Being a foster mom has been more rewarding than I had ever imagined. One special case for me was Gwen, or Gwennie as I called her. You might remember her as the little Scottie girl that had lived all her life in a basement and was used for breeding.
Gwennie was at least five years old when she came into rescue. Being exposed to the world outside her “basement” was terrifying for her. All of a sudden her eyes had to focus in daylight, her ears heard many scary noises unique to the outdoors and her skin felt rain and wind for the first time. If that wasn’t bad enough, she found herself in the mist of the routine of a busy household. Her rapidly expanding horizons put her on sensory overload and all she could do was stare off into space.
Two other foster moms had helped care for Gwen by the time she came to live at my home. She no longer constantly quivered with fear and was now able to control her bowels when she encountered a fearful situation. But when you looked into her sad little eyes, there was no connection to the life that was going on around her. Seeing such an empty shell of a dog, especially a breed that is so full of life, was heartbreaking.
Gwen took up residence on my couch, feeling safe and secure in her “spot”. She had a bird’s eye view of all that went on with me, her new foster dad and two Scottie brothers. In the six months she spent with us, she gradually started to learn to trust people but seldom ventured very far away from her “spot”. Her potty training went well as long as I let her know when it was time to go outside. If I forgot or misjudged her signs, she reverted back to using the “basement”, as I called our tile floor!
When I realized I didn’t have the time it took to help Gwennie progress any farther along, it was time to look for her adoptive family. A wonderful lady applied, expressing she wanted to be able to change the void look in Gwen’s eyes. She had not had a dog in many years and felt it was time to give her love to a dog in need. I was happy that Gwen had found someone willing to devote their time to her many needs, but also felt the pain of letting go. Needless to say, that “spot” on my couch looked so empty after Gwen was adopted. I so missed seeing that sweet little face look to me for answers about the new life she was experiencing.
Months went by for Gwen and her new family. She continued to become more of a real dog. She was even blessed with two brothers, a Chihuahua puppy and a cat named Jack. Life was good and she was growing into her own identity. Unbeknownst to her new owner, she was even developing her Scottie instincts. Normally this would have been a good thing, but one night this December it turned out to be devastating to her new family and all of us that knew and loved Gwennie. She was taken outside for her last potty before bedtime and disappeared from the face of the earth. Nothing was different that night from Gwen’s normal routine. She pottied at her mom’s feet and while her mom watched for her Chihuahua brother to take care of his business, Gwen slipped off. Gwennie’s Scottie nose must have picked up a sent in the yard and she escaped in the darkness.
Her new family stayed up all night looking for her. All inquiries to local shelters, vets and pet shops came up empty. Ads were placed, posters hung and no one had seen or heard of Gwen. To complicate matters, snow began to fall and single digit temperatures set in. When I was alerted to Gwennie’s disappearance, it was so hard to have any hope that she could survive in the conditions I knew she would have to endure.
Time past and no word of dear Gwennie. There was more snow and cold weather. My heart broke knowing Gwen hadn’t received all the time she needed to become a complete dog, especially since she had come such a long ways. How would I put closure to my grief, not knowing exactly what happened to her? Would this misfortune make it difficult for me to continue fostering for rescue or could I ever feel the same gratification again? Being in the midst of the holiday season, I had to move on and get through my responsibilities. At one point, someone thought they may have seen Gwen in a nearby town at the local pet store. A couple with a Scottie girl about Gwen’s age were buying things she would have needed, but it turned out not to be our dear little girl.
Somewhere deep in my being, Gwen was still with me. I told myself it was because her mystery ended unsolved, and after all, she would always be with me in my fondest memories of the Scotties I had fostered. During the third week of her disappearance, I found out why Gwennie still felt so much a part of my life. Little did I know, a message on my answer machine would mend my broken heart. All I remember hearing was “Gwen is home!!!” It turned out that two men saw her running around and chased her for two days. They finally cornered her in a snow bank and were able to catch her! The men commented on how fast she could run! Fortunately, she still had on her collar and tags, so the men were able to get in touch with her mom and let her know she was safe. She was only about a mile and a half from home!!
Even though this news was nothing short of a miracle to me, the story wasn’t at its end. Gwen’s new mom had gone to be with her daughter and new grandbaby. She was a six hour drive from home, on good roads, anything but what we were experiencing at the time! Gwen was in the care of her husband that has never owned a dog in his life. He found himself overwhelmed with her care and needs. Again, I felt Gwen needed me to be there for her.
At the same time of Gwen’s return, another rescue Scottie boy needed to be transferred to the west side of Washington. It turned out he was only 13 miles from Gwen! Arrangements were made for Gwen’s unprepared dad to pick up this sweet little boy and meet Kaleen (our rescue committee coordinator) and me half way in between Yakima and Idaho. As Gwen’s new mom related, Gwen’s dad was doing a “happy dance” in the snow! Needless to say, I was elated to have Gwennie come back home until the roads cleared so her mom could come get her.
Some things never change. The minute Gwennie crossed the threshold of our back door, she ran to her “spot” on the couch and looked at me as if to say…………”I’m home!!” My eyes filled with tears, my heart burst with joy and I slept better that night than I had for weeks. It was the best Christmas gift I could have ever hoped for. I would have never dreamed in a hundred years, I would get my wish and see my little Scottie girl under my Christmas tree………..so to speak!! Overnight, the holidays completely changed for me. I went from being depressingly sad, to once again feeling the joy of being a foster mom. There was no doubt I would continue on with rescue and fostering. How could I not be there for the next little Scottie to come along with a story as sad as dear little Gwennie’s? It was a long, frantic ordeal for us all that grew to love Gwen, but in the end, she used her newly found Scottie instincts to find her way home. Life is once again, so very good!!
PS…………we will never know what Gwen went through in the three weeks that she was gone. She was no worse for wear upon her return, other than losing some weight and some scabs on her nose from probably digging in the snow. I think we will all have to agree that Gwennie is ever much a Scottie diehard as any other Scottie that had always known the comforts of having a family to love and care for them.
PSS…………Another Christmas gift was given to me when I realized Gwennie no longer has that empty and unconnected look in her eyes!! Life is not only good, it can be a miracle at times!!
