Rusty

A puppy? Me with a puppy?
When I was first approached to foster a lab mix puppy I felt a ripple of fear run down my spine. It had been 13 years since I last had a puppy in this house. Years since I had to house break a dog or deal with the perpetual energy that comes with a puppy.
Me? Foster a puppy?
...okay....
Rusty was a rescue from a high-kill shelter in North Carolina. He and his brother were pulled the day before he was to be euthanized. Whew!
When he arrived, Rusty moved slowly around the house, cautiously sniffing each person, animal and piece of furniture before settling down on our golden retriever's (Halston) bed. He'd watch us from across the room, then get up and run over, only to skitter back to the dog bed if we reached for him. He must have decided Halston was safe because he began to follow her everywhere. After a few days Rusty would wait till Halston was sleeping and then climb on her back and go to sleep. Halston's nice and fluffy.
We showed Rusty where the food and water was and the bathroom. Every twenty minutes we showed him where the bathroom was...and he caught on fast.
One thing about puppies...the adopt out fast. We had three applications for him the first week he was up here. We read each one, checked the references and called their vet. When everything checked out okay we asked them if they would like to come up and meet Rusty. They did and it was love at first sight. Rusty had a new home.
And then along came Sally...