‘Flash foster’ dog Orie gets adopted!

Dog fostering is serious business for me.

I choose which dog I will foster carefully. I plan out every detail, and I have a backup plan in place in case things don’t work out.

Orie, the dog I picked up from a boarding kennel on Friday, was a dream dog to foster (read Friday’s post here).

He’d been staying at the kennel for about a week, which is where Labs & More Rescue keeps its dogs once they’re safe from the kill shelters but not yet in foster homes. It’s an endless shuffle, as I’m sure many of you know. I’m happy to play some small role in the process.

Orie is one of those solid, “blocky,” muscular Labs. In addition to being beautiful, Orie is also gentle and has the sweetest, happy-go-lucky temperament. Basically, he’s a perfect dog.

And you’d feel safe while walking him. He’s about 90 pounds!

I do not like to dwell on a dog’s sad past, but I was told by the rescue that Orie was used for breeding and then left behind in a home when his owner got evicted.

Despite this, Orie looks to all people with complete trust and love, like no person could ever do any harm. He seemed especially drawn to my husband, which makes sense because I was told his previous owner was a man.

[quote_center]Orie looks to all people with complete trust and love, like no person could ever do any harm.[/quote_center]

Orie was a hit with kids at Saturday’s adoption event. OK, he was a hit with everyone! Men in particular seemed to really like him, kneeling down to cradle his big head, to scratch his back, kiss his ears.

For those who think black Labs are harder to get adopted (which I don’t believe), that was not the case with Orie.

His adoption fee was $400, and he had several families interested. I would’ve gladly adopted him as well.

He went home with a middle-aged woman. She’d lost a chocolate Lab to lung cancer, she said. “It’s time for another Lab.”

She wanted an older Lab, “past the puppy stage” and drove for 2 hours just to meet Orie.

The woman brought him a gift – a tennis ball, and Orie lit up like a giant, awkward puppy.

And that was that.

Sometimes things just work out that well. The foster owner’s job is easy sometimes, almost invisible in the overall process. I had Orie for just 24 hours.

But it’s a wonderful feeling to see a dog go home.

Congrats, Orie. I know you’ll do well.

Are any of you thinking about fostering a dog? What questions do you have?

Read more on dog fostering:

Reasons to foster a dog

Q & A on dog fostering

Meet my readers’ foster animals

Also, I hope you’ll sign up for That Mutt’s email updates here.