Lucy didn’t look like my kind of gal. And she just wasn’t that into me.
Before her, I’d been on three dates and was still single, but not for lack of trying. A matchmaker introduced me to my favorites, carefully picked from their website photos and profiles.
First came Roscoe. A fun guy, but too much energy for my quiet lifestyle. Ryan was a loudmouth. Though absolutely stunning, shy Anna was a bit young for me.
Clearly, I needed to stop being so picky. I stood up from the bench, grabbed a plush toy, squeezed the squeaker and tossed it across the enclosed yard to Lucy.
Yep, that turned Lucy’s head. She went from ignoring me to playing a game of fetch, dropping the toy shaped like an apple core at my feet again and again. Within 10 minutes, Lucy came around to get back scratches from me. Then she sidled up to my beau, Rick.
We finally found our foster dog.
For years, I was a serial foster mom, keeping a dog until they were adopted and then immediately heading back to the shelter for the next one. My own little 5-pound Chiweenie, Rosie, just celebrated her 17th birthday. She no longer wants to share her home for the weeks it takes to place the boisterous huskies I gravitate toward. But she could handle a weekend with a mellow dog. I suspected Rosie would approve of 6-year-old Lucy.
This pug mix, possibly with a dash of Chihuahua, looks like she was designed by committee. Sporting short, skinny legs, Lucy weighs in at a whopping 29 pounds. Her corkscrew tail reminds me of a piglet’s, and she has a furrowed brow.
She’s got Amy Winehouse eyes. Dark stripes, mimicking eyeliner, extend out an inch or so from her big brown pools. And Lucy has long lashes to boot.
Found alone in the parking lot of Applebee’s in Petaluma, she ended up at Marin Humane. No one claimed her. After the five-day waiting period, the shelter put her up for adoption. By the time I met her, she had spent a month in a kennel, passed over by people who somehow missed her inner beauty.
Poor Lucy. She needed a break. I could give it to her because Marin Humane now lets people foster for a couple of days.
“Even the nicest shelter is still a shelter, and it’s not a home,” said Lisa Bloch, Marin Humane’s communications director. “Shelters can be loud, and that’s stressful.”
That’s exactly why Rick and I loaded Lucy and her supplies into the car and brought her back to my place. She was scheduled to be spayed early Friday morning, so we’d have to bring her back Thursday afternoon. Just one night of respite.
According to her paperwork, Lucy snarled and snapped at other dogs when they got too close. At home, we slowly introduced her to Rosie. Lucy sniffed her, then kept a respectful distance when my old gal backed away. For a while she paced, then relaxed the moment I patted the sofa, climbing up to rest her head on my lap. Luckily, she came housebroken.
When we walked her on a narrow waterfront path, she went nose to nose with dogs of all sizes. No problems. She was fine with people too, letting strangers pat her on the head. We noticed she made a beeline for women in their 70s and 80s, gazing up at them.
No one knows how Lucy ended up at Applebee’s, and she’s not talking. Obviously, she belonged to someone. A dog doesn’t get that rotund living on the streets. My theory is that a gray-haired woman was her person, someone who loved her deeply and fed her too well.
Lucy loves to eat. It hurt to disappoint her, yet I faithfully followed the diet provided by Marin Humane. She came running every time Rick and I were in the kitchen, hoping for a morsel of people food. I’m happy to report we never gave in.
On Lucy’s first night, I received a text from Marin Humane’s adoption manager, Catherine Tryon, who had patiently helped me find the right foster dog. Lucy’s spay appointment had been postponed. Did we want to keep her another day?
I felt relieved. In just 12 hours, Lucy had settled in, though not completely. When we played, her tail wagged excitedly, but that furrowed brow still looked worried.
She seemed conflicted, trying to enjoy herself while still wary of us, the new people. After dinner, she followed me from room to room. We took a walk, then blocked off a section of the bedroom, keeping her bed next to mine and creating some distance from Rosie. Both dogs slept through the night.
Long walks became our daily routine with Lucy. We easily slipped the harness over her head and she walked like a pro on the leash, right by our side. By Friday she started making the rounds, stopping at every bench where someone was sitting and begging for a scratch. Turns out Lucy had her own social calendar.
We shared everything we saw with Catherine. Marin Humane uses this information to match dogs with adopters.
Catherine kept checking in, offering to extend Lucy’s stay. First through the weekend, then through the next week. I said “yes” every time.
“She’s playing the long game with you,” Rick said.
Then came the call that a family wanted to meet Lucy the next day. I hoped it was a match, secretly wishing it wasn’t.
We pulled up to Marin Humane and took our girl out of the car. A family of four—mom, dad and two young adults—walked over, asking if this was Lucy.
“She’s perfect!” the father said.
The shelter was short on volunteers that day, so Rick and I stepped in. We went into a gated area, introduced the family to Lucy and showed them how much she loved to fetch. For 90 minutes, they played with her. All the while, they asked a million questions about Lucy and told us how she’d fit into their house, big yard and daily walks.
This family instantly saw what everyone else missed.
We loaded her into their car and my heart broke a little. Then photos and videos started rolling in, with Lucy lounging on the sofa, playing fetch and running on a trail. We may never know where Lucy came from, but she’s home now.
Currently, the shelter has 354 animals. Of the 74 dogs and puppies, only 35 are in foster homes.
Marin Humane has designed a program that lets people foster a dog for a night or until an adopter comes along. I’m committed to opening my home again. And if it’s a little longer than short-term, that’s OK too.
For more information about Marin Humane’s foster program, visit marinhumane.org/foster.
