My latest guest star: Tibor the Border Collie (or "How I Became a Seeing-Eye Human")

You are doing brilliantly.

Remember, you don't have to love every dog - just like I don't have to love every child I teach.

You will both benefit enormously from this time together - you are both learning so much.

 

Try not to worry Emily, you are doing a wonderful job.

 

I hope your medical issue will be ok. Don't put so much pressure on yourself, Tibor is getting far more from you than you can imagine, so relax tell yourself he is having a better time than if he were in a rescue centre xx

 

It doesn't sound like a fun experience at all. I don't think I'd warm to him either. Do you need to have him back again?

You've learned an awful lot about what's possible with him and about the kind of permanent home he'd need and that's really useful info for the rescue organisation. You could leave it at that...

 

Thanks, Mags. This is a really helpful way to look at it. I read this yesterday and keeping it in my mind during our last walk of the day boosted my patience.

 

Thanks, Helen. Medical issue will be fine - German docs and hospitals are rather confidence-inspiring places.

 

That's a good question of whether he really needs to come back with me after next week. Despite being frustrated, I'm not sure I want to do that as it would feel like failure. On the other hand, it's good knowing that I CAN. The rescue group knows that I can only keep him until September, when I leave Germany for the UK, so this isn't long-term regardless.

We'll see what happens next week with his former foster mom. She may decide she DOES want him back. I don't know if that's really for the best though. He ADORES her but she lets him do (and eat) anything. If I can stick it out for another month until September, maybe he'll have a better chance to really be walkable and "public safe", which would make him so much more adoptable. People take their dogs everywhere here in Bavaria (stores, restaurants, trains, etc.) and if I can get him comfortably walking (and stopping the darn incessasant wee-ing) in these public areas, that is adoption gold.

But to be honest, it's really nice to know that former foster mom is there and that I'm not his only safe housing possibility. This takes a lot of pressure off me as I know that even if leave before he gets adopted or if I do just throw up my hands and say "I can't take having my feet wee-ed on anymore!", he has someplace to go.

And it may end up that all the training is just not that important for him - that he will get adopted by a family who lives in the countryside and he never has to worry about wee-ing in a shop or being able to walk normally in crowds or around traffic.

So we'll just see, I guess!

 

Something to keep reminding yourself of if you feel it's not the right thing to have him back for a month. You shouldn't feel guilty - sounds like you have done something really special for Tibor but maybe that's enough.

 

Hope your medical stuff gets sorted and you are ok.
I foster cats and have done for years. I've all sorts stay and liked them all I didn't think I could dislike a cat until Polo came to stay. He was a beautiful cat who id helped previously when he'd been in a road accident. He stayed with me due to his owners splitting up. How i disliked that cat. He didn't do any thing or misbehave i just felt i did not want him in my house. I was upset its not like me another foster person took him and strangly he felt the same. Happily he went home once his owners moved. His owner loved him. You can't love em all. Don't be hard on yourself. Maybe don't have him back you need a rest to get ready for your next lab adventure. There are bandanas to buy and all sorts of puppy things you need research and get

 

Yeah, that's kind of the weird thing about Tibor. He's such a handsome boy, really no problem in the house (once that marking issue got sorted). Walking him is kind of a nightmare, but that's pretty much par for the course for a dog who has never been on a leash. And yet, foster mom #1 gave him back after a month, foster mom #2 gave him back after 5 weeks, and now here I am mystified why I've not clicked with him either. It's really odd. But it does help me to hear here that I'm not the only one who has had this type of foster experience, so thank you for sharing that.

You got that right!

 

Welp, I'm laying on my lovely own sofa after two days in the hospital and VERY glad to be back home. I look a bit Gollum-like and must resist hissing "my precioussssss..." but I'm pretty sure there's a human under the swelling (I had some stuff in the jaw-area done). I'm very glad it's over!

Tibi went to his former foster mum on Tuesday evening before I headed off to Munich for surgery and what a depressing sight that was - he actually leapt up on her, grabbed her leg and quite adorably hugged her like she was his giant teddy bear. Boy did I feel like yesterday's chopped liver. He just looked so happy and full of actual personality.

I don't want to leave the rescue group high and dry, but we're going to have to have a talk about what is best for Tibi. I'm not at all sure it's me. I'd say it's because I'm boring (other foster mum has another dog for Tibi to play with) but Toby (my hurricane Bodeguero foster in Spain) was much more demanding and I managed to keep him happy. Maybe I should just forget about trying to have training sessions with Tibi and just focus on fun stuff and trying to get him to play.

Anyway, I still have another four days of resting up before he's meant to come back so I'll give it some more thought and try to formulate some sort of plan to either make this a happier place for Tibi or get him staying on with once and (maybe) future foster mum whom he clearly loves.

 

Never mind Tibi, look after yourself. Make sure you get your rest. I hope you are soon better and back to your happy normal self soon

 

Could this just be because he'd not seen her in a while? I know that a toy that comes out of a drawer after being put away for several weeks has a huge amount more value than the same toy after it's been laying around for a few days. Not comparing you to a semi-eviscerated ducky toy, you understand

 

I hope you are feeling a but less delicate soon.rest and sleep forget all the other stuff for a while.

 

I always read your stories of your foster dogs in awe of your capacity to love every dog and show such patience and understanding with them. Maybe you and Tibor just aren't meant to be, but he might be someone else's perfect dog, and the work that you've done with him in the last couple of weeks will certainly help him get closer to finding that person.

As a random stranger on the internet, I say you've done as much as you can as his foster, and shouldn't feel any compunction about giving him back to the foster group. You know that he'll be cared for.

And I hope you feel better soon. Could you be a bit burned out possibly? You've been taking care of so many dogs, with really demanding issues. Maybe a break for a while will help you recharge and get closer to finding your own new pup.

 

Actually you have no idea how accurate a description that is of me in my current state. Quack, quack!

 

Thanks for such nice words. Yes, I probably am a bit burnt around the edges at the moment. I'll have a nice rest (with helpful pharmaceuticals) and see how it looks in a couple days.

 

Pharmaceuticals are always good you can rest and get yourself back together while everything is a bit fluffy

 

Hope it doesn't hurt too much and you're feeling less 'ducky' soon.

 

Hope you feel better soon.