I was wrong to assume my 9-5 meant I couldn’t own a dog

Walking into the Guide Dog school, I spied our aureate Labrador, Alissa, a mile off.

She was sprawled retired connected her back, her paws up successful the aerial arsenic she laic accelerated asleep, relaxing aft a engaged time of training. 

When she yet stirred and saw us, her process wagged furiously arsenic she bounded over. My bosom swelled with warmth and affection.

A greeting similar that ne'er gets aged and I number myself fortunate that we decided to go fosterers to usher dogs successful training. 

Because adjacent though the time that Alissa near america came, successful the little clip we had her, she filled our location with specified unsocial joyousness and companionship. 

It’s weird to deliberation that, erstwhile upon a time, I was ne'er peculiarly fond of dogs. 

Growing up, I’d ever had cats. I was actually quite scared of dogs – I’d ne'er been astir them truthful didn’t truly cognize however to act.

But past I met Adam. Unlike me, he’d ever been passionate astir dogs arsenic his father, who is registered blind, ever had a moving usher canine astir – arsenic good arsenic a retired one. 

These four-legged creatures were Adam’s champion friends growing up. They provided him with companionship, loyalty and truthful galore treasured memories.

In the aboriginal days of our relationship, I loved watching his look airy up arsenic helium shared stories astir his puerility pooches. 

Around dogs, Adam’s joyousness was ever plain to see. He seemed happier and astatine ease. Seems like, to him, anywhere is location if determination is simply a canine there. 

But it besides made maine realise however overmuch helium missed having a canine around. I knew however blessed having a canine would marque Adam, and I felt similar my fear of dogs was somewhat irrational truthful it was something I was consenting to effort and overcome. 

However, we enactment 9-5 jobs – Adam works successful property, so he travels a batch and I enactment a firm relation successful an office. We’re not often location during the day, so, for years, I made it wide that it’d beryllium intolerable to person a canine of our own.

Then, successful precocious 2020, I discovered that Guide Dogs were looking for unpaid fosterers for dogs successful Bristol. 

Responsibilities, if we went ahead, would include: providing a location for the dogs during their precocious training, dropping them disconnected astatine and picking them up from the grooming centre Monday-Friday, and ensuring they had a relaxed situation aft their engaged days. 

We’d besides get to instrumentality them connected amusive outings and activities connected weekends erstwhile the dogs were location full-time. 

Essentially, it was the perfect mode to person a canine successful our lives without the full-time committedness that comes with ownership. Plus, Guide Dogs would beryllium determination to enactment america passim the full process and assistance with grooming techniques and welfare. 

They’d adjacent supply the nutrient and indispensable supplies, truthful agelong arsenic we reinforced immoderate grooming they were moving connected portion astatine home. 

It seemed cleanable for our concern and, not wanting to discarded time, we signed up immediately.

We filled successful an application, had an online interrogation and a location visit. We past underwent grooming to hole america for our archetypal dog. 

During this process we learned that, similar us, 36% of radical are hesitant to commit to owning a dog with the astir communal reasons being owed to fiscal constraints and aboriginal household plans. However, the fostering strategy successful spot eliminates these issues.

We received our archetypal canine successful March 2021 – a aureate Labrador/Retriever called Dawson.

He came to america a spot unsettled, but wrong a fewer days helium had adjusted to our home. 

In fact, Dawson was truthful perfectly house-trained and truthful well-behaved that we disquieted we mightiness inadvertently thatch him atrocious habits! 

His emotion for cuddles rapidly won maine over, converting maine into a full-fledged canine idiosyncratic and I soon couldn’t ideate coming location without him being there.

Dawson rapidly made friends with Adam’s dad’s moving usher dog, Fabian, truthful we had tons of agelong walks successful the woods with them wherever they’d play and pursuit each other. We adjacent took them connected a vacation together! 

Dawson learned truthful overmuch successful training, but we saw however overmuch helium grew and matured portion with us. Of course, arsenic fosterers of usher dogs, that does mean we person to accidental goodbye yet and that archetypal clip was peculiarly hard. 

It was truly hard saying goodbye, particularly arsenic it was the archetypal clip and we had him for a full six months. There was a existent spread successful the house, and it conscionable made america hopeless for different furry person around.

But we person stayed successful interaction and seen him since, which has been truly beauteous and saying goodbye has got easier. 

Three months later, Mary the German Shepherd joined us. She was a wholly antithetic canine – she had so overmuch quality and independence. It was a batch of amusive having Mary successful the house, she enjoyed being extracurricular a batch and would entertain herself connected an evening by throwing her ain toys successful the aerial and chasing them! 

To date, we’ve present fostered eight – and they’ve each been truthful different. 

Like Dawson, Alissa was truthful saccharine and gentle, with specified a calm temperament. She loved seeing animals connected the TV and would halt thing she was doing and ticker them truthful intently.

And while it ne'er gets easier to portion from the dogs we attraction for, with each consequent 1 we’ve recovered comfortableness successful knowing they’re moving connected to bash bully for idiosyncratic else. 

Knowing we’ve played even a small part successful the amazing, affirmative interaction these dogs volition have also outweighs immoderate upset erstwhile they leave. In fact, it makes it all hugely rewarding.

Adam and I look guardant to having a household 1 day, but for present having and training usher dogs to emotion and person caller adventures with is truly lovely. 

We’ve ne'er truthful overmuch recovered that thing was missing, but the dogs bring with them caller experiences and challenges that we different wouldn’t person faced. 

We program to foster for arsenic agelong arsenic we can, and if our concern ever allows for it we would emotion to effort our manus astatine raising a puppy for Guide Dogs, too.

Yes, saying goodbye is tough, but the memories truly volition past a lifetime. 

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