Foxy the Border Collie/Husky~Adopted

Foxy is a 5 month old Border Collie/Husky (Borsky)  who is being fostered by Melissa Smith.  She is awesome with children, loves to play with other dogs, and doing great with Melissa’ cats, “even the Siamese”, Melissa said!  She is crate-trained, obedient and very smart.  Melissa reports that she has not had one accident.  Foxy is heartworm negative, and is an owner-surrender.  After we give her a few days to get used to her new surroundings, we will report about her in detail!

What we do know is that Foxy’s mother was a Border Collie, and her father was a tan colored Husky.

Update:  Melissa Smith reports that Foxy has been adopted by Dana Geren.

Dana Emailed this story to me and has graciously given me permission to share it.

The Best Things in Life are definitely not free:
Even when presented as “Free to Good Home.”

Oh, it was that time. There was no more room for clever excuses. The kids were old enough to care for a dog and wise enough not to hug it too hard. My husband and I were not trying to avoid getting a dog altogether; we were just, let’s say, hoping to postpone the occasion until such time that we might refer to it as our “grand-dog”. We both worked and our kids were involved with many weekend activities. Further, our vacations were spent on the road in mountain cabins or hotels. We treasured our family vacations and valued our high “escapability” due to a pet free home environment. We were short on money and time and worked to make the most of it.

Acquiring a family dog would throw a canine wrench in our fine oiled vacation machine. Alas, the children were now teens and liked throwing wrenches. Finally, we acquiesced to their relentless requests for a dog but under two conditions: it must not be listed as one of the top ten most dangerous dogs for kids and must be “free” to good home. After all, the best things in life are free right?

The summer of 2003 was lilting by gently with no unusual interruptions. Being a teacher, I was on my summer vacation with the kids. What was a chore during the school year was a joy during the summer. I enjoyed running errands especially if the kids were in the car. Our conversations were more than “did you get your homework completed”. They were filled with juicy information and just plain folderol. Dinner was on the stove five nights per week before “O dark thirty”. Summer was a time of happy busyness and freedom. We all came and went as we pleased: beach days on a whim, overnights to Grandma and Grandpa’s, late mornings and a wife ready to receive her husband with a refreshed spirit nightly.

We would wait with anticipation for my sister to call and announce that she discovered unexpected free time within her busy schedule and request our company. I was so excited to see Auntie’s name pop up on my cell phone one Saturday morning. Surely she was calling to schedule an impromptu visit. Ha! She was calling to inquire if we were still looking for a dog. “Yes”, I responded with a hesitant tone, but that finding a free, family friendly dog was proving to be a bit of a challenge. Auntie was thrilled. She completely ignored my tone. She said she had found the sweetest dog for us. She went on to say, that this sweet thing had laid down in the middle of the road and lifted her hind leg high, exposing her belly for rubbing as a friendly come hither sign. She went on some more to say, “Dana, she is in the hospital now being treated for Parvo. The vet says she can be picked up tomorrow. All that you have to do is come to Atlanta and get her. She is the sweetest thing. The vet said that the dog is free but the treatment cost $800.” This would only be the tip of the iceberg of the costs of our “free to good home” most beloved Heartley.

My sister is the finest realtor in Atlanta. She knows how to bring homes and people together and how to close a deal before the month’s end. Evidently, this skill applies to canines and human pairings as well. Before I knew it, she had closed this deal and I was loading my daughter into the car and heading to Atlanta, checkbook in hand. We made it up and back in less than 24 hours. This included the rest stops every two hours on the way home for her to empty her tiny little bladder. My daughter, Sydney, sat in the back and watched her so very diligently. She looked for any sign of unease and offered unsolicited words and strokes of comfort. All the way home, Sydney and I tossed names around for our newest member of the family. It was a treasured trip but physically and emotionally it was exhausting.

I had not slept and the dog was in a precarious health situation. The vet informed us that she was ready to be released but that her chance of living was 50%. My sister is a pro all right. She conveniently omitted the “fine lines” of this free and sweet puppy contract. Parvo was a serious condition and there was nothing else to be done other than nurture her and administer medications. My daughter was devastated and devoted herself right then and there to the recovery efforts of her furry new sister. I on the other hand began to calculate and weigh the cost of this “rescue dog”. The popular American Express commercial came to mind. This trip cost: $800 for the vet, $150 for gas and food, $30 for leash and bowls and puppy pads, and days of sleep deprivation — expression on children’s faces as they meet their new sister… priceless. American Express Company has effectively underscored that the best things in life are not free.

Once home, my husband and son received our newest member of the family with the same immediate devotion that Sydney had demonstrated. The four of us shared the long nights of antibiotic treatments, potty training and constant visual evaluation. During her recovery
she managed to rake up another $500 in vet bills. But she did recover. We then named her Heartley Adrianne Geren after the street she was found, my sister who found her, and the family that adopted her.

As the years went on, Heartley faced Addison’s disease, which included monthly shots and daily pills, bone cancer, and always a sensitive digestive system. But she also enjoyed mountain vacations, dog bone-filled Christmas Stockings and tubing behind our boat.

Her vet bills over the years were just under the 10K mark, but the joy she brought to our family was immeasurable. Without fail, Heartley met us at the front door daily with a hardy welcome bark.

She passed away at the young age of about eight. Her life was short and wrought with health challenges but rich in treasured times too. She was the best thing that ever happened to our family and the only free thing about her was the love & devotion she showered upon us.