It’s not often I post about personal matters on here, but this definitely deserves a blog post…
Yesterday I officially adopted Ladybug.
If you don’t know who Ladybug is, there’s an introductory post here. In short, she’s a dog that I began fostering at the end of January.
It’s now been almost 3 months that I’ve had Ladybug. I’ve loved every minute with her, and it didn’t take long to realize that she’s a very special pup. The last few months have been full of “proud momma” moments as she’s warmed up to other people and animals, slowly gained more confidence, and let go of some of her fears. She fits into my family spectacularly, and to say I’m kind of obsessed with her would be an understatement.
Many who follow me on Instagram or Facebook have been asking me for months why I haven’t just adopted her yet. Honestly, I went back and forth about the decision for a lot of reasons… the main reason being my intent as a foster parent. The goal was to find her a good home, just like my last foster pup, and then start all over again with another dog. I never planned on getting a dog permanently — at least not yet because of my crazy travel schedule for work. Rather, I wanted to help multiple dogs by fostering whenever I could. And ultimately, I knew that keeping Ladybug probably meant taking a break from fostering for a while. So by keeping her, I felt like I was failing at my goal of continuing to help other dogs, and that’s what breaks my heart. Every time I see a dog on Facebook in a shelter, I immediately want to volunteer to foster. But with Ladybug, it’s just more complicated than that. Who knows… Maybe someday I can foster while having her.
In summary, I’ve been fighting with the feeling of selfishness. I’m not exactly proud of the fact that I’m keeping her. I probably should’ve worked harder to place her with a good family (she’s a GREAT family dog). But selfishly, I want her in my life. She brings so me so much joy, and I love coming home to a dog that loves and depends on me. And if I can make any dog work with my hectic life, it’s Ladybug. She’s ridiculously easy and agreeable, and she fits like a glove with my parents (who are often her babysitters) and their dogs.
There’s so much more I could say about the decision to keep Ladybug. But what it comes down to is really just that I couldn’t seem to get rid of her. From the moment I first saw her on Facebook and read her story, something inside of me knew I had to help her. For weeks before she even came home with me, I couldn’t get her off my mind. I fought hard to get her out of the shelter, with every intention of rehoming her, but maybe it was God saying: This one is for you.
For anyone considering fostering, please do! It is the most rewarding and addicting experience. It doesn’t mean you’re going to be stuck with a dog forever like I am with Ladybug. :) It means you will be taking a dog out of its concrete cell at a risky shelter environment and giving it a warm bed and love until it finds its permanent home.
Thank you to the Athens Area Humane Society for pulling the strings and making it possible to get this sweet girl out of the shelter and into my home.
- Georgia Equestrian 2024
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