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

I already got sent a video of Tibi walking in the countryside alongside his new (also blind) doggie sibling. He looked like he was having a blast. And he can wee as much as he wants over all that lovely grass and no one will get grumpy with him!

 

Sounds like PERFECTION for Tibi xx

 

So so glad everything worked out all around. A miracle just happened. ❤️

 

What truly uplifting news , I love a happy ending x

 

SUCH good news x

 

Oh my! I've only just read this. Massive congratulations to Tibi, and thanks, again, to you Emily.

 

So today should be interesting!

As I just got back to Germany Sunday night, today will be my first weekend "Gassi" (German word for "walk with a dog" and no, you can't "Gassi" without a dog, that's another word). I belong to a dog walking group which has as one of its core members my (maybe former) friend who was the head of the rescue group who placed Tibi with me as a foster this summer.

While Tibi was happily adopted just in the nick of time in September, things have been pretty silent between the rescue head and myself since. Despite me doing what I said all along I would do (keep Tibi as a foster until I left for the UK), I felt there was a lot of resentment on her side that (1) I did not adopt him and (2) that I admitted that I could not connect with him and that he was more than I could manage.

For those reasons, I'm very curious as to how today will pan out. She knows that I was in the UK the last two months looking for a breeder which she vehemently disagrees with, an opinion I do respect. In addition, she just got back from bringing an entire transporter full of rescue dogs back from Romania, which is likely to mean very graphic descriptions (and photos) of what happens to the dogs she couldn't bring back.

Let's add to that the inevitable questions of why I don't have a dog yet (and wouldn't I take one from Romania), questions from some of the more forgetful people in the group who haven't seen me in a while asking me where Brogan is, and that we are coming up on the second anniversary of Brogan's death and walking in a dog walking group without a DOG just shoves that like a nice long knife into my chest. I don't think it's going to be a fun dog walk, if you get my drift.

Yet I'm going because I have a couple friends who I've not seen in ages and this is the only way to connect with them and, well, no other reason...except maybe I'm just masochistic? Hey, maybe I'll get news of Tibi as well...that would be a good bonus. Even if he did drive me nuts, he was a good boy and getting news about him would be welcome.

So I'm off to torture myself. Fingers crossed!

 

Hope all goes well for you. Sorry about it being the anniversary of Brogan's death. I know you loved him very much, more than words can tell. Sending you Hugs. I will be thinking of you today xx

 

Thanks, Cath, but just to clarify, it's coming up to the anniversary but it's not today. Brogan passed away (as did my first Rottie, Duncan) three days before Christmas.

 

Aah @Emily_BabbelHund - sad to walk with no dog but enjoy the other dog’s and DON’T end up getting a Romanian dog as a foster or anything (I don’t know you but do know you have a big heart). You may well have or not have that friend but it’s not about her and what she does but about you and what you want - that’s a Lab puppy .

 

Love and hugs. I'm still finding Tuesday's hard. 18 months on. Get it totally you go steady.

 

Don't worry, that decision is made. No more fosters for her. I will happily foster for the group in Spain again (and I'm sure she'll have a dog for me as soon as I get there!) but no fostering for the next five weeks here in Germany. But I'll have lots of dog cuddles with Fine, my chihuahua buddy who I get to dognap pretty much when I want.

 

Can you take Fine on the walk?

Is there no other way to catch up with those friends.....?

If the head of the rescue gives you a hard time in any way she’ll have a contingent of Labrador Forumers to explain herself to.

 

I hope the walk isn’t the torture you’re expecting and you’re able to spend time with your friends, rather than the rescue group ‘friend’.

 

This gave me a good smile, thank you! And maybe the Lambie brigade is behind me as as well?

Good thought, but I didn't trust some of the dogs with Brogan, let alone with Fine, who is tiny. I'd end up carrying her, and as an "off road" Chihuhua, she wouldn't appreciate that. She and I have our own walks, though, so no worries there.

 

The Lambies have your back. For her own sake that rescue lady had better not anger the Network.

 

stick to your guns

 

If all else fails we'll send her poo in a bag.

Now, where would several hundred Labrador owners (as well as the non-Labrador contingent) find poo?

 

Hope your Gassi goes well and that all the gassing is kindly towards you.

 

THIS! And one of them has a Pongo and she is not afraid to use it.