Some of you guys may have “read” me talk about a Chucky, a lab/rottie we’ve had as house guest for the past 4 ½ months. Well his owner came back on the weekend and Chucky went home. I can’t believe how time flies when you’re having fun. And fun we had, he was a great guest.

But the other night I was feeding the boys and said to Bob how strange it feels to only be preparing 3 dishes again. I got a similar feeling when Edward passed away.

When preparing an extra dish for an added mouth to feed I don’t think anything of it. A bit more meat unthawing, a few extra pumps here, a couple more vitamins there. A bit of strategy in the supervising the meals, no big deal - 3 to 4 just doesn’t faze me.

But when it comes time to eliminate one of those bowls, this is where I run into trouble. The feeling took months to go away with Edward. And not that he was eating much in the end, I’m sure it was more the bowl, and what the lack of need to fill it represented.

Chucky is just down the street and I know he’s well taken care of by an owner that loves him very much. I guess I’m just feeling a little melancholy with the lack of the extra wiggle butt around. It’s what makes me wonder if I’ll ever be able to foster again. It can be tough letting them go.

In any case, I think I just needed to vent my somewhat empty nest syndrome. Does anyone else think it’s easier to increase bowls than decrease them?

That does sound hard! Maybe you could try to view you empty bowl syndrome as a good thing where the fosters are concerned. 3 bowls means you have helped one more dog find their place in life. Adding a 4th means you are on that journey to bring a dog closure again.
I have only fostered a handful of times, and none recent, but if it is any confort, I filled my beloved Ginger horse's grain bucket by accident for a month after she passed away. Filling 3 just didn't click with me for the longest time.

I didn't really have those feelings until Dudley. After he went to his new home, I'd forget he wasn't there when I'd first get up to take the dogs out, and folding up the extra crate and storing it...that was a bummer. But I have to admit, trying to remove all the fur he left behind didn't bother me at all!!!

Yep, in my opinion it's much easier to increase bowls than decrease them. I'm not sure why but it is espeically when it's a bowl you've filled for years and suddenly don't have to anymore. I used to foster but it was too hard on my family as we always got hard cases with issues usually small animal or food agression. In fact our first and last foster still live with us and will for the rest of their lives. Yes, we adopted them.

 Quote: Amy VandeWeerd

I have only fostered a handful of times, and none recent, but if it is any confort, I filled my beloved Ginger horse's grain bucket by accident for a month after she passed away. Filling 3 just didn't click with me for the longest time.

I know how that is, we had a thunderstorm 3 months after Cookie,Our dalmation, passed away and I raced home while on arrends to make sure she was securely in her crate as she was extremely storm phobic. Of course, after I got home, I remembered but it was little things like that that really got to me for a long time.

What gets me is not prepping the "extras".

Missy always got the extras, the trimmings off of meat, the crusta off my plate. She'd park herself in the kitchen when we'd prep meat for a meal and she'd get bits tossed to her (the other two are not allowed such privledges - they'd abuse them!) In the last several weeks that I had her her appetite was off so I was always prepping bites of really.good.stuff for her.

Now it's like "what do I do with this stuff?"

Yep I have an extremely hard time when I am minus a bowl.

My husband is helpful enough to leave the bowl, etc. out for 2ish days and then he packs up the items and puts them away. Eventually I'll get to that box and take out what items can go back into use and pack up the special items.

I don't foster, can't do it as of yet. Tried it, they never left. So, I'm just on the receiving end. Preparing an extra dish is usually a happy moment for me, other than momentarily thinking...maybe I shouldn't use this bowl with you new dog.

I really appreciate that those do foster, you are giving that dog a chance to live and in a nurturing environment while awaiting their family. Plus you know that dog and increase the chances of placing that dog in the right home, one that will have a higher percentage of permanent placement. You give your love, time, energy and more...that is a gift you cannot buy. I would venture to say, from your posts, that any dog that ended up at your house for any length of time, is a lucky dog.

I agree. I was supposed to give Kari back. The guy never came and I never reminded him to come :P . he is not so bright, Scatter brain, very basic obedience, is goofy and pees with excitement some times. But I cant Imagine my house with out him.

Amy, I love your outlook on fostering. Very much the way I’ve gone into in the past and yes Aimee, did actually come out of it. And it’s also very comforting to know that the extra grain bucket was actually on the receiving end of food. Haven’t slipped up that way yet… probably something about a raw chicken carcass sitting around for any length of time that’s keeping those senses awake.

Janet, that’s too funny you mention the hair. I swear his owner timed this just right so I’d go through the spring shed with him, we even joked about it this weekend. He owes me big time. I’m sure most of you have a good idea how much a northern acclimatized lab/rotti can shed. But I as well had no issues brushing and sucking up the fluff balls.

Dawna, I think you hit the nail on the head. It wasn’t like Chucky came to us with a bunch of issues to work on. He’s been here before (day visits) and is a pretty balanced older guy that loves everyone. He was so easy and such a pleasure to have around – much like Edward in the end. Just really comfortable from the get go. He as well didn’t like thunder and we had quite the storm last night. I think that’s what sparked my post. Geeze, Vince barely needs me anymore and I couldn’t help but wonder how Chucky was making out.

And oh Dear Mara, when I saw your post, I thought OMG, how thoughtless of me - whining about losing a guest when the loss of Missy is so recent. Your final days with her sound so familiar.

Chucky has a cast iron stomach but my boys are quite regulated with what they eat - Garrett’s health issues and the big boys can actually get thrown off fairly quickly if their intake isn’t closely monitored. Not Chucky though, not even a squirt when we switched to him to raw. That boy was meant to eat, anything. A pup like that is kind of fun around, as opposed to the pickier ones. There’s just something so appreciative about them when a good meal is set down.

Mara, the “extra stuff” made me cry. They loved their stuff, now what? I still don’t have the answer for that.

And I so hear you Aimee. We have 4 stainless steel bowls and it was Edward’s that we brought out for Chucky. That was probably my biggest mistake right there. I loved having it out and filling it again but never thought about having to put it away again. Live and learn, next time they bring their own or we get a new one.

And thank you for your wonderful comments. Any pup in our care, for whatever reason, will always get the best we have to offer, which I’m sure stands for many on this board.

And Ram, your Kari is such a Chucky (less the piddling of course :grin. A big lovable goof with very little training but a heart of gold. Tried his best and totally lived in the moment. He just seemed super happy to be here.

We discussed his transition back and felt it was probably best if he just spent time with his owner over the next few weeks, get bonded and used to his real home again. I saw them walking by this morning (I was just peeking) and Chucky was nudging quite strongly to turn into the yard. His owner was good, a soft correction and lots of encouragement as they carried on.

It’s all good but I really do miss having that extra bowl out. Thanks guys.