Problems with Pets

Little Bear

Miss Kitty and Little Bear

Our family has pets. My husband and I are dog people. We no longer have a dog, but currently have two cats. We had to re-home our dog, which was something I still can't believe we'd ever have to do. However, he was a rescue who initially was terrified of everyone and everything. He warmed up to be a wonderful companion, but never warmed up to kids. As James grew bigger and more mobile, it became clear that the dog wasn't comfortable, so although he never hurt the baby, we thought it would be best to find him a kid-free home, just in case. It turns out we found a wonderful home and he's living the life, even better, than the one he had with us before James' arrival.

We owned a home in Delaware, where we knew we'd be in graduate school for at least five years. We bought an affordable place with a fenced in yard, very convenient to city walking paths and a state park for hiking. However, we always knew a move was forthcoming, possibly abroad so we didn't want to commit to dog ownership.

Tiger, our first cat

We did break down and pick up a cat from the pound - we needed a mouser. Within another couple of years, we found that fostering dogs fit our lifestyle and served as a foster family for A Buddy For Life. Only twice did we have a hard time passing the dogs off, which I was afraid of. We loved a lot of great dogs, but it was surprisingly easy to hand them off when we saw the great families who were adopting them. We just couldn't let Little Bear go, though. He had come such a long was and really worked his way into our hearts. We also rescued another kitten and within five years were dog and cat owners. We are animal lovers, we couldn't help it.

James walking Little Bear

Fostering prepared us in a way to re-home our Little Bear though. After all, it was supposed to be like that from the beginning. He was great about it, as was his new adopted family. My husband and I had the hardest time of it. I still do. I still can't get him out of my thoughts, dreams and often look for him walking on popular city paths where I think he may be walked. Even worse, I've made the mistake of finally reading The Art of Racing in the Rain. Oh, it's so hard, but was best for everyone - especially Little Bear and James.

Now, we have two cats who we are responsible for. I cannot imagine that we would feel the need to pay to fly them abroad, let alone put them through flying, customs and quarantines. Our dog may have been another story, but when it comes down to the cats, we'll likely beg our families to take custody for a few years or maybe even re-home them as well, if we must. It's a very hard decision to make, and I honestly used to look down on people who did not keep their pets for life, but having lived through it as a foster family then devoted pet owner, it is actually much easier when you meet that wonderful person or family who you know will give them a great home.