Harvey Foster Journal: 3rd week

Our foster dog Harvey has been recovering nicely from surgery, and he got to experience something that many GSPs we are contacted about re-homing do not.  Ironically, Harvey was able to share the experience of moving with us, his foster family.  In our case, we donated bags of old clothing and gave away numerous treasures that we have collected—but giving up our foster dog, Harvey, or our own dog, Ruby, never crossed our minds.  Having Harvey kenneled during the move or letting someone else foster him might have been acceptable to others but we felt he was comfortable with us and had adapted well to our changing routine.We do try to set the dogs up for success and avoid opportunities for failure, especially during the transition.  Crating the dogs when left alone for short periods of time; not leaving any food items out; and not allowing the dogs access to anything we do not want chewed are just a few things that we attempt to do.  We are far from perfect and have lost one or two loaves of bread that were left on the counter.  But Harvey doesn’t get all the blame because we know that Ruby has been guilty of counter-surfing in the past.The good news for Harvey is that we have an applicant who has expressed an interest in him.  Harvey appears to be the perfect candidate as he tends to be on the mellow side if he gets regular exercise. We often find him just relaxing on a dog bed.  He’ll continue to observe us to see if our visit involves preparing for a walk or distributing treats at which time he’ll spring to life.  Otherwise, he’s happy to watch us go about our business.Just a quick note about the ChipIn for Harvey’s vet bill:  We were able to meet our goal and pay for his surgery in a record amount of time.  We are extremely appreciative to those individuals who contributed to help pay for the unexpected vet expenses.  Without your support, California GSP Rescue wouldn’t be able to exist.