How do you fill a void in your heart where your pup had made his home? That is and has been my question for the last 6 months. Wilson has left a HUGE hole in my heart and although he will never be replaceable, and the search is still very active, I have found that by giving love to other labs in need, I am able to somehow fill a part of the void with my nurturing those in need. Wilson himself was a rescue and he would be proud to know we are helping more of his friends.
Caden was my first foster and will always have a special part of my heart. Caden is a lab mix who came to me thru my friend Ann who was contacted thru Lab Rescue of the Labroador Retriever Club of the Potomac. Caden came in as a stray and was seriously underweight and HW positive. He underwent treatment for HW and I had to feed him 3 times a day in order to start a healthy weight gain. Caden is such a love bug. He loved to cuddle up on the sofa while we watched movies. I took him to the Mid Atlantic Land Rover rally where he got to play in the woods, camp and meet other pups. Caden was ultimately adopted by Ann and is living a happy life with her other 2 dogs and her boyfriend’s 3. A pack of 6 makes for a very active and playful environment for him, full of love and adventure!
Sam is my second foster. My friend Jane, who works with Lab Rescue of Greater Richmond and I went to pick him up as he was an owner turn in. Sam is VERY overweight, so I immediately put him on a green bean diet. Sam has become my shadow. He follows me wherever I go and has a very silly and almost mischievous personality for a 6 year old lab. Sam is as gentle as can be and a quick learner. He is excellent on and off a leash. Sam has already lost almost 7 pounds in the last few weeks that he’s been with me.
I am fairly confident that Sam will find a wonderful forever home for the holidays and I will continue to foster Labs in transition. It is very difficult not to fall in love with these guys and quite honestly, I would love to keep each and every one of them… but then I think about all the other labs out there that need a foster. If I adopt now, I couldn’t keep on helping, and although it is hard to give them up, I know in my heart that these pups will ultimately find the love and happiness they deserve in their new forever homes.
Wilson is and will always remain my Number One and I will never give up on finding him. Each pup has his or her own personality and I have been blessed with getting to know them for who they are. They are gifts. They make me laugh. They give me hope. They share such a tremendous amount of love with me. They help to fill the void.
