Meeting Summer''

My granddaughter and her friend are fostering a Mini Australian Shepherd, named Summer. Her fur is  a beautiful, light chocolate brown and they will keep her until she gets adopted. Yesterday they brought her over to meet the two dogs at my daughter's home. Luna and Finn are black and white Border Collie mixes with sweet dispositions. I was looking forward to seeing the three dogs romp around together but what a surprise I got when Summer growled and barked at me and my daughter. She frightened me immediately and I did not want anything to do with the aggressive dog. To me, it looked as if she was ready to attack! Her little teeth looked dangerous to me. The foster parents assured me that Summer was not aggressive but was nervous at being in a new place. I wasn't quite sure!

My daughter, on the other hand, sat on the floor and spoke softly to Summer. She offered her a treat and before long Summer settled down and allowed my daughter to pet her. Any sudden move would make the dog make a huffing noise. I know that a lot can be known by a dog's tail but because this is a registered dog the tail had been cut off. On the Internet I found out the tail docking is an amputation of the tail for different reasons; aesthetics, preventing a working dog to be injured, cleanliness because a fluffy tail can pick up burrs, feces and matting which makes difficult grooming. A good thing is that docking is not as popular as it once was in the past and it borders on cruelty to animals!. Summer has no tail at all!

I eventually was able to pet her silky fur, and she did not seem aggressive at all, but she kept her distance and only came near me when I offered her a treat. Luna and Finn were introduced, and Summer did some barking but before long the three dogs got along. Luna, the oldest could have cared less; Finn did some sniffing and was satisfied with the new dog; and Summer seemed to accept being in a household with two other dogs!

When my son-in-law arrived the usual growling and barking began but before long she settled down. Toward the end of the evening, she seemed accepting of the new situation.

This will be a true test of taking care of a dog because Summer is coming from an eight-year-old home with a single owner and she is now nine years old. It will take some adjustment for Summer, and it must be very confusing for her to be around younger people. One thing they found out is that she loves going for walks and being outdoors even though she barks at every moving thing on her walk! The foster parents told me "We also are learning how to handle Summer and learning quite a bit of how to foster!"

I marvel at the foster parents as they work with Summer and how much they love her. Summer is in good hands and before long I know she will adjust to her new home!

"No matter how little money

and how few possessions

you own, 

having a dog 

makes you rich!"

Louis Sabin