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Susy Q
I don't even know how to begin a post about Susy Q, my pretty girl, my little peanut, my soul sister. She was my first foster dog and she will always have a big, special place in my heart not because she was the first dog I fostered, but because she and I really had a special connection. It's so hard to write a post about her because there are so many wonderful things I want to share and I hardly know how to organize them into a coherent story, so I guess I'll try to start from the beginning.
Susy Q was found by and old man in Georgia; she was wandering his property and looked thin and hungry. Having five other dogs, the old man decided to take her in and bring her back to health. Very quickly he realized that despite her thinness, Susy was actually pregnant, and about three months later she popped out eight puppies! EIGHT puppies out of her little body! The man did the right thing and brought her puppies to a shelter so they could all find loving homes, but he loved Susy so much he wanted to keep her. Sadly, his wife began experiencing health problems and it was just too much to keep her along with his other dogs. I will always be so grateful to him for saving Susy Q (and giving her such a cute name).
He brought one-year old Susy to TLC Pet Rescue and cried when he dropped her off, but we assured him she was going to a good home. We think Susy is 100% German Shorthaired Pointer, which I took as a sign that she would be a perfect first foster for us because my family dog is also a German Shorthaired Pointer. (Isn't he cute?!)
Susy departed Georgia on a Saturday afternoon and made it to our house around 8pm the following Sunday. The transport van broke down part-way through the trip so it took a lot longer than usual, but finally, Susy was ours!
Despite her distaste for the cold Massachusetts weather, it took Susy no time at all to warm up to us. She became glued to my side, and would follow me everywhere I went, jumping into my lap the second I would sit down. When I came home, she couldn't stop wiggling her butt and her stubby tail, and she had the cutest way of getting your attention. She would gently grab your pant leg or the end of your sleeve and tug on it until you noticed her.
Every night, she'd curl up between Colin and I in bed, asserting her place as the princess of the household (I had to temporarily step down).
She became best friend with my parents' dog, Colby, and he'd grumble like an old man while she forced him to play with her. It was so cute, and my parents were seriously considering adopting her.
Unfortunately, after a few months of thinking about it, my parents decided it would be best not to have a second dog, and I started to get so nervous about her adoption. I didn't want Susy to be gone from my life, and she was so perfect that I didn't think there would be any adopters that lived up to my expectations of the kind of life she deserved.
But, they did. I could tell instantly that the first couple that met Susy would be perfect for her, but there was one problem. They already had a rescue dog, Denver, and he was incredibly nervous around other new dogs. During our first meeting, he snapped at Susy when she got too close, and for the next two hours he sat in the corner, terrified of her.
"Should we try to have another meeting, maybe at Denver's home turf?" Colin asked, as I crossed my fingers that they would give Susy and Denver another chance.
Thankfully, they did, and a week later we nervously drove Susy to their house 40 minutes away to see if that would ease some of Denver's nerves. We brought the two on a walk together and Denver stayed behind, head down and tail between his legs. It didn't seem like he was going to warm up to her, but all of a sudden, he decided he wanted to play with Susy! He ran over to her, tail wagging, and they started running and playing and loving each other! It was amazing to see how suddenly and perfectly the two dogs clicked.
After one more meeting, Lindsey and Brennan (Denver's parents) decided to adopt Susy. On the trip down to drop her off, my stomach was turning. I was so nervous to be handing over our little Susy girl to someone else. The moment we arrived though, all my nervousness disappeared. Susy absolutely lit up when she saw Denver, and he became a whole different dog around her. He used to have so much anxiety when he was home alone, but now he cuddles up on the bed with Susy instead of clawing at the door to escape. Susy taught Denver how to play with toys, too. Before Susy, he would never play with his toys because he probably didn't even know how, but once he saw Susy doing it, he started playing with them too!
Somehow, I dropped her off without breaking out into too many tears, and surprisingly felt SO happy. Susy found a perfect home, and there was nothing else I could have asked for.
The experience we had with her cemented my absolute love for fostering dogs and taught me how rewarding of an experience it can be. More so, Susy taught me how to love life. We put together all the puzzle pieces of her personality and situation that made it clear what her life was like before this. She was most likely used as a breeder dog; based on her small size, it would be cheaper to care and feed for her than a larger sized pointer. She was definitely kept in a very small kennel where the only room she had was enough to turn around, and we are fairly certain she was thrown away when a breeder didn't think she was getting pregnant easily enough (despite her young age). Despite all this, Susy was happy and loving. Dogs have an incredibly ability to forgive and move forward in life, and Susy is proof of that.
