The other day I posted about my first foster experience… here’s what happened next…
I waited until life was a little more stable before volunteering again. I was due to travel a bit in January and February so the opportunity didn’t arise again until March. That’s when the Rugrats arrived. My friend had been helping with a litter of puppies who had been thrown in a bin. They needed round-the-clock care and feeding every few hours. It was a demanding role and so it was split between a group of us over the course of a few weeks. I volunteered to take them on for a week and it just so happened, their arrival fell on my birthday. Happy birthday to me!
The box contained Chucky, Phil, Suzy and Tommy, named after the cartoon characters in the Rugrats. By the time they got to me they were on solid food but still needed a lot of care. And so the routine began, feed-pee-poop-run around like nutters-learn something new-sleep for an hour aaaannnnndddd repeat. With four of them running around we lived with puppy pads and a permanent mop bucket in the corner.
They chewed things, peed everywhere, barked during the night, pooped in annoying places, stood in their food/pee/poop and trailed it everywhere and I hardly slept.
But they also entertained us as they learned new things. We watched them get bolder and work out puzzles in their environment. Their different personalities developed and we got to know them as individuals. Plus they made excellent photography subjects, at least in the moments they sat still or fell asleep.
I loved it.
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These guys were with us for a week before heading to stay with a lovely friend of mine. I was sad again, there were tears but I knew they were in safe hands before they went to their forever homes the following week. My other half had also planned a weekend away so our empty apartment was less of an issue. I visited them again before they left for their new homes. It was incredibly hard to part with them but it was a job well done by a dedicated team of foster carers. We did a good thing. x
