I first saw Scarlett on a Facebook post for a local animal shelter page. She was absolutely huge due to being very pregnant, and very close to her due date. She looked a little overwhelmed in the image, as the caption called for a foster to take care of her. I was intrigued by her expression and couldn’t wait to see what her pups looked like. I liked the photo but then carried on, not thinking much of it.
The second time I saw her was again on Facebook. A professor posted a photo of Scarlett and her few-days-old pups in her office, Scarlett once again looking overwhelmed. I rushed to meet her and her babies after class. Baby Girl had the overwhelmed look on her face like in the photos, yet she was calm and handled her babies with such maternal instinct. Her babies cried, slept, and ate, and yet she managed to give them kisses and tried her best not to squash them (with ten babies constantly wanting you, this was a rather difficult feat). She was missing half of her ear, supposedly from an ex-owner trying to crop it to keep with the short ear trend in pit bulls. It had obviously been done wrong, as the top of this specific ear was rather crooked. Her other ear was unmarked and still whole. The asymmetry this brought to her face explained why she looked so confused and distressed in the photos. She had some slight scarring on one side of her face. You would think that after having such obvious scarring that she would be easily agitated, yet she stayed calm when I entered the playpen to sit near her and her puppies. She was totally fine with me rubbing her back and the top of her head and after leaving her puppies for a potty break, she came back inside only to immediately fall into my lap for belly rubs. Although she had marks from her life before the puppies, she had such a capacity and love for those who surrounded her.
I followed Scarlett and her pups through my professor’s Facebook posts. I watched as her babies grew substantially in their first few weeks of life. Quite a few times, I would jokingly tell friends and family that I was going to adopt her. The plan was to adopt a dog once I graduated from college and had a job, yet as time went on I felt a special connection with Scarlett and hoped that our paths would cross again.
A few days before Scarlett was put up for adoption, I contacted my professor to inquire if she was still looking for her “forever home.” Although my professor asked if I was willing to adopt Scarlett, something held me back. I wanted to make sure that Scarlett liked me and my living situation, as well as the other animals in my life. I didn’t want to go through the process of adopting her without seeing how she felt about me. So, we agreed for me to foster Scarlett for a weekend, just to see how she handled my parents' pets, as well as my house and housemates. This helped me see what adopting Scarlett would be like, as well as allowing my housemates to meet her.
The weekend went spectacularly. Although it rained most of the time, Scarlett was content with extended nap times, long car rides, and just lazing around the house. She enjoyed meeting my parents’ dogs, and quickly made new friends with them. My friends were delighted to meet her, and she treated everyone with love. She loved cuddling and really appreciated all of the attention, yet she always kept an eye on me when other people were petting her. She wanted to make sure that I was there with her, and she listened to my commands quite well.
When the time came for me to return her to my professor, I was sad to let her go. Scarlett was due to be spayed the next morning, and my professor was dropping her off at the vet. There really wasn’t a way for me to extend the time with her -- or so I thought. After seeing how Scarlett reacted to my friends and family, I knew that this was the right fit for me! I decided to adopt her immediately. She’s been living with me since the day after her surgery -- and getting quite spoiled too!
To many, this may have seemed like a quick decision, but it was certainly not one that I took lightly. I had been saving up money for adopting a dog since I met Scarlett. Scarlett isn’t technically mine -- yet. I’m “fostering-to-adopt” her, as she goes through heart worm treatments in January and February. I’ve signed the forms, and she will be mine as soon as the treatment is over. For now, I’m her foster as we wait for the right timing for treatment. I know that the next few months for Scarlett will be rough while she goes through treatment. I’m just thankful that I can spoil her and make her life the best it can be. Although we’ve only been together a short time, she recognizes me as her caretaker and loves to be with me, and I love to be with her. I can’t wait to see what adventures we’ll have together. For now though, I am content to give her all the attention she needs to get better.
For more information on where I adopted Scarlett, please click here.
Special thanks to Dr. Hobgood for connecting Scarlett and me.
