We began fostering for the CCRT in January 2006. At that time we told Terry, jokingly, that if a “chocolate” Chihuahua puppy came in, we would like to foster him/her. Our first foster was Roxie.
Roxie had been a stray on the streets of Toronto for who knows how long. Because she bit the lady who trapped her, Animal Services was not able to adopt her out. So, Roxie came to stay with us. Roxie was a wild funny girl and she made us laugh. She had definite “quirks,” but we just accepted that as part of her personality. Roxie had severe separation anxiety whenever anyone left the house. She also barked at noises outside, no matter how small. Roxie was a very high-energy girl and loved her toys.
After three-and-a-half months, Roxie was adopted to a family. Four months later, Roxie was back. Roxie had bald chafing marks on her belly and shoulders from a harness, which had obviously been left on constantly. Her nails had also never been clipped. Roxie was adopted out again, twice, but came back in less than a week each time. At that point, we decided that Roxie was best kept in our home because no one else seemed to “understand” her. The behaviors people reported were not seen in our home at all. We adopted Roxie the next day. She still has the bald marks from the harness, still has separation anxiety, still barks at everything outside and is still very high-energy, but we love her to pieces. She will probably always have her issues, but we have no idea what she went through before coming into our home, so we just deal with them. She will not have to worry about going anywhere ever again.
In the meantime, a “chocolate” puppy had come in and the first call Terry made was to us. Scooby arrived in August of 2006. Scooby is the friendliest funniest little guy. He was neutered and adopted by us in less than a week. We believe that Scooby is the closest thing to the “perfect” dog you will ever find. Scooby is not destructive at all, except for two heating pad cords (plugged in at the time); he does not mess in the house; is not the least bit aggressive; shares food, toys and his bed; loves everybody; rarely barks; and even squats when he pees. Anyone who has had the pleasure of meeting Scooby understands why he was not going anywhere.
