Mama does short-term fostering from time to time. Typically, she helps out other foster parents who need help while they are out of town or when a dog just needs some time away from the shelter. She doesn’t do it often because she’s afraid of getting too attached one day. Mama tried to fostering me at first, but she fell victim to what the rescue community likes to call a “foster failure.” That’s when you end up adopting the dog you’re fostering. Lucky for me!

I like it when she when brings other dogs home because the cats won’t play with me. So, I got excited when she came home with a medium-sized black dog one day. I play with two dachshunds all the time, but it was good to have a “normal” sized buddy for a change. There was something different about him. He was a three-legged dog. Mama decided to name him after one of her favorite Walking Dead characters, who was also an amputee — Hershel.

Hershel AKA Double Deuce

GPG originally named him Double Deuce, after a bar in East St. Louis near his rescue site. Someone had shot him in the leg, which shattered his hipbone. The vet couldn’t fix it, so his right rear leg had to be amputated. Due to all the swelling, Hershel had to wait 17 days at the animal hospital before he could have surgery. Poor guy! After surgery, the shelter was all full. Mama brought him to our home because he needed a quiet place to heal from the surgery and continue his heartworm treatment.

 

 

Hershel recovered well from surgery and was moving around like it didn’t bother him at all. He seemed like any other dog to me despite his physical difference. I wanted to play with him, but Mama said he had couldn’t be too active because of his heartworm treatment. I had that also, so I know first-hand that it makes a pup feel terrible.

 

A New Beginning

For a while, he looked so sad all the time. But as the weeks went by, his spirit seemed lifted and he grew more confident. He even got to go on a photoshoot with Mama at Tower Groves Park. I was upset that I wasn’t invited. Mama made up for it by letting Hershel, my two dachshund buddies and me go backyard camping one evening. We got to enjoy burgers and an evening by the fire. Hershel was becoming a happier boy, but sometimes he still seemed to retract into his dark place.

 

One day, a nice family wanted to meet Hershel. Mama took Hershel to the park to meet them, and they liked him a lot. Next, she arranged a meeting at their house to see how he would fit in at their home. She even sewed him a nice polka-dot bowtie so Hershel could look his best for his potential new family. And as we expected, everyone loved and his adoption process began.

 

Hershel had been with us for over two months, which was the longest Mama had ever fostered before. She was glad that he found such a wonderful forever home and knew that he would be loved. Their dog had passed away a few years ago, but it had taken them all that time to be emotionally ready for another dog. His new parents were also planning to train him to be a therapy dog for children at the hospital. Despite all the wonderful things happening for Hershel, I could tell Mama was sad at the same time. She cried a lot before taking Hershel to his new home and even more when she got back. I cuddled her and gave her lots of kisses.

I hope I can see Hershel again one day. Maybe he will even recognize me as a brother he once had, if even for a brief moment. I know this was hard for Mama, but I hope she finds the courage to foster again. The world needs more people who can open their homes and hearts to help a furry friend in need.