Blue fits into that category. When she came in June, it was only for one week while Ellen was on vacation. I was even hesitant initially because I knew that Blue had been around for quite a while and had some heart issues. Of course, one week turned into longer because she was so easy to have around. Being that she was adorable and silly to boot didn't hurt. I took her to some adoption events where she promptly would fall asleep if crated for more than two minutes:-) She
was happy to stay awake if she had a great treat to chew on. The only problem was she didn't want to come out if anyone wanted to meet her. She was pretty happy being out and about, but would get irritated with the younger dogs in her face so she would snarl or snap at them. Folks that have never worked with dogs before thought she was being aggressive. What it was, was a bossy old dog staking her space with a warning, nothing more. Didn't take long for her to learn that it's a wasted effort when she's here because my guys are so used to other dogs coming in that they just ignored her efforts. The only ones who continue to be afraid of her are the newbies that come through. Anyway, back to the hospice thing. Blue has congestive heart failure, among other things. She's on several medications to help control her symptoms (the main one being a terrible cough). There's not too much to be done other than that. Blue has surprised us though. She goes through her lows and highs and it's amazing what a zest for life she has, even though sleeping is her favorite pasttime:-) That being said, I would hate for her to have to adjust to a new home with her symptoms being this advanced. She's pretty happy here and, dare I say, she even likes the other dogs around her. It would be a rare home, indeed, that I would make an exception for. She would probably adapt, but I hate to take the chance since she is happy and doing pretty well right now.
Even with Blue becoming a permanent resident with my guys, it still leaves me room for at least one other foster at a time.
She's great about her medications (thank heavens for Pill Pockets! Don't know what I'd do without these! I have had some finicky pooches come through here, but none can resist these things!) and is pretty predictable about most things. She does have potty issues at times (she's not the first, that's why I ripped out my carpet and put in regular floors!) but that's mostly because of her meds and her condition. It is usually my fault for being gone too long though *sigh*.So essentially, a hospice foster is a dog that becomes a permanent resident due to health issues, usually fatal. Our goal as fosters is to give them the best life possible and keep them as comfortable as we can until it's time to let go. They're able to live their lives out with dignity and love. And if the time comes when they are suffering and have to move on, they have someone there to love them and cry for them when they go. It sounds sad, but it really is a gift to be able to do something like this. Just reminds me to enjoy the moments as they come and worry about the future when it comes. Blue is not my first hospice foster and I'm sure she won't be my last. When you work in rescue long enough, it just goes with the territory.
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