Bringing Him Home

On the way to get Rex, we played Paul Simon's Loves Me Like a Rock over and over, singing along with the words and driving in Jodi's Honda CRV. Like new parents, flying abroad to get a child from China, we were so excited! We had also brought Jodi's dog Ruby along for the two-hour drive. We thought it would be a good idea to get the new dog socialized right away with Jodi's dog since he would be at Jodi's house some of the time.

We met our foster contact in a Super America parking lot in Alexandria, MN, halfway between Minneapolis and the South Dakota Indian reservation. Our contact led the dog out of her back seat. He was HUGE. His ears pointed forward.

Gulp.

"I have some bad news," she said.

My first thought was he had a disease or injury.

"I talked to his previous owners and they said they got him in 2003. So, he's probably more like seven years old."

The ad had said two years and five months (best guess).

"Oh, and he also had an accident on the way here. He pooped all over my back seat," she said.

I didn't even want to see what that looked like.

We unloaded Ruby out of the back of the CRV. He growled at her. He barked. We held them on tight leashes a ways apart. Ruby was a black Labrador and half his size, at 50 pounds.

Double-gulp.

"Let's walk them," someone suggested.

We walked them on leashes through the parking lot. Rex remained growly. Ruby was another dog in his space and he wasn't happy about that. Plus, he was confused. Where am I? What's going on? Who are these people?

We were the fosters but to him we were strangers.

But we had agreed to foster him and provide a good home until a forever home could be found. And we were people of our word. "Okay, well, let's go," we said, wanting to get going because the drive back would be just as long and the sun was setting as it was getting to be late afternoon.

Ruby and Rex had to be separated for the ride back. We never thought to ask if it was okay to have another dog along for the meeting. Apparently, the instant socialization with another dog was not a good idea. We didn't know better.

Ruby sat in the front seat. Jodi drove and I sat in the back seat. Rex was in the far back area of the SUV. A quiet sense of shock overtook the journey.

I sighed.

Jodi sighed.

Ruby even sighed.

What had we gotten ourselves into?

The drive home was quieter. Paul Simon did not croon from the radio. The sounds of silence seemed more appropriate.

But, instead of silence, nervous panting from the rear of the Honda filled the void.