse damage -- but I spent a week as a righty.

That was my bad judgment. Stick your hand in a blender, and you can't blame the blender for what happens. However, the shelter wouldn't see it that way. If we told them Merit bit our dog and me, and then tried to return her, she would be put down within the hour.

That wasn't acceptable to us. We'd rather have lived with the craziness than let that happen. But "live with craziness" is nobody's Plan A.

Luckily, the volunteer we fostered her from in the first place still had a kind spot for Merit. She already has two dogs, but took Merit in anyway, and really worked to get her adopted. She did stuff that didn't even occur to M and me.

Tonight, the volunteer emailed me and told me that a couple in Allentown had seen Merit on the Web and just today came down to Philly to adopt her. They're cool with her anxiety issues. One of them works from home, so somebody would be there with her. They don't have kids or other pets. They want a high energy dog. It sounds ideal for lil Knothead.

I'm thrilled for Merit! This is so plainly a better deal for everyone, that I can't be unhappy about it. But I am sad. I like dogs. I've met lots of friendly dogs, but rarely one that I click with. She was a dog who liked me back.

I hope she likes Allentown. I hope they take her for runs. I hope, if we're ever up there and happen to see her -- like you imagine happening, but you know never will -- that she remembers me with the same affection.