Individual

After the loss of a pet, some families get another pet right away. Jason and I learned that we are not like that. While I can't say when I would have ever been ready to add to our Pack, it took Jason about 7 months after Satchel's death to say that we should start the process. We had no vision of what our next Pack Member would look like or be like. Our Koko had been a mix of German Shepherd and Chow probably, and through DNA we found Satchel to be a mix of Yellow Lab and English Setter. Luna is 100% Labrador Retriever. We had never looked for a particular breed, or even a particular dog, at a particular time - they each found us and they each are perfect.


Our Precious Koko


Our Glorious Satchel


Our Perfect Peanut aka Luna

After Koko and Satchel died, we were asked not only if we were going to get another dog, but if we were going to get another dog "like Koko" or "like Satchel." I didn't know how to answer that question for a long time. I simply didn't answer it. I think it's a big risk to attempt to get a dog "like" one you've already had. Even among the same breeds, there are a multitude of personalities, and I think envisioning your "next" dog to be like your "old" dog puts an awful lot of pressure on your "new" dog.

There is no dog like Luna, and Foster is unlike any dog we've ever had. We're still getting to know Foster, but he has shown some behaviors that remind me of Satchel and Koko, and he's beginning to show us more of who he is. It's all touching, and a great adventure.

During our first walk together, I noticed that Foster loved tall grasses like Satchel did. I smiled, and I felt a sting of pain in my chest, as I saw Foster purposely brush his face through some dead tall grasses and then turn around and brush his face through them again. Satchie had always loved tall grasses and sought them out to brush his face through on a walk.

Foster seems to like the massage room, as all our dogs have. The massage room is warm and has a very soothing energy. All dogs and people tend to relax and enjoy the massage room. Satchel loved the massage room more than anyone. He would lie almost completely under the massage table during a massage, and if you ever wondered where he was, you'd probably find him snoozing there. After his first radiation treatment - a super stressful event - he came home and immediately went to the massage room. After his last radiation treatment - both a stressful and relieving event - he came home and had a long nap in the massage room. So far, it looks like Foster enjoys the massage room too.


Curled up into less than two square feet of space completely under the massage table!

Koko loved to lie on anything soft. If I dropped my clothes on the floor before putting them in the hamper, Koko would be curled up on the first thing to hit the floor. One of her favorite days of the week, was sheet changing day. As I removed the top sheet and threw it to the floor, there was my Koko ready to snuggle up on it. The fitted sheet and all the pillowcases only added to her snuggle-up bliss. I would let her lie on them as long as she wanted. She was just so happy, and it was just so cute to me. Foster did the same thing the other day. I burst into bittersweet tears...and then took a picture...


Just like my Koko used to do...

Luna LOVES the treadmill. During the year I couldn't really leave the house because it upset Satchel too much, Luna and I spent a lot of time walking on the treadmill. It seems to irritate her back and the stifle she has in her right knee, so I can't let her use it anymore, but we have walked many many miles on that treadmill. Foster is learning to walk on it too. He doesn't love it yet, but during our 5-minute treadmill training sessions, he finds a rhythm and will walk with me.


We'll be walking together on it soon.

I have seen some things that remind me of our past and present loves, and I have seen that Foster is his own character. He seems to be coming out of shock and showing us more of his unique personality.

One of the nicknames we've found for him is "Wonder Twin." He is very flexible and an excellent stretcher and performs "Downward Dog" all the time. The first morning after he was allowed to sleep on the bed with us, he did his "Downward Dog" and then slid off the bed as if in the "Form Of: Water." It was a crazy sight that made us laugh out loud! Because of that vision, we also started to call him "Slinky."

Foster's nose is very sensitive. He doesn't seem to like orange scents. I have two lotions I really love. One is Origins' Orange and Coriander and the other is Bath & Body Works' Orange & Ginger. After I wash my hands, I often use one or the other, and Foster always sneezes if I touch his face within a few minutes. He comes back to sniff my hands, and sneezes again.

Bobblehead McFosse's nose is so sensitive that he can flush out a mouse from under a wood pile and catch it...I'm not great with The Trials of Life.

Foster Dog loves evergreens. A pine tree cluster in the woods provides an afternoon of good smells and good back scratches. He weaves in and out and around the bases of evergreens; a yew bush will do in a pinch.

The Fos Man loves heat. He lays less than an inch away from a heat vent in the office. Happily.


Silly Jason was trying to dry his cycling gloves by "Foster's Vent."

I'm the namer in the family and thought Foster's name was True originally, but we were calling him "Foster Dog" at first and that seemed to fit because we were looking to nurture him and help him grow more comfortable in our home. He is actually nurturing us and helping us grow out of our grief. "Foster" also means "Of The Woods" so that's his name. He is Foster and he is what he is: an individual, unlike any other dog.