Here is the current craigslist ad for current foster Foxie, discussed in the previous post:

Foxie is about a one year old small (20 lbs or so) girl who might be a Queensland Heeler/Border Collie/Fox Terrier mix. She was rescued from an out-of-state where she was at risk for being euthanized due to overcapacity conditions. She has been in foster care here in Fort Collins, where she has been an absolute delight for her temporary guardian family.

Foxie learned in one day how to use a dog door to the back yard, and has learned to sit for treats. She enjoys spending time in her crate when she tires of playing. She's always ready to romp in the back yard or go for a walk around the neighborhood. Her foster people have been taking her on two half-mile walks a day, and she is very easy to handle on a leash. She appears to be in good health, and is current on her vaccinations.

Foxie is not a very shy dog, she is only slightly hesitant with new people, and so far has not showed any signs of agression to people or other animals. When an unrecognized person walks in the front door unexpectedly she may growl or bark a bit (as you would expect from any dog) but that passes quickly. She quickly bonded with her foster caregivers, and seems to enjoy greeting new people, including small children. So far has been observed to be a very energetic, playful, and loving dog. She has seen a cat a foot away through a glass storm door, and only seemed mildly interested - we did not observe any predator behavior. Other than that she is still untested with cats. Foxie is house-trained and has had no accidents in foster care. As with any young dog new to an environment, she should be supervised closely and shown where she should go for a while at first. She would do best with a yard to play in, as she enjoys running around free and this burns up some of her pent-up energy.

Foxie is a pretty quiet dog - she rarely barks. She has been well behaved in the house, where she chews on toys and rawhides that are provided for her. She seems intelligent and eager to please, and loves affection.

If you would like more information on Foxie, or if you would like to meet her to see if this sweet adorable little dog might be a good match for your home and family, please call/text Ashley at 973-452-5127 or email apuppysvoicefc@gmail.com. A Puppy's Voice has a website at http://apuppysvoice.com. You can learn about adopting at the web site, and even download and complete the foster or adoption application.

Foxie is a wonderful, good-natured girl who deserves a great forever home. She will certainly be missed a lot by her foster family.

Thanks for taking an interest in Foxie!

---

We took the current foster dog for a walk in a nature preserve a few days ago. Someone had installed a bench as a memorial there, with an inscription you can mostly make out in the accompanying photo - it's repeated below...

"A dragonfly lights beside us like a sunbeam, and for a moment its glory and beauty belong to the world. But then it flies again, and though we wish it could have stayed, we feel lucky to have seen it".

This certainly applies to my current feelings about most of the fosters I've had converting to a lifetime adoption. This little dog 'Foxie' especially is so great, I was stuggling with the idea of her leaving for an adoption family. The same struggle has occured with several past dogs, and each time I have to consider how great it is to share some time with them, then let them go. I also need to consider the value I might continue to provide for future foster animals. There are never enough foster homes to meet the needs, and the rescue people are often overextended.

As I've sorted this out, I have to acknowledge that I'm still not prepared to begin another lifetime commitment to a dog, no matter how great a short-term companion they are. After numerous 5-10 day visits I still probably need to try a longer period of living in Mexico to see how I feel about eventually living there as an expat. It's so hard for me to get to the point where I even attempt a month(s)-long visit that adopting a dog would probably disrupt the process entirely. I have a low tolerance for complexity and hassles, and I need to minimize complications to facilitate moving on to whatever lies ahead as life here in the house in Fort Collins winds down. It has occured to me that intolerance of hassles and complications in everyday life might be a disqualifying temperment for Mexican life to begin with, given that things don't always unfold smoothly there.

It also occurs to me that my foster dog relationships are probably not unlike that that of a grandparent who adores their grandchildren - it's great to have a weeks-long visit with the little darlings, but if the parents were to expire in a freeway encounter with a semi on the way to pick them up, there might be some altered feelings...

---

As I listen to the screeching and braying of the candidates positioning themselves for the election of 2012, forgive me if I disassociate and imagine an alternate reality...



This is the climactic scene in Chaplin's scathing indictment of fascism, which he wrote, produced, directed, and starred in. He played two parts - the dictator (modeled after you-know-who), and a simple barber. In this scene, the barber is mistaken for and stands in for the dictator, and delivers what appears to have been an impassioned and personal appeal to reason and decency by Chaplin.

---