My Favorite Failure

There have been but a few bright spots from this horrible pandemic but watching communities come together has been one of them. From one person shopping for a neighbor, to your local brewpub making hand sanitizer, to entire factories changing their production lines to focus on PPE; it’s been heartening to see we care about each other. The animal welfare industry is no exception. At the very beginning of the lockdown, shelters worked together to help support their pets. Online communities were created to share information, judgement on philosophies were suspended, and hands were extended over and over again asking “how can I help”. Funders, including PetSmart Charities with a $2 million commitment, created new grant programs to provide emergency funds. Veterinarians and shelter staff worked alone and long hours to help pets too fragile to leave the shelter and entire cities became a network of foster homes as people took in new family members.

I was lucky enough to add to my family during this time - meet my granddog, Milo. Just days before the California quarantine, my son Drew Balthazor (don’t mind the quarantine beard and hair, he promises his mother he’ll get a haircut and beard trim as soon as the salons open in Alameda County) moved into a pet friendly apartment. He lives alone and now working from home, I worried (as all mothers do) that he’d be too isolated and lonely. So when GreaterGood created #stayhomeandfoster to match programs with potential new fosters, Drew signed up the first day. He was connected with East of Eden Canine Rescue and Milo, a cattle dog who had been in the shelter system for a while after being relinquished because of his high prey drive.

Like all new parents, Drew was a bit scared and apprehensive but loved Milo from the start. “He’s such a good dog” he told me. The first couple of days, he questioned me about crate training, food, and how to keep Milo calm on a leash. I, of course, offered opinions but I’m a grantmaker, not an animal behavioral expert, so Drew wisely took the counsel of the trainer East of Eden provided to make Milo’s transition a successful one. Drew’s dad added “You know he’s going to keep him, right?” but I could only hope. Drew’s an engineer and nothing if not logical. He weighs pros and cons, thinks through outcomes, and makes determinations based on the best science. But I hoped with all my heart that he would just say yes. In my 4 ? years at PetSmart Charities, I’ve seen thousands of pets in shelters and I wish every single one found a home, but I know that’s not the case.

I tried to refrain from asking if Milo’s visit was going to be a permanent one, but it was hard. Milo never slept in the crate; he was sleeping at the foot of Drew’s bed from day one. Drew put Milo in his work t-shirt and Milo happily photobombed RefleXion Medical Zoom calls. He took long walks with Milo three times a day and studiously practiced sit, stay, down, release, and leave it. Drew wiped the nose prints and slobber off the window after each squirrel Milo expertly stared down but worked so hard to not disturb by barking. Drew was happy; I could hear a different tone in his voice when he called. But still, he was concerned about separation anxiety when he went back to work. One day, Drew was called into the lab for a hardware issue and Milo passed the home alone test with a blue ribbon. No chewing, no accidents, no barking and no more reasons not to say yes. Drew signed the adoption paperwork and promptly bought an Oakland Athletics name tag for Milo with his phone number and email in case Milo ever gets lost. But I doubt that will happen; they are now inseparable.  

It is my sincere hope that every pet that found a foster home during the quarantine has a similar story. These are the failures we need during this time.