I enjoyed caring for this little German Shepherd/ Black Lab mix. Thanks to the Huron Valley Humane Society, I was able to keep her in my home, away from all the barking dogs at the shelter. She became very dog reactive, barking for her life whenever within 30 feet of another canine.
Raven was very nervous at first, pricking her ears up at every little sound. I worked at gaining her trust and eventually, she would walk with me nice on a lead and pass by pups on our way. The only ones we still needed to work on were the little ones who barked and ran back and forth in their yards as we passed. This was just a little too much for Raven to take.
I only had Raven for 10 days but I think we could have had her passing by quietly those little menaces, as well if I had had more time with her. She was a great girl and even though she was with me only a short while, I have found that I miss her terribly.
I was worried that little Raven would not be able to settle in with her new parents since I worked with her so closely and had established such a trusting bond, but she jumped in their car (after having met them at a meet and greet a few days earlier) and rode nicely to their home an hour away. Although I was happy for her and her new family, I couldn't help but be a little bit hurt that she had parted from me so easily.
I know the ease with which she was able to part from me was due to the trust we had established, but the ego carries an amazing force at times. There was part of me that wanted to be more important to Raven than I was and a sadness for my own loss arose to the surface.
I'm grateful that it all worked out perfectly. Raven has a new home, her parents have an amazing new pup, and my space is free for the next little buddy who needs my help for a while.
