“Try Your Best and Forget the Rest” was the message from a recent episode of my son’s favorite TV Show, Paw Patrol, and it couldn’t be more fitting for our attempt at adopting another dog last month as a companion for our dog Mila.  Sadly, things didn’t go as we had hoped.   

We had to take a break from fostering dogs late last year because one of our cats, Max, became very stressed while our last foster dog was in the house and our vet decided it wasn’t healthy for him to continue having dogs come and go.  However, we noticed a change in Mila and it just felt like she missed having another dog around the house and doggy daycare once a week just wasn’t cutting it anymore. 

So after a year of consideration (we aren’t the most decisive people!) we decided to go back to the wonderful shelter we adopted Mila from and find her a friend!  We were so excited and very hopeful that if we found the right dog, our cat Max would be OK too.  We met the sweetest older dog at the shelter, who was great with our son and did really well during a meet and greet with Mila.  So the next step was a home visit where we could see how he did at our house and with Max.  And that is where things started to go wrong…

As expected, he slept a lot the first few days and was pretty anxious when he wasn’t sleeping.  It was pretty stressful to see a dog so anxious and not know how to help him but I decided to take my own advice from Animal Rescue Talk and allow him some time to settle in.  He had come from an animal hoarding case and he had been living in a basement for his entire life.  So all he knew was neglect and his new, much happier life at the shelter.  Life in a home environment was still very new to him.  As the days passed his anxiety eased some but it continued on and off and nothing we did, love, attention, play, could calm him down.  We noticed that although he was very sweet with Pierson, children’s toys, movements, loudness, etc. made him nervous and a bit scared.  He also wasn’t comfortable going to the bathroom in our fenced in backyard, only on walks.  And unfortunately we knew it would be difficult to continue to walk him several times a day with a 2-year-old (& hopefully another child at some point!) in the mix.  And of course the only wild card we had envisioned, Max, was just fine!

Throughout the process, nearly 2 weeks, we kept in close contact with the adoption team at the shelter and continued to work with him based on their tips and suggestions.  We certainly tried our best but we just couldn’t seem to make him completely comfortable at our house.  And with a lot of thought, consideration, and tears we decided that we weren’t the right home for the sweet boy.  That maybe he would be happier in a home where there weren’t young children and with someone who could really focus on just him and his transition into a loving home environment.  He deserves nothing but the best forever home after all he has been through, we were just heartbroken that it wasn’t ours. 

The night we brought him back to the shelter, the same day as the Paw Patrol episode “Try Your Best and Forget the Rest”, was very difficult and emotional.  I had never even considered having to take a dog back after having him at our home.  But the shelter volunteers were very understanding and actually thanked us for providing feedback on him that will help him find his perfect forever home.  He also seemed very comfortable and happy to be back at the shelter which made us feel a bit more at peace with our decision.  Gromit will forever have a special place in our hearts and we will do our part in helping him find a loving home.  We may try to forget our failed attempt at giving Gromit a forever home but we will never forget him and will always have love for the sweet boy!

At the time of this article, Gromit is still available for adoption at Save The Animals Foundation in Cincinnati, OH.  Check out his Petfinder profile if you think you might be the perfect home he is looking for:  https://www.petfinder.com/petdetail/34426600