How about, “Maggie is still available for adoption!”  Like many of you said, I would know right away if the family was right for Maggie or not.  Sadly, they were not.

While a small part of me is relieved that for now Maggie is still mine, an even larger part of me is disappointed because I truly had myself excited about the prospect of Maggie getting adopted.  I had come to peace with the idea of saying goodbye and moved on to being excited about all of the new dogs I would be able to help.  (There were a few sleepless nights–something that is completely foreign to me–while I got myself to this place, but that is really here nor there…)  Hell, I had even gotten Rich excited about it, which I now realize I never have really talked about Rich’s love for Maggie, but let’s just say it rivals even mine.

So what went wrong?  The family really was every bit as nice and knowledgable as they seemed when we chatted Friday night, and if I could base my decision on the amount of love they had to offer a dog, Maggie would already be there–but I can’t.

Actually, I’m getting a little ahead of myself, because I still haven’t even heard back from them, so maybe they aren’t interested after all and the point is moot?  Personally, and I know I’m not alone because bumpyroadtobubba shared the story of adopting her dog with me (check it out here, it is absolutely perfect), if I were serious about a dog, I would sit outside the home or facility where the dog was until I had the green light to take it home.  Maybe that’s extreme, but Maggie (and truly all dogs) deserve this amount of love, excitement, and devotion.

Regardless, there were things about their house that I envisioned being real problems for Maggie, given her propensity for getting into things and what not.  When I committed to foster her, I committed to keep her safe forever.  If/when she gets adopted, my responsibilities do not just end there.  Until the day Maggie goes to join my other dogs in Heaven, I hold myself responsible for her precious life.  Really, what good would I be doing if I just let dogs pass through my doors and never thought about them after that?  Didn’t care enough to ensure nothing bad would ever happen to them again?  No good at all is what I say.

So we will continue searching for the perfect home for Maggie.  And if it comes time for us to move and that perfect family has yet to appear, maybe it really does mean she’s been home all along.  I don’t think I’d be too upset about that 🙂